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MacGyver Online Forums > MacGyverisms > Whats the worst MacGyverism

Posted by: MacGyverOnline 7 March 2008 - 07:28 PM

Be it for, being too exaggerated, too ridiculous, too unrealistic.. what ever the reason...

Which MacGyverism do you consider to be the worst?

The one that springs immediately to my mind is the ridiculous Rosary beads in "The Road not Taken" episode.

MacGyver takes a chain of Rosary beads, lays them on a log in a swelled pattern and suddenly they all focus a beam of light in the same spot.

It's not even physically possible to get beads to do that!

Let alone the issues of how he magically had the beam lined up before it even started.

For a show which was based on scientific principle, that was pure science fiction.

Posted by: Lothithil 7 March 2008 - 08:16 PM

You beat me to it, Rocky!

The rosary beads are the worst!

I think my second-least-favorite MacGyverism is in 'The Odd Triple' There is no way that a few tanks of CO2 could budge a wine vat of that capacity, let alone propel it with enough force to go through a brick wall! I shake my head every time I see that!

Still... it's a good episode. I love to see Mac and Jack and Pete working together!

Posted by: MacBeth 7 March 2008 - 10:19 PM

The two that come to mind immediately are both from the Bad Laser Dept. -- the rosary beads in "The Road Not Taken", and the "optical pump" in "Legend of the Holy Rose".

The "Holy Rose" was certainly one of the stupidest, ugliest and most implausible props ever seen on TV (although the Black Corsage necklace is down there, too). And it's a pretty lame episode, and I want to strangle Zoe. But I love the scene where Mac gets wildly geeky when he figures out what the setup with the artifacts is supposed to do. The sheer charm of that one scene scores big for me.

So on consideration, I'm rewarding the lead statuette to the rosary beads. It's a much better episode -- Mac and Pete together are always great! -- but it's a lame MacGyverism and a weak scene.

Another Dishonourable Mention should go to the waterjet escape in "The Stringer". Should go -- but doesn't. It's cheesy, it's corny, it's implausible, and it looks unrealistic as hell on film -- but it was the last episode . . . and for the last great MacGyverism of the entire series, they found a way to make Mac fly. And I love it.

Posted by: MacGyverOnline 7 March 2008 - 10:56 PM

Actually the Holy rose episode might well have crap-fest # 3 as well....

That stupid escape from the swinging meat dicer... kick your shoe.. knock the head into the water container and let the loose hair block the hole.

you know that one might be #2... at least the optical pump had a hint of science behind the idea.

Posted by: MacBeth 7 March 2008 - 11:39 PM

The whole Pit and the Pendulum scene was cringe-inducing, but at least there was a modicum of reality behind the hair clogging the drain; at least as much as there was to the medieval laser!

And I definitely agree that the rosary-bead laser was just plain science fiction -- entirely attributable to the Power of the Script.

Posted by: The True MacGyver 9 March 2008 - 04:28 PM

Definitely the pressure washer escape from The Stringer. They seemed to jet pack out of the hold with a single stream of water. The pressure wouldn't be enough and they would of shot up wildly into the walls with no control. Sam even said 'the door's locked.' Your dad is MacGyver and you say a locked door is a hindrance.

Posted by: jackwabbit 10 March 2008 - 04:47 AM

I vote for the water jet escape in 'The Stringer', too.

But the entire Holy Rose thing is way up there.

Posted by: deepfathom393 7 May 2010 - 09:24 AM

My vote goes to the coffin/jetski. that one was just plain terrible!!

Posted by: MacGirl 7 May 2010 - 05:54 PM

I would say both moments from Holy Rose, especially the escape from the swinging ax, which is way too dependent on sheer luck to be believable. Also, the plugging-the-acid-leak-with-chocolate scene in the Pilot. Yes, the principle is correct (sugar will stop sulfuric acid) but it would take about 40 POUNDS of chocolate candy to do it! Definitely out there.

Posted by: Dragslo 25 May 2010 - 08:42 PM

Definately the PILOT episode about the chocolates, I knew from the very first second I wouldn't ever try that.
And the rosary beads, looks like I ain't the only one to dislike that one.
My first thought was ''That wont ever work for me''

I wonder who came up with that idea...

Posted by: MacGyverOnline 25 May 2010 - 10:27 PM

QUOTE (Dragslo @ 26 May 2010 - 04:45 PM)

Definately the PILOT episode about the chocolates, I knew from the very first second I wouldn't ever try that.

But the chocolate actually works. It's been confirmed on Mythbusters as well as by RDA himself.

It's only the amount of chocolate used that was exaggerated.

Posted by: Dragslo 26 May 2010 - 08:50 AM

Sorry bad my bad for not adding that, that's what I meant, few small bars doesnt save he world!

Posted by: Miasma 28 May 2010 - 08:15 AM

As bad as all the MacGyverisms are that you all listed (and yes, I do agree that they're bad), at least they were somewhat clever/entertaining (even if just in a "I can't belief how silly this is" kind of way.)
The ones that bothered me were the half-assed ones like using dumbells as wheels to move the stage in "The Madonna." I mean, that was the ONLY MacGyverism in the entire episode, and it was something that anybody with a semi-functioning brain could figure out. It hardly represents the brilliant mind that Mac is supposed to have.

Posted by: MacGyverisms 3 February 2013 - 04:40 PM

I'd say my least favorite MacGyverism is the water jet pack escape from "The Stringer".

Posted by: Jediferret 4 February 2013 - 01:24 AM

LOL! I always just chalked it all up to being 80's television. The pendulum scene in Holy Rose always kinda got to me because I remember that episode as a kid when it was first aired. I remember having to wait for the following week and how it was a big deal for my Mom, sister and I as we got all excited to see how he got out of it. lol As a kid, it didn't bother me because I remember it was pretty tense. However, now that I've gone back and watched it an adult, I kinda chuckle inside. It's very silly and unrealistic... but I still love it because it's nostalgia. XD

Posted by: MacGyverGod 5 February 2013 - 07:22 AM

What are the odds, huh? There was not much he could do, on the other hand. Nothing to grab nearby and he only had a minute. In Saw V they used a pendulum torture once as well, of course with no escape. There's no escape from a thing like that, if it only takes a minute to cut you in half unless you can break or dislocate your thumbs and try to free yourself from the shackles.

Silly and unrealistic indeed but I think the main idea was to have a grand scale cliffhanger and that's what we got.

Posted by: Elizabeth MacGyver 29 April 2015 - 09:12 AM

I think the worst one is on "The stringer" when Mac and SAM get out of that hole thing using water pressure. But I LOVE it when they say "oh maaan!" At the same time lol makes me laugh every time! Lol

Posted by: Maclover 15 September 2015 - 06:03 AM

Legend of the Holy Rose's Optical pump makes me cringe - the way the light passes through the lenses one at a time when, if we suspend belief a moment and assume that the rest of it was supposed to work, the light would have passed through all the lenses straight away at the 'speed of light'.

Posted by: MACGYVERISMYDAD 16 September 2015 - 08:19 AM

For me it is the smoking leaf pile in The Silent Killer. It is almost laughable to me. Some cold hard killer criminal is going to stop an investigate a smoking pile of leaves on the ground.

Posted by: Barry Rowland 17 September 2015 - 12:50 AM

The pilot episode with the chocolate, although it's definitely a multi use Mac tool lol!

Posted by: Widowmaker 10 July 2016 - 02:25 PM

QUOTE (Rockatteer @ 7 March 2008 - 07:28 PM)

It's not even physically possible to get beads to do that!

Let alone the issues of how he magically had the beam lined up before it even started.

For a show which was based on scientific principle, that was pure science fiction.

I didn't like the bed frame one from Nightmares. If the springs had enough give for MacGyver to be able to pull the bed frame back without much trouble, how could they have had enough tension in them to propel the frame through the locked door and knock it down along with the two thugs?

Posted by: Joe SAKic 10 July 2016 - 04:34 PM

I'll vote for the grand finale in Squeeze Play where Mac grooves a fastball to Novis, who inturn nails a line drive straight at the illuminated scoreboard sign, precipitating what can only be described as a 4th of July style fireworks show, and ultimately causing the entire display to crash down just in time to crush the oncoming car, nab the villain, and save the day.

Well not really 'save' everything, because the ball Mac tosses away happened to be the invaluable Museum piece ball that is now not worth a nickel after being scuffed, banged and burned in this macgyverism boondoggle.

Imo, the odds of that sequence happening in the split second that they needed to and at that time of (light challenged) day, would far exceed any PowerBall lottery odds

Posted by: Miasma 10 July 2016 - 05:46 PM

I see lots of votes for the boot-trick in "Legend Of The Holy Rose." I remember having to wait a week between Part 1 and Part 2, and I kept trying to figure out what he could possibly do to escape that trap. Eventually, I figured he'd do something with his tie. Mac practically NEVER wears a tie, but he wore one in that episode, for no apparent reason (it wasn't as if he was going to a fancy dinner or anything), so I thought, "There HAS to be a reason the wardrobe department made him wear a tie... I BET he's going to use it to somehow escape the pendulum!" So then I spent the week trying to figure how he could use the tie to escape. Turns out, of course, I was completely on the wrong track.

Posted by: denizen 10 July 2016 - 07:59 PM

I think i'd probably add my vote to the boot trick. There was no way he would have done that and succeeded.

Posted by: MacGyverGod 11 July 2016 - 02:55 AM

If the Squeeze Play thing happened each time in real life when someone pulls one to the scoreboard, I think the board of baseball would spend a huge amount on money on replacing them or even come up with a rule not to hit the scoreboard when playing. But Squeeze Play is just a nice display of putting logic aside and go for spectacle. It's like Fast and Furious but than with a baseball instead of a car.

The tie was probably just a reference to Indiana Jones. Except in a very wrong way. A white shirt and a red tie? That's pushing it. Even for the 80's standards. Unless it was because it was the 80's it was allowed. Maybe the white shirt and red tie was the inspiration for the creators of Agent 47.

I guess the boot trick was cool enough to reuse it in Obsessed.

But what would you have done? You're shackled on a table and the pendulum is coming closer with thunderous noise and you got about a minute (long minute by the way) to escape.

Now with the idea that the tie can be a part of your rescue (something I probably never thought of) this is what I would have done: I would've taken off the tie and used it as a lasso trying to catch the blade to make it stop swinging. Of course that would depend on how much slack I would have with the shackles.

Problems: if I use it as a lasso and am able to catch one side of the blade, it probably cuts my tie in half with the speed it's swinging. Or it yanks it out of my hand and drops it somewhere else.

Another option I can think of is loosen the tie completely and use it as whip to grab the bar of the pendulum. But same problem, I think it depends on how much slack you got with the shackles. And if you did, the chances are big the pendulum would yank it out of your hand.

Now I don't think Mac had that much slack so I'm not sure if he could've taken his tie off. So I think the boots were his best chance. And the chances of hitting something were indeed not realistic but bigger than a head clogging up the faucet of the watertank.

Posted by: Walter 11 July 2016 - 04:17 AM

The thing that bugs me the most is that they used the same idea again later down the track. It really felt like the writers couldn't' be bothered any more.

Posted by: MacGyverGod 11 July 2016 - 06:52 AM

But what can you do if you're tied down to a rocket and you can't use your arms? I think that's why we have legs.

Posted by: Miasma 11 July 2016 - 09:05 AM

QUOTE (MacGyverGod @ 12 July 2016 - 02:52 AM)

But what can you do if you're tied down to a rocket and you can't use your arms? I think that's why we have legs.

But the writers probably shouldn't have put him into certain predicaments if they couldn't think of reasonably clever ways to get him out of them. Just come up with a different trap that allows for a better escape. The first time he used the boot trick, at least it was original. But why put him in that situation again in Obsessed?
(it always seemed really stupid to me in "Obsessed" how the nitroglycerin tank just happened to be PERFECTLY lined up with the rope that he needed to burn through. What are the odds of that? But, then agin, MacGyver was kind of a tongue-in-cheek show, especially the later Murdoc episodes, so expecting realism is a a bit silly.)

Posted by: MacGyverGod 11 July 2016 - 10:13 AM

'Just happened', that's how it goes most of the time. It 'just happened' to lie around, it 'just happened' to be lined up so perfectly.

I think it just shows they were through in season 7. But I have to admit his escape from the torture rack in The Hood was even better. Even though I think being tied under a rocket facing an exhaust pipe that will release an ignition flame into your face when it takes off and leaves you toasted is pretty imaginative and it's different from a swinging blade but maybe the escape could've been different. But what can you do? You're tied outside, the nitroglycerine is rolled out of the way so it probably wouldn't explode when the rocket takes off. Kicking the exhaust didn't work. Maybe he could've wriggled himself out of the ropes because it didn't seem that much of good rope either. He seemed to be tied to the edge of the platform and considering the rope and the time he had (5 minutes? That's almost twice as much than what he gets for disarming a bomb!), it seemed like he had plenty of time to do just that. It would be like trying the cut through ropes against a tree.

Posted by: denizen 11 July 2016 - 08:37 PM

Most people will pick these things up. Not all. To some, there are those that think, "Wow! How did he come up with that?!"

A lot of shows or stories are set up like this. Tintin is a good example. Whether you read the books or saw the cartoon series, he always just "happens" to be at the right place at the right time or just happens to duck when someone is shooting him or just happens to dig in the right place and finds the key.

Pressed for time, they just want to emphasize that if you try to look for something, you will find it, or if you try to think out the box more options present themselves. Whether they prove to be successful solutions remains to be seen but they are trying to bring that point across.

Posted by: Drawz 29 August 2016 - 08:32 PM

QUOTE (Barry Rowland @ 17 September 2015 - 03:50 AM)

The pilot episode with the chocolate, although it's definitely a multi use Mac tool lol!

I was about 11 when I saw that. For years I thought chocolate bars could stop sulfuric acid.

Posted by: KiwiTek 29 August 2016 - 09:06 PM

QUOTE (Drawz @ 30 August 2016 - 04:32 PM)

QUOTE (Barry Rowland @ 17 September 2015 - 03:50 AM)

The pilot episode with the chocolate, although it's definitely a multi use Mac tool lol!

I was about 11 when I saw that. For years I thought chocolate bars could stop sulfuric acid.

It can.

Mythbusters confirmed it o their MacGyver special a few years back.

You'd need bigger bars though.

Posted by: RadiantRose 13 September 2016 - 12:31 AM

I just have a mental picture of Henry Winkler being fed up with being famous for the whole jumping the shark thing, and setting out to put someone on screen doing even more improbable things.

Posted by: Barry Rowland 13 September 2016 - 05:35 AM

Ha!! I forgot all about that!!

Posted by: beth 22 October 2017 - 11:26 AM

One that has always bugged me was in "The 'Hood". Mac was restrained on the torture rack with leather bands around his wrists and ankles that were fastened with snaps. He grabs the metal rod and uses it along with the hand from the skeleton to release the ratchet on the side of the table. Why not just reach across your body with the rod and pry the snaps on the wrist restraint open? So much faster and simpler.

Posted by: just-a-fan 2 March 2018 - 06:24 PM

Chuck Norris wasn't born like most babies , he was created by MacGyver

Posted by: MacGyverGod 3 March 2018 - 03:46 AM

QUOTE (beth @ 22 October 2017 - 08:26 PM)

He could barely reach it with his other hand so he had to hand to himself. If you want to pry the snaps open he probably had to go underneath the snap with the rod to wriggle it open and I don't think that was possible.

Posted by: zoeryan 25 October 2018 - 01:24 PM

QUOTE (Joe SAKic @ 10 July 2016 - 04:34 PM)

This is the first one that came to mind for me too - was it really plausible to expect a baseball would knock down the sign and stop the car??

Also agreed on the Holy Rose - there are some good moments, but they are not my favorite episodes, despite my name...

Another one that bothered me was the exploding paste that didn't work that he put on the floor in the Dent Biker episode. He says something about if it dries enough it should explode when stepped on - but it doesn't, and that's fine. But then a little later they are all standing in the door right on top of it as well - no one was worried it might suddenly work??

Especially since the same paste does work to blow up a van a little later.

Posted by: MacFan092985 4 December 2018 - 05:50 PM

The ultralight built during the opening gambit of "Legend of the Holy Rose". It's a neat idea but would never hold up under the FOUR FORCES OF FLIGHT. A hang glider or a set of hang gliders would have been more believable.

Don't get me wrong, when I saw this episode for the first time my heart and adrenaline were racing, imagining what it would feel like to try and pull this off, given Mac's and my fear of heights.

Posted by: Joe SAKic 17 December 2018 - 06:46 PM

No MacGyverisms come to mind. They are what they are, on the fly improvisations, for tv action entertainment …. and you gotta give them some slackened wiggle room for that.

However,,,,,,

that whole golden eagle pursuit scene in Eagles was a bit over the top. Ironically, you really would need a stealth Mac-ism to pull something like that off …. but, instead, they were kind of passing it off, with stock photography, as Mac's 7th sense of being one with nature combined with his hang gliding skills. I still liked the episode, the plot, and the overall anti-poaching message but wasn't drinking the whole "flight buddy" thing.

Incidentally, I've been in the vicinity of eagles, hawks, and vultures with drones and they are just so wary and flight defensive of anything even remotely within their airspace. A drone is no slouch in the aerodynamics department, but is like a boy amongst men in comparison to the flight skills of these larger birds of prey.