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Posted by: MacGyverOnline 13 January 2017 - 02:42 AM
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1-13 Large Blade

Airdate: Jan. 13, 2017
Writer: Andrew Karlsruher
Director: Sylvain White
Guest Cast: Keith Jardine (Victor) , Zulay Henao (Cynthia) , Darla Delgado (Agent Briggs)
Eyas Younis (Agent Qassim) , Chas Harvey (Scott) , Josefina Boneo (Agent # 1) , Blake Burgess (Agent # 2)


On the way back from capturing a war criminal, MacGyver and Jack’s helicopter crashes in a remote area of Kazakhstan, injuring their pilot and allowing their prisoner to escape with Jack’s gun. MacGyver must get help as the pilot’s condition worsens and before the war criminal takes them as prisoners.




Posted by: Miasma 13 January 2017 - 06:16 PM
Now THIS felt like a MacGyver episode! Finally, we got Mac out in the woods, without a team (just Jack), no guns, and plenty of MacGyverisms.
And they broke free of the formula that I'd been complaining about!

Okay, showrunners, if you're reading this, this is the direction you need to be going with this show.

Posted by: Joe SAKic 13 January 2017 - 06:16 PM
Episode genre right up my alley. On par with 'Wing and a Prayer cum Survivors et al. But once again they defuse it all with jockular, flippant chitchat that takes away any intensity momentum that they'd built. And then way too much 'situation room' banter that equally diffuses the direness of their situation. Bozer's bear story was just ridiculous and not believable at all. Mac's cellphone macgyverism was equally ridiculous. And then Jack gets hot&horny over the crippled chopper pilot. Was that really necessary for the ratings? Comeon. I liked the new boss(Minnie-Me's Sister?) at the end though, she's got a personality and a sense of humor, too!!!! biggrin.gif

Posted by: InVader 13 January 2017 - 07:02 PM
This was a great episode. I feel like Till is growing into Mac. He felt much more the part this episode. The Macgyverisms were fun, and the balance seemed much better. I even think i started to like Wilt a bit more this episode. The scenario felt like something Mac would find himself in.

Posted by: Miasma 13 January 2017 - 07:02 PM
QUOTE (Joe SAKic @ 14 January 2017 - 02:16 PM)
And then way too much 'situation room' banter that equally diffuses the direness of their situation.

I thought those scenes worked okay and, if anything, added to the direness since it showed how the search parties weren't able to locate them.
And hey, at least keeping Riley and Bozer back at Phoenix, and letting Mac work more on his own, was a big step in the right direction. I also appreciated the fact that Mac went after Victor alone, rather than relying on Jack to help him out.
QUOTE

Bozer's bear story was just ridiculous and not believable at all. 

Actually, it's 100% true that if you're confronted by a bear, you're supposed to try to make yourself appear as large as possible to scare the bear away.


Posted by: Joe SAKic 13 January 2017 - 07:20 PM
Well, like Survivors or Wing and a Prayer, if you want to sell the outdoors/remoteness thing - you can't keep flipflopping back n' forth to the giant computer screen. It ruins the ambience. I know that they did a bit in Ghost Ship, but it was tastefully(time-wise) interjected.

Bozer, said that Mac intervened in the middle of the bear episode and to tell him to make himself 'look big'. These encounters happen so fast that they're would be virtual no time for this conversation between the two. The bear either decides to attack or it bolts and the decision is made very quickly 99/100 times. There's no time for any on the spot coaching.

Posted by: InVader 13 January 2017 - 09:17 PM
QUOTE (Joe SAKic @ 14 January 2017 - 03:20 PM)
The bear either decides to attack or it bolts and the decision is made very quickly 99/100 times.

So you're saying there's a chance... All joking aside, there are always exceptions to the rule. I really don't think it was that far fetched, considering it's a show, and the other things he always does. I mean, he almost did the exact same thing with the cougar in the original series. Even had some time to be a plumber.

Posted by: Joe SAKic 13 January 2017 - 09:28 PM
QUOTE (InVader @ 14 January 2017 - 01:17 AM)
QUOTE (Joe SAKic @ 14 January 2017 - 03:20 PM)
The bear either decides to attack or it bolts and the decision is made very quickly 99/100 times.

So you're saying there's a chance... All joking aside, there are always exceptions to the rule. I really don't think it was that far fetched, considering it's a show, and the other things he always does. I mean, he almost did the exact same thing with the cougar in the original series. Even had some time to be a plumber.

... and he pooped his pants to boot. Sorry, that 'story's been used so many times and it just comes across as lame writing. I'm sure there were viewers slapping the floor in laughter and thought it gave us value-added to the plot and in assuring us that Mac (and his survival skills) would come out of this all right .... but I wasn't one of them. biggrin.gif

Posted by: DXS 13 January 2017 - 10:21 PM
Did NOT like this episode. Made no sense. But, the MacGyverisms were clever......

Ok, so Patricia Thornton is being replaced. I forgot to look to see if Sandrine Holt was still in the opening credits.

Wow, I was shocked at who the new boss is. It's the actress who used to make occasional appearances on NCIS to work with Abby Scuitto.


Posted by: DXS 13 January 2017 - 10:24 PM
QUOTE (Miasma @ 13 January 2017 - 07:02 PM)
QUOTE (Joe SAKic @ 14 January 2017 - 02:16 PM)

Actually, it's 100% true that if you're confronted by a bear, you're supposed to try to make yourself appear as large as possible to scare the bear away.

If it's black fight back, if it's brown, lay down.

Posted by: MacGyverOnline 13 January 2017 - 10:25 PM
QUOTE (DXS @ 14 January 2017 - 07:24 PM)
If it's black fight back, if it's brown, lay down.

What if it's Grizzly? laugh.gif


Posted by: Joe SAKic 14 January 2017 - 03:30 AM
QUOTE (DXS @ 14 January 2017 - 02:21 AM)
But, the MacGyverisms were clever......


Really. His cell phone 'bring back from the dead' thing was idiotic. The absolute first thing you do in that scenario, is remove the battery somehow ... and so that the unit does not cause any (further) damage to itself by attempting to rectify/reset/reboot clear any moisture impulses that will almost assuredly being generated(via moistened jack holes) when a phone has been submerged for that long. For starters, he didn't think about the battery till after it was dead. doh.gif

Posted by: DXS 14 January 2017 - 06:20 AM
QUOTE (MacGyverOnline @ 13 January 2017 - 10:25 PM)
QUOTE (DXS @ 14 January 2017 - 07:24 PM)
If it's black fight back, if it's brown, lay down.

What if it's Grizzly? laugh.gif

Grizzlies are brown, therefore, you lay down.....

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 14 January 2017 - 06:46 AM
Overall, I liked this Episode. I think it's actually one of the best.

I'm still too annoyed to write up the positive points, though, because: What the hell are they doing with the constant music/sound/noise in the background??? I can't remember a single scene without it. I'm pretty sure the actors are good enough; there's no need to drown their dialogue out... Or just don't write any speaking lines if you don't want the audience to hear them. blink.gif

Posted by: InVader 14 January 2017 - 11:40 AM
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 15 January 2017 - 02:46 AM)

I'm still too annoyed to write up the positive points, though, because: What the hell are they doing with the constant music/sound/noise in the background??? I can't remember a single scene without it. I'm pretty sure the actors are good enough; there's no need to drown their dialogue out... Or just don't write any speaking lines if you don't want the audience to hear them.  blink.gif

Agreed. The music has always been the weakest part of the reboot for me. I miss having a few different melodies for macgyverisms, etc. You don't need to have the stuff that is unmemorable playing all the time. The closest he gets is an occasional 2 second rendition of the opening theme when a macgyverism works. I hope they invest in a few if we get season 2.

Posted by: Miasma 14 January 2017 - 12:21 PM
Oh, I totally agree about the music. That's one thing they definitely need to change if this show continues. Every episode has constant electro-pop-garbage music playing non-stop in the background, regardless of whether it fits the tone of the scene or not. I'm hesitant to blame the composer, since I assume he's just doing what he's asked to do, but I wish they would ask him to do something else! There doesn't need to be music ALL THE TIME, and when there is music, it should be used for dramatic effect, not just for the sake of having noise in the background.

Posted by: Joe SAKic 14 January 2017 - 02:28 PM
The music is everything in a series like this. You cannot hope to attain the mood without a well selected score to accompany. Some of the hit songs they've used have hit the mark, but the majority of the episodes is just techno-elevator music. I get the feeling that the budget is not very much for this aspect, and they may well have put it all into the featured songs that they play or perhaps even some revenue sharing with the featured artist de jour.

Posted by: MacGyverOnline 14 January 2017 - 06:23 PM
Apart from the very fast cutting of scenes/shots I quite enjoyed this episode.

My overall opinion of the editing in this show is that it's crap! This episode was particularly bad during the scene after the crash where MacGyver was doing something with the pilots leg. I have no idea what he was doing because every time I blinked the scene had changed and I didn't get time to see what he was doing. It was just a quick sequence of MacGyver doing "something" and voila her leg was set... I think? unsure.gif

Other shows I watch on CBS don't seem to have this really fast editing style and this is the one show where we really need to see what's going on to appreciate the MacGyverisms.

Thankfully it did seem to slow down for the rest of the episode which was good, but I'd really like to see that addressed.

Other than that one complaint though I enjoyed this episode. I like how they now have MacGyver explaining his way through a MacGyverism. They did this sometimes in the original show too. It's kinda like he's thinking out loud and we get a glimpse of his thought process.






Posted by: Jediferret 15 January 2017 - 07:15 AM
It's funny that you mention the scene with Mac setting the leg. He was using seatbelts, much like how Sam set Mac's broken arm in The Stringer.

And about the bear story, I was always told you "play dead" and make sure you protect your head well. But I'm assuming that is if you are actually attacked. Never heard that you should make yourself look big and scary. I would think that could easily backfire. But meh... what do I know... lol

I like the fact they've left Riley and Bozer back at Phoenix. I think they're both more useful there as a support team. I do get a strong inkling that Riley's worry was more about Mac than anything else. But I guess we'll see!

The only complaint I had was that I thought Jack's insults towards Victor was a bit too much. A few insults sure, but after he was recaptured, it was like... okay, enough already man. lol But, it's a minor gripe.

Other than that, it was a pretty good episode!

Matty... XD

Posted by: Joe SAKic 15 January 2017 - 08:02 AM
QUOTE (MacGyverOnline @ 14 January 2017 - 10:23 PM)
Apart from the very fast cutting of scenes/shots I quite enjoyed this episode.

I don't know why they spin the clips like that. It's absolutely dizzying - pass the Gravol. In the end sequence and when the new boss came in - it was a like a Ferris Wheel out of control. Perhaps it's the BS baffles Brains technique in that if I wasn't exactly sure what I just saw then - that's like cool man!! unsure.gif

Posted by: Miasma 15 January 2017 - 08:26 AM
It sometimes feels as if the editors of this show think everyone who watches it suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder, and that's why they edit everything so quickly and have that constant techno elevator music in the background. It's like they're afraid that if they have a quiet scene without a million quick edits, the audience will fall asleep.

QUOTE

And about the bear story, I was always told you "play dead" and make sure you protect your head well. But I'm assuming that is if you are actually attacked. Never heard that you should make yourself look big and scary. I would think that could easily backfire. But meh... what do I know... lol

This is what I found online (and I found something similar in a survival handbook:

Make yourself as big as possible with hands, clothes, and high ground. Again, you must do this calmly and slowly. If the bear sees you and is closer than 300 feet (91.4 m), or if the bear is approaching you, remain calm and try to look as large as possible. Stand your ground and try not to look frightened. Some things to do include:
Open and spread your jacket wide at your sides.
Slowly raise and wave your arms, indicating that you are human and not prey.
Continue talking in a low, calm voice.


Overall, I still think this was one of the more MacGyver-ish episodes so far, even though it had its flaws. Maybe some of the MacGyverisms weren't completely believable, but the same could be said about many of the MacGyverisms in the original series, so I'm won't nitpick that. MacGyver has stretched credibility in that regard for many, many years.


Posted by: Joe SAKic 15 January 2017 - 09:19 AM
QUOTE
And on the third night, I stepped out into the woods to, uh... to relieve myself. And was suddenly face-to-face with a massive bear. I started moving back, but he started following me. I swear he was about to charge when Mac showed up out of nowhere, and told me to make myself as big and loud as possible. Because the bear was afraid of me. So, I did what Mac said. And you know what? He was right. The second I growled back, the bear ran off. I mean, I had to throw my underwear away and I couldn't sleep for three weeks afterwards, but... it worked. Trust me.

Read more at: http://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewtopic.php?f=731&t=30551




Okay guys, I wasn't nitpicking the 'make yourself look big' advice which, depending on the specific situation, can be very sage advice. (dunno about the 'growling' technique - that's a new one for me .... low verbal tones perhaps). Just the whole scenario of Mac showing up out of nowhere and telling him what to do. If Mac were that close to the encounter he wouldn't be telling Bozo what to do, he'd be creating the distraction &/or a diversion himself. The 'had to throw my underwear away and couldn't sleep for three weeks' line is a bit over the top ..... even for a character like Bozer. blink.gif biggrin.gif

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 15 January 2017 - 10:27 AM
QUOTE (Jediferret @ 15 January 2017 - 05:15 PM)
I like the fact they've left Riley and Bozer back at Phoenix. I think they're both more useful there as a support team. I do get a strong inkling that Riley's worry was more about Mac than anything else. But I guess we'll see!

I liked that they had stayed back at Phoenix and I figure why might see this more often; especially if they're is going to be a second season. It's a lot easier to shoot an episode within a week if you don't have all the actors in every scene.

Also, I think most emotional scenes work so much better if there aren't 5 additional people in the room, even if they don't have speaking lines (because the camera has to capture the emotions and reactions of everyone; and that takes so much screen time).

I also thought Riley's reaction of worry for Mac was quite strong; stronger than in other episodes. Interesting.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 15 January 2017 - 11:02 AM
QUOTE (Miasma @ 15 January 2017 - 06:26 PM)
It sometimes feels as if the editors of this show think everyone who watches it suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder, and that's why they edit everything so quickly and have that constant techno elevator music in the background.  It's like they're afraid that if they have a quiet scene without a million quick edits, the audience will fall asleep.

That's the status quo of most modern action movies and TV shows and the main reason why I hate most of them.

I just started watching the first Season of "Lie to me" (with Tim Roth) and in Episode 8 I was mentally screaming "What's with the d... shaky cam???" for 40 minutes. It wasn't action scenes, but people talking in offices. There's no need to film these scenes like an action movie. I was getting wiplash just watching them talk and getting distracted from what they were saying. I already need more concentration than usual when I'm watching the original and not the dubbed version, so...

I guess it depends on the style of a show, but also on the style of the director that changes with every episode. I expected fast pacing and hard cuts for the MacGyver Pilot because of James Wan directing (after directing Fast & Furious) and because the storyline was paced as an action show to draw new and young viewers in.

Considering the plot of Episode 13, I wouldn't mind fast-paced-editing per se, but the problem I have is that Lenkov declared several times that the Reboot is a family-oriented show with a team aspect. It's also labelled as "drama" and not as "action". Which is proven time and time again with all the touchy-feely-scenes and all the talking. But these scenes don't work with the loud background noise and shaky-cam-alike and fast-paced editing.

I think that either they should give these scenes the "room" that they deserve (meaning: zooming in on the faces and the emotions, no music or other disctractions) or wait for the right moment and turn up the action. There's a time and place for touchy-feely-stuff and for comedy, and the showmakers continously miss the mark. They throw in all the good stuff at once. But instead getting a good scene out of the ingredients, they get a mess.

Don't make "Mac and Jack" talk about their feelings, declaring their love for each other and cracking jokes while running through the woods with bad guys chasing them. It's too much. This Episode would have worked perfectly without too much emotional stuff after the crash and without cutting back so much to the Phoenix Offices at all. With the action-movie-like editing, it would have been a helluva action episode. They could have done more touchy-feely-stuff in the next Episode (e.g. Jack being upset about not getting a promotion, meeting the new boss, talking about the fallout of Sarah getting married and Thornton being arrested).

Posted by: Agent MacGyver! 15 January 2017 - 12:01 PM
I hope they don't make a joke out of the new boss for Phoenix.

I did like when Pete (and Patricia in this continuity) joined MacGyver on adventures, I don't know if this actress will be physically able to do that.

Posted by: Joe SAKic 15 January 2017 - 01:02 PM
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 15 January 2017 - 03:02 PM)
QUOTE (DashboardonFire @ 15 January 2017 - 06:26 PM)
Don't make "Mac and Jack" talk about their feelings, declaring their love for each other and cracking jokes while running through the woods with bad guys chasing them. It's too much. This Episode would have worked perfectly without too much emotional stuff after the crash and without cutting back so much to the Phoenix Offices at all. With the action-movie-like editing, it would have been a helluva action episode. They could have done more touchy-feely-stuff in the next  Episode (e.g. Jack being upset about not getting a promotion, meeting the new boss, talking about the fallout of Sarah getting married and Thornton being arrested).

That's right on!I think they're just trying to 'not' put all their eggs in one basket and draw ratings from as varied a cross-section of the audience that they can ... that way they'll (hopefully) stay afloat for a longer duration. Teachers complain so much nowadays that they can't hold the attention spans of the digital gadget generations. How could you? So goes many of the TV series where they're afraid you'll tune out if they slow it down and try to build some old-tyme suspense.

Edit: I'd like to add an analogous situation. I took a bunch of kids whale watching this summer, an ultimate adventure that RDA would well appreciate. We did see whales at the very end of the 3 hour tour, but the kids had long pulled out their gadgets and were getting quite board. The newer generations don't seem to have the attention spans to ride out the anticipation and build up .... something the first series was very good at creating .... which is like waiting/knowing that even though you don't see the whale for the first 58 minutes, the anticipation of seeing it keeps you riveted. The new MacGyver (seems) to well recognize this trait and thus throws bones to us all btw of social relationships, bromance and/or those machine gun style flurry of clips and so that they don't lose the majority ADHD crowd. Needed in this day and age? Quite possibly! Appreciated? Not by me! doh.gif

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 15 January 2017 - 02:03 PM
It's well known that TV viewers don't have the same attention-span anymore. Also, it's hard for a TV-Show to get enough ratings with so many other competition of TV-Shows and Gadgets out there.

The Hashtag #MacGyver is trending every time an episode premieres. I mean that's pretty great, but how can you tweet so much while watching a TV show??? Either you're watching or tweeting. They might have good ratings, but I wonder if people even remember what they've just watched (or listened to while doing something else), especially now that the next episode won't air until February.

I guess modern TV-Shows are so fast-paced that you don't dare to change the channel or do something else in between. Episode 13 is a perfect example of writing/filming/editing in a way that you can't stop watching for even a second, otherwise you're missing important plot. At least this was happening to me when I watched it (because I don't even have the distraction of commercial breaks). But it also robbs the show of a crucial plot-device: The impact of the MacGyverisms. I can't really remember them afterwards even tough I never took my eyes off the story happening on screen.

Also, I think it robbs the actors of showing their acting capabilities. The strongest scenes have been "quiet" scenes (e.g. the talk between Jack and MacGyver while visiting Jack's father's grave in Episode 3 or when Riley confronted Jack leaving her and her mother in Episode 11). They wanted to create a show with team bonding and bromance, so why throwing these scenes into the middle of action scenes? It's like they don't trust their own concept anymore and are afraid to lose viewers if there's not enough action. That might also be the reason why there wasn't a single voice-over in this Episode? I think they could even reduce the "action" if they did more and longer MacGyverisms instead. The MacGyverisms is what makes the show unusual.

Posted by: Miasma 16 January 2017 - 11:37 AM
QUOTE

It's well known that TV viewers don't have the same attention-span anymore.

I know people often say that, but we're living in a time when the most popular shows tend to be the ones with huge story arcs (often spanning multiple seasons), and such shows require quite a bit of commitment (and attention) from fans. Most of the popular shows in the 80s were simpler shows, where everything got neatly resolved in about 45 minutes. So I think people today do have a pretty strong attention span for television, but with so many shows to choose from, they won't invest their time in a show that doesn't offer strong characters and compelling plots. MacGyver is a bit threadbare in terms of plot and character-depth, so I guess it feels the need to rely on quick edits to keep people's attention.

QUOTE

I think they could even reduce the "action" if they did more and longer MacGyverisms instead. The MacGyverisms is what makes the show unusual.

I really have no problem with the number of MacGyverisms in this show. They actually do quite a lot more in this show than the original series did (especially by the later seasons, when there were some episodes that barely included even one.) But they do still need to work on adding tension to the MacGyverisms. I'd actually be okay with them reducing the number of MacGyverisms if they made each one really count.

Posted by: Yrouel 29 January 2017 - 06:10 PM
I think this episode had great potential to be pretty good and really channel the best of the classic series however the writing was too sloppy in my opinion. First the bad guy was too lame and just annoying (soo much time to get him in the helicopter...), second the awful line about entropy decreasing (it's the exact opposite in this universe) and third the Leyden jar macgyverism was really really lame or at least very poorly executed.
For the latter I think the writers should have made Mac use the juices of some plant to power the sat phone and it would've been a nice reference to the Ugly Duckling episode in which Mac uses a cactus to power a portable radio.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 3 May 2017 - 01:57 PM
There will be a rerun of this episode on Friday, May 26: http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Scoop-MACGYVER-on-CBS-Friday-May-26-2017-20170503

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 14 June 2018 - 03:00 PM
Final ratings via Showbuzz:

Posted by: MacGyverGod 10 October 2018 - 03:25 AM
Hmm.... this was like the second one I liked less then previous ones. Yet again, we are in more MacGyver-territory just like in Pliers. It's actually weird. The more it becomes MacGyver the less I seem to like it. Talk about having things upside down.

The beginning was just lame. All the effort to get that guy in a helicopter. I would've understood if it was the big guy from Bitter Harvest. If I think about it this guy reminds me of Buddy from Last Stand. He may be big and tough but he's stupid.

The nod it may have given to On A Wing and a Prayer was there but a little subtle. I prefer On A Wing and a Prayer over this one. And I agree with most what was said here. Instead of focusing the episode on the matters at hand, the bromance and banter got in between that. There was too much cutting back to Bozer and Riley but Riley gave some strong emotional perfomances. Strong enough to assume she has feelings for Mac? Bozer felt out of place. Maybe 4 is a crowd but I can dig it if he would just work at the lab, like Willis did.

Nah, this episode didn't do it for. Weakest so far. Interestingly, I didn't like Flame's End to much either. Both 13th episodes are bad, or does it have to do with the number?

When it comes to score... the music sometimes reminds me of John Powell's Mr. and Mrs. Smith especially in the relaxter scenes. Just listen to the track Playing House when Mac and Bozer are talking at home for example. Yet the score doesn't bother me much.

I'll get into Matty in the next episode.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 30 January 2019 - 07:29 AM
Here's the blog post by Rhett Allain - Technical Consultant for the Reboot - about the "MacHacks" used in this episode:
https://rhettallain.com/2019/01/30/macgyver-season-1-episode-13-science-notes-large-blade/

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