Every week I will be posting a new topic titled "Episode Discussion". In this we will discuss an episode, what we liked about it, what we didn't like, etc.

Note: Previous episode discussions are located in the 'Episodes’ forum.


Episode 127 – The Hood

When a quirky actress from MacGyver’s new bohemian neighborhood is abducted by hit men, MacGyver works with his new neighbors to find her.

I voted "okay." It's not one of my favorite episodes. The seventh season just didn't do it for me. The escape w/the boot gag was getting old. Mac already used that to escape in Legend of the Holy Rose pt 2.

I enjoy "The 'Hood" pretty well. Yes, this is the episode where MacGyver has definitely left his houseboat behind- due to losing in a fire. But MacGyver has moved around throughout the series and it doesn't matter too much to me where MacGyver's situated. MacGyver quickly makes friends in his new neighborhood and- true to form- quickly finds himself dragged into trouble. But that's just MacGyver's character- always willing to help strangers he's barely met. Though a lot of his neighbors we don't really see throughout the rest of the 7th. season- we are introduced to Mama Lorraine, who has a recurring role for the rest of the season.
As far as the MacGyverisms go- I thought it was great the way Mac escapes the falling scaffolding and used the candle wax to read the writing on the matchbook. And the bit with the laundry cart and especially stopping the bad guys at the end with the fire hose and elevator- way cool!
And I thought the ending was funny- "I'll get used to it." Good episode.

I liked this one, too. Not one of my all-time faves, but I enjoyed the introduction to Mac's various goofy neighbors. I also liked the MacGyverism with the laundry cart... that was just funny!

I especially got a kick out of Mama Lorraine. She's one of the few recurring women characters that I really like... independent, smart, funny, and down-to-earth.

I voted good on The Hood. Also one of my favourites of my younger years. The moving to another place, don't bother me much actually, though nothing is better than the houseboat. They've tried to give the series a fresh look. I think it worked fairly well. The music for the rednecks very cool, bit cowboy style and of course the highlight of the episode is where he's trapped on the torture rack. One of my favourite scenes. The close ups they take from his face are so cool. The lights just reflects so perfectly in his eyes. When they leave him it's so cool when he tries to look at the burning ropes and raises his eyebrows.
Mama Lorraine was so cool with her voodoo and always saying: 'This is evil mojo!' I'm sure if the series lasted longer, Mel, Mama Lorraine and Kelly Dobbs would've showed up more often. Come to think of it, you think Kelly Dobbs would've been the replacement of Penny Parker?

Nice thing of trivia, (I know I said it before, just a reminder) Kimberley Scott (Mama Lorraine) plays in an important role James Cameron's The Abyss and a cameo role in Peter Filardi's written Flatliners.

That girl annoyed me. There’s so many different types of people in the world why use the same characteristics twice? She was a bad version of Penny. The writers must think there is an abundance of wannabe actresses who dizzily come across some trouble while at a clients home. First Penny and her singing telegram and now this silly girl and her manicure.

Anyway that put me against this episode from the start and it didn’t really redeem itself enough. The bit with MacGyver in the laundry basket made me giggle - One of the few things that stand out in this episode for me. I vote average.

I think Kelly is a more likeable person and not so scatterbrained as Penny is. Kelly can obviously protect herself more than Penny. Kelly is also more the flirting type.

Kelly wasn't quite as helpless as Penny, but I agree she was annoying. She was good for comic relief, but that was about it.

Penny was YUCK, nobody could've been worse than her. (hiya Rat, how you doin'?)

I voted good, again not my fav, but I love momma Lorraine.

Storyline wasn't that great, it had been used too many times before. Like Mac's hair, it's a little wild. Me like wild. But disregard that.

In this eppie, they introduce Robo, the graffiti-"artist", but does he show up again later? I believe he's being replaced by a latino named Lobo, who's also a graffiti-"artist". I think the names are too much alike, especially when they are both into arts.

Worth the price of admission just to see Mamma Lorraine's 'mad voodoo woman' performance!

You got that right, Loth!

I voted good. This was one of my favorite episodes of season seven. You could be a newcomer to MacGyver and watch this episode and it not be confused at all becouse it has all new cast members! I thought mama Lorrain comment was funny," You don't wanna make Mama angry for real." And Mac's outfit was pretty cool, we usually see him wearing a jacket becouse it was always cold in BC. Again,very well done episode!

I see Kelly as a mixture of Penny Parker and Zoe, so I would put her in between the two on the 'annoying scale'

Agree with MacGyverfan, we didn't see Mac in summer outfit for a long time. Although he looks great in jacket, I missed his muscle, too!

Kind of strange for Mac to have neighbours like these, I think he had to take quite some time to get used to it, especially when he saw the 'artistic' wall in his loft, "My Wall ~~~~~", sounded desperate.

This was the beginning of the end too me.

Everything changed for the worse in this season and to be honest, didn't make a hell of a lot of sense. And this episode was the step at the top of the slide.

Why was MacGyver renting an apartment/loft? did he not have insurance on the houseboat? Why did he move into a neighborhood which is SO out of character? How can he stand to have all those people rummaging around in his space?

Theres just too many changes and out of character stuff in this episode for me to enjoy it.

This is the one where MacGyver moves into his new place, when I first watched this it was ok at the Beginning the neighborhood seemed a kind of one that you don't want to live in, the screaming man was one of them each morning he would get up to scream to the world, just like a rooster in the morning time. then the girl who can't stop talking for the life of her and doesn't allow MacGyver to talk much, then his friend who comes up to help him, wished he buttoned up his shirt. then the guys from Texas they seemed dumb like evil guys to me.
this one I liked pretty well over all, but not one that I would watch again any time soon, maybe in a year from now.

Not one of my favorites.

I probably would not watch it again unless I was doing a straight run through season 7.

Did anyone else jump when Mama Lorraine got punched?

YES! That scared the heck outta me. What a jerk, y'know? But anyway, I still think this episode is worth at least a second viewing. It does stray very very far away from the substance of the show, and it almost feels like a whole new series. Almost everything is different about it compared to the previous seasons. The 7th season, to me, feels like an entirely new show. It's like this: They took MacGvyer and placed him in all new surroundings which had a slightly familiar feel to the first and seconds seasons. Then they added a bunch of new characters for Mac's life. I dont' know if it's just me, but Mac seems like he feels out of place during the whole season. He just doesn't seem like himself. It's almost as if he's bored or tired?

I think what your picking up on there is that the actors and crew are pretty well done. They knew they only had 13 episodes going in and you can feel that they have pretty much had enough. The creative juices have drained, as has their enthusiasm for the show.

I've read a few reviews over the years that talked about RDA looking tired or feed up, I think that's quite an accurate observation. I think they where all ready to move onto other things

He did look a bit fed-up/tired, but I figured that was largely because of the situations his character was in throughout most of the season-- he was constantly dealing with annoying situations, which would make anyone look fed-up/tired.

Take a few episodes for example:

Honest Abe-- How could he NOT look fed-up/tired when dealing with that stupidity? I think if he looked happy, it would have been bad acting.

Obsessed-- Again, he was supposed to look fed-up because of the situation he was in.

Deadly Silents-- I would be fed-up too.

Mountain Of Youth-- Probably the worst acting I've seen from RDA, but it makes sense that he'd be fed-up after being roped into another one of Jack's schemes.

The Hood-- His nice houseboat burned down, and he just moved into an extremely annoying neighborhood filled with characters that make Penny Parker look intelligent. I can see why he's fed-up.

Split Decision-- Dick Butkus moved in with him. 'nuff said.

Gunz N Boyz-- Gang wars started by Ponch's former partner would make anyone a bit weary.


Bottom line, there really weren't a lot of opportunities for him to look enthusiastic about things.
So I completely agree with you about the writers not giving it their best, but I think RDA was just just playing the part based on the circumstances Mac was in.

Actually that's an angle I really hadn't thought about at all.

You'd think he'd be fed up with people in general by that time, given how annoying they were. No wonder he wants to "ride off into the sunset" at the end of the series.

Yeah that's true.

"Your my son!? Great! any excuse to get me the hell out of this mad house!"

I watched this episode last night for the first time in over a year. It's actually kind of a fun episode. Not among the best, but it was nice to just see a fun adventure without any sort of moral or preaching or anything. It's kind of a "guilty pleasure" episode for me.

It's odd that we don't see these neighbors more often later in the season. It really felt like the landlord should be a recurring character, and I would have expected Kelly to show up at least one more time. I think Robo DID show up again, but with a different actor and different name (Lobo)... not sure why that happened. I guess the Wayan brothers were on to other projects by then, so Shawn Wayan couldn't couldn't come back as Robo?

Yeah I wonder about that too.

I wonder if they were intending to have they as reoccurring characters and then for some reason didn't or what?

Seems like a bit of a lost opportunity to me.

I'm working my way through the seventh season for the first time, and so far this is my verdict as well. Even MacGyver himself feels like a slightly different character, almost like a different person who studied Mac's tricks and gadgets and is trying to emulate him but not quite succeeding. Sad, really, although it does make me glad they ended the show after this season.

I did love Mama Lorraine. I think she could have fit in well in the earlier seasons, when there was much better material to write her into.

I liked the escape from that stretching device, although it was obvious he wasn't stretched all that much as he could still move around quite freely. For a time there it looked as if he were going to give up. I was yelling at the screen 'Mac NEVER gives up' and sure enough he tries again.

Loved it when he kicked the cowboy dude after hiding in the laundry basket.

I hated the cowboys, their accents were so annoying and the music we heard with them was horrible.

Probably one of the best things I liked about the episode (being someone who has a massive crush on RDA) was Mac's outfit. White short with that black top over it. Black and white is really his color. That and his hair and I was just drooling.