Airdate: 08 December 1985 Teleplay: David Abramowitz Story: Paul Savage & David Abramowitz Director: Alexander Singer Guest Cast: Robert Romanus as Frank Bennett, Richard Romanus as Joey Bennett, Carl Franklin as Wiley, Angela Clarke as Caterina Bennett.
A protected Federal witness wants to come out of hiding to visit his dying mother. Can MacGyver protect him from the mob and the feds?
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Episode:Jack in the Box (...possibly!)
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Votes from 15 Feb 2006
Poor [ 0 ] [0.00%] Average [ 2 ] [20.00%] OK [ 2 ] [20.00%] Good [ 3 ] [30.00%] Excellent [ 3 ] [30.00%] Total Votes: 10
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Posted by: MacGyverGod Oct 17 2004, 10:57 PM
QUOTE
This is one of the very few episodes I first didn't like but started to like after seeing it a few times. It's actually bit of a sad episode. With the dying mother and the problems with his brother.
Posted by: sonyab Oct 18 2004, 03:19 AM
QUOTE
I rated this episode as excellent. This was another great episode. The two brothers look like they are brothers.. The brother who was going against his drug selling brother was very attractive. Did anybody notice that when the mother died her head moved a little bit? oh that could be in the nitpick section. I liked how they got out of the bad situation at the end with Mac's macgyverism.
Posted by: MacGyverGod Oct 18 2004, 05:57 AM
QUOTE
QUOTE
QUOTE The two brothers look like they are brothers..
That's because they ARE brothers in real life, Sonyab.
Posted by: MacGyver Oct 18 2004, 07:25 AM
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This was a great episode. It was quite sad to see the mother dying and to see all the family problems Joey and his brother Frank had. The best part was definitely MacGyver's escape from the house by sliding on the rope over to the tree. That was totally cool. (Frank and Joey were cool names to use too. Were they named after The Hardy Boys, maybe? )
Posted by: sonyab Oct 18 2004, 08:15 AM
QUOTE
QUOTE
QUOTE (MacGyverGod @ Oct 17 2004, 12:47 PM) That's because they ARE brothers in real life, Sonyab.
Doh!!! I fogot that they were brothers in real life.. I just checked tvtome yeah they are..
Posted by: rockatteer Oct 18 2004, 08:57 AM
QUOTE
QUOTE
QUOTE Did anybody notice that when the mother died her head moved a little bit? smile.gif oh that could be in the nitpick section
Wow there are alot more nitpicks on that website.. Was it all you rocky or other people did it too?
Posted by: rockatteer Oct 18 2004, 12:24 PM
QUOTE
I did the site, but I got the nit-picks from all over the net
Posted by: Tomms247 Nov 17 2004, 09:59 AM
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i liked it...i thought Mac was dead at the end when he got shot, but it was still good because i know Mac would neverr die cuz he knows how to beat the bad guys....
Posted by: I Love Penny Parker Apr 29 2005, 06:41 AM
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From the lead singer of Nerf Herder, Parry Gripp :
MacGyver - The Prodigal
Mobsters + MacGyver = Mayhem...
Here is the synopsis: MacGyver must find a way for a Federal witness to visit his dying mother without his mobster brother finding out. Can MacGyver keep him alive...? Oh, yes he can! MacGyver did several questionable things in this episode. At one point he made a fake fire in the air shaft of a federal building with some dry ice, pop rocks, and what looked like Tab Cola. That just didn't seem right. Then he said, "Cars run on three things, Gas, Air, and Water". Do cars really run on water? And then when the car he sabotaged broke down, he showed up with a completely unexplained tow truck. Now how did he get that?
PROS: Guy who played Mike Damone from Fast Times At Ridgemont High driving a banana yellow Iroc. . Plenty of ***in' aviator glasses! CONS: Worst theme song ever. Creating fake fire in federal building a bad example for children. Improbable that he could come up with a tow truck out of nowhere. Needless destruction of what looked to be an antique telescope by turning it into a cannon..
Posted by: Toni Apr 20 2006, 05:15 AM
QUOTE
Good episode, Shirtless Mac what could be better.
Toni
Posted by: MACGYVERISMYDAD Apr 21 2006, 02:20 AM
QUOTE
QUOTE
QUOTE Then he said, "Cars run on three things, Gas, Air, and Water". Do cars really run on water?
cars need water to continue running or else they will overheat and lock up. Unless you have an oil/air cooled engine
Posted by: rockatteer Apr 21 2006, 10:00 AM
QUOTE
Yep...
- Water goes in radiator to keep engine from overheating. - Gas goes in tank to provide explosion (or sudden burn) when pumped into engine. - Air goes into engine to provide the oxygen for the explosion. (Gas wont ignite without oxygen)
I think that Parry Gripp person should stick to singing.
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Season: season 5
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This is a good ep. I like how Mac accepts Frank, and cares about him and his mother. Very early foreshadowing of Mac's backhistory concerning his own mother.
I love the Romanus brothers, too.
I remember watching this ep for the first time, and when Mac was trying to pick the lock and the dogs were coming, I thought of Magnum PI and his mantra: "Look at the lock... don't look at the dogs... look at the lock.... YOU LOOKED AT THE DOGS!"
A fun episode. My only crick is the distraction that Mac sets up to help Frankie escape in the lumber yard. I realize we (as the audience) needed time to hear the things that Joey and Frank were saying to each other, but it too so long... Joey could have shot Frankie six times!
Why do the badguys always have to talk, talk, talk?
Because it's in the script!
Everyone, sometimes, needs a camel.
Old troubleshooters never die... They just wait til the last moment and then rescue themselves!
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QUOTE
I remember watching this ep for the first time, and when Mac was trying to pick the lock and the dogs were coming, I thought of Magnum PI and his mantra: "Look at the lock... don't look at the dogs... look at the lock.... YOU LOOKED AT THE DOGS!"
Ha- that's a classic scene. In fact, it's the first scene from the pilot episode ("Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii") of Magnum, P.I.
And this is also one of my favorite episodes of MacGyver. The mother's death was very sad and it was also interesting to see the two brothers conflicting interests. Good point about the foreshadowing of MacGyver's back story for his own mother. I wonder if they even had that in place at that point.
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Season: season 5
Episode:Serenity
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Watch the scene where Mac and Frank are in Mac's apartment... don't be distracted by the handsome man pulling off his shirt... ... and look carefully at Mac's decor--
you'll see Trumbo's "Go Away" sign against the wall!
Everyone, sometimes, needs a camel.
Old troubleshooters never die... They just wait til the last moment and then rescue themselves!
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Season: season 6
Episode:Humanity
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Brown bomber
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I thought this was a good episode. Mac's involvement with Frank starts out as a business assignment but becomes more personal. This is a theme that is repeated throughout the series.
For a little comic relief we have Mac picking a lock that doesn't want to be picked. The "good dogs" comment as he slides throught the door is funny. It even cracked up my son.
The MacGYverisms were pretty cool. The only thing I find off is Mac's accent. It seems so exaggerated that it comes off almost cartoonish. The accent changed and was much less pronounced in later seasons and seemed more natural. Of course, this is to be expected as RDA imprinted the character with his own personality and interpretation.
I lived in Northern Wisconsin for 2.5 years while I was in college. The Midwestern accent was noticable when I first moved there, but it is nowhere near as pronounced as it appears in the first season of MacGyver.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein
The stuff is already here, I just find a different way to use it. MacGyver
I just finished watching this episode for the first time in quite some while, and now I know why it's been so long... It seemed to drag on for ever.
Even the "action" scenes seemed drawn out and slow in this one. I can't place my finger on it, but something seemed off, it felt like a lazy Sunday afternoon.
MacGyver has an interesting dress style in this epi too... which also seemed a little off, compared to the other episodes. We go from a eye burning yellow shirt to a brain numbing black shirt with little colored bits splashed all over it.
And lets not talk about having his pants tucked into his socks.
I noticed a nit pick in the changing of Macs shirts too.
It's interesting to see the scene where MacGyver rings and orders the tow-truck. I don't recall ever seeing this scene before, but I have recently seen a comment in a blog asking where MacGyver got the tow truck from, so it seems kind of timely that I find this scene which explains where the truck came from.
Over all, this episode just doesn't work for me. Still better than anything on TV today, but compared to other episodes.. it's only an average.
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QUOTE (Lothithil @ 1 September 2007 - 10:03 PM)
... don't be distracted by the handsome man pulling off his shirt... ... and look carefully at Mac's decor--
you'll see Trumbo's "Go Away" sign against the wall!
Okay, just finished watching it. Didn't catch Trumbo's sign. I kept getting distracted! (...can't imagine why.)
Hmmm...
I voted good... Although I love the house boat of later seasons, I really like the apartment in Venice Beach. Spent a LOT of time at the beach (especially Muscle Beach...) and I always wanted to live there. (WAY too expensive) So it's always a treat to see it...
Mac's pants... all I can think of is they might have a prior scene where they had him cycling in... or just really bad fashion sense. Although it was the style then, it was usually with women and really tight pants or leggings. (Yeah, I was one of those fashion victims...)
The sweatshirt I think are the colors of University of Minnesota. I did notice the shirt switch. I never would have thought about it until ya'll mentioned it. I liked the gray striped shirt... that black pattered one was... ick!
I didn't see Mac calling for the tow truck. But I really loved the scene itself. The agents though were a bit over the top. But RDA shows his funny side in the exaggerated accent and performance. Same with the lock picking scene.
But otherwise it was an average episode. Not bad, just not extremely noteworthy. IMO, as usual.
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Lothi, nobody ever said college colors would be pleasing. But the yellow is not a color that looks good on RDA.
Trtl--I remember the socks over pants thing. It was mostly women that wore them that way though.
The uniform was very tight leg pants at the ankle with one or two pairs of thick socks in contrasting colors pulled up over the pants and scrunched so that both pairs of socks showed. The pants were usually baggy in the hip and thigh, and often really high waisted. They were worn with a close fit tee-shirt, or tutrlenect sweater and don't forget the skinny double wrap belt that went through the belt loop in back and hung free of the others.
Yikes! Can anybody say Breakfast Club?
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein
The stuff is already here, I just find a different way to use it. MacGyver
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Season: season 1
Episode:Jack in the Box (...possibly!)
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House: House boat
Overall I thought this episode was all right. It didn’t have any really especially note worthy bits. I think the way he flops down by the car so nonchalantly after the bit when he phones Acme auto tow rental is worth a small mention. Oh and I actually like the black shirt with the coloured bits on it. I am with you all on the trousers tucked in the socks thing though.
QUOTE
and look carefully at Mac's decor--you'll see Trumbo's "Go Away" sign against the wall!
I really don’t see the sign and I looked carefully (or so I thought!). Where about is it exactly?
Apart from that I don’t have much to say. It was ok.
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Season: season 3
Episode:Rock The Cradle (today)
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Black/Navy flight
House: House boat
I don't know why, but I love this episode. I was laughing all the way through it.
I love that they used actual brothers. It lends credibility to the story. When there’s so much about the story that’s wrong. LOL! The line by Wiley about how the Federal Marshal’s office will protect Frank up until the trial and then Mac can take over with the relocation and new identity??? Seems to me it should have been the other way around!
OMG! When Mac’s in the tow truck and the marshal steps out in front of the truck “Okay stop! STOP!STAAAAP!” And then Mac backs into the car.
QUOTE (Lothithil @ 2 September 2007 - 12:03 AM)
"Excuse me Sir!" sez Mac in a defensive drawl, " Ido what Ido... the way Ido it! "
No no no... It was "With all due respect. Sir." I half expected the pan back to be of bum visiting at the SGC!
QUOTE (MacGyverGrrl @ 2 September 2007 - 07:35 PM)
For a little comic relief we have Mac picking a lock that doesn't want to be picked. The "good dogs" comment as he slides throught the door is funny. It even cracked up my son.
There’s almost an implied, “Don’t eat me when I come out!”
QUOTE (MacGyverGrrl @ 4 September 2007 - 11:10 AM)
The uniform was very tight leg pants at the ankle with one or two pairs of thick socks in contrasting colors pulled up over the pants and scrunched so that both pairs of socks showed. The pants were usually baggy in the hip and thigh, and often really high waisted. They were worn with a close fit tee-shirt, or tutrlenect sweater and don't forget the skinny double wrap belt that went through the belt loop in back and hung free of the others.
You forgot the extra wide colored shoe laces.
The mother didn't make me sad. At the hospital, I was too busy trying to figure out why it sounded like her voice was taped. And on her death bed, it wasn't just that her head moved after she was "dead" it was the way it moved. Creepy!
And when they’re sliding down the sip line, Frank is tucked up smooth descent and Mac comes down flailing and squirming all over.
And now for my nit pick: When Mac is rigging the trip on the staircase and he’s reaching through the rails tying the string, there’s a big glaring tan line where his watch should be and I though Ugh! They should definitely keep his watch on him. Then he squats back down behind the banister and low and behold, his watch is on. Tsk tsk tsk!
Oh! One more thing maybe someone knows the answer too. Is there a reason why a convenience store would have dry ice on hand? Was there something going on in the eighties we don't do today? Not that I can think of a reason, even if there's a good reason it was there, that it would be sold or given away.
~ MacNymph ~
Sometimes the uncontrollable urge to mess with people outweighs the millstone of humility.
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This is a somewhat random question about this episode, but does anyone know where they filmed the scenes of Mac's loft? Anything more specific than just "somewhere in LA"?
Thanks
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Episode:Bitter Harvest
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I think the most memorable thing about this episode is that the entire wardrobe staff must have been away on vacation...
No, but seriously--I never ever think I've seen such hideous clothes during the entire series. I know, we're talking about the 80's, but I can't help but wonder if it would have been considered fashion even back then...
Well, clothing aside... The premise of this episode is so heartbreakingly sad. I know from first hand experience what it feels like having family members turning their backs on each other (not due to illegalities in this case, though, thanks God), so I found it particularly hard to watch.
The mother's death scene was very moving, with some really good acting from Robert Romanus/"Frank."
There were some really humorous moments thrown in though, to lighten up the mood! I *love* the Acme Rental Truck thing!! (If people ever were to complain about cartoonish drivers... )
Two nitpicks--wouldn't anyone spot MacGyver while he was messing with a federal car in a busy street, in broad daylight? And the escape rig was mighty cool, but how did they get the handles back for Mac?
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QUOTE (KiwiTek @ 2 August 2012 - 08:36 AM)
QUOTE (NightTinkerer @ 2 August 2012 - 01:06 PM)
wouldn't anyone spot MacGyver while he was messing with a federal car in a busy street, in broad daylight?
Wasn't it an unmarked car?
Well, it was technically unmarked but there was a big note inside the window (and the parking lot sign). I still thought it was a little strange that it was left totally unguarded.
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