Airdate: 27 November 1985 Teleplay: Stephen Kandel, James Schmerer, & Douglas Brooks West Story: Douglas Brooks West Director: Richard Colla
Guest Cast: Cooper Huckabee as Bill Farren, Nana Visitor as Laura Farren, Rudy Ramos as Pete Torgut.
MacGyvers friends strike oil, but an out-of-control fire threatens to destroy all they own. They turn to MacGyver as the only one who can extinguish the inferno and save the oil.
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Season: season 1
Episode:Jack in the Box (...possibly!)
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Brown bomber
House: House boat
Votes from 21 Feb 2006
Poor [ 0 ] [0.00%] Average [ 0 ] [0.00%] OK [ 1 ] [9.09%] Good [ 7 ] [63.64%] Excellent [ 3 ] [27.27%] Total Votes: 11
Archived posts
Posted by: rockatteer Oct 11 2004, 12:18 PM
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I found this quite an enjoyable episode.
I really got a sense of friendsship between Mac and Bill. They seemed to bounce off each other.
The humour between the both of them was great....
How stupid was Bill hanging a light bulb above an oil well so it hits agains a board every time the wind blows? thats just asking for trouble!
Posted by: MacGyver Oct 11 2004, 12:26 PM
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I liked "Hellfire" too, even though there weren't quite as many MacGyverisms there. True, there were some pretty good ones though. I love MacGyver's homemade remedies like the gum wrapper as a temporary fix for the fuse and the ball point pen for the truck. The whole part with Mac and Bill transporting the dynamite was definitely nerve-wracking. And you definitely got a sense of MacGyver's friendship with the couple. As MacGyver states in "Ugly Duckling", "Friendship is not something I take lightly. Too hard to come by." I think that is definitely true and can easily be seen in any of the old friends MacGyver meets up with throughout the show. Of course, his care and concern can be seen even with strangers he meets.
Anyway, "Hellfire" was another Man vs. Nature episode, like "Trumbo's World", but I think I liked "Trumbo's World" a bit better, probably because of all the killer ants. And it seems there were a few more really cool MacGyverisms in there. But there was good stuff in this episode too. I liked the whole excitement and joy at beating the fire and celebrating at the end. I know it's hard to believe, but there are some episodes of MacGyver that can have very few MacGyverisms and still be awesome episodes, due to the action they still have or just the drama. (Case in point- "Thin Ice" and "The Madonna".)
But hey, as I've said before, it's all good.
Posted by: sonyab Oct 11 2004, 12:27 PM
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QUOTE (rockatteer @ Oct 10 2004, 06:18 PM) How stupid was Bill hanging a light bulb above an oil well so it hits agains a board every time the wind blows? thats just asking for trouble!
I know! I agree!!! Very stupid what Bill did.. I really liked this episode. That guy Jack who hurt his leg well MacGyver helped him with his leg by making him not think about it and asking him a wierd question hahahhaa.. Jack was his name right? Those bombs in that shed woah! Very dangerous stuff! They were almost killed! I like the end when Mac wanted to help them with the gold.. Wonder how long he was there for.. I like how they had Mac juggle..
Posted by: MacGyverGod Oct 12 2004, 03:27 AM
QUOTE
This episode had such cool explosions. The first explosions were very cool, they were all over the screen like a wall of fire, and those close-ups they took of Mac while you hear the explosions in the background are so cool. And the scene with the dynamite was so tense. The slowmotion part where Mac runs like nuts was so great. Gotta love this business.
Posted by: Macsrose Oct 12 2004, 01:11 PM
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I liked it ! It helped fill in some of Mac's mysterious past..
Posted by: MacGyver Oct 13 2004, 05:22 AM
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yes, that was another good thing about it.
Posted by: rutejack Oct 15 2004, 07:12 AM
QUOTE
I like this episode. those two really seemed like great pals. loved those scenes with the explosions. I usually laugh with some scenes in this ep. the first one is one when see (and for the first time I might add) Mac juggling. uhm love when he does that . the second one is when the other guy is in bed with a broken leg (just after the first explosion) and Mac distracts him with some idiot talk and just with a sudden move he yanks the guy's leg. wow! great move! when Mac is trying to put the fire out, well that was very exciting too. see him come close to the fire...alone...he is so crazy.
Posted by: rockatteer Oct 15 2004, 09:12 AM
QUOTE
I don't recall the juggling scene?
where is it?
Posted by: MacGyverGod Oct 15 2004, 09:55 AM
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When Laura pours coffee in the cup. Right after the scene outside.
Posted by: Macsrose Oct 15 2004, 11:23 AM
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Two lines that stuck... Bill: "Do you want to live forever?"
Mac: "Was thinking about it."
Posted by: rockatteer Oct 15 2004, 12:02 PM
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QUOTE (MacGyverGod @ Oct 15 2004, 08:55 AM)
QUOTE
When Laura pours coffee in the cup. Right after the scene outside.
Hmm ok...will have to go watch that.
Must be his mime skills showing through again.
Posted by: thyla Oct 15 2004, 02:13 PM
QUOTE
This one is actually a wonderful homage to the 1952 classic film noire movie "The Wages of Fear" (Le Salaire de la peur) which is said to be "one of the most suspenseful films ever made."
Plot: Four drifters are hired by an oil company to transport nitroglycerin to a burning oil well over a twisting mountain dirt road in dilapidated trucks.
Sounds familiar?
If you get a chance go watch it.
Posted by: rockatteer Oct 15 2004, 02:49 PM
QUOTE
Gee I starting to wander if there are any original MacGyver stories at all?
They all seem to be based on something else.
Posted by: thyla Oct 15 2004, 02:59 PM
QUOTE
LOL! There's nothing wrong with reusing storylines if it is done well and with some taste. It is when a remake is way substandard compared to the original and has no personal flavor added to it when it becomes "just another rip-off". The writers at MacGyver usually did a pretty good job and didn't mind poking some fun at themselves in the process.
Posted by: rutejack Oct 16 2004, 02:20 AM
QUOTE
After writing my post I went to see this episode and found something I think I should say here. This is when Mac and Bill are coming home with the explosives. We can clearly see it's day, then on the next shot we see it's getting dark, also the headlights are on...and I guess I can see white moon coming. it's when Bill says "Watch that back wheel Mac. Here comes the ditch...." then we see the fire and it's day! unless they took more than a day do go to the mine, get the explosives, then come home...this is weird. I think we have here a nit pick!
Posted by: MacGyverGod Oct 16 2004, 03:28 AM
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Times goes on, you know!
Posted by: rockatteer Oct 17 2004, 12:44 AM
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QUOTE
QUOTE
After writing my post I went to see this episode and found something I think I should say here.dry.gif This is when Mac and Bill are coming home with the explosives. We can clearly see it's day, then on the next shot we see it's getting dark, also the headlights are on...and I guess I can see white moon coming. hmm.bmp it's when Bill says "Watch that back wheel Mac. Here comes the ditch...." then we see the fire and it's day! unless they took more than a day do go to the mine, get the explosives, then come home...this is weird. I think we have here a nit pick! unsure.gif
Yes I've wandered about that also?
I think its mean to tell us that it took more than a day...but that actually doesn't make sense... it wasn't that far away was it?
Posted by: rutejack Oct 17 2004, 01:41 AM
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Yes I've wandered about that also?
I think its mean to tell us that it took more than a day...but that actually doesn't make sense... it wasn't that far away was it?
Yeah I thought about that too. Either they wanted us to think it took more than a day to go to the mine, get the explosives and then return home, or this is a case of bad editing. they taped diferent shots (one of them at nght) and they messed up in putting this shot, or they didn't know where to put it.
Posted by: sonyab Oct 17 2004, 03:57 AM
QUOTE
QUOTE
QUOTE (rutejack @ Oct 15 2004, 08:20 AM) After writing my post I went to see this episode and found something I think I should say here. This is when Mac and Bill are coming home with the explosives. We can clearly see it's day, then on the next shot we see it's getting dark, also the headlights are on...and I guess I can see white moon coming. it's when Bill says "Watch that back wheel Mac. Here comes the ditch...." then we see the fire and it's day! unless they took more than a day do go to the mine, get the explosives, then come home...this is weird. I think we have here a nit pick!
Hmmmm I haven't noticed it.. I guess I will have to watch it and see..
Posted by: Macsrose Oct 17 2004, 07:43 PM
QUOTE
QUOTE (rockatteer @ Oct 14 2004, 08:49 PM)
QUOTE
Gee I starting to wander if there are any original MacGyver stories at all?
They all seem to be based on something else.
ROTFLMAO!
Posted by: Toni Apr 2 2006, 02:18 AM
QUOTE
I liked this episode, as it did fill in a few things about Macs past.
I was a little slow in some points but once it got started, it got started.
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Season: season 1
Episode:
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Brown bomber
House: Observatory
Ah- Janet Marie- a like-minded spirit! YES! I love ALL the MacGyver episodes and would happily watch them repeatedly over anything on the networks today!
I find none of the episodes in MacGyver that Idon't enjoy. They are all interesting and I find myself watching them over and over again. Janet Marie
You wont find anyone who disagrees with you.
We're not so much comparing these episodes with other shows as comparing them against each other.
It's an inevitable fact of human nature that some episodes will appeal to us more than others and that, I think, is how most of us are rating the episodes... how did it rate against the rest of the show.
Though this is my son's favorite episode, it only fares average to me. I did like the ending though, it seemed more "human" and Mac like than the rest of this 1st season episode. Mostly the 1st season was a gradual learning about MacGyver, and some of the writing and stuff just seemed too much like "they" were feeling their way about with the character. Which, I understand is pretty much what happens, but it was just too blatant in this episode for me.
I voted good, I liked it a lot, but it wasn;t one of my favs.
I didnt like the female character and I thought the shipment of the dynamite was a little cheesy. Very unstable explosives that don't go off while driving through those holes and over those bumps in the road?
I did like the scene of the shack by the way and I loved the setting!
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Season: season 3
Episode: Widowmaker
Vehicle: Nomad
Jacket: Leather Biker
House: House boat
I didn't like many episodes from season 1... this one: eh. (...and I call myself a fan)
First of all, I'm not too fond of Nana Visitor. But that's just me... And I can't help but compare it to "Hellfighters"; one of my favorite John Wayne flicks. But RDA puts in a good performance with what he had to work with.
And season 1 has many MacGyverisms, unlike the later episodes.
Season 1 eps (up 'til maybe Countdown) were just stretching their legs... IMO
"My Jeep went over a cliff, I died... and went to Thanksgiving?"
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Season: season 1
Episode:Jack in the Box (...possibly!)
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Brown bomber
House: House boat
MacGyver is a big flirt (or show-off, I can’t decide) at the start of Hellfire! Maybe he’s just overexcited at seeing his friends or something. He's like this! . I can’t imagine the MacGyver of the later seasons showing off his juggling and saying he has many, many talents.
They all do a lot of shouting in this one. It kind of annoyed me, I know they had to shout over the roar of the fire but it made my throat hurt in sympathy. I bet the actors all went home a little hoarse after filming this.
The whole drilling well makes me grimace. How can they be drilling by dangling pipe on the end of rope? And how are they removing their cuttings? You can’t just drill down 18,00 feet without a way to remove the rock you are drilling through. And then like when they hit a “gas pocket” and produce enough flammable gas for it too go boom they just leave it spewing out gas unchecked…if it hadn’t gone boom then MacGyver and his buddies could have been sitting around surrounded by flammable and toxic gas, especially since they were going to let all the gas bleed out before drilling further, and with the house so close to the well. There’s all sorts of nasties in produced gas. It’s just all too casual for someone with brains like MacGyver and someone like Bill who should know about well fires. And fragile little light bulbs right above the well ?
Anyway, when I get over the drilling silliness there are bits I liked this episode. MacGyver is cheerful and smiles lots – I like the light cheerful, MacGyver, even if he is a flirt. Apart from the weird moment where they decide to roll about in the river for no reason I thought the relationship between Mac and Bill was great and I got the feeling they really knew and liked each other. They were like bestest pals but, as with a lot of MacGyver’s “best” friends, Bill was destined to never be mentioned again through the rest of the series.
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Season: ---
Episode:Passages
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Brown bomber
House: House boat
Well from all what's wrong with techo stuff with it.. I gave it an excellent vote.. for a first season episode I thought was I thought it was great. Showing Mac intro-acting with good friends, being more himself.
So how much he cares for his friends, even risk his own life in place of theirs.
We also see here that he doesn't know everything and has to rely on the knowledge of his friends to put out the fire.
I love the shack scene..
"you are crazy, certifidable."
"yeah, so what does it makes you."
(I might be a little off. The quoting )
I'm not a big Nana vistor fan either, but we're stuck with her here.
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Season: season 4
Episode:Too many to choose from
Vehicle: Nomad
Jacket: Black leather
House: House boat
This was a pretty good eppy from S1.
Love the banter between Mac and Bill, especially:
Bill: You are crazy! I mean CERTIFIABLE! Mac: Yeah? What does that make you?!
So funny!
The suspense with the nitro is great, and that sequence was just long enough. Any longer, and it would have been too much.
I also liked the tension between Laura and Bill, over Bill's "hellcatting." Laura clearly loves Bill, and wants him around a long time. But curiously enough, when Bill and Mac get into their fight over who's "going in" to fight the fire, Laura breaks it up by telling them they're BOTH doing it. I think she knew that Bill wouldn't be happy if he sat this one out, yet she wants someone watching his back, and there's no one she trusts more than Mac for that job.
I also liked the MacGyverism of using the ballpoint pen to fix the truck. I don't think that would work with modern cars and trucks, though. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on this.)
Do not pity the dead. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
You don't eat things like that, you call pest control! Kate in The Gauntlet
What's that? Lateral... cranial... impact... enhancer. *whack* Last Stand
This was the first episode I ever saw. I can't remember too much about it right now, but I guess it made a good enough impression, because ever since then, I made a point of watching every week. I ended up seeing it because I was planning to watch whatever came on after it (I think it was Dynasty), but due to some scheduling problem at the TV station, all the shows got delayed. So when I turned on at 9pm for Dynasty, I ended up seeing the last 15 minutes of this episode, and I thought it was really good.
I voted good. There weren't alot of MacGyverisms. I just don't understand how a woman who is married thinks she has the right to tell her husband what he can and can't do. That is what really bothered me about the episode. And why did they have the lights so close to the derek? Kind of stupid in my way of thinking. Oh and where were the burn scars?
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Season: season 6
Episode:Trail of Tears
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Brown bomber
House: House boat
The more I see this one, the more I like it. And I think Nana Visitor is okay - what do people have against her, I wonder. She looks nice, is a good actress and there is absolutely some chemistry between RDA and her.
What fascinates me most is the fire. It is real, not a special effect. How did they do this? Did they go to a place where this fire was on? Did they make it themselves? And the actors are real close to it. No stunt doubles. I like that. It makes it more real.
For me the fire is an extra persona. It's the bad guy that has to be beaten.
What fascinates me most is the fire. It is real, not a special effect. How did they do this?
Pyrotechnics.
Usually done with gas jets so they can control when, where and how much of a fire they get.
I'd hate to think how much gas they used to run that fire.
Hmmm now I'm wondering if they did use gas for that, or maybe some sort of fire liquid being pumped out under pressure so it shots up to the right height? Because it would be pretty hard to pump a propane gas out under that much pressure wouldn't it?
In this over protected, cotton wool wrapped world, yes; but back in the 80s when this was made people didn't worry about such trivial matters as getting a bit of Nitro on your hand, if you get it on your hand you wipe it off and carry on.
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Season: season 6
Episode:Trail of Tears
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Brown bomber
House: House boat
Yep, that's the spirit. Great episode, from beginning to end. Adventure, in the wild, rough country, pioneer atmosphere, plenty macygverisms, nice underlying storyline, and to top it all off: gorgeous, dangerous, spectacular fire. Love it!
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Season: ---
Episode:Jack of Lies (so far)
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Black leather
House: House boat
Liked it, the inferno looked real (probably was?)... Scene showing Mac and Bill carrying explosives was really tense, I just waited for the moment when those explosives go off... Somehow knew it was gonna happen. And they would survive of course.
Dunno if I'm the first to notice this actor resemblance... Bill from this episode looks exactly like Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis) from The Vampire Diaries! When I first saw him, I really thought it was Matthew... but then I remembered - MacGyver was filmed in 1985 and The Vampire Diaries (not a fan of this show, I just know that it features some hot guys and Matthew Davis is one of them ) is being filmed since 2009... I found out on imdb that Cooper Huckabee starred Bill...
Here are the pictures of both men:
This is Bill from MacGyver:
And this is Alaric from V.D.:
They even smile the same way! Kinda creepy. What do you guys think?
Mostly I like to see how the world works. Meet people. Learn how they're different - and the same. - MacGyver (The Gauntlet)
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Season: season 5
Episode:Serenity, Passages, Humanity
Vehicle: Jeep
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House: House boat
Like father, like son? I read an article a while ago about Hollywood actors looking a like. This is indeed an interesting find.
I think the poison that was used was applied to this knife, passed to the mutton when it was cut and then activated by the wine. - MacGyver. Sometimes you just have to die a little inside to be reborn and rise again as a stronger and wiser version of you. It's better to be a little sad than to be fake content.
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Season: ---
Episode:Bitter Harvest
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House: House boat
QUOTE
MacGyver is a big flirt (or show-off, I can’t decide) at the start of Hellfire! Maybe he’s just overexcited at seeing his friends or something. He's like this! . I can’t imagine the MacGyver of the later seasons showing off his juggling and saying he has many, many talents..
Exactly my thoughts about this episode. Of course, these people are very good friends of MacGyver... but I was still thinking "show-off" big time.
I know that they were still "trying out" the character for a bit at this point, but I must say I do prefer the more laid back Mac of the later seasons. (That said--it's wonderful to see a more lighthearted side of him as well, at times.)
I thought about the shouting too--I usually watch MacGyver late at night, so I have to keep it down a bit and respect my poor neighbors. It was rather hard to hear the dialogue at times!
I actually do like Nana Visitor; I was a great fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine back in the 90's, so I might be a little biased, though.
A friend, who's currently re-watching MacGyver as well, pointed out that the plastic cap of the thermos probably would have melted way before they released it into the fire. She might have a point.
This wasn't one of my favorites, though--but not one of my worst either. I'm voting "good", but it's a rather weak "good" this time.
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Season: ---
Episode:Sooooooo hard
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Brown bomber
House: House boat
Rewatched this one last night. I do like how lighthearted and happy Mac seems at the beginning. Watching him juggle was fun. Really careless where that light bulb was. Picking up the nitro was nerve racking. And of course the day was saved.
Watching I couldn't help but think about the air pollution from that fire. made me think about about the Hussein burning the oil in Iraq.
Did notice the one night time driving shot when they are returning with the nitro. They were only going 54 miles, but they were driving slow to avoid a big bang. But nothing else hinted that they were gone overnight.
Duck tape is like the force; it has a dark side and a light side; and binds the universe together.
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Season: season 3
Episode:Runners
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket: Brown bomber
House: House boat
I just found this news article about real Hellfighters. It's quite interesting and talks about some of the techniques they use to combat the fires.
Hellfighters measured the temperature at the core of one of the 600 blazing oil wells during the first U.S. war against Iraq at 3,051 degrees, twice the heat needed to melt steel. Fifty feet away, the temperature on the ground was still a toasty 950 degrees, hot enough to sap most of the strength from steel. But according to veteran Asger "Boots" Hansen, oil-well firefighters save their own strength for the most dangerous moment: when the fire goes out.