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| MacGyver Online Forums > Episodes > 126 - Honest Abe |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 27 January 2007 - 12:31 AM |
| Episode 126 - Honest Abe MacGyver gets whisked away from his Godson’s Bar Mitzvah by the boys ex-CIA agent grandfather, and straight into a web of international intrigue involving an eccentric Caribbean dictator and a stolen high-tech helicopter. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 27 January 2007 - 07:52 AM |
| I voted good on this seventh season opener. We're back in the real L.A. for this final season with only 14 episodes more to go instead of 21-22. For me this was a very funny episode. Especially Mac's 'haha' remark with Peugeot's magical joke. Always great to see Lance LeGault starring again and Tim Winters who later reappears as Merlin in Good Knight MacGyver. Very good jokes. 'Boy, talking about the left hand not knowing what right hand's doing.' 'Then they talk about our feet.' 'Government humor.' 'Major Sneed!' 'Major Sneeze?' 'Sneed!'  Ben Stein is also a great actor showing up through the Wonder Year series.Very good start, unfortunately the last one of Lincoln Kibbee who had a great sense of humor for his episodes mixing with great action. Exceptions: Humanity and Trail of Tears. |
| Posted by: SAK 27 January 2007 - 01:29 PM |
Of the very few episodes I remember, this one is my favorite. I love Ben Stein! His dry wit is hysterical. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 27 January 2007 - 04:57 PM |
| I was quite amazed at how the landscape of both LA and the Caribbean look identical. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 28 January 2007 - 03:53 AM | ||
Actually it's just a thought but is San Rochelle actually not the same village as we saw in The Golden Triangle? |
| Posted by: Mac 28 January 2007 - 06:58 AM |
| Gah! I didn't even make it through a viewing of this ep. Abe rubbed me the wrong way and Ben Stein makes my eyes roll and, well, GAH!!! The only thing of note of this ep is the hysterical exclamation of 'J'accuse!' Otherewise, GAH! Mac, the critic |
| Posted by: MacGyver 29 January 2007 - 09:43 AM |
| I went with excellent for this 7th. Season opener episode- "Honest Abe". This has got to be one of the funniest episodes of MacGyver- and one of the coolest too. Shelley Berman was great as Abe Sherman! It was somewhat reminiscent of Jack Dalton as once again Mac gets tangled up in some international affair despite his protests. And having Ben Stein in there as Major Sneed! That was great- with a name like that, you can tell the writer was playing it a bit tongue-in-cheek! And Time Winters did a great job as the President! (He later shows up as Merlin and the paramedic in "Good Knight, MacGyver" (Parts 1 and 2)). And the MacGyverisms were really cool- breaking out of the containment room- and especially firing the helicopter's weapons by shaving and flashing the mirror. Yeah- wow, seeing that as a kid was really awesome! Definitely a great way to kick off the season. (And I also find it funny to note that we get really close to a crossover between MacGyver and The Dukes of Hazzard in this episode, as we have David Trim guest starring as Duke Luke!   )  |
| Posted by: Lothithil 29 January 2007 - 10:36 AM |
| I voted OK on this one. There were a lot of good points... a great cast of truly hilarious actors, some really good lines, and great MacGyverisms. But on the flip-side, this was also one of the most painful eps to watch. Abe got on my last nerve the moment he opened his mouth, and while I knew that this was part of his character, I still couldn't shake my revulsion. I think that this show could have been quite wonderful if they had left out the 'stupid factor'. I generally skip this ep when I'm watching Mac just for fun. |
| Posted by: MacGirl 29 January 2007 - 11:29 AM |
| Sorry, guys, I didn't like this one. Abe was funny for maybe two minutes, then he started to wear on me. Same for the dictator. It seemed like a badly warmed-over version of Jack of Lies. Only part I really liked was Mac's "remote start" of the chopper, and Ben Stein was funny, too. Otherwise, no thanks. I'll take JoL any day. |
| Posted by: Old Fan 29 January 2007 - 11:57 AM |
| I didn't like this ep at all. We're back to tired southern California landscapes posing as other places. Also - as I've flown this model helicopter... (the Agusta K109) it cannot do all these stupid(!) things. Actually - when this ep was being filmed, there was a serious problem with the aircraft. The blades kept malfunctioning - causing several fatal accidents (one of my instructors was killed in one such incident) and the aircraft was having difficulty getting insured. Nobody was flying it. Oh yes... the "stupid factor"... Poor excuse for a plot/bad acting/ethnic factor overload. BLAHHHHHHH!!! I wasn't happy with most of the Seventh Season, and this is one I really dislike.   |
| Posted by: Lothithil 29 January 2007 - 03:02 PM |
| I think that the worst point for me in this show is when Mac wakes up in the 'chopper and Abe says "Welcome to the Caribbean"... and the landscape is absolutely not anything like the Caribbean at all! ... I mean, don't they have beaches and islands and stuff down there?? The least they could have done was re-use footage from 'The Heist', for cryin' out loud!  |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 29 January 2007 - 08:10 PM |
| yeah that bugged me too (http://www.macgyveronline.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3015&view=findpost&p=2952 I think my real concern is that they didn't even try to disguise it. Are they that tired of making the show? |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 30 January 2007 - 07:05 AM | ||
And pirates? |
| Posted by: MacGyver 30 January 2007 - 09:32 AM |
| It's been a while since I've seen this episode- but, for someone who's been there, the "Caribbean" didn't look that bad to me. When you take into consideration the budget constraints of a TV show- you have to give them a little leeway here and there. I think the funness of the episode and the great music made up for any lack on the setting. And this is also one of the last times MacGyver travels out of the country. By the way, was it ever stated which Caribbean island Mac was going to? I suppose it was probably just one of those random made-up islands... |
| Posted by: Sheepy 31 January 2007 - 11:34 PM |
| I voted good. It wasn't bad, but it didn't have me jumping for joy either. I liked the dry sense of humour, but you can hardly take the plot seriously. I don't think it was meant to be taken that way, anyway. The dictator is a joke. I mush rather see him as Merlin in Good Knight MacGyver. I like the scene in which Mac is pretending to shave. Don't ask me why, I have this thing with men shaving with a blade, in stead of electrical. Yes, I know. I'm nuts. Really. I am |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 1 February 2007 - 08:00 AM |
| I shave with a blade. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 1 February 2007 - 12:57 PM | ||
That explains all the chunks missing from your face!  |
| Posted by: MacNymph 1 February 2007 - 05:17 PM |
I was wondering what all those little bits of toliet paper stuck to your face were about.  Nanner nanner!  |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 2 February 2007 - 02:55 AM | ||||
I knew I was missing somethin'.  |
| Posted by: Sheepy 2 February 2007 - 03:45 AM |
| I watched this ep yeasterday and I was wrong about the shaving scene, he used an electrical shaving thingy instead of a blade. Still, men shaving with blades are HOT! |
| Posted by: MacNancy 4 February 2007 - 07:24 PM |
| Hi! Haven't posted here in long time. Just popped in and noticed that you were discussing that episode "Honest Abe." I voted good on this episode. I have to agree that it wasn't the Best episode, but it was funny. Someone said it reminded them of a Mac and Jack episode where Jack gets Mac involved in one of his hair brained schemes again. I have to agree on that. I felt sorry for Mac getting gased and then waking up in the Carribean. That was pretty far out. But over all it was a pretty funny episode. I too liked the part where Mac was shaving and he used that mirror to start the helicopter. It made me wonder if that kind of helicopter would be that easy to start just using the light from a mirror. But since this was written as a comedy and not a drama, I guess anything could happen. LOL Personally I thought Time Winters did a good job as the ineffective dictator. He was pretty funny. And I too like him as Merlin in Good Knight MacGyver. He was good in that. I thought that was interesting that he ended up being the paramedic at the end of that episode. But since Mac was having this dream, I guess they had to make Time be in the real world too like the others in Mac's dream. Anyway, I liked that helicopter in Honest Abe. It reminded me of that helicopter they used in that show Air Wolf. Even though they were different colors, the one in Honest Abe resembled the one in Air Wolf. It too was a computerized chopper and had all these "special" features to it. I thought it was pretty cool! As for location, I agree about the location. That didn't much look like the Carribbean to me either. It looked more like some village in one of the MacGyver Central American episodes. Like that Jack of Lies episode. I too think they should have used some clips from The Heist to make it look more like the Carribbean. Basically it was a funny episode. I liked some of the lines they used that was mentioned. Like Lance LaGault saying "Talk about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing!" That was pretty good! lol And Time Winters doing those silly magic tricks. That was pretty good too. This was definitely a very light hearted episode, and very entertaining. Overall a pretty good episode! Take Care, Nancy |
| Posted by: Tygr 13 April 2007 - 08:17 PM |
The look on the dictator's face is priceless when Sneed forces Elliot to drop his gun.  |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 13 April 2007 - 08:43 PM |
| I'm surprised someone that eccentric could get to be a dictator. Hey heres a question.... If that helicopter was designed to be a Stealthy weapon... shouldn't it have been a more stealthy color.. or at least military color? Was it the same kind of helicopter used for Airwolf? |
| Posted by: Tygr 14 April 2007 - 08:00 AM | ||
I've seen prototype military aircraft painted odd colors. And the red sort of blends into the ground in autumn. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 14 April 2007 - 02:37 PM | ||
Hmm.. it would blend in well with the Australian red dirt .. or maybe even places like the grand canyon area. |
| Posted by: MacGirl 14 April 2007 - 06:57 PM |
| Yeah... that was just one of many BIG logical holes in this one. Right now, I'm working at a job where I grade standardized test essays, and if this had been an essay, I would have given it a '1' for continuity (1 being the lowest possible grade). |
| Posted by: Kate Mackay 27 June 2007 - 04:46 PM |
| Hi everyone: I just wanted to comment that I find myself every time I watch this episode, I can't help myself. But I find myself counting how many times does Abe say " It's kinda complicated. " I am guessing eight ? Eight times or more ? And that includes the part at the end when he got MacGyver to say it also. Since Abe was saying it alongside with MacGyver. What do people think ? Those of you that have seen it recently, or whoever. I am just curious to know if anyone has been able to count the times, and what do you think about it ? Sincerely, Kate Mackay |
| Posted by: MacGirl 28 June 2007 - 07:39 AM |
| I didn't count, but I think it was just lame writing. Maybe they couldn't think of anything else to have Abe say (he was NOT a well-developed character!), so they kept repeating the same dialogue over and over. Either that, or it was supposed to be for comic effect. If it was, it fell flat. |
| Posted by: Kate Mackay 28 June 2007 - 02:10 PM | ||||
Yah, I think it WAS for comic relief purposes. Especially when MacGyver got so tired of hearing him say " It's kinda complicated . " up there in the helicopter ( after Abe gassed MacGyver. And kidnapped MacGyver, etc. That scene I am referring to ) MacGyver yelled back at Abe and told him , " Simplify it ! " I thought that was so very funny. I did not think it was such a waist of time, for me. I found that it worked, for me, quite nicely. . I think humour goes very nicely with MacGyver . Or at least every once in awhile. I know, not always. Sincerely, Kate Mackay |
| Posted by: Old Fan 28 June 2007 - 04:29 PM |
| The Airwolf helicopter is a Bell-222 (A or B model) . Abe's aircraft is an Agusta K109. Very different. |
| Posted by: Liz1976 11 August 2008 - 04:27 PM |
| I like the scenes between Mac and Abe watching Mac get annoyed, then frustrated then mad. Great stuff. Abe annoys me. Anyone notice that the dictator is played by Time Winters, who plays Merlin in Good Knight MacGyver? |
| Posted by: trtlsoup 11 August 2008 - 07:23 PM |
| This is the one episode I just can't get through. Horrible start to the new season (back in CA) and Shelley Berman's voice was beyond annoying... (this coming from a New Yorker with a Brooklyn/Queens accent...) I voted poor. |
| Posted by: Amy 12 August 2008 - 04:07 AM |
| I think I'm gonna vote average, tho on the low end of average. This is one of my least favorites and when we recently rewatched the entire series I had to force myself to sit through it. It has good moments and some good lines, but as a whole....meh. Abe was annoying (I know it was on purpose...but it was overkill), I always want to roll my eyes at the dictator, and I kept thinking how does a guy like Abe steal a top secret military helicopter anyway? He seems too much of a buffoon. The whole shaving thing was great, tho! |
| Posted by: MacGyver 12 August 2008 - 07:14 PM |
| "Honest Abe" is one of the more hilarious episodes of MacGyver. It's pretty much one of my favorite episodes. But then, I really do like all the episodes really well, so I can never really think of any that I don't like. I suppose some might find things over-the-top, but I like some things over-the-top. It's what fiction's for. And Time Winters as the dictator made it for me- he's a great actor. And the dictator was really funny. And wow- Ben Stein was the perfect straight man to him! I love the line when he's explaining to him what a laughingstock is. And there were some cool MacGyverisms as always, especially the starting the helicopter up with the mirror! I thought it was a fun episode throughout and a great start to the 7th. season.  |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 15 September 2008 - 01:15 AM |
If that Chopper can be controlled by flashing light at the light sensor.... what happens if theres a lightning storm??  The thing could go ballistic! |
| Posted by: dinoman 7 October 2008 - 04:57 AM |
| can anyone explain why Mac could be the godfather of Jeffrey? Does that mean Mac is a believer in or has any religious connection with Judaism? |
| Posted by: Jack Thornton 8 April 2009 - 12:24 PM |
| Poor episode. One of the worst. Abe is the most annoying character I have ever seen and the plot is lame. That dictator was meant to be funny, but he wasn't. He was boring and annoying like everything else in this episode. |
| Posted by: Miasma 16 April 2009 - 07:57 AM |
| I tried to watch this episode last night, and I couldn't make it past the first 15 minutes. It's awful. It makes me wonder, though-- how do they choose the order of the episodes for each season. I mean, who in their right mind would think this was a good way to start a new season? This felt like a poor filler episode, not something that should be used to kick off a new season. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 16 April 2009 - 02:23 PM |
Maybe they where going with the idea that people would see this episode and think the show can only get better.  |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 16 April 2009 - 02:31 PM | ||
Good question. One would assume that if the family where religious enough to follow their Jewish traditions, they would want the Godfather of their son to be Jewish as well.  In the less-strict sense of the term, I think God-parents take over the role of parenting if the real parents are unable to, such as if they pass away, become too sick, etc. But it's hard to say what the writers where thinking on this one. although to me it seems pretty clear, that whatever they where thinking it wasn't very much. |
| Posted by: Miasma 17 April 2009 - 07:59 AM | ||
Very possible!!  Actually, I remember reading somewhere, just before Season 7 started, that they were trying to get back to basics-- "swiss army knife, duct tape and jeep"-- and away from having Mac on soapbox all the time. Maybe they thought this episode was a way of saying, "Look, we're not taking ourselves so seriously anymore." Sadly, it was a complete misfire as far as I'm concerned. I appreciate the idea of bringing the series back to being fun rather than preachy, but this took it too far. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 17 April 2009 - 02:22 PM |
| Yeah RDA also mentions that in one of the http://www.macgyveronline.com/pages/interviews.html. He called it the "Run and jump" factor. This episode hit the fun factor on the head, but completely missed the action adventure target. |
| Posted by: Miasma 4 May 2009 - 08:16 AM |
| Finally finished watching this episode. If you're in the right mood for it, it's actually mildly entertaining. The first time I tried watching it, I was obviously not in the right mood, because I didn't make it past the first ten minutes. This time, I watched all the way through, and found myself entertained. Of course it's stupid, but if you accept that, and realize that it's aimed at little kids, it can be kind of fun (though I'm glad this episode didn't become the norm for the show!) Most unintentionally hilarious scene-- after the explosion, when the agent gets blown backwards and does a perfect somersault in the air like a gymnast. Very impressive technique! |
| Posted by: lucsch 1 June 2009 - 10:26 PM |
| Amazingly, I just watched this for the first time. Not sure how I missed it over the years. I had just watched a few Macgrubers and was totally set up for the tongue-in-cheek humor. If you assume it is all stupid spoof humor, then it is excellent! I laughed throughout the whole thing. I did like the scene with Mac shaving. LOL I MUCH prefer the Mac in season 1, though. Sigh! I think they were getting tired of making the show. |
| Posted by: Azalea77 10 April 2010 - 07:14 PM |
Maybe it was not the best episode for me, but I enjoyed it!! This Carribbean dictator was way too hillarious and unreal but Mac/Abe duet was pretty good  The scene when they stop the car and start arguing just made me laugh out loud "Why are they after you?" "Because of the chopper" "What chopper?!!" and you can see such a suprise in Mac's eyes! he is driven to the edge. Or "How illegal??!" This is classic! And "complicated" |
| Posted by: BrakeFluid 30 December 2010 - 07:16 PM |
| I watched this one tonight for what I think is the first time ever. I saw very few S7 episodes in their original run, because that was my freshman year in college and there was little time for television. (Also, it pains me to admit as much, but peer pressure was a factor as well. Despite all the hype about people appreciating diversity in college, freshman year was a lot like high school with beer. Nobody else I knew that year admitted to having ever liked MacGyver, much less still being a fan by then.) The few episodes I did see did not strike me as very good. I wasn't sure whether the show had grown stale or I had outgrown it. It even occurred to me that maybe it had never been all that good and I just hadn't noticed until then. Now, of course, I'm sufficiently mature and informed to recognize that in its prime, MacGyver was a terrific show, and that one never outgrows appreciation for a good episode.  That leaves only one explanation: that the final season was sub-par. As I watch the other episodes, I will try to keep an open mind about that not necessarily being the case, but Honest Abe was not a good start. I will go somewhat against the consensus here and say I liked the character Abe. Something of a one-note character, yes, but he was good for comic relief in what was otherwise a kind of depressing episode. There were some very funny lines... "Is there anybody you guys didn't fund?!" "The Democrats?" Ben Stein was great, too, especially the line about how "MacGyver's an environmentalist, you can't trust those people." (Something of an inside joke if you're familiar with Stein's politics.) But overall, the tale was cliched and kind of boring. Worse, MacGyver didn't really strike me as himself much of the time. Some of his lines sounded like they must have been the work of a new writer who'd never been with the show before. The president was just silly - very much in the "so bad it's good" column, and there aren't many other characters in any episode about whom I would say that. I really did try not to look at this episode through the eyes of the jaded eighteen-year-old I was when it first aired - after all, I didn't even see it then - but it does inspire the same kind of cynicism I remember feeling a lot in those days about certain things I'd loved as a child. It did have some truly great MacGyverisms, though. |
| Posted by: Makedde 2 October 2011 - 07:11 PM |
| Anyone notice that when we first see Mac he drives into a town called 'Fillmore'? Perhaps a reference to Dexter? |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 2 October 2011 - 08:50 PM |
| yeah. Although that is the real cities name of where that scene was shot. The city of Filmore is located in Ventura County, California, USA. http://fillmoreca.com/ Maybe that's where Dextor's last name came from? |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 27 April 2013 - 10:44 AM |
| I just saw this episode again and I just noticed that the presidential palace and in fact to whole city was also used in the Bushmaster episode. |
| Posted by: AussieMacFan 27 April 2013 - 10:40 PM | ||
The possibility of it being a reference to Dexter crossed my mind too. But it being the origin of Dexter's last name is also an interesting thought... |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 12 February 2014 - 06:39 PM |
| Abe is just the old git version of Penny Parker. He's absolutely annoying and I fell asleep before they could crack the door on the chopper. Will try it again later but usually when an episode sends me to snooze land .... it's a dud in my books. |
| Posted by: MacFan092985 14 February 2014 - 05:40 AM |
| While I voted GOOD, this episode was just too comical to be a MacGyver episode. It didn't fit with the rest of the series, although it did fit with the less than stellar season 7 (my least favorite season). I found Abe and his repeated, "It's complicated" catch phrase very annoying. Although when Abe and MacGyver say it at the same time at the end of the episode it's kind of funny. |
| Posted by: MDBfan 14 February 2014 - 01:00 PM | ||
I tried to count how many times he says that. At least 9!!  However, I liked this episode. It's silly, but in a good way. I voted "good"  |
| Posted by: Grazer 28 June 2014 - 07:23 PM |
| I must have been in the mood for some light hearted silliness last night because I watched this episode and found it highly entertaining. My girlfriend likened it to a spoof of the show and I have to say it did kinda have that feel to it. |
| Posted by: Myrtle Groggins 26 December 2015 - 09:53 AM |
| Didn't I want dada comedy? Yeah, this is it. I like the episode though. I might find some longer thoughts later why I think this episode works well. Also looked like MacGyver and Abe ended up in the area where the A-Team jumped over a nonexistent bridge once. And their 90s Ford makes it looks like they are 20 years ahead of the A-Team |
| Posted by: Myrtle Groggins 26 December 2015 - 02:53 PM |
| We spend most of the episode wondering if Abe is the bad guy, or the others. Turns out neither. That itself is a) a good plot and b) a good ending. The characters are outlandish but are written and played so well that they come across as somehow realistic. And the president of San Rochelle is takes the stereotype so far out there and then runs with it. I've rarely ever seen such an spin on that character type. It just works. Oh, and if this was science fiction, the culture of San Rochelle would be just screaming "this isn't our Earth" |
| Posted by: Jazix39 25 August 2016 - 10:37 PM |
| I think Macgyver is the greatest tv show ever. So I was amazed at the level of just plain bad acting in this episode. Was that the point? Abe was talking, or rambling on, in this punch-drunk tone, the fbi guys were the worst comic relief. Ben Stein played an even dryer version of Ben Stein. Macgyver was great, as always. I was just amazed that this was allowed on tv. |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 26 August 2016 - 03:49 AM |
| I think it was meant to be a light-hearted adventure episode. Unfortunately it was a precursor of things to come in what turned out to be arguably the worst season of the show. |
| Posted by: MacsJeep 27 August 2016 - 02:42 AM |
I could not EVER sit through this episode again. It was one of the worst for me. Abe irritated me so much, I wanted to just get up and switch off.  |
| Posted by: RadiantRose 10 October 2016 - 11:43 AM |
| I thought it was really funny. Also, I kind of liked Mac's shirt. A lot. He should have worn it more often. I'm not sure why. |
| Posted by: RadiantRose 10 October 2016 - 11:45 AM | ||
The thought he was planning to do something escape-y involving a blade. Hence, electric razor. |
| Posted by: zoeryan 10 October 2018 - 01:10 AM |
| I've always loved this episode - but I am a sucker for when Mac is super frustrated and pulled into things he doesn't want to be part of lol. Ben Stein was a treat - and all the deep cover agents - the plot is ridiculous but I throughly enjoyed it - especially compared to a lot of the more community based season 7 episodes. |
| Posted by: sylvain1888 18 November 2020 - 04:17 PM | ||
they are in trouble ... |
| Posted by: sylvain1888 18 November 2020 - 04:21 PM | ||
Well seen, by the way, both episodes were shot in the same place ... |
| Posted by: sylvain1888 2 December 2020 - 11:55 AM |
| The dictator made me laugh, and the end is great. for me, it's 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
| Posted by: sylvain1888 2 December 2020 - 12:05 PM |
| Posted by: macgybl 4 January 2023 - 04:39 PM |
| The stunt where the guy lights this tie on fire and ford a front flip is pretty amazing |
