Well, it was the old adage - they bit off a little more than they could chew - that haunted the villains in the end & in dealing with Mac.

And the getting there for "opening faceoff or 'puck drop' is the endearing, anxiety ridden incentive & this script implementation is undoubtedly influenced/suggested by RDA. When you go to a hockey game, it's sacrilege to miss the opening faceoff - an unwritten rule, yet written in stone to get there on time. The home city on game night is full of electric energy, the bars, restaurants are full to the rafters - & as a fan, your whole day revolves around getting to the rink in time. I'm not saying that this is not the same MO for soccer, football, baseball, or basketball - I'm just telling it like it is for this sport.

I think we need a MacGyverOnline meetup - in Minnesota - in February - -15 degrees - for a Wild game - and to feel the energy. enjoy the atmosphere, and to see how vital it is to get to the game on time and for the opening draw!

I wholeheartedly agree, Joe. I'll give you my banking details to deposit the money for the flights, accommodation etc..

And i'll see you there!!!

First class and pretty flight attendant, please.

Count me in!!

Wow! Some initial good interest here. Maybe, just maybe ..... an Oilers/Kings game in LA would be the real 'MacGyver Episode Experience' ticket!? J A meetup in LA with a pre-game tour of some of the old MacGyver sets in and around LA, & with a busy scheduled day and all culminating with an anxiety/adrenaline filled dash to the Kings/Oilers game - just like within the episode - would be ideal. And, surely, if there was ever an impromptu venue that RDA might attend a MacGyver fan base .... it would surely be at his most beloved LA Kings' game!!!! Of course we could all 'warm up' on non-alcoholic eggnog -- as per Mac's experiment in the opening gambit.

Poor Mac, what with the anniversary of the accident being December 14th and his mother dying around Christmas, December must have been tough.

Damn, I love this episode so much! It's my second favorite! I love the look on MacGyver's face when Victoria kicks herself straight out of the window!

This is literally what it's like:

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I saw an interview with RDA and he told what happened to his pinky finger. He cut it with his SAK when cutting the top off of the Cadillac in "Three For The Road" and had to get stitches. If you look closely when he is cutting into the back seat of the car you can see the bandage.

I've a few scars on my hands from various SAKs over the years....it doesn't take much to wind up with stitches! This is one of my favorite shows too

I have a pretty nice scar on my arm from my SAK. I had the scissors open and laid the knife down. I carelessly shifted my arm right into the point on the end of the scissor blade. The blade embedded itself about 1/4 inch deep in my arm. Ouch

It's amazing how sharp these knives are, especially when what you are cutting isn't intentional.

I think this episode is excellent, except once they realized they were locked in and people had guns, why wouldn't they pull the fire alarm?!? Or they needed a quick scene where they tried and it was disconnected, like when Mac tried the phone.

Harry is always enjoyable to watch, great chemistry with Mac. I like Harry flashbacks even though the wavy screen effect got a little taxing lol.

Because the bad guys would be looking for them. Now they had somewhat of an advantage.

If you pull an alarm the whole building goes off, the baddies would have cleared out pretty fast. The bad guys were already looking for them and there was no bomb in play yet as far as they knew.

Or stayed put and called off the fire. You haven't seen Die Hard have you?

Of course I've seen Die Hard I'm just saying pulling the fire alarm was an obvious move to get help, that wasn't explored, and should have been addressed..

The Oilers are in LA again tonight to play the Kings! Times have changed a bit since Mac and Harry's days.
Gretzky is in the building but as a spectator not a player. RDA may well be there as well tonight -since he
is a big fan of the home team.

Apparently Gretzky got refused at the gate last night. The Staples Center security check didn't recognize him … the legend … and even though his statue was standing about 100ft behind the entryway. Harry just rolled over in his grave …..

So there's a couple of security guards looking for a new job today?

So there's a couple of security guards looking for a new job today?

Apparently, they smoothed it over by saying that he/she "gatekeeper" usually only works the Laker games …. and thus not a big hockey fan. …… c'est la vie

Classic episode. Love these confined-setting type deals, a-la The Human Factor earlier on.

Pretty cool to have such an extended look at the Phoenix Foundation at last. It really made the setting feel more tangible and lived-in in subsequent episodes rather than just a regular office/soundstage, so there's that to appreciate as well.

Just great to get so much insight into MacGyver’s past and his dynamics with Harry in particular, as well. I'm generally not big on flashback-induced downtime, but this time it really does appear to be raising the stakes - the longer we dwell in their troubled past, the closer we are drawn to them, the more it appears to inform their present-day predicament.

On the downside, I felt like the main villain wasn't as interesting or nuanced as the rest of the plot. Her scenes with MacGyver in particular (and that fight...) were lacking. But she's ultimately more of a plot device, so I guess it doesn't really matter.

It turns out the game Mac and Harry were going to see was a real game being played on the actual date in the episode.

One of our members in our Fan Club on Facebook. found a copy of the game on youtube.

When Harry mentioned not remembering the way back to the house, I think he was referring to living alone with no one to talk to, no difference in day to day routine, to the point where you're functioning on auto-pilot and kind of sleep-walking through the day. You suddenly "wake up" and have to figure out what you were just in the middle of. In Harry's case, you can also factor in loneliness, though he would never admit to that! His excuse for the visit was getting to see Wayne Gretsky "skatin' with the Oilers" against the LA Kings, not that he wanted to see his grandson.

I like John Anderson as an actor as well. There's a western movie that I think is great (wonder if Mac has it in his collection?) called "The Halleluiah Trail"; John Anderson plays an old career cavalry sergeant. A situational comedy; check it out.

What's a "laser assisted digital recorder"? Looking back on things now, I always find it funny when technology in the 80's was a used as a mystical thing and they thought the audience would be fooled and accept it if it sounded technical and complex.

I also find it funny that the "computers" are always just boxes of flashing lights.

The female villain did a really good job in this. She really make it seem like she was a pro and was really vicious!

I have to say this is one of my favorite episodes. It's got some good flashbacks that are not overdone. Macgyverisms are good too. AND a great ending that was Macgyverism to save the day!

Ha! I couldn't agree more about 80's TV computers. The metal boxes and control panels with blinking lights and useless knobs and switches are great!

This is a classic episode. Also, as mentioned in the Phoenix Foundation Podcast, this episodes plot is very similar to Die Hard the movie.

If you haven't checked out the podcast, I would recommend it. I have been watching an episode in the evening and then listening to the corresponding podcast episode the next day. It's great to hear behind the scenes tid bits and interviews.

One of the classics. Even though it's all indoors (always has been as the astronauts would say).

If I have a gripe it's that the villains other than Victoria James are really flat and I assume it's at least in part because they felt like they needed extra bits to make a female character look competent. Or at least to distinguish her. I think they were really difficult to play and the actors did all they could.

But like with a lot of things that's something I only noticed after like the 5th time watching.

As always Tricia O'Neil is awesome. I know her of course also as Rachel Garrett and Maggie Sullivan.

Also like the fakeout cold open. Like in Final Approach and Bushmaster. That somehow never gets old.

One of the funny and at same time it shows you how evil
The villian is , she takes the flower from Susan's jacket.