Do you think Piedra would have been a better choice of evil nemesis to MacGyver than Murdoc was?

I can't help thinking that Piedra seemed to be more like MacGyver than what Murdoc was.

Piedra seemed more inclined to take what ever he had to work with in the same way that MacGyver did (i.e. plastic cup and pea to make a blow dart); where-as Murdoc seemed to create over elaborate plans with plenty of opportunity for escape and seemed more inclined to have everything he needed for the job, but not much in the way of contingency plans or impravisation.

I'm also inclined to think that Piedra was more evil in that he was more serious and determined than Murdoc seemed to be. Murdoc was kind of light comedic relief compared to Piedra.

Anyway thats my opinion... whats yours?

I agree. Piedra had a creepy sinister air about him. He was methodical in his methods and absolutely ruthless in achieving his goals. He had no problem killing anyone that stood between him and his target.

Murdoc by contrast was very theatrical and dramatic. He hatched elaborate schemes and seemed suprised when they didn't work. Duh......what did he expect?

Piedra was just a much stronger character than any of the other bad guys Mac ran across.

Oh, yes... Piedra was the 'evil mirror opposite' of MacGyver. I think he would have done much more damage than Murdoc, who was also cunning and lethal, but more gadget-oriented, whimsical, and um... how do I put it?... mentally deviated (nuts-o).

But the Law of the Jungle is: Live by the sword, die by the sword... or in Piedra's case: The serpent with the bitterest poison will die of his own bite.

Murdoc lasted longer because he had a touch--however twisted--of humanity. Piedra was stone-cold.

I agree. Piedra was an excellent bad guy. I’d have liked him to have survived his first encounter with MacGyver somehow and come back as a threatening enemy again.
He should have got nine lives like Murdoc . Actually if the choice was either Murdoc or Piedra as the reoccurring nemisis I would stick with Murdoc. While Piedra would have been a more effective bad guy I don't think he would have been so entertaining in the long run.

Exactly. I definitely like Murdoc better- he's the ultimate bad guy who kept coming back after MacGyver. As a child, I always looked forward to the "Murdoc" episodes of MacGyver! Murdoc's a crazed lunatic too- but there's some twinge of humanity left somewhere.
As for Piedra- he was definitely pretty chilling. Very much hardcore bad guy- and yes, those who live by the sword die by the sword. Or as MacGyver put it- he got the wages of sin in the end, which is death. (A pretty cool allusion to Romans 6:23 )

Anyway- whether Piedra or Murdoc or whoever- they both make challenging villians for MacGyver- but of course, he always takes them down!

Piedra is probably a little more believable as a villain, and certainly more of a challenge for MacGyver (and much deadlier )! It would have been pretty intense to see him in recurring MacGyver episodes, and Mac might have accrued more physical damage from him than from Murdoc. I worried about Mac around him in that episode--the stakes were definitely higher around Piedra. Still, even though he seems more like a melodrama villain, I have to say I prefer Murdoc. Scary villains like Piedra are fine, but I like Murdoc's dark humor and his elaborate games. He certainly adds to the entertainment value of the show.

"MACGYVERRRRRR!"

Its funny, most people voted that Piedra is a better villain, but everybody says they like Murdoc.

Without voting. I don't know. Comparing these two characters, Piedra seemed more determined, not afraid of dirting his hands on victims, very lethal and very cunning. Also he was a master of disguise.

As we can say that many of the villains that tried to kill MacGyver, Piedra is one of the very few or maybe even the only one who didn't hesitated to kill MacGyver when he had the chance.

There is also a lot of an Evil MacGyver in Piedra, using all sort of isms and objects laying around.

Maybe Piedra is the one who should be referred to as quick, neat and untraceable.

Murdoc on his side is more vain I think, thinks he's the big man. He certainly has a deadly side, also a master of disguise, changes voice, mannerisms, everything. He likes explosions doing the work for him while taking pictures. Still there is a certain determined side. Even though his flamethrower was blown up, he had mines, a rifle and a big knife at his hand to continue the chase and he came very close in killing MacGyver in Stricktly Business. And if Obsessed didn't start with a dream, MacGyver could've going all to pieces. There's of course the human side he showed in Cleo Rocks, Halloween Knights and a brief moment in Stricktly Business.

But who knows how things turned out if not Murdoc but Piedra asked him to help in Halloween Knights. And maybe if Piedra didn't beat Murdoc to the punch, Murdoc could've have easily killed MacGyver with the poisoned dart. Then there was no debt to pay. Murdoc could've killed MacGyver and that was the end.

Which of the two could've caused the most psychological damage? I think both could've done serious damage. However I think Piedra would have done the most. Piedra is I think a tad faster in his actions than Murdoc.

But the effects of Murdoc haunting MacGyver sure made it in Obsessed. Actually come to think of it a good way of showing how far it became with MacGyver after all he'd been through with Murdoc was indeed a bad dream but I think it would've been better if we had actually see Murdoc disappear as a ghost after chopping and MacGyver rolling of the couch.

Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool when Mac said that, and it's something he would have known, too, having grown up Catholic. It's almost as if he's acknowledging that justice is ultimately out of our hands and in God's. That follows because in the end, Mac ultimately had little to do with Piedra's, um, downfall (haha).

Wow, this is a really tough question, guys! I haven't posted in a while and all these good topics come up!

I'm not really sure how to vote. Like has been said, I think Piedra would have been really interesting as Mac's nemesis, kind of the anti-MacGyver...lol. If he were continually developed "right" over the course of the show he certanly would have added some dark twists. A little like Dr. Zito (I'm surprised he didn't show up in this poll!). The writers would have had to be more creative in bringing Piedra "back," I think, rather than just having him "die" like Murdoc and magically reappear. lol...Maybe they decided he'd be too much work to keep in the show!

I looked forward to Murdoc episodes, too! Yeah, he was outrageous and flamboyant, and largely unbelievable (HOW many times did he "die?"), but you know, thinking about it, he was really more the anti-MacGyver than Piedra. Mac was anything but outrageous. Murdoc was calculating and planned everything (his devices, his schemes, the backup plan, etc.) whereas Mac came up with plan B when plan A didn't work, and he used what was available. His elaborate contraptions came about because of what he had on hand and quick thinking. Murdoc's took days and months of planning and seeking out what he needed. I wouldn't have been surprised if maybe when they found Murdoc's base of operation they would have found notebooks of sketches of devices, chemical formulas, and photographs plastered everywhere of people (for his disguises). I think maybe Murdoc's #1 frustration with MacGyver was his oppositeness... "You know, MacGyver, that's why you're so hard to beat. Nobody knows what you're going to do next, including you." And in spite of Mac just pulling stuff out of a hat, he always thwarted Murdoc.

Murdoc actively played mind games with Mac, and I think Piedra's games would have been more subtle. Murdoc and Mac were polar opposites. I think Piedra and Mac were actually a lot alike. Murdoc added some amount of dark humor to go with the suspense, but Piedra would have added some chilling suspense, I'm sure.

So in the end my conclusion is....I...don't...have....one... lol.

Twice in Partners, once in The Widowmaker, Cleo Rocks, Halloween Knights, Stricktly Business, Obsessed. Seven times. He's living his 8th life now and he's still out there.

Twice in Partners, once in The Widowmaker, Cleo Rocks, Halloween Knights, Strictly Business, Obsessed. Seven times. He's living his 8th life now and he's still out there.

In other words, every single time he appeared on the show, right? Man, the guy was a slow learner, wasn't he?

doesn't say much for natural selection does it.

Well, we hope he didn't have kids.

I did like how Piedra met his death. He was arrogant and Karma came back to haunt him, poisoning himself with his own ingenious little weapon. It was a perfect end, and I liked the closure on that creepy character, whereas Murdoc just keeps going...and going...

Perhaps he's a renegade Time Lord who has partnered with The Master in a plot to take over the universe.

Murdoc as the Energizer Bunny?

I liked Murdoc better, simply for his entertainment value. Then again, it's not quite a fair comparison, because we only saw Piedra once, versus seven times for Murdoc. Also, Murdoc gave me more chills because he was, as others have said, what Mac would have been like if he had been a bad guy.

um....

I think the consensuses was that Piedra was more the evil MacGyver than Murdoc

Maybe he's like a cat..........onhis eighth life, one more left.

It's simple. Murdoc has all twin brothers.

um....

I think the consensuses was that Piedra was more the evil MacGyver than Murdoc

lol...Rock, it sounds like maybe you're agreeing with me...but I'm not sure.