Just to change things up a bit, since we usually talk about the good stuff...
Obviously we're all fans of the show, but even as fans, I'm sure there are things that we didn't like, or that we felt would have been better if they were handled differently. So what aspects of MacGyver did you like the LEAST?

I'll start:

1. Bad acting. RDA mostly did a good job, but a lot of the one-time guest stars were pretty bad.

2. Lack of a consistant back-story. It often felt like each writer just made up his or her own history for the characters (Mac used to be a race car driver?! Mac and Pete met in quicksand... or was it while chasing Murdoc? etc. And considering that we never see Mac dating, he sure seems to have a lot of ex-girlfriends.)

3. It gets a bit too preachy at times. I don't mind that the show had a conscience, but sometimes it felt too much like an after-school special, particularly with episodes like "Blood Brothers" and "Twenty Questions."

4. This may be a bit unfair, but I wish the show was aimed more at adults than kids. Of course, considering the fact that I WAS a kid when it first aired, it's probably not fair to complain about this (since I wouldn't have become a fan in the first place if it wasn't aimed at kids.) But now that I'm an adult, I do wish there were more episodes that were aimed at adults, rather than kids.

5. The laters seasons really didn't do much in terms of MacGyverisms. Often, there would be just one Mac-ism per episode, and they were rarely scientific like they used to be in the first season. A lot of times, it was the type of stuff that I'd seen action heros do in other shows, actually, so it kind of made the show lose the element that differentiated it in the beginning.

Ok, I'll stop before I seem like too much of a downer.
Anyone else?

You know, back as a teen there was stuff I didn't like but I do now and vice versa.

There is indeed the bad acting. And I don't might saying RDA had his share of that as well. Punching the guy out in Eagles and jumping up going: 'Aw, aw, aw!' for example. Teri Hatcher 'acting' afraid in Secret of Parker House and Cleo Rocks.

His history is indeed a bit incoherent. Saying his dad died when he was seven in Runners, while he said in Passages he hasn't seen his dad since his was ten? And many more things.

The fact we never saw him dating... the fact he never had an enduring relationship we thank that to you women who couldn't stand him having one. Plenty of ex-girlfriends in his past indeed but that was most likely before he met Pete. Once he got in his line of work it could've been dangerous for the ones he loves. He said to Nikki that in their line of work they have enemies. That's why he was loner.

There was a time I indeed figured there were too many 'teen' episodes. But I'm over that. The fact of recurring themes: episodes set in a forest, social themes, the environment is what made MacGyver...

To me it never occured that the show was aimed at kids. I grew up at a very young age with Mac. So maybe it's different for me, but Mac to me always seemed serious with very intense action scenes. I heard here that Mac doesn't take itself serious (despite the overacting sometimes) but I say it does. People are getting killed, there's blood, fighting, explosions... Practically everything action needs. Then there is The A-Team, considered to be too violent because of the fighting and all. Cars are flying through the air, a good fight here and there... but don't you think it's odd, despite of all that, no one ever gets killed or dies? And that there is a sense of humor in it?

To me a perfect mix of MacGyver and The A-Team of me would be Magnum PI. I think Magnum would also be compared with The A-Team because of it's lighter moods. There's humor in it, but also a sort of seriousness, peoples dies, sometimes 'unexpectedly' (for that time) or they die at the end anyway. Magnum ends up getting hurt many more times than Mac did, probably proving his human as well. Magnum is written also more daringly and why? Because of the unexpected deaths, anyway in my opinion. MacGyver always pulls through, a sort of a last minute save or in the end it seems nothing happened. There are many elements in Magnum I figured they never dared using in MacGyver or maybe they would've but approached differently and less daring. Of course Mac also has his share of the unexplained.

I grew up with later seasons (6 and 7) so I was never bothered with too less MacGyverisms. But I wouldn't have mind more MacGyverisms in later seasons. I think in the first season there was plenty of variation between the MacGyverism and the non-MacGyverism scenes.

Honestly, I prefer to continue to focus on the aspects I like. There's enough crap in the world that I don't want to spend time focusing on the bad side of things I genuinely enjoy.

Haha, you know, I probably should have this attitude a little more myself. I feel like I've gotten really cynical the last few years. Possibly on a related note, I've watched less and less MacGyver over the last few years

Beth, I'm with you all the way.

I'll take it a step further: I like MacGyver so much because of the flaws here and there.
Suppose MacGyver (the show) would be perfect. Then I wouldn't be interested at all. Perfect is not interesting. Perfect is boring.

And I don't just mean MacGyver. There are a lot of artists (singers, painters, cartoonists, writers, musicians) that I like because they aren't perfect. It's the flaws that makes their work exciting and extraordinary.

That's an interesting way of looking at it.
For me, things like better acting could never really hurt a show, and would only make me like it more (because I'd believe and care about the characters more.) But I kind of know what you mean-- sometimes I enjoy the bad stuff too. My girlfriend and I practically have hysterics laughing at things like the bad acting, and the campy situations, so in that sense, the negatives could be seen as positives.

I guess. For me, even with stuff I like, it's fun to think of ways that it could be even better. I don't see that as a negative thing.

The flaws in the show just prove to me that we're all human and we make mistakes It's funny how often we forget that.

Even if people go through and pick them out or prove the MacGyverisms are a little farfetched, I like to look past that and just let myself have fun watching the show.

As we all know, the whole point of the show in the first place is that this extraordinary guy can go around doing extraordinary things we all wish we could do. It's the imagination that counts and in the world of fictional TV and special effects, anything is possible. Isn't that the reason people create TV shows or write books in the first place, to do stuff you'd never actually be able to do in real life?

That's why I love it and it's so much fun. There wouldn't be a story if Mac couldn't save the world with chocolate bar

Yeah, I've got no problem with the far-fetched stuff (actually, in my original post, one of my complaints was basically that he STOPPED saving the world with chocolate bars in later seasons! lol.)
Remember the ultra-light plane that he built out of bamboo and duct tape? It was ludicrous, but that's exactly why I loved that scene so much-- campy fun at its best!

I guess if I had to pick one main complaint from all the stuff I listed above, it would be the bad acting. I really think that with stronger acting, it would be easier to overlook everything else.

Oh, I just thought of one other thing that I didn't really like about MacGyver-- the female characters. Why couldn't the writers create any good female characters? I'm not talking about love interests (I know why they didn't have those), but what about just creating a strong, well-written female? Pretty much every woman on the show was either highly irritating, weak, psychotic, or all of the above.

There's always Nikki Carpenter.

Nikki actually had the potential to be a good character. It's a shame that the writers ruined her character. She started out strong and capable, but within a few episodes, she was just another helpless damsel-in-distress that Mac had to save. I don't really know how she could be an agent for the Phoenix Foundation when she can't even cope with a mugger, and she whines when her feet get wet while crossing a river. Seriously, if she could be an agent, so could Penny. I mean, she and Mac are supposed to have the same kind of job, right? But I can't see her handling any of the situations that Mac gets into. I wish they had kept her as a strong, able-bodied character, but I guess the writers wanted to make sure that Mac was always the hero, so they had to dumb-down everyone around him.

Have you seen all her episodes?

I wouldn't be so surprised that that East-Germany assignment would be her first time in rough country, so no wonder she's not used to the 'dangers' of the forest. And that mugger ran her over pretty good hurting her elbow. Unless you're talking about the strangeler scene. MacGyver just happened to be there because he had to ask her somehing on her file. Maybe in the end she could've found away to fight him off.

Nikki can take care of herself in a Mac-ish situation. Maybe only when it comes down to a fight and not when she's locked up, however I can see her trying to escape. Penny can't. That's why Mac is a bit like her big brother.

Further than that, I'd say she was one of the strongest female characters around. Hitting Mac and a guard down in Fire and Ice, kicking out Murdoc's gun, jumping on Webber's back in Early Retirement... Hit Nikki in the face, expect one back, hit Penny in the face and she starts up the waterworks.

I'd like to see Penny do all that. Nikki and Penny are on way different levels. Penny freaks out for the least that happens and she's not even traumatised like Karin Graff was in Ghost Ship.

Kate Connolly was also one of the stronger characters, who should've been around more often.

And yes even Maria Romburg. Proofed to be one hell of a tough lady by hitting Weise down and throwing him down a flight of stairs. 'But she was too bossy' and 'ooh, no way she's the right girl for him'.

Didn't Penny do that?

Too.

Both did Penny kicked the gun out of Murdoc's hand in "Cleo Rocks" (Season four)

and Nikki kicked the gun out his hand in "The Widowmaker" (Season three)

Sorry for the delayed response...

Yes, several times each. That's the problem. If I only saw "Fire & Ice," I'd think she was a strong character. It's the other episodes that weakened her.

MacGyver found himself in several situations that he wasn't used to either, but he didn't whine about it the way Nikki did. A tough character is able to deal with things they aren't used to, while a weak character makes a fuss about it, the way Nikki did in GX-1. And it's a shame, because the way she was introduced in "Fire & Ice," I thought she was going to be Mac's equal, but then the writers weakened her.

Maybe she would have, but it would have been nice to see it. I think it would have gone a long way towards making her seem like a legitimate agent for the Phoenix Foundation, rather than just another person who is incapable of fending for herself.

But when is this really shown, outside of the "Fire & Ice" episode? (and even in that, she was often shown to be inferior to Mac in terms of coming up with ideas. She was just able to help Mac out, but not really able to think of much on her own.)

Mac usually seems like Nikki's big brother, too, though. Like throughout the entire "Blow Out" episode-- he was very much a big brother to her. And in "The Widowmaker", sure, she went out there to help him, but in the end, he was the one who came up with all the ideas while she basically just tagged along.

For the 1950s, maybe. But there are a lot of stronger women on TV these days.

She was good in that episode. I wish they kept her that way.

Even Penny did that.

Nikki looked pretty close to tears after the mugging, and made no attempt at all to go after the guy or fight back. She reacted pretty much how Penny would have reacted.

I agree.
Even more, though, I think the original Mike should have been a recurring character. She was probably my favorite female character on the show, so it's shame how they ruined her character (and killed her) in The Widowmaker.

Yeah, but she was just irritating. Tough is good, but the character still needs to be likeable, and she wasn't.

Not really, she showed toughness in Early Retirement by jumping on Webber's back. Maybe GX-1, Blow Out and The Negotiator did. But than we hit a fifty-fifty balance of weakness and strongness.

MacGyver is used to situations he's not used to. Nikki had the training but not experience yet. To be honest I'd rather but in a sticky situation with Nikki than with Penny.

She's not incapable at all.

That's what she explained in Blow Out to Mac on how she plans ahead and stick to it while Mac always goes on the improvising tour with him responding: 'whatever works'.

That's one out of six and she was really in danger. I think everybody can use great support. Do have to say without Mac's help, maybe she didn't make it in the end.

It's not because you're down and depressed, you can't think for yourself anymore.

She kinda did. She hurt her elbow and probably shaken about being ran over she got up slower.

Penny probably kept laying on the ground until somebody would've been nice enough to help her up.

Yeah maybe, after all Mac recalled many adventures on the plane in Jack of Lies they've been through. It would've been great to see more of them.

Probably.

I JUST LOVE the whole series!! But there are things which are a little bit too much. For example In "Lost Love" Mac is a soldier,( it is shown in a flashback) maybe a professional one, which seems totally impossible , in "To be a man" he flies the jet and it requires years of practice! He is also a race car driver (again in flashbacks) and there is no other mention about car racing later.
The idea of almost all his former girlfriends being killed or trying to kill him is also a bit depressing, it is liek a pattern here
But anyway I love watching some episodes from time to time. It is more like adventure series where there is almost no blood or violence. It is meant for fun, not to be real and perfect like todays reality series.

Not exactly. In Countdown it's said Mac served in 'Nam. So it's not so weird Mac was a soldier at one point in his life and probably during his military training learned how to fly.

That was only a short career.

You are right.What is 'Nam? Sorry for being so dumb but Google returns strange results when I check it I watched "Countdown" just once, last year and I do not remember this episode, I could just skipped some details. I think that being a soldier totally doesn't go with Mac anyway

Vietnam.

The war in the sixties/seventies? Apocalypse Now?

There's no mention in that flashback of MacGyver being a siolder I don't think. It only shows him wearing military camouflage clothing, which is something we see him do several other times through out the show.

No. He sits in a jet reading a map while it flies him on some kind of auto pilot.

There's no mention about Hellfire fighting later either

Ok Guys you beat me I didn't watch any of the episodes you mentioned more than once so I must have missed A LOT OF DETAILS I think I was looking too much at Mac and not focusing on the action

I feel so silly

No need to feel silly about it. Even if you were off on some specifics, you ARE right about Mac have a very inconsistant past. I think writers of each episode just made things up, without ever really consulting with what had already been established. Of course, it was all for convenience-- "Hmm, let's do an episode about driving race cars. We'll just say Mac used to be a race car driver!" "Hmmm.. let's do an episode about logging. We''ll say Mac used to be a logger." etc.
And you're completely right about Mac's ex-girlfriends. For the most part, they're either dead, or psychotic. Talk about having bad luck with women!

Aren't there story or script consultants for?

That's what happens when they don't get their way.

In other words MacGyver is a man with many trades, I beat you if they keep the tv show on you would of seen MacGyver do every job aleast once in his life time.

Very true.
You know the expression, "Jack of all trades, master of none", right? Well, Mac seems to be the rare, "Jack of all trades, master of all."

Haha... I can hear the voice over now: "Back when I was in college, I used to work part time as an astronaut. So when Pete asked me to help launch the Phoenix Foundation's new space exploration program, well, I just couldn't resist."
(and, of course, later in the episode, he ends up trapped in a space shuttle with a psychotic ex-girlfriend.)

That was really funny!