Alright, a little while back we had that discussion if MacGyver would've been able to kill Larson or not. Now just after my post in the Lesson In Evil topic, I wonder if MacGyver would've been able to kill Zito or not. In the end MacGyver says he was keeping Zito alive for Dr. Skinner. But if it wasn't for her, you think Mac could've kill him right there?

Yeah that went through my mind too. Because remember he mentioned earlier that maybe the only way to stop Zito was to kill him. That struck me as being quite a significant statement from MacGyver and maybe indicated a realization on MacGyver's part that not everyone can be saved or changed.

I don't know about the discussion earlier but Dr. Zito is quite the vicious villain. Would love to see an episode of Zito and Murdoc working together against Mac only for them to end up betraying each other in the end.

Now THAT would make for an awesome fanfic!

Now THAT would make for an awesome fanfic!

It would be awesomer if they could make it an actual episode.
But at least I got an episode I definitely wasn't expecting and is one of my top 3 favorites. I forgot the episode's name but it was the one when MacGyver and Murdoc worked together to save some body. Saying more would be spoiling the episode.

You mean Halloween Knights.

Oh, thank you very much. Now I don't have to watch every single episode again looking for this one. Thank you.

Now THAT would make for an awesome fanfic!

I had that exact same thought!

Now THAT would make for an awesome fanfic!

I had that exact same thought!

Great minds think alike!

Wow... lol This one makes ya think. XD

For me? I think it would have played out the same regardless. See, a truly evil person knows how to blacken the heart of a good person. For someone like MacGyver, how would you get him to pick up a gun and kill someone, going against everything he believed in? Push them. How? Attack the one thing that matters the most to them.

So, we all know that MacGyver's one fear is losing people he cares about. While keeping MacGyver preoccupied with his "riddle", he goes after MacGyver's friends (kidnapping Pete and hurting Murphy) and invades his home.

At the end, when Mac is presented the option, he goes for the gun... why? Because he feels like he doesn't have a choice. If it was just his own life on the line, it would be different. But since Zito is threatening to go back after Murphy and taunting him, MacGyver was backed into a corner. If you back someone in a corner like that, they tend to lash out.

Now someone like MacGyver would only go against what he believed in for someone else... which I believe Zito knew and exploited.

The Lesson in Evil, to me, was that Zito could turn MacGyver against his own nature.

Thankfully, Zito failed and Mac figured it out, but I think this would have happened anyway regardless of Skinner. It's just not in his nature to kill if it can be helped.

I think that's why seeing Mac go for the gun always got me on edge because as the viewer it's like... NO Mac! Don't do it! He's just being a jerk! Punch him! XD

I think Mac could have easily over-powered Zito anyway.

In the case of Larson, I had the urge to duct-tape his mouth shut...

I think you might have misinterpreted that gun scene with Zito. MacGyver never intended to use the gun he only picked it up to show that his explination about Zito's trap was right. Although why he picked it up when he had just explained that doing so would trigger the trap still baffles me to this day.

Well, if you watch the scene, he actually does go for the gun, then he sees the rope, then it dawns on him. I don't think he actually picked it up because he realized Zito's plan.

I remember because it always bothered me. That was my theory as to why. Don't mind me, I tend to over-analyze everything... which gets me into more trouble then I care to admit.

*cough*

I think Jediferret interpreted the scene correctly. I never thought of that, but that's probably because I never actually questioned his actions or why.

MacGyver never picked up the gun, he leaned forward to it with the intention to pick it up but he never touched it because suddenly he realized what was going to happen.

"The three fates, they control the future. The rope is the thread of life, the gun is the shears the cut it off. That leaves scales or a balance. Add a little extra weight... *click* ...to trigger it off." *bang*

MacGyver played the game just as Zito wanted it. Putting everything to the test. Once more MacGyver proved he was right, even if that took a huge risk. Interesting that when you look at it according to the riddle Mac jumped to the thread of life to save his own.

And actually even if he didn't pick up the gun, I think when Zito got the bell against his head wouldn't that have killed him anyway? I think Zito would have one hell of headache the next day or a concussion.

Further I think Jediferret was right. The actual lesson in evil is it doesn't matter how good a person you are when it comes down that someone hurts your friends, loved ones, co-workers, we're all the same.

Wow, that was really well put actually!

Nice observation! I didn't catch that one. lol

I think it would take a lot for MacGyver to go for a gun and pull the trigger, and you can see the conflict on his face.

I think in Deadly Dreams they said Zito had a degree in psychology... right? If so, he probably had MacGyver figured out and knew what buttons to push.

Ultimately, I think Zito would have failed regardless. Mac's just not a killer... then again, he did let Glass die in Log Jam... I love this stuff... XD

I just re-watched that scene and your right he does go for the gun. I really don't think he had any intentions of firing the gun though. Maybe he was going to grab it and hit Zito with it like he (nearly) did to Larson in The Challenge episode?

Another interesting observation. Could've been a great alternate ending. A fight breaks out, they roll over the ground for the gun, their weight causes the ground to break off, the bell clangs while both of them hang on the edge and than either Zito falls pulling Mac with him but Mac jumps to the rope and Zito falls to his death or Zito climbs up and we have the finale as we all know it.

Do you write fanfic? If not, you should! XD You'd do some awesome alternate endings!

Do you write fanfic? If not, you should! XD You'd do some awesome alternate endings!

Used to and I enjoyed it too. But life has intervened.

Do you write fanfic? If not, you should! XD You'd do some awesome alternate endings!

Used to and I enjoyed it too. But life has intervened.

Aww! Yeah, I hear ya there though. I haven't had time to finish ANYTHING lately.

I'm really enjoying reading this discussion.

I doubt Zito had it planned far enough to get Mac to the pull the trigger. He just wanted MacGyver pushed enough to pick it up so it would set off the trap.

If there was no trap and MacGyver picked up the gun, he would have some difficulty pulling the trigger... it's just not in him. Zito would have had to continue to push him... and there's this part of me that REALLY doubts MacGyver could do it. He would have found another way.

I know it was just the writer's way of adding tension to the episode. I kinda asked myself, would Mac actually pull the trigger?

Nah... I don't think so. Do I think he would have let Zito die if it came down to it? With his statement about letting Zito live for Skinner... it does make you wonder. I actually don't think he would have unless he had no other choice. But... that's just me.

I do agree with you that he probably had no intention of pulling the trigger and may have just went for it having another plan in mind.

On the subject of fanfiction... what I hate is when you get a REALLY good idea and there's NO way to write it down... then you forget what the idea is.