Mason is the “big bad” introduced in the Season 3 Finale.
Season 3
In the Season 3 finale (Mason + Cable + Choices), Charlie Robinson (Emerson Brooks) is used as a pawn against Angus MacGyver (Lucas Till); with Charlie locked in an elaborate trap that either kills him or sets off a bomb underneath a fully-booked hotel.
Mason (Peter Weller) forces MacGyver to choose between saving the life of his friend or the lives of hundreds of innocents. Charlie asks Mac to find his murderer, then sacrifices himself before the timer of the bomb runs out.
Although they catch Mason within the same episode, he manages to escape by using a non-lethal gas hidden in a fake tooth. Before escaping, Mason tells MacGyver that his goal is to destroy everything that James MacGyver (Tate Donovan) helds precious and to watch him suffer because James is responsible for Masons son – a marine usually doing embassy security duty – getting killed on a mission to rescue an intelligence asset a few years ago.
At the end of the episode, James confesses to MacGyver that the asset had been MacGyver himself, and that he sort of sacrificed Masons son in a diversion tactics to get his own son rescued. Mac is appalled that his father favored his life over that of a marine – especially without that marine and his team knowing about the risks of the mission.
Season 4
When tracking down Mason in Episode 4×08 (Father + Son + Father + Matriarch), James reveals to MacGyver that his cancer is back. They find Mason, but soon realize that it was a trap and that Gwendolyn Hayes (Jeri Ryan) used Mason to lure in MacGyver, wanting him to join Codex and “reset the world”.
Mason and the MacGyvers have to join forces. At the end of the episode, James points out that his son is the more valuable asset and the only one who can stop Codex from destroying the world. He sacrifices himself so MacGyver can escape. When Mason and MacGyver part ways, MacGyver vows that next time, he won’t help Mason anymore.
Season 5
In Episode 5×01 (Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason), Phoenix bosses Russ Taylor (Henry Ian Cusick) and Matty Webber (Meredith Eaton) ask Mason for assistance when their new recruitment candidate is kidnapped.
| APPEARANCES: Reboot series (recurring character). 3×22 Mason + Cable + Choices 4×08 Father + Son + Father + Matriarch 5×01 Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason | SKILLS: extensive knowledge of physics and chemistry, bomb-making. | ACTOR: Peter Weller |
NOTES:
Was announced to play “the antithesis of MacGyver” and being his “evil twin” in the press releases. According to showrunner Peter Lenkov, the character was an idea by Lucas Till.
Peter Weller has directed three episodes of the show.
I have to wonder if Codex tipped off Mason to the existence of the Phoenix Group and James Macgyver’s actions leading to his son’s death. I also wouldn’t doubt Mason is now a full member. I also wouldn’t doubt Jonah Walsh was recruited by them as well. It definitely explains his ability to elude authorities and avoid capture. Mason’s actions would allow Codex to operate without raising alarms since former dead DSX members are actually alive… committing certain deeds.