(Credit: Amazon.com)
Creators:
Lee David Zlotoff
The Cast:
Richard Dean Anderson…. Angus MacGyver
Dana Elcar…. Pete Thornton
Bruce McGill…. Jack Dalton
The Show:
Knowing what MacGyver is about and having actually seen MacGyver are two completely different things. As far as I can tell, very few people take the time to sit down and watch good old Angus do his stuff. He’s quite the man, and his show is pretty awesome.
Season 2 of MacGyver features some great episodes with some incredibly original concepts for episodes. MacGyver faces off against an out of control security system one episode, MacGyver out helping inner city kids in the wilderness after a plane crash in the next, and fighting off mobsters by the end of the day.
Basically the story is that of Angus MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson), an operative of the Phoenix Foundation led by MacGyver’s best friend Peter Thorton (Dana Elcar). Every episode features a different mission that MacGyver must complete and the mission inevitably goes awry in some way. Although this sounds formulaic, MacGyver is truly exciting and a fan will watch the show just for the occasional clue to who MacGyver is off the job.
As MacGyver progresses, you really just grow to like MacGyver more and more. He gives new meaning to the phrase “heart of gold.” Mac wants to be everyone’s friend and just do everything he can to make the world a better place. Even when someone is a killer working against Mac, if the guy apologizes, Angus harbors no hard feelings. It’s really useless to describe how MacGyver is the archetype of a nice guy. It is all the things he does in each episode that really sell the guy.
The concepts for episodes are nothing when compared to the devices or “MacGyverisms” that some characters and people have come to call them. If something around the house is broken, and you fix it with something unrelated such as a paper clip or twine, you probably would understand why someone would call you “a regular MacGyver.” Every episode of MacGyver features several situations where MacGyver is placed in a dilemma and he must use his environment to escape or mend the situation. The seriousness of the situations range from MacGyver fixing a clogged soda machine to quench his parch, or MacGyver faking the death of a friend on the spot to avoid an encounter with bloodthirsty gangsters.
When discussing anything about MacGyver, the focus is usually on the devices he creates. Usually the weirdest devices yield the best MacGyver discussion, and if you are afraid that Season 2 of MacGyver does not kick up the absurd factor, Sir, you are mistaken. There is at least one truly creative and bizarre device in every episode of MacGyver. The absurdity comes from the materials used and the situation it gets MacGyver our of. Some devices that pop into my mind are MacGyver creating a rocket out of some fertilizer, cardboard tubing, rags and an oil funnel. When I mentioned MacGyver’s faking the death of his friend to avoid gangsters, I was actually referring to one of my favorite “MacGyverisms.” In this situation he uses sheets of mylar as mirrors, red paint as blood, and if I remember correctly, a hair comb to create the sound of approaching police. Needless to say, the watcher of MacGyver looks forward to each and every device.
MacGyver is a very outdoorsy show. Just about every episode takes place in the jungle, desert, woods, caves or so on. It may be just me, but I felt as though MacGyver does the majority of his work outside. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it makes a lot of the episodes seem to bleed together occasionally which is one of the few complaints I have.
Another is the fact that if you really watch MacGyver and enjoy the show, you want Mac to get a few more perks. There is a girl in almost every MacGyver episode and Mac almost never gets any action. It may be because he is such a nice guy, but the only thing Mac will ever do is give a girl flowers or kiss her on the cheek. One episode features Deb, MacGyver’s almost fiancé, who left MacGyver before he got a chance to pop the question. The episode gives the watcher hope that maybe the relationship will be rekindled, but Deb is becoming a nun. Don’t you hate it when that happens?
Regardless of those few minor complaints, which in some cases add to MacGyver’s likeability, the show is great. As a kid I remember The Simpsons making fun of MacGyver and ever since then my brother and myself only made fun of it. Although we do poke fun at the mullet, now only good things can be said of MacGyver in the Pandich house.
The show doesn’t take itself completely seriously all the time, which adds to the enjoyment. The show understands how absurd the devices can be, so they occasionally poke fun at themselves. One such situation includes a clogged soda machine (MacGyver never drinks alcohol), and when Mac asks the bartender for some olives, making sure they include pimentos, the watcher sits at the edge of his seat wondering what MacGyver will do. “I love these things!” he says as he unclogs the nozzle with a toothpick.
Thus MacGyver Season 2 is a great thing to have in your collection. Even the DVD art, featuring objects such as shoelaces, computer chips, and clothespins makes a fan smile with delight. His mind truly is the ultimate weapon.
9 out of 10
The Video:
MacGyver looks as good a TV show from the 80s pretty much can. That being said, it’s not anything special. It’s slightly above average at best and slightly below average at worst.
5 out of 10
The Audio:
MacGyver comes with a standard mono mix that works ok, There are some scenes that would have worked better with a stereo mix, but the mono mix sounds ok. Again, average.
5 out of 10
The Extras:
Nada. Zilch. Zero. Zipparooni. Well, the six-disc set can be found for under 30 bucks. That’s worth something. Also there’s a bunch of trailers for more TV shows Paramount is putting out. Besides that, there’s nothing. One would think that a man who can make anything out of anything would have some special features for you, but hey, that’s irony.
2 out of 10
