MacGyver: #104 Hellfire (S1E8)

*Edit: This episode was way better than I remembered it to be, so it's been moved up to #104.  I've adjusted the rest of the list accordingly.

*Note: I've decided to add another short section to my reviews (cleverly entitled "Opening Gambit"), because I find it interesting to see what, if anything, changes from what I remember about an episode before and then after I re-watch it.  So from now on, at the beginning of my reviews, I will have this section with my opinion on the episode beforehand, and why I initially put it where it is (or in this case, was) on the list, and then I'll write my post-ep thoughts under the "My Conclusion" section.

Episode Title: Hellfire
Episode Number: S1E8

Ranking: 104 of 138

CBS.com

Summary: MacGyver goes to visit some of his friends who have just struck oil, but when the gas ignites and threatens their livelihoods, they must take on the mantle of hellfighters if they want to save everything they've worked for.

Quotable Moment: 

Laura: [to Bill] Okay!  Look, you're going in!  This one last time.  But the two of you together.  That's the way you got this far. [to Mac] Look!  You'll fry your tail in there without Bill.  Damn it, he's the best!  So are you.

Best Part: Surprisingly, my favorite scene was where Mac and Bill try to get the dynamite out of the powder room without blowing themselves up (which Mac almost fails spectacularly at).  Despite remembering that part as boring, it turned out to be one of the most exciting parts, right alongside the firefighting scene at the end.

Worst Part: The ten minute lull about 25 minutes in where they focus far too long on Mac and Bill's getting the dynamite back to the site of the fire.


Opening Gambit: Much like with "Countdown," I put "Hellfire" low on my list because I didn't remember it to be particularly engaging or interesting.  As far as I recalled, it had its good and interesting moments, but for the most part, it fell flat for me.

A lot of this had to do with the fact that I generally find "man vs. man" or "man vs. self" conflict much more interesting than "man vs. nature."  I generally like "bad guys" that a character can more directly confront, whether those enemies end up being other people or his own inner demons.  But natural disasters?  Especially for a show like MacGyver, this is normally not my cup of tea.  There are quite a few rather tedious scenes that I remember dragging on a bit too long, and even though they are building the suspense and showing the delicacy and patience the situation requires, they failed, as far as I remember, to hold my attention.  Of course, that was probably a "me" problem much more than it was a problem with the episode itself - I typically prefer fast-paced action over slow-building suspense.

MacGyver: #136 Countdown (S1E14)

Episode Title: Countdown
Episode Number: S1E14

Ranking: 136 of 138 

CBS.com

Summary: MacGyver and his bomb-defusing partner from Vietnam are called in when a cruise ship is targeted by a bomber who calls himself Viking.

Quotable Moment: 

MacGyver: You know, Charlie and I busted 51 bombs together in Vietnam.  Charlie used to put a little scratch on the wall above our bunks every time we'd get back from doing one.  We used to tell anyone who would listen that we were going for the record.  The day we shipped out, he counted'em.  Fifty-one.  Then he laughed - just laughed.

Best Part: When Mac tries to impress Susan with his robotic egg-cooking, and fails spectacularly. Also, Mac's speech about Charlie's bomb-counting ritual in Vietnam.  Emotionally charged and powerful moment.

Worst Part: Charlie Robinson's death.

MacGyver Reboot: The Rising (S1E1) - 10 Things

Episode Title: The Rising
Episode Number: S1E1

Rating: 5/10

Photo from CBS.com

Taking the plunge into the MacGyver reboot was no easy decision for me to make. I'd heard mixed things about it, and had been debating with myself on whether to watch it for months. You see, I'm an "original source material" snob, so I've been very dubious about it. Most of the reviews online are negative, but there are a few people I know personally who've said they like it, so that left me to wonder if the online reviewers were taking personal offense to the show because it's not got Richard Dean Anderson in it (understandable, but still).

The major turn-offs for me that I'd read about in reviews were the complaints about how Lucas Till portrays the character - they said he's cocky, a player, and obnoxious. If this was true, I didn't want to watch it, because that's beyond out of character. I'd also heard that they dumb down the "MacGyverisms" by putting words up on the screen to show what he's thinking about - but to me, that sounds like it could be CBS trying to take a leaf out of BBC's book with Sherlock's thought process... though admittedly, that doesn't necessarily make it any better. Reviewers said that most of the new characters (which is all of them, really, because they just took goofy, get-rich-quick schemer Jack Dalton's name and pasted it onto a generic good-looking muscle man, and it was portly and lovable Pete Thorton, not slinky and mysterious Patricia) were dull, and that some of them served absolutely no purpose whatsoever. 

And, call me shallow, but I could not seem to get past the fact that the lead actor was, only recently, in a Nickelodeon movie called Monster Truck about a monster truck ... that's actually a real, live monster. And he looks like he's twelve. And a One Direction reject. 

Despite all these negatives, however, there were still some people who actually really liked it, and the show got a second season despite its 3/10 rating, so it sounds like it must be doing something right. And so, today, I decided to take a chance on the MacGyver reboot.


Without further ado, here are the 10 Things I thought about Season 1, Episode 1 of the MacGyver reboot:

I Am, In Fact, Not Dead

This is not a blog post, but rather an update/apology to anyone who may still be out there and might be interested in reading my blog, despite the fact that I've been MIA for months now.

A couple of things happened: First, I got sick - really sick.  For over a month, I had terrible bronchitis.  I felt like doing nothing.  And then, I self-published my first novella, and my time has been consumed by writing, editing, and, most consuming of all, marketing.  However, I've resurfaced again (finally), and am very much interested in resuming my blog, if anyone is interested.  Well, to be honest, I'll probably continue even if no one but my husband and my cat reads it, but it would be great to reconnect with old readers.  I think I've struck a good balance now between book promotions, working on my next novel, and blogging.

So here's hoping.

If anyone is interested in my book, it's called House of the Dead by Elizabeth Wilson, and you can find it on Amazon!

Expect a new post in the MacGyver section soon, and expect a short post in a new section about the reboot.  I'm not doing a full analytic review of the reboot; I've got a new, quick format for these new episodes highlighting ten thoughts and a starred review for each one.

Again, I'm so sorry for being absent with no word.