MacGyver (2016) - General Discussion

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

So, the main thrust - the first few episodes, at least - of the new season will about from keeping Codex from reacquiring their cool 'holocron' of total knowledge.

Not only did Mac/Desi fail to mutually end any romance between them, they've (presently) started up again.  How... wonderful.

[dwmarch]

As regards the relationship drama I know this show is never going to take the plotline where I'd like to see it go (a threesome followed by office comedy where the rest of the crew at the Phoenix pretends they don't know what is up and keep bugging Mac about why he looks tired) so I'm not particularly invested in it. FWIW, I think Mac and Riley are a much more natural match for one another. Mac and Desi should realize by now that they are good partners in everything except romance and they should leave it at that despite their base urges.

So there's another thing in Taylor's past that can be used against him. Sun also rises in East, news at 11.

If they've had that scepter for a year now, I hope they've made a bunch of copies of it. Also why did the bad guys go out of their way to invent a USB drive that holographically projects its contents? Worst USB drive ever. Think about what folks typically store on those things.

Mac doesn't use guns but rocket-launching a fire extinguisher into the back of someone's head somehow doesn't count? I feel like that would have a much higher chance of killing someone than a little tiny bullet. Then again, Hollywood head wounds don't behave like their real world counterparts.

[dippydee]

5 hours ago, dwmarch said:

As regards the relationship drama I know this show is never going to take the plotline where I'd like to see it go (a threesome followed by office comedy where the rest of the crew at the Phoenix pretends they don't know what is up and keep bugging Mac about why he looks tired)

Hee! Now I want this too. I can’t see CBS allowing though so I guess there’s always fanfic. Does this show even have fanfic?

i was disappointed with the Mac/Desi ending. It hasn’t gone well the other 58 times they’ve tried why do they think it’ll be different this time? I just don’t get it with them. It might have helped if the actors had even a little chemistry. Heck I even ship Desi/Riley a little after the season premiere cos I saw a more spark there than I’ve seen from her and Mac their entire relationship.
 

The sceptre was kind of cool but that detailed explanation and the ‘this is the most important little gadget ever’ vibe definitely means it’s getting taken next episode. They might as well have slapped a ‘steal me’ sticker on that box.

Edited December 19, 2020 by dippydee

[alexa]

I was hoping to not have codex ever come back, and to keep the show going one episode different from the other...no ongoing stories like that.  I was very confused about the Mac Desi thing because I thought they ended last season okay, and had worked the stuff out?  If not, well, no one cares anymore.  They need to move on.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

15 hours ago, dwmarch said:

As regards the relationship drama I know this show is never going to take the plotline where I'd like to see it go (a threesome followed by office comedy where the rest of the crew at the Phoenix pretends they don't know what is up and keep bugging Mac about why he looks tired)

I think I love this idea.  I'd be all for it. 

Would cut out just about all the 'triangle' angst we all know is coming.  Because two people can't be allowed to mutually realize they don't work well together, romantically, and then because they're all friends, the ex (Desi) will feel jilted and betrayed by Mac & Riley hooking up.

Can't wait!

Edited December 19, 2020 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Guest]

I don't care about Mac and Desi. Actually, I don't care about Desi. She has been the worst addition to the show - we replace the charming, funny, heroic Jack with someone with seeming superhero skills other than people skills where she has none. Yawn.

[Misslindsey]

I have never warmed up to the character of Desi. I think the actress is fine, but just do not care about the character. I thought I would warm up to the character eventually, but it has not happened. I admit I was disappointed that they cast someone in the same age range as a majority of the cast, probably because once I saw who they cast to replace Jack I knew they would do a romantic pairing with Mac.

[alexa]

I liked the two stories last night.  I like the ones with quick, interesting stories.

[dippydee]

I liked the kid storyline. I hope he comes back, it was fun seeing Matty in mentor mode and I enjoyed her prickly vibes with Russ.

Desi’s story wasn’t too bad either, I liked her parents even tho her brother was a little annoying. I’m still not into Mac and Desi as a couple but they were ok in this episode.

 

[dwmarch]

I like Peter Weller and I'm glad they didn't kill his character off. I wasn't expect him to get a redemption arc. Funny that Russ knew where he was and was just sitting on the information. I hope we come back around to that.

The genius kid was a fun character and I hope we see more of him. It will be interesting to see how he interacts with the rest of the team.

There seems to be lot less death by gunfire this season to the point where I feel like it's an intentional change. Not complaining; if I wanted heroes with a license to kill I'd rewatch Hawaii 5-0.

[AnimeMania]

Jack's status on the show is defined.

USING A CRYPTIC POSTCARD AS THEIR ONLY CLUE, MAC AND THE TEAM MUST SOLVE A FALLEN FRIEND’S FINAL CASE AND BRING HIM JUSTICE, ON “MACGYVER,” FRIDAY, JAN. 15

“Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO” – Using a cryptic postcard as their only clue, Mac and the team must solve a fallen friend’s final case and bring him justice, on MACGYVER, Friday, Jan. 15 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

 

[alexa]

This was a good episode.  I do like that they had good memories of Jack, and the storyline was good overall.

[woodstock]

It feels like it was forever ago since Jack was on the show. I kept waiting for them to pull the ‘he faked his own death but he’s not really  dead’ card but no Jack is gone. Good episode.

[threebluestars]

I was expecting that too, based on how Original Recipe MacGyver's Jack faked his death.

[thewhiteowl]

I like the actor but I didn't much care for him as Jack. I hope to see him in a better role. 

[Trey]

25 minutes ago, thewhiteowl said:

I like the actor but I didn't much care for him as Jack. I hope to see him in a better role. 

Agree.  Jack was frequently too annoying for me to like him much. But I'm glad they gave him a good heroic ending.

Poor Mac - lost his father last year and his best friend this year, plus his aunt.  He's gone through a lot.

[Misslindsey]

Jack could be hit or miss with me, but I did enjoy his relationships with Riley and Mac. I did like him with Maddie too. The character worked better for me with the team than Desi.

I was another one that thought they would pull the Jack faked his death card, but nope.

[torqy]

Never saw Original Recipe series. Not sure how McGill would have been as Jack. Anyone like him better than Eads? Anyone? Bueller?

[alexa]

7 hours ago, torqy said:

Never saw Original Recipe series. Not sure how McGill would have been as Jack. Anyone like him better than Eads? Anyone? Bueller?

He is just totally different, and was only a recurring character.  We are watching the full series now, and he was only on ever so often.  He was more funny than the Jack in the new series.  It is kind of like comparing apples and oranges.  The Jack in the new series is basically a new character, similar to how other things are different.  But I am really enjoying the original series.  Almost done...on season 7.  

[alexa]

Quick question for those that watched the original series.  I just finished season 6 and started season 7.  I seemed to feel like in season 6, they really had MacGyver get injured or whopped on the head a lot.  Previous to that he seemed to do relatively okay in most episodes.  We’re they trying to show the work was wearing on him, or just decided to torture him a lot more?  It just seemed a bit much at times.  

[AnimeMania]

MacGyver - Seapon 5 Episode 6 - Quarantine + N95 + Landline + Telescope + Social Distance

During COVID-19’s first stay-at-home order, as Mac, Bozer and Riley quarantine together, they try to stop a crime in progress at their neighbor’s house. Also, Russ’ romantic fling takes on a longer and more complicated turn when they quarantine together, on MACGYVER, Friday, Jan. 22 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

I just wanted to say that during the scene where Desi hits the bad guy with a Whack-a-Mole mallet, don't pay to much attention because there is a huge microphone all up in that shot. I guess since they are in California, they are probably still under strict quarantine.

[Misslindsey]

4 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

I guess since they are in California, they are probably still under strict quarantine.

Are they in California? I always thought they filmed in Atlanta, either way you are right with the strict Covid guidelines.

 

[AnimeMania]

6 minutes ago, Misslindsey said:

Are they in California? I always thought they filmed in Atlanta, either way you are right with the strict Covid guidelines.

 

The Phoenix is supposed to be located in Califonia. 

Address: 
508 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

to be exact.

[alexa]

That was a fun episode.  I found the early scenes funny dealing with the quarantine.

[Trey]

If the neighbours were friends of Mac's grandparents, why didn't he know them too? And they should have known who Mac was.

Still, it was a good enjoyable episode.  A nice change that they were going up against a motorcycle gang in a straightforward crime, rather than all the usual convolutions of spies and international crime.

[threebluestars]

First time I've enjoyed a COVID TV episode.

This was a really fun episode - and I DIED laughing at Mac's Fauci song.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

And the start of the R/M/D triangle begins - after seeing the first after-effects of it back in ep.3....

Didn't really like how dumb they made Mac appear at the end, about it, though.  Or his "I imagined it" denial of the situation, if that's what it was.  The guy's IQ is off the charts, but you want me to believe that he can't figure out that the moment he & Riley shared was romantic-leaning?  Seriously??

I choose to read it as him denying what he thought was happening, because why would he need to go for a jog?

And taking things the other way, I don't get why Mac keeps trying so hard with Desi.  He's way more involved with trying to make a relationship work than she is.  Every time he brings it up, she either shoots him down immediately or clearly doesn't want to talk about it.

As for the episode itself, I'm always up for some Dan Lauria.   And any time Mac can "magic" something up, Harry Potter-style, its worth a nod.  Loved how they made sure we could see their feet, as I believe I'm remembering it as that was a direct reference to either the books or movies about feet peeking out the bottom of the invisibility cloak.

[Sweet Tooth]

3 hours ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

I choose to read it as him denying what he thought was happening, because why would he need to go for a jog?

I absolutely took it this way, especially when he was speaking to Bozer at the end about their "moment" and then shook it off and kind of made a joke out of it. Definitely whistling in the dark.

Can we talk about what happened with Taylor?

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

7 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

I absolutely took it this way, especially when he was speaking to Bozer at the end about their "moment" and then shook it off and kind of made a joke out of it. Definitely whistling in the dark.

Can we talk about what happened with Taylor?

I'm gonna have to rewatch ep.3 - that was the one with the fake near-kiss on the 'undercover' picnic, right? - to get a feel for where Mac's head is at in dealing with that his & Riley having "had a ... moment" semi-recently.

And I hope Taylor's 'friend' going all "info-gathering spy" near the end is just her being nosy about him personally and its neither Codex (still) or another Codex-like seasonal plotline.  I did feel like he kinda over-reacted to her finding his "secret office", though.  Firstly, if its that important to you, put a damned lock on the door!  And secondly, she was there for a month+, did he really think she wouldn't get a bit bored and wander? 

[Sweet Tooth]

3 hours ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

And I hope Taylor's 'friend' going all "info-gathering spy" near the end is just her being nosy about him personally and its neither Codex (still) or another Codex-like seasonal plotline.  I did feel like he kinda over-reacted to her finding his "secret office", though.  Firstly, if its that important to you, put a damned lock on the door!  And secondly, she was there for a month+, did he really think she wouldn't get a bit bored and wander? 

It's been a year, and they've had no contact, so I'm guessing she got close to him specifically to get the information she photographed, and it has nothing to do with Codex.

Otherwise, she would have just kept being with him, with him none the wiser. Like, she took the pictures and fled, so mere nosiness wouldn't have been her goal. And they wouldn't have made such a big deal out of it. It was the whole plot of his story, so I can't imagine it didn't mean anything.

I think his initial overreaction was to throw us off. Show what a jack-ass he was being, so Maddie had to kind of scold him, and then his mea culpa of pouring his heart out, only for her to actually be spying on him.

And speaking of the fake date, Desi was pretty jealous.

[Maverick]

 I didn't know what to make of the Taylor plot....but I wasn't paying close attention and didn't get the fine details.  But I gather whatever Russ was looking for was valuable and she took advantage of his research to try and find It herself.   I took it more as a crime of opportunity than a long con. 

[Trey]

It's cool that the artifacts are Peruvian since the actor is Scottish-Peruvian, according to Wikipedia.

I laughed at the little comment lines they print along the bottom of the screen. First, it's Russ and a one-night stand, then later it's Russ and a 28-night stand.  Although she's really someone he's known for a while and they meet up for a couple of days every now and then.

Since there's no flies on Russ, he has possibly already deleted her photos from her camera without her knowing. Or not.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Trey

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

5 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

And speaking of the fake date, Desi was pretty jealous.

Maybe if Desi would just meet Mac somewhere in the middle of his tries to have an actual relationship with her - not just the physical part she likes most - then she wouldn't have to be.  I can't root for a relationship or a side of a triangle that only one participant is fully invested in trying to make it work.

And I need to rewatch E03, cause I sorta remember Desi's reaction to M & R's "fake date", but my recall had it more as her being bored from waiting and making stray observations.  I also recall Bozer noticing her comments towards M&R (at the moment), but not with a lot of clarity of words said, etc.

[Sweet Tooth]

9 hours ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

Maybe if Desi would just meet Mac somewhere in the middle of his tries to have an actual relationship with her - not just the physical part she likes most - then she wouldn't have to be.  I can't root for a relationship or a side of a triangle that only one participant is fully invested in trying to make it work.

And I need to rewatch E03, cause I sorta remember Desi's reaction to M & R's "fake date", but my recall had it more as her being bored from waiting and making stray observations.  I also recall Bozer noticing her comments towards M&R (at the moment), but not with a lot of clarity of words said, etc.

I believe they made reference to how Desi was jealous and it had to be pointed out to her why it was Riley on the date and not Desi, since they needed her skills.

Desi was skating on thin ice the minute she was fully on board with Mac going bad, whereas Riley knew for sure he hadn't. I think Desi's guilt is driving some of this, and that they hashed it out as best they could in the present. She did apologize and seemed to recommit to Mac.

But I still think the loyalty thing will be the ultimate way Mac makes his final choice. 

They not only had the "moment," but it remained in Mac's brain enough to bring it up to Bozer and try to toss it aside.

However, I can't see how they could continue to work as a team if Mac does choose Riley while Desi is still in love with him.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Sweet Tooth

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

18 minutes ago, Sweet Tooth said:

I believe made reference to how Desi was jealous and it had to be pointed out to her why it was Riley on the date and not Desi, since they needed her skills.

Desi was skating on thin ice the minute she was fully on board with Mac going bad, whereas Riley knew for sure he hadn't. I think Desi's guilt is driving some of this, and that they hashed it out as best they could in the present. She did apologize and seemed to recommit to Mac.

But I still think the loyalty thing will be the ultimate way Mac makes his final choice. 

They not only had the "moment," but it remained in Mac's brain enough to bring it up to Bozer and try to toss it aside.

However, I can't see how they could continue to work as a team if Mac does choose Riley while Desi is still in love with him.

I was just coming here to post this - that I was remembering that at the end of 5x03, that Mac & Desi seemed to be getting back together, again.  Which I very much dislike and am beyond tired of this neverending on-and-off thing they keep starting/quitting.

I also want to say that I hate how they decided to air episodes this season (so far).  We got two S4 eps to start the season, then the first S5 one [which wasn't even the 'premiere'], followed by two more S4 eps, then the S5 'premiere', and its looking to be followed by two more S4 'leftover' episodes.

Everything is so f*ing out of order, and doesn't make much or any sense;  both in linear storytelling and also in why they didn't just make the logical decision to air all the leftover S4 episodes first - in order - before then moving on to S5.

Edited January 25, 2021 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Sweet Tooth]

4 hours ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

I was just coming here to post this - that I was remembering that at the end of 5x03, that Mac & Desi seemed to be getting back together, again.  Which I very much dislike and am beyond tired of this neverending on-and-off thing they keep starting/quitting.

I also want to say that I hate how they decided to air episodes this season (so far).  We got two S4 eps to start the season, then the first S5 one [which wasn't even the 'premiere'], followed by two more S4 eps, then the S5 'premiere', and its looking to be followed by two more S4 'leftover' episodes.

Everything is so f*ing out of order, and doesn't make much or any sense;  both in linear storytelling and also in why they didn't just make the logical decision to air all the leftover S4 episodes first - in order - before then moving on to S5.

I was also dismayed, as instead of making it nice and clear for Riley, they're intentionally going to make it really messy.

The only reason I can think that they did it out of order is to address Covid, maybe? Like, they didn't want a bunch of episodes in a row where nobody brought it up?

And maybe they also wanted to get to the making up quickly, since people would have been wondering why it's taking so long to address the elephant in the room.

But it does mess with things in the sense of the relationships and how weird things were left after the whole Codex fiasco. But if they air S4 episodes, and things are still weird between everyone, then yeah, that's going to mess with the whole storyline. Like, "Didn't everyone already kiss and make up?

 

11 hours ago, Maverick said:

I didn't know what to make of the Taylor plot....but I wasn't paying close attention and didn't get the fine details.  But I gather whatever Russ was looking for was valuable and she took advantage of his research to try and find It herself.   I took it more as a crime of opportunity than a long con. 

I'll be interested to see, because these two had been hooking up for some time, and she seemed to target that room, like she knew what she was doing.

I guess we'll find out when they come back to it.

But it was nice seeing Taylor at home and hearing her assessment of him as someone who has no attachment to his own surroundings.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

@Sweet Tooth

Re: the Covid thing;

It wouldn't have bothered me.  We knew at some point that Covid would have to be mentioned - at the very least, if not shown dealing with it directly - so when it happened didn't really much matter to me.  And I would have preferred to wait a 'long time' versus airing episodes out of order to let people know MacGyver wasn't ignoring the pandemic.

For someone not paying close attention, they must be seriously lost right now.  After watching Friday's episode, they have to asking themselves "Wait, didn't Mac & Desi get back together a few episodes ago?  Why are they are unsure about their status now??" and also, "I thought Riley said she was over & done with her feelings for Mac???".

I pretty much will always prefer linear storytelling, at least in terms to when it comes to the intended episode airing order.  But that could just be me and my quirks.

[Sweet Tooth]

12 hours ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

For someone not paying close attention, they must be seriously lost right now.  After watching Friday's episode, they have to asking themselves "Wait, didn't Mac & Desi get back together a few episodes ago?  Why are they are unsure about their status now??" and also, "I thought Riley said she was over & done with her feelings for Mac???"

Well, yeah, except this one let everybody know upfront that they were going back a year in time to when the virus first started, so probably not much confusion there.

That's why all of the jokes about the toilet paper, etc. 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

6 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

Well, yeah, except this one let everybody know upfront that they were going back a year in time to when the virus first started, so probably not much confusion there.

That's why all of the jokes about the toilet paper, etc. 

Ok, now I'm seriously confused.

Early S5 episodes are occurring - timeline-wise - before some of the leftover S4 episodes?? 

*kinda lost*

If that's not the case, then I understand the timeline for just this episode - back to around the very start of the pandemic and 'lockdown' - but it still doesn't fit within the proper order of airing episodes (IMO).  Again, mmv.

Edited January 26, 2021 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[alexa]

9 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

Well, yeah, except this one let everybody know upfront that they were going back a year in time to when the virus first started, so probably not much confusion there.

That's why all of the jokes about the toilet paper, etc. 

That is how I looked at it too.... I didn't mind the randomly placed episode.  I liked that they showed how the pandemic started for them, etc.  I laughed at a lot of things in the episode and really enjoyed it.

[Sweet Tooth]

9 hours ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

Ok, now I'm seriously confused.

Early S5 episodes are occurring - timeline-wise - before some of the leftover S4 episodes?? 

*kinda lost*

If that's not the case, then I understand the timeline for just this episode - back to around the very start of the pandemic and 'lockdown' - but it still doesn't fit within the proper order of airing episodes (IMO).  Again, mmv.

I don't know if this was an S4 or S5 episode. I just know that they flashed the date on the screen as the episode began. It read that this was March of 2020. Not that this is when the episode was filmed. It was just a flashback episode.

[Taeolas]

Long time watcher, first time commenter. 😛

And yeah the episode order did confuse me a bit. I did see at the start how the COVID ep was a backfill episode (not really a flashback), and I guess I didn't pay much attention to the relationship drama to notice the awkwardness. But I did enjoy the COVID ep in general. IMO it really did seem to reflect the craziness of Early 2020 and how little we knew about COVID and how to handle it. 

The Tongue in Cheek intro with how "Everything is coming up roses" after the big win at the end of last season, and how the world was perfect at that point was extra fun, with the couple months later to March and everything is Pandemic mode anyways was real fun. 🙂

Was Faucci big in the COVID scene back in that time? Or is that just a MacGuyver timeline wrinkle? 

[Trey]

2 hours ago, Taeolas said:

Was Faucci big in the COVID scene back in that time?

I think he was big from the start of the pandemic.

[Sweet Tooth]

6 hours ago, Taeolas said:

I did see at the start how the COVID ep was a backfill episode (not really a flashback),

Not meant literally. Just meant that they were going back in time. I used it as a catch-all phrase. That they weren't going forward in time, but back, and that they made it clear at the beginning this is what they were doing.

4 hours ago, Trey said:

I think he was big from the start of the pandemic.

Yes, he was.

Here he was trying to warn how bad it would get all the way back on March 29,2020.

Fauci

[Commando Cody]

I just caught up with this season, so I might have this wrong.

Was Mac apologizing to Desi after he went fake rogue and she turned on him?  She didn’t trust him, yet he is still pursuing this relationship?  If that’s how it is, I’m even more against this Desi Mac mashup than I was before it was even a thing. 

I’m not pro Mac Reilly either.  Somethings should just be left alone.  

[alexa]

On 1/28/2021 at 12:31 PM, Commando Cody said:

I just caught up with this season, so I might have this wrong.

Was Mac apologizing to Desi after he went fake rogue and she turned on him?  She didn’t trust him, yet he is still pursuing this relationship?  If that’s how it is, I’m even more against this Desi Mac mashup than I was before it was even a thing. 

I’m not pro Mac Reilly either.  Somethings should just be left alone.  

Yes, which didn't make sense because in another episode she did sort of apologize to Reilly about not trusting them in that situation.  I think both Mac and Desi feel bad about what they did, so that part makes sense, but I wish they would just end that relationship as all they do is show them happy one day and not getting along the next.

[alexa]

They really are fixated on this relationship...yet again Mac and Dezi not on the same page.  What is new?  Otherwise decent episode...

[Commando Cody]

I’m really getting tired of Desi.  All they seem to have her around for, is to fight some people - when she isn’t fighting with Mac. 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Even if they scrap the Mac/Riley, the Mac/Desi needs to end.  Very, very soon.

Desi is now that significant other that nobody wants;  "You were doing the right thing, while being 'untrustworthy', so now I can't trust you & so now I'm stalking you're Every Move!"  And Mac's response?  A meek, "Sorry, dear."

This makes it (at least) twice now she's caught him 'being untrustworthy', while he was doing a potentially many-lives-saving thing, but we know the whole "honesty & truth" harping by Desi is far from over.

So completely done with this repeating 'fight and make-up' cycle they're in, and the overall M/D.

Edited February 6, 2021 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[immortalfrieza]

21 hours ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

Even if they scrap the Mac/Riley, the Mac/Desi needs to end.  Very, very soon.

Desi is now that significant other that nobody wants;  "You were doing the right thing, while being 'untrustworthy', so now I can't trust you & so now I'm stalking you're Every Move!"  And Mac's response?  A meek, "Sorry, dear."

This makes it (at least) twice now she's caught him 'being untrustworthy', while he was doing a potentially many-lives-saving thing, but we know the whole "honesty & truth" harping by Desi is far from over.

So completely done with this repeating 'fight and make-up' cycle they're in, and the overall M/D.

Well of course they have to have a fight and make-up cycle! Because relationships on TV in particular can't just be warm and loving relationships without any real strife! They also can't have the cast just not in relationships especially with each other and not looking for relationships. That's boring! Despite the fact that all of this is a tired old trope nobody anywhere actually likes, they HAVE to do this because it's entertaining and not annoying and boring at all.