MACGYVER

SEASON ONE

REVIEWED BY CARISSA HORTON

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: violence

Rated:

He's part boy scout, part genius. And all hero.

When I was ten years of age, Macgyver was literally my hero. Now, as a young woman, finding this set of DVD's was like uncovering a long-lost treasure or once more having contact with a beloved friend. Macgyver is utterly unique; everything about him speaks of ingenuity and creativity. He goes out and saves the world with duct tape and a Swiss army knife. Mac is every woman's hero in disguise: well-bred, polite and All-American. Mac is a freelancer jack-of-all-trades, which literally means he can get almost anyone out of almost any situation. His mind works at a faster rate than normal people, and he uses the most bizarre techniques, such as a gum wrapper to restart electricity or chocolate bars to stop a nuclear meltdown.

He's Macgyver, and his first assignment is to rescue two trapped scientists after a underground lab exploded. A piece of cake for Macgyver, though the head of the plant has his very palpable doubts. After shutting down the laser's inside the elevator shaft, Mac makes his way slowly through the crumbling laboratory, uncovering survivors along the way, and picking up a young woman named Barbara Spencer. She's the only one who knows of a back way into the room where the head scientists are located, and after some rather narrow escapes through slamming emergency doors and deadly gas, they arrive safe and unharmed. But there's always more to a story than you first think, and it's so with this rescue. The explosion was not a simple accident, but deliberately planned and by one of the most unlikely people and for the most remarkable reason. And as always, Mac saves the day.

And so goes the series, whether Mac is retrieving a pocket watch containing vital names of agents from a gypsy band (Thief of Budapest) or fighting killer fire ants in the midst of the Amazon rainforest (Trumbo's World). He's even sent on a rescue mission to retrieve an American journalist trapped in a South American dictatorship (The Gauntlet). Saving slaves from tyranny is also on his agenda (The Golden Triangle), as Macgyver is a lover of life, and whenever he's able to help those less fortunate than himself, he takes the chance regardless of the risk to his own life. He switches from recovering 200 pounds of stolen diamonds from a casino's owner in the Virgin Islands (The Heist) to fleeing for his life in the company of his aged grandfather Harry (Target Macgyver).

Macgyver is a literal hero. He doesn't think or care of the consequences to himself; he only wants to save people from the cruelty of the world. We catch glimpses into his past at times, and learn that he lost his parents at a very young age, and was deserted by his grandfather as well, though their relationship is wonderfully rejuvenated in Target Macgyver. The episodes almost never tie into each other, though about halfway through the season it seems Mac begins working with a federal agency under the command of Peter Thornton (Dana Elcar), an old and dear friend. Mac's single, has an incredible love for children, and an amazing loathing of firearms. He does quite well without them, and always manages to somehow avoid killing those he's tracking. His methods may be a bit bizarre, but they almost always work, much to the amazement of any co-conspirators. There are even times when Mac is in actual physical danger. One that comes to mind is when he's hidden a tube of valuable information and been taken captive by enemy agents who want that information. Injected with a hallucinogenic drug, Mac is without his wits or intellect for several hours, and he's almost as helpless as a child (nightmares). Very difficult to watch, but an incredible episode. There's the normal amount of explosions and firepower as you would see in any action/adventure series, though it's not nearly so disgustingly violent as today. During Trumbo's World, the fire ants are vicious killers, and they do indeed dispose of a few human beings during the course of the episode. Needless to say, that one made my skin crawl.

Language is minimal, restricted to minor abuses of deity along with some "hell" or "damn." It seems that one of Mac's favorite sayings is, "God, I hate heights." But if you take it into consideration, today that language is about as mellow as you can get. There's a little bit of innuendo here and there, but it's more cute than anything else. Mac is not perfect, and he would be the first to say it. He has his little faults, but his virtues more than make up for them. In about one out of three episodes, Mac works with women and they're generally madly in love with him by the closing credits. He never takes advantage, though will indulge in minor making out now and than. What I appreciated most is how he waits for the girl to show that she actually wants to be kissed. He'll get so close to her, and than let her make the final move. So sweet, though he does occasionally have to kiss while undercover, and it can get a bit, eh steamy. There was only one instance in The Escape where it might have been implied that Mac slept with a woman, but it doesn't really fit his MO. He gets together with an old girlfriend in Flame's End and does have the occasional kissing flashback, but nothing too strong. Mac is seen without his shirt a few times, but it's always in the course of working, so I don't have a problem with it. The final episode however, does deal with female escorts for wealthy gentlemen, though nothing is ever seen (The Assassin). 

Spiritual references are kept to a minimum, but they are present if you're looking for them. Mac is a very moral man, and it seems he got that from his parents and his grandfather, considering Harry mentions when his grandmother was taken by the "Good Lord." The Assassin deals with the assassination attempts on an archbishop, and once they've been squelched and the killer dealt with, Mac quite calmly states, "The wages of sin...." It never really comes into play that he has a belief in Christ, but that simple statement makes me wonder. Mac's character is very exuberant, so when he's excited he tends to talk fast and in definite Americanese. He uses some slang terms, and he's perfectly comfortable with himself. At times, the episodes are a bit corny, but considering the era when they were made, that's rather to be expected. The acting is excellent in every episode, and if you've ever watched other shows done in the 80s, you will probably recognize some of the co-actors.

At the moment, Richard Dean Anderson is most known for his role in Stargate SGI, but to me, he will forever and always remain that American hero Macgyver. He's worthy of admiration and if there were more men like him in the real world, our country would be better off. The series is fabulous, and I wasn't disappointed for one moment with the outcome and can hardly wait for Season 2 to arrive.