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MacGyver Season 1 Episode 1

Pilot

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 9/29/85

When a science lab studying the ozone layer mysteriously explodes, MacGyver is called in to rescue the scientists that are trapped underground. It's soon discovered that the explosion cracked a tank of sulfuric acid, and MacGyver is in a race against time before the Army uses a missile to seal up the base.moreless

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Fan Episode Reviews (10)

After a science lab mysteriously explodes, MacGyver must rescue scientists trapped deep beneath the ground, and is in a race against time against both dangerous acid, and the Army. Not a bad introduction, but I was hoping for a bit more from the Pilot...moreless

7.5

By Jay-Spacedust, Jan 29, 2011

'MacGyver' is strange to me. Why? Because I've been a 1980's action-adventure nut my whole life (well, almost - I was born two years before the '80s); I've always loved all of those kinds of shows. 'The A-Team' is my all-time favourite series (I even run my own detailed fan site dedicated to it – check my profile for more); I love 'The Dukes of Hazzard', I love 'Knight Rider', I love 'Airwolf', I love 'Magnum'... the list is endless. But for some reason, I never really "discovered" 'MacGyver'. Which is very strange considering my tastes both then and now.

Here in the United Kingdom, I recall the first season or so was shown on BBC One, early Saturday evenings. I don't think I caught it then due to it clashing with whatever ITV were running at the time. Neither, it seemed, did any of my school friends – it certainly didn't become one of our playground talking points / objects of re-creation as other shows did; it never seemed to really catch on here, which is presumably why the Beeb didn't purchase further episodes. Later, the odd ITV region picked up a few later episodes, but wasn't given much of a run. So for whatever reason, 'MacGyver' somehow bypassed me first time round.

I've watched those aforementioned other shows over and over, both from many off-air recordings, and more recently DVD releases. I still really love them, but all these years later I know them pretty much word-by-word. So as it's something new to me from that era, I finally decided to give 'MacGyver' a go, and purchased the complete DVD set. So I'll be reviewing this Pilot and the series in a sorta "first time" sense; it's one of the few shows that I'm won't be blinded by nostalgia with, so I'll try and review it evenly.

The character of Mac is very interesting. He's a sort of one-man 'A-Team' with all of his various makeshift inventions. Actually, judging by this Pilot, his creations are much cleverer – I'll be the first to admit that, by mid-run, some of The A-Team's "builds" were by-the-numbers and served little point logically within the story. I also like that MacGyver always tries to find the non-violent solution where possible – a nice counterpoint to some of the more gun-happy shows of the era.

The opening scene, with Mac rescuing the crashed pilot being held prisoner, is very good (though his opening narration tries way too hard to be 'Magnum' for my liking) and pretty spectacular. After that, when the main story of the explosion at the science laboratory kicks in… well, its okay I suppose, but for a Pilot, I was kinda hoping for much more. It would have been an average story if it was a regular episode, but for the first outing, I found it a little basic, and had kinda hoped that they would've pulled out all the stops for the Pilot. But reading other reviews, it seems that fans love it, so maybe it's one of those cases that I'll come to like it more on hindsight as I watch later episodes.

Production-wise, it's not bad, but after the excellent almost James-Bond-esque opening rescue, the main story does have a bit of a "cheap and cheerful" feel compared to some of the other such shows of the era. Reading up on the series, maybe this is something that improved as the series progressed. And as others have commented, the acting isn't exactly the best.

The theme tune is good, quite catchy, but it and the whole music set-up, as evidenced here in the Pilot, is too synthesised sounding. Something that many shows became after more affordable and (supposedly) flexible synthesiser equipment came in, in the '80s.

All-in-all, I know I'm gonna get into this series as I watch it. But personally, after the great opening, I found this one a bit plain considering it's the Pilot n' all.moreless
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A great first episode, but just an average episode for MacGyver.

8.0

By CLH1024, Jan 28, 2011

What a great episode to start this series. You quickly learn what MacGyver is about in this episode. How he can use about any object he finds and turn it into something that will be able to help him. In the opening story he's rescuing a pilot who crashed in China. I never knew China looked so much like the Grand Canyon. ;) The main story, after the opening credits, is about MacGyver saving some scientists from an underground lab. (After a explosion) He also must stop a deadly chemical leak, that the explosion caused. Of course, he saves the scientists and then stops the acid leak with chocolate. A really great pilot episode for MacGyver. For a MacGyver episode I gave it an 8. (average)moreless
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MacGyver has to deal with an acid leak and save two people trapped!!!

10

By FaithMiller, Jan 28, 2011

I have yet to watch a MacGyver episode that I don't like and this one is no different.

I've recently got seasons 1 and 2 of the show and am hoping to get more soon.

In this episode, MacGyver starts by defusing a rocket and saving a guy he didn't even know existed. Just like MacGyver to go above and beyond the call of duty.

Then he agrees to help rescue two people trapped underground even with the danger of an acid leak. We meet his future boss Pete, who is playing some other guy at the moment. But that's how pilots are, they usually end up changing the characters a bit for the rest of the show.

And know ones surprised when MacGyver comes through in the end!! Not only did he stop the acid leak, but saved the trapped scientists as well!!!

A great episode that deserves a 10!!moreless
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Great start...

10

By green_arrow92, Jan 28, 2011

This is the pilot episode to the classic show MacGyver. I like how before the opening credits start they show MacGyver doing something else totally different than in the rest of the episode. It was funny at the start when MacGyver made the rocket booster out of the flare gun and the other guy grabs on to MacGyver and he uses the gun and the guy asks him "what are we doing?" and MacGyver eplys by saying "I'll tell ya later". This is when they were both falling. I don't know why they couldn't have just jumped, the rocket booster was just so much cooler. The rest of the episode was great, I don't know what that scientist would have got out of blowing himself up though. Later...moreless
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MacGyver...saving the world with one knapsack item at a time.

9.5

By greekfreak87, Jan 28, 2011

Although the acting suffers a great deal in comparison to today's standards, it was indicative of an era during its time. Setting the scene with an eye-opening monologue, corny though it may be, at the start of the episode and showing Mac putting the first of his many innovations to good use, it reveals exactly what the audience could expect from the series. Overall, I would say that this episode is a classic start to the series. I would say that the episode was for the most part very entertaining and one of the better pilot episodes of television series of the time.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Richard Dean Anderson	MacGyver
Michael Lerner	Ed Gantner

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Paul Stewart	Dr. Carl Steubens	Guest Star
Michael C. Gwynne	Dr. Charlie Burke	Guest Star
Olaf Pooley	Dr. Sidney Marlow	Guest Star

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Cold Capsule Bomb

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Time For A Smoke

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My Trusty Paperclip

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Opening Credits Sequence

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (2)
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- In the pilot episode, MacGyver's aversion to using guns isn't yet established. When the Mongolian soldiers open fire on him, he returns fire with an assault rifle before handing off the gun to the rescued prisoner.
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- Milk chocolate stops a sulfuric acid leak. This MacGyverism has been confirmed to work by the Mythbusters.
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QUOTES (5)
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- Colson: The only way to get down to the first level is through the elevator, and we can't even open the doors up here. The whole shaft is protected by laser.
  MacGyver: Infra-red or gas discharge?
  Colson: Gas. CO₂, 10,000 watts.
  MacGyver: You take your elevator shafts pretty seriously.
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- MacGyver: The bag's not for what I take, Colson - it's for what I find along the way.
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- Gantner: They calculate the chances of anyone getting through to Marlow and Stubens is... well, it's not great.
  MacGyver: Well, give me "not great" on a scale of one to ten.
  Gantner: Minus three.
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- Barbara: I'd kiss you, MacGyver, but I've got this cold.
  MacGyver: So what's a little cold between friends, huh?
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- Barbara: Don't tell me you know how to make a bomb out of a stick of chewing gum?
  MacGyver: Why, you got some?
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NOTES (8)
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- The helicopter that flys MacGyver and Gant to the New Mexico desert is "The Special", the advanced military helicopter which was the star of Columbia Pictures' 1983 film Blue Thunder.
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- A scene which would have given MacGyver the first name of Stace was cut before broadcast.
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- The original script for the pilot was written by Lee David Zlotoff for a 90-minute slot. Thackary Pallor re-wrote it for 60 minutes.
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- Michael Learner is listed in the opening credits just after Richard Dean Anderson, suggesting his role was intended as a permanent one. His character, Ed Gantner, fills the role that Dana Elcar takes on semi-regularly in Season 1 and full-time afterward.
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- The scenes at MacGyver's home were filmed at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
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- The German episode title is "Explosion unter Tage", meaning "Underground Explosion".
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- Appearing here in an unrelated role, guest Dana Elcar goes on to play the recurring role of Pete Thornton later this season, which becomes a starring role in the second season.
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- Many transmitted versions of this episode credit the director as Alan Smithee – which is a cover name for a director who does not wish for his/her name to be associated with the finished work, often because the film or episode was heavily recut. The actual director was Jerrold Freedman.
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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