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MacGyver Season 1 Episode 3

Thief of Budapest

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7.4

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 10/13/85

MacGyver travels to Budapest to meet with a Russian double agent who is in possession of a watch containing information about other Russian spies. However, before MacGyver can take the watch, the agent is killed and the watch is stolen. Now MacGyver must work with the Gypsies to get it back.moreless

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Fan Episode Reviews (3)

The opening gambit made this one a classic.

8.5

By mark_28, Feb 09, 2011

The breathtakingly ambitious and well-produced opening gambit helped to solidify "Thief of Budapest" as a great episode. The horse-lifting stunt didn't get the attention it deserved back in 1985, but in many ways stands out as the point where the series proved it was no flash in the pan creatively. The main story was entertaining and showcased some credible acting by Richard Dean Anderson for the first time in the series (too bad they couldn't have found a more competent child actress than the girl who played Yanna). In retrospect, however, the use of stock footage from "The Italian Job" keeps the episode from holding up very well. At least a third of the episode was lifted from "The Italian Job", which was clear to me even as a young boy. A fun hour, but definitely not the strongest episode of the first batch, save for the opening gambit, which was my favorite of the early episodes.moreless
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In Budapest, MacGyver is due to meet a double agent who has important information hidden within a pocket watch. But before they can meet, the agent is killed and the watch is stolen by a young street gypsy. A rather bizarre episode...moreless

8.0

By Jay-Spacedust, Feb 09, 2011

As my reviews for the first two episodes cover, 'MacGyver' was one of the few 1980s action-adventure shows that I wasn't on-board with first time round, so watching the series now on DVD is my first real exposure to it. As such, with this only being the third episode, I'm still getting a feel for the show. But even so, with 'Thief of Budapest'... what a strange feeling episode!

The opening Gambit, with MacGyver duelling with sheiks and both him and his horse being airlifted away, is quite impressive (though I did feel slightly sorry for the poor horse). But after that, after the opening credits (now in a slightly shorter, more compact version), the main story kicks in… and while it has some good bits, it feels to be all over the place and somewhat "thrown together".

The young gypsy is enough to get many viewer's backs up straight away, but I decided to stick with it and watch the episode. The story section where Mac must rescue the gypsies from the prison camp isn't bad (though definitely not outstanding); after which we get some standard scenes of Mac encountering some rather stereotypical European gypsies as he tracks down the missing watch. When that's found, the gypsies suddenly decide that they want to defect to America. Hence some seriously contrived plot that is an excuse to recycle huge chunks of footage from the classic 1969 British film 'The Italian Job'.

Quite why they decided to do this, other than obviously as a huge cost cutter, is anyone's guess. But it wasn't particularly done in a clever way, just reams and reams of 'Italian Job' footage with a few close ups of Mac / gypsies driving identical cars patched in.

This is just about the only episode of 'MacGyver' that I can ever really remember watching when I was a boy; I remember my Dad moaning then about how they had ripped off huge chunks of 'The Italian Job' (which is one of his favourite films, and I have since come to love too).

I enjoyed this episode more than the Pilot, but much less than 'The Golden Triangle'. It does have some reasonably fun moments, but the excessive stock footage use and rather thrown together plot result in this one being nothing special in my book. I give it a maybe generous 8 out of 10.moreless
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MacGyver's mission is to retrieve a watch with a list of KGB Agents but trouble arises when Mac's contact is killed, and the watch is stolen.

8.0

By marvelfan89, Feb 09, 2011

Enjoyable episode. Again you have like many MacGyver episodes an episode where Mac has his mission. The mission is simple but other things get in the way like people. People that need help out of their terrible situation. MacGyver can just ignore this people and go on his merry way but as a true hero MacGyver can't just these people's pleas for help.

So MacGyver meets this thief Yanna played Kelly McClain (thus the name of this episode The Thief of Budapest). A very decent child appearance. I was surprised when I browsed her bio, and she didn't get any other roles other MacGyver. Shame. Yanna tries to pick the pocket of any guy who just happens to be Mac's contact. The guy dies as his cover is blown. MacGyver tries to look for a watch he had that contains the names of KGB agents.

It's revealed that Yanna stole the watch, but she later gave it to her brother.

Yanna's family happens to be put in a camp to be used as slave labor. MacGyver seeing no other alternative gets involved in trying to break them out and discover where the watch is.

An entertaining episode. There are a couple of neat gadgets that MacGyver makes on the fly. The story is great. The acting is solid. A memorable episode.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Richard Dean Anderson

MacGyver

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Michael Constantine	Jan Messic	Guest Star
Bruce Abbott	Major Nickolai Kossov	Guest Star
Kelly McClain	Yanna	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (3)
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- Due to use of clips from the movie The Italian Job during the car chase sequence, some goofs are created: When Yanna's brother in the white car grabs the chicken, in the shot immediately following four men can be seen in the white car, two in the front and two in the back. In all previous and subsequent shots, only two men are in the car, both in the front seats; street signs can be seen in Italian, though the episode takes place in Budapest; license plates flip-flop between those used in Italy and Hungary.
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- The stunt double who does MacGyver's slide down the roof to evade the police at the bar has noticeably darker hair than Richard Dean Anderson.
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- During the car chase scene, a man wearing blue coveralls reaches out of the left window of the car and grabs a chicken, but a closeup shows that he was sitting on the right and had grabbed the chicken on the same side.
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QUOTES (16)
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- Yanna: You Gypsy?
  MacGyver: No. Not that I know of. Why?
  Yanna: Because it takes a Gypsy to catch a Gypsy.
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- MacGyver: Now I want the watch.
  Yanna: Gypsies don't need a watch. They don't tell time.
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- MacGyver: The man who said "Life is like a bowl of cherries" had it wrong. It's a bowl of Hungarian goulash: hot, sticky, and I'm not that hungry.
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- MacGyver: You're okay, Reena. I think I'm going to have to be honest with you.
  Reena: Never say that to a Gypsy. It makes us nervous.
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- Yanna: We want to go with you.
  MacGyver: Where?
  Yanna: America! America!
  MacGyver: Right, right.
  Yanna: The US of A. Clint Eastwood. Coca-Cola.
  MacGyver: Yanna...
  Yanna: Girls just want to have fun...?
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- MacGyver: A credit card can usually get you out of a jam. I'm hoping that this will create one.
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- MacGyver: I don't have a lot of cash on me. Do you take plastic?
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- Reena: It's a family heirloom.
  MacGyver: Yeah, I know. I know that family that sold it to you.
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- Reena: You're American; what are you selling, blue jeans?
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- MacGyver: I really don't drink too much.
  Reena: Virtuous? Or suspicious?
  MacGyver: Habit.
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- Yanna: Why do they hate us?
  MacGyver: Some people are scared of anybody who runs free.
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- Major Kossov: (threatening) And if I am cold, you could freeze to death.
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- MacGyver: I'm with you, pal, I hate heights.
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- Messic: Budapest has gypsies like a dog has fleas.
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- MacGyver: (to the tribal leader) You know, we could go back to your place and talk about this... (the man glares at Mac, obviously furious)... Nah. Didn't think so.
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- MacGyver: Typical. Just when you're getting ahead, someone changes the odds.
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NOTES (4)
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- The Italian episode title is "La zingara di Budapest", meaning "Gypsy of Budapest".
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- This is the first of Sid Haig's two, unrelated appearances on MacGyver. He can also be seen in season one's "To Be a Man".
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- This is the first of Michael Constantine's two, unrelated appearance on MacGyver. He can also be seen in season two's "Out in the Cold".
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- The scenes in Budapest were filmed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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