MacGyver has to get a journalist out of a Central American country.
The Plot (spoilers):
MacGyver's been sent to steal a map of (apparently) American targets from (apparently) Arab terrorists (some Arabic, or at least Arabic-looking, writing is seen on a building; the flag shown doesn't seem to match that of any country). He ends up using the map in various ways in his escape: to retrieve a skeleton key from the other side of a locked door, as a blowgun to distract a woman so he can steal a robe from her clothesline, to conceal a metal bar he uses to knock out a soldier, as a sled to slide down a sand dune and to patch a bullethole in his hot-air balloon. The opening gambit ends at just over 7 minutes into the episode.
MacGyver is sent to an unnamed Central American country (though since they are 100 kilometers from a border with Mexico, it is most likely Guatemala or possibly Belize; no other countries besides the U.S. border Mexico) by publisher Arthur Prescott to find photographer Kate Connelly (Robin Curtis) and bring her home. MacGyver finds Kate at a local paper processing photos of Dave Ryerson (John Vernon), a man who MacGyver was responsible for being deported from the U.S. Kate is trying to bring down General Antonio Vasquez (Gregory Sierra), who runs the country's secret police and is getting weapons from Ryerson and his crime syndicate. The deal is happening that night, and Kate agrees to leave the country after MacGyver helps her get pictures of the deal. MacGyver agrees. Kate's local colleague offers MacGyver a gun, but he declines, saying he does much better without them. This is the first episode to establish MacGyver's aversion to guns.
The Plot (spoilers):
MacGyver's been sent to steal a map of (apparently) American targets from (apparently) Arab terrorists (some Arabic, or at least Arabic-looking, writing is seen on a building; the flag shown doesn't seem to match that of any country). He ends up using the map in various ways in his escape: to retrieve a skeleton key from the other side of a locked door, as a blowgun to distract a woman so he can steal a robe from her clothesline, to conceal a metal bar he uses to knock out a soldier, as a sled to slide down a sand dune and to patch a bullethole in his hot-air balloon. The opening gambit ends at just over 7 minutes into the episode.
MacGyver is sent to an unnamed Central American country (though since they are 100 kilometers from a border with Mexico, it is most likely Guatemala or possibly Belize; no other countries besides the U.S. border Mexico) by publisher Arthur Prescott to find photographer Kate Connelly (Robin Curtis) and bring her home. MacGyver finds Kate at a local paper processing photos of Dave Ryerson (John Vernon), a man who MacGyver was responsible for being deported from the U.S. Kate is trying to bring down General Antonio Vasquez (Gregory Sierra), who runs the country's secret police and is getting weapons from Ryerson and his crime syndicate. The deal is happening that night, and Kate agrees to leave the country after MacGyver helps her get pictures of the deal. MacGyver agrees. Kate's local colleague offers MacGyver a gun, but he declines, saying he does much better without them. This is the first episode to establish MacGyver's aversion to guns.
MacGyver and Kate
MacGyver and Kate sneak into Ryerson's hacienda and get pictures of Ryerson showing Vasquez samples of his inventory, but they are spotted and captured. But the weapons include plastique, which MacGyver combines with camera equipment to create a distraction and escape. But when they try to go back to the local paper to develop the pictures, they see that Vasquez's men are already there and have killed Kate's colleague.
Vasquez and Ryerson
MacGyver and Kate take refuge in the local church while MacGyver figures out a plan to get Kate and the film out of the country. MacGyver uses candles and firecrackers to create a noisy diversion in the church's bell tower, cables the army's Jeeps together and steals a bus which he drives by an improvised periscope to avoid being shot. Now they just have to make it the 100 kilometers to the border with Mexico. They end up ditching the bus after it is spotted by a plane, but by nightfall are only about 10 miles from the border. MacGyver catches a lizard for dinner, and he and Kate have a romantic evening in the wilderness.
Sanctuary
The next day MacGyver and Kate take out a couple soldiers and steal their Jeep, but Kate breaks her lucky camera in the process. They reach the border but Ryerson and Vasquez are already there waiting for them with the army at the bottom of a hill on the banks of the river that forms the border with Mexico.
The Blockade at the Border
MacGyver and Kate double back to an old barn where MacGyver builds an arsenal of barrel bombs. They haul the barrel bombs back to the border. They send their stolen Jeep down the hill toward the army, where it luckily takes out one of the army's Jeeps. MacGyver is surprised at this stroke of luck.
Direct Hit!
Then MacGyver and Kate send down the barrel bombs, which are a distraction for the barrel that they ride in down into the river so they can swim across to Mexico.
Swim!
Safely in Mexico, Kate fixes her lucky camera MacGyver-style and they pose for a picture with the Mexican border guards.
Smile!
My Review:
This episode of MacGyver has a good premise and a good cast, including Robin Curtis (better known as Saavik from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home). The middle section, with the minor romance between MacGyver and Kate, doesn't work for me, and they seem to get a long way after they abandon the bus. The ending makes it all worthwhile, though Ryerson and Vasquez weren't too bright to not send at least a few men to try and find MacGyver and Kate. They could've been caught when MacGyver was building his arsenal. This isn't one of my favorite episodes, but its a decent outing.
No comments:
Post a Comment