MacGyver Reboot Update #181

It’s been confirmed that Lucas Till is working on several projects; including an action movie. Meanwhile, Tristin Mays explored more of her creative side.

BtS video screenshot for The Collective (via Tom DeNucci)

(For daily news and to discuss your favourite topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

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New Projects with Lucas Till
It has been an exciting time for Lucas Till fans. After a long drought, it’s been confirmed that he is working on several projects. For episode The War Bride of the podcast True War Stories: Mission Report, Lucas voices parts of the narration of war veteran Stephen Spencer. In the BtS interview for the episode, he talked with producer Nat Mundel about several topics (e.g. about finding a Boston accent and taking care of his garden).

Video screenshot of Tristin Mays being creative (via Instagram)

On November 7, we realized that Lucas is working on a new movie in Boston. In the following weeks, we got several exciting material via social media:

• A photo of Lucas posing with co-star Holly Sullivan on Rexhame Beach.
• A glimpse of Lucas in an Instagram video; wearing a white suit (with stains looking like fake blood).
• An impressive pre-production video of Lucas doing stunt rehearsals.
• Several BtS clips by director Tom DeNucci; e.g. a BtS video of Lucas preparing to film a driving scene.
• An Instagram Story showing a Make-Up Work Station with a Call Sheet on it.

There are several projects called The Collective on IMDb, but only one entry has been updated recently (on November 10). In case you missed it, here’s the synopsis:

A young recruit to a mysterious agency of assassins finds himself going rouge on his first assignment, tracking down a dangerous group of human traffickers.

The Collective (IMDb)

There’s still no cast attached to the IMDb entry. Considering that there’s no entry for Tristin Mays’ movie Bang either (which was filmed in early Summer), it might take a while.

Henry Ian Cusick in a BtS photo on set of Big Sky (via Angelique Cabral)

What are Cast and Crew up to?
Meredith Eaton tweeted on November 19 that she has several projects in the pipepline and that she can’t wait to share them with us.

According to IMDb, Levy Tran is part of action movie For Cory, which is already in post-production and was filmed in Atlanta this fall. The BtS photos and clips I’ve seen on Instagram look very action-heavy, but I haven’t seen Levy in any BtS stuff. She plays a coroner, so it’s possible that her role isn’t as big as we’d like. Several names of the cast members are familiar, as they have been in the stunt crew on the MacGyver Reboot.

BtS photo of Half Baked 2 (via Justin Hires)

Filming for Justin Hires’ Half Baked 2 wrapped on November 11. There’s no release date yet. In the latest episode of his Urban Legendz podcast, he talked to Diallo Riddle about just returning from Atlanta to film his pilot presentation (it’s not stated when the podcast episode was recorded).

There was a rerun of The Christmas Sitters with Tristin Mays on ionTV on November 27. There will be another rerun on December 24. The movie is also available in German (e.g. on DVD via Amazon or on streaming via YouTube or Amazon Prime).

Tristin also picked up a new hobby in creating charcuterie boards (which she sells in her new Etsy Shop). The first batch has already been sold out.

DVD Cover for The Christmas Sitter, German Version (via Amazon Germany)

Paramount+ launching in Europe
ICYMI: CBS streaming service Paramount+ was launched in France yesterday. It will be available in Germany, Switzerland and Austria on December 8.

I haven’t seen anything about the availability of the MacGyver Reboot (since it’s currently available on Amazon Prime in Germany), but Levy Tran’s movie Secret Headquarters will be available.

Other MacGyver-related News
Reruns of the MacGyver Reboot keep airing ionTV. Reruns of FBI starting in January will air on Mondays, so the reboot is probably safe for now with its episodes airing on the weekends. Since November 12, German FreeTV channel Kabel 1 airs four episodes back to back on Saturdays.

Brad William Henke as Jonah Walsh in MacGyver (via MacGyverOnline)

In sad news, guest star actor Brad William Henke has passed away at the age of 56. He played Jonah Walsh in Episode 2×23 (MacGyver + MacGyver). In April last year, he revealed in a tweet that the initial idea had been to bring back his character in Season 3:

(…) they told me they were going to bring me back the next season for five episodes and then they just ghosted me.

Brad William Henke, via Twitter (April 30, 2021)

There’s no further information about why the character had been dropped. Nevertheless, it sparked several ideas for FanFiction as many fans lamented a missed opportunity on a very interesting storyline idea. My guess is the constant rotation of writers and the difficulties in the writers room due to ex-showrunner Peter Lenkov.

One of the writers of this episode (David Slack) didn’t come back for Season 3. It’s possible that the character for this storyline had been his idea and therefore, it “disappeared” – similiar to the character of Jill Morgan, played by his wife Kate Bond (the character was written off in the first episode of Season 3).

Tristin Mays in Sweeney Todd (via Kevin Bennylee)

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• Citing a “restructuring and streamlining of leadership at CBS Entertainment”, Kelly Kahl has been let go as CBS Entertainment President by the end of the year. It’s not clear if this might affect the MacGyver franchise in any way.
• The first episode of Henry Ian Cusick’s The Wingfeather Saga airs today.
• Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson and his Stargate SG-1 co-star Amanda Tapping will attend the Paris Manga Sci-Fi Show (on December 3rd and 4th).
• The German DVD/BluRay of Levy Tran’s movie Secret Headquarters will be released on January 19, 2023. There’s no information regarding bonus material yet.

You can google it (Part 4): Cast, Characters and Locations

It’s been more than 3 years since I’ve started blogging about the MacGyver Reboot on this blog. Most people land here via Twitter or Tumblr, but some also by using search engines. The top 3 list of search terms is still pretty boring:

1. dashboardonfire
2. dashboard on fire
3. dashboard on fire wordpress
4. macgyver spoilers
5. dashboard on fire macgyver

Some search engines don’t reveal search terms anymore for privacy reasons. Google, for example, has been encrypting the vast majority of search terms since 2013. So WordPress often can’t specify which search terms were used by visitors who arrived at this site from a search engine. That’s why the majority on my list – over 8000 by now – are unknown search terms.

Excerpt of the search engine statistics (retrieved July 26, 2020)

It’s been a while since my last blog post about search terms. If you missed Part 1 (about cast, characters and locations search terms), you can find it here. If you missed Part 2 (regarding Isabel Lucas’ character of Olivia/Samantha Cage), you can find it there. For Part 3 (about cast and characters), you can go here.

There’s some more search terms I want to address in blog posts and maybe help the unknown searching beings to get answers for their questions. In this post, I’m going to look at some of the most used search terms since December 2018. At the moment, most of you are still looking for “missing” cast members.

(Minor Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

what happened to leanna on macgyver
To recap: Reign Edwards plays Bozer’s girlfriend Leanna Martin. She joined back in S2 for a handful of episodes, leading to speculations that she would join Season 3 as a regular field agent; sort of a replacement for Isabel Lucas’ character Samantha Cage. She was listed as a recurring for the first three episodes of S3 – then she disappeared apart from a few mentions until she popped up again in Episode 3×09.

Episode 3×03: Bozer + Booze + Back to School (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

ICYMI: During her absence, Reign was filming a pilot project called “The Wilds” for Amazon Studios in New Zealand. She came back to set after she was done; getting appearances in a few more episodes (3×10, 3×11, 3×15 and 3×17). Despite her pilot getting picked up, it took a while for her to get back and film the series. So in theory, she could have filmed more episodes for MacGyver, but that didn’t happen.

Leanna was highlighted in Episode 3×01 as the field agent that can do everything (e.g. flying a helicopter) and has excellent fighting skills, similar to Samantha Cage (and later Levy Tran’s character of Desi). But besides Episode 3×09 (that depicted her as being a bit of a neat freak, at least when it comes to refrigerators) and 3×11 (that had her being insecure about moving in with Bozer), there wasn’t much character development for her.

Screenshot of a Deleted Scene for Episode 3×11: Mac + Fallout + Jack

In an earlier blog post two years ago, I had assumed that Leanna and Bozer would break up or that Leanna would be assigned to another longterm mission if Reign’s series was picked up. That did in fact happen, but it wasn’t all too clear. In Episode 4×01, it was only mentioned in passing that Bozer had lost Leanna to a mission.

If you’re one of the lucky people having access to an international Season 3 DVD release, you get to watch a Deleted Scene of Episode 3×11 in which Bozer preps the apartment he had planned to move in with Leanna; waiting for her arrival to enjoy some cozy time together. Instead, it’s Matty arriving, handing Bozer a phone and advising him to make a “last” phone call with Leanna because she was just appointed to continue the undercover mission that Matty’s ex-husband Ethan had been assigned to; taking his place in the S-Company.

Screenshot of a Deleted Scene for Episode 3×11: Mac + Fallout + Jack

It’s possible they cut this scene because they realized that Reign is able to do more episodes. In the end, she didn’t have much to do in Episodes 3×15 or 3×17, though – probably because they needed the added screentime for Desi who happens to have the exact same skills as Leanna. Whatever the reason, writing a recurring character out off-screen without much explanation so they don’t have to deal with the fall-out or heartbreak for Bozer was rather cheap.

Similar search terms:
what happened to bozer’s girlfriend on macgyver
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where can i buy upcoming episode scripts
Well, I really don’t know about this stuff. Maybe if you bribed one of the writers? *ahem*

Script Title Page of Episode 4×16: Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO (via Anabelle Acosta)

I don’t even know how to get episode scripts of episodes that have already been aired. Apart from pilot scripts, episode scripts don’t seem to circulate online (although some can be bought via Ebay and similar platforms). If you’re looking for the MacGyver Reboot Pilot script, just try Google again. You won’t need to pay any money for it.

Similar search terms:
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BtS picture of the Teaser Promo (via Lucas Till)

lucas till paperclip
Not sure what to make of this one. Lucas Till aka MacGyver sure likes his paperclips, though. I hope we’ll get to see some more outtakes of the Teaser Promo Trailers or more info on the paperclip art one day.

india batson
India Batson was one of the guest stars that appeared in a Deleted Scene of the Pilot Episode, aptly named “Baywatch with Tanks”. Her character was named Tiffany. You can read more about that scene in this blog post.

BtS picture on set of Episode 1×01: The Rising (via India Batson)

was mcguiver filmed in Chernobyl
I’m assuming this person is referring to Episode 2×17 (Bear Trap + Mob Boss), written by Nancy Kiu. Though the episode is set in Chernobyl, the cast filmed in Atlanta and Georgia Area only. While you can get access the area under supervision, the additional drone shots and inserts were probably aquired stock footage from an archive.

As far as I know, the only time some main cast members actually travelled to another country to film scenes was for Episode 1×18 (Flashlight), the crossover episode with Hawaii Five-0. A TV show like MacGyver has a decent budget, but it’s simply not that big to do all the oversea travelling required for filming on location. To save money, many TV shows set in California are either filmed in Vancouver or in Atlanta.

Similar search terms:
where was the bear traps and mob boss macgyver episode filmed

The Best of the Best (III) – Top 5 Blog Posts in 2019

Maybe you joined the fandom recently? So you might enjoy to check out “older” stuff about the Reboot?

Hereby, I present you my Top 5 Blog Posts 2019 – a short write-up of the 5 blog posts with the most hits at the end of last year. And I added a few photos in between so it’s all the more fun for you – and maybe a way to get you to check out the full post in case you missed it back when I had originally posted it?

Official Still of the Unaired Pilot (Ron P. Jaffe/CBS)

(Minor Spoiler Alert: You might get spoilered about characters and storylines in Seasons 1 and 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

If you missed the post about the Top 5 Blog Posts in 2017 (all about “deleted” scenes in the pilot script), you can check it out here. If you missed the post about the Top 5 Blog Posts in 2018, you can check it out there.

 

Rank 5 (408 Hits): Looking Back at Season Zero (IV) – The Unaired Pilot: BtS photos Part 2

I had amassed quite a bit of material about the Unaired MacGyver Reboot Pilot over time which led to several blog posts. In this one, I took another opportunity to present some of the BtS photos – for example Lucas Till and George Eads as MacGyver and Lincoln (before he became Jack Dalton in Episode 1×01: The Rising) during a costume fitting.

Lucas Till and George Eads as MacGyver and Lincoln (via Eileen Cox Baker)

 

Rank 4 (434 Hits): Looking Back at Season Zero (I) – The Unaired Pilot: Origins

In this blog post, I wrote about the origins of the Unaired Reboot Pilot. There’s mentions of another unaired pilot (Young MacGyver with Supernatural star Jared Padalecki), a script that wasn’t used, a script that was used for a pilot that never aired and the reboot of the Reboot… As you can see, there’s been a lot going on with this project.

Unaired Pilot Character Description for Angus MacGyver (via SpoilerTV)

On the other hand, this is not all that exceptional for pilot season. The character descriptions alone are worthy of their own blog post. Too bad we might never get to see this pilot that never aired… but I think they had made the right decision to change, switch and tweak things (even though I’m not all okay with what they did with it).

 

Rank 3 (537 Hits): Looking Back at Season Zero (II) – The Unaired Pilot: Promo

It wasn’t much, but the Unaired Pilot had gotten some promo material as well. Three Official Stills, a trailer and social media headers. That’s what I wrote about in this post.

Because CBS decided to reboot the Reboot with a different main cast and a different showrunner, they declared the promotional material to “promo non grata” right after the Upfronts in May 2016. The same day, they erased all their former tweets, posts and previously released promo material for the discarded pilot from their social media accounts.

Promo Poster at the LA TV Screenings (via Peter Lenkov)

Well, it’s the internet after all, so they couldn’t erase it completely. Some media outlets still use the old logo and the old stills. What once was posted online, has a tendency to come back again. I still hope that some day, we’ll see more of it.

 

Rank 2 (643 Hits): You can google it (Part 2): About Samantha/Olivia Cage

A lot of people find my blog by using search engines. I wrote a couple of blog posts about what search terms led to people click on one of my blog posts. Interestingly, a lot of those clicks were due to Isabel Lucas and her character of Samantha Cage (formerly known as Olivia Cage) who was introduced in Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE).

BtS of Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (via Isabel Lucas)

Cage was an underdeveloped character that divided the fandom. Yet, even many of the viewers that didn’t like her too much were rather disappointed when she got written out of the show in the middle of Season 2 since all of the “secrets” surrounding her character sort of vanished as well and were never resolved.

I haven’t written yet a review about Samantha Cage, but if you want to know more about her and what people actually typed into Google only to find my blog, you can find the post here.

 

Rank 1 (705 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (I) – The Hair (Part 1)

The “Winner” of 2019 is the same post that was on Rank 1 in 2018 as well. When people talk about Original MacGyver, they often mention his glorious hair. There was a lot of “hair drama” surrounding the Reboot. So in this blog post – my first non-update-blog-post back in 2017, actually – I wrote about MacGyver’s hair. And apparently people keep googling for it; finding my blog post.

Lucas Till in June and July 2016

I’m still planning to write Part 2 (and probably even 3) in the near furture, but that might take a while. Real Life responsibilities and stuff, you know.

 

Runner-up posts to give you the Top Ten of 2019:

• Rank 6 (322 Hits): About the Unaired Pilot BtS photos (Part 1)
• Rank 7 (320 Hits): About the Teaser Promo for the Premiere
• Rank 8 (309 Hits): About the portrait photos taken at the TCA Event
• Rank 9 (294 Hits): About the ever-changing Season 3 airdates
• Rank 10 (287 Hits): About some more deleted scenes in the Pilot Script (Part 5)

You can google it (Part 3): Cast and Characters

It’s been more than 18 months since I’ve started blogging about the MacGyver Reboot on this blog. Most people land here via Twitter or Tumblr, but some also by using search engines. The top 3 list of search terms is still pretty boring:

1. dashboardonfire
2. dashboard on fire
3. dashboard on fire wordpress

Some search engines don’t reveal search terms for privacy reasons. Google, for example, has been encrypting the vast majority of search terms since 2013. So WordPress often can’t specify which search terms were used by visitors who arrived at this site from a search engine. That’s why the majority on my list – over 3800 by now – are unknown search terms.

Excerpt of the search engine statistics (retrieved November 21, 2018)

Still, there’s a couple of search terms I want to address in blog posts and maybe help the unknown searching beings to get answers for their questions. In this post, I’m going to look at some of the most used search terms since May 2018. At the moment, most of you are looking for and asking about “missing” cast members.

If you missed Part 1 (about cast, characters and locations search terms), you can find it here. If you missed Part 2 (regarding Isabel Lucas’ character of Olivia/Samantha Cage), you can find it here.

(Minor Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines in Seasons 2 and 3 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Where’s George?
For Seasons 1 and 2, many of you commented with a “Where’s Lucas?” on the cast’s social media posts. Lately, it’s been all about “Where’s George?”, asking about the whereabouts of George Eads who plays Jack Dalton.

Well, George has been on set regularly. But he had a lighter filming schedule this season, not appearing at all in two episodes (3×04 and 3×08) so far. He also wasn’t as generous with posing for photos or videos anymore. The last time I’ve seen him on a BtS photo was on October 31, uploaded by Carlos Bernard (director of Episode 3×11: Mac + Fallout + Jack).

BtS photo of Episode 3×11: Mac + Fallout + Jack (via Carlos Bernard)

I assumed he had asked for a lighter schedule to spend more time with his family; similar to Scott Caan on Hawaii Five-0. But then, news about George Eads actually leaving the show for good hit on November 26. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to announce it. The quite unexpected and somewhat shocking news articles flooded Twitter and other social media for days; also making waves in Europe.

We don’t know yet for sure how or when the character of Jack Dalton will be written out. As ET Online stated on Monday, Eads was currently on set filming his last episode when news got out, which would have been either Episode 3×13 or 3×14. Deadline had more information: While Eads has been released from his series regular contract and his character Jack Dalton is being written out, I hear he is not being killed off, with the door left open for Eads to possibly return as a guest star.

BtS photo of Episode 3×14: Father + Bride + Betrayal (via Avi Youabian)

Of course, networks almost always say that about top-billing guest stars and fan favorites leaving and yet it rarely happens. Let’s hope for the best.

On Tuesday, Justin Hires revealed that George was part of the wedding location scenes they’ve been filming for Episode 3×14. According to Roberto Sanchez, it’s titled “Father + Bride + Betrayal”. Of course, we don’t know if they’ve also been filming some additional scenes (e.g. flashback scenes) for later episodes. Interestingly, neither Lucas Till nor his Stand-In Matthew Albright have been spotted for a week until Lucas popped up in Justin’s and director Avi Youabian’s BtS videos. It’s possible Lucas and George have been filming some scenes on their own that we’re not allowed to know about yet.

Similar search terms:
why george eads hasn’t been on macgyfer lately

 

did reign edwards leave macgyver
To recap: Reign Edwards plays Bozer’s girlfriend Leanna Martin. She joined back in S2 for a handful of episodes, leading to speculations that she would join Season 3 as a regular field agent; sort of a replacement for Isabel Lucas’ character Samantha Cage. She was listed as a recurring for the first three episodes of S3 – and then she suddenly disappeared. It was mentioned in Episode 3×04 that Leanna was unavailable while being on another mission. But apart from Bozer and his worries about their relationship in 3×05, she wasn’t seen nor mentioned again until she popped up in Episode 3×09 last week.

Screenshot of Episode 2×16: Hammock + Balcony (via CBS)

Reign was filming a pilot project for Amazon Studios in New Zealand. She came back to set in October and should also appear at least in Episodes 3×10 and 3×11. Since then, she hasn’t been seen on set again so at the moment, we don’t know if her character is leaving definitely or staying as recurring. If her pilot was picked up, she might be busy with an other series soon and being written out of the Reboot. If that happens, it would be probably due to Leanna and Bozer breaking up or her being assigned to another longterm mission.

Interestingly, Leanna was highlighted in Episode 3×01 as the field agent that can do anything (e.g. flying a helicopter) and has excellent fighting skills, similar to Samantha Cage. But besides last Friday’s episode (that depicted her as being a bit of a neat freak when it comes to refrigerators), there wasn’t much character development for her.

Episode 3×03: Bozer + Booze + Back to School (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Similar search terms:
what happened to leanna martin on macgyver s3e3 spoiler 2
full recap what happened to leanna martin on macgyver s3e3 spoiler 2

 

will isabel lucas return to macgyver?
To recap: Isabel Lucas played Samantha Cage. She was a regular cast member in the first half of Season 2; appearing in 12 episodes.

In general, no cast member is 100% safe on a TV show – not even when their character’s name is the title of the show (see recently cancelled Roseanne and its Spin-Off The Conners). We don’t know if Samantha Cage had been meant to stay on for an entire season initially or not. The character wasn’t well received on social media; enhanced by some of the Jack Dalton fans that feared she had been brought in to replace George Eads.

Lucas Till and Isabel Lucas in Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel + Wire (Screenshot)

Theoretically, it would be possible for Isabel Lucas to come to the show again since Cage went back to Australia to recover from a gunshot wound. In fact, it happens on Peter Lenkov’s other show Hawaii Five-0 quite often that characters show up again after a season or two. The chemistry between her and the cast seemed good, so I don’t think that would be a problem. Since her character hasn’t been mentioned in Season 3 so far at all, it didn’t seem very likely to happen – but that could change now with George Eads being gone soon.

In my opinion, the storyline of Cage wasn’t resolved satisfactorily. She was almost shoved aggressively into the team at first; making her a regular instead of a recurring character before joining Phoenix – then as the character finally seemed to work it fizzled out and disappearing in the backgroundd, almost being overlooked in some episodes. After a plot twist that was never explained either, she wasn’t seen or talked about again.

Isabel Lucas on set of Episode 3×05: Skull + Electromagnet (via Robert Maxfield)

Also, Murdoc hinted at her not using her real name and having secrets that her friends (aka Team Phoenix) would not approve of. Of course, this could have been a joke regarding the character’s name change after they had started filming (see this post for more information about Olivia Cage), but it rather feels that some of the writers didn’t really know what to do with her, while other writers had had some ideas for the character that somehow didn’t turn out since Isabel’s guest stint was cut short.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind if she came back for another episode or two to wrap up her storyline.

Similar search terms:
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You can google it (Part 2): About Samantha/Olivia Cage

It’s been more than a year now since I’ve started blogging about the MacGyver Reboot on this WordPress blog. Most people land here via Twitter or Tumblr, but some also by using search engines. The top 3 list of search terms is still pretty unspectacular:

1. dashboardonfire
2. dashboard on fire wordpress
3. george eads

Some search engines don’t reveal search terms for privacy reasons. Google, for example, has been encrypting the vast majority of search terms since 2013. So WordPress often can’t specify which search terms were used by visitors who arrived at this site from a search engine. That’s why the majority on my list – over 2500 by now – are unknown search terms.

Lucas Till and Isabel Lucas in Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel + Wire (Screenshot)

Still, there’s a couple of search terms I want to address in blog posts and maybe help the unknown searching beings to get answers for their questions. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here. Today, I’m looking back at search terms regarding Isabel Lucas’ character of Samantha Cage.

(Minor Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines in Season 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

macgyver diy or die who played agent cage
If you’re looking for a cast member of a specific episode, you might be faster if you head over to the official reboot page on IMDb than trying to Google it. Visiting the site, you’ll find Isabel Lucas’ IMDb page very easily and can check what other projects she has done already.

For example, she is credited for 259 episodes of the Australian TV Show “Home and Away” or for American movies like “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009) or “Red Dawn” (2012). She has also appeared in the Music Video for “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran.

On IMDb, you can also find trivia or biographical information, for example:

• Isabel’s mother is Swiss, her father is Australian, so she speaks Swiss German and German as well
• she was born in Melbourne and moved to LA in 2008
• Along with other protesters (e.g. Hayden Panettiere) of Sea Shepherd, she paddled out on surfboards off the coast of Japan to protest the killing of dolphins in 2007. They had to turn around to avoid being arrested for trespassing. (According to Wikipedia, there is still an outstanding arrest warrant for her in Japan.)
• she was involved in a car crash with Transformers-Star Shia LaBeouf in July 2008 (his car had been hit by another vehicle running a red light)
• she has sectoral heterochromia (her right eye has a noticeable brown spot)

FunFact: Isabel has been with Sea Shepherd since 2010. The organization is very close to Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson’s heart, so it’s actually possible they’ve met each other before.

Similar search terms:
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BtS of Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (via Isabel Lucas)

is isabel lucas a permanent cast member on macgyver
Isabel Lucas is a regular cast member in the first half of Season 2. She appeared in 12 episodes.

We can assume it doesn’t apply to Lucas Till since the show is named after his character, but in general, no cast member is 100% safe on a TV show. There are never permanent, only current cast members. It’s possible that some actors coming on a show for a new character have a contract for just half the season or a certain amount of episodes so the producers can “test the waters”.

I’m not sure if either Sandrine Holt as Patricia Thornton or Isabel Lucas’ character of Samantha Cage had been meant to stay on for an entire season initially or not. Both characters got mixed reviews, and some negative comments were quite “loud”, so it’s possible that this is one of the reasons both characters “disappeared” after 12 episodes each.

Similar search terms:
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Isabel Lucas in Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (Screenshot)

olivia cage macgyver
The character of Olivia Cage seems to be a unicorn: Some believe she exists, but it looks like she only exists in theory because no one has ever really seen her.

In an article by Moviehole in July 2017, they revealed that Season 2 would have TWO new female characters: Olivia Cage and an intel extraction specialist named Agent Carmen. While Olivia Cage should have been a “woman to be reckoned with and someone we will get to know well”, Agent Carmen has been described as “late twenties, fierce, focused and utterly fascinating”, being ex-CIA and having history with Matty.

As we know now, this news was either aquired via old and unredacted scripts or had been somehow messed up and mixed.

BtS of Episode 2×06: Jet Engine + Pickup Truck (via Patrick Pierre)

Many have landed on my blog while looking for one of those two women, though; leading to an array of similar search terms like “agent carmen macgyver” or “agent olivia cage macgyver”.

So far, we can say that there isn’t an Olivia Cage on the show currently, but it seems like Isabel’s character was indeed called “Olivia” in the beginning. In fact, I’ve seen a BtS video on Instagram where it says “Olivia Cage” under Isabel’s photo. Sadly, I was never able to get a clear screenshot while on holiday and since Costume Designer Sarah Downer locked her profile to private a few months ago, I was never able to go back and try again.

Another hint is a set report done by Radio TV Talk (presumably on set of Episode 2×09: CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil), posted online on September 29 in 2017:

While the “MacGyver” revival wasn’t a super smash hit last season, it did just fine in its Friday night slot. The bottom line: it’s considered fun, escapist drama that isn’t too taxing on the noggin.

Till said blow back from traditionalists of the Richard Dean Anderson version wasn’t as harsh as he had anticipated. And he’s now more comfortable in his role. “We know what we have now and can build a foundation,” Till said. “The stunts are bigger and we have a new cast member.” CBS indeed added Olivia Cage to their team, played by Aussie actress Isabel Lucas. “She’s a CIA operative,” Till said. “She kicks a lot of a**. Kind of like what Jack does, female version.”

Fun Fact: They might have changed it to Samantha so that it could be shortened to “Sam”. I’ve had the theory in the beginning that Cage might have been a relative to Mac (e.g. a half-sister). Since Original MacGyver got to meet his son S.A.M. in the series finale, that would have been kinda funny.

With Einstein on set of Episode 2×06: Jet Engine + Pickup Truck (via Isabel Lucas)

when does cage come back in macgyver
Well, I don’t know. Since her character didn’t die in the show so far, Isabel could pop up in another episode. In fact, it happens on Peter Lenkov’s other show Hawaii Five-0 quite often that characters show up again after a season or two. The chemistry between her and the cast seemed good, so I don’t think that would be a problem.

In my opinion, the storyline of Cage wasn’t resolved satisfactorily. She was almost shoved aggressively into the team at first; making her a regular instead of a recurring character before joining Phoenix – then as the character finally seemed to work it fizzled out, almost being overlooked in some episodes and after a plot twist that was never explained either, she wasn’t seen or talked about again.

Also, Murdoc hinted at her not using her real name and having secrets that her friends (aka Team Phoenix) would not approve of. Of course, this could have been a joke regarding the character’s name change after they had started filming, but it rather feels that some of the writers didn’t really know what to do with her, while other writers had had some ideas for the character that somehow didn’t turn out since Isabel’s guest stint was cut short.

BtS of Episode 2×09: CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil (via Brandon Smith)

While I didn’t like how her character was introduced and used in the first few episodes, I wouldn’t mind if she showed up this season for another episode or two. Maybe another showdown with Murdoc or Harper (from Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet)? Though now that they added Leanna as another field mission regular, this might be rather unlikely.

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Looking Back at Season 2 (VII) – The Official Stills (Part 5)

As with Season 1, I’m looking back at the Official Stills for each Episode of Season 2; picking my favorites and writing down some of my thoughts. (Because I just can’t keep quiet, as you all know by now.)

If you missed Part 1 (Episodes 2×01 to 2×05), you can find the post here. For Part 2 (Episodes 2×06 to 2×10), you go there. Part 3 (Episodes 2×11 to 2×15) can be found here and for Part 4 (Episodes 2×16 to 2×20), you follow through here.

Episode 2×23: MacGyver + MacGyver (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

 

The Official Stills for the last two episodes of Season 2 were done by Jace Downs. It’s been a while since he worked on the Reboot; providing the Stills for 7 episodes out of the first 8 episodes in Season 1.

 

Episode 2×21: Wind + Water (Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
For this episode, CBS released 8 Official Stills.

Episode 2×21: Wind + Water (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Mac on his way to do great things.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Stills of various scenes, taken outside during daylight which makes for better lighting. Nothing to complain here.

 

Episode 2×22: UFO + Area 51 (Still Photographer: Jace Downs)
For this episode, we only got 4 Official Stills via SpoilerTV.

Episode 2×22: UFO + Area 51 (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Mac and Jack posing as if they are doing a photoshoot on the race track (which they kinda are).

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: I wouldn’t have minded a Still of an UFO or an Alien…

 

Episode 2×23: MacGyver + MacGyver (Still Photographer: Jace Downs)
For the Season Finale Episode of Season 2, TV Line released an exclusive First Look photo on April 25. Five days later, SpoilerTV provided 7 additional Stills.

Exclusive Sneak Peek of Episode 2×23: MacGyver + MacGyver (via TVLine)

MY FAVORITE: Technically, it’s not really an Official Still and more of a First Look Screenshot, but… it’s Mac and Oversight, also known as (insert Spoiler Alert). The runner-up is an Official Still, though. It’s Mac and a Jeep which is always great to see.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: It would have been nice to have a bit more promo for the Season Finale. It’s an episode that has a deep impact on all the characters and might influence the major storyline on the upcoming 3rd Season. Maybe an additional photoshoot instead of just Stills and Sneak Peeks as usual?

Looking Back at Season 2 (VI) – The Official Stills (Part 4)

As with Season 1, I’m looking back at the Official Stills for each Episode of Season 2; picking my favorites and writing down some of my thoughts. (Because I just can’t keep quiet, as you all know by now.)

If you missed Part 1 (Episodes 2×01 to 2×05), you can find the post here. For Part 2 (Episodes 2×06 to 2×10), you go there. Part 3 (Episodes 2×11 to 2×15) can be found here.

Episode 2×18: Riley + Airplane (via SpoilerTV)

 

Starting with Episode 2×15, Still Photographer Annette Brown did most of the Still-photographing for the rest of the season. Interestingly, Matty hasn’t been featured in any of the Stills since Episode 2×14 (Mardi Gras Beads + Chair). She will only come back in two Official Stills for the Season 2 Finale. Bozer shares the same fate: After Episode 2×13 (CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch), he’s only featured in Stills for 2×16 and the Season 2 Finale.

 

Episode 2×16: Hammock + Balcony (Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
Due to the Olympics, this episode premiered after a month-long hiatus. For once, CBS cranked up the promo and delivered more Official Stills than usual – 12 in total. Even the guest-stars got to be in several of the photos.

Episode 2×16: Hammock + Balcony (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: The group doing some kind of grape-crushing-contest. This looks like they seriously had fun filming this episode.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: So many Stills to choose from! It would have been nice to have some photos from other scenes in there (e.g. of the Opening Gambit), but I don’t really mind. Pretty people all dolled up, what’s not to like about that? Although it’s still weird for me to see Mac drinking alcohol.

 

Episode 2×17: Bear Trap + Mob Boss (Still Photographer: Annette Brown)
For this episode, we got 7 Stills via SpoilerTV. All of them feature Mac, Jack and Riley on their mission near Chernobyl.

Episode 2×17: Bear Trap + Mob Boss (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Mac, Jack and Riley trying to get information of a guy that’s not that willing to talk, leading to Jack sacrificing some of his most beloved possessions.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Nothing, really. It’s also nice to see Mac wearing a different color for once. Looks good on him.

 

Episode 2×18: Riley + Airplane (Still Photographer: Annette Brown)
For Episode 2×18, SpoilerTV delivered 12 Official Stills again – after a 2-week-premiere-break due to March Madness Basketball. It looks like additional promo is the one positive thing about having a short hiatus every now and then.

Episode 2×18: Riley + Airplane (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Having the Colton’s back is fine, but it’s definitely nice to have an Official Still of Mac only while doing some MacGyvering.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: The Colton’s are fun and I hope to see them again next season, but I wasn’t so fond of the Stills with them in it. Not sure why.

 

Episode 2×19: Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle (Still Photographer: Annette Brown)
We got 10 Stills for this Episode. Amy Smart coming back as Dawn even got to be in several of them. As always, the whole team is completely color-coordinated.

Episode 2×19: Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Mac, Riley, Dawn and Jack on their mission.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: It’s nothing new, but the Stills are not that exciting – despite the team getting arrested in most of them. I preferred Guy D’Alema’s style of taking Stills, but he went on to work on other projects.

FUN NOTE: Amy Smart’s character Dawn in casual clothing reminds me of Mac’s “bad” ex-girlfriend (Nikki Carpenter).

 

Episode 2×20: Skyscraper – Power (Still Photographer unknown)
For this episode, there were 2 small pics with the Press Releases – but we didn’t get any full Official Stills or Sneak Peeks until 2 hours before the Premiere. At last, Seat42F provided some last-minute Stills.

Episode 2×20: Skyscraper – Power (via Seat42F)

MY FAVORITE: There’s some action going on! And who’s that kid in the middle? That definitely looks like it could have been an episode of the Original Show.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: The Stills came in so late, they didn’t even make it to SpoilerTV. What’s up with that? It’s possible many fans never got to see them. Some of them look rather like screenshots, and there’s not even a Still Photographer credited. Maybe they were screenshots and only added as an afterthought. Also, while they don’t have the SpoilerTV logo on them, they are of a lesser quality size.

 

(More coming soon.)2

Looking Back at Season 2 (V) – The Official Stills (Part 3)

As with Season 1, I’m looking back at the Official Stills for each Episode of Season 2; picking my favorites and writing down some of my thoughts. (Because I just can’t keep quiet, as you all know by now.)

If you missed Part 1 (Episodes 2×01 to 2×05), you can find the post here. For Part 2 (Episodes 2×06 to 2×10), you go there.

Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (via SpoilerTV)

 

Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
For this episode, the Official Stills came in waves. There was a Press Release about Bruce McGill joining as a guest-star along with a first Still, roughly a month before the rest of the Stills was released via SpoilerTV. In between, there was another Still with Mac and Jack dressed as Santa. Getty Images later released two more stills of the interrogation scene with Lucas Till and Bruce McGill.

Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (via Getty Images)

MY FAVORITE: It has to be one with Bruce McGill, of course. This was my favorite scene of the episode. The Runner-Up is the Santa Still on top, because you can’t see this photo without also wondering what shenanigans Mac and Jack are up to in this episode.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Great Stills to choose from. Sadly, my favorite Still was only published on Getty Images and is not available in good quality without the watermark – at least not for free.

 

Episode 2×12: Mac + Jack (Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
For this episode we got 8 Stills via SpoilerTV. All of them feature Mac and Jack in their flashback of Afghanistan.

Episode 2×12: Mac + Jack (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: It’s Mac + Swiss Army Knife!

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Several great Stills to choose from. Despite Mac + Jack being the center, it’s still a team havy episode, so I wonder: Was the rest of the cast disappointed that all Stills featured Mac and Jack and no one else?

 

Episode 2×13: CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch (Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
For Episode 2×13, SpoilerTV delivered 5 Official Stills.

Episode 2×13: CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Despite not much action going on, this Still promises something exciting happening around them. And it’s always nice if the guest star is featured in the Official Stills as well.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: A Still with Jack at his High School Reunion to choose from would have been fun as well.

 

Episode 2×14: Mardi Gras Beads + Chair (Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
We got 7 Stills for this Episode. All are taken from the same location, 6 of them feature Amy Smart as Dawn.

Episode 2×14: Mardi Gras Beads + Chair (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Amy and Jack in what looks like a potentially dangerous situation.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: No disappointement here, just curiosity. The colors look a bit different and some of the Stills look almost blurry.

 

Episode 2×15: Murdoc + Handcuffs (Still Photographer: Annette Brown)
For this episode, we got a first Still with the Press Release about Michael Des Barres being a Guest Star. They later released 4 additional Stills. Interestingly, this first Still never really came to fruition in the episode itself. Was it staged just for Promo or was the location part of a Deleted Scene?

Episode 2×15: Murdoc + Handcuffs (via Michael Des Barres)

MY FAVORITE: The one with Michael Des Barres, of course. TV Insider provided the First Look, but MDB later uploaded the full version of the photo.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: In my opinion, the BtS pictures for this episode were better than the Official Stills.

 

(More coming soon.)

Looking Back at Season 2 (IV) – The Official Stills (Part 2)

As with Season 1, I’m looking back at the Official Stills for each Episode of Season 2; picking my favorites and writing down some of my thoughts. (Because I just can’t keep quiet, as you all know by now.)

If you missed Part 1 (Episodes 2×01 to 2×05), you can find the post here.

 

Episode 2×06: Jet Engine + Pickup Truck (no Still Photographer listed)
For this episode, there was only a single Official Still on the Press Release. That’s not how successful promo works?

Episode 2×06: Jet Engine + Pickup Truck (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Well. Not much to choose from, huh?

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Well. Don’t need to say much here. At least they chose one of the main mission with all the field agents present.

 

Episode 2xo7: Duct Tape + Jack (Still Photographer: Jace Downs)
For the seventh episode of Season 2, we got 7 Stills via SpoilerTV. One of them features the main mission while all the others feature the same scene inside Jack’s appartment.

Episode 2×07: Duct Tape + Jack (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: MacGyver consoling Jack after he realizes something with a lot of emotional value got robbed.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Nothing to be disappointed about.

NOW THAT’S FUNNY: In one of the Stills, you can see Cornell Willis (Second Second Assistant Director) giving directions. Looks like someone should have used his photoshopping skills before releasing that photo. If you haven’t seen the episode, you have to assume there’s a bad guy hiding…

Episode 2×07: Duct Tape + Jack (via SpoilerTV)

Episode 2xo8: Packing Peanuts + Fire (no Still Photographer listed yet)
For Episode 2×08, SpoilerTV delivered 5 Official Stills. Two feature the same scene with Jack and the bad guy. One features Leanna, one Bozer and Leanna and another one Riley and Elwood.

Episode 2×08: Packing Peanuts + Fire (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Elwood and Riley sitting at the table. Riley looks tense and uncomfortable and you can only guess how the first get-together with her father after years of not seeing him will turn out.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: I think it’s always weird when the character that lends the show its title isn’t to be seen in any of the Official Stills.

 

Episode 2xo9: CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil (no Still Photographer needed)
The only Episode of Season 2 that provided not a single Still. What a shame.

BtS picture of Episode 2×09: CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil (via Bobby Roth)

MY FAVORITE: Harhar. Very funny. Guess I’ll provide one of my favorite BtS pictures instead. So here’s George Eads and Lucas Till with Director Bobby Roth.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: I’m pretty sure providing some Official Stills after editing is finished is not that much work. At least not as much as putting together a preview or Sneak Peeks. But what do I know, I’m not in the TV business, after all.

 

Episode 2×10: War Room + Ship (Still Photographer: Kim Simms)
Episode 2×10 brought 8 Official Stills via SpoilerTV. And after realizing they had no Stills at all, they brought in a new Still Photographer.

Episode 2×10: War Room + Ship (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Mac and Jack talking outside of Jack’s quarters.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: The episode has a more unique storyline than others, so it would have been nice to see a Still about the main storyline with Mac and Zoe and not Stills about the book-endings of the Episode.

 

(More coming soon.)

Looking Back at Season 2 (III) – The Official Stills (Part 1)

I’ve always been a bit puzzled about the release of the Official Stills. Maybe that’s just how it works with TV shows in general, but: Sometimes we get 20 Official Stills for an episode – another time only 3. Or worse – none. Sometimes we would get several, but all of them looking very similar.

I’m still not sure who actually chooses them – according to Set Photographer Guy D’Alema, it’s not the photographer himself. So either the director of photography, the director of the episode or the producers? Or someone higher up at CBS who’s responsible for TV show promo in general? No clue.

Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel + Wire (via SpoilerTV)

In Season 1, there weren’t many in the bunch that actually sparked my interest, but it was fun to look over them months after the episodes had aired.

As with Season 1, I’m looking back at the Official Stills for each Episode of Season 2; picking my favorites and writing down some of my thoughts. (Because I just can’t keep quiet, as you all know by now.)

One thing I have noticed: While for Season 1, there had sometimes been 2 or even 3 Still Photographers, it’s usually only one person now (mostly Guy D’Alema who works on a bunch of other TV shows as well at the moment).

 

Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
We got 5 Official Stills via SpoilerTV. Three of them feature MacGyver, one Jack all on his own and one has Mac and Jack in trouble.

Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (via Seat42F)

MY FAVORITE: Probably the one with Mac and Jack in trouble. We’ve seen BtS pictures of the scene before and I was curious what this was all about.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: We already knew about Isabel Lucas being a new regular cast member, but there was no Official Still of her (or the other cast members). Funny thing though that the person grabbing Jack’s leg IS actually Isabel as Samantha Cage.

 

Episode 2xo2: Muscle Car + Paper Clips (Guy D’Alema)
For the second episode of Season 2, we got 4 Stills via SpoilerTV. Interestingly, they are all about the same scene with Tristin Mays as Riley; but one Still features a guy that isn’t all that important in the end.

Episode 2×02: Muscle Car + Paper Clips (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Not much to choose from, huh? I guess the one with Riley on the computer *heh*.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: As mentioned above, all of  the Stills advertize the same scene. The episode is clearly centered around Riley, but I always think it’s weird when the protagonist that lends the show its name isn’t seen anywhere. Also, given the episode title, I had actually expected that the Muscle Car (a Mustang in this case) being featured.

 

Episode 2xo3: Roulette Wheel + Wire (Quantrell Colbert)
The third episode delivered 10 Official Stills via SpoilerTV. Besides Matty, everyone of Team Phoenix is in more than one of the pictures, which is nice.

Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel +Wire (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Mac always talks about Bozer being his best friend – but since he joined Team Phoenix, Lucas Till and Justin Hires didn’t have many scenes together. Although this scene features the entire field team, it’s nice to have two Stills with just the two of them – I think that might actually be the first time since the Pilot Episode.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Nothing, really. The cast is very pretty to look at; the women all dolled up and the men all sharp dressed. In a Still that was added later on, there’s even a SAK featured. Isn’t that great? It’s actually my runner-up choice, so it needed to be shown as well (right at the beginning of this blog post).

 

Episode 2xo4: X-Ray + Penny (Guy D’Alema)
We got only 3 Stills via SpoilerTV. All of them feature the scene with Mac and Murdoc.

Episode 2×04: X-Ray + Penny (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: The one with Mac and Murdoc, of course.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: There’s the promise of Mac!Whump; so for me, not disappointing at all. There was even a BtS video after Entertainment Tonight had visited the set when this episode was being filmed.

 

Episode 2xo5: Skull + Electromagnet (Guy D’Alema)
The Halloween Episode brought 9 Official Stills via SpoilerTV plus additional versions of the group photo with everyone besides Matty dressed up in their Halloween costume.

Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (Official Still via Seat42F)

MY FAVORITE: It’s either “Jungle” or “Costumes”, so probably the group photo with everyone trying to look scary.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: For the costumes being featured in so many pictures, it was a bit disappointing we didn’t get to see them properly in the episode itself. But when it comes to the Official Stills, everything’s fine. Maybe a Still with the villain would have been a nice addition.

 

(More coming soon.)