Season 1

The Season 1 Finale Plot Twist Predictions – could they still happen? (Part 2)

Andrea Easter Eggs, Looking Back: Season 1, Season 1 , , , , , , ,

When filming for Season 1 was coming to an end in March 2017, I joined the “Guess the Season Finale Plot Twist” Game on Twitter. The point is to make crazy plot twist predictions about a Season Finale – predictions that probably won’t happen, but actually COULD happen.

Now that the MacGyver Reboot has run its course (for now), I’m looking back at my Season 1 Finale Plot Twists guesses. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here.

This blog post analyzes the second half of predictions I wrote about in this blog post. Could they still happen if the show is renewed at some point?

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Why? After Bozer finally got Riley’s number, nothing ever happened. Had he ever asked her out at all? Had she turned him down off-screen? They simply “forgot” about this storyline just to pick it up again out of the blue in the Crossover Episode 1×18: Flashlight. (Note that this is rather typical for Showrunner Peter Lenkov’s shows. The constant change of writers sure didn’t help.)

When making this prediction, Episode 1×19: Compass hadn’t aired yet and Bozer declaring his love to Riley was expected to happen sometime soon; especially after he suddenly had a rival in Kalei.

Episode 1×18: Flashlight (via Rome Flynn)

Could this have happened? Yes, although it was rather unlikely. If Thornton hadn’t already been established as a villain, I think it’s actually possible they could have made her acknowledge a girlfriend or fiancée. Sadly, her character stayed bland until the end and they never bothered to bring her back.

Even in Season 1, the Reboot already had a diverse cast; why not make one of the main characters gay?

Would I have wanted this to happen? Since Thornton had already been out of the picture: No. But I wouldn’t have minded if Riley had turned down Bozer because she wasn’t into guys.

Could this still happen? Theoretically yes, but it’s not very likely. We all know who Riley is in love with. And is Thornton even alive at this point?

Why? Original MacGyver has been in a coma as well (in Episode 5×21: Passages) and this would have been quite a dramatic plot twist for the Season 1 Finale.

Could this have happened? Yes.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Not really. Sounds like a FanFiction trope or a way to alter the end of the season if a show is announced to be cancelled while still filming.

Could this still happen? Yes. But that would be a cheap way to reset the series after writing themselves into a corner. Also, that would mean that Riley, Matty, Murdoc, Desi, Russ, Parker and almost every other character introduced after Mac getting shot at Lake Como weren’t part of the MacGyver Universe. Heck, even the Phoenix Foundation wouldn’t exist.

Why? Original MacGyver had several episodes that dealed with either MacGyver dreaming (e.g. the Western-Episode: 5×12: Serenity) or being unconscious (e.g. the two-parter in Season 7: Good Knight MacGyver) – and these episodes always turned out to be a lot of silly fun. Even the Opening Gambit of the Reboot Episode 1×17 (Ruler) turned out to be Bozer day-dreaming at work.

Could this have happened? Yes.

Episode 21: Cigar Cutter (via Randall Goltzman)

Would I have wanted this to happen? Oh, heck yes! MacGyver playing General Wang in a movie with Godzilla that doesn’t even fit into the B-Movies-Category – it would be a movie within a TV show, and that would have been a lot of silly fun for both the cast and the viewers.

Could this still happen? Technically yes, but since the deadline for the CELLebration Film Festival has long been overdue, it would probably be another movie that Bozer made between missions. Maybe the movie shown at a film festival in Episode 4×01 (Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix)?

Why? Richard Dean Anderson played both Original MacGyver and Colonel resp. Major General Jack O’Neill (in the Stargate SG1 Series). So, why not?

Could this have happened? Well, yes and no. It was indeed possible for MacGyver being adopted and his biological father being a Major General by the name of Jack O’Neill. But I’m pretty sure that would be a funny Easter Egg and not the REAL Jack O’Neill. That’s rather a storyline reserved for a FanFiction Crossover.

Would I have wanted this to happen? In FanFiction, sure. In the Reboot, no. MacGyver finding out he’s adopted would have complicated the progressing season. On the other hand, wasn’t his story-arc with James MacGyver complicated anyway?

Could this still happen? Yes, although it’s rather unlikely.

Why? George Eads Stand-In Kevin Marshall had posted this picture on Facebook with following comment: That’s OFFICIALLY a wrap! Got to shoot the absolute final insert for #Macgyver S1. Not a bad location either. I’m gonna miss wearing Jack’s killer threads too.

Because filming had already wrapped two weeks ago, this was a very interesting post; especially since many other crew members being involved in the Reboot also had posted pictures of this location on their social media accounts.

Could this have happened? Yes. Also, I’m sure James MacGyver being the boss of DXS and the Phoenix Foundation didn’t need to win the lottery to being able to afford a nice house with a pool.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Hm. Not really. And look what I wrote in my blog post from July 2017:

It feels like MacGyver’s dad could turn out to be a total jerk.

Could this still happen? Maybe if James faked his death? Fun note: This location was used for filming the pilot episode of Dynasty that premiered in October 2017. (The pool was featured in the trailer.)

Why? We still didn’t know how or why MacGyver’s mother died, and Murdoc seemed to be very interested in MacGyver’s parents.

Could this have happened? Yes.

Would I have wanted this to happen? No. The rest of the show would have turned into a quest for MacGyver to revenge his mother. The character of MacGyver was never into revenge, and this storyline would have overshadowed everything else.

Could this still happen? Yes. But didn’t it sort of already happen in Season 3 when Murdoc killed off Jill?

Why? In an interview a few days before the Season 1 Finale aired, Peter Lenkov had revealed that Season 2 would see both Riley and Bozer in relationships with other people. So of course there were speculations about the new love interest for Bozer – and the assumption that they still had planned to get Riley and Bozer together at one point.

Could this have happened? Yes, of course.

Episode 21: Cigar Cutter (via Meredith Eaton)

Would I have wanted this to happen? Why not? I don’t mind hot doctors.

Could this still happen? Yes. Although my speculation after watching the episode was that Bozer might fall for Jill, the blonde Phoenix Tech taken hostage by Dr. Zito. The actress was the only non-regular actor being featured during the Opening Gambit of the Baseball Game, so that was a sure indication that she would return as a recurring or even regular character.

The Season 1 Finale Plot Twist Predictions – could they still happen? (Part 1)

Andrea Looking Back: Season 1, Season 1, Season 6, Unaired Pilot , , , , , , ,

When filming for Season 1 was coming to an end in March 2017, I joined the “Guess the Season Finale Plot Twist” Game on Twitter. The point is to make crazy and whacky predictions about a Season Finale – predictions that probably won’t happen, but actually COULD happen.

Now that the MacGyver Reboot has run its course (for now), I’m looking back at my Season 1 Finale Plot Twists guesses. Here are the first half of predictions I wrote about in this blog post. Could they still happen if the show is renewed at some point?

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Why? MacGyver’s hair has always been a hot topic; and the mullet something holy that can’t be touched. There were heated discussions after Lucas Till was cast for the Reboot and after the first Official Stills for the Unaired Pilot had been released. Therefore, it’s no coincidence that my blog post about MacGyver’s hair is the one with the most hits on this blog. We already knew that Dr. Zito would make an appearance in the Season Finale, but we didn’t know yet who would play him.

Could this have happened? Richard Dean Anderson would have made a very believable Dr. Zito; and cast and crew had said on several occasions that they would love to have RDA on the show.

Episode 1×21: Cigar Cutter (CBS via Entertainment Weekly)

Would I have wanted this to happen? RDA as an evil guy? The last shot of the episode a close-up of Lucas Till while Original MacGyver is shaving off rebooted MacGyver’s hair? Yes, please! Imagine the drama on social media! Imagine the FanFiction!

Could this still happen? Dr. Zito was played by a different actor – but there’s still the possibility of RDA (or another bad guy) shaving off Lucas’ hair *hint hint*. In hindsight, if someone ever DID shave off MacGyver’s hair in the Reboot, it would have probably been either the hairdresser in the Army (for a flashback scene) or Murdoc.

Why? On March 10 in 2017, Lucas Till had posted a BtS photo of MacGyver-Creator Lee David Zlotoff visiting the set. The cast was still in character, and Justin Hires was wearing a bloody shirt while Tristin Mays had bloody streaks on her chest. There were speculations that Bozer would die (maybe while saving Riley).

It was already established that Bozer is responsible for making masks for the Phoenix. Murdoc wearing a mask while killing someone would have been a throwback to the Original Show (Episode 6×12: Jerico Games), where the bad guy posed as MacGyver to frame him for murder.

OG Creator Lee David Zlotoff visiting the Season 1 Finale set (via Lucas Till)

Could this have happened? Yes. TV shows love to kill off recurrings and regulars in a season finale or premiere episode. There were speculations early on that MacGyver’s best friend might die.

Would I have wanted this to happen? No. Mac feeling responsible for his best friend’s death would have overshadowed the next season while not really leading anywhere. Also, I would have preferred for MacGyver getting stabbed because hello, MacWhump!

Could this still happen? Yes.

Why? MacGyver’s father had been mentioned since the beginning, but we didn’t know much about him. Also, a missing relative showing up unexpectedly is a typical trope for a season finale. Fans expected Richard Dean Anderson to play MacGvyer senior (despite then-showrunner Peter Lenkov stating in an early interview that he never intended to because it would have been the obvious choice).

Could this have happened? Well, Bruce McGill was quite busy back in 2017, but yes. After all, he was willing to be a guest star in an episode.

Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (via Lucas Till)

Would I have wanted this to happen? Sure, why not? I certainly would have preferred it over MacGyver looking for his father the entire Season 2; hunting for clues that were never resolved anyway. (Remember that photo of the WW2 prisoner with the number tattoo on his arm or the watch that had the same number engraved?)

Could this still happen? Well, we already met MacGyver Senior aka MacDaddy aka Oversight. But it’s really fun to look back at my blog post from June 2017:

My assumption is this might happen in the Season 2 Finale. Well, MacGyver’s dad showing up in the final scene, not Bruce McGill playing him. If they know beforehand the show is getting a third season, I think it’s actually possible to have a close-up on MacGyver’s face saying “Dad???” while opening the door, but NOT showing who his father is.

In the end, the scene wasn’t as spectacular as I hoped for, although Tate Donovan was a good choice for James MacGyver. And I liked that they kept the OG character’s name.

Why? We still don’t know how Bozer’s movie turned out – or if he ever handed it in. Technically, he was still working on it until Episode 1×08 (Corkscrew). Maybe he reworked it into the movie shown at a film festival in Episode 4×01 (Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix).

Episode 4×02: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix (via Justin Hires)

Could this have happened? Yes, although it’s rather unlikely.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Hm. Don’t know. Also, can you ever really quit being a spy? The bad guys will still find you…

Could this still happen? Yes, but if Bozer was going to be written out, it would probably happen more dramatically.

Why? The storyline with Nikki Carpenter was never resolved. She simply disappeared although she should have been involved in everything concerning the Organization; e.g. Episodes 1×17 (Ruler) and 1×21 (Cigar Cutter).

Could this have happened? Yes. It’s implied in Episode 1×12 (Screwdriver) that MacGyver and Nikki had sex in the wedding room suite. It’s also a throwback to the Original Show where MacGyver had a “baby-scare” in Episode 2×20: Friends (although it wasn’t mathematically possible for the kid to be his).

Episode 1×01: The Rising (via SpoilerTV)

Would I have wanted this to happen? No, absolutely not. MacGyver being a father so early in the show would have complicated everything. It made sense that in the Original Show, the appearance of a child didn’t happen until the Season Finale.

Could this still happen? Yes, but probably not with Nikki Carpenter. In her interview with TV Line, Showrunner Monica Macer already revealed who would have become a father if the show had been renewed for Season 6.

Why? We didn’t know much about MacGyver’s father, despite him being mentioned several times.

Could this have happened? Yes. And it sorta DID happen.

Would I have wanted this to happen? No. But let’s take a look back at my blog post from June 2017:

I have this feeling that the revelation about MacGyver’s dad will be quite the plot twist anyway, no matter why he left. But I’d rather prefer him to be a “normal” guy that couldn’t deal with his wife’s death and grieving son and (falsely) believed it would be better if he left his son in the care of someone else.

Could this still happen? No, unless it’s a dream and/or alternate universe storyline.

Why? We didn’t know much about MacGyver’s mom or how she died.

Could this have happened? Yes, but the story behind it would probably have been a stretch.

Would I have wanted this to happen? No, absolutely not.

Could this still happen? Yes. That would be even more of a stretch, but hey, it’s TV. I actually expected her to pop up in Season 4. Ironically, Co-Showrunner Terry Matalas had initially planned on Jeri Ryan to play MacGyver’s mom, not auntie Gwen.

The Best of the Best (IV) – Top 5 Blog Posts in 2020

Andrea Best of the Best, Deleted Scenes, Looking Back: Season 1, Looking Back: Season Zero, Meta, Photoshoots, Promo Events, Season 1, The Characters, The Promo, The Scripts, Unaired Pilot , , , , , , , ,

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 2020 – a short write-up of the 5 blog posts with the most hits at the end of last year. Maybe this post will make you curious to check out the full post in case you missed it back when I had originally posted it?

Lucas Till on set of the Unaired MacGyver Pilot 2016 (via Micahveli Shakur)

(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!)

 

I have done a few of these before. 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. The one for 2019 can be found here. Though I have to admit if you’ve already read the one from last year, there’s not much news for you.

 

Rank 5 (612 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 in the lead role; playing MacGyver’s nephew Clay), a script that wasn’t used, a (heavily revised) 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 Lincoln (via SpoilerTV)

Rebooting a Pilot is not unusual for Pilot Season. The character descriptions alone might be worthy of their own blog post. Too bad we might never get to watch this pilot that shall not be named… 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).

ICYMI: A few months ago, they re-added the Unaired Pilot as “Episode 0” on IMDb. I’m curious if it gets deleted again or not.

 

Rank 4 (634 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 during a costume fitting as MacGyver and Lincoln (before he became Jack Dalton).

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

It’s not easy to find more BtS material online. Part of the problem is that they had wiped the original entry on IMDb and that some social media accounts of cast and crew members (e.g. assistants) went private.

I’m not sure what the policy is about posting BtS material of unaired projects, but people seem to be pretty hesitant – and so many years later, it’s too much work to scroll through 4 years of posts on their social media accounts.

 

Rank 3 (790 Hits): Looking Back at Season Zero (II) – The Unaired Pilot: Promo

It wasn’t much, but the Unaired Pilot had gotten some promo material: 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. I still hope that some day, we’ll see more of it – without having to go search for it for as many hours as I did back then when I still had the patience.

 

Rank 2 (909 Hits): You can google it (Part 2): About Samantha/Olivia Cage

A lot of readers 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).

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

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

Some of her traits were incorporated into the character of Desi Nguyen (who had her first appearence in Episode 3×15), but people still occasionally ask about Samantha Cage on social media.

I haven’t written yet a review about 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 (1229 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (I) – The Hair (Part 1)

The “Winner” of 2020 is the same post that was on Rank 1 in 2018 and 2019 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’ve been planning to write Part 2 (and probably even 3) since forever, but that still might take a while. Real Life responsibilities, a ton of Reboot Update Posts last year and other stuff, you know.

 

Runner-up posts to give you the Top Ten at the end of 2020:

Looking Back at Season 1 (XXI) – Concept for the Opening Title Sequence

Andrea Looking Back: Season 1, Opening Title, Season 1, Television Critics Association (TCA), The Promo , , , , , ,

Back in February 2016, when news outlets like Deadline announced CBS had ordered a pilot for a MacGyver Reboot, the social media buzz was intense. The questions most often asked were probably these: Who will be the new MacGyver? What will his hair look like? Will he still have his SAK? Will they keep the iconic title music of the Original Show? What will the Opening Credits look like?

Opening Title Concept for Season 1 (via Picturemill)

As you noticed, most modern TV shows don’t have an opening sequence anymore. But we all agreed that they surely wouldn’t dare to do this with a reboot of a TV show that had such an iconic Opening Title Theme.

The Season 1 Opening Title Recap
To recap: On September 13 in 2016, the official rebooted MacGyver Facebook account uploaded a video of the Pilot Episode set where a modern version of the Original Theme was playing. Five days later, Showrunner Peter Lenkov uploaded a video of the orchestra recording it.

On September 20, Yahoo! TV uploaded a “fanmade” version of the rebooted Title Sequence. It featured scenes from the first two episodes plus scenes from the Unaired Pilot teaser trailer while recreating the Original Main Titles and using the Original Theme. Because people had tweeted about it without sourcing it correctly, many fans (and news outlets) had assumed it was the real deal.

I still think it’s a very well-made version of an Opening Title Sequence for the reboot – probably the best I’ve seen so far.

Fanmade Opening Title Sequence (via Yahoo! TV)

Only a few hours later, Entertainment Weekly released the official title sequence. The reactions were varied, but I liked that you see MacGyver doing MacGyverisms (even though these are not the hands of Lucas Till himself).

The Opening Title Sequence Shots for Season 1 were done by Picturemill. Their portfolio has the opening titles for shows like Hawaii Five-0, The Gifted and Love, Victor or movies like The Greatest Showman, IT and Panic Room. For years, they never shared more than one single collage of BtS shots on Facebook. Finding more information about it was a pain, and I finally gave up looking for more.

BtS of the Opening Title Sequence (via Picturemill)

Generally, they could have gone the “easy” way and simply mix some scenes from the Pilot Episode together. Instead, they created extra material so I think it should have been promoted as such; putting it onto YouTube and other social media accounts plus added as bonus material on the DVD.

Interestingly, it seems that an early concept involved exactly that. About a year ago, they added some good quality BtS photos onto their website, including a photo of a printed page for the main title design. It’s not clear why CBS didn’t like that concept. So far, the reboot got a new title sequence for every season (which is rare for CBS shows with an opening sequence; especially if they don’t involve footage of the cast).

BtS photo of the Opening Title Sequence (via Picturemill)

ICYMI: In an interview for SlashFilm with Peter Lenkov and James Wan, Lenkov revealed that he was adamant with CBS about getting an Opening Title Sequence, but that it kept getting shorter every time they did a redo, because it eats up ad space (which networks aren’t happy about, of course) and they felt like maybe it’s a little retro.

Looking at the other CBS shows relased in recent years, Lenkov’s Magnum PI might have been one of the last scripted crime/drama shows to actually get a “real” opening title sequence; and probably mainly because it’s also a reboot with an iconic main title theme.

BtS photo of the Opening Title Sequence (via Picturemill)

So… what’s coming for Season 5? I’ve been wondering if we’ll get a new Opening Title Sequence or not. As mentioned above, they were willing to use parts of their budget for a new title sequence every year.

Considering the change of showrunner after four years, it’s very likely that they want to make an obvious cut to Season 4 as well – despite the first few episodes still having been written and filmed under Lenkov’s supervision.

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

Andrea Best of the Best, Deleted Scenes, Looking Back: Season 1, Looking Back: Season 2, Looking Back: Season Zero, Meta, Photoshoots, Promo Events, Season 1, The Characters, The Promo, The Scripts, Unaired Pilot , , , , , , , ,

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:

The Best of the Best (II) – Top 5 Blog Posts in 2018

Andrea Best of the Best, Deleted Scenes, Looking Back: Season 1, Looking Back: Season Zero, Meta, Photoshoots, Promo Events, Season 1, The Promo, The Scripts, Unaired Pilot , , , , , , , , ,

We still have to wait for about two months for the start of Season 4 and the production is currently on hiatus until January. Also, maybe you joined the fandom only recently? So you might enjoy or have finally some time to check out “older” stuff about the Reboot.

Hereby, I present you my Top 5 Blog Posts 2018 – 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 original post in case you missed it back then?

Official Still of the Unaired Pilot (via CBS)

(Minor Spoiler Alert: You might get spoilered about characters and storylines in Season 1 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, you can check it out here. The top posts in 2017 were all posts about “deleted” scenes in the pilot script. The top posts for 2018 are a bit more varied, thankfully.

 

Rank 5 (221 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (VI) – The Promo (Part 3: The TCA Portraits)

In this blog post, I wrote about the main cast plus Executive Producers Peter Lenkov and James Wan attending the TCA Summer Press Tour Event back in August 2016.

TCA Summer Studio Photoshoot (via Hollyrood Reporter)

Before the panel, the main cast took part in a photoshoot for the so-called Summer Studio Portraits. Pretty people posing for pretty photos – what else do you need?

Still wish we had gotten a group photo, though *sigh*.

 

Rank 4 (233 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (XIX) – The Pilot Script: Deleted Scenes (Part 5)

Funny coincidence: This blog post was already on Rank 4 for the top posts in 2017.

The rebooted Pilot Script for the MacGyver Reboot was written by Executive Producer Peter Lenkov. In this blog post, I wrote about two scenes written into the pilot script that we didn’t get to see in the episode that aired on TV.

One is a conversation between Mac and Jack about Nikki while racing the (stolen) handyman van to the airport. The other one is an excerpt about the missile prop with Team Phoenix sitting around Mac’s firepit.

 

Rank 3 (270 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’s 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….

Unaired Pilot Character Description for Angus MacGyver (via SpoilerTV)

Sounds confusing, but is state of the art for pilot season and pretty interesting. The character descriptions alone are worthy of a blog post. Too bad we probably will never get to see this pilot that never aired…

 

Rank 2 (328 Hits): Looking Back at Season Zero (II) – The Unaired Pilot: Promo

The aforementioned Unaired Pilot I just wrote about actually got some promo material as well. This is what I wrote about in this post.

Because CBS decided to reboot the Reboot with a different main cast team and a different showrunner, they declared the promo material to “promo non grata” and erased all their former tweets, posts and previously released Official Stills for the discarded pilot from their social media accounts.

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

Well, not 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 really hope that some day, we’ll see more of it.

 

Rank 1 (351 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (I) – The Hair (Part 1)

When people talk about Original MacGyver, they often mention his glorious hair. There was a lot of “hair drama” surrounding the Reboot as well. So in this blog post – my first non-update-blog-post back in 2017, actually – I write about MacGyver’s hair. And it was the top post of 2018.

Lucas Till in June and July 2016

Funny thing: At the moment, it’s still the top post of this blog (with almost 700 hits). Maybe I finally find the time to write Part 2 of this “hairy” topic….

 

Runner-up posts to give you the Top Ten of 2018:

The Best of the Best (I) – Top 5 Blog Posts in 2017

Andrea Best of the Best, Deleted Scenes, Looking Back: Season 1, Meta, Season 1, The Scripts , , , , , , , ,

I’ve been blogging about the MacGyver Reboot since May 2017. That’s already two years. Thank you for visiting and reading and coming back!

I regularly present statistics about the Reboot; mainly ratings and audience numbers. But I never really presented any info about the blog itself – a habit I actually implemented a long time ago on my first blog in German.

So I present you the Top 5 Blog Posts 2017 – a short write-up of the 5 blog posts with the most hits at the end of 2017. 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 original post in case you missed it back then? 😉

Since we have to wait quite a bit for the start of Season 4, you might finally find the time to check out “older” stuff about the Reboot…

BtS picture on set of Episode 1×01: The Rising (via Chris Payne Gilbert)

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

 

The top posts in 2017 were all posts about scenes in the pilot script that didn’t make it into the episode. Interestingly, all posts had similar traffic numbers.

To refresh your mind: The rebooted Pilot Script for the MacGyver Reboot was written by Executive Producer Peter Lenkov. An earlier version of the script – the Revised Network Draft (June 20, 2016) – has been available online since October 2016. I wrote several blog posts about “Deleted Scenes” aka scenes that didn’t make it into the Pilot Episode version that was aired on television.

 

Rank 5 (53 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (XVII) – The Pilot Script: Deleted Scenes Part 3 (Baywatch With Tanks)

This blog post is dedicated to a Deleted Scene that was actually partially filmed. A member in the MacGyverOnline forums had labelled the spectacle (with gun-wielding Bikini Babes, Ninjas and a tank) as “Baywatch with Tanks” after BtS photos had been posted on social media, leaving us all confused and asking ourselves what this was about.

BtS picture on set of Episode 1×01: The Rising (via Tiko Pavoni)

If you’re lucky enough to have gotten a DVD copy of Season 1 that actually contains Extras, you can watch the filmed scene there. If you want to know more what the scene is about and how it was written in the script, you can read my blog post.

 

Rank 4 (57 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (XIX) – The Pilot Script: Deleted Scenes (Part 5)

In this blog post, I wrote about two different scenes in the pilot script. One is a conversation between Mac and Jack about Nikki while racing the (stolen) handyman van to the airport. The other one is an excerpt about the missile prop with Team Phoenix sitting around Mac’s firepit.

 

Rank 3 (59 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (XVI) – The Pilot Script: Deleted Scenes (Part 2)

In this blog post, I wrote about two different scenes in the pilot script. One scene got dropped, the other one was reshot and used in the Season 1 Finale instead.

BtS of 1×01: The Rising (via Peter Lenkov)

Both scenes go together, though. The first scene is Mac and Jack in the helicopter with Mac being afraid he’s going to barf due to Jack’s “helicoptering” and digging through the med kit for a vial of Morphine. The second one is Mac in Siberia, dropping a vial into the glacier.

I was actually a bit disappointed about the way the scene in Siberia was re-written – to know why, you can read my blog post.

 

Rank 2 (60 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (XV) – The Pilot Script: Deleted Scenes (Part 1)

In the first of my blog posts about the Pilot Script, I wrote about three different scenes. One is about Lake Como, one about Mac running up Griffith Park and some dropped voice-over lines about his relationship with Nikki, and the last is about Mac in the shower.

Eh. Not a shower scene in the way you thought; sorry *lol*. For more information, you can check out the post…

 

Rank 1 (66 Hits): Looking Back at Season 1 (XVIII) – The Pilot Script: Deleted Scenes (Part 4)

In this blog post, I wrote about four different scenes in the pilot script. One is about Mac and Jack heading to DXS, another one about meeting Riley, and one about tinfoil and bikini babes we didn’t get to see.

The last one is about chasing Kendrick and an extended MacGyverism that was dropped, but later used in Episode 1×14 (Fish Scaler).

Episode 1×01: The Rising (via SpoilerTV)

 

Runner-up posts to give you the Top Ten of 2017:

You can google it (Part 1): Cast, Characters and Locations

Andrea Easter Eggs, Hawaii Five-0, Meta, Season 1, Season 2 , , , , , , , ,

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

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

Some search engines don’t reveal search terms for privacy reasons. According to WordPress, search engines like Google have been encrypting the vast majority of search terms since 2013. Therefore, WordPress often can’t specify which search terms were used by visitors who found this blog using a search engine. That’s why the majority on my list – almost 2000 by now – are Unknown search terms.

Excerpt of the search engine statistics (retrieved May 20, 2018)

Still, there’s a couple of search terms I want to comment on and throw in some additional education – and maybe help the unknown searching beings in finding an answer. I’m not sure people found exactly the answer they were looking for on here, though. So feel free to comment if I missed something.

Let me say this before we start, though: I’ve never seen so many different ways how you can write “MacGyver” before.

 

macgyver cast
Yes, I write a lot about the MacGyver Cast. If you’re looking for the cast of a specific episode, you might be luckier if you head over to the official reboot page on IMDb.

Not only can you check for the entire cast and crew for the whole series (circled red at the bottom) or for every episode using the Episode Guide (circled left), but you can also rate the episodes and check which episodes are the highest rated. In case you’re interested: The highest-rated one at the moment is Episode 2×12 (Mac + Jack ).

macgyver fanfiction
First, let me explain: FanFiction (FF) is when fans take either the story or characters (or both) of a certain piece of work (whether it be a novel, TV show, a movie) and write their own story based on it. Easy example: The infamous Fifty Shades of Grey movie series is based on books by the same name that were initially Twilight FanFiction. If you write a story about what would have happened if famous wizard Harry Potter had been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor, that’s FanFiction.

Yes, there’s MacGyver FanFiction as well. Not as much as for other fandoms, but the Reboot fandom is still growing and new stories are published or updated every day. If you’re looking for Original MacGyver FanFiction, you can hit the MacGyverOnline forum. For Reboot FF, I usually check on either Archive Of Our Own (AO3) or FanFiction.net. Many authors post on both archives and some use Tumblr or WattPad.

BtS photo of Episode 2×18: Riley + Airplane (via Sheryl Lee Ralph)

Many stories are so-called Episode Tags, meaning these are scenes we didn’t get to watch in an episode (e.g. what happened after MacGyver was shot in the Pilot Episode or a specific scene told using Jack’s or Thornton’s point of view).

what did sheryl lee ralph get paid for the macgyver episode
I have no clue what actors get paid in general, so I don’t know anything about TV show salaries either. Apparently, it was enough, otherwise she wouldn’t have come back for Season 2.

what episode of macgyver does jack use his sniper rifle who loves you baby
You’re referring to the Pilot Episode (1×01: The Rising). In a flashback to their military days, we see Jack sniping at bad guys while Mac is defusing a bomb. The scene was set up to be a nod to Peter Lenkov’s other show Hawaii Five-0 since Jack has history with H50 main character Steve McGarrett (played by Alex O’Loughlin). In a deleted shot of the episode, you can see the word ALOHA stenciled on Jack’s rifle.

Deleted Shot of Episode 1×01: The Rising. Photo by Guy D’Alema (via TVLine)

The scene caused some controversy; especially with fans of the Original Show. If anyone’s interested about the reasons, I wrote a blog post about it.

macgyver cast 2018 who plays willy mardi
I have no clue who Willy Mardi is, but he sounds interesting. Unless you were looking for Episode 2×14 (Mardi Gras Beads + Chair), I can’t really help out here.

macgyver justine hires cries during agent test
In the first half of Season 2, Bozer (played by Justin Hires) goes to “spy school”. In Episode 2×09 (CD-ROM + Hoagie Foil), Bozer has to pass an interrogation test at the training center which needs him to confront a painful childhood memory. Justin got many compliments on the scene by fans, but also by cast and crew – though he stated on Instagram that this was the most difficult scene he’s filmed so far for the show.

All Fun and Games in a BtS of Episode 2×09: CD-ROM + Hoagie Foil (via Justin Hires)

FunFact: The memory is a nod to the Original Show (Episode 4×02: Blood Brothers) since a similar childhood drama involving a gun happened to Original MacGyver and his friends. The storyline of the episode is all about MacGyver returning to his hometown to find himself haunted by the memories of that fatal shooting accident.

what did the trampoline w ballons have to do w the beginning of mcguver
The scene you’re talking about is not only a nod to the animated movie UP, but also part of the so-called Opening Gambit for Episode 2×19 (Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle). The Opening Gambits were implemented in the Original Show and usually written and directed by another crew than the rest of the episode. They were longer than in the Reboot, so you had a mini MacGyver adventure within the episode that usually had no ties to the main storyline. Because of the high production costs and time issues, they dropped these kind of opening sequences pretty soon. Some of them have become pretty iconic, though and feature some of the most favorite MacGyverisms of the Original Show.

BtS picture of Episode 2×19: Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle (via Steven Serna)

what episode of macgyver season 2 does jack wear chaps
The chaps make an appearance in the Opening Gambit of Episode 2×18 (Riley + Airplane). Crew member Kate Roberson posted a funny BtS video on Instagram; revealing what these chaps looked up close. As you can see, nobody had to freeze their buttocks off.

macgyver was tied up
Oh yes. That happens quite often, both in the Original Show and in the Reboot. Not that often in the Reboot, though since sometimes it’s Jack that gets tied up. Thinking about it without any kind of research, I can refer to Episodes 1×07 (Can Opener) and 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny) where Mac is the one getting tied up to a chair.

 

BtS Instagram Live Story video screenshots of Episode 2×18: Riley + Airplane (via Kate Roberson)

was latest macgyver episode filmed in purrto rico
This person is referring to Episode 2×21 (Wind + Water), written by MacGyver creator Lee Zlotoff. Though the episode is set in Puerto Rico, the cast filmed in Atlanta and Georgia Area. It is possible that the crew produced some recent aerial shots of Puerto Rico via drone, but it’s also possible they bought already existing material for the landscape sequences. As far as I know, the only time the main cast actually travelled to another country to film scenes was for Episode 1×18 (Flashlight), the crossover episode with Hawaii Five-0. It was only Lucas Till and George Eads filming in Hawaii, though – the rest of the scenes were filmed in Atlanta as well.

For Season 2, the crew and the stunt doubles for Lucas and George travelled to Cuba to film the Opening Gambit of Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE). The scenes involving Lucas and George themselves were also filmed in Atlanta, in front of blue and green screens. A TV show simply doesn’t have the budget 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.

BtS of Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (via George Eads)

what do i watch first hawaii 5 o bulletproof or macgyver flashlight?
Good question. Since the episode titles for Hawaii Five-0 are in Hawaiian, it wasn’t that easy to find out which episode this visitor was looking for. In fact, I still don’t know: Despite Wikipedia helping out by providing the English titles, I couldn’t find an episode named “Bulletproof”. In general, I’ll advise watching the episodes in the same order as they premiered on American TV. In this case, that means first MacGyver and then H50 plus following the airdates, so 1×17 (Ruler), 7×18 (Handle with Care), 1×18 (Flashlight), 7×19 (Exodus), 1×19 (Compass) and so on. I’ve watched the whole first Season of MacGyver before starting Season 7 of H50 (without having seen Seasons 2 to 6, actually) and although both shows are set in the same Universe, I was fine (besides probably missing some Easter Eggs).

Looking Back at Season 1 (XX) – Early Versions of the Pilot Script

Andrea Deleted Scenes, Looking Back: Season 1, Season 1, The Scripts , , , , , , , ,

The rebooted Pilot Script for the MacGyver Reboot was written by Executive Producer Peter Lenkov. An earlier version of the script – the Revised Network Draft (June 20, 2016) – has been floating around for a while now. I have been looking at Deleted Scenes in that Draft in several of my blog posts.

Of course, a script isn’t written and “sold” within the first try. There are revisions; lots and lots of revision. There must have been several earlier versions of the script used for filming. On September 18, 2016 – only days before the Series Premiere – SpoilerNet posted a summary of the Pilot Episode Script online. After watching the episode and reading the beforementioned Revised Network Draft, it’s clear that the person posting these spoilers must have had access to an early version of the script that never made it into production.

I’m looking at some of the interesting story or character parts in there.

 

Scene: Lake Como

One big difference in this early script version: Patricia Thornton was never part of the Lake Como mission. It’s Nikki that gives MacGyver all the information he needs to know.

In my opinion, this makes a lot of sense. There’s no need for Thornton to be there. They obviously had enough information concerning the whereabouts and enough time to bring a team and surveillance. In the Pilot Episode, all Thornton does is descending the stairs looking all dolled up and telling MacGyver where the safe is located. Of course, she could have been part of a bigger scheme (e.g. infiltrating the scene days or even weeks before in an undercover mission to gather information), but logic suggests this would have been done by another agent, not by the boss.

Storytelling-wise, it makes sense to include Thornton, though: All the important “players” – aka the series regulars or the main cast – of the new show are introduced within seconds, tied together via MacGyver’s voice-overs. They would have needed another introduction scene for Thornton (see below how it was done in this script version).

 

Scene: Mac and the Gun

As we all now, the Lake Como Mission goes south and Kendrick (in this early script version still an unnamed villain) holds Nikki at gunpoint. What’s happening now might make you scratch your head (or make you searching for your pitchfork): MacGyver pulls his gun.

Uhm. Yeah. That happened. They crazy, no?

I think all Original MacGyver fans will agree here that this makes no sense at all. And if this had stayed in the script, the outrage would have been one of epic proportions.

I don’t know what Peter Lenkov has been thinking while writing this. Maybe he had an idea of a new backstory about MacGyver’s dislike for guns for another episode. Maybe he was high on caffeeine and in dire need of sleep. I don’t think I need to write any further comments on this.

 

Scene: Thornton’s Introduction

In the Unaired Pilot, MacGyver had a best friend from High School called “Gunner”, played by Joshua Boone. I don’t know if they were supposed to be room-mates as well, but it’s clear that Lenkov took that idea, transforming Gunner to Bozer very early on.

The introduction of Patricia Thornton is a nod to the Original MacGyver Pilot. In the Original Pilot Episode, MacGyver lives in the Griffith Observatory and spends time with his “little brother” when his boss arrives in a helicopter that lands directly in front of the observatory.

It doesn’t really make sense that Thornton takes a chopper just to show him a video. A chauffeur bringing her in a limousine would have been a fancy enough choice. I like that they tried to bring in another Easter Egg that only people knowing the Original Pilot would recognize, but I think the way it ended up being filmed worked much better overall.

 

Scene: Inside DXS

Reading the beginning of the next scene, it feels like Lenkov intended to have a big room full of techs bustling around. Of course, such a scene would need lots of Extras and staging and time, so it turned out smaller in the finished episode.

I think it’s a bit unfair that they tried to blame all onto Mac and Jack. The intel was either not sufficient (e.g. what kind of weapon was being sold) or all wrong (e.g. about the hand-scanner or the security detail) – so it was partially Thornton’s and Nikki’s fault as well. Of course, we can’t just blame the “dead” girl.

Looking Back at Season 1 (XIX) – The Pilot Script: Deleted Scenes (Part 5)

Andrea Deleted Scenes, Looking Back: Season 1, Season 1, The Scripts , , , , , , , ,

The rebooted Pilot Script for the MacGyver Reboot was written by Executive Producer Peter Lenkov. An earlier version of the script – the Revised Network Draft – has been floating around since October 2016.

There was a Production Draft from June 29 and several revisions (Blue, Pink, Yellow and Green) when they did the first table read on July 8.

I’m taking a look at the Revised Network Draft of the Pilot Script from June 20 (2016).

 

Scene: In the Van

This scene takes place when Mac, Jack  and Riley try to catch Nikki before her plane takes off. While Jack is driving the Handyman Van, he and Mac have a conversation:

 

This is the second time in the script that MacGyver states he loves Nikki. In the finished pilot, the L-Word is never mentioned at all.

Episode 1×01: The Rising (via SpoilerTV)

In the Pilot Episode, MacGyver speaks Italian while posing as a waiter at Lake Como. Nikki seems quite impressed:

NIKKI: When did you learn to speak Italian?

MACGYVER: When you said yes to Rome.

I’m pretty sure in all these years, MacGyver had been in Italy before for a mission with DXS, but never felt the need to learn Italian. The next snippet of the conversation in the van kinda reveals what the mention of Rome was all about:

Somehow, Jack strikes me as the romantic type, despite not having much luck in the love departement. I don’t think he would believe in the concept about all women being liars.

Also, it’s not clear if Rome was just a destination for a romantic holiday or if “more” had been meant to happen. Considering that MacGyver and Nikki had been dating for two years and apparently have known each other for three years, it’s possible that maybe he would have asked her to marry him? Seems like a convenient little plot bunny that in case Tracy Spiridakos’ Nikki came back for another episode, there would be some kind of big previously-planned-marriage-proposal-revelation (e.g. Bozer or Jack finding the ring that was meant for Nikki).

 

Scene: Back home

This scene takes place when Riley and Jack come visit MacGyver, who sits at the campfire, watching the photos of him and Nikki burn. Riley admires some of MacGyver’s handywork before she finds the amulet that leads to the first notion of Cairo and sparks the idea of re-naming DXS after the bird rising from the ashes:

It’s possible this scene was filmed and edited out or cut together. I always felt the scene was a bit weird; the dialogue whileRiley snags the amulet from the chair never made much sense to me.

Episode 1×01: The Rising (via SpoilerTV)