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

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)

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.

Looking Back at Season 2 (I) – Guess the Season 2 Premiere Plot Twist (Part 1)

It’s always fun to speculate what could happen in a TV show; especially if a TV show is already running for more than a few seasons. There are many characters and storylines to choose from.

Back in March 2017, when the filming for Season 1 was coming to an end, I joined the “Guess the Season Finale Plot Twist” Game on Twitter. The point of this silly game is to make crazy and whacky predictions about a Season Finale that you would never expect to happen – but that actually COULD happen.

For Season 2, I made predictions about the Season Premiere Plot Twist.

 

In this blog post, I’m looking back at the first half of my Season 2 Premiere Plot Twists guesses. (Because it’s fun, that’s why!)

 

Why? We already know that Team Phoenix likes to play “Truth or Dare”. On the 1st of August, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov posted a picture of Lucas Till on the Arcade set on Instagram. In the background, you can see a funny-looking mascot standing near other Extras sitting at a table.

BtS of Season 2 (via Peter Lenkov)

Could this have happened? Sure, why not? So far, we never learnt much about Mac and Jack’s hobbies when they’re not working – besides Mac working on a motorcycle.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Hm. I guess such a storyline would have been used to make fun of Jack and wouldn’t have brought much value to the show, so probably not.

Could this still happen? Yes. Of all the main characters, I guess Jack would be the most likely to be a furry.

 

Why? MacGyver’s father was an underlying storyline throughout Season 1. In the Season Finale, we learnt that he has disappeared. Mac decided to go searching for him and Jack joined in; bringing along Robot Sparky and looking forward to a trip to Vegas.

Could this have happened? This wasn’t very likely to happen, but the writers tend to bring up topics that never get mentioned again. Also, it would have mirrored the Cairo storyline – we still don’t know what actually happened. The trip to Vegas could have been told in future Opening Gambits.

Would I have wanted this to happen? No. After all that build-up and the way the Season Finale ended, it would have been weird.

Could this still happen? I’m sure there will be episodes where MacGyver’s father isn’t mentioned, but judging by interviews so far for Season 2, Mac Senior’s disappearance will be an underlying storyline over the whole Season, coming to full term in the Season 2 Finale.

 

Why? While Jack pretends to join Mac in the quest of finding his father, he is rather looking forward to a trip to Vegas.

Could this have happened? Maybe. It wouldn’t be hard to believe that Jack might “accidentally” get married, but it’s a lot less plausible for Mac. Although, rebooted MacGyver does drink Alcohol…

Would I have wanted this to happen? Not really. Unless they pretended to get married for a mission. Also, if Mac and Jack ever get married, I want it to be a huge wedding with church and reception and hundreds of guests, not a shotgun wedding in Vegas.

Could this still happen? Sure. Doesn’t mean it should.

 

Why? Jack mentioned having a sister and a nephew in Season 1, but we never got to know more about his family. In July 2017, we got notice about 2 new female characters joining the team; one of them being an Intel Extraction Specialist.

Could this have happened? Yes, although it was very unlikely.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Not really. But I wouldn’t mind meeting Jack’s sister one day.

Could this still happen? Yes, but she would probably be his half-sister he hadn’t known about.

 

Why? Riley had to shoot someone in the Season 1 Finale Episode so she wouldn’t get killed herself. I thought Tristin Mays’ portrayal afterwards of Riley being in shock was brilliant. Both Riley and Bozer are more or less civilians despite their recent training, so it wouldn’t have been very far-fetched for them developing some form of PTSD.

MacGyver is famous for its main hero being anti-gun. The topic was never addressed in the Reboot, though and this would have been a great opportunity. Addressing this event could have opened up another storyline for Riley; e.g. Riley demanding shooting lessons from Jack or requesting to the higher-ups to carry a gun on missions. It also would have been a possibility of a clash of opinions in the team (e.g. the others opposing to Riley’s wish to carry a gun on missions or Jack refusing to teach her).

Could this have happened? The Storyline: Yes, but probably not as an Opening Gambit.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Sure; and I still think this should be addressed in some capacity.

Could this still happen? Yes.

 

Why? I have this feeling that the biological weapon of the Pilot Episode will come into play again. Also, there have been BtS pictures of Siberia Scenes back in July.

BtS of Season 2 (via Patrick Kral)

Could this have happened? Yes, but probably not in the Season Premiere.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Not sure. I had my fill with biological weapons for now.

Could this still happen? Yes.

 

Why? I love the voice-overs. I love Murdoc. So what’s not to like about voice-overs done by Murdoc?

Could this have happened? Since David Dastmalchian has been very busy lately, probably not for a full episode – but maybe for an Opening Gambit?

Would I have wanted this to happen? Yes, very much.

Could this still happen? Yes, although I think if there are voice-overs by someone else than MacGyver, it would be probably one of the main characters (e.g. Jack). That would be fun as well.

 

I had made some Season Premiere Plot Twist Guesses that I hadn’t let loose on Twitter, but kept quiet on my Word Document until now. Some I deemed too similar to each other. Others I deemed too boring. And in the end, I had to limit my guesses because I was quite busy and had decided to write another Reboot Update instead so you wouldn’t have to wait 2 weeks as usual. I don’t see a reason to keep them all to myself now that the episode has aired.

Runner-Up Plot Twist Guess (No.1): Samantha Cage will turn out to be Matty’s Love Interest.

Why? Ever since we got confirmation about other female cast members joining the show for Season 2, there have been speculations about one of them being a love interest for one of the male characters. These speculations turned up a notch after it was clear that Isabel Lucas had been cast as an agent joining Team Phoenix.

Most people speculating on social media assumed she would be a love interest for MacGyver. After the first preview, there was chatter about her being a love interest for Jack or Bozer (since there had been confirmation we would see Bozer and Riley in relationships with other characters).

Back in Season 1, there have been speculations about Patricia Thornton or Riley being gay (and therefore turning down Bozer). Many fans have praised the show for featuring strong female characters, people of color and actors with disabilities. There have been wishes that the show adds openly gay characters as well.

Could this have happened? Yes.

Would I have wanted this to happen? As long as there won’t be any love-triangle-drama, I’m ok with her dating someone of Team Phoenix.

Could this still happen? Yes, especially now that it has been established that Samanta Cage is bi-sexual. We don’t know anything about Matty Webber’s love life, and it’s been made clear that the two have been known each other for a while, so…

Why was this Plot Twist Guess not posted on Twitter? I had made a Season 1 Finale Plot Twist Guess about Riley being in love with Thornton back then, so I thought this one was too similar. Also, I don’t really care if one of the main characters is gay or not.

 

End of Part 1. You can find Part 2 soon.

MacGyver Reboot Update #40

It’s Season 2 Premiere Day! Between filming and posting BtS pictures, the cast is also busy doing promo.

BtS of Season 2 (via Lucas Till)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 2 and the Season 2 Premiere Episode by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Season 2 News and Promo
Season 2 of the MacGyver Reboot premieres today. It is kind of a special date because back in 1985, the Original Show also premiered on September 29.

There wasn’t much promo until yesterday; especially compared to other CBS shows (e.g. Hawaii Five-0). Also, as I’m writing up this blog post earlier than usual, there’s still no press release about Isabel Lucas joining the cast and no press releases or stills for other episodes but the Season Premiere. But we have new interviews and Sneak Peeks; so let’s take a look at these.

Episode 2×02: Roulette Wheel + Wire (via Isabel Lucas)

In TV Guide Magazine (released in print on September 16), Lucas Till and George Eads talked a bit what Season 2 will bring. As Lucas revealed, we will be in Cuba and Turkey, in catacombs and underwater (judging from Stills and Previews, this all might happen in the Season Premiere Episode tonight). They also let us know that Murdoc will be involved in the first four episodes in some capacity and that Murdoc’s son also figures into the storyline. George stated that we will meet Riley’s dad (which was recently mentioned by Executive Director Peter Lenkov on Instagram as well).

This interview was additionally released online on TV Insider yesterday. Sadly, there were no new promo pictures accompanying the article.

BtS of George Eads doing Season 2 promo (via Karyn Greer)

There are some recent interviews released by Canadian outlets. Most of these were probably taken at the Corus Upfront in Toronto back in June – before filming for Season 2 had even started. That’s why Lucas talks about Season 1 and 2 in general, but doesn’t give any specific news.

You can listen to Lucas doing an audio interview with CFox here. He talks a bit about the high expectations he faced for Season 1. In a written interview with Canada.com, Lucas revealed he’s doing a lot of yoga because “action scenes can also wreak havoc on a guy”.

On September 21, the official Instagram Account asked the fans to leave their questions below. So far, there are over 370 comments, but there was no announcement if and how these questions will be answered.

We can expect some more promo and appearances today. Meredith Eaton was in the studio to film a segment for KCAL9 News. You can watch the interview here. She said that she’s having the time of her life and that her role is the highlight of her career.

Lucas Till doing Interviews on Set (via Natasha Lee)

George and Lucas were seen on set doing interviews. They will probably air today. Justin Hires will host Atlanta Plugged In tonight.

Episode 2×01 Promo
On Wednesday, Peter Lenkov released another short Cuba-Sequence and how Jack utilizes his head as a weapon. Ouch.

Yesterday, SpoilerTV released three Sneak Peeks for Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE). In the first clip, new character Samantha Cage saves Mac and Jack from the bad guys. The other clip plays in Cuba. Mac and Jack are in a bit of trouble (what else is new *lol*), but as soon as they’re out of trouble, it turns out they’re actually on a quest to find Murdoc.

Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (Sneak Peek Screenshot)

The third clip sees Bozer getting released from hospital after rehab. Looks like not that much time has passed since the Season 1 Finale Episode. We have to assume Mac and Jack didn’t have a lead on Mac’s dad that was deemed worth following any longer or they returned as soon as they got notice about Murdoc breaking out of prison.

Producer’s Praise
After praising Justin Hires on his drama acting chops last week and praising George Eads on his take for Jack Dalton, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov continued honoring the rest of the cast members in different Instagram posts. Besides praising Lucas, Tristin and Meredith, he also revealed some little trivia on each post.

Why walk when you can drive?
The main unit has been filming outside a lot and on some interesting looking sets; e.g. an obstacle course. They also like to use cars, mopeds and other vehicles as props. Jack’s GTO will be back as well.

George Eads and Lucas Till both posted pictures of the same scene where finally, Mac gets to drive while Jack has to sit in the back. Lucas also posted one with George and Isabel inside a car (the same car already seen for a “stunt scene” via Boom Operator Robert Maxfield).

BtS of Season 2 (via George Eads)

The cast and crew members upload BtS pictures almost daily now, adding to the excitement of the fans.

Justin shared more BtS pictures of Bozer and various team members of Team Phoenix in the War Room – one of Bozer with Matty and Riley, one of the whole team and one with Jack being shocked about something he sees on the screen. Meredith Eaton posted a picture of Matty with Bozer and dear old Robot in the lab.

Cast and Character News
Although the main cast welcomed Isabel Lucas two weeks ago, there’s still no official press release about her joining the Season 2 cast. Like Season 1 with Meredith Eaton, it’s possible she doesn’t have an opening title credit in the first episode of her appearance.

BtS of Season 2 (via Roger Floyd)

We know we’ll get to meet Riley’s dad. We don’t know who will play the role, but there has been some speculation it might be Roger Floyd who had posted some funny BtS pictures this week.

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Stand-Ins, Photo Doubles, Nurses, Techs and Agents and for Security. They also made several casting calls for Fit Students.

Crew and Director News
On Sunday, director Bobby Roth was busy scouting the Porsche museum for the show. Stacey Black, the director of Episode 2×08, finished filming her scenes on September 27.

BtS of Episode 2×08 (via Stacey Black)

Bobby Roth posted a picture with Tristin Mays in the afternoon; indicating that filming for Episode 2×09 has already started. On the same day, Tawnia Canell McKiernan had revealed that she’s packing to leave for Atlanta, so she will most likely direct Episode 2×10. Last Season, she had directed the episode with the Coltons (1×16: Hook).

Rerun Ratings
There was a rerun of the Season 1 Finale (Cigar Cutter) last Friday. While the ratings for Episode 1×20 (Hole Puncher) back on September 2 hadn’t been that overwhelming, the Season 1 Finale won its time slot again and reached about 4.2 million live viewers (with a rating of 0.5 in the important demo group of 14-49 year-olds).

Overall, all rerun episodes managed to reach 4.2 million live viewers on average (with a 0.6 rating in demo). Not bad. Some similar shows don’t even reach as many people during their premiere.

Season 1 DVD News
The Season 1 DVD has already been released in some countries (e.g. Australia, UK) two weeks ago. Many fans have been asking about a US-release on the official social media accounts, but so far no one ever bothered to answer or to even acknowledge the questions. It seems like there is no release date yet which is a bit curious since the newest Seasons of many other CBS-Shows (e.g. Hawaii Five-0 or Blue Bloods) have been released recently. Apparently, CBS is still banking on people getting a pass for CBS All Access, their streaming account.

Season 1 DVD (UK version)

MacGyver in Austria
So far, I haven’t seen any promo on TV or on social media, but the show seems to do well enough in Austria. While Episode 1×03 (Awl) two weeks ago only managed 51’000 viewers on average, Episode 1×04 (Wire Cutter) reached 56’000.

MacGyver Reboot Update #39

One week left until the Season 2 Premiere! The cast is even more excited than their fans and spoils them with daily set pictures!

BtS of Season 2 (via Lucas Till)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 2 and the Season 2 Premiere Episode by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Season 2 News – 2×01 Promo
The Season 2 Premiere is approaching fast and Promo has been picking up. CBS finally managed to upload the Teaser Trailer for Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE) that has been airing on TV since last week. There’s also an Official Preview on YouTube that’s slightly different; focusing a bit more on new cast member Isabel Lucas.

On the official CBS show website, they posted a write-up for Episode 2×01 and Season 2:

At the end of MacGyver Season 1, Murdoc came after every agent in the Phoenix Complex to exact murderous revenge —and he’s still on the loose. Now we’ll learn how MacGyver and Jack will follow the trail of the deranged killer. Naturally, the explosive show is back with a bang on Friday, Sept. 29 8/7c on CBS.

Meanwhile, Matty’s personal friend—and an exceptional International agent—asks for the Phoenix Foundation’s help in a non-government sanctioned recovery mission in the Middle East. Using only a soccer ball and a cell phone, Mac and Jack assist in the extraction to bring home a Navy SEAL believed to be alive and held captive.

In other news, the MacGyver Reboot was nominated for an Emmy in the category “Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series, or Movie”. Sadly, Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe didn’t snag the award this time around – but maybe next year? An Emmy Award sure would have been the best promo for the upcoming season.

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

Season 2 News – Episode Titles
On September 15, SpoilerTV revealed the title for Episode 2×07 (Duct Tape + Jack). Based on former Episode Titles, we should assume that they mean the tool and not Jack Dalton (unless they’re implying that he’s a tool as well). It’s interesting to note that this means we have two episodes in Season 2 that could either feature tools or a character – Penny in 2×04 and Jack 2×07. Could be coincidence, of course – but you never know.

We’ve already learnt about the other Episode Titles through IMDb and Instagram, although it seems that the titles for 2×02 (formerly “Roulette Wheel”) and 2×03 (formerly “Mustang and Paper Clips”) have slightly changed. Most of these scripts have been written before filming started and went through several revisions, so changes in the titles wouldn’t be that unusual.

So far, we have following Episode Titles to look forward to:

• 2×01 – DIY or DIE
• 2×02 – Roulette Wheel + Wire
• 2×03 – Muscle Car + Paper Clips
• 2×04 – X-Ray + Penny
• 2×06 – Jet Engine + Pickup Truck
• 2×07 – Duct Tape + Jack

Interestingly, they haven’t released the title for the Halloween Episode (2×05) yet. I remember an Instagram Live Story from July 18 by Justin Hires, in which he quickly swept over his script title pages. Justin made sure it was too fast and too blurry to read instantly, but the title for 2×05 was the only one I could decipher after making a screenshot: Skull + Electromagnet.

Season 2 Script Title Pages (via Justin Hires)

On September 17, George Eads shared another picture of Episode 2×05 with the new field mission trio on a roof. It could be very well some kind of electromagnet that MacGyver is carrying. Apparently, they don’t feel too happy when stuck together in a car, though.

Location, Location, Location
Cast and Crew seem to be constantly on the move, shooting in many different locations. 2nd Unit had been filming a stunt scene in Havana (Cuba) on September 3. The main unit has been filming outside a lot; on sets dressed up as “Cuba”, “Nigeria” or “Ecuador”.

They’ve also been back filming at the Fox Theatre, in Bozer’s old Burger Joint and in a new appartement location. Two days ago and yesterday, there were sightings of production filming on Paper Mill Road in Marietta.

BtS of Season 2 (via Isabel Lucas)

Today, Isabel Lucas revealed that they have been filming in a combustion tank. Apparently, the cast needs the opportunity to get wet and cool themselves down as often as possible.

Mac and Jack, hanging in a Tree…
On September 15, Madeline Grayson posted a picture of an interesting prop that had me immediately thinking of MacGyver. Because many of the Reboot crew members work simultaneously on different projects, you can never be sure if a picture really is related to a certain show.

BtS of Season 2 (via Madeline Grayson)

Peter Lenkov confirmed my suspicions just a day later, though: It’s a MacGyvered parachute for a scene that culminates with Mac and Jack hanging in a tree. Looks like an interesting episode and reminds me of the Original Show.

The cast has started to upload BtS pictures almost daily. So far, they’re doing a better job at promoting than CBS. Justin Hires shared another picture of him and Tristin on the Nigeria Set. It looks like Bozer and Riley are tied up (and judging by the picture he posted today, they aren’t the only ones). On the same day, George Eads posted a picture of him and Lucas getting readied by their Stunt Doubles. There’s also a short video via George and another picture via Lucas just before they prepare themselves to jump off with that paracute.

BtS of Season 2 (via Peter Lenkov)

On September 16, Lucas posted another BtS picture of him and George wearing the Lapland Folklore Costumes which earned a lot of likes and comments.

Justin shared BtS pictures of Bozer, Jack and Riley in the War Room, of Bozer and Mac in the War Room and of Bozer and Jack in Nigeria.

Cast and Character News
The main cast welcomed Isabel Lucas last week. Back in July, Moviehole had released some exclusive details for the storyline of the Season 2 Premiere Episode and about the new female cast members:

We will see 2 new female characters in Olivia Cage and an intel extraction specialist named Agent Carmen. Carmen has been described as “late twenties, fierce, focused and utterly fascinating”. She’s also got history with Matty. Olivia Cage is “a woman to be reckoned with” and someone we will get to know well.

According to Moviehole, Agent Carmen was supposed to join Team Phoenix on a rescue mission in Turkey. She was to be discharged by the CIA for her involvement in the mission, therefore free to join Phoenix.

For almost two months now, C.C. Ice has been listed as stunt double for “Samantha Cage” on IMDb. I always assumed they somehow confused Cage’s name – because IMDb isn’t always the most reliable source and anyone with an account can add more info. As it turns out, Isabel Lucas will actually play (soon-to-be-Ex-CIA-Agent) Samantha Cage.

Either Moviehole had inaccurate info or they switched names/characters at the last minute – like changing Episode Titles, this isn’t such an unusual thing to happen in TV show production.

Screenshot of the Preview for 2×01 (DIY or DIE)

Some people have been worried about Riley and Bozer getting less screentime, now that another field agent joined the team. Peter Lenkov continues to praise Justin Hires’ acting chops as Bozer, so I doubt his character will be written out over the season.

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Stand-Ins, Techs, a father with his 10-year-old daughter, Hispanic Guards and Fit Students and Instructors. They’ve also been looking for Cars, Joggers, Bikes and Parents, Upscale Patrons and Armed Security and Vape Patrons and Hookah Smokers.

Crew and Director News
Gabriel Beristain, who usually fills the position of Director of Photography, directed an episode (presumably 2×07) last week.

This Monday, filming for Episode 2×08 has started. Like the other directors, Stacy Black  had some help from Einstein. They have been filming on Stone Mountain and in Grant Park.

BtS of Episode 2×08 (via Einstein)

Another upcoming director for an episode is Bobby Roth (who has already directed Episode 1×05: Toothpick).

Reruns
There’s a rerun of the Season 1 Finale (Cigar Cutter) today. I think it’s a good idea to show the Season 1 Finale again; giving new viewers a chance to catch up and getting interested in Season 2.

Season 1 DVD News
The Season 1 DVD has been released in some countries (e.g. Australia, UK) last week. The Special Features on the UK Version are listed as follows:

• MacGyver it! The Making of the Pilot
• Watch Magazine Photo Shoot (with Lucas Till and George Eads)
• Interview with Prop Master Kate Guanci
• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel

If you’ve been following the show closely, you’ve probably seen a lot of it already, but I’m looking forward to the deleted scenes especially.

Season 1 DVD Cover (UK Version via DVD Wholesale)

MacGyver in Austria
The Austrian Channel ORF1 airs the Reboot on Saturdays (7.10pm). I don’t know much about regular TV ratings in Austria. The show seems to do well enough, although ratings have been dropping. While the Pilot Episode and Episode 1×02 reached 93’000 resp. 81’000 viewers in demo, Episode 1×03 (Awl) last week only managed 51’000 viewers on average. Compared to other shows, it’s still within the same range as episodes of The Big Bang Theory or The Simpsons that just aired before.

What are Cast and Crew up to?
George Eads uses Instagram very frequently at the moment. The account just got verified recently, so maybe he’s definitely here to stay? On Saturday (September 16), George revealed that he’s busy doing the voice-overs for his cartoon character in the Michael Jackson Halloween Special. He stated being happy about it because his daughter will love it.

Lucas Till is also involved in this project, but he we haven’t seen any news that indicated if he’s already finished doing his part.

Interestingly, CBS just added the date for this Halloween Special: Friday, October 27 – during the same time slot of the Reboot. It’s actually a possibility that the Halloween Episode 2×05 – who was initially supposed to air on that day – won’t air until after Halloween.

Looking Back at Season 1 (XIV) – The Official Stills (Part 4)

Did you miss Part 1 (Episodes 1 to 5)? Or Part 2 (Episodes 6 to 10)? Or Part 3? (Episodes 11 to 15)?

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

Episode 1×16: Hook (Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
For Episode 16, we got the highest amount of Official Stills for Season 1: A whopping 20 Stills via SpoilerTV. Most of them featured Team Phoenix and some bonding time, but some also prominently featured members of the Colton family.

Episode 16: Hook (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: I was excited when it was announced that the Coltons would show up in this episode, but I wasn’t that fond of the Official Stills for them – maybe because the BtS pictures posted on social media were much more interesting than what we got from CBS.

I found this scene between Mac and Jack much more interesting – although the actual scene in the episode didn’t turn out that exciting as the Official Still implied.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Well, there’s 20 Stills in total, so I don’t think I’m allowed to complain much. There’s no SAK.

 

Episode 1×17: Ruler (Guy D’Alema)
Ah. The episode that tried to rope Thornton back in although the actress never appeared in the episode. We only got 8 Stills via SpoilerTV, but they were all of the same sequence which is a pivotal one. The Stills make you curious.

Episode 17: Ruler (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: The Phoenix Squad marching away from danger (because why run away when you look so good strutting it?).

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: No SAK since Episode 1×14 (Fish Scaler). But the Stills here are interesting. They show action, tension and I like the lighting and the colors as well.

 

Episode 1×18: Flashlight
Ah. The first Crossover Episode for the show, this time with Hawaii Five-0. For Episode 18, we got quite a lot of Promo (with interviews and BtS videos), but not that many Stills via SpoilerTV. There were 9 in total.

Episode 1×18: Flashlight (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: The one with Mac and Jack chilling on the beach. They look so serene in this not-so-serene-anymore location.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Two of them feature Mac and Jack fighting and two others already imply the happy ending. But it’s nice to see them in a totally different location for once (8 out of the 9 are from one of the beach sequences). The colors and the people are very pretty to look at.

 

Episode 1×19: Compass
This episode granted us 6 Stills via SpoilerTV and 2 more via Getty Images.

Episode 1×19: Compass (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: The one with Mac, Jack and Frankie.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: All Stills feature the same location. But it’s nice we got to see the Guest Star in them. And because Jack’s injury is so prominently featured as well, you just have to ask yourself what might have happened.

 

Episode 1×20: Hole Puncher (Guy D’Alema)
We got 9 Official Stills via SpoilerTV; featuring 3 different scenes.

Episode 1×20: Hole Puncher (via CBS Express)

MY FAVORITE: Without any knowledge of the synopsis, this Still just has to make you curious. Mac looks… different. Angry? Annoyed? What’s going on? Who’s sitting in front of him?

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Hm. Only 2 locations in these Stills, featuring only 3 different scenes. Because of the Press Release, we already knew that Murdoc plays an important role in this episode. Would have been nice to see him in one of the Stills as well.

 

Episode 1×21: Cigar Cutter (Guy D’Alema)
The Season Finale! We got 6 Official Stills via SpoilerTV. The show was already renewed for a second Season, so people were wondering if it would end in a cliffhanger.

Episode 1×21: Cigar Cutter (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: MacGyver in danger (what else is new). So much action and movement in a single picture. For once, there’s nobody just sitting around.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: We got some other Promo for the Season Finale in form of interviews, but I feel like we should have gotten more Official Stills. 4 out of the 6 Stills feature the same fight sequence, but for a Season Finale Episode, you could argue that this must be a very exciting and important scene.

MacGyver Reboot Update #38

Two weeks left until the Season 2 Premiere – there are new Cast members, Episode Titles Announcements and a Photo Shoot!

BtS of Season 2 (via Isabel Lucas)

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

 

Season 2 News and Promo
The Season 2 Premiere is approaching fast. Some of the Promo material and announcements are only partially official, though. Also, there’s still no Season 1 DVD relase date for the US yet. But the news are slowly trickling in.

Although Hurricane Irma had hit Georgia and Atlanta area, production had only been shut down for day. If any indoor stages or locations suffered from the storm, we haven’t heard about it yet. Thankfully, Cast and Crew made it through unscathed; although they experienced some trouble due to power outtages.

On September 5, we got a new official poster via FOX España. The same picture is used as the header photo for the official social media accounts by CBS.

Official Season 2 Poster (via FOX España)

As with the other poster we got two weeks ago, they used the promo shoot Lucas Till and George Eads had done for Season 1 last year. It reminds me a bit of the Complete Collection DVD Set of the Original Show. Some people have been complaining about Jack Dalton being in the front, but I don’t mind as much. It’s interesting to note that they’re focusing more on the bromance than on the main hero the show is named for, though. I don’t know if this is a foreshadowing for the upcoming season (e.g. that the bromance will have more relevance than the team aspect this year).

As Justin Hires revealed, they have been doing a photo shoot yesterday. All cast members were dressed in blue and grey tones. Tristin also posed for a picture with DP (Director of Photography) Gabriel Beristain while Lucas had some “help” from Einstein.

Post-Production on Episode 2×01
On September 5, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov shared a new BtS picture of himself being on set. While he was finishing the editing process for the Season 2 Premiere Episode, he also granted us a glimpse at several short BtS videos. One of them takes place in Syria and is most likely part of the Opening Gambit. Like in the Season Finale, two people (presumably Mac and Jack) crash through the ceiling to take out the bad guys.

Instagram Live Story Screenshots of Season 2 (via Peter Lenkov)

In another clip, Jack urges Mac not to talk about Cairo – especially not when they’re in an airplane, flying directly over Cairo. Isabel Lucas (presumably as Agent Carmen) sits in front of Mac while Riley and Bozer are nowhere to be seen.

Two weeks ago, Peter Lenkov had visited Montreal to teach a Master Class in script writing to film students. On that occasion, he had taken the time to do some interviews. It makes sense now that Lenkov doesn’t engage so much in social media anymore as last year: Besides working on MacGyver, Hawaii Five-0 and Salvation, he’s already working on another Reboot! As he told Quebec’s The Suburban, he can’t reveal yet what the project is, though.

BtS of Episode 2×05 (via Peter Lenkov)

On September 12, Lenkov shared two more pictures: One of Isabel Lucas with Lucas Till and George Eads, and a clearer picture of Jack in his Halloween Costume. So far, we haven’t seen the other costumes, but there’s a good chance that Bozer made “Team Phoenix” dress up as an hommage to The Wizard of Oz. I’m wondering a bit why we don’t get to see Bozer’s supposedly amazing mask making skills, though.

Filming in Cuba
On September 2nd, Alan Cohen revealed that he and Gabriel Beristain were already en route towards Havana to film a stunt sequence. It didn’t take long until Peter Lenkov, Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe or Crew Members posted BtS pictures of a scene involving an interesting vehicle.

The scene reminds me of the Classic MacGyver Episode 2×17 (Dalton, Jack of Spies). As BtS pictures revealed, George Eads’ Stunt Double Reece Fleetwood was indeed in charge of riding the motorcycle.

BtS of Season 2 (via Gabriel Beristain)

The finished stunt sequence will probably be a chase scene. On September 3rd, Peter Lenkov had uploaded a short and rather blurry video sequence of a Stunt Driver getting a car into position. We’ve already seen this car before, but in a studio in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, the main cast was filming their part in the same scene in Atlanta in front of a Green Screen. On September 8, George Eads shared a BtS picture of the process on Instagram. It’s funny how the crew is walking around in sweaters while the main heroes have to pretend they’re sweating under the Cuban sun.

(Just days after 2nd Unit had returned from Havana, Cuba was hit by the Hurricane; suffering from major destruction. There are still people without access to fresh water or a place to live since big areas have been completely destroyed.)

BtS of Season 2 (via George Eads)

Filming in “Nigeria” and “Ecuador”
On August 30, Cast and Crew had filmed at Berry Hill Airport. The location was dressed as Nigeria and apparently involves more of Jack running through the woods with his gun while Bozer takes care of the equipment. Apparently, there will also be a stunt involving fire since George Eads had revealed how to fireproof your shoes.

Justin Hires posted a BtS picture of the Nigeria Set on September 9. For several days, he had already uploaded BtS videos; e.g. of the drone that will be used in this episode. FlyWorx revealed that the drone will actually be featured in the episode and wasn’t just used for location shots. Many Extras shared pictures on social media; praising the set decorators. Extra Patrick Pierre was also the first to share a clear picture of Isabel Lucas on set.

BtS of MacGyver Season 2 (via Patrick Pierre)

Cast and Crew seem to be constantly on the move, shooting in many different locations. On September 10, production moved to “Ecuador”. As with the set for Nigeria, the scenes involved high officials and other military people.

They’ve also been back filming at the Fox Theatre (that had already been used as a location for Episode 1×15: Magnifying Glass). In the newest pictures and BtS videos by Justin Hires, we see a new appartement location. Since Justin revealed that we will re-visit Bozer at his first job as a burger-flipper, it’s possible that this appartement will also be part of a flashback scene.

Bonding with “The Gifted”
On August 23, there had been several postings about the new X-Men spin-off The Gifted (FOX) and MacGyver filming on the same location and sharing the base camp. Apparently, Lucas and George weren’t impressed about the MacGyver Crew announcing a showdown between departements: They spent Labor Day with some of The Gifted Crew; swimming in the Lake and cooking breakfast together.

Havok and Polaris (via Emma Dumont)

Emma Dumont, who plays Polaris in the show, posted a picture of her and Lucas Till that soon went viral on X-Men Fansites. In the Comics, Polaris and Havok (played by Lucas in the X-Men movies) are romantically involved. Many fans have been wondering if Lucas would make a guest appearance on The Gifted. As for now, it seems that although other actors (e.g. Amy Acker or Jermaine Rivers) and crew we’ve seen working on MacGyver are involved, Lucas isn’t part of it.

Cast and Character News
We’ve already known for a while about Isabel Lucas joining the main cast this upcoming season. There’s still no official press release yet, but the cast has already granted her a warm welcome: Justin Hires posted a picture of “Team Phoenix” in the War Room on September 11. A day later, Meredith Eaton and Lucas Till posted a welcome picture on Instagram. Isabel also posted the same picture of her with Mac and Jack on set that Lucas had already posted.

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Stand-Ins, African American Women, Nigerian Townspeople, Techs and Agents, Hispanic Patrons, Reporters, Security and Paramedics, a Photo Double for Lucas, Hispanic Nurses, Patients and Orderlies, for Bad Guys, for Police and for people portraying Neighbors.

Reruns
There’s no rerun today. The rerun of the Season 1 Finale – Episode 21 (Cigar Cutter) – will air next Friday (September 22); just a week before the Premiere of Season 2.

Episode 1×21: Cigar Cutter (via SpoilerTV)

MacGyver in Germany – Ratings
On average, every episode of MacGyver airing in Germany earned about 868’000 live-viewers in the important demo group (14-49 years old). That’s a demo market share of 10% and quite a good result for this sometimes disastrous German TV Summer.

The Network had skipped over 3 episodes (11, 16 and 19) to start early with new episodes of NCIS and the premiere of Bull; followed by Hawaii Five-0. So far, these ratings aren’t as good as they had been for Lethal Weapon and MacGyver. Sat.1 had promised to air the remaining episodes next year with Season 2, but we’ll see if they decide to air reruns if the ratings for their other CBS shows keep falling.

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

MacGyver in Austria
The Austrian Channel ORF1 started airing the Reboot on September 2 (Saturdays at 7.10pm). I don’t know anything about regular TV ratings in Austria, but the show seems to do well enough. The Pilot Episode reached 93’000 people in demo, which is a market share of 4. (For comparison: A new episode of The Big Bang Theory airing an hour earlier reached 64’000 people on average, the Formula 1 race airing afterwards about 775’000 people.)

A week later, Episode 1×02 managed 81’000 viewers on avarage (also with a market share of 4).

Looking Back at Season 1 (III) – Guess the Season Finale Plot Twist (Part 2)

It’s always fun to speculate what could happen. It’s even more fun for a TV show than for a book or a movie; especially if a TV show is already running for more than a few seasons because there are many characters and storylines to choose from.

Back in March, when the filming for Season 1 was coming to an end, I joined the “Guess the Season Finale Plot Twist” Game on Twitter. The point of this silly game is to make crazy and whacky predictions about a Season Finale that you would never expect to happen – but that actually COULD happen.

I’m looking back at the second half of my Season Finale Plot Twists guesses. You can find Part 1 here.

 

Why? Episode 1×19: Compass hadn’t happened yet and Bozer finally declaring his love to Riley was expected to happen sometime soon; especially after he suddenly had a rival present.

It was kinda weird that after Bozer finally got Riley’s number, nothing ever happened. It was not clear if they had been dating or if he ever asked her out at all and had been turned down. It’s like they forgot about this storyline just to pick it up again in the Crossover Episode 1×18: Flashlight.

Could this have happened? Yes, although it’s rather unlikely. Although: If Thornton hadn’t already been established as a major bad guy and been replaced, I think it’s actually possible they could have made her acknowledge a girlfriend or fiancée one day (e.g. because she had been kidnapped).

The Reboot has a very diverse cast and even someone handicapped; why not make one of the main characters presented as being gay?

Would I have wanted this to happen? Now that 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.

 

Why? Original MacGyver has been in a coma as well (in Episode 5×21: Passages) and this would be quite a dramatic plot twist indeed.

Could this have happened? Yes.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Not really. Sounds like a typical FanFiction trope.

Could this still happen? Yes. But that would probably be a cheap way to reset the whole series because they wrote themselves into a corner. Also, that would mean that Riley, Matty, Murdoc and almost every other character introduced after the pilot episode weren’t a part of the MacGyver Universe and would have to disappear. Hell, 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.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Oh hell 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.

 

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

Could this have happened? Well, yes and no. It’s absolutely possible that MacGyver is adopted and that his biological father is 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 unnessecarily complicate the progressing season.

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.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Hm. I don’t know. It feels like MacGyver’s dad could turn out to be a total jerk.

Could this still happen? Theoretically yes, but it’s not even sure if this really is a location they used for the Reboot at all or if Kevin had either uploaded the wrong picture or decided to play with us. This is the location they used for filming the pilot episode of the new TV Show Dynasty that will have its premiere in October. (The location is featured in the trailer.)

 

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

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

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

Could this still happen? Yes.

 

Why? In an interview a day or two before the Season Finale aired, Executive Peter Lenkov had revealed that Season 2 will see both Riley and Bozer in relationships with other people. So it was a logical step to speculate about who could turn out to be the new love of Bozer’s life.

Could this have happened? Yes, of course.

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 “Lil Morgan”, the blonde Phoenix Tech that gets taken hostage by Dr. Zito before Matty steps in. The actress was also the only other actress being featured during the Opening Gambit of the Baseball Game.

 

Well, this was a whole lot of fun! I already have some plot twists in mind that could happen in the Season 2 premiere, so look out for those on Twitter.

Looking Back at Season 1 (II) – Guess the Season Finale Plot Twist (Part 1)

It’s always fun to speculate what could happen. It’s even more fun for a TV show than for a book or a movie; especially if a TV show is already running for more than a few seasons because there are many characters and storylines to choose from.

Back in March, when the filming for Season 1 was coming to an end, I joined the “Guess the Season Finale Plot Twist” Game on Twitter. The point of this silly game is to make crazy and whacky predictions about a Season Finale that you would never expect to happen – but that actually COULD happen.

I’m looking back at the first half of my Season Finale Plot Twists guesses. (Because it’s fun, that’s why!)

 

Why? If you read my recent blog post about MacGyver’s hair, you know why. MacGyver’s hair has always been a hot topic. There were heated discussions after Lucas Till was cast for the Reboot and again after the first stills of the Unaired Pilot were released. MacGyver’s mullet always seemed to be something holy that isn’t allowed to be touched. 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? Yes, of course. Richard Dean Anderson would have made a very believable Dr. Zito; and cast and crew had made it very clear that they would LOVE to have RDA on the show. If he had changed his mind and told CBS “I’ll do it, but only if I get to play Dr. Zito“, he would have gotten the part. And we know Dr. Zito likes to hold people hostage in cells and to threaten and torture them.

Would I have wanted this to happen? RDA as an evil guy? Yes, please! The last shot of the episode showing a close-up of Lucas Till while “Original MacGyver” is shaving off rebooted MacGyver’s hair? Oh yes! I can’t even imagine the drama on social media after somebody leaking a picture of Lucas being bald… It’s safe to say that the ratings would have gone through the roof.

Could this still happen? Well, yes and no. Dr. Zito was already played by someone else – but there’s still the possibility of RDA (or another bad guy) shaving off Lucas’ hair. Although it wouldn’t be as much fun without RDA being involved.

 

Why? On the 10th of March, Lucas Till had posted a picture of MacGyver-Creator Lee David Zlotoff visiting the set. The cast was still in character, and Justin Hires as Bozer was wearing a bloody shirt while Tristin Mays as Riley had bloody streaks on her chest. There were speculations that Bozer would die (maybe while saving Riley), or that his almost-dying would get Riley to confess her true feelings for him.

It was already established that Bozer is a genius in mask-making, but we haven’t seen any of his masks since Episode 1×08 (Corkscrew). After that, it was all noses.

Also, it would make sense for Murdoc wanting to hurt MacGyver not just physically, but emotionally. And he’s crazy enough to wear a mask of MacGyver while doing the killing. It would actually be a throwback to the Original Show (Episode 6×12: Jerico Games), where a killer shot someone while posing as MacGyver to frame him.

Lee David Zlotoff visiting the set (via Lucas Till)

Could this have happened? Yes. There were speculations early on in the series that MacGyver’s best friend would die. And speculations until the last minute that Riley and Bozer would finally get together.

Would I have wanted this to happen? No, at least in regard of Bozer dying in the first season. MacGyver feeling responsible for his best friend’s death would have overshadowed the whole next season, but probably wouldn’t have been adressed properly. MacGyver has already enough emotional issues that aren’t dealt with. Also, I would have preferred for MacGyver getting stabbed because hello, MacWhump!

Could this still happen? Yes.

 

Why? MacGyver’s father has been mentioned since the beginning, but we still don’t know much about him. Him showing up unexpectedly would have made perfect sense for a plot twist and a cliffhanger in a Season Finale. Also, the longer he’s not showing up, the higher the expectations about the actor who will play him. Richard Dean Anderson would have been the most obvious choice for many fans, so of course the plot twist would be that it’s somebody else no one would have expected. (My second choice would have been Michael Des Barres, actually.)

Could this have happened? Well, Bruce McGill is quite busy at the moment, but yes.

Would I have wanted this to happen? Sure, why not? I would have preferred it over MacGyver looking for his father for the rest of the episodes.

Could this still happen? 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.

 

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).

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

Would I have wanted this to happen? Hm. Don’t know. Feels unresolved and not inventive enough.

Could this still happen? Technically yes, but I’m assuming the deadline for the CELLebration Film Festival was set for a long time ago. If Justin wanted to leave the show or if his character is going to be written out, it would probably happen differently; mainly more dramatically.

 

Why? The storyline with Nikki Carpenter was never satisfactorily resolved. She just disappeared although she should have been involved in everything concerning the Organization (and therefore at least in Episodes 1×17: Ruler and 1×21: Cigar Cutter). Also, it’s reasonable to assume that Tracy Spiridakos will show up again if she’s available.

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 (for a few moments at least, although it wasn’t mathematically possible that the kid could have been his).

Would I have wanted this to happen? No, absolutely not. MacGyver being a father at this point would make the show very complicated; especially if he wasn’t dating the kids’ mom anymore. He wasn’t living with Nikki back when they’ve been dating for 2 years, so he wouldn’t do it now just for sake of the child – but he probably would quit his job. Sounds like an idea for a Spin-Off: Retired agent taking care of his child while the mother working for the CIA travels the world. Eh, no.

Could this still happen? Yes. But it made sense that in the Original Show, the appearance of a child didn’t happen until the Season Finale.

 

Why? We don’t know much about MacGyver’s father besides him leaving when MacGyver was either 10 or 12 years old – depending if you’re referring to Episode 1×02 (Metal Saw) or to Episode 1×18 (Flashlight).

Could this have happened? Yes. It’s actually a storyline that happens in a similar way more than once in FanFiction – in MacGyver FanFiction as well.

Would I have wanted this to happen? No. 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? Yes.

 

Why? We don’t know much about MacGyver’s mom besides her dying when he was 5 years old. I always expected some explanation about how or why she died; e.g. in Episode 1×10 (Pliers) when Mac tells Valerie that his mom died when he was a kid.

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, but that would be even more of a stretch and could be interpreted as a desperate attempt to get better ratings (which the show doesn’t need for the moment).

 

End of Part 1. You can find Part 2 here.

MacGyver Reboot Update #28

Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on April 28, 2017. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.

The MacGyver Season 1 Finale has aired. Fans don’t have to be sad, though: Filming for Season 2 should start in July in Atlanta.

LA Wrap Party Collage (via DashboardOnFire)

(SPOILER ALERT: You will get spoilered about the Season Finale and about storylines in Season 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

It’s a wrap! Again?
Although cast and crew had already celebrated the official wrap party in Atlanta back in March, there was another wrap party in LA on April 22. Together with some cast and crew members of Hawaii Five-0, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov took his people bowling.

They all seemed to have a good time. Justin Hires posted several Instagram Live videos (e.g. with Lucas Till, Tristin Mays or Meredith Eaton). In one of the videos, Lucas revealed that he had mostly caught up on sleep since last seeing Justin in Atlanta. David Dastmalchian shared selfies of him with Lucas and with Joe Dante who had directed Episode 4 (Wire Cutter). Meredith posted pictures of her posing with Lenkov and Henry Winkler and with Tristin. Tristin uploaded a video of Lucas preparing for his next strike. Lucas was seen shaking hands with Hollywood Legend Hal Holbrook.

Episode 1×21: Cigar Cutter (via SpoilerTV)

Premiere of the Season Finale
The ratings for the last three episodes have also been the lowest of the season. Although they made an effort for some additional promo for the Season Finale, Episode 21 (Cigar Cutter) had the second lowest ratings of the season so far with 6.57 million viewers (along with a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demo group).

Interestingly, last week’s rerun of Episode 10 (Pliers) still managed to pull in 5.13 million viewers (with 0.7 in demo).

Nonetheless, the Season 1 ratings are good. All episodes included, the show had 7.73 million live-viewers per episode, along with a 1.08 rating in the 18-49-years demo group. The reruns (10 episodes so far) had 4.45 million live-viewers per episode (with 0.7 in demo).

Season 1 Premieres and Reruns Ratings so far (put together by DashboardOnFire)

(It’s worth noting that it wasn’t just “MacGyver” losing almost a million viewers on the most recent episodes, but other Friday shows like Hawaii Five-0 or Blue Bloods as well.)

Season Finale Promo
On Season Finale day, we got a lot of promo interviews and articles – so much that I didn’t manage to cover all of it in my last Update.

Tristin Mays did an appearance on Good Day LA. Lucas did a short Q&A on Instagram for AmazonVideo. Just before the Season Finale Premiere, CBS did a live-interview on Facebook with Tristin and David Dastmalchian; including another exclusive clip and their one word to describe the Finale (devastating by David, outrageous by Tristin).

Because of the DVD-Release of Monster Trucks, Lucas had additionally been doing promo for his movie that week. In a video interview with SideWalksTV, he also talked about MacGyver and the work load, how his fan encounters changed due to the show and what’s it like to work with the cast.

Season Finale Set visit pics (via Randall Goltzman)

A while ago, there was a Boy Scouts Sweepstakes with Jake Goltzman winning the grand prize. He was invited to visit the set during the filming process of the Season Finale. Back in March, his father Randall had already uploaded many pictures onto Facebook. (You can see some of the pictures in this blog post.) On premiere day, CBS Austin aired a segment of Jake talking about his experience.

Additionally, cast and crew shared some more pictures of Episode 21 on social media; e.g. David Dastmalchian of Murdoc and Matty or Justin Hires of Bozer and “Dr. Zito”. Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe posted a picture of him with Mark Sheppard and a BtS pic of him having fun with Lucas while preparing to do a scene with “suffering” Bozer. Kirk Riley shared a BtS picture of the scene in Siberia.

Character and Storyline News
On April 8, Peter Lenkov tweeted that he and Producers Craig O’Neill and David Slack had discussed the story about how Jack met MacGyver – and teased that we’ll have to wait until next season for that.

As mentioned in the last Update, Peter Lenkov revealed that next season will see Riley and Bozer having relationships with other people. So we might be introduced to new recurring characters soon; maybe even in the Season 2 Premiere.

BtS of Episode 1×21: Cigar Cutter (via Kirk Riley)

I’ve been wondering if they’ve already filmed the entire Cairo backstory for continuity and why they haven’t already done so while filming the pilot. Breaking down the Season Finale cliffhangers with Entertainment Weekly, Lenkov stated that “The idea is that next season we’ll get to see another piece of that story, how they got out of that part of Cairo.” He also revealed that we will discover at the end of the season who MacGyver’s father is. I’m really curious who they’re going to cast in this role.

What’s going to happen now?
Kevin Marshall (Stand-In for George Eads) was still shooting inserts on a Villa-with-Pool-Location on March 31. So far, we still don’t know what these scenes were for – unless the MacGyver Reboot has a crossover with CW’s new show “Dynasty”, it’s possible that the overworked crew used the wrong social media hashtags.

For now, most of the cast is probably enjoying some free time. Meanwhile, Lenkov is busy preparing for the Finale of Hawaii Five-0 and the crew in Atlanta is working on other TV show pilots.

via Randall Goltzman

Note that there is a strike of the Writers Guild of America looming on the horizon. It’s unclear yet how a strike would influence the production of the reboot. The last time this happened (in 2007/08), production ceased for all scripted television programming for months. Many TV shows had shortened seasons due to a lack of scripts, were postponed, cancelled or had to switch to non-union writers in order to resume production.