MacGyver (TV Series) The Gauntlet (1985) User Reviews

Good episode, but....

[slackersmom · 8/10 · 3 August 2019]

Minor spoiler for the Opening Gambit: In the opening gambit*, MacGyver uses the map (the procuring of which was his primary objective) to cover or seal a hole in the balloon--he taped it to the balloon with duct tape.

The obvious question is: why didn't he just use duct tape to seal the hole? He could have made a 6in x 6in patch with the tape, and used that instead. It would have been more effective as a seal and would certainly have protected the all-important map. (But then, it would have limited the number of ways he used the map to escape. We saw a total of four way to this point, and the balloon was the fifth way he used the map. But it really made no sense to do what he did.

BTW, I really enjoyed the Opening Gambit of these first-season episodes. I think one of the mistakes this show made after the first season or so was to drop it.

Rewatching 30 years later

[kc-halpin · 7/10 · 7 April 2024]

I watched MacGyver as a kid and was truly inspired into the sciences. Watching it now, it seems sillier than it did as a kid. Overall it still holds up well with its cleverness, which was always its strongest virtue. In this particular episode, the opening gambit has many flaws that lessen its appeal, like seeing the hot air balloon tether, taping the map to the balloon, having a hole that low in the balloon have a high pressure leak, etc. However, the camera flash and C4 scene later in the episode was really creative and reminds me why I felt so inspired as a kid.

I studied Physics in college and now I'm in computer science, and it's all thanks to MacGyver. While the nostalgia is palpable, the content is a bit less awesome than I remember. I would give this episode a 6, but I gave it an extra star for how good it was in the 80/90s context. Thats probably how I would rate the whole show. A solid 7, but maybe an 8 when considered in its appropriate decade and context. I don't think it will inspire kids today like it did me, which is a shame.

The sets are great, but you can definitely tell they have boundaries, and some obviously have less budget than others, but some are great, like the pilot episode, and this episode.

All in all, just enjoy the nostalgic ride when you're looking for time to kill, and understand that generational appeal is limited to us 80s and 90s kids.

MacGyver goes South

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 9/10 · 18 April 2016]

In this fourth episode MacGyver pays a visit to Latin America as he is sent on a mission to find a photographer.

From the start of the episode, when he is trying to get a map and escape in a hot air balloon, this is classic MacGyver. Top-notch quality, amazing invents, and a perfect interpretation by Richard Dean Anderson. But the guests are very good too, from Robin Curtis as the photographer to the bad guys. The mixture of humor and action is perfect, the tension runs high, and Robin Curtis's Kate is one of those partners that helps brings the best in MacGyver. The story is really great in its simplicity, with them just trying to get some pictures from a shady deal and not doing in the intent.

But what makes this a great episode are MagGyver's inventions. And the imagination on display here is magnificent. It is one episode where it seems they really took care in bringing variety. The viewer will be surprised constantly. And if you include explosions, chases or fights... You have the perfect cocktail.

Great one.

Computer

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 9 November 2020]

I like the bit where he uses his resourcefulness to get out of a tricky situation