MacGyver: Season 3

A unique and different kind of TV action series, MacGyver made its television premiere in the Fall of 1985 to much fanfare. Audiences immediately responded to the title character and his unusual penchant for turning everyday items like chewing gum and paperclips into elaborate life-saving contraptions. In this way, it maintained a slight resemblance to The A-Team, and this recurring plot device helped MacGyver build a strong cult following...

Richard Dean Anderson plays the title role of MacGyver, an energetic employee of the fictional Phoenix Foundation for Research. An unorthodox hero by action series standards, MacGyver has a deadly fear of heights. A pacifist who refuses to use weapons, he relies heavily on his ability to use his brain and tinker with the various materials at his disposal. MacGyver's best friend, and the director of the Phoenix Foundation, is Pete Thornton (Dana Elcar). Pete often sends MacGyver on Foundation missions and sometimes comes to his aid (usually after MacGyver has saved the day). In addition, MacGyver is joined on a regular basis by his airplane pilot friend Jack Dalton (Bruce McGill), a man who constantly entangles himself in illegal activities and other troublesome situations. Between the usual slew of bad guys, the vendetta of archenemy Murdoc (Michael Des Barres), and his multitude of troublesome friends, MacGyver is always in the midst of interesting and dangerous events, and the show's true entertainment value derives from watching MacGyver's distinctive method of dealing with each one...

The MacGyver (Season 3) DVD features a number of action-packed episodes including the season premiere "Lost Love" in which a woman from MacGyver's past (a woman he once loved) returns to his life. She also happens to be a known Soviet dissident who begs for his help in aiding her escape from the evil regime. But before MacGyver can help, the KGB kidnaps her and demands a priceless artifact as her ransom, leaving MacGyver as the only man who can save her... Other notable episodes from Season 3 include "The Widowmaker" in which MacGyver mourns the death of his friend at the hands of a former enemy, and "Mask of the Wolf" in which Jack and MacGyver aid in the search for an ancient Indian wolf mask while two mercenaries follow their trail...

Below is a list of episodes included on the MacGyver (Season 3) DVD:

Episode 45 (Lost Love: Part 1)

Episode 46 (Lost Love: Part 2)

Episode 47 (Back from the Dead)

Episode 48 (Ghost Ship)

Episode 49 (Fire and Ice)

Episode 50 (GX-1)

Episode 51 (Jack in the Box)

Episode 52 (The Widowmaker)

Episode 53 (Hell Week)

Episode 54 (Blow Out)

Episode 55 (Kill Zone)

Episode 56 (Early Retirement)

Episode 57 (Thin Ice)

Episode 58 (The Odd Triple)

Episode 59 (The Negotiator)

Episode 60 (The Spoilers)

Episode 61 (Mask of the Wolf)

Episode 62 (Rock the Cradle)

Episode 63 (The Endangered)

Episode 64 (Murderer's Sky)

The DVD Report

With the first two seasons having recently come out on DVD barebones with no extras, don't hold your breath for this third season release. Nonetheless, the quality of the show itself is what really matters, not that of the package. There were a total of 20 episodes produced for this season, and the set has been announced as a 5-Disc collection, following the slim packaging established with the second season set. Richard Dean Anderson is great as the witty MacGyver, who uses his knowledge of things around him as a means of escaping the dreary situations he has to overcome in every episode. Dana Elcar is also fantastic as Peter Thornton, MacGyver's boss at the Phoenix Foundation, and also his best friend. The episodes that will be included in this set are: Lost Love- Part One, Lost Love- Part Two, Back From the Dead, Ghost Ship, Fire and Ice, GX-1, Jack in the Box, The Widowmaker, Hell Week, Blow Out, Kill Zone, Early Retirement, Thin Ice, The Odd Triple, The Negotiator, The Spoilers, Mask of the Wolf, Rock the Cradle, The Endangered, and finally Murderer's Sky. Hopefully Paramount will release the remaining four seasons on DVD soon, and maybe someday we will see extras in future sets.

Out of the 7 seasons of MacGyver, this one is by far the best overall. If you are only going to buy one season this one is for you. The first season set the stage for the show and the second season developed the character of MacGyver, now in the third season the writers really hit their stride. One stroke of genius is the introduction of Nikki Carpenter, a strong female with a mind of her own who butts heads with MacGyver every chance she gets. She drives Mac nuts which creates some great scenes between the two of them as the season goes on. They originally wanted her to be a love interest for MacGyver (she is played by the same girl who is in "Lost Love 1 & 2" at the beginning of the season) but they really didn't have that kind of chemistry. It is more of a brother sister kind of thing so she eventually leaves the show. Also in this season Jack Dalton returns for 5 episodes as does Murdoc in the one of the shows best episodes ever, "The Widowmaker". We get to see MacGyver's soft side when he finds a baby and his rough side when he coaches a hockey team. We also get to meet the many loves of MacGyver that always never quite work out. Overall, season 3 is the best season ever. Season 4 which will hopefully be out by Christmas comes in a close second.