Trying to update the MacGyver Lexicon has always been on the back burner, but it is such a daunting task I wasn't sure it was worth going back to it. Once I finally got the last section of the Photo Gallery caught up, my plan was to work on the Video Gallery (also daunting!), but... if there is enough interest in old MacGyver episodes, maybe it will be the motivation (kick in the backside?) that I need to tackle it. I can't promise I can keep up with one episode per week, but since I already have an 8-episode head start, maybe I can at least make it through episode 9.
Actually, season one is still a favorite of mine. There was still a mystery and an innocence about the character then. And even though some of the episodes and the dialogue seem so trite now, there was a charm about them that kept you watching.
I remember in the summer of 1985 when the networks were airing their promo ads for the new season, a friend and I were talking about what looked like it was worth watching. I mentioned the one where the character is asked, "Don't tell me you can make a bomb out of a stick of chewing gum" and replies, "Why, you got some?" and said I was definitely going to check that one out. I had NO idea where that simple line was going to lead.
There was a time when I had most of the episodes nearly memorized, but I haven't rewatched most of them in years, so I've forgotten a lot. In addition to trying to document the characters and plot lines, I used to enjoy capturing little behind-the-scenes details, like shooting locations, filming notes, and continuity errors. The continuity errors are fun to find, but having been on the set to witness the process of shooting an episode, it is very easy to understand how they manage to slip through.
As I mentioned in the Lexicon, the pilot was originally shot as a 90-minute episode and was then re-edited to an hour. I do have a copy of the original script - MacGyver's first name is Stace, and he has a pet frog named Samuel. I wonder if the original 90-minute version still exists anywhere.
Kate