I like this episode a lot, mostly because I really like the character of Harry, and John Anderson, the actor who played him. I was happy that they made him a recurring character. I wondered why the writers felt that MacGyver should have been estranged from his grandfather all those years, but I enjoyed seeing how Harry's personality and cleverness had rubbed off on his grandson despite all those years of separation. There are lots of MacGyverisms, and I included Harry's MacGyverisms in the Lexicon as if they were MacGyver's own, just because the two characters were thinking as if they were one person.
That said, I cringe through this episode every time I watch it because of the dialogue. The conversations feel stilted, and the bad guys are so stereotyped. It is filled with cliches and awkward one-liners ("Let's finish this MacGyver NOW" or "It's a nice day for hunting" <shiver>). I also noticed, while writing it up, that a LOT of the dialogue happens off screen. You don't actually see the character deliver the line, but rather we hear the dialogue as a voice-over while the characters are moving or facing away. I really wondered if the original script kept getting changed and they simply edited around certain scenes and inserted voice-overs after the fact in order to cut out the original dialogue. I noticed there are three writers listed in the credits, and I wondered if they kept changing writers or if it was a case of too many cooks.
The other thing that confuses me is the premise - "The Department" that Barney works for, presumably the DXS, knows that Axminster has been hired and is coming for him, and Barney tells him to get out of town while they stake his place out. So MacGyver goes to Colorado, and sure enough Axminster shows up at his place, and even hangs around long enough for them to tap into his phone and figure out where he went. SO WHERE THE HECK ARE THE AGENTS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE STAKING OUT HIS PLACE?"
Barney and his men SHOULD have captured Axminster right then and there. But then, of course, we wouldn't have an episode.
But having said all that, the relationship between MacGyver and Harry makes the episode worthwhile, and it makes me happy that we get to see more of them together later on. Despite everything I've said before about liking the "mystery" of the character, I liked having that little glimpse into his family and his background.
BTW, I've just finished uploading The Enemy Within. I'm only 5 episodes ahead now, but I'm still paddling as fast as I can.
Kate