Episode 2 of MacGyver has aired and I don’t know what to think about it. The storyline was good, it showed more of Jack's story and more interaction between all the characters but it just didn’t feel like MacGyver. It is the same as any other police/crime show, the only difference is that the main character uses his brain and not a gun.
Last week’s pilot wasn’t the best. I’m not going to lie, it put me off the rest of the series but I am glad I kept watching as this week's episode got better. I think this is going to be one of those series where each episode gets slightly better until the finale either makes or breaks it.
In this episode, The Phoenix Foundation has to rescue Sarah (Amy Acker), who is a CIA agent and also Jack’s ex. The episode was mainly focused on Jack. We see him laugh, make stupid dad jokes, and cry. This is what I have been waiting for! In the pilot, everything felt forced and boring. After Jack finds out Sarah has a fiancé, we see raw emotion that felt real. This is why I love George Eads acting, his acting is phenomenal and he is doing an outstanding job as Jack. I think he could steal the show by the end of the season. I would like to see more of Amy Acker’s character throughout the season as there are obviously some feelings between Jack and Sarah still. Another relationship that we see grow in this episode is Jack’s and Mac’s. There are some nice scenes between them and we really see their friendship and that they both look out for each other.
I would say that Mac is on our screen for 40% of the episode and that was mostly him either breaking into buildings or making gadgets. He broke into Nikki's apartment twice and then the Venusian prison that Sarah is held in. While in the prison Mac makes a few gadgets, I really liked the night vision goggles but I find it really hard to concentrate when there are multiple scenes going on at once. Along with the annotations and over talk, it makes it a mess and that is a shame as the over talk is what I loved in the original MacGyver. Lucas Tills voice is what ruins it as it sounds like he is trying to get it over and done with, and there is nothing to it. This goes with his acting as well. I was hoping it would get better but it seems like it won’t anytime soon.
Overall, the storyline was better than last weeks. I like how they have not given much away but in terms of where Nikki is but while Mac is sat in her apartment he uses his trusty Swiss Army Knife to pop open a fake plug cover to unveil some documents in Nikki's alias, Alice M Hunter.
Rating: 6/10
Did you think the episode was better than the pilot?
