Phoenix Foundation - A MacGyver Podcast

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: February 20th, 1989 —

MacGyver must rescue a recently divorced co-worker’s kidnapped son from her jerk ex-husband’s crime family.

MISSION: On the eve of a finalized divorce, young Tommy Giordano is kidnapped by his father and swept out of the country by a mafia patriarch on the run. Together with Tommy’s mother, MacGyver must steal back the child before a clash of mafia families puts Tommy in danger.

This week’s highlights include:

Some news on the theatrical remake of Stephen King’s It.

Child custody (Law)

Child custody and legal guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the child to make decisions and the parent’s duty to care for the child.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_custody.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: February 13th, 1989 —

Mac and Pete hunt for a potential mole at Phoenix looking to sell intelligence

MISSION: Phoenix Foundation finds themselves at the mercy of a mole when top secret information is stolen and offered to a nefarious big spender.

This week’s highlights include:

Microdot (Technology)

A microdot is text or an image substantially reduced in size onto a small disc to prevent detection by unintended recipients. Microdots are normally circular and around one millimeter in diameter but can be made into different shapes and sizes and made from various materials such as polyester or metal. The name comes from the fact that the microdots have often been about the size and shape of a typographical dot, such as a period or the tittle of a lowercase i or j. Microdots are, fundamentally, a steganographic approach to message protection.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microdot.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: February 6th, 1989 —

Penny scores the lead in a musical; someone wants her to break a leg

MISSION: MacGyver shows up to cheer on Penny in her musical debut, but when a string of accidents befall the cast, the hunt begins for the mastermind behind the scenes.

This week’s highlights include:

Here’s that Joan of Ark short film (The Truth Wears Sideburns) from Clone High which we quoted liberally.

Acrostic (Poetry)

An acrostic is a poem (or other form of writing) in which the first letter (or syllable, or word) of each line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word or a message. The word comes from the French acrostiche from post-classical Latin acrostichis, from Koine Greek ἀκροστιχίς, from Ancient Greek ἄκρος “highest, topmost” and στίχος “verse”). As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrostic.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: January 23rd, 1989 —

Mac and Jack team up to track down Jack’s estranged mother, a predictably wanted fugitive

MISSION: Jack Dalton gets clues in the mail sending him on a path to finding his mother. As Jack and his mother approach a reunion, it becomes clear his mother is pushing him away to keep Jack clear of the mess she’s gotten herself into.

This week’s highlights include:

Midnight Run (Film)

Midnight Run is a 1988 American action comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano and Philip Baker Hall play supporting roles.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Run.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: January 16th, 1989 —

MacGyver teams up with the local police to track down a brainwashed escaped convict

MISSION: MacGyver tries to convince the LAPD to adopt his new invention for busting down doors when he is swept into an investigation tracking down an escaped serial killer who seems to be operating under the control of a fellow prisoner and criminal mastermind.

This week’s highlights include:

Here’s that chat with Stephen Downing from the MacGyver Project.

Valhalla (Religion)

In Norse mythology, Valhalla (from Old Norse Valhöll “hall of the slain”) is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those who die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja’s field Fólkvangr. In Valhalla, the dead join the masses of those who have died in combat known as Einherjar, as well as various legendary Germanic heroes and kings, as they prepare to aid Odin during the events of Ragnarök. Before the hall stands the golden tree Glasir, and the hall’s ceiling is thatched with golden shields. Various creatures live around Valhalla, such as the stag Eikþyrnir and the goat Heiðrún, both described as standing atop Valhalla and consuming the foliage of the tree Læraðr.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valhalla.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: January 9th, 1989 —

Pete’s mandatory recertification boot camp is interrupted by smugglers and a downed DEA plane

MISSION: MacGyver must run Pete through a gauntlet to keep him certified for field work, but their trek through MacGyver Land is quickly sidetracked when the wreckage of a DEA surveillance plane indicates trouble in the area.

This week’s highlights include:

Here’s that link to the MacGyver Project interview with Dale Wilson.

Here is the insane synopsis Richard mentioned that has since been removed from imdb.

Since this episode was recorded, it has been implied by various news outlets that the MacGyver reboot series will be premiering in the fall of this year, Friday’s at 8pm on CBS.

ReBoot (Television)

ReBoot is a Canadian-American CGI-animated action-adventure television series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions. The animated series was created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell, and John Grace, with the visuals designed by Brendan McCarthy after an initial attempt by Ian Gibson.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReBoot.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: December 12th, 1988 —

MacGyver fills in for an injured racer to prove the feasibility of a plastic engine

MISSION: When a plastic engine exhibition is sabotaged, MacGyver and Pete are in a race against time and nitrous to find who is at fault.

This week’s highlights include:

MacGyver Project’s interview with actor Jerry Wasserman.

G. Gordon Liddy (Historical figure)

George Gordon Battle Liddy (born November 30, 1930), better known as G. Gordon Liddy, is a retired American lawyer who is best known as the chief operative in the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon’s presidency. He was convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and illegal wiretapping for his role in the Watergate scandal.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Gordon_Liddy.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: December 5th, 1988 —

MacGyver hitches a ride with Jack to rescue Pete from some Central American revolutionaries

MISSION: When Pete’s solo mission gets him captured, it is up to Mac and Jack (posing as weapons dealers) to smuggle Pete and a nun out of a revolutionary camp.

This week’s highlights include:

GBU-44/B Viper Strike (Weapon)

The GBU-44/B Viper Strike glide bomb is a GPS-aided laser-guided variant of the Northrop Grumman Brilliant Anti-Tank (BAT) munition which originally had a combination acoustic and infrared homing seeker. The system was initially intended for use from UAVs, and it has also been integrated with the Lockheed AC-130 gunship, giving that aircraft a precision stand-off capability. The Viper Strike is now produced by MBDA.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-44/B_Viper_Strike.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 28th, 1988 —

MacGyver protects an Amish community threatened by eminent domain when a Baby Jessica situation unfolds

MISSION: After a brutal accident, MacGyver is saved by an Amish community whose settlement blocks the construction of a planned interchange. After a few clashes with the construction crew, an emergency forces the teams to work together.

This week’s highlights include:

Jessica McClure (Celebrity)

Jessica McClure Morales (born March 26, 1986) became famous at the age of 18 months after falling into a well in her aunt’s backyard in Midland, Texas, on October 14, 1987. Between that day and October 16, rescuers worked nonstop for 58 hours to free her from the eight-inch (20 cm) well casing 22 feet (6.7 m) below the ground. The story gained worldwide attention (leading to some criticism as a media circus), and later became the subject of a 1989 television movie Everybody’s Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure on ABC. As presented in it, a vital part of the rescue was the use of the then relatively new technology of waterjet cutting.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_McClure.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 21st, 1988 —

MacGyver reunites with some old friends to dig up a time capsule from their childhood.

MISSION: A tragedy from MacGyver’s past is revisited when he and friends dig up a time capsule in their hometown. The friends must team up to diffuse a new threat involving guns, drugs, and their children.

This week’s highlights include:

Assassination of William McKinley (History)

The 25th President of the United States, William McKinley, was shot and fatally wounded on September 6, 1901, inside the Temple of Music on the grounds of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley was shaking hands with the public when he was shot by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. The President died on September 14 from gangrene caused by the bullet wounds. McKinley became the third American president to be assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and James A. Garfield in 1881.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_William_McKinley.