Phoenix Foundation - A MacGyver Podcast

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: May 6th, 1991 —

Pete schedules surgery for his glaucoma and MacGyver shows up to relive the past.

MISSION: MacGvyer and Pete embark on the lamest clip show thus far. Pete is prepped for surgery and MacGyver is offended he didn’t get an invite.

This week’s highlights include:

Trebeculectomy (Medical)

Trabeculectomy is a surgical procedure used in the treatment of glaucoma to relieve intraocular pressure by removing part of the eye’s trabecular meshwork and adjacent structures. It is the most common glaucoma surgery performed and allows drainage of aqueous humor from within the eye to underneath the conjunctiva where it is absorbed. This outpatient procedure was most commonly performed under monitored anesthesia care using a retrobulbar block or peribulbar block or a combination of topical and subtenon (Tenon’s capsule) anesthesia. Due to the higher risks associated with bulbar blocks, topical analgesia with mild sedation is becoming more common. Rarely general anesthesia will be used, in patients with an inability to cooperate during surgery.

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

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: April 29th, 1991 —

MacGyver goes for a spirit walk while a power plant development threatens nearby “Indian” land.

MISSION: After Phoenix Foundation testifies against the Lakota tribe in court, MacGyver intends to make things write by proving a hundred-year-old land treaty actually protects their ancient holy grounds.

This week’s highlights include:

Counting coup (History)

Counting coup refers to the winning of prestige against an enemy by the Plains Indians of North America. Warriors won prestige by acts of bravery in the face of the enemy, which could be recorded in various ways and retold as stories. Any blow struck against the enemy counted as a coup, but the most prestigious acts included touching an enemy warrior with the hand, bow, or coup stick and escaping unharmed. Touching the first enemy to die in battle or touching the enemy’s defensive works also counted as coup. Counting coup could also involve stealing an enemy’s weapons or horses tied up to his lodge in camp. Risk of injury or death was required to count coup.

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

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: April 8th, 1991 —

HIT has contracted Murdoc to clear up the only blemish on his record… MacGyver.

MISSION: MacGyver once again finds himself in Murdoc’s crosshairs. This time, the tables turn when MacGyver loses his memory and Murdoc convices a secluded family that HE is MacGyver and MacGyver is Murdoc.

This week’s highlights include:

Terminator (Character)

The Terminator (also known as T-800 and T-850) is a fictional autonomous robot from the Terminator franchise portrayed by both Arnold Schwarzenegger and numerous actor stand-ins digitally overlayed with Schwarzenegger’s likeness. The Terminator itself is part of a series of machines created by Skynet for infiltration-based assassination missions, and while an android for its appearance resembling a human, it is described as a cybernetic organism for consisting of living tissue over a robotic endoskeleton.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_(character).

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: March 18th, 1991 —

Wounded MacGyver recovers in the care of sisters who run a bed and breakfast.

MISSION: MacGyver steps in a bear trap and finds himself in a Rear Window, Arsenic and Old Lace, Misery scenario at a bed and breakfast plagued with suspicious deaths.

This week’s highlights include:

Arsenic and Old Lace (Film)

Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 American dark comedy film directed by Frank Capra, starring Cary Grant, and based on Joseph Kesselring’s play Arsenic and Old Lace. The script adaptation was by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. Capra actually filmed the movie in 1941 because of star Cary Grant’s availability, but it was not released until 1944, after the original stage version had finished its run on Broadway. The lead role of Mortimer Brewster was originally intended for Bob Hope, but he could not be released from his contract with Paramount. Capra had also approached Jack Benny and Ronald Reagan before learning that Grant would accept the role. Boris Karloff played Jonathan Brewster, who “looks like Karloff,” on the Broadway stage, but he was unable to do the movie as well because he was still appearing in the play during filming, and Raymond Massey took his place. The film’s supporting cast also features Priscilla Lane, Jack Carson, Edward Everett Horton and Peter Lorre.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic_and_Old_Lace_(film).

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: March 4th, 1991 —

Pete’s failing vision gets in the way of protecting a political fugitive and ex-girlfriend.

MISSION: Pete has been diagnosed with Glaucoma and he needs MacGyver’s help to protect his ex-girlfriend, a political fugitive from San Pablo.

This week’s highlights include:

Here is a comparison of MacGyver Blind Faith and X-Files Soft Light.

…and here’s a link to Andrea Seitz’s updates on the MacGyver reboot!

It looks like this is the Power Rangers vs. Ninja Turtles episode that listener Jeff Orr mentioned.

Spontaneous human combustion (Phenomenon)

Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is a term encompassing reported cases of the combustion of a living (or very recently deceased) human body without an apparent external source of ignition. In addition to reported cases, examples of SHC appear in literature, and both types have been observed to share common characteristics regarding circumstances and remains of the victim.

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

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: February 18th, 1991 —

MacGyver infiltrates a homeless community to solve a string of murders in the community.

MISSION: After the murder of a pastor friend of MacGyver’s, he must work together with the homeless community to scrounge clues as to who is responsible. A local business with a shady past has a vague motive.

This week’s highlights include:

Hoboken, New Jersey (Geography)

Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city’s population was 50,005, having grown by 11,428 (+29.6%) from 38,577 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 5,180 (+15.5%) from the 33,397 in the 1990 Census. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region.

Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoboken,_New_Jersey.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: February 11th, 1991 —

MacGyver is enlisted to help convince Earl Dent’s parole officer that he’s a good guy.

MISSION: Earl Dent is trying to turn over a new leaf but his old gang keeps pulling him back in. MacGyver helps Earl tow the line and convince his parole officer that he means well.

This week’s highlights include:

Methamphetamine (Narcotics)

Methamphetamine in the United States is regulated under Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act. It is approved for extremely limited pharmacological use in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and treatment-resistant obesity, but it is primarily used as a recreational drug. In 2012, approximately 1.2 million Americans reported using methamphetamine in the past year; 440,000 reported using the drug in the past month.

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

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: February 4th, 1991 —

MacGyver and an old friend race to an ancient Egyptian artifact against a new Von Leer.

MISSION: MacGyver and an old friend named Beth Webb seek out the ancient Eye of Osiris. Unfortunately, they are in competition with a new member of the Von Leer family.

This week’s highlights include:

Tunguska event (History)

The Tunguska event was a large explosion that occurred near the Stony Tunguska River, in Yeniseysk Governorate (now Krasnoyarsk Krai), Russia, on the morning of 30 June 1908 (N.S.). The explosion over the sparsely populated Eastern Siberian Taiga flattened 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) of forest (it caused no known human casualties). The explosion is generally attributed to the mid-air disruption of a superbolide. It is classified as an impact event, even though no impact crater has been found; the object is thought to have disintegrated at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometres (3 to 6 miles) rather than hit the surface of the Earth.

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

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: January 21st, 1991 —

MacGyver re-examines an EPA-approved construction site that he believes may cause lasting environmental damage.

MISSION: Willis alerts MacGyver to the danger of a proposal Bartlett City development. As they dig deeper, a cover-up unfolds that implicates the children of the lead developer as conspirators.

This week’s highlights include:

Burns Bog (Geography)

Burns Bog is an ombrotrophic peat bog located in Delta, British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest raised peat bog and the largest undeveloped urban land mass on the West Coast of the Americas. Burns Bog was originally 10,000–12,000 acres (4,000–4,900 ha) before development. Currently, only 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) remain of the bog.

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

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: January 7th, 1991 —

An assassination at an international sports contest implicates MacGyver as the lead murder suspect.

MISSION: After an awkward encounter with his ex-girlfriend at an Olympics rip-off, MacGyver is framed for the murder of the head of the company broadcasting the competition.

This week’s highlights include:

I was wrong. It wasn’t a female cellist, it was a male pianist.

I also realize now that I shared a link to the Red Letter Media Episode One review only a couple episodes back, so here is the second installment in case you only watched part one.

Lifecasting (Art)

Lifecasting is the process of creating a three-dimensional copy of a living human body, through the use of molding and casting techniques. In rare cases lifecasting is also practiced on living animals. The most common lifecasts are of torsoes, pregnant bellies, hands, faces, and gentalia and it is possible for an experienced lifecasting practitioner to copy any part of the body. Lifecasting is usually limited to a section of the body at a time, but full-body lifecasts are achievable too. Compared with other three-dimensional representations of humans, the standout feature of lifecasts is their high level of realism and detail. Lifecasts can replicate details as small as fingerprints and pores.

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