MacGyver episode 17 review: Bozer (and his prosthetics) save the day
MacGyver episode 17 came in with the challenge of trying to top the fun (and the drama) that we had last week courtesy of the Colton Family’s big arrival. Given just how iconic they are to the show, we were curious which way this review was going to tilt.
One of the reasons why “Ruler” worked as an episode is because of the decision to start things off by telling a story through the eyes of a specific character: Bozer. He’s a guy who started off the series completely unequipped to handle anything that was thrown at him. Technically, at the time he did not even know the team actually existed. After learning about the Phoenix Foundation, he was forced to learn quickly.
This was the culmination of much of that training, and his particular set of skills (he’s just like Liam Neeson!) ended up helping to save the day. While it was not the heroics that he dreamed about at the start of the episode — which were, by the way, hilarious — they were still significant for saving the team. After all, it wasn’t like they had a whole lot of help coming their way from other places during the episode. Remember that they were basically disavowed by every major government organization after a plan went awry overseas. To think, the only reason why Matty Webber even allowed Bozer to take part in the mission was because it was so simple that even he could figure out how to navigate his way through it.
Putting the plan in action
Bozer and Mac were marked alongside Jack and Riley, and they had to figure out how to go undercover using some makeshift prosthetics. It wasn’t his usual work, but it did just enough in order to ensure that Riley and Mac were able to access the servers needed to execute their plan. Here’s the problem — at some point along the way, the disguises started to melt and the team really realized that they were facing a ticking clock that was slowly and surely ticking away.
Noticing just how much they were pressed for time, Bozer went into full-on improvise mode, creating a distraction that managed to keep everyone at bay long enough so that Riley could finish the job. The battle with the guards had to be one of the better fight scenes of the season, even if it ended badly … with the three guys in handcuffs. Yet, it didn’t matter, since Riley was able to prove the team’s innocent in enough time that nothing happened to the group. They were safe!
Overall, a wonderful Bozer hour
This was certainly one of the better episodes of the season, mostly because there was ingenuity, but also plenty of humor. (Jack’s fake identity, as uncovered early in the episode, was a hoot.) Also, it was smart for the show to incorporate The Organization and Thornton back into the mix as the people really behind the trouble overseas. She may be arrested, but her legacy clearly lives on.
As for Bozer, he’ll consider whether or not he wants to go back into field. For now, he seems fine to be back in his lab working on creating his robot. Episode Grade: B+.
Next time – You can head over here to read up about the next episode of the show — which is going to be a crossover with Hawaii Five-0! If that doesn’t excite you, we don’t know what will.
What did you think about MacGyver episode 17, and Bozer’s standout moment helping the team? Share some of your thoughts with a comment!