MacGyver finale review: Bozer’s crisis; Murdoc’s move; Mac’s new journey
You see, this is why Jack wanted to take Cairo Day off — he didn’t want to relive that near-death situation or be reminded of it in any way. It’s too bad that Matty called them into the Phoenix Foundation despite what they wanted, and it’s even worse that while there, the two parties were in for a day of hell so bad, it puts Cairo to shame.
The drama started with Maddy announced a new hire, and then it became clear that this said new hire wasn’t who he claimed to be. Instead, this “lab tech” was actually a dangerous former cellmate of Murdoc’s, and he made his first move by stabbing Bozer in the lab. He was running amok within the walls of the foundation, and this was bad news for the entire team.
What was worse news is that this said lab-tech went and busted out another guy from prison, the same one who made it clear last week that he wanted to be locked up. Yep, insert someone shouting in our mind that this was all “part of a plan.” Even if Murdoc couldn’t find himself free, he was living for the chance to see the Phoenix Foundation go through hell. (As it turns out, Murdoc may have still had a last-ditch escape plan if he needed it down the road. More on that later…)
The foundation goes on lockdown
For much of the finale, we then saw the characters inundated by red lights, danger, and a constant fear of death as they found themselves separated at times, and constantly surrounded by peril. This led to moments that felt almost like a perfect culmination of the season. Jack had to use some of the skills he learned from MacGyver, while we saw a more physical side of Riley than we’re used to.
Here’s the good news — eventually, we saw the team manage to emerge from the violent showdown alive. Here are the problems — Mac ended up having to send part of the Phoenix Foundation into smithereens, and Matty had to go into secret badass mode in order to ensure that he got what he wanted. We’re all for Matty taking down more bad guys in the field next season. Just sayin’.
One of the things that Mac and the foundation were trying to protect was the virus from far earlier in the season — by the end of the episode once the bad guys were thwarted, Mac went to an icy locale and thrust it into the earth almost like it was the One Ring in Mount Doom. Nice way to bring that full-circle, and as the show builds its mythology, we could see more of this.
The aftermath
Bozer recovered from his near-fatal situation, and was looked after by Riley through the entirety of the process at the hospital. Rozer lives on! (Wait, is that the ‘ship name for these two? We don’t know, but we definitely ‘ship them. We’re also happy that Bozer doesn’t regret joining the team.)
Meanwhile, Mac decided that he wanted to take off and find his father with Jack’s help, after he realized that his letter eventually found its way back to him.
Oh, and of course there was a pretty epic cliffhanger — Matty tried to punish Murdoc by taking away Paradise Lost, one of the last things that he held dear. He ripped out the pages, pretended to use them to kill himself, and then killed the guard who came in to check on him. There. Is. Your. Cliffhanger.
Be afraid … or celebrate because Murdoc is awesomely evil and you want him out there.
Overall, a satisfying end
Maybe you can argue that it would’ve been great to see more Murdoc than we did in the episode, but beyond that we’d say that this was a pretty darn thrilling end to the season. There was humor, sweet moments, and also potential for so much more in season 2 with Murdoc back out on the lam. We’re assuming that he didn’t just get caught a second or two after the episode ended. Grade: A-.
When could MacGyver season 2 premiere?
We don’t want you to leave this article without checking that out! If you head over to this link, you can get a little more information regarding what’s coming. (Photo: CBS.)