IN REVIEW: MACGYVER: SEASON 4 – Father + Son + Father + Matriarch

Synopsis: When Mason blows up an empty building. Mac is recruited by Oversight to find the Bomber.

The Story

When Mac and oversight, who happens to be MacGyver’s father, go after Mason for having blown up a Federal building they learn that it was all a set up by Codex. Back at Pheonix Foundation, the operation is shut down when CIA agent Burke attempts to grill Mattie for information about the mysterious file 47, which turns out to be of significance to Codex. The Clandestine organization that they have been hunting. It also means that Mattie’s suspicions about Gwendolyn Hayes who happens to be MacGyvers Aunt are true. Back in Mexico MacGyver, Oversight and Mason have been captured by Codex and must work together in order to getaway.

The Acting

Jeri Ryan channels her inner bond villain as Gwendolyn Hayes who even has a very Bond villain like scar running down one side of her face. Hew scenes with Lucas Till’s MacGyver where she lays out what Codex’s plans are felt like they could have come from the script of a classic Bond film and played out in a very similar way too.

The episode also acts as a sad farewell to Tate Donovan as Oversight/James MacGyver who doesn’t make it to the end of the episode. We also get a solid performance from the brilliantly multi-talented Keith David who does a brilliant job of playing Agent Burke, who goes from the interrogator to actually being interrogated within the space of about 15 minutes, which proves to be a key moment to confirming Mattie’s suspicions.

Overall

The writers have been teasing us for weeks with Codex and this episode lifted to the lid on the organization and even thrown in the surprise revelation that its boss Titan also happens to be MacGyver’s Aunt. I really enjoyed the fact that Mac and his father wind up being cut off from Mattie, Riley and the others and wind up having to form an alliance of sorts with Mason, who proved to be one of the shows best villains of last season given that he practically shut Pheonix down for a time.

Overall. A great episode with a lot of fun stuff going on, which can be built on in the weeks to come.