You’re not a good spy if someone isn’t always trying to kill you. It’s the quickest way you can tell someone is a phony. Part of being a good spy also means covering yourself six ways from Sunday. In this case, we’re referring to making sure assassins don’t follow you home. Had MacGyver taken more precautions, his work life would not have come home to roost. As a result, this is the episode where Bozer learns exactly who his best friend really is, and MacGyver meets his greatest enemy yet. Then again, there’s no greater enemy than the one who is already inside your head.
The Phoenix Foundation gets word that an international assassin is about to leave his calling card for a new hit. No one knows his face or his name. He’s known only as Suspect 218, and his next target is MacGyver. Mac firmly believes that Nikki is behind the hit. Thornton puts MacGyver under house arrest, which he politely refuses. Jack knows that no door will hold his best friend for long, which is how he knows to wait outside, keys in hand. The assassin’s next clue isn’t subtle, a rendition of “Home on the Range”.
Bozer’s been doing great since he decided to follow his passion for filmmaking full-time. He’s worked so hard and is such a supportive friend, you really want to cheer him on. Unfortunately, Bozer has no idea that his life is about to get very complicated. Let’s just say Bozer gets a very up close and personal introduction to MacGyver’s true lifestyle when an assassin tears up his home. Once the initial danger passes, Bozer feels betrayed by everyone. The sting is particularly difficult to endure because Bozer had to hear how little he knew about his own best friend from a stranger. At least Bozer has some first-hand experience for a good film?
The good news is that Bozer is the only person who has seen the assassin’s face, which means he can give the Phoenix Foundation the best lead they’ve ever had. Once again Thornton tries to keep MacGyver away from the danger, only to need him once the assassin puts her, Riley, and Jack in the line of bullets. (On a side note, why is Thorton wearing a skirt to a rendezvous with an assassin?) Murdoc isn’t like any other criminal. After watching MacGyver in action, Murdoc decides to make him a deal. He’s very impressed with MacGyver’s abilities, so decides he wants to play a little bit. He’ll forego his original contract to kill Jack, Riley and Thornton if MacGyver comes plays along. Armed with a plan to mess with the radio frequency which controls the weapons, MacGyver succeeds in entrapping Murdoc.
MacGyver also gets the chance to make up with Bozer. Mac knows what it’s like to be lied to by someone you trust, but at least he can claim he did so for noble reasons. Not to mention his friendship with Bozer stretches back to childhood, and bonds which last that long don’t break easily. Murdoc may have been a more imposing threat than usual, but it’s Nikki who is in MacGyver’s head; and apparently in his favorite diner. Boy is she bold. Nikki returns to Los Angeles to tell MacGyver that her true intentions will soon be clear, and that he needs to not be so trusting of Thornton. He’d probably take her more seriously if she didn’t have a gun pointed at him. If Nikki thinks that MacGyver is happy about anything involving her, she gets a wake-up call when he threatens her family. It’s not something he would normally do, but Nikki needs to be stopped from getting in his head again.
Now original MacGyver fans, how does this incarnation of Murdoc compare to the original? Is Nikki full of phooey, or is she the good guy in all of this?
