A unique and different kind of TV action series, MacGyver made its television premiere in the Fall of 1985 to much fanfare. Audiences immediately responded to the title character and his unusual penchant for turning everyday items like chewing gum and paperclips into elaborate life-saving contraptions. In this way, it maintained a slight resemblance to The A-Team, and this recurring plot device helped MacGyver build a strong cult following

Richard Dean Anderson plays the title role of MacGyver, an energetic employee of the fictional Phoenix Foundation for Research. An unorthodox hero by action series standards, MacGyver has a deadly fear of heights. A pacifist who refuses to use weapons, he relies heavily on his ability to use his brain and tinker with the various materials at his disposal. MacGyver's best friend, and the director of the Phoenix Foundation, is Pete Thornton (Dana Elcar). Pete often sends MacGyver on Foundation missions and sometimes comes to his aid (usually after MacGyver has saved the day). In addition, MacGyver is joined on a regular basis by his airplane pilot friend Jack Dalton (Bruce McGill), a man who constantly entangles himself in illegal activities and other troublesome situations. Between the usual slew of bad guys, the vendetta of archenemy Murdoc (Michael Des Barres), and his multitude of troublesome friends, MacGyver is always in the midst of interesting and dangerous events, and the show's true entertainment value derives from watching MacGyver's distinctive method of dealing with each one

The MacGyver (Season 2) DVD features a number of action-packed episodes including the season premiere "The Human Factor" in which MacGyver and the Phoenix Foundation are called upon to test the security of a top-secret military installation. When MacGyver makes a bet with the security designer, Dr. Jill Ludlum, he successfully gains entry, but the automated system traps them both inside (with a dwindling supply of oxygen) where they're forced to race for their lives against a ticking clock Other notable episodes from Season 2 include "The Road Not Taken" in which MacGyver encounters his former fiance while helping a nun, and "Birth Day" in which MacGyver must guard a pregnant woman from her husband, who's out to kill her

Below is a list of episodes included on the MacGyver (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 23 (The Human Factor) Air Date: 09-22-1986
Episode 24 (The Eraser) Air Date: 09-29-1986
Episode 25 (Twice Stung) Air Date: 10-06-1986
Episode 26 (The Wish Child) Air Date: 10-20-1986
Episode 27 (Final Approach) Air Date: 10-27-1986
Episode 28 (Jack of Lies) Air Date: 11-03-1986
Episode 29 (The Road Not Taken) Air Date: 11-10-1986
Episode 30 (Eagles) Air Date: 11-17-1986
Episode 31 (Silent World) Air Date: 11-24-1986
Episode 32 (Three for the Road) Air Date: 12-15-1986
Episode 33 (Phoenix Under Siege) Air Date: 01-05-1987
Episode 34 (Family Matter) Air Date: 01-12-1987
Episode 35 (Soft Touch) Air Date: 01-19-1987
Episode 36 (Birth Day) Air Date: 02-02-1987
Episode 37 (Pirates) Air Date: 02-09-1987
Episode 38 (Out in the Cold) Air Date: 02-16-1987
Episode 39 (Dalton, Jack of Spies) Air Date: 02-23-1987
Episode 40 (Partners) Air Date: 03-02-1987
Episode 41 (Bushmaster) Air Date: 03-23-1987
Episode 42 (Friends) Air Date: 04-06-1987
Episode 43 (D.O.A.: MacGyver) Air Date: 04-27-1987
Episode 44 (For Love or Money) Air Date: 05-04-1987

This article was posted on November 14, 2006