Why I love 80s MacGyver! Welcome to my TedTalk 😄

The era of the 80s man!

In the time of one-man armies, Rambo, Commando and The A Team shooting up the place, men with fancy cars and nameless women hanging off their arms, here is a man who solves his problems with his brain, drives a nondescript, practical grey jeep, and is always a gentleman.

Smart but never smug

How easily this character could have been a smug, smart-ass, know-it-all. Instead, he has a "gosh, I hope this works" charm.

Social consious

This is the man who hates guns, gives his earnings to refugee charities, is an ally of sex workers, stands up against racists and white supremacists, fights for environmental causes, and protests the treatment of migrant workers and idigenous people.

(So much so that the NRA boycotted the show and tried to get it cancelled, and the right-wing media called it "liberally-biased." If you're pissing these people off, you're doing something right!)

MacGyver is who he is and he's not perfect.

He's vegetarian, people mock him for it, and he doesn't care. He doesn't drink, people mock him for it, and he doesn't care.

He makes questionable outfit choices and will not cut his hair no matter how many times people ask him to.

He can't throw a punch, he's scared of heights, can't cook, is terrible at sign language (a room full of deaf children laughing at his attempts), and his apartment always needs cleaning.

In conclusion:

Basically, he is a lovable nerd who loves science and hockey, lives a low-key lifestyle, is socially progressive, looks out for his friends, loves dogs and children, and always treats women with respect, and still always beats the bad guys!

Oh, and he's cute as all hell! 😍

Whoever said nice men are boring never watched MacGyver 😊❤️

Old MacGyver was better. Everything wasn't about Phoenix or spy stuff, he didn't have a constant support team, and he was in all kinds of random places doing random stuff

Pete to Jack Dalton: "Having you as a friend is like having a pet disease."

Harsh, man... but not entirely inaccurate.

the Mac, the myth, the legend!

me, vibrating out of my skin : hey can I talk to you about this piece of media real quick? I pinky promise I'll be So Normal about it, like there's no reason to be concerned that this will turn into a three hour long monologue. Like I Prommy that I'm not gonna be a freak about it.

Bigfoot on MacGyver

A major part is played by the fabled cryptid known as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, or Skunk-Ape in the MacGyver television series' third season episode "Bigfoot Myth". The episode tells a more somber tale of corporate wrongdoing and government overreach while fusing the legendary tales around this elusive creature.

The plot synopsis describes how MacGyver finds a Russian ship that is marooned with traces of violence and a massive, bloody handprint that is too big to be human while mapping the area for a proposed wildlife sanctuary. MacGyver enters the ship with his curiosity stirred and meets a fearsome hairy beast that appears to confirm Bigfoot's reality. Following a terrifying encounter, he makes off with Karin, a Russian stowaway.

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MacGyver and Karin finally learn that the "Bigfoot" is actually a man dressed like an ape who uses loud roars transmitted over speakers to drive people away from an illegal oil pipeline he and his crew are building. They escape the monster's pursuit into the forest. It is discovered that the Sasquatch tale is a sophisticated hoax designed to conceal environmental wrongdoings and corporate crime.

The episode maintains the myth of Bigfoot alive in its latter moments, despite this disheartening denial of its existence. A spine-tingling Sasquatch cry is heard from the woods just when it looks like the mystery has been solved, raising the possibility that the real creature is still alive. This deftly reignites the curiosity about the possibility that Bigfoot actually exists.

Thus, Bigfoot plays a multifaceted function in this MacGyver episode. A classic TV monster, the cryptid raises the stakes and produces thrilling action/adventure sequences by being a menacing and threatening force. The massive beast pursuing MacGyver gives the plot excitement and intensity.

More importantly, though, Bigfoot represents the made-up boogeymen, conspiracy theories, and urban legends that corporate interests use to deceive the public and shield their dubious practices from scrutiny. The sound effects and "Bigfoot" ape outfit are propaganda devices used to hide the oil company's illegal pipeline from inspection by the government.

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Consequently, even after being exposed as a fake, the Sasquatch tale continues to have a seductive degree of believability. The episode seems to imply that perhaps undiscovered animals like Bigfoot do indeed lurk in the shadowy recesses of nature, unnoticed by modern science, just as sinister corporate companies would fabricate contemporary monoliths to preserve their interests. The persistent screams of Bigfoot perpetually invite the curious to never stop discovering new things.

This MacGyver episode skillfully mixes the magical folklore surrounding Bigfoot with modern corporate misconduct, using the fabled cryptid as a metaphor for the mysteries, myths, and urban legends that still endure in our contemporary world. If we can look past the staged disinformation tactics of the self-serving and Powers That Be, Bigfoot stands for the sense of awe and limitless scientific discoveries yet to be made. Perhaps in the form of massive, hairy bipedal hominids, the truth still exists.