cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/70086414
Given Lemmy’s leftward sociopolitical skew, the appreciation for Star Trek makes perfect sense, but what do we think of “MacGyver”? I specifically refer to the 85-92 Richard Dean Anderson show; I know there’s a reboot but I haven’t seen it yet.
Let’s see…
-Leftward Socio-political Commentary, including environmental activism and anti-authoritarianism
-Male protagonist with actual outward sensitivity & feelings
-“Open-source”; makes his own tools/gadgets from whatever’s available instead of relying on a corporate supply chain.
Sounds right up this platform’s alley.
I’m halfway through season 2 and it’s pretty damn good; it’s basically James Bond as an overgrown Boy Scout and that’s actually rather endearing.
My dad bought the box set of MacGyver when I was young. I used to have favourite seasons and I’ve watched maybe the entire box set twice, and of my favourite seasons maybe 3-4 times.
I think it’s okay, the old timey vibes are pretty charming and it didn’t age poorly in my recollection (has been decades since I last watched it)
MacGyver uses a gun in the pilot which iirc he doesn’t use ever again
MacGyver meets people of different cultures respectfully but the “American saviour” trope is very much at play, as well as lots of trops such as knowing basic Spanish words like “washroom” etc.
If I could rewatch MacGyver front to back and not be behind on a bunch of responsibilities I probably would, but despite that I will likely never rewatch it
MacGyver? My childhood hero? Oh what do I think about the series oh boy [5 hours of gushing omitted for brevity]
I have the DVD box right on the shelf in case I have a MacGyver emergency and need to watch MacGyver
I’ve avoided it so far. I struggle to enjoy a lot of TV that’s made before the early 2000s. I can understand why people do, but I generally want more serialized rather than episodic stories.
MacGyver comes up a fair amount, but mostly in reference to bodging something together rather than people actually talking about the show, so I haven’t felt much pressure to try it.
Do you think it’s good enough to ignore my qualms and the rest of my giant backlog to jump the line?
MacGuyver is a fantastic hero and role model.
There probably are some problematic 80s norms that might not fly today, but at it’s core, he puts himself in danger and improvises solutions from what he has available, and some duct tape, to help people in trouble. He refuses to use a gun and avoids violence when possible.
We could use some more MacGuyvers nowadays.
I watched the original RDA version as a kid. It probably had a bigger impact on my morals than my mother did (which a lot of people should be thankful for).
Later in life, I realized some of his improvised tricks were complete TV logic or exaggerated for safety reasons, but a surprising number of those basic principles actually hold up in a pinch. I’ve noticed a few things where my own politics diverge from the show’s commentary over the years, but overall, it was a great series. A huge reason I got into Stargate SG-1 later on was simply because I loved RDA in MacGyver.
As for the reboot, I made it about three minutes in before shutting it off. They had a scene with people blathering on about tech, and literally nothing they said made a lick of sense. It felt like watching 90s “Hackers” tropes forced into a modern setting. The writers clearly had zero clue how actual technology works - which you could get away with in in the 80’s and 90’s, but comes across as lazy and cringe-inducing today.
>Later in life, I realized some of his improvised tricks were complete TV logic or exaggerated for safety reasons
You mean like the wooden casket he hides in to get snuck out of a military dictatorship that transforms into a wooden casket jetski once thrown in the water?
You might appreciate this: https://youtu.be/spyhk4_USyA
I remember when that clip aired! Wow, the YouTube upload is 20 years old? Damn. Time flies.
MacGyver is a great role model. I’m always looking for a way to build instead of buy.
A built this phone stand years ago out of an old box, a pencil, gafers tape, 2 springs clips from a bathroom ceiling fan cover, bits of foam, and hot glue.
MacGyver is really in every one of us.
Fascinating, do you have many other things you have built?
Thanks.
The lock on our shed freezes every winter so I built a cover out of a small container. This is the first generation which is why I had to fill in the side with some corrugated plastic. Unfortunately, the wind pushed the door against the side of the shed one too many times and the plastic broke. I need to rig up something to keep the door open without the lock cover hitting the side of the shed. I got a few ideas.
This is an unmodified bin.
This is a storage area for car tires. Scrap wood and rails from an old futon. I have plenty of leftover wood from the rear deck I built last summer.
I don’t always take a photo of things I create. Maybe I should.
I loved him in the Stargate franchise.
Unless he is stuck on a glacier.
Did you see the prank clip for that episode?
That’s the reference.
I mostly know him as an interest of Patty & Selma Bouvier, but have extremely vague memories of watching the show.
How would the similarly tech-positioned A-Team fare in your analysis?
I’d have to find it & watch.
The premise is they’re a team of crack commandos convicted of a crime they did not commit. They are constantly harrassed by the military and they take on missions that amount to public service; in most episodes, there’s a montage where they build a bunch of shit out junk.
It also has Dirk Benedict, who is dreamy.
They also have a “crazy” person on the team, which is good for representation but a little questionable otherwise.
It’s also got Mr. T who became famous for… being Mr. T.
Mr. T was charismatic, had a colorful look kids wanted to imitate, talked in a way that got people’s attention, but most importantly, he was a fundamentally good person who did a lot of charity and public service work and who just happened to have a “tough guy” image. He made it cool be both strong and kind.
We need more Mr. T’s and fewer Andrew Tates these days.
Andrew Tate can eat my balls
I agree Mr. T is better than Andrew Tate, but they both share the same problem of needing to perform masculinity. The whole gender binary is a trap and it makes me sad that we have to sell kindness as a brand of manliness to make people take it seriously. I wish we could throw the whole thing in the trash and just value traits independently of hormonal associations, but likely that is an impossible utopian vision.
Masculinity isn’t an inherently bad thing by itself. If anything, I think we need more positive role models who can show a wholesome side of masculinity.
Associating traits with gender is an inherently bad thing.
Edit:
If men are strong, women are weak, etc. It’s nakedly a bad idea.
The problem is children identify with their gender naturally (?), so the best PRACTICAL work around is making masculinity less toxic and femininity less passive.
I’m good with Mr T’s cartoonishly unrealistic version of masculinity that was used to promote the positive aspects while clearly being a character.
Yeah, me too, but, like I said, it’s a stop-gap; it still relies on people identifying with masculinity.
It’s kind of like using the bible to push kindness, you still end up supporting Christianity which is, on the whole, pretty toxic.
Most single-span bridges need strong foundations at both ends.
I enjoy the show, it’s a good comfort-watch. Being an avid Mythbusters fan too, though, sometimes it’s hard for me to look past all the stuff that they’ve proven to not be possible. But I chalk it up to artistic license and have a good time anyway.
I love MacGyver. I have the whole series plus the movies on DVD, and have started watching it again with my daughter recently. She’s 4, but will remember episodes she likes. I want the one with the eagles. I want the one with the store (Blow Out, from season 3. That was a tough one to figure out). She likes that he helps people and always wins. Sounds like a good role model to me.
i agree with everyone calling him a role model. it always struck me as incredible that such a aggressively non-toxic masculine hero managed to be popular in the 80s the world would be a much better place if there were more macguyver-styled heroes on our screens
I liked it. (Only watched a couple eps of the new one, it didn’t do anything for me.)
I enjoyed it as a kid till I didn’t. I grew up in Vancouver and Richard Dean Anderson was kind of a dick, he made a scene at a bowling alley when one of my friends asked him for an autograph. I mean, if you’re staring in a show that’s popular with kids, don’t get pissed off when a bunch of 10 year olds are super excited to see you in person. He had quite a reputation for being pretty full of himself. I guess some time as a D lister helped him and he chilled out by the time Stargate took off.
Wasn’t the latter half basically just him fighting communists for an hour every week? Thats my recollection from trying to watch the series a few years ago. I think k I got up to season 5 or so.
Some people’s ability to politicize just about everything is astounding.
“In a democracy, everything is political.”
-Matt Stover, Revenge of the Sith novelization.