MACGYVER: THE HUMAN FACTOR {SEASON TWO PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
One in this action/adventure series about MacGyver, a former Special Forces agent known for his inventive survival skills.
Pete Thornton takes MacGyver to test out the security system at STRADA (Strategic Research and Development Administration), a new top-secret military research facility. STRADA is run by Colonel Scott Woodward, an old friend of Pete’s from their days in the military who disapproves of civilian oversight in his project. Woodward demonstrates some of STRADA’s security measures, such as a pressure-activated laser field and a biometric handprint scanner. MacGyver has a look around and runs into several robotic drones that corner him. They are called off by Dr. Jill Melissa Ludlum, a scientist working for STRADA on cybernetics and artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, Woodward shows Pete around and they talk about the different directions they went in after serving together in the military. Dr. Ludlum and MacGyver arrive and she shows them “Sandy,” the computer responsible for running the facility. She explains the layout of the base and the process of slowly eliminating human guards in favor of computerized security. MacGyver makes a wager with her that he can beat her computer; the plan is for MacGyver to break in to the facility after hours while monitored to test the level of security.
Night falls and the test begins. MacGyver sneaks into the base on the underside of a guard truck and uses items from in the truck to construct a crude telescope. With it, he obtains the combination to unlock the main door and creates a tightrope so as not to trip the pressure-activated laser field. Once inside, MacGyver defeats the handprint scanner by scraping plaster dust onto the scanner with his swiss army knife, allowing him to substitute Woodward’s handprint for his own. He meets with Dr. Ludlum in the middle of the lab, who reveals she allowed him to enter the front gate in order to prove to Woodward that it required another scanner.
When MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum try to leave, Sandy shuts them in, not realizing that the simulation is over. Sandy issues a security alert and refuses to respond to voice commands, announcing that in thirty minutes she will vent all the air out of the facility. Pete and Woodward realize what’s happened but can’t stop it. When Dr. Ludlum attempts to disable Sandy via a computer terminal, Sandy causes the terminal to overload and explode. Dr. Ludlum realizes that Sandy has become artificially intelligent. She wants to use the main terminal to shut down Sandy at the source. Pete, Woodward, and his men try to head into the facility themselves, but are repulsed by Sandy. One of Woodward’s tech guys suggests cutting the power to the facility from a nearby power plant, but Woodward disapproves.
Sandy blocks MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum’s path with a laser field, so MacGyver uses a mirror to reflect the lasers back on themselves and disable the field. Sandy then dispatches drones to shoot at them with their laser cannons. Left with no other choice, MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum leap into a nearby waste chute. The bottom of the chute opens up into a vat of acid, but MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum manage to escape through a hatch in the ceiling. Pete cuts the power to the facility, but Sandy manages to restart the generators on her own. More drones appear to chase MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum, but MacGyver uses phone magnets, paper, and matches to confuse the drone’s heat sensors and cause them to attack each other.
However, Sandy begins siphoning all the air out of the building; MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum have only twelve minutes of air remaining. Since Sandy has sealed off the entranceway to the main terminal, MacGyver proposes entering through the ventilation system. Woodward’s people realize MacGyver only has two avenues of escape: either the maintenance shaft or the exhaust vent. Both are mined from the outside and only one can be disarmed in time. Inside the facility, MacGyver cuts power to the exhaust fan to halt the ventilation process, but Sandy responds by locking an airtight seal around the exhaust fan, trapping them inside. Pete and Woodward argue about using instinct over pre-approved plans; Pete cites their experience in Vietnam together.
MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum plan to overload Sandy by short-circuiting a nearby control box. MacGyver attempts to do so with the base of a light bulb, but Sandy responds by supercharging the cut power cable. MacGyver uses the cable to burn out the control box, defeating Sandy. With barely over a minute of air remaining, MacGyver opens the airtight seal, taking a chance that Pete has disarmed the mines in time. He finds that Pete is waiting for him; he and Dr. Ludlum are safe.
The next day, the military cleans up the mess from last night. Dr. Ludlum has changed her stance on the inefficiency of human beings. Pete and Woodward reach an understanding. Pete reveals he knew MacGyver would use the exhaust system to escape due to an earlier, similar escape he pulled off. The episode ends as MacGyver corrects him on the matter, much to Pete’s chagrin. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 22, 1986 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:01:32
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:08086
- GENRE: Drama, action/adventure
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, action/adventure; Asian American Pacific Islanders Collection
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1985-1992
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – Alka-Seltzer stomach relief
- TV – Commercials – Almost Home cookies
- TV – Commercials – American Airlines airline
- TV – Commercials – Arrid antiperspirant
- TV – Commercials – Audi automobiles
- TV – Commercials – BMW automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Dewey Stevens wine coolers
- TV – Commercials – Dodge automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Domino’s pizza
- TV – Commercials – Flintstones Chewable Vitamins multivitamin supplements
- TV – Commercials – Jeep automobiles
- TV – Commercials – L’eggs pantyhose
- TV – Commercials – McDonald’s restaurants
- TV – Commercials – Miller beer
- TV – Commercials – Mitsubishi automobiles
- TV – Commercials – PLUS literacy program
- TV – Commercials – Pontiac automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Prudential insurance
- TV – Commercials – Tylenol pain relief
- TV – Commercials – UPS delivery service
- TV – Commercials – Wendy’s restaurants
- TV – Commercials – “Crocodile Dundee” motion picture
- TV – Commercials – “Federal Express” shipping service
- TV – Commercials – “The Boy Who Could Fly” motion picture
- TV – Promos – “Eyewitness News”
- TV – Promos – “Head of the Class”
- TV – Promos – “Jack and Mike”
- TV – Promos – “Moonlighting”
- TV – Promos – “Oprah Winfrey”
- TV – Promos – “Our World”
- TV – Promos – “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
- TV – Promos – “Secret Pleasures of the South Pacific”
- TV – Promos – “Sledge Hammer!”
- TV – Promos – “Who’s the Boss?”
CREDITS
- Henry Winkler … Executive Producer
- John Rich … Executive Producer
- Stephen Downing … Co-Executive Producer
- Kevin Inch … Producer
- Stephen Kandel … Co-Producer
- Steven Milkis … Associate Producer
- Bill Froehlich … Supervising Producer
- Mark Lisson … Supervising Producer
- Charles Correll … Director
- Lee David Zlotoff … Created by
- Robin Bernheim … Writer
- Dennis McCarthy … Music by
- Randy Edelman … Theme Music by
- Richard Dean Anderson … Cast, MacGyver
- Dana Elcar … Cast, Pete Thornton
- June Chadwick … Cast, Dr. Jill Melissa Ludlum
- Peter Haskell … Cast, Colonel Scott Woodward
- Peter Kwong … Cast, Steven Lee