"Treason + Heartbreak + Gum" – MacGyver S03E21

And another week, another episode of MacGyver. It's weird. "Treason + Heartbreak + Gum" didn't seem like the penultimate episode of Season 3. It did ladle on a double dose of personal adventures for Team MacGyver. In the A Story, we got more of Matty... not doing much of anything. Yes, she does stuff but it didn't develop her personality or backstory. Instead we got more of S-Company and Ethan Reigns. I like Brendan Hines, although more on The Tick as Superian, the stand-in for Superman. But on MacGyver he's mostly harmless as Matty's ex-husband who was forced to separate from her because of an undercover op, fell in love, and got a new family.

The problem is anything the relationship told us about Matty was told in his second appearance, and now we're on his fourth appearance. And we get it. Him and Matty were married, now they're not, and Matty gets tossed into situations where she has to see Ethan's new family and look sad and forlorn. As I've noted in previous reviews, Meredith Eaton does a great job of looking sad and forlorn. But that's all there is.

The A Story spices this up a bit by having more of S-Company, with the Eurotrash of the Week August Roth (George Tchortov) abducting Ethan's wife and daughter. Then demanding Ethan hand over the CIA NOC List (shades of the first Mission: Impossible movie) or the family gets it in the neck. Ethan asks Matty to help him break into the CIA and steal the CIA director's phone with the NOC list on it. Why the NOC list is on the phone of a man who is so easily abducted and subsequently interrogated, I have no idea. I guess either the CIA or the set designer couldn't afford a big vault.

Matty does absolutely nothing to help Ethan's low-budget break-in at a CIA satellite office, other than call some guy to lure him out of his office. Ethan sneaks in, steals a badge, knocks out the director's two-man security team, and hauls the unconscious director out. Even if it's a satellite office, I don't think much of the CIA's security if someone can haul an unconscious man, much less the director, out so easily.

Matty has already sent Mac, Desi, and the ever-useless Wilt, to Minsk to rescue Ethan's family, based on some technobabble lead that got them there. They rescue the wife but not the daughter, whom August is keeping at a separate location. They agree to hand over the list to get the daughter, and Matty promises the director she'll put away S-Company for good if he gives her the passcode. Mac burns out the battery of the phone it's on with a DIY generator triggered by him removing piece of tin foil from a chewing gum wrapper.

James (Tate Donovan) has been following the whole thing, agreed to help, and arrives with a team of agents. There's a big shootout, and it looks like James is going to get shot but it's either my imagination or a feint. Mac kicks the shooter unconscious, Matty takes out August when he threatens to kill Ethan, and Wilt wanders from car to car looking for the daughter and looking lost.

In the end, Ethan goes to prison for his crimes against the CIA. Which I would think any lawyer could get him off on the charges. Do people like Ethan and Murdoc get trials in MacGyver-land? I have more questions about the unspoken legal system of the show then I do about the stories themselves. Matty watches Ethan go into prison and James offers her some of Mama Coulson's pie.

(I almost typed "Mama Carlson", which would have been far more interesting.)

Why is Mama Coulson (Sheryl Lee Ralph) sending Matty pie? Earlier, they met at an LA faux diner and Mama asked Matty to loan her Riley to help her bring in a bail jump who is also a terrorist financier. This leads Billy, Mama, and Riley to Paris where the financier is. They track the financier, which makes you wonder how they did their job in the past. While using Billy's phone, Riley discovers Billy has been texting with some attractive woman about her being in bed waiting for him, and sending a photo of same.

Riley is understandably tense throughout the rest of the mission, and eventually tells Billy they're breaking up without explaining why or giving him a chance to explain. Which, given the nature of the text messages, there doesn't seem like there's any "oh, it's all a misunderstanding" explanation possible. Which is a shame, because Billy + Riley made a cute couple. This portrays Billy as a cad and a cheater, which doesn't seem like MacGyver's style of making recurring non-villains bad guys. So there probably is some kind of explanation: we'll see. Personally, if I were Riley I would have given Billy an earful rather than just say, "We're breaking up and I don't want to talk about it." But that's just me: maybe Riley is more of a doormat.

After Riley breaks up with Billy, she turns to Mac for comfort. Not that kind of comfort, pervs. But more of the "I really need a friend, and Jack ain't here", and Mac's "Ah, we're your friends and we're here for you, except for Desi, because who knows about her?" and hugs all around. Mama Coulson sent pies to Matty and Riley as thanks for their help, and that's where the pie comes in. And no, that's not a metaphor.

"Treason" is another okay MacGyver episode. The acting is okay, Mac MacGyvers a bar-busting machine with a garden hose and a bicycle, and the direction and fight choreography is good. Levy Tran (or her stunt double) does a heel kick that looks really good, and the chase between Riley and the bail jumper is nicely filmed by director Stephen Herek. They come back from commercial and the first few seconds of the chase through the streets of Paris is filmed in silence. It's not much of a directorial flourish, but then again it's CBS network TV: folks aren't tuning in to CBS on Friday nights to see great directorial work.

The main problem is there are so many subplots this season it's hard to care about or get too involved in any of them. Not only is this the fourth appearance for Ethan, but those appearances have been spread out over thirteen episodes. Ditto with the Riley/Billy thing: Billy first showed up two years ago, and it seems like we only get a mention of Billy when the creative team needs to do something with Riley.

Meanwhile, we have other subplots that aren't any closer to an explanation. So either we won't get an explanation, or the explanations will be dumped into the season finale next week. Who doxxed the team? Who tried to blow up James? Will James die of cancer or heroically sacrifice himself before that? Instead we get more of the adventures of Super Agent Ethan and his ex-wife Matty. Woo-hoo.

But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?