I’ve already had a lot to say about this show in my Season 5 review. All of it still applies. Richard Dean Anderson was fortunate enough, some would say talented enough, to have played two iconic characters in one life-time. I propose that he’s really played only one, but in two very different circumstances. I’ve already pointed out the similarities between the actor and his two roles, from their birthplaces to their hobbies and sports activities. This should in no way be interpreted as taking anything away from Anderson. The opposite is, in fact, even more the point. Anderson makes you feel at home with his characters. There’s so much of him there that we have a hard time remembering that there must also be so much that is not. It’s safe to say he has not traveled through wormholes or deactivated a nuclear device with a rubber band, paperclip, and stick of chewing gum. This is the beauty of the style he brings. By making the character very much like himself he gives us an easy-to-identify ordinary human being played against extraordinary events.
We’re sadly nearing the end of MacGyver with Season 6. Still, this was a great year. “Harry’s Will” has to be one of the most popular episodes in the show’s run. Not only is it great material for Anderson to play against, but we learn so much more about the character. This is also quite a star-studded outing with the likes of Henry Winkler, James Doohan, Rich Little, Dick Butkus, and Abe Vigoda. There’s another wonderful fantasy episode where MacGyver dreams he’s in the old West ordering mail order brides that turn out to be the various women in his life. There’s plenty of classic stuff here to more than make the set worth your time and your money.
Video
Each episode of MacGyver is presented in its original full frame broadcast ratio. The picture is marginally better than earlier years. It still leaves a little room for improvement. There is still a small amount of grain. Colors and contrast are average, if not somewhat soft; about what you might expect from a pre-HD television show.
Audio
The Dolby Digital 2.0 track is about what we’ve found in the previous 5 seasons. Dialogue is always clear, and that makes me happy enough. Yeah, some of the explosive content could use a bit of boost in my sub, but it does the job with minimal distortion.
Special Features
You’d think there’s a treasure trove of content out there, but we don’t appear fated to see any of it.
Final Thoughts
There’s really no debate here. There’s nothing about this set or this collection of episodes that would preclude you from adding it to your collection. There’s been absolutely no drop in quality on any front. It just wouldn’t be very resourceful for you to skip this one. My only hope is that by the series end Paramount manages to MacGyver together a few extras for us to check out. Nothing fancy. “Just MacGyver.”
