MacGyver
June 26th, 2006
Wikipedia: List of problems solved by MacGyver:
Twice Stung (2×03)
With his friend dying of carbon monoxide poisoning, MacGyver breaks through his friend’s apartment door by tying a fire hose to the door handle and an elevator handrail, then sending the elevator up. He cuts the fire hose with his swiss army knife, ties the nozzle end to the door, the other end to the hand rail, and lays the hose very flat against the ground so the elevator’s doors won’t close on it. When the elevator goes down, it pulls enough of the door with it that MacGyver can reach in and unlock the deadbolt and chain door lock. Unverified (can that knife cut that hose?) Approximate time: 5:30. Opinion of a former building engineer. Yes a common pocket knife could cut a fire hose. Today they are made of nylon wraped around a rubber hose because of the water pressure. Knowing how many of these rest forever, rotting in the wall cabinets, one could cut it with a spoon too. No way will any elevator in proper working order move with any door not in closed position. (However, anyone who has pressed the light switch in their refrigerator to verify that the lights do, in fact, go out when the door is closed will know how to defeat such measures, especially on a 1986-era elevator.)[…]
Phoenix Under Siege (2×11)
MacGyver moves a New York lock from the opposite side of a door with an electromagnet. To build the magnet, he uses two 12-volt batteries as his power source, a sink faucet as the metal rod, and some copper cabling to wind around the faucet. He connects everything, and slides the lock out of place. Approximate time: 33:30. Unverified
I do believe this settles the old Wikipedia versus Britannica debate once and for all…
[Via Fimoculous]
June 27th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
If you’re watching good TV at the moment, the first McGyver trick will be used again. I won’t mention the show, but you’ll know it when you see it
June 29th, 2006 at 10:12 am
MacGuyver seemed to get somewhat less inventive once he started traveling by Stargate, but he tended to be more pungent.
June 30th, 2006 at 1:55 am
Simon: I’m not sure which “good TV” you’re talking about - care to give a clue?
Gary: Well, having the resources of the US army to play with will dull a guy’s edge. Who needs to be inventive when they can call on a batallion of troops? (And that’s before they ended up with their own starships a few seasons in.)
July 6th, 2006 at 12:24 am
I didn’t realise it had been shown already. I was talking about Prison Break
July 6th, 2006 at 7:01 am
Thanks. I didn’t get into the show, but from what little I saw of it the lead character did seem the resourceful type so I can certainly see him pulling a MacGyver every now and then.