Once I read an interview or an article about how, about halfway through the MacGyver series, the producers/writers (not sure who was behind it) decided that they had a platform and decided to use it to make some real statements about social issues. The 1980s were drawing to a close (this episode aired in 1989) and while the earlier MacGyver episodes generally positive messages and portrayed MacGyver as a decent citizen of the world, their main focus was our hero's cleverness in using science to overcome obstacles. They showcased fun over weighty social problems.
The Challenge feels like the first episode that really went for it in terms of addressing a real world issue. Although some of it might seem dated, its topic of racism is not. Cuba Gooding Jr. is good as always, and the supporting cast overall is better than usual for a MacGyver episode. Watching it now, at more than twice the age I was when I first saw it, I understand it better than ever, and it holds up. MacGyver's sciencey abilities are incidental to the plot, not the drivers of the story. Kudos to the writers for using their soapbox to spread awareness. If anyone knows where to find contemporary articles about the show's move in a different direction, I'd like to read them again.
The Challenge feels like the first episode that really went for it in terms of addressing a real world issue. Although some of it might seem dated, its topic of racism is not. Cuba Gooding Jr. is good as always, and the supporting cast overall is better than usual for a MacGyver episode. Watching it now, at more than twice the age I was when I first saw it, I understand it better than ever, and it holds up. MacGyver's sciencey abilities are incidental to the plot, not the drivers of the story. Kudos to the writers for using their soapbox to spread awareness. If anyone knows where to find contemporary articles about the show's move in a different direction, I'd like to read them again.