The Rising

**\* GALLERY**

**The Rising** is the 1st episode of Season 1 in the 2016 reboot version of *MacGyver*.

## Synopsis

Angus MacGyver, Letty Morelli and Jack Dalton, special agents for the Department of External Services (DXS), join forces to recover a missing bioweapon that has the ability to destroy hundreds of thousands of people with one single drop, on the series premiere of the new drama MACGYVER.

## Plot

Angus MacGyver, with help from Jack Dalton, Letty Morelli and Nikki Carpenter, infiltrates a party to steal a biological weapon in Lake Como, Italy. However, as Mac and Jack meet up with Nikki, they find her held hostage by John Kendrick. Mac gives up the bioweapon, but Kendrick shoots both him and Nikki, killing her. Three months later, Mac is on holiday when his boss, Patricia Thornton of the Department of External Services (DXS), calls him and Jack back to help retrieve the bioweapon. They recruit hacker and convict Riley Davis, who tracks Kendrick to San Francisco, where they also discover that Nikki is alive and working with him for another group. After capturing them both, Mac finds out that Nikki has already sold the bioweapon to someone who plans on making it airborne via an IED. Mac finds the bio-weapon and extracts it from the bomb before it explodes. A few days later, Thornton tells the group that Nikki's betrayal has caused knowledge of the DXS to become compromised, so they have to shut down and relocate under a new name of their choosing. Mac chooses the name The Phoenix Foundation, to which the rest of the group agrees. Elsewhere, Nikki disappears during transport, leaving the cuffs behind with a hairpin.

## Notes

* Mac's Grandfather, Diane Davis and Riley's father were all mentioned, but do not appear.
* This episode takes place in America, Italy and makes reference to Siberia and the events of Cairo.
* Angus MacGyver has a scar on the left side of his upper chest where he was shot by John Kendrick.
* Angus MacGyver is revealed to speak Mandarin, and is afraid of height.
* Wilt Bozer begins the process of his *Monster Movie* with Angus MacGyver as the General since he can speak Mandarin.
* Jack Dalton is revealed to have previously dated Riley Davis's mom.
* Riley Davis was originally sentenced to 5-years in jail, but instead is part of The Phoenix Foundation, and still on probation.

### Goof

* When Angus MacGyver was cutting the breaks on the plane, two hands could be seen doing so, however, he needed one to hold on to something in order to not fall out of the plane.

### Deaths

* 3 Italian Bodyguards
* 3 Middle Eastern Bodyguards
* 27 Researcher in Siberia
* 1 American Terrorist

## Trivia

* Russia is part of both Europe and Asia, what is commonly referred to as *Eurasia*.
* The name that Patricia Thornton uses when undercover at the party, *Mrs. Elcar*, is an homage to *Dana Elcar*, the actor who played *Pete Thornton* in the original *MacGyver*. Elcar passed away in 2005.
* Angus MacGyver mentioned he needs to *DIY or DIE* when making an escape plane from the truck with the biological weapon. This is the first episode of Season 2 one year later.
* Lucas Till revealed in an interview all voice over work was done on Sundays.

**Three of the primary characters are based on characters from the original TV series *MacGyver*.**

* Patricia Thornton was Pete Thornton, as played by *Dana Elcar*.
* **Jack Dalton** was a shady smuggler and pilot, played by *Bruce McGill*.
* **Nikki Carpenter** was a fellow *Phoenix Foundation* agent, played by *Elyssa Davalos*.

**There are several references to the original *MacGyver* series.**

* 1985 MacGyver's first name is given as Angus, although this wasn't revealed until *"Good Knight MacGyver."*
* The original series' theme is briefly used in both the opening and closing credits.
* Angus MacGyver carries a swiss army knife, the same as the original did.
* 1985 MacGyver originally works with the DXS which becomes the "Phoenix Foundation." The DXS featured in season 1 of the original series, and then MacGyver worked for the Phoenix Foundation from season 2 until the end of the series.
* Angus MacGyver jogs past the *Griffith Observatory* in LA on his way home. In the original series' *Pilot*, MacGyver lived in the Griffith Observatory.
* Angus MacGyver refers to his grandfather in the past tense. In the original series, 1985 MacGyver had a grandfather, *Harry Jackson*, who appeared in a handful of episodes.
* Angus MacGyver uses plaster dust to capture a hand print from a scanner. In the original series, 1985 MacGyver used the same method in the second season premiere, *"The Human Factor."*
* Angus MacGyver creates a smoke bomb using roughly the same method he did in *"The Prodigal."*
* Angus MacGyver wears glasses when infiltrating the party, the same that 1985 MacGyver did on several occasions posing as an undercover nerd, "Dexter."
* Angus MacGyver wears a tuxedo to get into the party and acts very James Bond-like, much as he did in the first season episode *"The Heist."*

## Quotes

**Nikki Carpenter:** You should really wear a tux more often, Mac.

**Letty Morelli:** It doesn't really go with the grease under his fingernails.

**Nikki Carpenter:** You decide to ditch it, keep the tie. I'm sure you'll find other ways to use it.

**Angus MacGyver:** Already got a couple of ideas.

**Jack Dalton:** Guys, you know this is an open channel and I can hear you, right?

**Angus MacGyver:** And my name's Angus MacGyver. I have twelve first-place science fair trophies, two years' MIT, three years defusing bombs for the military, and what do I do now? Little of this, little of that.

**John Kendrick:** Give it to me, and nobody else gets hurt.

**Angus MacGyver:** Or maybe I drop this now and we all die.

**John Kendrick:** You won't kill her, but I will.

**Angus MacGyver:** Can't do that.

**Riley Davis:** DXS can move Christmas!

**Jack Dalton:** I'd like her to come with us.

**Patricia Thornton:** And I'd like to see you wear a clean shirt, but unfortunately, we can't always get what we want.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Lucas Till as Angus MacGyver
* George Eads as Jack Dalton
* Seychelle Gabriel as Letty Morelli
* Tristin Mays as Riley Davis
* Justin Hires as Wilt Bozer
* Sandrine Holt as Patricia Thornton

### Others

* Vinnie Jones as John Kendrick
* Cory Scott Allen as Vincent the Director

## References

1. ↑ Death Count
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Angus MacGyver's Kill Count
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jack Dalton's Kill Count