20 October 2010

#108: Hellfire (24 November 1985)




Bill suggests they head up to the old abandoned 10 Strike Mine, where they find a storage shed with a few crates of dynamite. The episode must have been running short, as the sequence involving Bill and MacGyver getting the dynamite to the truck lasted about 10 minutes, when 30 seconds would have sufficed. The storage shed was a little unstable, as was the dynamite, so MacGyver had to make a quick dash out of there when one of shelves holding the dynamite collapsed. This absolutely obliterated the shed and resulted in Bill looking at MacGyver and telling him "you're crazy". That he most certainly fucking is.


Back at the oil well, Laura is having a deep and meaningful conversation with Bill.

Bill: Do you think they can do it?
Laura: Bill and MacGyver together, they can work miracles. I love bill so much but there is something in him that scares me.

Not raises two issues. Firstly when Laura says "they can work miracles" is she referring to putting out oil well fires or what they do to her in the bedroom? Either way, they are a formidable duo. Secondly, is this "something" in Bill an indication that she thinks Bill is possessed? I'd previously put his erratic behaviour down to a cocaine habit, but it could just as easily be demonic possession. MacGyver didn't really deal with supernatural phenomenon, so I probably just misinterpreted what she meant.

On the way back to the ranch, the truck breaks down so MacGyver fixes it with a pen. This sort of shit is just the day to day for MacGyver.


With the ranch insight, a nitro-glycerine leak causes a small explosion disabling the trucks breaks. If the truck crashes and the dynamite explodes, the two of them are dead. MacGyver drives the truck into a dam and miraculously there is no explosion. Bill and MacGyver live to fight another day.

With the dynamite in hand, the only problem now is the searing heat stopping them from getting close enough to the well to be able to drop the explosives into the shaft. MacGyver constructs a heat resistant contraption that will allow them to get close enough to the shaft out of an old jeep, some pipes and a refrigerator door.   

Bill reveals that on his last mission, three of his crew members died. He blames himself and doesn't want anyone to die on his watch again, which is why he insists on hell fighting one last time. If his friend MacGyver died fighting the fire, he could never forgive himself. MacGyver refuses to let Bill fight the fire and the two are involved in a scuffle. Laura breaks up the fight and although she is scared for Bill's life, insists that he helps MacGyver put out the fire, as he is "the best around".  It is Bill and Laura's oil too, so why the fuck should MacGyver risk his life putting it out, especially when putting out oil well fires is Bill's profession.


The two get into the contraption MacGyver had constructed and make their way towards to fire.

It takes some time, but they are eventually able to get close enough to the shaft to drop the explosive, which detonates and puts out the fire.


Everyone is ecstatic once more. This was no easy mission, but with determination, unstable explosives and a refrigerator door, they were able to accomplish what they set out to.

The well will need a lot of work done on it before it'll be able to start producing oil and with Pete out of action with a fractured leg they are already a man down so it could take some time. MacGyver offers to stay and help them out for a few weeks as he needs some time away from work, which Laura and Bill agree to.

At the end of the day MacGyver just wants to help his friends and see them succeed, as well as double team Laura with Bill as he didn't get a chance to do that the night before due to the fire.

THE END

MacGyver heads to a remote part of the US to catch up with some old friends who are in the process of starting up an oil well. He gets dropped off by a helicopter just because he can. This place was remote, but not that fucking remote. He could have easily driven, that's all I'm saying.

MacGyver stumbled a little when disembarking the helicopter, dropped his bag and did a little fucked up salute to the pilot as he flew away. I'm pretty sure MacGyver was pissed. He looked about 8 beers deep, but he is on holiday so who am I to judge.

He is greeted straight off the helicopter by Laura, the wife of Bill, an old work colleague of MacGyver's who is in charge of the oil drilling. After a hug that lasted a fraction long, this conversation went down:

Laura: I've missed you Macgyver, as elegant as ever.
MacGyver: Laura, as beautiful as ever and oh so sexy.

Now this raises several issues. Firstly, who the fuck calls a man elegant? Handsome, sure, good, yeah that's fine, but fucking elegant? Get the fuck out of here. Secondly, MacGyver, dude, what are you doing? That is your friends wife and he is only a few hundred feet away. Just calm it the fuck down ok? Maybe you and Laura had something going on in the past but that was then. Bros before hoes.  



Laura was certainly excited to see MacGyver. Bill was also excited, but his excitement bordered on insanity. There were way too many hugs for such a short period of him, MacGyver was dragged for about 50 metres and Bill threw comments out there like "you need to get over here with me". This guy was out of his fucking head. Him and MacGyver's friendship must be in some part due to their love for taking copious amounts of drugs.

The level of excitement was so high that there is little doubt Laura would be getting double teamed by Bill and MacGyver that evening. We learned in episode #103 that MacGyver is bi-sexual or at least has explored that part of his sexuality in the past, so if Bill swings that way, who knows what will be taking place at the oil fields later that night.

  
Laura and Bill haven't struck oil just yet, but they are confident it is down there and they'll be striking it rich very soon. Helping the two out at the oil field is an experienced driller by the name of Pete. Fuck knows what he thinks of Laura and Bill acting like 12 year old school girls who just spotted Justin Timberlake at the mall.  

They kind of ignored Pete after that which I thought was pretty rude. Pete is there helping them with their oil field so they really should show him more respect. With Bill coked up to his eyeballs and Laura thinking about double cock action, treating Pete with the respect he deserves is too far down the list of their priorities I guess.

Back at the hut, a fuse blows and MacGyver has to fix it with a chewing gum wrapper. The last few times I've bought gum it hasn't come wrapped in foil, so MacGyver may well have been fucked if he was asked to fix the fuse today.

The reason MacGyver had to fix the fuse in the first place was because things are so tight they simply can't afford to buy new fuses. Bill previously worked as a "hell fighter". I'd never heard of this position before and at first I thought it might have been a guy that fixes photocopiers and fax machines for offices, but it was soon revealed that a "hell fighter" is someone who puts out fires at oil wells, which in hindsight does make much more sense.

Bill was injured badly at his last job, spending 6 months in a burns ward. With Bill on his deathbed, Laura made him promise he'd never fight oil well fires again. He agreed, and since his miraculous recovery has stood by his promise. They used all of their savings and every cent they could borrow to get the land for the oil well. If they don't find oil, Laura is scared Bill will have to return to hell fighting. It has to work, for both their financial future and Laura's sanity.

At precisely that moment, as if scripted, oil starts flying out of the well. All four of them run outside to have a look. Bill and Laura are ecstatic, as is Pete and even MacGyver. 


Excitement turns to distraught just a moment later when a light bulb shatters creating sparks which set the oil well ablaze.


Soon enough the entire oil field was engulfed in flames. There were numerous explosions, one of which resulted in a structure falling down and Pete getting trapped under a pile of pipes. MacGyver is able to free him and they escape relatively unscathed with the exception of Pete, who fractured his leg.  

Back at the ranch, MacGyver tells some shitty story distracting Pete long enough for MacGyver to snap his leg back into place. You could see the pain in Pete's eyes.

The time comes to formulate a plan.  hey need to put that fire out and put it out fast. Unfortunately it won't be possible to get a team up there for at least two days, so MacGyver suggests they do it themselves. All they need is dynamite, which of course they don't have.    

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