MacGyver: Screwdriver – Nikki and Her Mole (Review)

MacGyver “Screwdriver” sees the return of not one but two former characters and the exit of a familiar face.  Not only does Nikki turn back up but so does Jack’s old flame, and ex-partner, Sarah Adler. The difficult bit is that Sarah is not only getting married but she is after Nikki as well.

The episode starts with Jack strapped to a chair and attached to a sodium pentathol drip. He is being questioned by a terrorist about Phoenix. The villain wants to know who works with Jack and he tells the man everything.

Including the fact that Mac is outside the door. This whole exercise appears to show that George Eads can do comedy, which is an understood, and that MacGyver does not really need Eads’ character for protection.

“Screwdriver” manages to do a number of things. It clears up the “Nikki” issue and gives Jack a bit of closure on the whole Sarah thing. Clearly Dalton and Adler still have feelings for one another and it seems that her marrying this other chap is meant to force Jack to come forward.

Nikki claims to be a deep cover CIA operative who is after a mole known as   Chrysalis. Sarah and Mac’s team join forces to first capture Nikki, which they do, and then to help Mac’s former girlfriend catch the mole.

Wilt and Riley go undercover as well. They work to find some proof of the mole Nikki claims to be after.  The noob and the computer expert go to see Murdoc in prison. There is a “Hannibal Lector” vibe to their short Q&A, which Wilt alludes to in the very short interrogation.

Murdoc actually delivers although it is doubtful that the assassin thought they could really use his information.

Jack believes that Nikki is lying about her mission and the mole. It looks like he may be right after they are jumped by an outside agency twice. The first time by two three men wet teams and the second time by Patricia Thornton.

The latter intrusion sees the Phoenix director telling Nikki that she is under arrest and that there  was no mole. Wilt and Riley prove that there is, in fact, a Chrysalis and it is Thornton.

Patricia is the mole and has been for some time. Nikki is really a deep cover CIA operative and Thornton is led off in handcuffs.

MacGyver has given back Nikki her “good guy” status and removed one member of Mac’s team.  “Screwdriver” also managed to give Tristan Mays a break in the hair department. Throughout the entire episode, her character’s “do” did not once look like a bird’s nest pulled through a hedgerow…backwards. Well done.

Something else missing in this episode were those annoying screen titles explaining what every little thing is that Mac is using to make his impromptu weapons, et al.  Of course in this installment very little time was spent explaining what he was making.

Lucas Till’s voiceover explanation was also missing. He does explain about the Cheetos used on Nikki’s phone but he remains silent about all the nifty things found in his ex girlfriends log cabin that he uses to make a bomb.

This episode was all about giving Nikki a chance to clear her name, Jack a chance to reclaim Sarah and getting rid of Patricia Thornton. It also gave Wilt his first bit of spy “street cred” and, as mentioned before, it allowed Riley to dump that “rebellious” hairdo.

MacGyver airs Fridays on CBS. Tune in and see if series creator Craig Siebels continues to trim Mac’s team down. 

Cast:

• Lucas Till  –  Angus MacGyver
• George Eads  –  Jack Dalton
• Sandrine Holt  –  Patricia Thornton
• Tristin Mays  –  Riley Davis
• Justin Hires  –  Wilt Bozer

Guest starring Amy Acker as Sarah Adler, Tracy Spiridakos as Nikki Carpenter and David Dastmalchian as Murdoc.

Author: Michael Knox-Smith

Former Actor, Former Writer, Former Journalist, USAF Veteran, Former Member Nevada Film Critics Society (As Michael Smith) View all posts by Michael Knox-Smith