When I was about ten, I got my first chemistry set.
I've been a beaker and test tube nut ever since.
My mom said I was gonna come up with a formula
that would either improve the world...
or blow up the house.
I kind of felt like I was in an old movie.
The sound of the rain and thunder,
the flashes of lightning,
and me working alone on a top secret project.
I'm not sure why, but I could sense
that this time everything was gonna click,
and that I'd finally complete the formula
I'd been working on for such a long time.
But I also knew
that every drop I added to the mixture
could mean the difference between success and failure,
between Jekyll...
and Hyde.
Whenever they talk
about an overnight scientific breakthrough,
you can bet it took years of trial and error,
and when all those experiments look like they're about to pay off...
well, you can get a kind of tunnel vision.
All you see are those glass tubes,
and the rest of the world just sort of disappears.
Hi, Harry.
Raining out?
No, I took a walk in a car wash.
You've been gone an awful long time.
Ain't you been workin' on this long enough, whatever it is?
Yes, I certainly have.
It's time for the test.
What kind of a test?
The ultimate test.
Well, hold it! What if you got the wrong kind of bromide in there?
Bud? You okay?
Speak to me.
It's great. You got to have some.
Not till you tell me what it is.
It's eggnog -- non-alcoholic eggnog.
Non-alcoholic eggnog?
- You're puttin' me on, Bud. - Nope.
You sure the world needs a drink like this?
What happened to your finger?
Oh, the perils of science. Drink up.
Hope you didn't spend too much time developin' this.
Another December 14.
Hard to believe it's been 25 years.
I'm glad you're here, Harry.
Especially today.
Well, when you said
we were gonna see Gretzky and the Oilers,
I figured, uh, it was worth a trip.
Yeah.
It's been two hours.
This operation against the Phoenix Foundation
is never gonna work.
I don't remember asking your opinion.
How much longer are we gonna wait?
As long as it takes for Murphy to come out.
What makes you think that the building's empty?
It's Sunday night.
Murphy's is the only car here.
Well, someone else could show up.
- Maybe Karl... - No names!
The Liberation Front hired me to do this job.
They sent you to back me up.
We go inside, we activate the device,
the building blows up, and we walk away,
never to see each other again.
Is that clear?
Yeah.
Good.
I can't wait to see Gretzky and those Oilers skate!
Our seats anywhere near the ice?
Close enough to hear some pretty outrageous language.
Ah, great! Never seen Gretzky in person.
Figured I never would, uh...
- What's the matter? - The tickets.
- Where are they? - I don't know.
You don't know?!
Did you lose 'em?
Come all the way from Minnesota to see this game.
- Harry, will you let me...? - Well, what...
- Let me think, let me think. - Well...
- He gave 'em to me in his office. - What? Uh...
We went down to the computer bay to access the Tompkins file;
- back to his office... - I... Oh...
They got to be at the Phoenix Foundation.
- Well... - Come on, Harry.
We can still make opening face-off.
There's Murphy.
Murphy's a woman!
What sharp little eyes you have.
Let's go.
Ah, aren't you from the eighth floor?
Uh, physics research or something like that?
Fourth. Demographics.
Oh, yeah.
I thought I'd seen you someplace before.
I'm Victoria James.
Susan Murphy.
Find her car key and put the body in the trunk of the car.
Wait!
...I'd seen you someplace before.
I'm Victoria James.
Susan Murphy.
I love the fuzz, Harry.
You run out of shaving cream back home or what?
Ah, I forgot to do it this morning.
Harry Jackson, you've got that sandpaper beard again.
Will you please remember to shave?
You know, it's got to be at least
20 years since we've seen a game together.
Yeah.
I don't want to miss a second of it, either.
Nah, don't worry. I know all the shortcuts.
Remember, when you were a kid,
that winter I taught you how to skate backwards?
Oh, I can't forget it.
Spent the whole winter on my butt.
Do you ever think of puttin' doors in this thing
before somebody gets drowned?
Haven't lost a passenger yet, Harry.
Hey, bud, where in the Sam Hill are you goin'?
Dad...
who's Sam Hill?
You been talkin' to your Grandpa Harry again?
Yeah.
Who's Sam Hill?
I don't know why the Front's using her.
She doesn't believe in what we're fighting for.
She's only in it for the money.
Look, we've used outsiders before.
She designed and planted the bomb at the airport.
She's supposed to be very good.
Huh? If she's so good, how come the bomb didn't go off?
It didn't go off because my support team
virtually invited the police to the scene,
not to mention the experts from the Phoenix Foundation.
Hey, we don't like the Phoenix Foundation
any more than you do.
And they're gonna pay the price for interfering with our plans.
Well, I don't really care about your reasons.
I'm going to detonate the device
because I don't want it traced back to me.
Leave the doors open and watch for my signal.
Help you, miss?
Excuse me, I've lost my voice; I can't...
What's that again?
Come on!
He'll be out for a couple of hours. Lock him in an elevator.
What floor are we going to?
Eight. That's where the main computer is.
Release one of the elevators.
You'll get a kick out of seeing the Phoenix Foundation.
I got no time for sightseein'.
Not if we're goin' to a hockey game... ahh...
Whew!
Come on, bud, we got to go.
Oh, keep your hat on, Harry.
There's 60 minutes of ice time.
There's plenty of time.
Card key access verified.
Voice identification, please.
Susan Murphy.
That was perfect!
That tape recorder worked perfect!
It's a laser-assisted digital recorder.
I built it.
Why do you need the computer?
Why don't we just set the bomb and blow the building up?
In order for me to activate the device,
I have to do one very important thing.
Can you guess what that is?
Find it?
Very good.
Hi. How are you doing tonight?
Where's Lou?
Ah, home sick. Touch of the flu, I hear.
Ah, it's going around.
Name's MacGyver.
I'm on the clearance list.
I left some hockey tickets upstairs.
He's with me.
I'll release the elevator for you then.
- I'd appreciate it. - Mm-hmm.
Use car number two.
How we doin'?
I'm doing fine.
Would you put that cigarette out?
Surprised they'd let you in without an I.D.
Well, you told 'em I was with you.
Yeah, but Security's usually a little more strict
about who they let in here.
Got a call from downstairs.
Two guys are coming up.
I haven't located the device yet.
Uh, take the equipment and get out of here.
I'll meet you in the stairwell.
I'm telling you, we'll never make the game.
Can't see the game without tickets, Harry.
Card key access verified.
Voice identification, please.
MacGyver.
Sunday night? That's what I call dedication.
Well, it's what I call fear.
My boss says he wants these figures
by Monday morning, or I am doomed.
My name's MacGyver.
This is my grandfather, Harry Jackson.
Susan Murphy.
I've heard an awful lot about you.
Anything good?
Some.
We better get moving.
Yeah, Harry, we will. Um, what kind of work you doing?
Oh, I just had to access some demographic figures.
I'm almost through now.
- Bud... - Yeah, okay, Harry.
We'll see you again.
I'm sure of it.
Well, I know I didn't leave the tickets in the computer bay.
They got to be here somewhere.
There it is.
Nice to meet you!
Maybe the tickets aren't here. Maybe your friend Pete took 'em.
No, he doesn't like hockey.
How can you work for a guy like that?
Call the lobby.
Tell him to kill the elevators and secure the stairwell door.
What for?
Have him cut the outside phone lines but not the intercom system.
I don't see why you're doing this.
You don't have to see why I'm doing it.
Just do what I tell you.
Get on the cellular phone. I want to talk to your people.
Are we going to blow the building now?
Soon. We're going to blow the building soon.
I don't think we're going to make it to that game.
Come on, Harry, be positive.
I'm positive we ain't gonna make it to that game.
The Liberation Front.
Yes, I've located the device,
but there's a man in the building named MacGyver.
Wasn't he the one who stopped your assassination attempt in Kuwait?
Yes, I thought you might.
Of course I can, but he's not part of our original deal.
I got it!
When Pete and I came back from the computer bay,
we were talking about the Tompkins file.
- What are you looking for? - The Tompkins file.
There they are! Let's go!
Yes, but the point is,
how much is MacGyver worth to you?
Somehow I think you can do a lot better than that.
Done.
Get MacGyver and the old man.
Why bother?
The building's locked down.
You're gonna set the bomb...
He's smart enough to figure a way out
before I can arm the device.
MacGyver is the best man that the Phoenix Foundation has.
If he's dead, it'll help your cause.
You don't know anything about our cause.
No, but I know a lot about $100,000,
which is what the Front is willing to pay.
Find him. Kill him.
Kill 'em both.
Bud, I got to hand it to you.
I never thought we'd find 'em in time.
I knew these tickets would show up sooner or later.
At my age, they'd better show up sooner.
Oh, come on, Harry. You're going to go on forever.
That's what I used to think.
Oh, just for safekeeping, I'll put these puppies in my pocket.
I'm going to put these puppies in my pocket.
How come you want me to call you Harry?
That's my name.
But you're my grandpa.
Yep... but "grandpa" is for an old man.
Name's Harry.
Your move.
What's wrong with this thing?
Huh?
You don't suppose they forgot we're in here,
shut down the whole building?
No. We haven't signed out yet.
Something's weird here.
Lipstick.
What?
That girl we just met -- Susan?
She was wearing lipstick, but there wasn't any on her cigarette.
What cigarette?
You didn't smell the smoke in the room?
There was a fresh cigarette in the ashtray, but no lipstick on it.
Plus, she said she was working demographics.
The demographic department's on the fourth floor.
This is the eighth.
A security guard I've never seen before...
I don't like what's going on here.
Let's check the stairway.
- What are you doing? - Shh! Quiet.
Look out, Harry...
What the hell's going on? Why are they shooting at us?
I guess those tickets are hotter than I thought.
What are you doin'?
Slowing down the hydraulics on this door.
Come on.
Let's go, Harry.
That's easy for you to say.
You're not running on my knees.
Put the equipment down.
Open the cases, but don't take anything out.
D-Don't touch that.
That's the bomb?
Looks just like a little suitcase.
Yes, well, I find it more convenient than a brown paper bag.
What's your name, anyway?
Fred.
But you said you didn't want to know our names.
Yours I want to remember.
Come on, let's get to work.
This is a fire door.
It's never supposed to be locked.
There's a New York lock on it.
It's got a suction base --
the harder you push, the stronger it gets.
Who put it there?
I'd be willing to guess that guy at the desk.
You sayin' we're trapped in here?
Yeah.
Why'd they wanna do that?
I don't know, Harry. I really don't know.
Where are we goin'?
There's a lab on the third floor.
Maybe we can find what we need to open that door.
You all right?
There was a time I could run all day
without breakin' a sweat.
I tell ya, it's hell gettin' old.
Age is only in the mind, Harry.
Well, my mind tells me I'm gettin' old.
I'd better call Pete. He can get things moving.
Line's dead.
Let's get to that lab.
They gotta be around here somewhere.
Wouldn't it have been easier just to bring another bomb
and set it off in the basement?
I don't want anything left of this one.
I built it.
The design is as personal as a fingerprint.
The longer they have to study it,
the closer they get to me.
I don't want anybody closing in on me.
There's gotta be a reason those guys are after us.
You know some secrets about this Phoenix place?
No, the foundation just does research, Harry.
It's a think tank.
Well, we're goin' in the tank if we don't think of a way outta here.
If we can't push through that New York lock,
maybe we can slide it out of the way.
What have ya got in mind?
Dry cell batteries and copper wire and an iron bar.
Think I know what you're goin' for.
Oughta work fine.
I hope so.
There's our 24 volts of juice.
This'll be our iron bar.
And that's where they keep the good stuff, Harry.
I knew it.
Help me out here, Harry.
Remind you of that magnet I built that summer?
You used it to pick up shoeing nails out of the horse stalls.
Seems kinda strange not bein' up at the farm this time of year.
Always wanted to be alone about this time.
Yeah, I've asked you down every year.
I was surprised when you said yes.
Yeah.
This evenin', uh, back at your place...
Reason I was gone so long...
couldn't remember where I was.
Everything... seemed the same.
Huh.
Well, you don't know the neighborhood.
Oh... that ain't it.
Last month, I was plowin'...
I couldn't find my way back to the barn.
Been workin' that same piece of land for 20 years.
If you've been feelin' like this, why didn't you come down and talk?
That's what families are for.
I've been scared of that damn bus ride.
I had this picture in my mind of dyin' on that bus,
all by myself.
I'm scared of that, bud.
I never thought you'd be scared of anything.
Never was till now.
You know, when I was a kid, I used to have nightmares,
and you used to tell me...
"Being scared's a lot worse when you're all alone."
I was right.
You're not alone, Harry.
Neither am I.
It's just taken us an awful long time to figure that out.
All right.
Why are you doing this?
Just for the money?
No, Fred, not just for the money.
For the chance to work with pros like you.
Some of these gizmos
look like they're straight out of Flash Gordon.
Oh, we passed Flash Gordon a long time ago.
What's that, a sonic blaster?
Electric razor.
The head guy of the lab gets 5:00 shadow around noon.
Well, as long as you're going to the store,
would you pick up some cigars for me?
I'm all out.
All right, but I'm going to get you a new razor.
And when you get back, I'm going to get you.
Ready?
You drive careful, Jim.
Cats and dogs out there.
See you in a bit.
Harry... Harry?
Hmm?
You with me?
Yeah. Yeah.
I'm not ready for that yet.
You've seen a lot of the Phoenix Foundation, after all.
Yeah, but if those guys think
I'm paying for the tour, they're crazy.
Things like this happen to you often?
Yeah, as a matter of fact, they do.
Hold that bar steady.
Another wrap and we're out of here.
Shorted the system. The lock is jammed.
Rotten eggs.
That's hydrogen sulfide. That stuff will kill us.
Give me your scarf. Harry, take off your coat.
Put it over your nose and breathe through it.
Stand on these boxes.
This gas is a lot more concentrated on the floor.
I'm going to need an electric current to open that door.
Lightbulb.
No, it'd take too long.
There's too much rigging.
Normally I wouldn't have to tell anybody this...
but stand very still.
You mean it could go off?
I'm a statue.
Is it armed now?
And I thought you were new at this.
I got 'em --
MacGyver and the old man.
Locked 'em in a room, turned on the gas,
and they should be dead by now.
They were alive when you left them?
Yeah, but, uh...
I want you to make sure they're dead.
- What about the bomb? - Don't worry about it.
I won't set it until after you confirm the kill on MacGyver and the old man.
I have to set the timer now. Hand me that roll of cable.
What're you doing?
Did you ever... rub your feet on a carpet
and then zap somebody?
That's about what I'm doing.
That's all we need, just one little spark.
Come on, Harry.
I can't make it.
Come on, Harry, wait for me in here.
Now, why there?
Because you can't wait out here in the hallway.
Hopefully, they won't look for you in here.
I'll be back in a minute.
There were two obstacles keeping
Harry and me from getting out of the building:
the lock on the door and the guard who put it there.
Moving that New York lock from my side of the door
meant I had to make an electrical device,
one that had enough power
to slide the lock out of position --
a pretty mechanical operation.
As for getting rid of the guard,
I figured that'd require a more personal touch.
When Ben Franklin stood out in the storm
with his kite and key, he probably didn't know
how much electricity was going to mean to future generations.
I hoped Mr. Franklin's discovery
was going to give me another shot at my future.
By running a current from the batteries through the piece of stainless steel,
I wanted to rearrange the electrons
into neat little rows.
If the voltage was strong enough,
I'd have just what I needed to move the lock...
an electromagnet.
Look what I found.
Where's MacGyver?
He's getting out of here.
Going for the police.
Harry, isn't it?
Nice to see you again. Sit down.
You mean you're the one behind all this?
I thought you worked here.
Just for tonight.
Tie him up.
Harry?
Harry?!
Where's the kid?
Don't worry about him.
What're you talking about?
Hey, what's the idea?
My agreement with the Liberation Front
is that you're all expendable.
Besides that,
you annoy me.
Mr. MacGyver...
it seems that everything
I've heard about you is true.
You are a very resourceful man.
I admire that.
However...
I am going to activate the Liberation Front's explosive device.
It will detonate in 15 minutes.
I'm going to leave the building now.
You're perfectly free to leave, too.
But I don't think you will...
because I have your grandfather sitting on top of the bomb.
Say hello to him, Harry.
Get out of here, bud!
See?
I really do have him.
And if I'm any judge of human nature,
you're going to spend the last 15 minutes
of your life looking for him.
Goodbye, Mr. MacGyver.
You must be out of your mind.
You're just plain crazy.
Goodbye to you, too, Harry.
Front row seat, Harry.
Card key access verified.
Come on!
- Voice identification please. - MacGyver.
I knew if Harry and I were gonna live long enough
to see Wayne Gretzky play hockey,
I had to diffuse that bomb.
But first I had to find it.
That didn't strike me as too big a problem
because the Phoenix Foundation has an inventory file
so detailed, it can tell you how many paper clips
are in the eighth floor supply room.
I knew you'd try to access the inventory file.
That's because I'm a very resourceful man.
I thought you were leaving.
Couldn't run the risk that you'd find the device and disarm it.
Oh, yeah, you think I could do that?
Don't be modest.
Everybody knows MacGyver's MacGyver.
Yeah. So, uh, who are you?
Victoria James... this week.
You're probably aware of some of my work.
We're cut from the same cloth, you and I, both professionals.
Yeah, right.
Well, this professional doesn't take hostages.
I needed Harry to make sure you wouldn't leave the building.
Well, I didn't, so now you can let him go. Right?
Sorry. Nothing personal.
Goodbye, MacGyver.
Give up?
This is going to be a test.
May the best person win.
I really expected much more of a fight, MacGyver.
Sorry to disappoint you.
That's all right.
I still enjoyed every minute of it.
But I really have to go now.
It's funny how when you want time to move along,
it never does.
But when you're running out of time,
it disappears much too soon.
I know, bud.
Mr. Harry Jackson?
Yes.
Your wife Celia Jackson?
Son-in-law James MacGyver?
What happened?
I'm sorry to tell you, sir, but there's been an accident.
Car went off the road, down into Miller's Creek.
They both drowned.
I'm real sorry.
I'm not gonna lose you, too, Harry.
Harry... I hope you can hear me.
If you can, listen real carefully.
We're gonna make it outta here.
I'm on the eighth floor.
I need you to give me some kind of signal.
We can still make the third period of that hockey game...
but I need a signal.
Something, Harry. Anything. Please.
My chances of finding Harry in this building
were about as good as sneaking into Fort Knox
through the back door.
Unless there was a back door into that inventory file
that Victoria hadn't erased.
All the computers at Phoenix have backup memories
in case the primary data's erased.
I had to find that backup inventory file.
You really have to know the foundation's computer system
in order to access a backup file.
I was pretty sure Victoria didn't.
I was wrong.
Fifth floor. Gotcha, Harry.
Harry?
Harry?!
Harry!
The bomb's set to go off in a couple of minutes. Let's go!
We'd never get out of the building in time.
I gotta disarm it.
Shot him without blinkin' an eye.
Yeah, well, she's dead now.
Now, there are three microcircuit boards --
they prime the bomb.
Can you take 'em out?
Nah, they're integrated into the triggering mechanism.
If I try to disconnect them or even move this case,
we are history.
Tools. I need tools.
We got a minute to go, bud. Willya hurry?
I gotta cut these wires.
Break the connection between the trigger and the timer.
I can't reach them.
Just pry the top off. It's only plastic.
Harry, there's a mercury switch in there.
Any sudden move'll set it off.
20 seconds.
Oh... yeah.
Did you do it?
I don't know.
Oh... Oh!
All right!
You know, I figured if I can make it through a night like this,
then I must be in pretty good shape.
Like I told you, Harry, you're gonna go on forever.
Oh... I don't think so.
But, uh, I'm gonna make that hockey game.
Harry!
Are you sure you can't stay a little longer?
I gotta get back home.
What's the rush?
I have a lot of things to do.
I'm gonna fix that leak in the roof.
It's gotta last me another 20 years.
Well...
Another day.
I still miss 'em.
We always will.
Well... here we go.
Where are you goin'?
With you.
Wha...?
Well, first of all, you packed half my stuff in your suitcase.
And I want to spend some time with my grandpa.