MacGyver (1985–1992): Season 4, Episode 18 - Renegade - full transcript

MacGyver must stop an ex-Navy SEAL, who once saved his life, from using a stolen vial of anthrax.

Mr. MacGyver, got you working
the night shift, have they?

Well, not exactly.

I got a message from Dr. Kozby
to meet him in the research lab.

Yeah, well, you never
know with him, do you?

- Yeah.
- Go right on through, sir.

Thanks.

♪ ♪

Well!

Hey, Pete. What
are you doing here?

Well, I've been here all day,

reviewing research and
development funding proposals



for Thursday's board meeting.

How about you?

I got a call from koz.

There's no telling
what he wants.

Really? That's where I'm headed.

Well, maybe it's about
the naval research project.

Guess we'll find out.

♪ ♪

Hey, koz!

Hey, MacGyver, Pete!

Hi. How's it going?

What are you guys doing here?

Well, I've just been going over

some funding proposals.



Oh.

And I got a message
to meet you here.

You did?

I did.

Well, I guess somebody got

their wires crossed
up somewhere.

Well, anyway, while you're here,

come on in and I'll bring
you up to date, okay?

I've got some good
news and some bad news.

Uh, Veronica, would
you please put up

the anthracis slide
on the monitor, okay?

Right away, koz.

Observe, bacillus anthracis,

aka Anthrax.

One of the deadliest
bacteria known to man,

and one of the easiest
biological weapons

to manufacture.

I hope this isn't the good news.

♪ ♪

as you know, the Navy
seals needed a portable unit...

Put that down, MacGyver, please?

To I.D. Anthrax if and when

it was released into the air.

Something just like
this only a lot smaller.

No, don't!

Uh, koz... you said you
had some good news?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

I found a method of rapid
identification of the Anthrax.

Yeah, uh, the
potential is enormous.

I mean, this could mean
the elimination of Anthrax

as a biological weapon.

Well, what's the bad news?

Well, you know the research
and development budget?

Yeah?

I kind of spent it all
on the research part.

♪ ♪

automated voice:
Unauthorized transportation

of restricted substances
into controlled area.

Veronica, check
the vault, quickly!

All personnel,

there has been an
unauthorized removal

of restricted materials.

Hey!

What are you doing?
That's locked down.

You're supposed to
be in roll call. Come on.

Come on, let's go.

unauthorized transportation
of restricted substances

into controlled area.

Koz, there's
an Anthrax vial missing:

Sample a-7, lot 43.

No! That's the
most virulent strain!

could someone have taken

the wrong sample by mistake?

I know my people...
They're not sloppy.

Woody!

What happened?

Oh, some guy trying to
break into the elevator hit me.

This elevator shuts
off automatically.

The car couldn't
have left this floor.

He must have gone up the shaft.

Well, we've got to
try to contain him.

I'll notify security.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Don't move, MacGyver.

Steve?

You remember me.

Well, yeah, it's kind
of tough to forget

a guy who saved my life.

You got a better memory
than some people I know.

Thanks for the
ride in, MacGyver.

I've got my own way out.

Steve?!

Well, this is the latest
report from the Navy.

According to this,
your friend Morrison

was honorably discharged
from the seals five months ago.

Discharged?

Yeah, and a
month before he left,

they reassigned him,
to nonoperational status.

Now what does that tell you?

That's the first step

towards kicking
him out altogether.

Non-op is like
death to these guys.

Now I don't get it, Pete.

Steve Morrison
was one of the best.

Something had to have happened

to make him do this.

The Navy records
don't go into any detail.

They lost track of
him after his discharge.

I've got our people hunting
down his former commander.

Maybe he can give
us some answers.

Any word?

No, not yet.

The police have
an apb out on him.

How about you?

Well, we've been up all night

trying to corner any
vaccine available.

We've managed to locate
about a thousand doses,

but, that's a drop in the bucket

if ever that
Anthrax is released.

Just exactly what are
we up against here?

Anthrax causes hemorrhages
to all the internal organs

and prevents the
blood from clotting.

It has a fatality rate
of 80% if untreated.

Just how contagious is it?

It could be spread by the
simple breathing in of the spores,

or infected dust, or
absorbed through the skin.

If it ever gets into
the food chain,

It can spread like wildfire.

Oh, that's great.

And we've got a highly
trained commando out there

Who's planning to do
god knows what with it.

And that brings
us to the bad news.

What?!

Come on,

Now don't overreact.

We can handle this thing with
the proper procedures, okay?

Koz, spit it out.

Maybe Morrison didn't
exercise as much caution

as he could have.

Just say it!

All right!

He didn't properly
pack the Anthrax.

It should have
been housed in a...

You know, atmospheric
receptacle like this.

You're saying the
container he has is fragile?

I'm saying that the vial
that he took has a lid

designed for lab purposes only.

Any environmental variation,

And the seal will rupture.

And if that happens,

We're dealing with a
plague out there, is that it?

Yeah.

Hello.

I'm calling to confirm the time.

3:00, the heathcoat restaurant

On highway 37, just
outside of riverton.

3:00, the restaurant.

He chose a good
spot for the exchange.

A public place, lots of people.

That'll make your job

more difficult.

My job?

Once we have the culture,
we can manufacture our own.

We won't need to do
business with him again.

All I can say
is, I'm not surprised.

Morrison's instability
is the reason

we dropped him
to a non-op status.

Look, commander, I
know Steve Morrison.

I spent three weeks in
Germany on mission with him.

Now why was he discharged?

You're asking for
classified information.

- We are...
- We are cleared for classified information!

Do you want me
to call the admiral?

Now was Morrison a part

of the seals Anthrax
detection program

or not?

Up until his discharge, yes.

Morrison became
emotionally volatile

and demonstrated a
radical personality change.

You have to understand
how a seal squad functions.

If four of the men can't count
on the fifth, then he's gone.

So you blackballed him.

He knew the rules.

He was the best!

Look, he saved MacGyver's life

and took a piece of
shrapnel in the head

from a terrorist bomb doing it.

I'm aware of the mission, sir.

Well, did it ever occur to you

That his change in behavior
might be the result of that?

He recovered 100%
from that wound.

What other explanation
can there be?

Posttraumatic shock.

A reaction of being wounded.

Some men bounce
back, some men don't.

And some men just get
bounced out, is that it?

Commander hilliard,
you have a call

- From Steve Morrison, on line three.
- Excuse me.

Commander hilliard here.

Commander hilliard...

you finally accepted
one of my calls.

Morrison, I'm ordering you
to return that Anthrax culture,

And turn yourself
in immediately.

I'm not taking orders
anymore, commander.

I'm giving them.

I'm in charge now.

What's on your mind?

You and I have
a lot to talk about,

but not on the phone.

Be at 1190 Bolton
drive in a half an hour.

I'll be there.

You two go ahead.

I'll get the police and
be right behind you.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

The truck's on its way.

They'll be in Portland
before we are.

Good. Let's hit it.

I just want to
have one last look

To see if we got everything.

I got everything.

Let's just go.

But I still have
to get my files,

And that list of
doctors from Portland.

Look, I am sick to
death of your research,

- and your damn doctors.
- Don't you talk to me

Like that after all
we've been through!

I'm trying to help you, Steve.

Look, if I need your
help, I'll ask for it, Marie.

There is nothing wrong with me.

And stop looking at me
like I'm some kind of freak!

Honey.

Honey, honey...

I'm sorry.

You're all I've got left.

Don't you turn on me, too.

I won't, Steve.

You should know that by now.

Let's go.

Morrison!

Morrison, commander hilliard.

Morrison?

Morrison :
Don't move, commander.

Your life depends on it.

The box on this desk
contains a bomb with enough tnt

To turn this house
into a vacant lot.

If you move for the door,

the infrared motion
detector on the south wall

will detonate the bomb.

Now take a look at
the timer on the desk.

You have two minutes
before it detonates the bomb.

Use that time to think
about how you destroyed

My life, commander.

We've got to stop that thing.

Yeah.

Listen, we can't
move fast enough

to get to the door or the bomb.

We're gonna have to
blind that motion detector.

Okay, how are we gonna do that?

Slowly.

Tilt this lamp back towards me.

What?

The lamp... tilt it towards me.

Slowly.

Okay. All right.

all right, now very slowly,

move that light bulb as
close to the motion detector

as you possibly can.

Do you think the heat
from the light bulb...

Will shield your movement?

I sure hope so.

Hold it.

Oh...

Morrison's not here,

but he left us a
little calling card.

MacGyver's inside.

Any sign of the Anthrax?

No. But it looks like
they're headed north.

Some rental ads from
a Portland newspaper...

And auto club maps to Portland.

Eh.

We better show
these to the police.

They're gonna want
to set up roadblocks.

Here. I think you may want
to put out a bulletin on this.

Commander...

this stack of letters...

They're from Morrison's
wife, addressed to you.

She was asking you for help,

and all you did was
kiss her off every time

With a standard form letter.

What's that all about?

Morrison was discharged.

His affairs are the
concern of the va now.

Never mind his
affairs. What about him?

He was part of your team,
your own man needed help,

and you treated
him like a number!

Good job.

You're gonna love
Portland, honey.

We'll buy a boat

And run fishing charters
for the fat-cat tourists.

Whole new start.

We can't afford a boat, Steve.

Not yet.

We will.

Steve!

Just hold on.

Steve, that's the
police back there.

Why are you turning around?

Just never mind, Marie.

Steve, what are you doing?

Steve!

I'll be right back.

What are you doing?

Just stay

in the car.

♪ ♪

Hello?

Felder, there's been
a change of plans.

I don't like sudden
changes like this.

Okay, hans.

We'll cancel, and I'll
find somebody else

To sell the Anthrax to.

You must have some
competitors out there

that would be interested.

I didn't say I wasn't
still interested.

Still have that helicopter
at your disposal?

Yes.

There's an old summer
camp on the south shore

of moorhead lake.

Be there in two hours.

What are you doing with this?

Give it to me.

Steve, what is going on?

This is from the
Phoenix foundation.

Isn't that where MacGyver works?

This is none of your concern.

You stole it, didn't you?

That's why the
police are after you.

Don't worry, no
one's gonna catch me.

Not hilliard, and not MacGyver.

You know he turned on me, too?

How can you say that?

MacGyver sat in that
hospital with me for days

while you were in recovery.

He's your friend.

Yeah? Well he's got
his knife in my back,

just like everybody else.

You're with them,
too, aren't you?

Everybody's against me.

Well, I'll show you.

I'll show everybody.

Steve!

Please, turn yourself in
before someone gets hurt!

You need help!

Steve!

I didn't know who else to call.

It's all right, Marie.

You're gonna be all right.

What are you doing
here, commander?

Doesn't the Navy have a
form letter for a situation

like this?

Your husband's a very sick man.

He needs to be stopped.

How would you know
whether he's sick or not?

Mrs. Morrison, where is he?

I overheard him
talking on the phone...

Planning to meet someone up
at that camp by moorhead lake.

I heard him say

They were going
to use a helicopter.

You said helicopter?

Yes, I think so.

I don't mean to, uh,
panic anybody or anything,

but any sudden change
in air pressure could...

Breach the integrity
of-of-of the container seal.

All right, look, I'm sorry.

I'm gonna have to
call in the police again.

We need a full-scale
search party.

But they'll kill him!

Not if he gives himself up.

Steve will never
give himself up.

He's been trained
not to give up.

She's right.

If you send a bunch of cops

after a trained
commando like Morrison,

they'd better be fully armed,

and prepared to shoot on sight.

I'm sorry.

You can't do this.

That guy said you'd
pay for my bike.

What are you talking about?

- 500 bucks.
- What?!

MacGyver!

the reason I wrote
was to ask you

to help me convince Steve

To go back to the
hospital for surgery.

He recovered from
the wound 100%.

His personality changed.

That's not a 100% recovery.

I studied every medical
journal I could get

My hands on.

It's classic... He
developed scar tissue,

a lesion from that
injury, on his brain.

That's the cause of all this.

Do you think I could
have prevented that? Huh?

He admired you.

Until you shut him out.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Morrison.

I don't make the rules.

That must be a very
comforting thought.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Felder!

The cash!

It's all here, Morrison.

Just as we agreed.

That's far enough!

Put it down right there.

Now back off.

What's the matter, Morrison?

Don't you trust us?

Not hardly.

A gift.

Max.

♪ ♪

That's very good, Morrison.

Perhaps we can do
business again someday.

Don't count on it.

♪ ♪

Wait a minute,
something's wrong!

He's got the Anthrax!

You see him?

He's not there.

Come around here.

Careful.

Give me the Anthrax.

It's over, Steve.

Marie's waiting for you.

You need help, man.

There's nothing wrong with me!

Steve...

You saved my life once.

Give me a chance
to return the favor.

The doctor said,

if his recovery continues
as well as it has,

he can stay at home until
the bandages come off.

- That is excellent.

I'm getting tired of
visiting you in hospitals.

- Mm-hmm.
- You and me both.

Hello.

Glad I caught you.

I just wanted to...
Wish you well.

Thanks.

I'm doing all right.

I, um, owe you an apology.

Both of you.

Did what you had to do.

What I would have done

If the shoe would've
been on the other foot.

Well, all I can say is,

from now on, I'm going
to read all my mail.

Personally.

Mmm.

Thanks, MacGyver.

Ah, forget it.

Like he said,

if the shoe had been
on the other foot...

Well, least this time

you'll know I'm
along for the ride.

Yeah.

Why don't you sit up here?

Might be a little smoother.

Welcome home.