MacGyver (1985–1992): Season 7, Episode 4 - The Prometheus Syndrome - full transcript
MacGyver is helping his friend, the head of the Fire Department's Arson Squad, locate an arsonist who calls himself Prometheus. Now his friend's number two has her own ideas which he doesn't think is right. Eventually they find another device Prometheus planted. Mac tries to disarm it but something goes wrong and his friend is killed. His friend's number two is placed in charge of the unit and informs Mac his services are no longer needed. But, after talking to his friend's wife, Mac thinks he knows where to find Prometheus.
(Dog barking)
(Explosion)
(Glass shattering)
(Sirens wailing)
(Horn honking)
(Chattering on P.A. system)
(Glass shattering)
(Door opening)
Here you go, MacGyver.
I brought you some batteries,
Some plums and some fresh corn.
On sale.
Black plums! All right.
Yes, the inside as red
as your sweetheart's lips.
I need to fatten you up.
Mama, you are just obsessed
with taking care of the whole world.
I'll tell you a secret.
A person who takes
care of everybody else
Don't never end up
alone and pitiful and old.
What you makin' now?
Oh, I'm reconstructing a
bomb for the arson squad.
Who the arson
squad wanna blow up?
Nobody. It's a firebomb.
I'm trying to make it
from bits and pieces
found in those buildings
prometheus torched.
I knew it. The crazy
man from the news.
What kind of name is
prometheus, anyway?
Well, he was a character
from Greek mythology
who stole fire from the gods.
Don't he know?
You gonna get your face stomped
if you go stealing
from the gods.
Well, the theory is he thinks
he's purifying the world.
(Sighing) All right.
Mama, do you have any
of that flash powder on you?
You be careful.
This is powerful mojo.
Mmm.
It'll protect a good man,
but if you're a bad man,
it'll make your eyes
roll back in your head
And your flesh fall
from your bones.
All right. All right.
- Mind yourself.
- Okay.
Uh, thank you.
You're welcome.
(Door closing)
(Timer beeping)
(Chattering)
Here, Earl, look, I've gotten...
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Let's just do this
one more time.
He makes a call to
the emergency line
Every time he
sets a fire, right?
The apartment
building, the hospital,
pharmacy, and supermarket.
See, nothing connects.
Not for us, but I guarantee
you it connects for him.
We need a
psychological profile, Earl.
Rachel, we need facts, leads.
This man has been
setting fires for a long time.
He's too careful, too damn
smooth to be an amateur.
So what does that tell us?
You know as well as I do.
Pros like to think of
themselves as artists.
They leave their signatures.
And I think I've seen this
man's signature before.
But we're not
gonna know anything
until we nail down what
flammables he's using,
And that's going to happen
with good, hard detective work.
Rather than a lot
of psychobabble.
(Sighing)
Look, if we find out what's
driving him, we get into his head.
Oh, Rachel!
You're a dinosaur, Earl.
Am I interrupting?
Yeah, you are.
But don't think
I'm not grateful.
Please tell me
those are fingerprints.
Yeah, I got prints, boss.
But they're all burned off.
Oh, wonderful.
Your friend's back, Earl.
Hey. You got it?
I think I'm close. Take a look.
Got the battery, and the timer.
Stringer: Toggle switch?
Yeah, right activates the
detonator, left shuts it down.
Motion detector?
Yeah, touch it, move it,
jar it, anything, it blows.
Great paste-up job,
MacGyver. Does it work?
Well, we'll see.
All right, I'm gonna
set it for five seconds.
Prometheus can set it for
as much time as he needs.
Stand back a little.
(Ticking)
(Exclaims)
Nice show, MacGyver.
A little gratitude, Rachel.
The man is doing us a favor.
It's nothing personal, it's just
that this doesn't prove anything.
No, it doesn't tell us
who prometheus is,
but I don't happen to have a
crystal ball or a degree in psychology,
- So I have to start with what I've got.
- Fine.
Did the rube goldberg
contraption tell you
what kind of
combustibles he's using?
Well, actually, it helped.
From the bang this guy is
making, it almost has to be thermite.
Wrong.
Thermite burns at 5,000 degrees.
The kind of fires
prometheus sets up
Are in the 9,000 to
10,000 degree area.
Rachel: It's got to
be something else.
Well, unfortunately,
with that kind of heat,
All you've got left is a couple of
chunks and maybe some black dust.
(Phone ringing)
Stringer.
Is the trace on?
I'll pick it up in here.
Prometheus on
the emergency line.
Prometheus: (Distorted) Must
I destroy to make you listen?
Since you don't want to
clean up this polluted sinkhole,
I'll have to,
By burning every
filthy part of it.
I am prometheus, the
destroyer of sin and corruption.
I have been called upon
to perform a mission.
I must purify with fire all
that is unholy and unclean.
Go to the abandoned hotel at
the corner of oak and Thatcher
And watch the
vengeance of prometheus.
Damn! Let's go.
Stringer: MacGyver, come on!
You can see this
sicko in action.
(Sirens wailing)
(People chattering)
- No smoke.
- Yeah.
Start taking pictures.
Pictures of what?
People watching.
Arsonists like to hang
around and admire their work.
(Men chattering)
What's going on,
Andy? False alarm?
Chief, there's a bomb
up there on the third floor,
it's ticking down pretty fast.
Andy: Four minutes, Max.
Call it in, Morgan.
Send the bomb squad.
They're not gonna make it.
We better have a look.
All right, hang on, hang on.
Hey, wait a...
Stringer, you letting
that civilian go in there?
Chief, he's the only man I know
Who can disarm that bomb.
And if we don't let
him in there now,
we're gonna have a
10-alarm to put out.
Show 'em where it is, Andy.
Come on.
All right, advance
the hose line!
Man: All right, you heard
him! Advance the hose line!
(People chattering)
Chief: I want those
lines fully charged! Now!
Position the truck and
stand by with a monitor!
It's in that room on a shelf.
(Man talking on radio)
It's all yours.
This is our first
shot at a real thing.
Let's not let it
get away from us.
Stringer: Two minutes.
Is that going to give
you enough time?
(Sighs)
I'm gonna have to neutralize
the motion detector first.
Chief: I want 200 feet of line
on the West Side
of the building.
Man: Yes, sir. Right away.
(Man chattering on radio)
- All right.
- Want me to do anything?
Yeah. Hold it steady. Put
your hand right on top there.
- Easy.
- Okay.
MacGyver,
what if this thing gets
down to about 10 seconds,
And you're still
messing with it?
Run.
Run.
Run. Okay.
Stringer: You were right.
That smells like thermite.
Yeah, Rachel was right, too.
There's something else in here.
You know what it is?
MacGyver: No, I
haven't the slightest idea.
Stringer: 48 seconds.
This looks like
the one you built.
Only this has a digital clock.
I'm a little concerned about
that handle grip, though.
Yeah, what is that?
MacGyver: Uh, insulation,
maybe, I don't know.
Come on.
(MacGyver grunts)
All right, that takes care
of the motion detector.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh, what?
There's two toggle switches.
The one I made only had one.
Booby trap?
Maybe.
Ten seconds. Come on, let's
get out of here. Come on, come on.
Get out of here, Earl.
Come on, damn it,
I'm not going anywhere.
Yeah.
(Grunts)
(Ringing)
(Panting)
That's not a nice thing to do to
a man with a stomach like mine.
(Chuckles)
(Panting)
How did you know?
I didn't. It was the
only shot we had.
(Ringing)
Go!
(Men groan)
(Gasping)
Earl?
Earl!
(Grunting)
(People chattering)
I'd hate to be the one
to tell stringer's wife.
You know Betty?
Yeah.
Man: All right.
You know, life's a
bunch of tradeoffs.
Betty loses a good guy.
And Rachel gets what
she always wanted.
What are you talking about?
She's next in
line for Earl's job.
She's our new boss.
Rosewell, some kids, they
found this in a phone booth
About 10 blocks away.
It's the recorded message
from prometheus about this fire.
Well, that means he
could have been anywhere
When the call came through, huh?
Yeah.
He calls, he talks,
he wants attention.
He feels powerful
when he starts a fire.
He's got to be here somewhere.
He's the type
that can't resist it.
You know, I'm also
thinking this whole vendetta
could have something to do with the
fact that prometheus was burned himself.
Maybe that's what's driving
him. We should check it out.
Oh, great. Months of
psychological study.
Wacko profiles.
Rosewell! I know
how you feel about me.
And I know how
you felt about Earl.
But I'm in charge now.
We're gonna try it my way.
She's real broke
up about Earl, huh?
I think the best thing we can
do for Earl is to catch this guy.
So, anything in those
pictures you guys took?
Nah, nothing.
I've got one Earl
took on the inside.
See that handgrip? The
insulation on both ends?
Rosewell: Yeah,
what does that mean?
Well, I'm not sure, but
it could be an antenna.
Prometheus seems
to be into remotes now.
Rosewell, they found a
piece of the bomb. Let's go.
Thank you for everything you
have tried to do, Mr. MacGyver,
but as of now,
you're off the case.
No, wait a minute.
Earl was a friend of mine.
I don't think I can
just walk away from...
I know how you feel.
But the fact remains
that you are a civilian.
This is our job. If one of us
gets killed, it's in the line of duty.
I do not want to be
responsible for your life.
Or your mistakes.
Ease up, Rachel.
The guy went in there to
help us defuse the bomb!
And Earl's dead!
You should have waited
for the bomb squad.
And you would have,
if I'd been in charge.
Lady...
MacGyver, just
give her a chance
to chill out, all right?
Rosewell, I've got to find out
what else he used with the thermite.
If something comes up,
I'll... I'll let you know, all right?
He never called in to claim
a fire before he set it, right?
- Always afterward?
- Yeah, afterwards, always.
Except for this one.
Why is this one different?
I don't know, m-maybe
he had trouble setting it off.
No, no, it would have gone
off even if we hadn't defused it.
See, that was another
one of his wrinkles.
The handle.
The handle was an antenna.
So you're saying that he set
this thing off with a radio signal?
Yeah. But he had to
have a clear sightline
to know we were even
up there trying to disarm it.
So he was out there watching
the fire from the street.
Yeah.
But not down here. He couldn't
have seen us up there from the street.
Rosewell!
I'm comin'!
I got to go.
All right. Thanks, Joe.
(Intercom buzzing)
Man: Yeah, what is it?
Uh, I need to look at one of
your third floor apartments.
It has to do with the fire.
Okay, I'll buzz you in
and meet you up there.
(Buzzing)
Look at this place.
I can't believe how
much it's gone to pot.
You know, junkies and bums, they
come up here and crash for the night.
I clean it up, they trash it.
So I can't show it,
you see. It's a mess.
Did you see the fire?
Oh, yeah. Yeah,
you couldn't miss it.
Do you happen to know if
anyone was in here at the time?
Could have been.
You know, in and out.
You can't keep 'em out.
Homeless, alcoholics,
your run of the mill bums.
We get 'em all.
They break in, looking
for a place to sleep.
Smash a window, come up the
fire escape. Whatever it takes.
(Creaking)
(Man shouting)
Betty: Thanks again for
coming to the funeral, MacGyver.
You've always been such a
good friend to Earl, and to me.
And I really needed
a friend today.
Betty,
do you remember anything
That Earl did that was
out of the ordinary?
(Sniffling)
Earl never brought
his work home.
All I ever heard were
just bits and pieces.
I'll take bits and pieces.
Well, there was this one fire
that seemed to bother
him more than the others.
Which one?
It was a cafe.
It was when Earl
was still fighting fires.
Before he was promoted to
inspector of the arson squad.
Uh, that was two years ago?
But it seemed to
be on his mind lately.
I heard him on the
phone the other day,
and he was asking about
information on the fire insurance
at the cafe.
When he hung up, I asked
him what he was up to
and he just shook
his head, and he said,
"the common denominator
had to be that woman."
Um...
Earl's assistant, Rachel
Bradley, did they get along?
In the beginning,
they were friends.
What happened?
He got the promotions
and Rachel didn't.
She resented that.
Then, when he got his command,
They had a disagreement
about a procedure on a fire.
Rachel's hands got burned,
and she was never the same.
Thanks, Betty.
(Car engine starting)
(Applauding)
(People chattering)
Hey, Joe.
Hey.
They gave her stringer's badge.
She's got everything
she ever wanted now.
Apparently, you don't understand
a simple, declarative sentence like,
"You're off the investigation."
Goodbye and good luck.
The building manager,
he wanted to see me?
I'm out of here.
Yes.
He said you wormed your
way into one of his apartments
on the pretext of being on
fire department business.
He assumed that.
Look, did it occur to you that
maybe prometheus set off that bomb
from the fire escape
across the parking lot?
Believe it or not, yes.
What were you doing
at the stringer house?
What were you?
I was trying to find
out if Earl told his wife
anything about the
fires that might be useful.
Did he?
You first.
What did the manager say?
Okay.
He remembered a guy hanging
around at the time of the fire.
It seems that this man used to live with
the woman who rented that apartment.
A Victoria Arnold.
What about the man?
He doesn't remember his name.
Your turn.
Well, according to Betty,
Earl thought the common
denominator was a woman.
What woman?
He didn't say.
But I got the impression
That she had something to do with a
fire that happened a couple of years ago.
The cafe fire.
You remember it?
I'm not likely to forget it.
That's how I got these.
Attractive, isn't it?
Earl tried an unorthodox
rescue attempt and I paid for it.
I'm sorry.
I don't want your pity.
I just want you out of my way.
The woman and the cafe,
Are you going to check them out?
If I think it's worth it.
Now, are you going?
Not far.
Victoria's cafe.
(Knocking)
Busy?
Hey, Joe. Come on in.
Listen, I think I got
what you're looking for.
I just came back from the lab,
and the substance that's used
in the bomb, besides thermite,
is a thing called...
Let me see, uh...
Koldextin, with a "k."
Kol...
"A highly volatile compound sometimes
used to enhance the effects of dynamite,
"Plastique, thermite
and other explosives."
- Anything else?
- Yeah.
"In controlled amounts,
"it's used in the
processing of pesticides,
"petroleum products,
color photography,
"Especially the color photography
used in newspaper publishing."
You get anything out of that?
Well, maybe. I'll
keep you posted.
Listen, Joe, uh, I want to
thank you for what you're doing.
No problem. Nothing
Earl wouldn't have done.
See you.
Hi.
I understand you
were looking for me.
Uh, yeah.
Did you happen to
remember the name of that guy
that was living with
Victoria Arnold?
The lady paid the rent.
I don't get involved
with who they live with.
Well, do you remember
anything about him?
What he did for a
living, any hobbies?
Where he worked, maybe?
Oh, didn't the lady over
at the firehouse tell you?
What?
About Victoria's boyfriend.
Uh-uh.
What's the matter, don't
you guys talk to each other?
I heard him talking
about his job.
Uh, he worked at the newspaper.
- Which one?
- Oh, well, that's gonna be a problem.
See, it was the globe chronicle,
and they're out of business.
Great.
All right, thanks.
Yeah, no problem.
Hey, listen, if I think
of anything else,
I'll give you a call, okay?
Man: They closed this
newspaper so quickly
That everything was left intact.
The only thing missing
around here is people.
It's over here.
Yeah.
That's it.
(Sighing) Okay.
What are you looking for?
Uh...
Former employee who
lives at 1117 Thatcher street.
Yeah, here we go. 1117 Thatcher.
Ralph boardman, a
color plate engineer.
Any idea where I can get
some more information on him?
We can try the color lab,
that's where his personnel
file and desk would be.
Come on, I'll show you.
(Door opening)
It's right through here.
The personnel files
are in this back office.
There you go.
Look, I got to get back, uh...
Don't want to lose my
job for deserting the post.
Well, good luck.
Yeah, thanks.
(Murmuring) Boardman...
"Spec five demolitions."
That makes sense.
(Thudding)
Prometheus:
(Distorted) MacGyver.
In here, MacGyver.
I'm the one you're
looking for, MacGyver.
(Door creaking)
You thought you could disarm
the bomb in the flophouse.
You got your friend killed.
You can't catch me, MacGyver.
I'll always be one
step ahead of you.
(Footsteps pattering)
I am prometheus.
I am the fire that purifies
evil and corruption.
(Door shutting)
(Door creaking)
I am vengeance.
I am your death.
(Beeping)
Hey!
Take my advice, MacGyver.
Make peace with your god.
Don't waste precious moments
trying to disarm the bomb.
Remember the motion detector.
The slightest movement,
and you're gone.
And beyond that, MacGyver,
there are other surprises.
You have three minutes to
make peace with your maker.
Goodbye, MacGyver.
(Grunting)
(Ringing)
A magnet.
(Mutters)
(Wheels whining)
(Lift whirring)
Oh, man.
- What happened?
- Another prometheus bomb!
Call it in!
(Sirens wailing)
Go, go, go!
All right, give me a
little pressure, Phil!
All right.
MacGyver, is it true?
Prometheus again?
Yeah, it's true. Where's Rachel?
She's back at the station,
doing a psychological report.
(People chattering)
Rachel! I know who prometh...
Don't move.
It has a motion detector.
All right, it hasn't
been activated,
but we've got to hurry here.
Prometheus:
(Distorded) MacGyver,
you continue to be
a Thorn in my side.
He's crazy, MacGyver.
It seems I no longer
have a use for this.
Cuff yourself to the chair.
He... he said you were dead.
Close.
The clues I gave miss Bradley were supposed
to lead her to the newspaper building.
But since you decided
to stick your nose in,
I realized you had to be
eliminated along with the others.
What others?
Why are you doing this?
You.
Earl stringer.
Firemen, doctors, paramedics.
You're all responsible
for Victoria's death.
V-Victoria Arnold?
She was the victim
in the cafe fire.
I loved her.
She was all I had.
And you
and those other cowards were afraid
to go in and save her from the fire.
- We tried.
- No.
You let her die.
You, stringer and the others.
You let her... Burn.
So bad that no
one could save her.
Hey, she didn't
start the fire. You did.
What?
Boardman and Victoria
started the fire for the insurance.
Earl almost had it figured out.
(Chuckles)
I'm not boardman.
He died with Victoria.
I am prometheus.
I am the destroyer of evil.
(Ringing)
(Beeping)
I am the purifier.
Oh, god, MacGyver,
get if off me.
Take it easy, don't
move. Hold still.
What are you doing?
We're gonna take
it one step at a time.
All right, that takes care
of the motion detector.
You can breathe
a little easier now.
A little easier?
It's still going.
Like I said, we'll take
it one step at a time.
What's the matter?
Well, moving the switch to
the left always stopped it before.
Do you think he... he
changed to the right?
I think that's what he
thinks I would think.
Well, you have 32
seconds to mess around.
Take your time.
We'll go to the left again.
(Ringing)
A magnet connection.
Yeah, it automatically closes
when the power's shut down.
- Completing a secondary circuit.
- Right.
You need another magnet
to reverse the polarity.
Where's your phone?
Boardman, he ripped it out.
Here, use my walkie-talkie.
MacGyver: Come on.
(Clicks)
(Ringing)
(Both panting)
Tell me one more
thing, MacGyver.
What?
That there isn't going
to be another step.
Well, actually, there is.
Rachel: Boardman!
Hey, boardman!
Looks like your firebomb
turned out to be a big dud.
(Grunts)
Rachel: MacGyver!
I guess that was step
number four, huh?
Okay, MacGyver, how did
you make the connection
between the prometheus
fires and the cafe fire?
Well, I got to thinking
about that skid row fire.
The device was remote control,
so obviously it
was a trap for Earl,
A personal vendetta
of some kind.
Rachel: But when did you
figure out it was boardman?
Well, remember
what Earl said about
Arsonists sticking around
to see the fires they set?
Yeah.
But this is a picture of
me and Earl at the cafe fire.
No, in the
background, right there.
- Rachel: Boardman.
- MacGyver: Yeah.
He just couldn't accept being
responsible for Victoria's death.
So he lashed out at anyone who
could have saved her, but didn't.
All because he loved her.
You know, we really
did try to save her.
I know that.
And I want you to know,
I would turn in this badge
if it would bring back Earl.
I know that, too.
(Explosion)
(Glass shattering)
(Sirens wailing)
(Horn honking)
(Chattering on P.A. system)
(Glass shattering)
(Door opening)
Here you go, MacGyver.
I brought you some batteries,
Some plums and some fresh corn.
On sale.
Black plums! All right.
Yes, the inside as red
as your sweetheart's lips.
I need to fatten you up.
Mama, you are just obsessed
with taking care of the whole world.
I'll tell you a secret.
A person who takes
care of everybody else
Don't never end up
alone and pitiful and old.
What you makin' now?
Oh, I'm reconstructing a
bomb for the arson squad.
Who the arson
squad wanna blow up?
Nobody. It's a firebomb.
I'm trying to make it
from bits and pieces
found in those buildings
prometheus torched.
I knew it. The crazy
man from the news.
What kind of name is
prometheus, anyway?
Well, he was a character
from Greek mythology
who stole fire from the gods.
Don't he know?
You gonna get your face stomped
if you go stealing
from the gods.
Well, the theory is he thinks
he's purifying the world.
(Sighing) All right.
Mama, do you have any
of that flash powder on you?
You be careful.
This is powerful mojo.
Mmm.
It'll protect a good man,
but if you're a bad man,
it'll make your eyes
roll back in your head
And your flesh fall
from your bones.
All right. All right.
- Mind yourself.
- Okay.
Uh, thank you.
You're welcome.
(Door closing)
(Timer beeping)
(Chattering)
Here, Earl, look, I've gotten...
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Let's just do this
one more time.
He makes a call to
the emergency line
Every time he
sets a fire, right?
The apartment
building, the hospital,
pharmacy, and supermarket.
See, nothing connects.
Not for us, but I guarantee
you it connects for him.
We need a
psychological profile, Earl.
Rachel, we need facts, leads.
This man has been
setting fires for a long time.
He's too careful, too damn
smooth to be an amateur.
So what does that tell us?
You know as well as I do.
Pros like to think of
themselves as artists.
They leave their signatures.
And I think I've seen this
man's signature before.
But we're not
gonna know anything
until we nail down what
flammables he's using,
And that's going to happen
with good, hard detective work.
Rather than a lot
of psychobabble.
(Sighing)
Look, if we find out what's
driving him, we get into his head.
Oh, Rachel!
You're a dinosaur, Earl.
Am I interrupting?
Yeah, you are.
But don't think
I'm not grateful.
Please tell me
those are fingerprints.
Yeah, I got prints, boss.
But they're all burned off.
Oh, wonderful.
Your friend's back, Earl.
Hey. You got it?
I think I'm close. Take a look.
Got the battery, and the timer.
Stringer: Toggle switch?
Yeah, right activates the
detonator, left shuts it down.
Motion detector?
Yeah, touch it, move it,
jar it, anything, it blows.
Great paste-up job,
MacGyver. Does it work?
Well, we'll see.
All right, I'm gonna
set it for five seconds.
Prometheus can set it for
as much time as he needs.
Stand back a little.
(Ticking)
(Exclaims)
Nice show, MacGyver.
A little gratitude, Rachel.
The man is doing us a favor.
It's nothing personal, it's just
that this doesn't prove anything.
No, it doesn't tell us
who prometheus is,
but I don't happen to have a
crystal ball or a degree in psychology,
- So I have to start with what I've got.
- Fine.
Did the rube goldberg
contraption tell you
what kind of
combustibles he's using?
Well, actually, it helped.
From the bang this guy is
making, it almost has to be thermite.
Wrong.
Thermite burns at 5,000 degrees.
The kind of fires
prometheus sets up
Are in the 9,000 to
10,000 degree area.
Rachel: It's got to
be something else.
Well, unfortunately,
with that kind of heat,
All you've got left is a couple of
chunks and maybe some black dust.
(Phone ringing)
Stringer.
Is the trace on?
I'll pick it up in here.
Prometheus on
the emergency line.
Prometheus: (Distorted) Must
I destroy to make you listen?
Since you don't want to
clean up this polluted sinkhole,
I'll have to,
By burning every
filthy part of it.
I am prometheus, the
destroyer of sin and corruption.
I have been called upon
to perform a mission.
I must purify with fire all
that is unholy and unclean.
Go to the abandoned hotel at
the corner of oak and Thatcher
And watch the
vengeance of prometheus.
Damn! Let's go.
Stringer: MacGyver, come on!
You can see this
sicko in action.
(Sirens wailing)
(People chattering)
- No smoke.
- Yeah.
Start taking pictures.
Pictures of what?
People watching.
Arsonists like to hang
around and admire their work.
(Men chattering)
What's going on,
Andy? False alarm?
Chief, there's a bomb
up there on the third floor,
it's ticking down pretty fast.
Andy: Four minutes, Max.
Call it in, Morgan.
Send the bomb squad.
They're not gonna make it.
We better have a look.
All right, hang on, hang on.
Hey, wait a...
Stringer, you letting
that civilian go in there?
Chief, he's the only man I know
Who can disarm that bomb.
And if we don't let
him in there now,
we're gonna have a
10-alarm to put out.
Show 'em where it is, Andy.
Come on.
All right, advance
the hose line!
Man: All right, you heard
him! Advance the hose line!
(People chattering)
Chief: I want those
lines fully charged! Now!
Position the truck and
stand by with a monitor!
It's in that room on a shelf.
(Man talking on radio)
It's all yours.
This is our first
shot at a real thing.
Let's not let it
get away from us.
Stringer: Two minutes.
Is that going to give
you enough time?
(Sighs)
I'm gonna have to neutralize
the motion detector first.
Chief: I want 200 feet of line
on the West Side
of the building.
Man: Yes, sir. Right away.
(Man chattering on radio)
- All right.
- Want me to do anything?
Yeah. Hold it steady. Put
your hand right on top there.
- Easy.
- Okay.
MacGyver,
what if this thing gets
down to about 10 seconds,
And you're still
messing with it?
Run.
Run.
Run. Okay.
Stringer: You were right.
That smells like thermite.
Yeah, Rachel was right, too.
There's something else in here.
You know what it is?
MacGyver: No, I
haven't the slightest idea.
Stringer: 48 seconds.
This looks like
the one you built.
Only this has a digital clock.
I'm a little concerned about
that handle grip, though.
Yeah, what is that?
MacGyver: Uh, insulation,
maybe, I don't know.
Come on.
(MacGyver grunts)
All right, that takes care
of the motion detector.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh, what?
There's two toggle switches.
The one I made only had one.
Booby trap?
Maybe.
Ten seconds. Come on, let's
get out of here. Come on, come on.
Get out of here, Earl.
Come on, damn it,
I'm not going anywhere.
Yeah.
(Grunts)
(Ringing)
(Panting)
That's not a nice thing to do to
a man with a stomach like mine.
(Chuckles)
(Panting)
How did you know?
I didn't. It was the
only shot we had.
(Ringing)
Go!
(Men groan)
(Gasping)
Earl?
Earl!
(Grunting)
(People chattering)
I'd hate to be the one
to tell stringer's wife.
You know Betty?
Yeah.
Man: All right.
You know, life's a
bunch of tradeoffs.
Betty loses a good guy.
And Rachel gets what
she always wanted.
What are you talking about?
She's next in
line for Earl's job.
She's our new boss.
Rosewell, some kids, they
found this in a phone booth
About 10 blocks away.
It's the recorded message
from prometheus about this fire.
Well, that means he
could have been anywhere
When the call came through, huh?
Yeah.
He calls, he talks,
he wants attention.
He feels powerful
when he starts a fire.
He's got to be here somewhere.
He's the type
that can't resist it.
You know, I'm also
thinking this whole vendetta
could have something to do with the
fact that prometheus was burned himself.
Maybe that's what's driving
him. We should check it out.
Oh, great. Months of
psychological study.
Wacko profiles.
Rosewell! I know
how you feel about me.
And I know how
you felt about Earl.
But I'm in charge now.
We're gonna try it my way.
She's real broke
up about Earl, huh?
I think the best thing we can
do for Earl is to catch this guy.
So, anything in those
pictures you guys took?
Nah, nothing.
I've got one Earl
took on the inside.
See that handgrip? The
insulation on both ends?
Rosewell: Yeah,
what does that mean?
Well, I'm not sure, but
it could be an antenna.
Prometheus seems
to be into remotes now.
Rosewell, they found a
piece of the bomb. Let's go.
Thank you for everything you
have tried to do, Mr. MacGyver,
but as of now,
you're off the case.
No, wait a minute.
Earl was a friend of mine.
I don't think I can
just walk away from...
I know how you feel.
But the fact remains
that you are a civilian.
This is our job. If one of us
gets killed, it's in the line of duty.
I do not want to be
responsible for your life.
Or your mistakes.
Ease up, Rachel.
The guy went in there to
help us defuse the bomb!
And Earl's dead!
You should have waited
for the bomb squad.
And you would have,
if I'd been in charge.
Lady...
MacGyver, just
give her a chance
to chill out, all right?
Rosewell, I've got to find out
what else he used with the thermite.
If something comes up,
I'll... I'll let you know, all right?
He never called in to claim
a fire before he set it, right?
- Always afterward?
- Yeah, afterwards, always.
Except for this one.
Why is this one different?
I don't know, m-maybe
he had trouble setting it off.
No, no, it would have gone
off even if we hadn't defused it.
See, that was another
one of his wrinkles.
The handle.
The handle was an antenna.
So you're saying that he set
this thing off with a radio signal?
Yeah. But he had to
have a clear sightline
to know we were even
up there trying to disarm it.
So he was out there watching
the fire from the street.
Yeah.
But not down here. He couldn't
have seen us up there from the street.
Rosewell!
I'm comin'!
I got to go.
All right. Thanks, Joe.
(Intercom buzzing)
Man: Yeah, what is it?
Uh, I need to look at one of
your third floor apartments.
It has to do with the fire.
Okay, I'll buzz you in
and meet you up there.
(Buzzing)
Look at this place.
I can't believe how
much it's gone to pot.
You know, junkies and bums, they
come up here and crash for the night.
I clean it up, they trash it.
So I can't show it,
you see. It's a mess.
Did you see the fire?
Oh, yeah. Yeah,
you couldn't miss it.
Do you happen to know if
anyone was in here at the time?
Could have been.
You know, in and out.
You can't keep 'em out.
Homeless, alcoholics,
your run of the mill bums.
We get 'em all.
They break in, looking
for a place to sleep.
Smash a window, come up the
fire escape. Whatever it takes.
(Creaking)
(Man shouting)
Betty: Thanks again for
coming to the funeral, MacGyver.
You've always been such a
good friend to Earl, and to me.
And I really needed
a friend today.
Betty,
do you remember anything
That Earl did that was
out of the ordinary?
(Sniffling)
Earl never brought
his work home.
All I ever heard were
just bits and pieces.
I'll take bits and pieces.
Well, there was this one fire
that seemed to bother
him more than the others.
Which one?
It was a cafe.
It was when Earl
was still fighting fires.
Before he was promoted to
inspector of the arson squad.
Uh, that was two years ago?
But it seemed to
be on his mind lately.
I heard him on the
phone the other day,
and he was asking about
information on the fire insurance
at the cafe.
When he hung up, I asked
him what he was up to
and he just shook
his head, and he said,
"the common denominator
had to be that woman."
Um...
Earl's assistant, Rachel
Bradley, did they get along?
In the beginning,
they were friends.
What happened?
He got the promotions
and Rachel didn't.
She resented that.
Then, when he got his command,
They had a disagreement
about a procedure on a fire.
Rachel's hands got burned,
and she was never the same.
Thanks, Betty.
(Car engine starting)
(Applauding)
(People chattering)
Hey, Joe.
Hey.
They gave her stringer's badge.
She's got everything
she ever wanted now.
Apparently, you don't understand
a simple, declarative sentence like,
"You're off the investigation."
Goodbye and good luck.
The building manager,
he wanted to see me?
I'm out of here.
Yes.
He said you wormed your
way into one of his apartments
on the pretext of being on
fire department business.
He assumed that.
Look, did it occur to you that
maybe prometheus set off that bomb
from the fire escape
across the parking lot?
Believe it or not, yes.
What were you doing
at the stringer house?
What were you?
I was trying to find
out if Earl told his wife
anything about the
fires that might be useful.
Did he?
You first.
What did the manager say?
Okay.
He remembered a guy hanging
around at the time of the fire.
It seems that this man used to live with
the woman who rented that apartment.
A Victoria Arnold.
What about the man?
He doesn't remember his name.
Your turn.
Well, according to Betty,
Earl thought the common
denominator was a woman.
What woman?
He didn't say.
But I got the impression
That she had something to do with a
fire that happened a couple of years ago.
The cafe fire.
You remember it?
I'm not likely to forget it.
That's how I got these.
Attractive, isn't it?
Earl tried an unorthodox
rescue attempt and I paid for it.
I'm sorry.
I don't want your pity.
I just want you out of my way.
The woman and the cafe,
Are you going to check them out?
If I think it's worth it.
Now, are you going?
Not far.
Victoria's cafe.
(Knocking)
Busy?
Hey, Joe. Come on in.
Listen, I think I got
what you're looking for.
I just came back from the lab,
and the substance that's used
in the bomb, besides thermite,
is a thing called...
Let me see, uh...
Koldextin, with a "k."
Kol...
"A highly volatile compound sometimes
used to enhance the effects of dynamite,
"Plastique, thermite
and other explosives."
- Anything else?
- Yeah.
"In controlled amounts,
"it's used in the
processing of pesticides,
"petroleum products,
color photography,
"Especially the color photography
used in newspaper publishing."
You get anything out of that?
Well, maybe. I'll
keep you posted.
Listen, Joe, uh, I want to
thank you for what you're doing.
No problem. Nothing
Earl wouldn't have done.
See you.
Hi.
I understand you
were looking for me.
Uh, yeah.
Did you happen to
remember the name of that guy
that was living with
Victoria Arnold?
The lady paid the rent.
I don't get involved
with who they live with.
Well, do you remember
anything about him?
What he did for a
living, any hobbies?
Where he worked, maybe?
Oh, didn't the lady over
at the firehouse tell you?
What?
About Victoria's boyfriend.
Uh-uh.
What's the matter, don't
you guys talk to each other?
I heard him talking
about his job.
Uh, he worked at the newspaper.
- Which one?
- Oh, well, that's gonna be a problem.
See, it was the globe chronicle,
and they're out of business.
Great.
All right, thanks.
Yeah, no problem.
Hey, listen, if I think
of anything else,
I'll give you a call, okay?
Man: They closed this
newspaper so quickly
That everything was left intact.
The only thing missing
around here is people.
It's over here.
Yeah.
That's it.
(Sighing) Okay.
What are you looking for?
Uh...
Former employee who
lives at 1117 Thatcher street.
Yeah, here we go. 1117 Thatcher.
Ralph boardman, a
color plate engineer.
Any idea where I can get
some more information on him?
We can try the color lab,
that's where his personnel
file and desk would be.
Come on, I'll show you.
(Door opening)
It's right through here.
The personnel files
are in this back office.
There you go.
Look, I got to get back, uh...
Don't want to lose my
job for deserting the post.
Well, good luck.
Yeah, thanks.
(Murmuring) Boardman...
"Spec five demolitions."
That makes sense.
(Thudding)
Prometheus:
(Distorted) MacGyver.
In here, MacGyver.
I'm the one you're
looking for, MacGyver.
(Door creaking)
You thought you could disarm
the bomb in the flophouse.
You got your friend killed.
You can't catch me, MacGyver.
I'll always be one
step ahead of you.
(Footsteps pattering)
I am prometheus.
I am the fire that purifies
evil and corruption.
(Door shutting)
(Door creaking)
I am vengeance.
I am your death.
(Beeping)
Hey!
Take my advice, MacGyver.
Make peace with your god.
Don't waste precious moments
trying to disarm the bomb.
Remember the motion detector.
The slightest movement,
and you're gone.
And beyond that, MacGyver,
there are other surprises.
You have three minutes to
make peace with your maker.
Goodbye, MacGyver.
(Grunting)
(Ringing)
A magnet.
(Mutters)
(Wheels whining)
(Lift whirring)
Oh, man.
- What happened?
- Another prometheus bomb!
Call it in!
(Sirens wailing)
Go, go, go!
All right, give me a
little pressure, Phil!
All right.
MacGyver, is it true?
Prometheus again?
Yeah, it's true. Where's Rachel?
She's back at the station,
doing a psychological report.
(People chattering)
Rachel! I know who prometh...
Don't move.
It has a motion detector.
All right, it hasn't
been activated,
but we've got to hurry here.
Prometheus:
(Distorded) MacGyver,
you continue to be
a Thorn in my side.
He's crazy, MacGyver.
It seems I no longer
have a use for this.
Cuff yourself to the chair.
He... he said you were dead.
Close.
The clues I gave miss Bradley were supposed
to lead her to the newspaper building.
But since you decided
to stick your nose in,
I realized you had to be
eliminated along with the others.
What others?
Why are you doing this?
You.
Earl stringer.
Firemen, doctors, paramedics.
You're all responsible
for Victoria's death.
V-Victoria Arnold?
She was the victim
in the cafe fire.
I loved her.
She was all I had.
And you
and those other cowards were afraid
to go in and save her from the fire.
- We tried.
- No.
You let her die.
You, stringer and the others.
You let her... Burn.
So bad that no
one could save her.
Hey, she didn't
start the fire. You did.
What?
Boardman and Victoria
started the fire for the insurance.
Earl almost had it figured out.
(Chuckles)
I'm not boardman.
He died with Victoria.
I am prometheus.
I am the destroyer of evil.
(Ringing)
(Beeping)
I am the purifier.
Oh, god, MacGyver,
get if off me.
Take it easy, don't
move. Hold still.
What are you doing?
We're gonna take
it one step at a time.
All right, that takes care
of the motion detector.
You can breathe
a little easier now.
A little easier?
It's still going.
Like I said, we'll take
it one step at a time.
What's the matter?
Well, moving the switch to
the left always stopped it before.
Do you think he... he
changed to the right?
I think that's what he
thinks I would think.
Well, you have 32
seconds to mess around.
Take your time.
We'll go to the left again.
(Ringing)
A magnet connection.
Yeah, it automatically closes
when the power's shut down.
- Completing a secondary circuit.
- Right.
You need another magnet
to reverse the polarity.
Where's your phone?
Boardman, he ripped it out.
Here, use my walkie-talkie.
MacGyver: Come on.
(Clicks)
(Ringing)
(Both panting)
Tell me one more
thing, MacGyver.
What?
That there isn't going
to be another step.
Well, actually, there is.
Rachel: Boardman!
Hey, boardman!
Looks like your firebomb
turned out to be a big dud.
(Grunts)
Rachel: MacGyver!
I guess that was step
number four, huh?
Okay, MacGyver, how did
you make the connection
between the prometheus
fires and the cafe fire?
Well, I got to thinking
about that skid row fire.
The device was remote control,
so obviously it
was a trap for Earl,
A personal vendetta
of some kind.
Rachel: But when did you
figure out it was boardman?
Well, remember
what Earl said about
Arsonists sticking around
to see the fires they set?
Yeah.
But this is a picture of
me and Earl at the cafe fire.
No, in the
background, right there.
- Rachel: Boardman.
- MacGyver: Yeah.
He just couldn't accept being
responsible for Victoria's death.
So he lashed out at anyone who
could have saved her, but didn't.
All because he loved her.
You know, we really
did try to save her.
I know that.
And I want you to know,
I would turn in this badge
if it would bring back Earl.
I know that, too.