The Story So Far...
MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson, "Stargate SG-1") isn't your usual secret agent; since he doesn't carry a gun, instead utilizing science and creativity to survive his adventures. He also is quite skilled in creating the ever-popular "MacGyverisms," improvised tools he makes out of the things he finds. Working for the benevolent Phoenix Foundation, he helps save the world or just an unlucky soul. The show was seen ABC from 1985 to 1992, followed by a pair of TV movies.

Paramount released the first season on DVD in January of 2005, and followed it in rapid order, with Season Two in June, Season Three in September and Season Four in December of the same year. DVDTalk has reviews of the sets here:
Season One | Season Two | Season Three | Season Four.

The Show
The fifth season of "MacGyver" got off to a bad start with the ambitious two-part global jaunt "The Legend of the Holy Rose." Once you get past just how ridiculous the show's opening is, you have to deal with one of the worst female characters the show has seen, and continuing problems in believability. For a series that drew such strength from the reality of Mac's unique inventions and use of science, this arc threw it out the window, resulting in a story that has more in common with the '60s "Batman" series than the previous four season, right down to the cliffhanger trap. There are many laughable moments, but it all starts here.

Once again this season, being an old friend of MacGyver's means dealing with a heaping helping of trouble from a variety of sources. Whether they are ex-bounty hunters, environmentalists or rock stars, Mac's pals are prime targets for thieves, murderers and scoundrels, and the motivation for a whopping six episodes this time, all of which follow the same formula, as Mac gets pulled into a situation by his friend that puts him in over his head. If it hadn't happened so many times before, it wouldn't be so bad.

That doesn't even include the episodes featuring the more memorable of Mac's friends, Jack Dalton (Bruce McGill) and Penny Parker (Teri Hatcher). As usual, the pair of appearances by Dalton don't fail to entertain, but "Serenity," the episode featuring both McGill and Hatcher, is one of the more unique in the series' run, and also features the infamous hitman Murdoc (Michael Del Barres), in one of TWO appearances this season. Built around an over-tired MacGyver's dreams, the episode is a period piece set in the post-Civil War era, and plays with the show's conventions, creating one of the best episodes the show has seen.

While there are some very entertaining old-school MacGyver adventures this season, including "Halloween Knights," a team-up with his arch-rival Murdoc, and the spy-throwback "Deep Cover," the "MacGyver: Social Worker" feel is evident here once again. Battling racism in "Rush to Judgment" and helping drop-outs in "Live and Learn" just doesn't fit the mold of a "MacGyver" adventure. While "Judgment" doesn't turn out so bad from the subject matter, "Live and Learn" is dated and heavy-handed, and a bit goofy to boot.

Also worth noting in this season is a new, darker, and uncharacteristically political edge, as "The 10-Percent Solution" and "Children of Light" show. "Solution" in particular, with its connection to the Holocaust and the Aryan Nation, is a different track for this show, and one that could have been a successful blending of MacGyver the adventurer and MacGyver the social worker. Unfortunately, it's the exception to the rule though, as the show wound its way through another season.

Hey, Isn't That...
Among the guest stars this season are Mayim Bialik, Daniel Davis ("The Nanny"), Cuba Gooding, Jr., Linda Blair, Vic Tayback (in his last-ever performance) and Deborah Van Valkenburgh ("Too Close for Comfort").

The DVDs
With the episode count back up to 21, Season Five is once again a six-DVD set, with four shows on the first three discs and three on each of the final three. The discs are packed in three ThinkPak cases, two discs in each, which come packed in a cardboard slipcase. On the discs, the menus are essentially the same as the first four sets, once again static and full-frame, showing only episode titles. There's no play-all feature, no language choices and no subtitle options. Each episode does feature closed captioning though.

The Quality
For once, I really can't complain much about the look of this series on DVD. The video is a tad soft, resulting in some loss of detail, but overall, it looks pretty good, with solid color and less video noise and dirt than in previous seasons. It would make sense that the series' DVDs improve as we get closer to today, but considering how some of the previous discs look, I wasn't placing any bets.

The audio, a stereo mix delivered via a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, is as good as you can expect, with quality dialogue and well-balanced music. Surprisingly, there's some decent use of the surrounds in spots, but for the most part it is presented firmly in the center channel, and sounds good either way.

The Extras
In a shocking twist, the Fifth-Season DVDs have no extras aside from some previews...oh, wait...that's not that shocking. Paramount keeps on pumping out these bare-bones catalog releases without shame, letting down fans of the adventurer, again and again.

The Bottom Line
Is it any surprise that this show had slid into a bit of formula after five years? After all, it's incredible hard to keep any adventurer fresh after so many journeys (compare MacGyver's quantity with that of a James Bond or an Indiana Jones.) So despite a stunningly late '80s hairstyle, the feel hasn't changed all that much from the previous runs, with the usual suspects in attendance and usual plots at work. The DVDs are at least improved, though still without the content the show's loyal fans deserve. This is solely for the die-hard fans who want the complete series, or as a rental for the curious.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.