| Twice Stung | |
| Season 2, Episode 3 | |
 | |
| Airdate | 6th October 1986 |
| Written by | Phil Combest, Mark Lisson & Bill Froehlich |
| Directed by | Paul Krasny |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous The Eraser |
Next The Wish Child |
Twice Stung is the 3rd episode of Season 2 in the original version of MacGyver.
Synopsis[]
After a friend of MacGyver's almost commits suicide, MacGyver and Pete set up a sting operation that would make a con man give up some money after he stole the friend's life savings and on other people.
Summary[]
Act One[]
Returning home from assignment on a T-38 jet, MacGyver heads to the Phoenix Foundation expecting to welcome a friend's sixtieth birthday. He arrives in the server room to find Pete's surprise party for Kelly who still hasn't shown up. MacGyver explains his early arrival was to make sure he didn't miss the party while Pete says he fabricated that one of the computers malfunctioned and Kelly was to come and fix it.
Meanwhile at his apartment home, Kelly, broke and out of luck allows natural gas seep in until it overwhelms him. He has time for a somber glance at a portrait of his kids.
While Pete tries to call his employee, MacGyver presents Kelly's cue stick and senses trouble then goes off to check on Kelly.
At the apartment building with the gas about to asphyxiate Kelly, MacGyver opens an elevator, ties an emergency hose to the door knob and elevator bar and sends the elevator back down. After the pressure loosens the door knob, MacGyver covers his mouth as he shuts off the gas and opens the window for oxygen and gives Kelly a breath of fresh air. He then bids Kelly his birthday wishes.
Recovering at MacGyver's home, the younger Phoenix Agent reprimands Kelly for trying to kill himself, but Kelly insists he let it all go. As they argue further, Kelly admits he gambled for his kids, and all his savings are gone. With two kids in college and the third in grad school, he fears what will happen if he talks to them so with hsi insurance he would be more dead than alive. MacGyver reminds he could have informed him or Pete, then the elder operative says he was cheated and the man who brought this about offered a land development project, only to learn too late it was a swamp bottom. He also warns the con artist is capable of killing.
The next day, Pete gathers information on James Crowe, the con artist who swindled Kelly out of his life savings. He was a stick-up man in youth, a fence, a shakedown artist and is also a drug dealer. Kelly along with seven others have been affected in four hundred grand total. Threat Assessment operative Joanne Remmings explains how if arrested, Crowe will simply bribe his way free. Joanne is also surprised to see MacGyver because of his talents. They research Crowe's criminal record and he has never been convicted though Joanne wants Crowe to possibly hang by the ears for cheating Kelly. Crowe is known to frequent the horse racetrack and mainly wears white. Joanne proposes to use a con of their own to bring the con artist down. Though Pete opposes the plan, MacGyver accepts so as to avenge those Crowe cheated.
At the racetrack, Crowe learns his last race was a bust and berrates Benny for his slow training and wants his horses doped. Pete and MacGyver arrive in disguise. While MacGyver keeps silent about his horse he is betting on, the horse race goes on. Pete threatens to arrest a man for yelling in his ear, until the horse Chocaholic make it to the finish first. Crowe overhears Pete promising a deal of his friend's life. Crowe then properly meets with MacGyver and talks about the lowly con he attempted on the cop. He promises to buy drugs from them and arranges to converse at the stables.
Later, MacGyver eavesdrops in the stables and when he catches what he thinks he a thug, he is surprised to see Joanne.
Act Two[]
MacGyver questions what Joanne is doing on the scene, and Joanne admits she is tired of sitting around at computers so she wanted a sense of adventure that MacGyver has. After their argument, they listen in on Crowe threatening Benny. While the villain arranges Benny to be tortured, MacGyver borrows Joanne's bobby pins, three buttons and her glasses. They break up the torture and Crowe gives the elderly trainer a warning. MacGyver passes Joanne off as an admirer of the cop they are conning to get them into a drug deal in days time.
Back at the Phoenix Foundation, MacGyver decides instead of Joanne's strategem, he and Pete would go with the Boston Bang though Joanne still wants to try the Toledo Twist. Pete carrying a duffel bag says Datafeed will have him cover as a cop visitng narcotics. Now deciding to try the Toledo Twist, MacGyver wants to enlist Kelly and arranges to have him wear a fake beard.
Meeting at the dam, Crowe discusses the deal and puts MacGyver in debt. MacGyver explains he needs ninety-percent bonafide cocaine to get the deal underway. If Crowe turns down, Pete wants the find another party. Crowe explains his confidence in escaping arrest for possession and the Phoenix Agent arranges to meet tonight at the Beverly Canyon Hotel suite 1611. If nothing suits his terms, Crowe can just leave.
That night at the hotel, MacGyver, Pete and Joanne arrive to make sure Pete's gun has blanks. Crowe arrives and checks out the two-way mirror reminding him of the Sacramento Switch and brings in the cocaine and the buyer pays three hundred grand.
The disguised Kelly arrives soonafter and presents the money for the cocaine. But then the deal goes wrong and Kelly pulls a gun to steal the goods. Before Crowe can open fire, Pete confuses the "drug buyer" with the cash and his gun shoots first appearing to have killed Kelly.
Act Three[]
Before the cops arrive to the crime scene, Pete sends Crowe out first. MacGyver gets Kelly's attention as he was wearing blood capsules to simulate death. Pete congratulates the team on confiscating the drugs and put the genuine money, which Kelly thought was forged back into the Foundation vault. Aware the deal went wrong, Crowe wants Joanne as insurance policy.
The next day at the dam, Joanne rehearses the strategy about the police property room. Crowe complains about the loss of his money, while MacGyver proposes stealing a million dollars in one day and all Crowe needs to provide is four hundred grand to turn into two million once they break into the police property room. Joanne presents a suitcase to place the money for the watch officer to inspect and split pop-up fake dollars inside the vault. Pete will tell the commander he got the money in the drug bust. While the watch commander is at lunch, Pete and MacGyver will steal the money and they'll get the money in the Brockman trunk. Pete says he remembered a case against Brockman for murder. Crowe accepts, but he threatens murder if he loses another four hundred grand.
At the Foundation, MacGyver and Pete decide
Trivia[]
Joanne Remmings loved MacGyver very much that she knows MacGyver that he does MacGyverism, using one thing to do something else.==Cast==
Main CastRecurring CastOthers
Pamela Bowen as Joanna Remmings
Al Fann as Kelly Sutton
Richard Romanus as James Crowe
Rex Ryon as Carl
Steve Eastin as Tony