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Murdoc + Handcuffs Recap

The team is at MacGyver's house playing Charades, girls with guys with Diane there. Mac gets too technical and the girls take over. Jack and Riley go to the kitchen to get refills, and Jack figures that Riley is trying to rekindle the spark between Jack and Diane. He warns her that it isn't going to happen, and Riley points out that Diane is moving back to LA and it wouldn't be bad if they got back together.

Henry Fletcher arrives at the door and Jack draws a gun on him and orders him to his knees. The ex-teacher says that Murdoc said the house wasn't very secure, and insists that he came alone and unarmed. He tells the team that they have something very important to discuss, and shows them a video of a captive Murdoc. Henry explains that before Murdoc recruited him, he has a good life in retirement. Each recruited as an assassin just like Henry, and they all turned on Murdoc. They'll hand Murdoc over in 12 hours in return for $10 million and only Jack and Murdoc. Henry warns them that they have a few other interested parties. Matty figures that it's the best lead on Murdoc in months and they'll take the deal. Jack objects but Mac points out that Murdoc is the big fish and Jack agrees to go with him. Matty promises Henry that if he double-crosses them then she'll hunt him down first. Henry says that he'll be in touch and leaves.

The next day outside of Indianapolis, Mac and Jack drive to the rendezvous and Jack has packed dozens of weapons. He figures that it's a trap, and Mac shows him the portable gas chromograph be brought for explosives.

In the war room, Riley texts Diane and says that they need to talk. She then tells Matty that Diane has a lot of questions that she can't answer. The comms go out and Mac figures that it's the collective. The two agents pull up on a bridge and Mac scans for explosives. There's no sign of anyone, and laser sights appear on their chests. Henry drives up at the other end of the bridge and assures the agents that they will get Murdoc if they behave. Murdoc is in handcuffs, and Henry demands the cash. Jack refuses to hand it over until they have Murdoc, and Mac suggests a show of good faith. Henry agrees and the two sides meet in the middle of the bridge. They make the exchange and Henry tells Murdoc that he would have killed Murdoc himself if he wasn't worth $10 million.

Jack and Mac drive off and Murdoc asks about Sam's funeral. Mac tells him that Sam is still alive, and Murdoc admits that it's surprising. He talks about killing a spider as a boy, and says that he's smiling because when he catches the collective, he's going to kill them like he killed the spider.

The agents arrive at the exfil coordinates and prepare to board the Phoenix helicopter. The chromograph goes off and Mac tells the others to run. The helicopter explodes, throwing the trio to the ground. Mac crawls over to Jack and makes sure that he's okay, and Murdoc says that he's fine as well. The agents' SUV are trashed, and someone drives up and opens fire on them. The trio takes cover and Jack shoots the tire out of the approaching truck. The shooter continues firing, and Mac drags Murdoc into a nearby hangar with Jack providing cover fire.

In the hangar, Jack figures that Murdoc set the whole thing up. Murdoc insists that he has no idea what's going on and points out that it's a lousy double-cross. Mac figures that it's one of the other interested parties that Henry mentioned. Murdoc admits that there are plenty of people who want him dead.

The killer enters the building.

Mac confirms that the cell towers are still down, and suggests that they get a photo of the killer and send it to Phoenix for facial recognition. Murdoc tells them to set a trap using a lure, and Mac agrees. He has to use his own phone because Jack's was destroyed in the explosion. The killer moves in and the trio takes cover. The killer arrives and hears a clanking noise, and discovers that Mac has set up a crude noisemaker. He's also planted his camera nearby and it takes a photo of the killer and searches for a signal.

Kate tells Matty that two of the cell towers just came up. Mac's video file comes through along with a message explaining what happened. Riley runs facial recognition on the photo.

The trio goes to a nearby library and Mac calls Phoenix on a library computer. Matty says that a new exfil team will be there in four hours, but they didn't get any hits on facial rec. Riley sends the photo of the killer, and Murdoc says that he's Nicholas Helman. He says that Nicholas is the man who trained him and he's better than Murdoc is.

The team goes to a suburban home and steals a van, and drive off. Murdoc explains that he and Nicholas were on a job together and the children they were targeting came out early. Rather than give up the money, Murdoc blew up their car before Nicholas could get clear. Mac doesn't believe him, and Murdoc finally tells him that after he failed to join the Army, he joined a foreign military. They sent him to train with Nicholas, and Murdoc figures that Nicholas wants him dead because he murdered Nicholas' wife right in front of him after Nicholas tried to retire. Murdoc failed to kill Nicholas, and Nicholas has been hunting him ever since.

The woman who owns the van reports the theft to the police. Nicholas talks to the officer, kills the man, steals his car, and calls in to report the stolen van. Riley intercepts the call and patches Matty in. Nicholas offers to let Mac and Jack if they let Murdoc live. They refuse and Nicholas tosses his cell phone out of the car before Riley can trace it.

Mac talks to Jack about Diane, and Jack says that he's worried about screwing things up again. A bored Murdoc starts singing, and Jack finally yells at him to shut up. Mac sees an AMBER alert up ahead and realizes that Nicholas called in their theft. They drive to an abandoned gas station and discover that the pay phone is out of order. Mac repairs it using parts from the van, and Jack suggests that he kill Murdoc right away. They reach Matty and she says that she can send the exfil team to them. Riley spots the police car on satellite feed, and the trio sees a train going by.

Nicholas pulls up to the gas station and finds the abandoned van. He goes to the phone and sees the train departing, and realizes that Murdoc is on it.

On the train, Murdoc assures Jack and Mac that he's not going to run away when they're protecting him. Murdoc asks Mac how his search for his father is going, and Mac claims that he found him living in the Montana backwoods. The assassin figures that he's lying and suggests that they share the truth. Mac suggests that Murdoc might have daddy issues, and Murdoc concedes the point. He explains that his father beat him, and Murdoc took it personally when Nicholas retired. Murdoc never understood why Nicholas threw away his career for love. Mac says that he used to blame his father for his mother's death, but was just trying to get a reaction out of him. Murdoc asks Mac if he ever considered murdering his father, and says that there's nothing more cathartic.

At Phoenix, Matty meets Diane in an interrogation room and says that Diane is there to keep her safe. Matty figures that it's more dangerous not to explain, and takes Diane around Phoenix. She explains that she ran a background check on Diane and found out that she's safe, and explains that Phoenix is a U.S. intelligence agency. Matty says that Riley is sometimes out in the field and works as an operative, and tells Diane that she should be proud of Riley.

Mac offers Jack a can of beans, and tosses one to Murdoc. He then tells Jack that he let Murdoc get into his head, and it made him wonder if his father doesn't want to be found. Mac wonders why he's wasting so much time and energy on someone who didn't stick around, and Jack tells him that sometimes that's how family works. He admits that he's thinking about Diane, and he left her the first time to keep business out of their personal lives. Jack warns Mac that they won't get any happy ending.

The brain stops and Murdoc drops his can. Nicholas has parked the police car on the tracks ahead, and Jack shoves Murdoc out before he and Mac jump. They run to a nearby abandoned building but the door is locked. Mac has to use Murdoc's handcuffs to pick the lock, while Nicholas drives after them. The trio ducks into the building and Nicholas opens fire. Murdoc runs off and Jack and Mac go after him but he loses them.

Murdoc climbs out the window and finds the corpse in the back of the police car, and takes its gun.

Mac finds a tarp and says that he can make a drop net trap out of it. He tells Jack that they need live bait, and Jack realizes that Mac means him. As Mac works, Jack tells him that he wants to live so he can Diane can get back together. Mac sends him to find Nicholas and lure him there. Murdoc comes in, training the gun on Mac, and then shoots Nicholas as he comes in behind Mac and also hits Mac in the shoulder. Jack runs back and orders Murdoc to drop the gun, and then grabs Nicholas' gun. Murdoc points out that he just saved Mac's life, and Mac confirms that he's telling the truth. When Jack wonders why he saved mac's life, Murdoc says that he wants something only Jack can give him in return.

Later back in LA, Mac and Jack return to Mac's home. The others are waiting, and Matty confirms that Murdoc is back in custody. Jack tells Diane that he knows that Matty told her what they did, and Diane kisses him. She thanks him for believing in Riley and giving her a second chance. Meanwhile Mac tells Wilt that Murdoc wanted something more than seeing him dead.

Murdoc meets with his son Cassian, who is in Phoenix custody. Cassian asks if they're going home, and Murdoc asks him for the birthday present that he sent him: a set of headphones. Murdoc has Cassian put them on, turn up the volume, and close his eyes… and then takes the boy's pencil sharpener. A few minutes later, the two of them drive away and Murdoc tosses the bloody pencil sharpener blade out. He then pulls up to Henry's house, tells Cassian to put the headphones back on, and breaks inside. Murdoc gets a kitchen knife, finds Henry, and says that he came for him first.

Written by Gadfly on Feb 3, 2018

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