MacGyver said goodbye to series co-lead, Jack Dalton during Friday’s emotional hour.
The episode, “Father + Bride + Betrayal,” brought about an emotional goodbye after actor George Eads announced late last year he was leaving the CBS drama series after he asked to be released from his contract.
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The hour spent most of its time dealing with the case of the week rather than the main character’s exit. According to Deadline, international crime boss Alonzo Olvera offers Phoenix director of operations Matty a deal — he’ll surrender himself into her custody, along with information on his criminal activities, if he’s allowed to come back to the U.S. for his daughter’s wedding.
MacGyver and the team crash the wedding to make sure the crime boss doesn’t run, only to discover that the man’s associates will do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn’t give up the business.
As for the former CIA agent’s storyline, the series offered Eads’ character an opened-ended departure from the series that was almost too small for such a pivotal character.
In the opening scenes, viewers find out that Jack once led a military unit that tracked terrorist Tiberius Kovacs, described as a “bad dude, the worst of the worst.”
Though he was believed to be dead, the terrorists’ body was never found and things get complicated when a photo of the man surfaces after another attack. The government has intel that Kovacs is planning U.S. terror strikes and announce they are starting a task force to chase the man down, and want Dalton to lead it.
The episode includes a farewell conversation between MacGyver and Jack, as well as a heartwarming ending filled with hugs and teary-eyed goodbyes that fans will appreciate, while also keeping the door open for Eads to return as a guest star in the future.
Eads first announced that he would be leaving the action drama after two-and-a-half seasons back in November. At the time, reports surfaced that the actor had stormed off the set in October after an on-set altercation. When he returned, he asked to be released from his contract so he could move back to Los Angeles to be closer to his daughter.
CBS and Eads never officially commented on the altercation but confirmed the exit at the time.
In a Television Critics Association panel, CBS Entertainment boss Kelly Kahl said that despite Eads’ exit, MacGyver is still a strong contender for a Season 4 renewal due to its high ratings performance in its Friday timeslot.
MacGyver will be back with a new episode Friday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
