Title: Gotta Know When To Fold 'Em
Fandom: MacGyver
Pairing: gen
Categories: action/adventure, drama, humor, yuletide recs
Length: Medium (5,176 words)
Warnings: minor character death

Author on LJ: pitry
Author Website: Pitry

Summary:
Some people have hobbies. MacGyver gets shot at.

Review:
While out on a hike, MacGyver gets cornered by assassins and encounters an unlikely ally, his old nemesis Murdoc. Despite MacGyver's reluctance, they team up, but of course with Murdoc nothing is ever simple.

The author really has a grasp of both characters here, and I love their banter. We see why Murdoc was always the best villain of the show; he's MacGyver's equal, and able to keep up with him, and is in fact sometimes several steps ahead. Very much like an episode, there's some low-key action, a little bit of humor, and some classic MacGyvering to get out of their sticky situation.

I can't resist including the below quote, which really encapsulates their interactions and the story very well:

Murdoc smiled at him. “You sound as if you’re not happy to see me,” he said in an almost insulted voice.

“I can’t imagine why.”

“See? That’s another thing we have in common, you and I.” If Murdoc was getting the sarcasm, he was doing a good job of pretending not to. But Mac had just survived two assassination attempts, and hadn’t even had lunch. He wasn’t in the mood.

“No! We’ve got nothing in common!”

“Why, MacGyver! You sound as if you don’t like me! What have I ever done to you?”

“Well, there was the time you tried to kill me, the time you tried to kill me, and, oh, yeah, the - time - you - tried - to - kill - me!”

“That’s all in the past, though, MacGyver.”

“That was three weeks ago!”

Gotta Know When To Fold 'Em

ETA: de-anoned author information 1/1/12