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'MacGyver' Season 4 Episode 7 Review: Double date goes off the rails as Angus, Desi fail to normalize romance

A fun episode that asks what makes a relationship work, and if Mac and Desi can ever just be a normal couple

Spoilers for 'MacGyver' Season 4 Episode 7

What is it that makes for a successful relationship? Is it the adrenaline of being together? Is it small rituals that keep the romance alive? Most importantly, can two of the Phoenix Foundations best two operatives take a night off from high stakes action and just be normal for an evening? The answer to that last question, at least, is relatively straight forward - they most definitely can't. 

Taking a night off just to be together, Angus MacGyver (Lucas Till) and Desi Nguyen (Levy Tran) have their first proper date since getting back together, on a double date with Riley Davis (Tristan Mays) and her new boyfriend, Aubrey (Leonardo Nam). Despite all the high-stake missions that Mac and Desi have been through together, this evening might have actually been their greatest challenge yet, as it's nearly impossible to turn their operative side off, especially when they enjoy it so much. 

It's said that if you do what you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life, but what that tends to actually mean is that you never actually get to stop working. Circumstances may have forced their hand, but it's clear that Mac and Desi just aren't able to relax in a normal environment. They're only relaxed when the pressure is on and danger is all around them, but by the end of the episode, they realize that that's their "thing" and maybe that's what makes for a good relationship. The ability to recognize its flaws and want to be in it anyway. 

There is a lot of sappiness in this episode. It's saccharine, but you can't help but be happy for the characters, and the show doesn't dwell on any of it for too long before getting right back into the action. Donovan James O'Malley (Devon Sawa) makes for a delightfully impatient villain who just wants his money before his soon-to-be ex-wife gets her hands on it. For a one-episode villain, he's got an entertaining number of quirks and backstory that are just enough to keep him entertaining. The 'Impractical Jokers' cameos were similarly fun, and unobtrusive - there is a temptation, for characters like them, to steal the show, but there's just enough of them in the episode to provide a chuckle for fans of 'Impractical Jokers' without getting the way of the episode. 

Unlike the ultra-fancy dinner Mac and Desi were forced to sit through, this episode is a rather satisfying departure from the more high-risk missions of Phoenix Foundations. Next episode, though, things look like business as usual, with the mysterious Codex, File 47, and, apparently, the end of the world.  

The next episode of 'MacGyver' airs April 3, on The CW.