ROYAL SPLAINS

On his first official house call as a "concierge doctor" in the Hamptons, Dr. Hank Lawon needed to treat a billionaire's teenage son in an emergency. And complicating matters, young Tucker was a hemophiliac.

Acting quickly, Hank told Tucker's girl-friend to get him the following items:

Vodka
Bic Pen
Very Sharp Knife
Sandwich Bag
Duct Tape

She processed the list and asked, "Who are you? MacGyver?"

'MacGyver' falls into that category of shows for which I'll need a standard checklist of splainins as to why mentions of them in the TV Universe should not be considered "Zonks". In MacGyver's case, he O'Bviously became world famous at some point after the TV show about him (as seen in our world, that is) went off the air. Since that time, MacGyver has become so famous that a Toobworld TV show may have been made about him (mentioned in 'Chuck' as well as in 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', which gave away too much info) There's definitely a TV show about him in the Tooniverse ('The Simpsons'); and here in the real world, a theatrical film is in development.

But for the most part, the references in the TV show are simply to the character and not to any TV show about him.

For instance:

"It took us fifteen years to figure out a way to Macgyver the stargate to work." - Samantha, 'Stargate SG-1'

But most of them fall into the same vein as the one from 'Royal Pains'. Basically: "Who are you, McGyver?"

And that's how this reference will stand - with McGyver mentioned - but as a real person, not the TV fiction.

BCnU!