Patricia Thornton

Patricia Thornton (aka Chrysalis) is a hidden recurring villainess from CBS' 2016 MacGyver series. She was the director of the Phoenix Foundation, but was later revealed as a mole leaking secrets to the Organization--who had been targeting Phoenix.

She is played by Sandrine Holt.

Patricia Thornton was introduced in the pilot as being with the Department of External Services, and served the director of the Phoenix Foundation; sending MacGyver and his crew on various missions. In episode 1.12, "Screwdriver," Patricia was revealed as a villainous mole who had been leaking information to the Organization for three years.

Former Phoenix operative Nikki Carpenter, who was believed to be a traitor since the pilot (as well as MacGyver ex-girlfriend), was actually in deep cover for the CIA searching for the mole who had been working for the Organization. According to the summation, Patricia listened in on Mac's call to Riley about Nikki, and she tracked Mac and the crew once Nikki's phone was turned on. Later on, the evil Patricia sent operatives to a cabin (where Mac and Nikki often spent time together) and destroyed evidence of her true role, which Nikki kept in a lockbox.

While waiting at a hotel lobby for the mole, who was known as Chrysalis, Patricia appeared with the same operatives who shot at Mac's crew at the cabin and had Nikki handcuffed. She later stated that Nikki's search was a ruse to discredit the group, but it was in the episode's climax that Patricia's reveal occurred. Mac stated that Patricia had spent months preventing him from finding Nikki, indicating that Patricia did so to keep her own villainous secret hidden. Riley presented evidence of Patricia's double dealings, as she also had a Cayman Islands account that was used by the Organization to pay her. Patricia was later arrested for her crimes.