Season 12 Pledge Drive Bonus Disc (MST3K Special)

Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 were given an opportunity to help the show recoup costs before season twelve was launched, and fans jumped at the chance.  A good amount of it was panic because some fans misunderstood thinking that the series was in severe financial trouble, but anybody who knows Economics 101 knows that a series being in the red before release is a perfectly normal thing and cash flow and eventual profit doesn't start flowing until release.  But of course they would want to break even before the season dropped.  Why wouldn't they?  Plus fans had a chance to help support the show again and get some cool stuff.  It was win/win.

This Pledge Drive disc was a bonus that was included in a DVD and/or blu-ray box set of season twelve that was offered during the Pledge Drive, which housed the only special features this release had.  What did those who waited until retail miss out on?  For starters they feature an intro and outro by Joel, both run about 30 seconds and look as if they were filmed during the 2018 Turkey Day segments.  Joel closes the latter by saying "See you next season!" which in retrospect is kind of awkward since Netflix cancelled the series after this set was released.  But we're getting a new season on the Gizmoplex, so all is well.

The rest are making of featurettes, starting with Behind the Sketches.  This runs a half hour and really deep dives into the live filming of the show.  There are a ton of cool behind the scenes clips complete with unused takes and in between are talking heads about the creative process, including series stars Jonah Ray, Felicia Day, Patton Oswalt, Baron Vaughn, Hampton Yaunt, and Rebecca Hansen.  For those who want a good look at how the show is constructed, this will fit the bill.

Up next is Inside the Riffs.  This featurette discusses the riffing process, mostly with head writer Elliot Kalan.  It's about 16 minutes long and covers how the writing process works, from watching the movie and pitching riffs, all the way to performing the riffs in front of the movie.  There are neat tidbits, like how season eleven had Jonah, Baron, and Hampton performing from separate booths but in this one they had them performing together, as well as their desire to let the jokes breathe a little more this season.

Next on the menu we go Under the Puppets, which is a thorough 25 minute look at the puppeteering featured on the show.  Not a lot of comparisons are made to the puppeteering in the classic series, because they're obviously done so differently, but it's a wonderful look at the creation of the characters we love and the people who bring them to life as they discuss Crow, Tom Servo, Gypsy, Waverly, Growler, and even Ardy and Bonesy.  There are also discussions with the puppet voices here, especially Hampton and Baron who talk about their takes on fan favorite characters Crow and Servo.  I love the description of why Hampton is Crow and Baron is Servo and not the other way around, because Baron is "more theatrical" and Hampton "wants everyone to be on fire."  This is probably my favorite featurette on the disc.

Finally is Scaling the Models, which is the shortest featurette at 11 minutes.  One of the sillier criticisms I've heard about the new series is that the show looks "too polished" and "too good" to match the old series, nevermind that it had been 18 years in between seasons.  I've always felt this is pretty much what the modern day MST would look like had it never went off the air, and this interview with model maker Mike Murnane really hammers home that it definitely is what the show would be.  It's impressive just how much of these models that look "too good" are made out of cardboard, toys, and just junk that you'd buy from wherever.  Maybe they're more detailed than the original show, but we're filming in HD so they kind of have to be.  This look at the construction of models from the series is pretty outstanding and while once you see the seams in some of these (I can't not see cardboard ends in the door sequence now), seeing kit bashing in action is really cool.

It's a shame that only those who backed the Pledge Drive will see these featurettes, because these are some of the finest, most appreciative supplements on the making of the series and a much more thorough look at the what gets put into the show than the documentary on the eleventh season box set.  The craft is so loving and the discussions are so engaging that I think many fans would gain a whole new appreciation for the series, and it would clear up a few of the nonsense rumors thrown around by people who know nothing of how the series is made.  My one critique is the same critique I have for the eleventh season bonuses, which is that they don't discuss the movies themselves as much as I would like.  The movies are a large part of the show's identity and they shouldn't be ignored.  But this package is a huge win for MSTies and this bonus disc is one to treasure.