Episodes
ReptilicusCry Wilderness
The Time Travelers
Avalanche
The Beast of Hollow Mountain
Starcrash
The Land That Time Forgot
The Loves of Hercules
Yongary, Monster from the Deep
Wizards of the Lost Kingdom
Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II
Carnival Magic
The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
At the Earth's Core
Featured in DVD and Blu-Ray Sets
It had been a little over sixteen years after the Sci-Fi Channel aired Diabolik, the final episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, when Joel Hodgson started a Kickstarter campaign to relaunch the franchise in 2015. Asking for $2 million to produce three episodes and up to $5 and a half million to produce twelve, MSTies everywhere shouted "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!" and went above and beyond to raise over $6 million for the project, then becoming the largest crowdfunding campaign for a media project (it has since been beaten) and they had enough money to film a full fourteen episodes. The campaign caught the eye of Netflix, the largest streaming company in the world, who negotiated a deal to distribute them to homes across the world.
In April of 2017, the fruits of our labor were unleashed. Whether or not it was worth the wait largely depends on the viewer. A lot loved it, a lot (like myself) thought it was good with issues, there were also a lot disappointed, and a lot who found it an insult to the original series and those who support it "not real fans and were lying to themselves." You know, not enjoying something is one thing, trying to destroy something that makes other people happy is kind of not cool. In my years as a MSTies, I've seen some very xenophobic stuff when it comes to comedy, from rejection to disdain at the time sitcoms like Seinfeld and Home Improvement to dislike of popular comedy films of the day starring Adam Sandler or Jim Carrey and even certain fans rejecting all sorts of comedy or comedians who weren't involved with this specific group of people that was involved with the show, because nobody else who ever lived has ever been funny and nobody else ever will be. Granted, that latter example is both extreme and few, but I really gained something of an impression that the fanbase was fencing itself off for some reason. That was one of the things I hated most about being a MSTie, it was kind of a He-Man Woman Haters club. And don't get me started on the idea that outsiders could ever come in and work on the show, because that conversation could turn borderline violent. The fear was someone unfamiliar would come and ruin their beloved show. And in many ways, anything that wasn't status quo was the definition of "ruined."
I'm not invalidating that stance, just making observations on it. If you don't like the new Mystery Science Theater, that's perfectly fine. It's not the show you like, and the show you liked ended in 1999 (or maybe in 1996...or 1993...depending on the cast member you liked best). There are nearly two hundred episodes of that show, and it had a good run.
Here's the thing, I love Star Trek, but I dislike Star Trek: Voyager. I don't bemoan the fact that it exists though. It's a thing that happened, some people like it, and I don't watch it. I grew up a fan of the original Ghostbusters. They did a reboot a few years ago, didn't care for it. Wasn't all that funny, honestly. But there will be a generation that grows up loving that movie, and that's fantastic. They should have something that's "theirs," just as I enjoy the one that's "mine." Even movies like The Thing or The Fly, I love the originals, but there are a lot of people that love the remakes. Cool. The fact that people like something means it earned its right to exist, just like a lot of media. Or to use an example of something good that turned into something bad, I love Godzilla and then came the 1998 movie. A lot of fans waste a lot of energy tearing into that movie, but I'm just like "Why? Why bother?" There really isn't a point to be that mad about something that doesn't really affect the movies that you do like. Even if an unpopular movie comes out, if someone likes it, they're allowed to have it and get what joy they can out of it.
The new Mystery Science Theater 3000 won't please everyone (hell, the original MST didn't please everyone, it was a niche show), but they're shooting toward rebuilding a fanbase with old fans who are open so seeing it evolve and new fans who are discovering it for the first time, and that helps the old franchise live on in that those new fans will backtrack and watch the impressive catalog of episodes they didn't know existed before. Whether you care for the new series or not, this is a good thing. And these fans are getting something they enjoy, which is also a good thing. I sat down with the new MST hoping that it gives me that chill feel of a show I can end a hard day with my feet kicked up and just have some laughs while watching a dumb movie. I had caution about it not being the same as it used to be (and it isn't), but the new MST delivered exactly what I needed.
That's not saying the new show isn't without its blemishes. Of course it has them. The first few seasons of the original series were a massive learning curve. I don't care for the rapid delivery of the riffs this season, which are obviously post-production edits and can at times drop just as or even before the scene they're supposed to be riffing even begins. It messes with the comedic timing and the flow of the series, and makes the comedy feel artificial and not as free-flowing as the original series. And while the show does evolve from the series it once was, sometimes it isn't different enough. There is a desperate clinging to the original show's format, which even includes odd "commercial bumpers" of some sort that interrupt the theater segments. While I understand the intent, it just comes off as an unnecessary distraction. If you're going to be on streaming now (without commercials, I might add), embrace it and play to the format's strengths. Gypsy also ducks in and out of the theater at different times, unloading something called a "payload." This is unexplained and weird, seemingly only done to give Gypsy a riff in each episode. There is also a bizarre editing technique during the host segments, in which they work around the single shot formula by stitching together different takes using a stream of bubbles that wash over the screen. This apparently plays into the "liquid technology" idea that our new villains, Kinga Forrester and Max, toy with, but it's just strange, annoying, and takes you out of the show.
Because all of these episodes were filmed at the same time, completed before release, and released simultaneously through Netflix's bingewatch model, there is no real learning curve through the season because each succeeding episode couldn't learn from the previous. If there is something that bugs you about the show, then it will be gnawing at you the entire season. And at fourteen episodes, that can get cumbersome.
But I find the saviors of the show to be the dynamic chemistry between the leads. Jonah Ray takes over hosting duties as test subject Jonah Heston, and he's a charismatic lead. Baron Vaughn and Hampton Yaunt take over voicing Tom Servo and Crow, and they become series highlights. Even if the riff editing system is a problem in this season, the work from this trio still plays off due to some killer delivery. Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt are delicious as mad scientists Kinga and Max, and every appearance by the duo is a gift. Rebecca Hanson is also a new cast member, as the new voice of Gypsy and a third Mad named Synthia. I enjoy her as Gypsy, but Synthia is inconsistent and I don't have a feel for her character.
And supporting the new project is Mary Jo Pehl, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, who drop into three episodes as Pearl, Bobo, and Observer to give us nostalgic old fogies a bit of the feels!
As for film selection, the one issue I have with the films this year has been diversity. While there are different kinds of films this year, they all kind of fall into a single genre of science-fiction/fantasy. It's almost as if we were chained up by the film constraints of the Sci-Fi Channel all over again! What about a cop movie like Mitchell? What about an over-the-top drama like Teenage Crime Wave? How about a schlocky horror movie like Werewolf? The most out of the box films are Avalanche, which is a disaster movie type that we haven't seen since KTMA, and The Beast of Hollow Mountain, which is a little bit of a western, even if it has a dinosaur in it.
Also a victim of circumstance is the regrettable loss of black and white films. This is the first season without at least one on the slate, and it's unfortunately due to superficial reasons. Black and white doesn't sell (even the guys who make Incognito Cinema Warriors XP admit this), so the season avoids them. The idea of this makes me a little salty because this season has always been sold as an entire unit, which means even if it only had one black and white movie late in the season, it likely wouldn't have mattered. But the idea of a black and white movie "turns off" people for some reason, and the selection of films aim to "look good in HD" (despite B&W cinematography looking very handsome in the format). This is a restriction on the types of films Mystery Science Theater can show, and I have a huge problem with that. There should be no restrictions at all. All that matters should be "Can we make this funny?" If the answer is yes, it should be on the show.
That being said, I don't have anything against the films shown themselves. Given the fact that they neutered their selection process, I think they chose pretty well. They're all silly, ridiculous movies, and most held promise for the riffing format (save for perhaps Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II and Carnival Magic). The new owners of MST, Shout Factory, are taking advantage of some doors that they've opened with the movie studios. They seem to be sporting a healthy relationship with MGM and are putting their acquired library of films from New Horizons to good use. There's an attempt to make Doug McClure the new identified actor of the show, up there with the likes of Joe Don Baker and Peter Graves. There's also a Hercules film thrown in for good measure. I have issues with the selection process, but I can't complain about the results. The films used are fantastic.
As for seasonal highlights, there is no question in my mind that the best episodes of the season are Avalanche and Wizards of the Lost Kingdom. Picking which one I like more is rough, because I like them both equally for different reasons. I'm going to favor Avalanche because a disaster film on MST feels fresh and the perfection of the commentary revs me up. Wizards of the Lost Kingdom is wacky fun, but Avalanche just sticks out a slight bit more. While third place may not be as clear cut as the season does have a few winners, I really have no doubt in my mind that Starcrash belongs there. A lot of fans may favor Cry Wilderness, I'd consider that a top five episode, but not worthy of the bronze medal.
Of course, there are a few duds as well. Every season has 'em (season seven is the exception, not the rule). This season had a fair ratio of them, and in fact if you were to average out my ratings for the episodes this season, you'd find this is my lowest average since the second season. That being said, while it may seem like a massive strike against the season, I feel like I must point out that it's not really too much lower than my rating for the tenth season, which it took that slot from. Season ten had more consistent quality, but its clunkers really brought it down. All things considered, I'd consider the ratio very pleasing. Worst episode is Carnival Magic, and really, it isn't even close. Runner-up position unfortunately goes to the disappointing holiday special, The Christmas That Almost Wasn't (maybe it shouldn't). Third worst was a bigger question mark, as that position fluctuated based on what held up and what didn't based on rewatch. Some episodes, such as The Land that Time Forgot, were much better upon second viewing. There were also several, such as Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II, that just kind of stayed as lacking lumps. The tremendous missed opportunity of The Time Travelers is what sticks out in my mind though, and it has to take the slot.
The new Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an imperfect beast trapped between a nostalgia retread and an evolved reboot of a series that won our hearts many years ago. I feel it needs to side more with the latter, because if this show were to be a nostalgia act, Joel would have hosted it himself. But if MST is to thrive, it needs to embrace the new and not be afraid to boldly move forward into what a modern MST should be. The new MST isn't quite there yet, but with enough encouragement, I trust it to find its own way.
Top Three Episodes:
1. Avalanche
2. Wizards of the Lost Kingdom
3. Starcrash
Bottom Three Episodes:
1. Carnival Magic
2. The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
3. The Time Travelers
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