Despite having over 200 episodes, MST3K has rarely been very story-driven.
Then again, there are some that feel extra important…
Mystery Science Theater 3000is an amazing show.
Theres a reason the Kickstarter to bring it back from the abyss was such a success.
Lasting for ten seasons, there are countless killer jokes, memorable movies, and harebrained characters.
As wonderful as it all is, its also not the easiest show to really binge-watch.
Recently,Jim Vorel atPastedid a massive articlewhere he rewatched every episode and ranked them from worst to best.
It took well over a year to complete.
I thinkStarfightersis one of the hardest films to sit through, but Ive seen people rave about the episode.
I even findManos: Hands of Fateto be overrated as an episode.
So I came up with a different binging list to enjoy while waiting for those new episodes.
I figured the best way to relive the show is to relive its very evolution.
By that I mean the landmark episodes ofMystery Science Theater 3000that bring new beginnings and fond farewells.
Watch as Joel introduces the movie and then just sits there for a while, occasionally saying a riff.
Watch as the opening theme song sequence looks like aBe Kind Rewindversion of any otherMST3Ktheme song sequence.
Watch as Crow just kind of shows up whenever.
Yeah, its a novelty, all right.
And the Movie:Invaders of the Deepis an action marionette production.
That means the story of a team of heroes fighting villains from Atlantis is entirely stiff and creepy and… Its really not very good.
In the first fifteen minutes and Im not exaggerating Joel makes three riffs.
THE CRAWLING EYE
Experiment 101
Why Its So Special:Well, its the first episode!
The first one that counts, at least.
Like with the KTMA debut, they let the intro speak for itself.
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Ah yes, Dr. Larry Ernhardt.
Weinstein also played the part of Tom Servo during this season, which is hard to get used to.
Gypsys original personality was that she was both androgynous and incredibly dumb.
And the Movie:I knowThe Crawling Eyeas, That movieFreakazoidparodied to make that really dull episode about clowns.
The movie begins with a genuinely chilling and top notch scene about a mountain climber mysteriously getting decapitated.
UnlikeInvaders From the Deep, it isnt the hardest thing in the world to sit through this movie.
There are some good laughs to be had.
Its just that the jokes are spread out far more than later episodes.
Season one is a bit of a slog.
The man holding that milk carton?
Why, none other than TVs Frank!
This was the first episode for reals this time!
At least its more profound on that moral thanPlan 9 From Outer Space.
The best way to describe what makesRocketship X-Mso hard to endure is to look at the Wikipedia plot synopsis.
There are five large paragraphs explaining the movie.
The first threesentencesof that synopsis take up 3/4 of the movie.
Even when stuff starts to happen, it isnt the most exciting, but its still fine in comparison.
Hes basically an even less likeable Dirty Harry.
WatchFinal Justiceif you havent seen it.
If anything, watch the ending credits sequence.
Those guys are HARSH.
Behavior that would continue for several more years.
All the while, his fiancee begs for death and grows vengeful when refused.
Theres also a freakish monster thrown in just for the hell of it.
Despite being an old black and white piece, it moves around fairly quickly and is actually pretty decent.
It gets surprisingly gruesome at times.
SAMSON VS. song number Who Will I Kill?
Luckily, the movie picks up considerably once El Santo shows himself.
Laserblastis an important episode for two reasons.
Clay only appeared in the opening and finale.
First he was there to announce that he lost his funding and was moving back in with his mother.
He was then reborn as a space baby and left in the care of Pearl Forrester.
And the Movie:On paper, I feelLaserblastsounds like a good idea.
A troubled youth discovers a laser cannon left in the desert by some well-animated stop-motion aliens.
Too bad the movie rarely makes you feel like anything is happening.
Its the Sega Does What Nintendont of terrible sci-fi.
Then again, just a show, breathe, relax, etc.
Second, it features the first movie role of oneClint Eastwood.
Revenge of the Creatures storyline is mostly justKing Kongwith an added love triangle thrown in.
This led to the first onscreen meeting between the two original hosts, which was perfectly mundane.
The fact that the female lead is also the screenwriter isnt lost on the SOL crew.
Even though it runs out of gas, it really is a must-watch episode.
DIABOLIK
Experiment 1013
Why Its So Special:For nearly two decades, this was it.
Pearl accidentally lost control of the Satellite of Love and sent it towards Earth.
Pearl had an angry fit for her ultimate failure, eventually leading to acceptance.
All the while, Mike and the bots prepared to come to Earth.
If anything, this was a way better final episode thanLaserblast.
Its certainly a fun jaunt that ends the series on a playful note.
Also, youll probably have Body Movin by the Beastie Boys stuck in your head from watching it.
The movie itself has a good first half and a meandering second half.
Some scientists discover the remains of a prehistoric creature and study it.
Turns out, the creature has a Wolverine-level healing factor and gradually regrows its entire body.
Soon enough, Reptilicus is on the loose in Denmark and it seems purely unstoppable.
It doesnt take too long for her to realize that this isnt her bag.
Experiment 416,Fire Maidens of Outer Space:The crew is joined by Timmy, Crows dark doppelganger.
In other words, the first appearance of Observer/Brain Guy.
A fourth of the movies runtime is riffed by Eddie until Crow sets things back.
Renew the damn series, Netflix!
