Line #29 Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S11E14AtTheEarthsCore


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mst_core.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:"'Edgar Rice Burroughs'--they're really trying to spread the blame around."]]
3
4	->'''Kinga Forrester:''' And Jonah, in your final remaining hours of freedom, I give you a magnificent feast of ill-fitting creature suits, Anglo-American semi-racism, and Doug [=McClure=].\
5	'''TV's Son of TV's Frank:''' It's actually kind of fun.
6
7	Film featured: ''Literature/AtTheEarthsCore''
8
9	!!The Segments:
10	[[AC:Prologue]]
11	* Jonah has a bachelor heart-to-heart with Crow and Tom Servo. Jonah also introduces the new robot buddy he designed: Growler, who plays the piano and is impossible not to get along with. Servo and Crow hate him anyway.
12
13	[[AC:Segment 1]]
14	* Kinga speaks with the Manager of the Observer Hive Mind to ensure she has enough guests for her wedding. And then it's Invention Exchange time. Jonah and the bots invent Permanent Temporary Tattoos. Max invents the Rip Taylor Urn Cannon, a confetti cannon that uses cremated ashes instead of confetti, but Kinga stops him from testing it. She thinks that Max might actually be trying to ruin the wedding.
15
16	[[AC:Segment 2]]
17	* Inspired by the movie's Victorian setting, Jonah gives the bots steampunk makeovers.
18
19	[[AC:Segment 3]]
20	* Crow dresses up as a Mahar. His telepathy doesn't work as well as he hopes.
21
22	[[AC:Segment 4]]
23	* Doug [=McClure=] (Joel [=McHale=]) drops by Moon 13, searching for beautiful women in the Moon's core. He winds up giving Max some bro-tastic advice about wooing Kinga. Max learns that he should sow chaos, and pilot a giant (preferably phallic) piece of machinery.
24
25	[[AC:Segment 5]]
26	* The wedding finally arrives. Pearl Forrester shows up at the last minute to stop the wedding. Failing that as she showed up too early, she reconciles with her granddaughter and helps out with the ceremony. When the time comes to exchange vows, Jonah hesitates--and that's when Max releases Reptilicus Metallicus, the robot snake in the ceiling, to eat Jonah. Kinga is ''so pissed'' at this turn of events. Tom Servo and Crow, saddened by Jonah's death, promise to treat Growler just like they would have treated Jonah (starting by borrowing his stuff without asking).
27
28	----
29	!! Tropes featured in the [=MST3K=] presentation of ''Literature/AtTheEarthsCore'' include:
30
31	* ActorAllusion: In a remarkable show of restraint, Jonah and the bots only make ''two'' references to Creator/PeterCushing in his role as [[Film/ANewHope Governor Tarkin]]; they also call him "The [[Film/DrWhoAndTheDaleks Doctor Who]] nobody wants to cosplay as."
32	** Notably, the Tarkin references are essentially using Cushing's character voice from this film to do Tarkin's lines -- in an odd way, they're complimenting him on his acting in both roles.
33	** Also, his acting here isn't far removed from his approach to the non-canonical Doctor, making the reference that much funnier.
34	* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: At the film's end, there's a joke about how the heroes are drilling downward to get back to the Earth's surface. While the film is vague on the details, this actually is accurate to the original Pellucidar stories, which posit the underground world as being on the other side of the Earth's crust with reversed gravity.
35	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Not aliens per se, but the Pellucidan natives and the visiting Englishmen have no trouble understanding each other. Remarkably, this goes wholly uncommented-on by Jonah and the bots.
36	* AttentionWhore: Pearl shows up to interrupt the ceremony (she thought it was the "SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace" stage); Kinga accuses her of doing it just to draw attention to herself.
37	* BerateAndSwitch:
38	** Gypsy's steampunk dress:
39	--->'''Gypsy:''' This is uncomfortable, and impractical, and ''I love it''.
40	** Pearl at the wedding:
41	--->'''Pearl Forrester:''' [[FullNameUltimatum Kinga Clayton Forrester]], you cruel {{Bridezilla}}! You'd destroy anyone to get what you want! ''[starts [[TearsOfJoy crying]]]'' ...And I've never been prouder!
42	* {{Bridezilla}}: Kinga, in spades.
43	-->'''Kinga Forrester:''' [[FullNameBasis Jonah J. Heston]], it is the God-given right of every American woman to become a North Korean dictator on her wedding day!
44	* CallBack:
45	** [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S11E13TheChristmasThatAlmostWasnt "Phineas T.]] [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E12Mitchell Mitchell!"]]
46	** [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S11E06Starcrash "Well, you're no David Hasselhoff..."]]
47	** Pearl sings [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S08E22OverdrawnAtTheMemoryBank "When Loving Lovers Love"]] at Kinga and Jonah's wedding.
48	** "Jonah, no! Oh, this is almost as bad as when [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S11E09Yongary Yongary]] died!"
49	* TheCameo: Creator/JoelMcHale, as Doug [=McClure=], drops by Moon 13 to give Max some advice about wooing Kinga.
50	* CaptainErsatz: Jonah builds another new robot, Growler, and outright says that he's basically Rowlf from Franchise/TheMuppets.
51	* CompensatingForSomething: When a giant drill appears: "The launching of the ''S.S. Overcompensateus''."
52	* CompositeCharacter: InUniverse the bots admit to Jonah that while they do actually like him, they were hoping their new human companion would have been more of a perfect mix between Joel and Mike (they imagined this person being like Creator/TJMiller).
53	* ContinuityNod:
54	** Jonah's spacesuit finally gets completed--as shown in the end credits, where someone uses it on a spacewalk just outside the SOL. Exactly who is unknown.
55	** The head Observer is oddly more folksy and Midwestern here than in any of his other appearances, which may be a side effect of [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E05TheDeadlyBees getting trapped for decades as a Packers fan and cheese factory worker]].
56	** Pearl starts to sing [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S08E22OverdrawnAtTheMemoryBank "When Loving Lovers Love"]] at the wedding.[[note]]As Mary Jo and Bill Corbett (Brain Guy) actually did at Bill's real-life wedding.[[/note]] Kinga [[MusicalisInterruptus cuts her off]].
57	* ConvectionSchmonvection: "I'm wearing my flame-retardant vest!"
58	* CreatorCameo: Paul Chaplin, writer for seasons 3-11, shows up as the head of the Observer HiveMind.
59	* DesignatedHero: [[invoked]]
60	-->'''Tom Servo:''' Being a chivalrous gentleman, David traps his fellow slaves with their captors, in a room full of lava. Nice.\
61	'''Crow:''' That felt good! Abandoning my friends, woo.
62	** Later:
63	-->'''Tom Servo:''' So now ''everyone's'' more badass than David?
64	* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Max obviously did not expect Reptilicus Metallicus to ''eat Jonah.'' (What exactly he ''did'' expect when he yelled "Reptilicus Metallicus! Attack!!" is never made clear.)
65	* DeusExMachina: The riffers note the fortuitous arrival of a random fire-breathing lizard: "Deus ex salamander!"
66	* DrosteImage: One of the bumpers in this episode is ''about'' The Bumper, including a picture of itself.
67	* DudeNotFunny:
68	-->'''Doc:''' Oh, they're so excitable. Like all foreigners.\
69	'''Jonah, Tom Servo, and Crow:''' ''Whoa!''
70	* {{Eagleland}}: "Got it, Americans are dumb."
71	* EyeCatch: A bumper about the bumper, complete with [[DrosteImage a picture of itself]]:
72	-->'''Max:''' The bumper is the segment you're watching now! It's designed to evoke the feeling of a commercial break... while not taking itself too seriously! You're watching ''[=MST3K=]'': Moon 13, the Moon!
73	* FinaleCredits: Instead of the MST moon logo, the credits play over a unknown figure going on a spacewalk outside the SOL. And the last song played is a unique SynthPop mix of the opening theme tune.
74	* FreudWasRight: All over the place in the movie, from the giant drill to the pillars the Mahars insist on tying everyone to. For instance, after the drill's initial false start:
75	-->'''Dr. Perry:''' [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Going in again]].\
76	'''Tom:''' ''[as the Doctor]'' [[LieBackAndThinkOfEngland Think of England...]]
77	* TheFunInFuneral: Max invents a funeral urn confetti cannon:
78	-->'''Max:''' But who says funerals can't be as exciting as weddings? Turn your loved one's memorial into a party zone with the Rip Taylor Urn Cannon! It puts the "fun" in "funeral" and the "R.I.P." in "Rip Taylor."
79	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While the manager of the Observer Hive Mind is talking, the Observer behind him keeps getting bored and fidgeting with his own brain.
80	* {{Gaslighting}}: "I was just thinking: What if this wasn't a movie, but David was just gaming his uncle with Alzheimers?"
81	* GoneHorriblyWrong: Urged along by the questionable advice of Doug [=McClure=], Max unleashes Reptilicus Metallicus on Jonah during the wedding, hoping to remove the competition for Kinga's affection and impress her with his initiative. Instead, unsurprisingly, Kinga is ''furious'' with Max for not only ruining her wedding but also ''murdering their test subject''.
82	* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: "At this point in history, the Secret Service was operated by the Keystone Cops."
83	* HugeGuyTinyGirl: At 5'5", Felicia Day isn't ''tiny'' exactly, but with lanky old Jonah (all 6'5" of him) standing next to her in the final scene, the trope is in pretty clear effect.
84	* ImAHumanitarian:
85	-->'''Doc:''' I don't know what it is they're giving us to eat. Perhaps it's just as well.\
86	'''Tom Servo:''' If you have to ask, it's people. It's always people.
87	* ImThinkingItOver: Even though Kinga's made it clear she'll kill Jonah if he doesn't marry her, during the wedding he still hesitates for an awkwardly long time before saying "I do." In fact, he never actually answers, because he hesitates until Max interrupts.
88	* IResembleThatRemark: After Max almost fires off his Rip Taylor Urn Cannon:
89	-->'''Kinga:''' Are you ''trying'' to ruin my big day?\
90	'''Max:''' Maybe.
91	* LargeHam: Max takes a big bite of the set. "Reptilicus Metallicus! ''A''tta-''aack''!!"
92	* MurderTheHypotenuse: Max, filled with jealous rage and bad advice from [=Doug McClure=], unleashes Reptilicus Metallicus to attack Jonah in the middle of the wedding.
93	* MusicalisInterruptus: Pearl starts to sing "When Loving Lovers Love", but Kinga cuts her off.
94	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Max's reaction after releasing Reptilicus Metallicus:
95	-->'''Max:''' Uh... this did not... go the way I thought it would.
96	* NotSoAboveItAll: Brain Guy is reluctant to officiate at the wedding, since he has evolved beyond primitive emotions like love. However, when it's confirmed there's going to be an open bar, he gives a delighted "Boo-yah!"
97	* {{Padding}}: [[invoked]] The detailed launch sequence at the beginning was clearly meant to be TechnologyPorn. But the riffers just get bored.
98	-->'''Crow:''' Alright, we're impressed! Let's ''go!''
99	* RunningGag:
100	** The guys start imitating Cushing's high-pitched, perpetually flabbergasted English accent the moment he first speaks, and don't stop until the movie is over.
101	** Beefy leading man David/actor Doug [=McClure=] can't stop thinking about eating and talking about food: pot pies, pizza, cornish game hens, and wings, wings, wings. He constantly brings up going out to lunch and waxes lyrical on menu options with everyone, whether they're listening or not.
102	** Stock riffs: [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S04E23BrideOfTheMonster "They tampered in God's domain."]]
103	** [[Franchise/TheMuppets Kermit the Frog]] impressions for the Mahars, because of their neck frills.
104	* TheScrappy: Jonah's new robot Growler is, like M. Waverly, treated in-universe like an unwelcome CousinOliver, but out of respect to Jonah the bots seem to have warmed up to him by the end of the episode.
105	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Crow takes offense at Perry's remark.
106	-->'''Dr. Perry''': My goodness, how enormous. Why, the largest remains we ever discovered have never indicated a size much greater than that attained by an ordinary crow!
107	-->'''Crow''': ''(offended)'' Ah, that's it. I'm leaving. ''(starts to leave the theater, but Jonah pulls him back into his seat)''
108	* SeriesFauxnale: It was out of the showrunners' hands whether or not there would be a season 12.[[note]]It was announced at the end of the 2017 Turkey Day marathon that the show had been renewed.[[/note]] So this episode ends with Jonah seemingly dying, leaving Kinga's entire experiment in jeopardy without a test subject.
109	* ShakyPOVCam: "They strapped a [=GoPro=] to a golden retriever for this scene."
110	* ShootTheMoney: [[invoked]]
111	-->'''Jonah:''' They obviously spent a lot of money on this. So settle in, you guys, this might take a while.
112	* ShoutOut:
113	** ''[[Franchise/StarWars Star Wars]]''-themed riffs are frequently made [[ActorAllusion at the expense of]] Peter Cushing's character Dr. Perry, being known for his role of Governor/Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin in ''[[Film/ANewHope Episode IV: A New Hope]]''.
114	*** Also: "I dreamt I was a protocol droid!"
115	*** Everyone joins in the "Yub yub!" ("Ewok Celebration") song at the end of the movie.
116	** Jonah [[UsefulNotes/{{Fonts}} misidentifies the title font]] as Cooper Black -- as seen on “[[Film/NapoleonDynamite Vote for Pedro]]” T-shirts and ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}''. The title and opening credits are actually set in Windsor, used in many a Creator/WoodyAllen film.
117	** When David and Dr. Perry first encounter a Mahar, Crow riffs it asking [[Film/TheMuppetMovie "Does this film have socially redeeming value?"]]
118	** "What is this, the [[Series/LandOfTheLost1974 Sid and Marty Kroft]] death march?"
119	** [[Film/ThePrincessBride "Mawwiage."]]
120	** "Tater salad, heh." Doug [=McClure=] ''does'' kind of look like Creator/RonWhite.
121	** Jonah and the bots sing a snippet of the ''[[Series/TheBennyHillShow Benny Hill]]'' theme song during one shot of David and Dr. Perry running from a Mahar early on. The movie (and the season) closes out with them singing it again as the giant drill burrows through the White House lawn and spooks the guards at the gate.
122	** One Mahar sports a distinctly [[Series/TheMuppetShow Kermit]]-esque neck frill, which the guys completely [[RunningGag go to town with]].
123	** To {{WesternAnimation/Fantasia}}, with Servo donning WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse ears to congratulate a silhouette, just as Mickey did with Leopold Stokowski.
124	** One to ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': "They have a towel, they're ready to go anywhere."
125	** To ''{{VideoGame/Goldeneye}}'' multiplayer: "Yeah, just as I expected, he's wandering around and dropping proximity mines. I wouldn't worry about it."
126	** "I wonder if [[Series/ShiningTimeStation the conductor]] is either Creator/GeorgeCarlin or [[Music/TheBeatles Ringo Starr]]..."
127	** Reptilicus Metallicus is a two-fer, a CallBack to Film/{{Reptilicus}} and a shout-out to [[Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzilla Mechagodzilla.]]
128	** "It's like a Chihuly exhibit covered in slime and hair." [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Chihuly Dale Chihuly]] is a sculptor who specializes in elaborate, colorful, large-scale blown-glass pieces.
129	** Turns out Dr. Perry isn't a half-bad archer. "[[Literature/TheHungerGames I volunteer as tribute!]]"
130	** "Ooh, who summoned the army of Creator/{{Paul Giamatti}}s?" "[[Film/{{Sideways}} We hate merlot! We hate merlot! We hate merlot! We hate merlot!]]"
131	* SleevesAreForWimps: Doug [=McClure=] (the one who drops by Moon 13) encourages Max to "Show her your guns." He wears a dress shirt with torn-off sleeves because, "My arms would not fit in it."
132	* SoundtrackDissonance: When some surprisingly gentle music plays over a fight: "What a nice, mellow fight scene. You know, this music works great for both wrestling ''and'' a relaxing massage."
133	* SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace: Pearl shows up just before the wedding ceremony ''starts'':
134	-->'''Pearl Forrester:''' ''Stop that wedding!'' [...] Oh, I thought this was the "If there is any reason they should not be joined" part. I don't have a reason, but I figured I'd come up with something.
135	* SpecialEffectFailure: [[invoked]]
136	** When the back-projection of the monster is particularly visible: "They're getting chased by a giant monster... movie."
137	** "So this was before Website/{{IMDb}}, when you could just lie about having special effects experience."
138	** Upon seeing the monster from the gladiator fight: "A Roomba has better mobility than this thing!"
139	* StagParty:
140	-->'''Jonah:''' Technically, this movie's part of my bachelor party.\
141	'''Tom Servo:''' What happens in the theater, stays in the theater, bro.
142	* SteamPunk: Inspired by the movie's Victorian setting, Jonah gives all the bots steampunk makeovers. [[AwesomeButImpractical The modifications don't do anything practical, Crow can barely stand up, and Tom Servo is in pain and also probably stoned from the smoke filling his globe,]] but everyone insists that this is the coolest thing ever.
143	* SwissCheeseSecurity: "No one ever escapes from the Mahar city. But getting into it? ''Super easy!''"
144	* TakeThat: As the slaves are being led away: "Back to the Amazon.com warehouse."
145	* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Although she does ''sound'' pissed.
146	-->'''Kinga''': I am ''SO PISSED'' at you right now! ''[stomps off like a preschooler]''
147	* TropeName: The wedding vows:
148	-->'''Brain Guy:''' ''(reading from script)'' Do you, victim's name here, take Kinga to be your overlord and master...
149	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: The hunter-gatherer Pellucidan natives seem completely unfazed by the bizarre Victorian Englishmen that just showed up in their world one day. Jonah and the bots somehow completely fail to comment on this.
150	* WeddingEpisode: The episode opens with Kinga making last-minute wedding preparations, and ends with the ceremony itself.
151	* WithCatlikeTread:
152	-->'''Crow:''' ''(shouting)'' BE QUIET OR YOU'LL WAKE THEM UP!
153	* WithFriendsLikeThese: Out of respect for their friend's unfortunate death, the bots decide to treat Growler like they would treat Jonah... which includes making fun of him and taking his stuff without asking.
154	* WithLyrics: The SOL crew sing along with the music in the opening credits, turning it into a chipper song about iron smelting.
155
156	----
157	->''[[TheStinger Burning lizard roars, falls off a cliff, and explodes.]]''

Context Recap / MysteryScienceTheater3000S11E14AtTheEarthsCore