Mamamamamamamamaster Ninja, Hihihihihihi Keeba
Film watched: Master Ninja II
MST3K had planned to air the third of the Master Ninja movies in the sixth season; unfortunately, the plans fell through due to Frank Conniff leaving the show by that time, and they aired Samson vs. the Vampire Women instead.
The episode is available in the Gizmoplex here
, and on the MST3k YouTube channel here.
The Segments:
Prologue
- Joel and the 'Bots become an improv troupe, with Gypsy as their audience. She gives them “Cream of wheat”, “Peter Gabriel”, and “Anger” as less-than-helpful suggestions. note
Segment 1/Invention Exchange
- The Mads present the Conveyor Belt Buffet, which is a little too similar to a certain Lucy sketch. Joel and the Bots have created Gerbilsphere 2, a self-sustaining habitat for small pet rodents that's discovered to have flaws. Namely the fact that the gerbil's dead.
Segment 2
- Tom, Crow, and Gypsy show off ideas for their own custom vans.
Segment 3
- Crow becomes General Timothy Van Patten, ranting incoherently in a George C. Scott impression.
Segment 4
- Tom acknowledges that a hamster isn’t the right pet for Timothy Van Patten, so he goes on to match numerous fictional detectives and crime-fighters with their ideal animal companions.
Segment 5
- Joel and the Bots play with a Lee Van Cleef dress up doll and read a letter. In Deep 13, Frank encourages the viewers to petition ABC to put The Second Hundred Years back on the air. It ends with Dr. F killing him again.
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation of Master Ninja II contains the following tropes:
- Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: Due to a
scene cut out of the riffed edit of the movie, and one of the worst examples in the season* , with the entire first part of the film's second half (the opening to episode 4 of the series) involving the Girl of the Week's car being out of control, with Max having to rescue her via a glider, largely cut out.note Joel: (after the abrupt start to the scene; confused) What’re we in the middle of?!Tom: (confused) What’s this?! - Ho Yay: In-universe, at the end of the second host segment, Tom complains about Crow accidentally hitting him with his riding crop in panic at the Movie Sign. Crow replies with "Ah, you love it, you know you do."
- Obvious Stunt Double: As with the first "film", the guys have a ball noting that whenever "Van Cleef" dons his full face-covering mask, he suddenly becomes at least twenty pounds lighter and much more athletic.
- Pun:
- "Remember, have your ninja spade."
- Crow makes a series of these during the fight in the cemetery in the voice of the Cryptkeeper. He is eventually told to stop by Joel.
- Joel, who usually refrains from them himself, gets one in himself when Max drops the Girl of the Week from a glider for MacAllister to catch.Joel: She's a real blonde bombshell.
- Shout-Out: During the final showdown in the cemetery, Crow makes several Puns in the voice of the Cryptkeeper.
- Team Pet: In one sketch, Tom insists that the hamster is the wrong type of pet for Timothy Van Patten, comparing it to other TV detectives and their pets, and then suggests fitting pets for both Timothy ("A mandrill?") and other detectives.Crow: Err... Bat Masterson.
Servo: Penguin. All of your 19th-century Western detectives would have penguins. But there may be a few puffins thrown in, so be sure to ask me about each one.- He eventually concludes that Charles Darwin would have a howler monkey that would eventually evolve into "his wisecracking partner, Blake", but Crow trips him up by noting that Darwin wasn't fictional or a detective.
- They Killed Kenny Again: TV's Frank gets his skull crushed by an anvil.
- The Unintelligible: Many jokes about Timothy Van Patten being one of these, especially the "General Timothy Van Patton" sketch.Crow: (George C. Scott impression) "Now, I want you to remember that no babbister ever (Timothy Van Patten impression) wub a waa by dibbing fuh hibs cubbidy."
- You Know That Guy: Invoked. The crew actually cheer when they see that the FBI chief is being played by that regular guest star of 1970s-'80s TV shows, veteran actor...Crow: Monte Markham, YES!Tom: Who-hoo!Joel: All right!Tom: We love Monte!
- TV's Frank gets excited for seeing Monte Markham as well and spends the final sketch asking the viewers to push for a revival of Markham's show The Second Hundred Years. Dr. Forrester doesn't share his sentiments and kills Frank with an anvil to the head.
McAllister: (impishly smiles while petting a hamster)
