Hey, it's Scattergories!
Your movie today, Eegah!, has got Richard Kiel and not much else.
— Dr. Forrester
Film watched: Eegah!
According to the Amazing Colossal Episode Guide, the cast considers the shaving scene from Eegah, in which Eegah lolls his tongue around and laps up shaving cream, to be one of the most disgusting things they've witnessed during their time on the show. The writers also speculate that some kind of romantic relationship existed between Arch Hall Sr. and his on-screen daughter Marilyn Manning, due to the uncomfortably non-familial chemistry in their scenes together. Whatever the case, Ms. Manning was working as Hall's secretary at the time.
The episode is available in the Gizmoplex here
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The Segments:
Prologue- Servo attempts to freeze Crow to absolute zero, but Joel tries to put a stop to it. Crow promptly shatters from Joel's intervention.
Segment 1
- Crow gets better with some clamps and glue. Dr. Forrester doesn't have this week's invention ready, so he lets Joel go first. Joel presents the Porkarina, a musical swine inspired by the incidental music on such shows as The Beverly Hillbillies. Dr. F uses the opportunity to replace Frank's blood with radiator fluid and surgically attach a radiator to him, much to his discomfort.
Segment 2
- Joel and the 'Bots think about their own personal hells seeing the old gas station from the film. The discussion turns positive as they discuss how they can beat back those hells through unity and self-liberty.
Segment 3
- Crow and Servo, playing doctor, gas Joel and put him through a procedure to turn his face into that of Arch Hall Jr. through implants and suction cups. The operation is soon interrupted by Movie Sign.
Segment 4
- While Joel makes Jiffy Pop, he and the 'Bots discuss how many 60s sitcom/film families were led by men who were either divorced or had dead spouses, as well as speculating on the fates of the deceased.
Segment 5
- Disgusted by the movie, Crow and Servo take hot showers on the bridge as Joel begins the letter readings. The letter says that they found what Sampo was: a portable television set. Dr. Forrester changes Frank's radiator fluid, but the two fight over Frank's blood.
The MST3K presentation of Eegah! contains examples of:
- Artistic License – Physics: It's actually impossible to cool anything to Absolute Zero like Crow and Servo were attempting. Cooling an object requires something colder to transfer its heat energy to, and since you can't have anything colder than Absolute Zero you can't cool anything to Absolute Zero.
- As the Good Book Says...: Joel groans out that the quote used in the movie's end (Genesis 4:32 - "There were giants in the Earth in those days") was taken completely out of context. However, he misses the fact that there is no Genesis 4:32 in the first place and that quotation is from Genesis 6.
- Brick Joke: During the Invention Exchange, Dr. Forrester replaces TV's Frank's blood with radiator fluid. In the closing host segment, Dr. Forrester needs to perform emergency maintenance on Frank because all the coolant ran out.
- Body Horror:
- Joel's attempt to repair Crow after he shatters. Luckily, Crow is back to normal after a cutaway.
- Dr. Forrester replacing Frank's blood with radiator fluid and installing a radiator in his chest, leaving Frank near-catatonic.
- Call-Back: And thus, due to the episode's letter, we finally learn what a Sampo is.
- Celebrity Resemblance: Eegah is compared to Jim Morrison in Paris and Arch Hall Jr. to Batty Koda.
- Continuity Nod:
- As Eegah runs his hands through Roxy's hair in the cave, Joel quips that he went to the "Torgo School of Fondling".
- As Roxy and her father inspect one of Eegah's giant footprints, Servo says, "Glenn was fifty feet tall!"
- Didn't Think This Through: When Joel hastily explains why dropping Crow's temperature to 0 degrees Kelvin is a bad idea, Tom states that it's exactly what their calculations came to — and suddenly realizes that it really was a stupid plan.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: How Joel gets the Porkarina to work: quite clearly rubbing its crotch area.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Dr. Forrester gets his idea for the Invention Exchange after Frank states his intent to go ice dancing. (For the record, said idea? Surgically attaching a radiator to Frank and replacing his blood with radiator fluid.)
- Facial Horror: Played for Laughs when the bots try to make Joel's face look like Arch Hall Jr's. Mostly it involves mushing his cheeks around a bit and throwing orange goo at his face.
- Failed a Spot Check:
- It takes Joel a few seconds to notice the "Crow-in-the-box"... despite having looked directly at it when he entered the shot.
- At the end of the fourth host segment, where Joel, Crow and Tom discuss the Missing Mom trope as Joel makes Jiffy Pop, Joel realizes the stove wasn't even lit.
- Fan Disservice: Arch Hall Jr. to the crew.
- For Science!: After Joel points out that Frank really didn't need a radiator and asked why give him one at all, Dr. Forrester uses this nugget:Dr. Forrester: "Why"?! Because it's science, that's why!
- Friend to All Living Things: When Arch Hall Jr.'s search for Roxy is intercut with random footage of desert animals, Joel jokes that all the creatures of the desert are coming to Arch Hall Jr.'s aid.
- Generic Cop Badges: The crew calls attention to this when the "Desert Patrol" shows up in Eegah!.
- Missing Mom: Discussed Trope. Joel explains how this trope was used in TV shows in The '60s, when divorce was still unacceptable, as a cheap plot device to have "swinging young bachelors" have both active dating lives and adorable kids to dispense "folksy, homespun advice" to.
- Mythology Gag: Crow at near-absolute zero resembles his KTMA self.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: A literal Played for Laughs Never My Fault version: After Joel points out the major flaw in the "bringing Crow down to absolute zero" plan (namely that it would cause a fatal chain reaction), he tries removing him from the deep freeze... only for Crow to fall apart the second he touches him. Tom promptly blames Joel for this situation:Tom: Oh, good one, Joel!Joel: ...oops...
- Revolving Door Band: When the unnamed Surf Rock band plays at the party at the end, Arch Hall Jr asks a friend to take his place as guitarist so he can go dance with Roxy. Seconds later, the bassist also hands his instrument off to a friend, so he can fight over Roxy.Crow: This band has more personnel changes than Menudo!
Joel: It's a tag-team band. - Rooting for the Empire: In-Universe, Joel and the Bots several times hope for Eegah to kill Tom.All: Eegah, Eegah, bonk bonk on the head!
- Running Gag:
- "Hey... check it out! There's an oven in the living room!"
- "Watch out for snakes!", which goes on to be a recurring riff throughout the whole series.
- Every time Hall Jr.'s face is seen, there's bound to be at least one scream of horror.
- "Tequila."
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: The fourth host segment starts off with Joel making Jiffy Pop on a small burner. After a good two minutes discussing the Missing Mom trope, Joel examines the still-uncooked pan of popcorn and pointing out that the burner wasn't even turned on, much to the annoyance of Tom.
- Shout-Out
- An establishing shot featuring tall trees prompts the riff "It's under a big W..."
- "Stay alive! Whatever may occur, I will find you!"
- "Who's the girl, Norman?"
- Hall Jr. is compared to Jonny Quest and "the bat from FernGully".
- "Goddamn foreign cars."
- "Roxy!" "You don't need to wear that dress tonight!" "Roxy!" "Music!" "Roxy!" "& Elsewhere!"
- "Eegah! Eegah! Bonk, bonk on the head!"
- While Arch Hall Jr's band is playing (low-energy) Surf Rock, Joel and the bots go, "tequila" in the dullest tone of voice imaginable.
- Shower of Angst: Tom Servo and Crow are so disgusted and repulsed by the movie that they each take a shower once it's all over.
- Spoof Aesop: From the Missing Mom discussion above, after Crow and Tom realized that they, too, are (sort of) children of a single father:Crow: Don't worry, Joel. We both know we have a lot to be grateful for. We have you, Gypsy, Cambot, Magic Voice... but most importantly, we have lots and lots of love. And that's something you just don't get in a two-parent household!
- Unexplained Recovery: Joel puts Crow back together sloppily after Tom nearly dropped Crow's temperature down to absolute zero, but the next time it cuts to the gang, Crow looks like normal, without any sign of clamps, clothes pegs or glue.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Dr. Forrester... according to Dr. Forrester; he justified attaching a radiator to Frank (and replacing his blood with radiator fluid) by saying that Frank wouldn't overheat in the summer or freeze up in the winter now.Dr. Forrester: And you act like I'm the jerk!
- You're Insane!: The second Dr. Forrester says he drained Frank's blood as part of his Invention Exchange, Joel and the bots call him out:Joel and the Bots: (with Porkarina accompaniment) You WHAT?! You can't do that!
- Robert: Fake it.
