History Recap / MysteryScienceTheater3000S10E03MerlinsShopOfMysticalWonders

-->'''Crow:''' ''[as Grandpa]'' I also have a script called ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'', [[ItWilNeverCatchOn but I don't like it as much]].

-->'''Crow:''' ''[as Grandpa]'' I also have a script called ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'', but I don't like it as much.

* FreudWasRight: Invoked by Crow. When the first segment ends with the restaurant critic transformed into a baby, with his wife deciding to raise him as her son, Crow quips that this whole segment was based on a story written by Freud.

-->'''Crow:''' ''[pleasantly, as Merlin nods to himself as if he did a good job]'' Remember to believe in magic... or IllKillYou%%!

* {{Mondegreen}}: According to the episode guide, the writers thought the kid was singing "F***ing old Martian" instead of "Rock'n'roll Martian" the first time they heard it.

* Mike and the Bots are doing 1920s college pranks. Mike swallowed a goldfish, Servo stuffs himself and [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S04E20TheHumanDuplicators his clones]] in a phone booth and Crow sitting on a flag pole. He soon falls down.

* FreudWasRight: Invoked by Crow, who says the first segment was based on a story written by Freud.

* CoversAlwaysLie: In one host segment, Mike looks through four children's books by Ernest Borgnine. In keeping with [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids the nature of the movie]], three of the books have innocuous titles like "Slow Bear's Woodland Picnic" that mask their [[SugarApocalypse dark and gory imagery]]. "[[NonIndicativeName Dr. Blood's Orgy of Gore]]," on the other hand, is about eight plump mice who get little sweaters and live happily.

** "Merlin, you bastard!" "[[Film/PlanetOfTheApes You blew it up!!]]"

* ChekhovsGun: Subverted, seemingly by accident. The psychic gives David a bethagram (Servo: "I sense the demon's name is Beth."), some kind of magic charm to protect himself from the toy monkey which looks like a sheriff's badge on a string, but (at least in this cut of the film) he's never shown using/wearing it.

-->'''Crow:''' ''[as Merlin nods to himself as if he did a good job]'' Remember to believe in magic... ''[serenely]'' or IllKillYou%%!

-->'''Servo:''' I think it's called ''Series/{{Airwolf}}''.

'''Crow:''' Remember that kitten, Billy? That was nothing compared to this! At least the kitten went quick, Billy!\\

* KickTheDog: Both pets meet a bad end in each segment. Lampshaded by Crow, as the dog is about to die.
-->'''Crow:''' Remember that cat, Billy? That was nothing compared to this. At least the cat went quick.

* CymbalBangingMonkey: The one in the movie inspired Pearl to make Professor Bobo dress up as one of these to scare Mike and the 'bots. They weren't impressed.

* DisproportionateRetribution:
** Jonathan was being a jerk for no real reason, but as Borgnine's grandson points out, Merlin and Zirella obviously knew exactly what kind of horrorshow they were unleashing on him, and Madeline, and [[ThatPoorCat their poor cat]], when they gave him the book.

* {{Gorn}}: Based on the horror content of the innocently-titled ''Merlin's Shop'', in Segment 4, all of Ernest Borgnine's children's books are like this (with the exception of ''[[NonIndicativeTitle Dr. Blood's Orgy of Gore]]''). In ''Santa's Workshop of Shimmering Delights'', for example:

-->'''Crow:''' The verdict is in, and the world was not awaiting a chubby, pompous eunuch!
-->'''Servo:''' Chubby?! What do you mean, chubby?!
* IllKillYou: "Remember to believe in magic, or..."

* NarmCharm: Invoked, in-universe and out: Best Brains ''love'' the kid playing with the monkey while wearing goofy glasses singing, "[[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Rock 'n' roll Martian!]]", saying it was a perfect example of one of those self-invented games kids always do. They were also greatly amused by [[LargeHam Jonathan]]'s ThinkingOutLoud snarky comments in the first story.

* SlasherSmile: A particularly hideous example from the AssholeVictim [[VillainProtagonist villain/protagonist]] of the first story as the magic [[RapidAging rapidly ages]] him into a stock EvilSorcerer.

* {{Gorn}}: Based on the horror content of the innocently-titled ''Merlin's Shop'', in Segment 4, all of Ernest Borgnine's children's books are like this. In ''Santa's Workshop of Shimmering Delights'', for example:
-->'''Mike:''' ...Oh, man. Wow, well ''this'' is inappropriate. Here Erin the elf's hands get scissored off in the sheet metal crimper.

* SlasherSmile: A particularly hideous example from the AssholeVictim [[VillainProtagonist villain/protagonist]] of the first story as the magic [[RapidAging rapidly ages]] him into a stock EvilSorcerer, complete with a wispy white Literature/FuManchu [[GoodHairEvilHair mustache]].

** Jonathan was being a jerk for no real reason, but as Borgnine's grandson points out, Merlin and Zirella obviously knew exactly what kind of horrorshow they were unleashing on him, and Madeline, when they gave him the book.

* DisproportionateRetribution: After the shop owner informs Merlin that she already sold the toy monkey:
-->'''Merlin:''' Blast it!\\

* StrawCritic: Servo and Crow become niche reviewers and review each other in one of the segments. It starts off positively and civil, but following a few minor criticisms, it escalates into giving each other virulent and vehement thumbs-down.

* NarmCharm: [[invoked]] Best Brains ''loved'' the kid playing with the monkey while wearing goofy glasses singing, "[[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Rock 'n' roll Martian!]]", saying it was a perfect example of one of those self-invented games kids always do. They were also greatly amused by [[LargeHam Jonathan]]'s ThinkingOutLoud snarky comments in the first story.

* SlasherSmile: A particularly hideous SlasherSmile from the AssholeVictim [[VillainProtagonist villain/protagonist]] of the first story as the magic [[RapidAging rapidly ages]] him.

** The woman in the first story [[TooMuchInformation randomly bringing up the fact that]] she's [[LawOfInverseFertility unable to conceive]].

* Mike tries to read the Ernest Borgnine children's book line to Crow and Servo. The books with innocent names have graphic blood and guts, but ''Dr. Blood's Orgy of Gore'' is surprisingly pleasant.

* ChekhovsGun: Averted. The psychic gives David a charm to protect himself from the toy monkey, but (at least in this cut of the film) he is never shown using/wearing it.
-->'''Mike:''' Huh, Borgnine forgot to write this in.

* IllKillYou: "Believe in magic, or..."

* MonsterClown: This trope is played with, in reaction to a particularly hideous SlasherSmile from the villain.
-->'''Mike:''' It's Possessy the Clown!

** The woman in the first story bringing up at random times that she's unable to conceive.

* StrawCritic: Servo and Crow become niche reviewers and review each other in one of the segments. It starts off positively and civil, but following a few minor criticisms, it escalates into giving each other virulent and vehement thumbs down.

-->'''Crow:''' ''[as Grandpa Borgnine]'' I also have a script called ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'', but I don't like it as much.
* TooMuchInformation: Crow's reaction, word for word, when Madeline casually brings up her infertility in casual conversation, explains that they can't adopt because Johnathan would never raise someone else's child, that she hasn't told him yet and it's affecting their marriage and there's "no hope at all" medically speaking... You know, light, parking lot conversation.

* TheUnintelligible: Merlin's oddly muffled "You're welcome!" becomes this. "Yo'w wuhcuh!"

* ReleasedToElsewhere: After the father in the second half finds the body of Sparkle the dog, and his son asks what happened, Mike quips "I ''very quickly'' sold him to a farm where he'll be happier."

%%* {{Padding}}: InUniverse.

* {{Jerkass}}: The critic from the first story ''instantly'' provokes this response, on sight, without saying a word.
-->'''Servo:''' ''[as Johnathan]'' [[SmugSnake Hi, I'm Bob Jackass!]]

->''"[[TheStinger Rock'n'roll Martian...! Rock'n'roll Martian!]]"''