The Randy Johnson story!
- "Always wear eye protection, when you're me!"—Mike
Film watched: Revenge of the Creature
This episode marked several changes. It was the first episode aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, the first to have Bill Corbett play Crow, and ushered in an era of episode-to-episode serialization as mandated by their new SF overlords.
The Segments:
Prologue- Mike, Servo, and Gypsy find themselves being inexplicably drawn back onto the Satellite of Love after becoming pure energy. They find Crow reading a magazine, the 'Bot having gotten bored of being pure energy in five minutes, and has spent the last 500 years renovating the SOL. His centuries of solitude appear to have damaged his mental state, as while he can remember Servo and Gypsy, he doesn't seem to remember Mike at all. The crew also discover that they're hurdling towards a planet they slowly discover to be Earth, and manage to avoid crash-landing via a convienient brake cord. Mike tries to call anyone down on Earth for assistance, but his call is answered by an anthropomorphic ape. A screaming match promptly ensues.
Segment 1
- As the screaming match dies down, Mike and the 'Bots try to ask their simian caller where and when they are. The ape, a noted scientist named Professor Bobo, tells them that the year is 2525; a time on Earth where apes have evolved from men. Bobo and his companion Dr. Peanut take an interest in their new guests, and declare that in accordance with Ape Law, the SOL crew are to watch Revenge of the Creature, sent to the apes' lab, Deep Ape, by the mysterious Lawgiver. Mike and the others are incredulous that they still have to watch bad movies in the far off future, though Crow, his mind still discombobulated, actually looks forward to it a little.
Segment 2
- Mike and Servo are trying to repair the heavily-damaged SOL, and this prompts Crow to introduce them to the Nanites, a race of molecule-sized androids covering every inch of the ship with dreams of universal domination (Crow originally got two at a county fair, but they self-replicate alarmingly fast, having created enough of themselves to populate several small planets). They're fast-talkers with a large vocabulary, but they oblige Mike's request to get to work fixing the ship. Servo unfortunately finds out that this means jettisoning him from under the floorboards.
Segment 3
- Mike's shower is interrupted when the SOL gets a new visitor. Said visitor happens to be a tentacled alien with an eyepatch who has a beef to settle with Servo, specifically for a matter regarding what the 'Bot was doing across the universe. The alien, who Servo recognizes as "Phil", demands that Servo return some stolen French vanilla pudding, which is considered legal tender to his people.
Segment 4
- Crow and Servo discuss the former's activities over the last 500 years over espresso. Mike wants some too, so Crow shows off the SOL's "new" espresso machine, which is notably loud enough to drown out Mike's own exploits throughout the universe. During this time, Mike tries to jog Crow's memories of him, but the 'Bot still acts as if Mike is a total stranger. The espresso machine soon goes up in smoke, but Crow is still able to give Mike his espresso, albeit thimble-sized.
Segment 5
- Checking Earth's geneology records online, Mike learns, much to his horror, that the ape-dominated Earth came about because every single one of his descendants fell in love with and married primates. Bobo and Peanut then introduce the SOL crew to the Lawgiver: Pearl Forrester, still alive thanks to cryogenic freezing. She recollects how Clayton was reborn into a star child and how she never got around to raising him right the second time, ultimately smothering him with a pillow. Regardless, Pearl promised her late son that she'd be taking over his experiment, and subsequently promises Mike that so long as she lives, the bad movies will never stop for him and his mechanical pals.
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation of Revenge of the Creature contains examples of:
- Accent Upon The Wrong Syllable:Bobo: Your movie this week is Revenge of the Creature. It is a see-QUELL to Creature from the Black Lagoon.
- Accidental Misnaming: Crow keeps forgetting Mike's name.
- All There in the Manual: Bobo and company's headquarters went unnamed on-screen, but was called "Deep Ape" by the crew.
- Ascended Fanon: Deep Ape is never referred to by that name on the show, but the Brains were so taken with the Fan Nickname that they started calling it that behind the scenes as well.
- Avenging the Villain: Pearl vows to keep the experiments going in memory of her son Clayton... who she killed.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Peanut, even for an ape.
- Continuity Nod: When the "music supervision" credit comes up and some familiar-sounding organ music is heard:Servo: Pfft...yeah, great supervision: "Gimme a needle-drop on some This Island Earth music."
- And later:
- Cue Card Pause: In the opening segment, Mike sees that the SOL is about to crash into a planet:Crow: Well, you could pull that emergency brake cord right up there...
Mike: [pulls cord, making the ship shudder violently to a halt]
Crow: ...but don't do that, because you might drop the tranny right out of the middle... well, NOBODY ASKED YOU TO COME BACK HERE!! - Death of the Hypotenuse: Joe, Clete's rival for Helen, is killed when the Gill Man first breaks free from his chain and escapes his tank.Mike: Well, this simplifies Helen's life.
- Developing Doomed Characters: Lampshaded by Mike:Mike: [almost an hour into the movie] Ladies and gentlemen - the Revenge has finally begun!
- Early-Installment Weirdness: For the Sci-Fi Channel era, the concept of Pearl in pursuit of the SOL in her VW Microbus isn't there yet (although it's mentioned in the theme song), and Bill Corbett's stiff puppeting performance as Crow (who, Corbett later joked, had apparently "suffered a stroke" during the 500-year interval) is a little awkward to see.
- According to the Guide, Corbett was trying to do an impression of Trace Beaulieu's Crow. After a few episodes, they told him to just use his natural voice.
- ....and Bobo appears somewhat intelligent, scholarly, and the head of Deep Ape, often scolding his goofball sidekick, Dr. Peanut. However, viewers will note that Bobo's acting like his usual later self; he's just scholarly in comparison to the rest of his fellow apes.
- According to the Guide, Corbett was trying to do an impression of Trace Beaulieu's Crow. After a few episodes, they told him to just use his natural voice.
- Explosive Breeder: The Nanites. Crow tells Mike he "won two at a county fair a while back", and there are now "enough to populate several small planets".
- For Science!: Mike muses the purpose of the underwater electrical shocks was to make the Gill Man afraid of flagpoles (which the cattle prod resembled). He can't even begin to explain what the point of the chained ball was.Mike: They practice a peculiar brand of science.
- Happy Ending Override: The starbaby Forrester grew up to be a jerk so Pearl killed him.
- Head-Turning Beauty: Invoked as the Creature's reaction to Lori Nelson in her underwear:Crow: Okay, I think I'm over her now. AY, CHIHUAHUA!
- I Am Not Weasel: Bobo, a mountain gorilla, takes great offense to Servo calling him "Mr. Orangutan".
- I Am X, Son of Y: When balking at being called an orangutan, Bobo boasts in this fashion.Bobo: My name is Bobo. Professor Bobo! Son of Koko! And heir to the lineage of Godo! Mogo! And Chim-Chim!
- Idiot Ball: Clete briefly takes Helen away from the crowded dance and out by the water. Mike lampshades how this is solely to give the Gill Man another chance to get close by without being noticed right away.
- Insistent Terminology:Peanut: ... and I'm Peanut!Bobo: Doctor Peanut! [*smack*]
- Interspecies Romance: Apes rule the world because of many marriages between humans and apes. Much to Mike's irritation, each case involved a descendant of his.
- It Will Never Catch On: "This guy is bad. This is his first and last movie."
- Jungles Sound Like Kookaburras: The stock sound effect is heard almost immediately as the movie begins; Mike recognizes it as the call of "the ooh-ooh-ah-ah creature."
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: After spending centuries alone on the ship, Crow completely forgets who Mike is, while remembering Servo and Gypsy. He has also completely forgotten about the Mads' experiments, and is excited to be watching a vintage movie.
- Last Request: Pearl says Clayton asked her to continue his experiments, all while she was in the process of killing him.
- Laugh with Me!: Pearl with the apes at the episode's end.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Mike observes there's
something different about Crow, who tells him to drop the subject and just accept it. - Motive Rant: Pearl goes on at length about how she will avenge Clayton (despite being the one who killed him in the first place) and continue his work.
- Mr. Exposition:
- To catch up those who just started watching the show, Servo gives Bobo a broad explanation of the experiments and the events of the previous episode. Crow has no idea what he's talking about.
- Late in the movie, a reporter notes that Gill Man is puported to have an aversion to bright light. Servo bemoans relevant exposition being rammed in towards the end.
- My Beloved Smother: Literally, as Pearl killed Clayton by smothering him with a pillow.
- Noodle Incident: Crow won the original two Nanites at a fair.
- Tom's adventures at the edge of the universe.
- Crow roomed with a guy named Helmet for 20 years. He remembers him quite fondly.
- Not So Above It All: After being far more schoolary and dignified than Peanut for most of the opening, Bobo gets very excited over the movie featuring a Silly Simian.
- Offing the Offspring: Pearl smothered Clayton.
- Oh, the Humanity!: During the movie:Servo: Oh, the tepidity.
- Reactive Continuous Scream: When the SOL crew and Bobo first encounter each other via the monitors. It even continues across a commercial break.
- Reset Button: The season 7 finale, Laserblast, ended with Mike, Tom, Crow and Gypsy turning into pure energy and exiting the SOL. However, since the show got picked up again, they had to come back to the ship and revert to their original forms.
- Running Gag:
- The Creature feeling the need to snap an alligator in half to impress people.
- Clete's repeated declarations of his own handsomeness.
- The Long List of celebrities supposedly appearing in "A Tributary to the Upper Amazon".Crow: ... with Edna St. Vincent Millay and Topo Gi–Mike: It's over.
- Sanity Slippage /
Fridge Horror: Crow got bored of being pure energy almost immediately and stayed on the SOL alone most of the time for 500 years. - Say My Name: Mike and the Bots, upon seeing what the Gill Man did to Chris the dog.
- Shout-Out:
- Ape scientists Bobo, Peanut and their cohorts all wear Doctor Zaius-esque purple sport coats.
- Through the window in Deep Ape, we can see the ruins of the Statue of Liberty.
- Mike lifts several iconic bits of dialogue from the original Apes movie ("It's a madhouse!" etc.) when grappling with what Earth has become. Bobo has clearly heard it all before and finds it a bit tiresome.
- That said, Bobo himself isn't above dubbing Mike "Bright Eyes", a reference to Zira's name for Taylor before he spoke.
- Mike: Well, you see, the ship is broken, and won't go. Can you fix it?
- Ape scientists Bobo, Peanut and their cohorts all wear Doctor Zaius-esque purple sport coats.
- Silly Simian: The residents of Deep Ape are rather goofy, with only Bobo being somewhat normal by comparison. They are also into the featured movie because a scene features one of these in the lab.
- Spoiler Opening: Starting with this episode, the show has a new theme song that gives away that Pearl is the new Big Bad (which is supposed to be revealed during the final host segment), and that the show will involve her chasing the SOL through space (which won't happen for another 3 episodes).
- Story Arc: The beginning of the Deep Ape arc.
- Take Over the World: Crow says the Nanites' ultimate goal is universal domination. Mike doesn't seem to care. Given that they can be decimated by eyebrow mites or accidentally dropping spare change on them, he may have good cause not to. This was before the time they offhandedly blew up a planet.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Averted. Crow is delighted they're going to actually see a movie. Mike has to remind him that's what they did for years 500 years ago.
- While reading the opening credits of the movie, Crow suddenly declares "Gowns! There's gonna be gowns in this movie! Hooray!"
- Time Skip: It's been over 500 years since the last episode.
- Useless Protagonist: Multiple riffs cast Clete as a completely ineffective fellow that is easily distracted and that can barely muster the energy to react to Helen being endangered. In the end, the riffers figure he's at best a competent administrative figure directing those who actually save Helen.
- Waxing Lyrical: When Bobo informs the SOL crew that they're now in the year 2525
:Servo: 2525??! Is man still alive?
Gypsy: Did woman survive?
Crow: Can you pick your son, pick your daughter too, from the bottom of a long glass tube? - We Meet Again: How Pearl greets Mike at the end of the episode.
- Wham Episode: Mike and the Bots are back on the SOL. 500 years have gone by on Earth while they were gone and humanity has been entirely replaced by sentient apes. And Pearl Forrester is the new Big Bad.
- What the Hell, Hero?: On learning of Mike's descendants', er, "taste" in partners.Crow: Mike, I think I speak for all of us when I say: GOOD ONE, NELSON!
Servo: I'm locking up my sock monkey, that's for sure.
