Mystery Science Theater 3000/Recap/S09/E06 The Space Children

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Films watched: Century 21 Calling (short) and The Space Children

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation has examples of:

  • Actor Allusion: Most of their jokes about Russell Johnson's character.

Crow: He's gonna use his coconut-powered spanking machine on me!

Mike: A three da-y biiinge.

Crow: Whoa, imagine having your butt whooped by "And The Rest!"

All: (as crowd) Yaaay!
Crow: Are you sure he's dead, now?
Mike: (as paramedic): Oyah.
All: Yaaay!

  • Berserk Button: During Century 21 Calling Mike is upset about the fees for touch-tone phone service despite the universal adoption of the technology.
  • Canada, Eh?: Mike and the 'bots conjecture that the blob overlooks Canada in its attempt at forced disarmament, leaving the world quaking under a Canadian hegemony.
  • Fan Disservice: Crow works out his trauma by hosting a Jackie Coogan fashion show, displaying sketches of the man in increasingly skimpier outfits.

Mike: C'mon Crow! Okay, so Coogan wore some goofy outfits in this movie, but can't we leave him with a modicum of dignity?
Crow: No! No we can't, Mike. I'm hurting, I've got to lash out, and we're going to see this thing through to the end! Next card! Here's the ultradignified Coogan getting a teensie bit naughty, in this French-cut thong singlet...

Crow: This is the exact moment he became Uncle Fester.

Servo: And lo, he put his head in a vice, and slept on a bed of nails.

  • Mondegreen: Dr. Wahrman is interpreted as "Dr. Woman" and paired off against Colonel Manley.
  • Poor Communication Kills: Mike and the 'bots build a model rocket, but it fails to launch. When Mike goes over to check on it:

Mike: Now remember, don't turn it on until I say!
Servo: (offscreen) What, turn it on?
Mike: No, don't turn it on!
Servo: (offscreen) Okay!
(boom)

Servo: PUSH BUTTON PHONING!

  • Running Gag: Budweiser jokes off of Bud's name, Servo mentioning that the beach must be "where the children play-ay-ay-ay!"
    • The best part is that according to Mighty Jack's MST3K fan site, the kid who played Bud Brewster later married into the Heineken beer fortune.
    • The crew also get a lot of mileage from The Professor behaving like a drunken jerk.
    • Plus there's the fact that after Pearl's attempt at videoconferencing, all Mike and the bots' riffing has a distinct echo to it.
  • Technology Marches On: The "Century 21 Calling" short is amusingly dated.
    • Mike points out that despite being the year 2001, people are still being charged for touch tone service, despite the fact the tech has saturated the entire world.
  • The Space Race: Pearl throws her hat in as part of her effort to be taken seriously by the rest of the world, even if she is admittedly a little late getting started. Her test subject is, naturally, Bobo. "The way I figure it, I got a monkey, why not build a space program around that monkey?"
  • Special Guest: The Blob From Heaven shows up on the SoL to convince Mike and the 'bots to get rid of their nuclear stockpiles. Turns out Servo kept a "neutron device" under his bed as a deterrent against "uh... well, you guys."
  • Swiss Cheese Security:

Crow: Russian agents stealthily approach the checkpoint, see the "Stop" signs, and turn away defeated.

Mike: Two billion dollars and we made a pole.

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