Jim Vorel at Paste loves Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), very nearly unconditionally. His ranking of every episode is an unparalleled resource. He describes his favorite episode, “The Final Sacrifice,” as “the greatest TV comedy episode of all time.” Maybe go read his stuff.
But not everyone is an MST3K maniac. And to those of us less attached to the show but still fans, the rapturous hagiography of the series can be tricky to square with our own ambivalence (I’m going to assume I speak for a real, if narrow, demographic here). For some MST3K was foundational, determining their adult lives like The Simpsons or Seinfeld did for those of us without cable. For the rest of us it’s a great way to watch a bad movie.
So far the response to the Netflix revival has been overwhelmingly positive. The first episode, “Reptilicus,” is fantastic, if a little frantic with the quips. Fusion’s politics editor, Alex Pareene, put it best, writing that “rushing the riffs wrecks the illusion that they’re watching it for the first time along with you.”
(rushing the riffs wrecks the illusion that they're watching it for the first time along with you) (they'll get better if this gets renewed)
— 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) April 15, 2017
The second episode, “Cry Wilderness,” is even better. A childhood Bigfoot parable in The Indian in the Cupboard mold, Cry Wilderness is odd enough for Crow, Servo and Jonah to riff on on bowl cuts, MMORPGs and Rime of the Ancient Mariner . And here’s the unexpected part — one of the interstitial segments is actually really funny, as Crow and Servo knock over cereal boxes in raccoon costumes. It’s unexpected because those parts usually aren’t funny. But you wouldn’t know that if you ever read anything from a MST3K fan.
Dr. Clayton Forrester, TV’s Frank, Pearl, Professor Bobo, Observer… these are all beloved characters that newcomers to MST3K might find a little baffling. Their segments, detached from the actual meat of MST3K , are awkward, goony and earnest in a children’s’ show way, like Beakman’s World or Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? This is, in part, because MST3K is low-key a kids’ show. But it’s also about establishing a tone of dotty sweetness that puts the movie riffing in a gentler light.
MST3K is about making fun of movies, but it’s not cynical or mean-spirited (though it’s not quite loving either… the premise holds that these movies are torturous). A great MST3K comedy bit is both funny and proves the show’s willingness to put itself out there, to be a little embarrassing. But being funny sometimes feels like a secondary concern. Funny is for the rapid-fire jokes delivered over the actual movie.
The return of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Netflix does this all a little differently, creating all new elements to feel deeply ambivalent about. For one, it’s got some star power. The two antagonists are Felicia Day as Kinga Forrester (granddaughter of Pearl Forrester) and Patton Oswalt as TV’s Son of TV’s Frank, son of TV’s Frank. They’re your first indication of just how much this new Mystery Science Theater 3000 is riddled through with geek insiders. It’s not the outsider art of the original. There are even cameos from Mark Hamill and Jerry Seinfeld.
This MST3K lives in a world where the original series won. It is thoroughly of the mainstream, as is the subject matter of its riffs: video games, comic books, tabletop RPGs and everything that once signified nerd status and now signifies “nerd” status.
Maybe this will frustrate some people, particularly those older viewers who have watched their pop culture preferences become four-quadrant products and bemoan the dilution that inevitably comes with ubiquity. Paradoxically, nerddom’s ascension has softened it edges but heightened its fawning worship of influences. The fans, defensive of whatever is being remade/rebooted/gamified, have notes and thoughts. So many thoughts. And so creators attempting to be respectful lard their new version with callbacks, easter eggs and references. Expressions of spiritual anguish get reduced to pedantic notes and all too often the end result is something new that tries so hard to be like something old that it feels subservient and unjustified in and of itself.
MST3K is guilty of these things, but it doesn’t fall to them. Not at all. While really the MST3K formula barely requires any continuity, the new MST3K sticks with Crow, Servo, Cambot and Gypsy. It’s still got the hand-made Satellite of Love and sliding doors and invention-swapping segments. It is a bit up its own ass. But that’s also perfect for the moment. Between Comic-Con, online fandom and the endless blast of pop culture coverage, the current moment is more navel-gazing than ever. But the new MST3K , in recapturing its big-heartedness, mostly gets away with it because its enthusiasms feel genuine.
In this Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return feels like a bellwether for the state of geekery generally. Sure, it might be a little obnoxious, maybe even a little too celebratory, but we could do a lot worse when it comes to rallying points. Like D&D podcasts (we don’t need anymore D&D podcasts!). Or Funko Pop. Or reaction videos. Plus, the riffing is still funny. Which is probably all that ever really mattered.
