Recap / Mystery Science Theater 3000 S02 E11: First Spaceship on Venus

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Film watched: First Spaceship on Venus

The episode is available in the Gizmoplex here.

The Segments:

Prologue

• Joel adjusts Servo's sarcasm sequencer, but he ends up cranking him too high, causing Servo to snark at every little thing.

Segment 1 / Invention Exchange

• After lowering Servo's sarcasm output, Joel presents the Junk Drawer Starter Kit, a collection of odds and ends fit to be stuffed away and forgotten about. The Mads ironically can't find their invention, lost in their own junk drawer, but they do find Abe Vigoda.

Segment 2

• Crow and Servo build their own robot, the XT-5000 Ramjet Super Configured Limited Edition Lighting Interface Model L, and show it off to Joel. Its unique means of communication, squirting foam, quickly floods the SOL.

Segment 3

• While Joel's away from the bridge, a wild gorilla inexplicably drifting through space comes into contact with the SOL and drives the 'Bots into a panic.

Segment 4

• The show breaks for a message from Klack Foods, advertising a variety of debatably-edible holiday meal ideas to entertain and nauseate social gatherings.

Segment 5

• While Crow admits that he enjoyed the movie, Servo's sarcastic remarks continue to grow more intense until his head finally explodes from the strain. As Joel reads a letter and consoles the 'Bots, Frank gives himself chin rascals and Dr. Forrester, disgusted from all the cuteness, vomits into the junk drawer throughout the credits.

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The MST3K presentation of First Spaceship on Venus contains examples of:

• Bigger Than Jesus: Weird subversion, when the astronauts arrive back to Earth.
  Crow: We're more popular than The Beatles! ^note John Lennon infamously called the band "more popular than Jesus" at the height of their success.
• Body Horror: Downplayed: One of the advertised dishes from Klack requires you to set your hand on fire.
• Call-Back:
  • Joel asks if the Mads are going to steal his ideas for the Invention Exchange like the last time. Cut to Dr. Forrester and Frank writing down what he is saying.
  • "And don't forget those Polynesian Cheese Devils!"
• Cordon Bleugh Chef: Seems to be Klack Foods' target audience.
  Tom: Remember, if you're incapable of showing emotion but know how to cook, Klack has a snack idea for you.
• Credits Gag: Dr. Forrester vomits throughout the credits after Joel and the 'Bots get too sickeningly-sweet for him to stand during the letter-reading.
• Don't Look Back: When a space gorilla arrives at the SOL and Gypsy doesn't notice right away, Crow tells her "Don't turn around", but she does, and passes out in the form of a Face fault, leaving Tom to calm the gorilla down with his singing.
• Gosh Darn It to Heck!
  Crow: What in the scratch?
• Hypocritical Humor: As Dr. F and Frank dig through their junk drawer to find their invention, the topic drifts to product placement and how the Mads won't partake in it, even as they're finding Coca-Cola bottles and Dick Tracy merchandise bags.
• I Resemble That Remark!: During the Invention Exchange:
  Dr. F: Look, I run the operation around here, and I say you do the Invention Exchange first!
  Joel: Jeez, I don't mind as long as you guys aren't plannin' on stealin' another one of my ideas.
  Dr. F: (Aside to Frank, who's scribbling furiously in a notebook) Get everything's he just said down... and then make a sketch of what he's just done, s— (Noticing Joel) What? What?! Didn't I tell you to do the Invention Exchange first?
• Killer Gorilla: Crow and Servo encounter a caged gorilla floating by the SOL.
• Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: The back of Abe Vigoda's head, in a junk drawer.
• Parody Commercial: One segment features a commercial for Klack's holiday foods.
• Product Placement: Parodied while the Mads are looking for their invention. Frank pretends to defend their dignity and saying they'd never lower themselves to such crass commercialism, while brandishing a Coke bottle like a weapon.
• Pun:
  Servo: Hey, Venusian blinds!
• Running Gag:
  "Hey, Joel, what's a Harringway?"
  "About a pound."
  "D'oh!"
  • "Tchen Yu" "Bless you!"
  • "Oh, magic toothbrush..."
• Sarcasm Mode: Tom's Sarcasm Sequencer, which is turned up to eleven before Joel readjusts it. By the end of the episode, it leads to Tom's head exploding.
• Shout-Out:
  • Both Joel and Servo call the launchpad crew 2 Live Crew, Mötley Crüe, The A-Team and Devo.
  • Joel gives the astronaut's robot the voice of Twiki.
  • Numerous to Star Trek
    (Movie shows a radar screen)
    Crow: Mr. Worf, take us out of warp!
    (After an Asian crew member leaves off screen)
    Joel: Thank you Sulu.
    (Narration over a storm)
    Crow: Stardate 3259.9
  • There's an unusually topical joke about Roseanne Barr's singing the national anthem.
  • During a scene of a "lava flow," Crow blurts out, "Looks like the Maypo wants them." Maypo was a maple syrup-flavored hot cereal whose slogan was, "I want my Maypo!"
• Take That!:
  • Servo's Gallagher rant in Sarcasm Mode is based on an event in Joel Hodgson's stand-up days where he caught the prop comic rummaging through his trunk.^note It also showcases a bit from Frank Conniff's old act, where he would do absolutely terrible rapid-fire impressions.
  • When the spaceship plays Venusian speech.
    (Electronic distortion plays)
    Crow: It's a John Tesh song!
• Your Head Asplode: Happens once again to Tom Servo in the final host segment when his Sarcasm Sequencer runs out-of-control, but he gets better.

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(Alphabet People wave goodbye)

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