Filmed against the heart muscle.
Film watched: Hercules Against the Moon Men
The episode is available in the Gizmoplex here
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The Segments:
Prologue- Crow and Servo have had enough of Joel and plan to run away from home. Through Magic Voice, Joel learns that they've started fighting and are already coming back, returning to the bridge by the time Commercial Sign ends.
Segment 1
- Dr. Forrester introduces DEEP HURTING, his newest cinematic method to break Joel through more dull and boring padding. Joel shows off his Super Freak-Out kit, containing everything one needs for a wild LSD trip. Frank is able to get high just by watching the SOL crew go wild.
Segment 2
- Crow and Servo put Joel through an incredible BOOBY-trap illusion. Lots of jokes involving the word "booby" are involved.
Segment 3
- Joel gives Crow and Servo muscular new arms and suggests some new tough guy names for them. Servo fails to get the exact concept and ultimately rejects his new limbs.
Segment 4
- Disgusted at all the miniskirt-wearing men in the movie, Joel and the 'Bots sing a marching tune about the praises of pants.
Segment 5
- The 'Bots vent their dislike at seeing Steve Reeves (from the previous Hercules movie) being replaced by Alan Steele. Joel explains that recasts are a common thing when movies like M*A*S*H become TV showsnote , which has the side effect of Crow hurting Gypsy, gradually leading Joel to give him a time-out. Angry that Joel survived DEEP HURTING, Dr. Forrester gives Frank some hurting of his own.
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of Hercules Against the Moon Men provides examples of the following tropes:
- Awesome McCoolname: After getting muscular arms, Joel advises the Bots to adopt "tough guy names," meaning their last name has to be some kind of hard substance, like Alan Steele from the movie. Tom — sorry, "Rick Drywall" — doesn't quite get it.
- Awful Truth: "Gypsy, did you realize that Walter Pidgeon was the original Admiral Nelson in the film version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea?"Gypsy: No way...Crow: Not Richard Basehart?Gypsy: (upset) NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! JOOOEEELLLLLLL!!!!!!!
- Actually Quite Catchy: Frank finds The SOL Crew's "Pants" song to be catchy, much to Forrester's chargin.
- Big "NO!": Gypsy does this when Crow tells her that
Walter Pidgeon was the original Admiral Nelson in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, since Richard Basehart is just a replacement for the tv show version. With Gypsy being Gypsy over Richard Basehart, she does NOT take it well.Gypsy: (upset) NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! JOOOOOEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!! - Call-Back: Dr. Forrester introduces the concept of DEEP HURTING during the Invention Exchange by asking Joel and the Bots if they recall Rock Climbing from the experiment Lost Continent. Then, in the middle of the sandstorm scene:
- Unfortunately, although there was very little rock climbing, there was still plenty of Padding with the sandstorm sequence, hence DEEP HURTING.
- During a horse chase into a canyon, the crew sings the Undersea Kingdom theme song.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Because of Gypsy deciding to make a crack during his explanation of "The Wayne Rogers Effect", Crow decides to shatter her worldview concerning Richard Basehart:Crow: Don't forget about him trying to erase the memory of Walter Matthau in the TV remake of House Calls.Gypsy: Ooh! And then, he grew up, and became Pernell Roberts!Crow: (exasperated) Okay, that's it...
- Distracted by the Sexy/Even the Guys Want Him: At one point Crow says Hercules' outfit makes him "feel funny."
- Dragged by the Collar: Joel drags Crow away for upsetting Gypsy and for saying the drawing in the letter isn't good, leaving Tom to read the letter alone.
- Foreshadowing: When Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank introduce Deep Hurting, TV's Frank makes a point of emphasizing the presence of a sandstorm.
- Freak Out: Joel's invention. Comes in a box.
- G-Rated Drug: Joel's invention, "Super Freak Out", manages to send TV's Frank on an LSD trip just by watching it.
- I Am the Noun: Just before the first movie segment.Dr. Forrester: Push the button, Frank.
TV's Frank: I am the button. (wanders off)
- I Am the Noun: Just before the first movie segment.
- Heroic BSoD: Joel and the bots have a mini-one during the sandstorm scene; which leads to them singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" very poorly mixed with some crying to pass the time.
- Invisible Holes: Joel, during the booby trap segment. Special Effects Failure abounds.
- Poor Man's Substitute: Discussed at length in one of the host segments. Crow complains that Alan Steele is just a cheap knockoff of Steve Reeves, and Joel calls the phenomenon "The Wayne Rogers Effect" (named for the actor who replaced Elliott Gould in the TV adaptation of M*A*S*H). Then the discussion gets a little too real when Crow points out that Gypsy's beloved Richard Basehart (from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea) was really the poor man's substitute for Walter Pigeon from the original film.note
- Oh, Crap!: Joel and Tom have an understated reaction when Crow starts to enlighten Gypsy about Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
- Overly Long Gag: The "booby" host segment.
- Please Put Some Clothes On:Crow: I hate movies where men wear shorter skirts than the women!
- Running Gag: "Hey, it's (insert celebrity name)!"
- The very Roman-inspired mooks being accompanied by Joel and the Bots quipping "Pizza! Pizza!" (referencing Little Caesars Pizza) whenever they appeared on-screen. Becomes a moment of hilarity when a horde of them mob one character."PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!PIZZA!"
- [Verb] This!: In the course of a fight scene. "Pizza-Pizza THIS!"
- The very Roman-inspired mooks being accompanied by Joel and the Bots quipping "Pizza! Pizza!" (referencing Little Caesars Pizza) whenever they appeared on-screen. Becomes a moment of hilarity when a horde of them mob one character.
- Sdrawkcab Speech: At the end of the Freak Out segment, Joel and the bots scream "Ngis Eivom Tog Evew!" as they leave for the theater. This is, of course, "We've Got Movie Sign" said backwards.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Invoked. The exact line is "She cleans up real nice."
- Shout-Out:
- "DEEP HURTING" is a nod to a 1980s-vintage ad for Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub, the centerpiece of which was a giant red-on-black "heater" that spelled DEEP HEATING.Mentholatum ad: There's no beating DEEEEEEEEP HEATING!
- At one point, Herc's horse rears up, and Joel has it "say" "Triiiii-star Pictures!" in a Mister Ed voice. The Tri-Star pegasus did exactly that at the beginning of Look Who's Talking Too.
- During his Freak Out, Frank mutters, "See me. Feel me. Touch me."
- "DEEP HURTING" is a nod to a 1980s-vintage ad
- Squick: In-universe, over Hercules' skimpy clothes.
- Tempting Fate: Toward the end of the movie, Joel and the Bots start talking about how the movie really hasn't been that bad, and the Mads were really overstating the whole "deep hurting" thing. Cue the sandstorm scene.
- The Runaway: Subverted in the opening segment, where Crow and Servo plan to run away from the Satellite, but as we learn through Magic Voice, those two started fighting and came back.
- To the Pain: "SAAAAAAND STOOOOOORM! DEEEEEEEP HURTING!" Translation: the Mads are attempting once again to weaponize Padding.
- What's He Got That I Ain't Got?!: In the "Tribute to Pants" song, Tom sings the line, implying a bit of pants envy due to having a hoverskirt instead of actual legs:
- Widely-Spaced Jail Bars: Hercules escapes from a dungeon cell by bending the bars. Halfway through, Tom Servo points out that Herc has already widened the gap enough that he could easily slip through if he just turned sideways, but Herc just keeps going.
