Recap / Mystery Science Theater 3000 S05 E17: Beginning of the End

Beginning of the End already? Just started!

Film watched: Beginning of the End

The episode is available in the Gizmoplex here, and on Shout! Factory here.

The Segments:

Prologue

• Mike, Crow, and Servo attempt to sing some old standards, but they're interrupted by a redneck lady calling from the Hexfield. Mike tries to clarify that he's not "Chopper" and that she's dialed the wrong number, but she still thinks that "Arnie" is there.

Segment 1

• Mike stealthily hangs up on the lady as she goes on about her life, much to Tom's amusement. For this week's Invention Exchange, the Mads present the Re-Comfy Bike, a recumbent bike formatted into a bed for Frank to sleep in. Mike, Servo, and Crow show off a set of new playing cards: the Eight of Chris Lemmon, Todd, and the Crow of Diamonds.

Segment 2

• Despite Crow and Servo's objections, Mike calls up the Mads ahead of schedule. Turns out that when they aren't terrorizing the SOL with bad movies, Dr. Forrester and Frank act like a married couple. This gets Mike and the 'Bots really uncomfortable really fast.

Segment 3

• Crow shows off his newest screenplay, Peter Graves at the University of Minnesota. Mike and Servo are throroughly annoyed from Crow's redundancies.

Segment 4

• Servo shows off his locust-themed stand up routine, but Crow and Mike are unimpressed.

Segment 5

• Mike and the 'Bots read some letters, including a postcard from members of the Kim Cattrall Fan Club. This leads to other postcards having plastic grasshoppers put on them as a replication of Bert I. Gordon's special effects. Meanwhile, the Mads duke it out with some manly boxing after being caught in domestic bliss.

---

The MST3K presentation of Beginning of the End provides examples of:

• Absurdly Ineffective Barricade: Crow's assessment of a wooden sawhorse blocking the road.
  Crow: That wouldn't stop a kid on a big wheel!
• Ambiguously Gay: Forrester and TV's Frank when they don't realize the S.O.L. is on the line.
• Brain Bleach: After seeing Forrester and TV's Frank in disturbingly domestic bliss:
  Mike: (weirded out) So I guess we can call the Mads, then... but you know what? I don't think I'm going to do that for a while.
• Brutal Honesty: Crow's reaction to Tom's overly-cerebral locust stand-up routine.
  Mike: Wow, Tom, that... that really, really, uh...
  Crow: Sucked!
• Continuity Nod
  • When the Army initially encounters the locusts,
    Servo: What would Mitchell do right now?
  • "New Petition Against Tax again?!"
  • "I sing whenever I sing whenever I sing."
  • When Wainwright and Major Everett don gas masks after throwing the smoke bomb, Crow calls out, "Trumpy!"
  • During the fan mail segment, one viewer references Crow's love of Kim Cattrall.
• Credits Gag: In keeping with the episode's running gag, the final credit reads "Shot entirely in Minneapolis, home of the University of Minnesota".
• Department of Redundancy Department: Crow's screenplay about Peter Graves. Fifteen acts were devoted to reminding people that Graves went to the University of Minnesota.
  Servo: Crow, I'm not criticizing here, but were you worried about the redundancy factor or not or--?
  Crow: Well, I thought my point was important enough to risk that.
• Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: The Mads overcompensate a little, boxing and proclaiming it's the sport of MEN!!!
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Mike and the Bots discover The Mads are these, resulting in a bit of Brain Bleach all round.
• Idiot Ball:
  Servo: Hey, Diane Arbus, why don't you take a picture?! You've got a camera...
• Inherently Funny Words: Tom gets a chuckle out of "Wacker Drive".
• Jaw Drop: Crow's reaction when Mike and the Bots interrupt The Mads' "Us Day". Mike helps Crow out and lifts his jaw back.
• Karma Houdini:
  Servo: Hey, this guy caused the whole thing! He should be doing time in Joliet!
  Crow: Nah, the grasshoppers ate Joliet.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: Frank does this to Forrester during their boxing match after the movie ends.
• The Mountains of Illinois: The MST3K episode is the Trope Namer.
• Nausea Fuelinvoked: Crow finds the bizarre transition effects in the credits to be this. Mike doesn't really help.
  Mike: Honey, do you think you could keep down some 7-Up and soda crackers?
  Crow: (gag) No...
  Mike: Some lukewarm pork?
  Crow: ...Blurgh!
  Mike: I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
• Noodle Implements: As the general asks what Wainwright needs for his proposed locust trap:
  Tom: A tennis ball, an accordion and a picture of Don Ameche!
• Officer O'Hara: Invoked by Servo during the riffing.
• Oh, Crap!: Forrester realizing the S.O.L. is peeping on him and Frank watching daytime TV and discussing weight loss.
  Forrester: Oh my God — Frank, switch on the game! SWITCH ON THE GAME!
• Overly Long Gag: Crow being nauseated by the credits. By the end, Tom yells "One more time!"
• Parental Sexuality Squick: Mike, regarding the couple making out in the Cold Open of the film.
  Mike: You know, it might be sexy, until you think: It might be my parents! Oh my God!
• Running Gag:
  • "Yellow?"
  • Frank's signing.
  • "I'm Peter Graves."
  • "I'm Paul Frees''. And, later, "I'm still Paul Frees."
• Shout-Out:
  • Many towards the Chicagoland area.
  • Servo points out Norman Taggert's resemblance to Frank Nelson by letting out a "Yyyyyyeeeeesss?"
  • Mike refers to the Mads as "Benny & Joon".
  • As one of the locusts chows down on a hapless soldier:
    Servo: (evilly) "When you wish upon a star..." Heh heh heh!
  • "I know what you're thinking, grasshopper. Did I fire six shots, or--?"
• Soundtrack Dissonance: This is Albert Glasser, after all. "bum-bum-bum-BAAAAAAAAH-DAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
  Mike: She's got her car radio tuned to the Marching Band Station.
  Servo: Heheh. "All Sousa, All The Time."
• Stylistic Suck:
  • Servo's standup act is truly unfunny, scientific fun facts about the difference between grasshoppers and locusts done in the style of a stale White Dude, Black Dude bit.
  • Crow's Peter Graves at the University of Minnesota similarly sucks, too.
• Take That!:
  • When there is a news story about the giant locusts:
    Newsreader: The screech increases in intensity, until it reaches ear-shattering proportions.
    Crow: Sounds like Mariah Carey.
  • When they test the high frequency sound on a captured locust, one of them compares it to "a long Kathleen Battle aria".
  • When the high frequency weapon is deployed at scale:
    Servo: When Brian Eno ruled Chicago.
  • When the film cuts to a screaming crowd (because it's Chicago):
    Mike: The Cubs don't win the pennant! The Cubs don't win the pennant!
  • When Peter Graves assesses damage made by the giant locusts:
    Crow: Savages, worse than British soccer fans!
  • Then, as the characters consider nuking the swarm:
    Crow: "Hmm, no Chicago... well, why not?"
  • When Tom tries to get the others on board with doing his standup on late-night talk shows they try to talk him out of The Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. When he suggests the ill-fated show hosted by Chevy Chase, they're all for it.
• Technology Marches On: invoked Tom makes a reference to the Radio Shack computer, the Tandy.
• Too Dumb to Live: Invoked by Servo, when Audrey encounters giant locusts.
  Servo: HEY, DIANE ARBUS, WHY NOT TAKE A PICTURE? YOU HAVE A CAMERA!
• White Dude, Black Dude: Servo's standup is this to grasshoppers and locusts.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Servo after Graves easily guns down one of the locusts: "Hey, I got it; we could just shoot 'em!"
• You Have to Believe Me!: Peter Graves invokes this at one point, prompting Servo to immediately follow up with a stream of panicked gibberish about "giant crickets".

---

Col. Sturgeon: [sounding unusually bored] All right, men, into the woods.

---