MST3K: Episode 805 - The Thing That Couldn't Die

I'm watching all of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes in order. More about that here and here.

Episode 805: The Thing That Couldn't Die

First aired: Sci-Fi Channel on 1 March 1997
Availability: MST3KVideos.com fan copy

In the end, it dies.

Now we meet the Observers.

This may be the most appropriate episode for the introduction of those characters. They carry their brains around in a bowl, and the villain in the movie has his brain (and head) carried around in a box.

Not a big fan of this episode, to be honest. Sure, the riffing is fun, as good as any in the last couple of seasons, but the movie is mind-numbingly bad. I did manage to watch in in one sitting, though. Or maybe it was two. Two. It was two.

Head in a Box is not a Lonely Island song.

Aunt Flavia runs a dude ranch, and her niece is a water witch, only she also finds watches and Englishmen's heads, include that of Gideon Drew, whose head was buried in one box and his body in another, only when they find the box with the head in it, they don't know what's in the box, so they send out for an expert to help them open the box without destroying it, since an intact box might fetch a might fine price, but while they're off fetching Mr. Expert, the ranch foreman and his dimwitted sidekick open the box and the Head of Gideon Drew takes over Dimwit's mind, and Dimwit kills Foreman, then the Head takes over the mind of the dark-haired chick, who's all hot for the Beatnik Painter, and they find the body and put Head back with Body, but the water witch's boyfriend throws a cross at the rejoined Gideon Drew who falls into his coffin, causing The Thing That Couldn't Die to die, and then the camera zoomed in on the cross pendant hanging between the blonde chick's boobies. The end.

What the whole movie led up to.

Maybe besides it being a really bad movie, the fact that I didn't care a whole lot for the season-long story arc of the ape planet and the brain planet factors into things. I don't know why I didn't care for them. Maybe it's that they could have spent just one episode on each planet but they dragged it out. Or drug it out. Drugs would've helped, I think.

Funny thing, thinking about it. I watched more MST3K on Sci-Fi than I did on Comedy Central. The show aired on Comedy Central (and The Comedy Channel) for 7 years. It aired on Sci-Fi for 7 years (though four of those years were all reruns). And, since I never got The Comedy Channel, and didn't see all the Comedy Central episodes during the time they aired, I ended up seeing more broadcasts on Sci-Fi, if you count reruns. So, I was more used to Pearl, Bobo, and Observer. Still, I didn't care for the episodes that took place on those characters' respective planets.

Our first view of the Observers.

Of course, this did give a little background on the Observers. But, they'd take several episodes to lay it all out.

I suppose that, since I don't recall these Host Segments (or much of these Host Segments) as I review all of the episodes again, they are kinda new to me.

Maybe they'll grow on me. The ape planet didn't, but maybe this Observer planet stuff will.

I doubt it.

Anyway, I'm glad to see the background of Bobo and Observer, but just think they could have done it in fewer episodes. Then, again, Pearl got several episodes to lay her groundwork. I suppose it's only fair to give Bobo and Observer some time.

It is interesting to see Bill Corbett on screen for the first time. He took over Crow at the beginning of the season, and did a good job. To me, he's as much Crow as is Trace Beaulieu. A little different Crow, to be sure, but then, Kevin Murphy was a different Servo than was Josh (J. Elvis) Weinstein. Both Murphy and Corbett did great jobs stepping into roles that were created and developed by others.

Trace Beaulieu will always be Crow. But so will Bill Corbett. Two different talents, but two great talents handling a great character.

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