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SPOILER SPACEThis thread is for comments on and reactions to the screening of episode 1101 that is available to Kickstarter backers today.
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I like it!
it took a second to get used to the new voices but … I loved it!!
feels like one of those car restoration shows where the old
car gets restored and upgraded and you just look at it in awe.
can’t wait to see the rest!
As a lifelong fan, I am so happy to say that I ADORED it!!!!
It retained the heart, charm and voice of the original, exceeding all my expectations!
Thanks, Sampo, GREAT IDEA!
The first think I HAVE to say, and was dying to mention in the Relaunch tread, but daren’t:
….How cool is it that Erin Gray had a cameo???!!!???
Was this expected/announced, or did I miss it, or did I know it and forget about it?
I noticed Joel and Wil Wheaton’s names in the credits but didn’t see Joel anywhere when looking back at the initial scenes. Did anyone spot him?
He’s the guy in the hazmat suit sending them the movie. At least that’s clearly his voice.
WE LIKE IT VERY MUCH.
It’s abundantly clear that Joel trained Jonah, at the very least. Very Joel-like riffing in the theater (I especially noticed his early-season habit of quickly inserting words to “finish” on-screen conversations), combined with some level of taking advantage of Shadowrama, similar to what they did in the Cinematic Titanic studio episodes (i.e. Tom floating up to do visual gags, Crow with the toxic waste barrel, and Gypsy dropping in seemingly to draw the viewer’s attention to a riff based on a subtle visual in the movie — I thought that was a clever touch). Also, the design of the Satellite of Love, the way Jonah and the ‘bots treat each other, the Gizmonic feel to the entire thing, it’s definitely Joel’s heart and soul up there on screen.
In short, if you weren’t a Joel fan, well, this might not win you over easily. :-)
Fortunately, I definitely am a Joel kinda guy, and I loved it. Still some rough edges to smooth out (either as new episodes come out or if we get a season 12), but this has all sorts of promise. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season!
Also, we need an MP3 (FLAC, Opus, etc) of Monsters of the World, of course.
Just like old times! I’m really enjoying the new episode.
Oh, ok, since we can do spoilers: SPOILER ALERT!
On the whole, I’m very pleased with 1101, but there are a couple of small things I’m not sure about. Tom flying around in the theater has the potential to get distracting, and I kind of miss the charm of Joel and Mike having to carry Servo in and out. The new Gypsy is going to take some getting used to. Also, in the old show, most of the time, they tried to make it appear that Joel/Mike & the Bots hadn’t seen the film before. Oh, they’d occasionally do a line or two that tipped the hand, but for the most part, they kept to the concept. In 1101, that whole idea is out the window with all kinds of gags going on that could never happen on the first viewing of a film. On one hand, is detracts from the realism. On the other, it opens the door to a lot of fun stuff that would otherwise be impossible. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out as the season progresses.
I’m happy! I loved the jokes held over from the original like Tom smooching the movie characters on the lips. And multiple Prince jokes! And lots of singing. Still getting used to the voices and who’s saying what but I like them all a lot.
I loved the not-commercial bumpers with the “house band” playing old MST songs like “Livin in Deep 13.” Very cool. I hope we get to learn more about the bone ear guys.
Nice – will take me some time to get used to the new voices too – in particular, Jonah and Baron can sound very similar to me.
Yeah I was expecting more backstory about the Mads, Moon 13, and the ‘bots — plus, how he eats and breathes, and other science facts — but I’m sure we’ll get more over time. It makes sense, of course, to stretch that out over the upcoming season(s!). Looks like they set a lot of stuff up for later exposition.
Oh, and did I mention, Erin Gray!!!???!!!
To Mr. Hodgson & Co.: Good show, sir; I say, good show.
For a first episode, this is a great start. Loving the look of the show, as well as the decision NOT to explain what happened in between 1013 to 1101… although I’m sure we’ll get more details on that as we go. Everything on the SOL (the new SOL?) and on Moon 13 feels great.
As for the riffing: right out of the gate, the tone is right. The jokes are fast and have a pretty high hit rate. In my book, I’d say that it’s just a notch below THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE (Mike’s first episode) and on par with REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (Bill’s first episode), which is impressive. If I had a single suggestion, it would be that Tom and Crow’s riffing voices are a little too similar – Kevin’s Tom was always deeper than Trace or Bill’s Crow, so they very rarely blended together. But I’m sure they’ll work on that as they go.
And the movie? Holy moley, that’s probably the best possible print I’ve ever seen of it – and the monster footage STILL looked like it had been dragged over a gravel driveway. An excellent choice for the first episode. Colorful, fast moving, and utterly jaw dropping at times.
All in all, I’d give 1101 4 stars out of 5, and I think it’s a great introduction to the show for new viewers, as well as a great continuation of the show for the die-hard fans. Can’t wait for the rest of the season!
So far so good!
(And since I haven’t watched 1101 yet, but the opposite of “Worry” is “Spoilers”: )
Very much This: It’s a slippery slope for any comic that doesn’t understand the concept appeal of the show (we saw one version of the show slip on it), in that fictionally or not, Joel/Jonah & the Bots have to seem to be reacting to it for the first time–And since the premise is that they’re being “assaulted” with the movie, we’re supposed to believe their reactions are spontaneous, since the J’s are Trying To Keep Their Sanity, With the Help Of Their Robot Friends.
If they go into a movie that everyone knows–like the reason S1 initially didn’t want to do Robot Monster, which had already become a bad-movie-cult cliche’-it seems more like the deliberate “Let’s grab a bat and club this movie senseless!” that threw the series off the rails during the later half, and on into RiffTrax.
But I’m in the cheap seats, and have to listen to everyone else rattle their jewelry, so I’ll keep an open mind for five more days.
I’d say it’s…good. Not great, but good.
The riffing is solid (A little slow at first, but it pretty quickly picked up speed.) All the stuff about the world of Gizmonics seemed to be a bit much, but I understand that they need to introduce the setup and get the ball rolling, so I’ll let that go. Patton Oswalt and Felicia Day were fine, even though they weren’t given that much to do. The band and the “commercial bumpers” felt pretty unnecessary. The monster song, while fun, went on a bit longer than it needed to. The main thing I’d suggest is that Jonah and the Bots relax a little in the theater; they came across as a bit hyper compared to Joel and Mike’s more deadpan approach. You have good jokes, guys; you don’t need to make it ZANY!!!!
Despite of how I may sound, I did get some really big laughs out of it (The “Little Red Corvette” joke near the beginning just killed me.) Every new show needs a little time to figure out what works and this is no exception, but the ups outnumber the downs and considering how skeptical I’ve been about this whole thing from the start, that’s not shabby. I’m looking forward to Friday…
I agree with Farmland — it was good, but not great.
To me the bots and Jonah were just fine, almost pitch perfect. Jonah is so clearly Joel/Mike that I’d be amazed if anyone has a problem with him. And Crow’s voice is MUCH better than in the presser — even better than Tom’s (which is fine, not perfect, but certainly acceptable). The whole premise is nailed down great, and even the host segments are as good as anything we’ve seen.
The problem for me is the riffing in the movie. It’s merely adequate — certainly on par with some of Season 2 and 9, but not nearly up to the level of other seasons or certain shows in those seasons. I’m hoping it’s because the writers were merely getting their “sea legs” and we’ll see better riffing going forward, but as much riffing as I’ve seen over the years (including Titanic, Film Crew and Rifftrax) this wasn’t nearly as strong as it could have been (to my relief, however, they did not engage in any political stuff, although there were ample opportunities to do so).
Overall if this is what my Kickstarter money bought — I’m fine with it.
Love how Kinga alludes to the Great Race origins of, “Push the button,” by saying that the Lackey’s real name is Max.
So was the awkwardness of the exposition in the opening scene deliberate? I’m guessing is was.
I was wondering if the scenes of Jonah being captured was going to be trailer exclusive, much like how Pixar does their trailers. Glad that wasn’t the case. Speaking of which, in the trailer, I thought Patton was saying, “Ghost trap initiated,” which made no sense. Watching the actual episode, I realized it was, “Host trap initiated,” which definitely cleared things up.
The new doorway sequence is interesting, especially how each door contains a different cabin.
So far, no indication on how Tom, Crow, and Gypsy were recaptured. Maybe we’ll learn in a later episode (or maybe I should just relax).
Finally, may I say that the scene of the Danish cracker getting it on with the electric eel was the perfect choice for the stinger.
Show 198?? Oh my, I think Kevin Murphy would dispute that fact, if the ACEG is any indication. :)
But I really liked the new episode! It’s a lot to take in; a bit surreal to have MST3K whipping out contemporary references to Kickstarter and anti-vaxxers, etc… but all in all they got some solid laughs from me! Loved the intro host segment, too, but the invention felt a bit rushed. There being so much else going on…
One last point they haven’t really cleared up- how did the bots get back on the SOL? Are these new ones?
Looks like a great start. Most of my out-loud laughs came in the second half. One thing I’m liking as a Firesign Theatre fan is it seems to have a high re-watchability, catching jokes I missed the first time around- Max referring to himself as Kinga’s “red right hand” for one. Also glad they still have jokes for oldsters like me who may not be up to speed on the young folks popular culture, even going as far back as Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve’s trademark laugh. A good solid start!
Just finished watching it, and I really liked/borderline loved it! There are some things maybe to be ironed out, like Gypsy appearing in the theater (what was she dropping off/picking up?) and Servo floating around, but I like the concepts of both. Jonah was great (Heston!!), the movie was a great choice, the riffing was solid and at times moved quickly but also took time to breath in some other scenes (overall the pacing was good), the sets looked cool, the Deep 13 set up was rad, we didn’t see a lot of The Mads but I really enjoyed what was going on there (his name is Max..), I REALLY liked the song in Host Segment #1 it might be an instant all-timer.. Yeah, I dug it, overall it was great!
“He’s heading for the beach!”
“On a weekday?? Must be nice. .”
I haven’t seen the first episode yet but that’s one thing I noticed too. wondering why they picked people with voices so similar. :(
Great job to the new writers and staff! Loved the new host, new robot voices, new mads, new sets…I’m squishy! The movie was a good first for a new era. The riffs were funny, but it was not the funniest episode I’ve ever seen. It’s only the first episode back though, so I am looking forward to the rest of the season. Little things like the band playing songs from the old series going into the “commercial” break I thought was clever. Overall, I was very pleased with the episode, and I look forward to Netflix and Chillin’ all next holiday weekend.
One question I had for anyone reading this: Did anyone find some of the riffs were delivered a little too quickly? Particularly from Jonah?
I didn’t really mind this, as there have been more than a few MST3K eps over the years that have suffered from too many dead spots where a riff or three could have been said. I’ll also chalk it up to working it out as they go.
Loved this ep. Loved all the singing bits as well. The music was top notch. Can’t wait to watch the rest!
I really enjoyed the first episode. I only wish they hadn’t squeezed QUITE so many riffs in – they needed to give the comedy a chance to breathe. I agree that it’s funnier if you have the illusion that they’re watching the film for the first time. But luckily we don’t have long wait to see how they relax into their roles; I’m actually glad they’re releasing the entire season at once later this week, so we nerdy types don’t spend too much time agonizingly over-analyzing every last thing!
I loved seeing more of the Gizmonics landscape in its miniature glory. The look of the show is fabulous. But the meat of the show, the riffing, is still spot on and hilarious. I’m very interested in seeing if this season will have more full blooded songs like the one we got – which would really warrant a soundtrack album release.
I wrote up a big thing for some friends I won’t bore you all with but in short: thought the riffing was solid, laughed out loud plenty of times. Very promising and I look forward to the rest of the episodes for that reason alone. Sketches on the other hand, kinda mixed, at times forced. (Was NOT a fan of the monster song, I admit.) Very much enjoyed the new trappings all in all — and nice new version of the love theme at the end! Better than my expectations, not perfect, am hoping that the rest of the season ironed out the rougher patches.
Oh, we’re pretty sure you will hate it and post about it endlessly, but please, continue on with the façade of potentially embracing something new while enlightening the masses.
The single best thing? That VHX (and I presume Netflix) has SUBTITLES. Not quite sure what that joke was? Turn on the subs and there you go. The original MST never had ’em, so this is just. so. good.
Sad to say I didn’t like it. It felt very artificial, like Birdemic 2 trying to be as bad-funny as the first. Didn’t have any of the charm of the original series, and I rarely laughed at any of the movie jokes. Glad I have Rifftrax to fall back on.
The DOOR IS AJAR and Crow screaming the rising temperature killed me.
My money is well spent.
Also, thought about the commercial breaks: it’s probably a way to pre-proof the show for future cable/OTA airings. Give it a few years, and Shout could be able to mix in these episodes with the existing Comet deal.
Great episode! 100 times better than the tired garbage Rifftrax cranks out!
S1101 on Sunday April 9!!!
So good! Episode great look for first episode. Intro before the song is smart. Riffs are solid and well paced.
Love the quick commercial breaks and the quick host segments. Very strong episode! I love it, can’t wait for the rest of the season on Netflix!
Plus Crow attacks the darkness- lol brilliant!
OMG WIL WHEATON!!!!
I can’t wait to see the rest of the show.
My five-year-old son has been singing “Every country has a monster! Every monster has a country!” since we watched the first half of the movie this morning.
He approves.
I am very pleased with the finished product. Was that Mary Jo in the intro? The invention exchange and kid letters gave me an inner warmth that is comparable to the annual Yule tide tradition of watching the televised fire place, seriously.
Great cast, not enough of the mads in this episode at least. Top notch riffing that made a very boring film watchable. I really appreciate the mix of old and new elements.
I noticed Beez McKiver and Charlie Erickson in the credits which made me even more comfort with the new product. I probably missed other alumni.
Joel you came through as you promised and I am very pleased. Thanks!
In the credits, the are “the Skeleton Crew.”
Peterson.
I also love how our girl Gypsy drops in for a riff now an then!
Expectations set at the appropriate level… I enjoyed it.
Like any new show (or reboot), you have to give the actors time to find their groove. I would imagine it has to be a bit intimidating to take the reigns of such a beloved enterprise. There was definitely enough goodwill and promise on display here to keep me tuning in. I’d say it’s off to a good start. Money well spent in my book.
I especially liked the new doorway sequence. :-)
I LOVED THIS EPISODE!!! I just couldn’t be more pleased with the direction they are taking. I loved Gizmonic touches — very Joel. The riffing was solid and the studio segments were great, especially the song. It’s like the original classic episodes, but it feels very fresh. Seeing new people take on the classic characters was exciting. I can’t wait to see more.
The Joel influence here is heavy, what with the reprisal of Gizmonics Institute and the attendant invention exchange. It definitely has the overall vibe of his episodes.
The riffing, though, has its own feel. The density and tightness feels more reminiscent of the later seasons, but without that beautiful illusion of naturalism that Mike, Kevin and Bill pulled off. It’s definitely funny and satisfactory, but there seems to be SUCH a fear of silence from the writers that the overall effect feels a touch overeager and calculated. The pitch we’re at now is already good, but I imagine this will really start singing once they settle in and perhaps let the movie participate a bit more.
I was struck by how the camera never moved during the SOL segments, making the set almost seem like a blue screen when it of course isn’t. I am betting this is just coincidental in the first episode; surely we haven’t lost the Hexfield Viewscreen? Even in the notoriously cramped Eden Prairie set, we had gags like pulling the camera back wide to see Gypsy’s tubing strewn on the floor of the bridge – back in Season 1!
Eventually I would like some acknowledgement of how the bots got back. I hardly expect major emphasis on the show’s mythos, or at least didn’t until Joel hit us with that unprecedented cold open that set up Jonah’s premise. Which was terrific and economically done, by the way, but I think it’s a fair argument that if Joel can make time for those expository Gizmonics strangers, then surely he could have thrown in a line explaining that Kinga kidnapped Servo and Crow from Mike or built new models. Just something.
Interesting that the opening title card identifies Reptilicus as experiment 198. An unexpected shout out to good old KTMA. Speaking of honoring the legacy, could anyone make out if the SOL ambient noise is the same? The same sound was used from The Green Slime pilot all the way through Diabolik, so it would be a nice touch.
I think this was a wildly successful reanimation, as the fact that all I can come up with are nitpicks shows. Bring on the next thirteen.
So Mike Nelson is involved? I see he is credited with Kevin and Bill as writers for the Skeleton Crew music.
The bumpers feature renditions of songs from throughout the original show, several of which Mike composed the music for. For example, “Livin’ in Deep 13” is in there.
I love those bits of musical filler.
I definitely payed closer attention to the music this time than I did in Chicago! Livin’ in Deep 13 is easy to pick out, but the “commercial” segments also include the Wild Rebels song, the Canada Song, and (in the episode’s only overt Diabolik reference) To Earth!
Having already experienced the awesomeness of this episode, today was really about me sitting back and watching my fellow MSTies get excited and finally experience the episode themselves. I’m so happy to see that most of you weren’t disappointed.
This is going to be a great season. Bring it on.
Spoiler Space, is that like Safe Space?
I agree with many of the above commenters, this was good but I think they were a bit overly aggressive in the riffing pace – it made it feel like they were anxious and overcompensating. And too-heavy riffing could detract from letting the personalities of the performers come through, not letting things feel as breezy or conversational as they could be.
Otherwise, great to see the show back.
I wrote up a “spoiler-free” thing, but since this is a free space, I’ll add some thoughts to my initial ones:
– Joel was right in saying the tempo is different. I’ll add that that’s not a bad thing, but it will take a little adapting to (as a long time fan). It’s kind of like a band returning with a new album and their style is “go a little bigger and a little louder.”
– What needed to be updated got updated, what needed to stay the same, stayed.
– I said it when the Kickstarter announced it and I’ll repeat: Patton Oswalt is a genius casting choice. He brings himself to the role, but also capture’s Frank Conniff’s style beautifully. (Most noticeable after the I.E., when he shuffles back and forth with that “must obey, but wait, how do I carry out that order right now” attitude.)
– The chemistry of the cast is on point. Giving Jonah the reins to help find the new bot voices/performers was a smart move.
– You can really feel the love for the original show from the cast and crew.
– Bridge sketches were solid and performed well. (All three had some tough lines to read/sing in that song and damned if they didn’t nail each one; I love the take on the classic “too many Servos” premise, particularly the alternate Servos and the last two lines which felt very Mike-era.)
– Happy with the level of “fan service.” A couple of original series callbacks/riffs for fans, but not in the “look!” way. Nice and subtle, like “Easter eggs” for the old fans, but not distracting for new ones.
– The new bumpers are great. Longtime fans have gotten used to the eps. having bumpers with no commercials and these keep that aesthetic. New fans who go back to older eps. will feel a similar sense of familiarity.
– Really liked the new orchestration of the end credit “love theme.”
– My only solid criticism with 1101 was that the episode didn’t have much for Day or Oswalt to do beyond set up the show (side note: really liked the touch of Kinga riding on the pallet/staircase/forklift? to “introduce” Base 13). There wasn’t the Forrester “ambition-failure-frustration” cycle we know so well. But with twelve episodes to come, there will be ample opportunity to see more of Kinga and Max’s characters develop.
– Speaking of the future: I look forward to the Pearl-Bobo-Brain Guy cameo and how it will be handled (Christmas episode, perhaps? Old family video? Arrival at the base as they’ve been coasting through the galaxy?) And, related, if the show continues keeping the celebrity cameos unobtrusive and not gratuitous.
Bring on the season. So far, this is a great “return on Kickstarter investment!”
Oh, and I LIKE TOM SERVO’S NEW VOICE ;)
I think everything is going to be ok. I agree it’s not necessary to explain how Servo and Crow got back to the SOL yet but I do hope it’s explained eventually maybe with a Mike cameo. Perhaps they got repossed by the Gizmonic institute seeing as they are made from SOL parts and Kinga acquired them somehow. Maybe she or Max are or were Gizmonic employees. I hope they are not copies but I don’t think that’s the case because it appears that Gypsy is the original based on Jonah reprogramming her voice.
I’ll say the only thing that threw me off was the episode number. I thought they were already at 198 counting the movie and maybe 199 counting 701T (though it wasn’t a separate movie) and even more counting KTMA. No big deal.