Season Two Episode Ten: King Dinosaur w/short X Marks The Spot
Network: Comedy Channel
Riffers: Tom Servo, Joel Robinson, and Crow
Mads: Dr. Clayton Forrester and Frank w/Assistants Gerry and Sylvia
The Short's Plot Synopsis: Joe Doakes is a terrible driver and drives his poor, strange-looking guardian angel to exhaustion keeping him safe. Finally, his angel takes a rest...just long enough for Joe to kill himself in a terrible car accident. In the celestial courtroom, Joe presents his case to the divine judge who will decide if he can return to earth or move into death. Joe's angel presents the evidence of Joe's road rage. After the angel presents his case, he is released from his duties, leaving Joe and the judge. The judge poses the question to the audience: is he suitable to return to life, or should he be condemned to death?
The Movie's Plot Synopsis: A new planet moves into our solar system and four scientists (two couples) are sent to explore Nova, the planet that has just entered Earth's solar system. The crew begins to study the planet to see if it's able to withstand a possible Earth colony. After first discovering normal Earth animals such as a kinkajou and an alligator, they soon encounter giant insects, dinosaurs, and the titular King Dinosaur.
Host Segments:
Prologue: Joel reads some beat poetry for the bots.
Segment One/Invention Exchange: The Bots debate if beat poetry has to rhyme. Crow starts his, but The Mads interrupt for the experiment. Dr. Forrester is fixing an elevator and Frank is preparing for his hat party. Frank pushes a button, and Forrester plummets down the elevator shaft. He then declares he is his own invention, the Pocket Scientist. Joel accidently creates his as well...the Incredibly Stinky Sweatsocks.
Segment Two: Crow ponders if he is suitable for judging Joe from the short. He goes off into a soliliquy in which he decides to change the world, celebrates life, learns to think for himself, and ends up making suggestions such as parade around the street in your underwear.
Segment Three: It's Joey the Lemur! The Bots try to sing a song extolling the virtues of the lemur. It's not particularly convincing, but it sure is weird.
Segment Four: "The Emotional Scientist" sketch, featuring Joel as Albert Einstein. He protests, complaining about the dumb costumes and stupid ideas. The Bots try to go on without him with Crow as Madame Curie, but they realize the futility of the whole thing. Joel consoles them, and rejoins them for one final try.
Ending Segment: Crow notes the Robert L. Lippert films he has been forced to watch instead of better cinema. Joel demonstrates the theremin, a key item that played in many of Lippert's films and he ends up getting way too fascinated with it. The Bots read a letter. Dr. Forrester uses Frank's head to push the button.
Stinger: Ralph faceplants following a fight with a gator.
Review:
This was the first non-serial short shown on MST3K, and they start off with a good one. X Marks The Spot is a hilarious short with a lot of great riffing. Somehow, shorts work better stand-alone then as a serial for the show. The movie was rough. It took three days to make, and it felt like it took three days to watch. Terrible terrible flick.
The riffing for both the short and movie was very strong and enjoyable. The host segments were pretty fun to watch, as well. This movie just had the right kind of badness for that makes for great riffing material.. 8/10
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