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Post by jadenh on Dec 1, 2020 16:38:11 GMT -5
Host segments have been somewhat embarrassing, to say the least. At least they're actually all at their own homes this time, unlike the Moon Zero Two one where they're clearly all in the same space. That stuff could still spread, who knows? Anyway, I could go on about how the more relaxed and welcoming nature of the original show just isn't here and how annoying the characters can be, but I think just watching the host segments should tell you that. One last thing I'll say is that the new mad, Mega Synthia, might be the character I like the least. Pearl Forrester, she is not.
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Post by tvsfrank on Dec 2, 2020 7:46:33 GMT -5
I think it feels like Emily has no real place yet because she doesn’t. The future of MST3K doesn’t have a place yet, so can they really commit fully to a new host?
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Post by jadenh on Dec 2, 2020 12:25:31 GMT -5
That is very true. We'll have to wait until the dumb Netflix contract or whatever expires to see where MST3K will end up.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Dec 3, 2020 18:50:46 GMT -5
They've posted all the host segs and the short Emily riffed on... mst3k.orgEmily riffed for a spell at the live show I saw and was good at it, but I was happy when Joel came back, he's still the best IMHO. Always loved his style and delivery and still love it today. So, big shoes to fill... but Mike did great, Jonah was fair, the jury is still out on Emily, I'd need to see her do a season and not just these bits and pieces... but she has a winning personality.
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Post by jadenh on Dec 4, 2020 0:16:05 GMT -5
So, it appears that it's just new riffing entirely and Emily and the crew didn't just riff on top of an already riffed production. Okay, well that's good. After watching it, I found a lot of the riffing to be comparable to season 12. And what I mean by that is that's not very good and often times just doesn't make any sense. Most of it doesn't feel clever and leans more towards random humor. And not random in a really absurd way. Just... random.
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Post by hike'em'up on Dec 4, 2020 11:16:18 GMT -5
reading through this helps convince me that I havent missed anything since quitting on the show midway through Season 11.
seems to be in late stage decay now, after beginning its decline in the middle of Season 5
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Post by jadenh on Dec 4, 2020 12:33:58 GMT -5
Yeah, you honestly didn't miss much. However, I wouldn't say that the show started declining during season 5. I think the original ten season run is pretty consistent in quality, though I do think that season 5 is a definite high point. It's just that the new seasons are... well, kinda not good. Don't even get me started on season 12.
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Post by hike'em'up on Dec 4, 2020 15:06:54 GMT -5
Yeah, you honestly didn't miss much. However, I wouldn't say that the show started declining during season 5. I think the original ten season run is pretty consistent in quality, though I do think that season 5 is a definite high point. It's just that the new seasons are... well, kinda not good. Don't even get me started on season 12. difficult to recapture what worked so well through 1990s cable television my believing that the show's declining began with Joel's departure during season 5 isnt to say that Mike episodes/seasons weren't good. seasons 7 and 8 are outstanding and even season 10 at the end had several strong, memorable episodes (5 by my count). Mike really worked to round out the 2nd half of the comedy series as one of the best ever made overall. still, losing other cast members along the way and the erosion of host segments into sometimes embarrassing stretches that you couldnt see the end of fast enough became the norm - and far from the tone and success that Joel had established in them.
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Post by jadenh on Dec 4, 2020 20:03:55 GMT -5
Yeah, I guess I can see that. Personally, I didn't mind the longer host segments. I always thought that host segments were just as important as the theatre segments. So, I appreciated seeing longer ones in the later episodes. However, the Sci Fi era definitely had some embarrassing ones. The penguin costume sketch immediately comes to mind. The loss of cast members like Trace and Frank was probably the biggest hit the show took. As much as I love Bill's Crow and Pearl and the gang, Trace and Frank were both incredible talents and it's sad that they had to leave.
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Post by hike'em'up on Dec 4, 2020 20:25:09 GMT -5
Yeah, I guess I can see that. Personally, I didn't mind the longer host segments. I always thought that host segments were just as important as the theatre segments. So, I appreciated seeing longer ones in the later episodes. However, the Sci Fi era definitely had some embarrassing ones. The penguin costume sketch immediately comes to mind. The loss of cast members like Trace and Frank was probably the biggest hit the show took. As much as I love Bill's Crow and Pearl and the gang, Trace and Frank were both incredible talents and it's sad that they had to leave. the show could handle losing Joel with Mike waiting in the wings, but there were no worthy replacements for Trace and Frank. while that isnt exactly fair to MJP, Kevin, and Bill (who is a great follow on twitter, btw) it is the simple truth - Dr. F and TVs Frank were perfect
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Post by crowschmo on Dec 5, 2020 1:11:40 GMT -5
^^^^^ There's always The Mads.
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Post by BoB3K on Dec 7, 2020 12:39:54 GMT -5
The show could handle losing Joel with Mike waiting in the wings, but there were no worthy replacements for Trace and Frank. while that isnt exactly fair to MJP, Kevin, and Bill (who is a great follow on twitter, btw) it is the simple truth - Dr. F and TVs Frank were perfect They were perfect and my favorite for sure (You mention season 5 above, but I think 3-4 is the best of the series IMO). BUUUT, having watched all the eps many times over 30 years, I've come to think that Pearl, Bobo and Brain guy, especially once they've been established in Castle Forester, are also a great, funny, entertaining group. On the writing, I think some people gloss over the regular occurrence of boring, clunker, and throw-away host segments that do appear through-out the Joel run. I think mainly, there was a different style to the two groups of writers. Joel and the older gang were much more into skits that 'commented' on the movie or actors/eras in the movies and even just movie making techniques. Whereas, Mike and the new gang were more into just straight-up comedy bits, much more contemporary. They were also more self-aware, sometimes even deconstructing the show itself, like having a skit that mocks having movie mocking skits. So, back to quality, if you have a skit that ties back to the movie, if it falls flat, it still feels like part of the riffing process and still resonates at some level, whereas if you have a skit on a stand-alone subject that falls flat, it just falls flat. They still did movie related skits in the Mike era. The totally silly almost pointless skit in Screaming Skull, where Crow tries to scare Mike by being said screaming skull and mike just losing it and hitting him and everything else with a golf club makes me laugh every time.
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Post by hike'em'up on Dec 10, 2020 16:00:36 GMT -5
The show could handle losing Joel with Mike waiting in the wings... ... I've come to think that Pearl, Bobo and Brain guy... are also a great, funny, entertaining group. ... Joel and the older gang were much more into skits that 'commented' on the movie or actors/eras in the movies and even just movie making techniques... you have a skit that ties back to the movie, if it falls flat, it still feels like part of the riffing process and still resonates at some level, whereas if you have a skit on a stand-alone subject that falls flat, it just falls flat. Agree on Pearl, Bobo, and Brain Guy. I do not mean to let on that I didn't like them at all because I certainly did. I just prefer the approach and subjects of the Joel era segments that you mentioned above; there was a particularly delicate combination of silliness, wit, and nonchalance to them that I found so endearing. As a kid I really absorbed that into my own sense of humor and personality (whatever those wound up as). And yes, there were definitely a number of dreadful segments/failures from those "perfect" older gang members whom I love. But, imo, they also put out nearly all of those which were the home runs.
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