Season 13 at the halfway point - Your thoughts

[Mighty Jack]

So, Jiger's the bridge episode that takes us from the first half to the second.

While the riffing is more laid back and the host segments have an older school, seasons 2 or 3 feel to them (very personality based), I'd sum up the quality of the season so far as being like Season 11, but without the homeruns.

Though Atlantis comes close.

I've been using the old Netflix grade scale for Nu-MST (5=I loved it, 4=I like it very much, 3=I liked it, 2.5 is rather m'eh) so far 2 have received the 2.5 - Jiger and Robot Wars.

I'm hoping the second half gives us a killer (like Avalanche was for me in 11)

As with classic MST, it sometimes takes a few years to get a good grip on how you feel about a season or an episode. But already Dr. Mordrid has become the episode that gets better every time I watch it. And I always want to go back to it (I should watch Demon Squad again, nope, no there I go to Mordrid... lol) So, much like Carnival Magic, it earns rewatch-ability points.


My rankings at this date

1. Beyond Atlantis
2. Dr. Mordrid
3. Munchie
4. Santo in the Treasure of Dracula
5. Demon Squad
6. Gamera vs. Jiger
7. Robot Wars

[demoniclambertobava]

I have not seen GvJ yet and only just got to Demon Squad, which eventually I'll talk about it - life has been busy and stressful. I think it's approaching the best of the revival seasons so far if not the best outright, but we can't judge that til the end. I also think it's been very good MST period. I'm pretty pleased. I can't rank 'em til I've seen Jiger (which Reddit seems to love) but so far Atlantis is still the top for me and dangerously close to a classic, with Munchie in second position.

[Diet Kolos]

Jul 22, 2022 22:38:40 GMT -5 Mighty Jack said:

I'd sum up the quality of the season so far as being like Season 11, but without the homeruns.

THIS. But ALSO...without the duds Season 11 had, too. So, not too great, not too bad so far.

But I REALLY would like an episode that breaks into that Avalanche range. I know they have it in them, they just haven't managed it yet. They've got the material in these movies, which have generally all been great picks (except maybe Demon Squad).

For ranking...

1. Beyond Atlantis (A-)
2. Munchie (B+)
3. Dr. Mordrid (B)
4. Santo (B-)
5. Demon Squad (C+)
6. Gamera vs Jiger (C)
7. Robot Wars (C-)

Huh. Didn't expect to have Mordrid that high.

But overall. Nothing I absolutely loved, but nothing I absolutely hated either. Averages out to a B- season so far.
We'll see how the 2nd half season goes.

[Mighty Jack]

After revisiting season 11 a year or so ago, I no longer have any duds, I have a couple of 2.5, but those are more "in limbo" episodes, neither here nor there, just kind of, "eh".

demoniclambertobava hope the stress fades for you soon.

Another thought: I was expecting the year to be more all over the place, due to all the cooks in the kitchen, and that there would be so many different writing rooms involved. You don't have 1 consistent group of writers like in days of old. But so far, I find it difficult to pin down - 6 of the Jiger writers, for example, wrote on Munchie, but with very different results (well, at least for me... sounds like others have enjoyed Jiger?)

As for the remaining 6, I do hope Batwoman is a win. That's a movie I watched and reviewed a long time back, so if Bats was a homerun, that would make my day.

[demoniclambertobava]

Jul 23, 2022 6:26:58 GMT -5 Mighty Jack said:

After revisiting season 11 a year or so ago, I no longer have any duds, I have a couple of 2.5, but those are more "in limbo" episodes, neither here nor there, just kind of, "eh".

demoniclambertobava hope the stress fades for you soon.

Ups and downs, like all of us everywhere in the 2020s I suspect.

There are several in S11 which I feel are either so-so or just a slog - At the Earth's Core is IMO a struggle after the excellent first half, and I have never revisited The Christmas That Almost Wasn't and I don't know when I will. But I think it's a very strong return season overall and Cry Wilderness is among the top tier MST3K of all time, followed closely by Carnival Magic and Avalanche which rate with anything in the Sci-Fi years at the very least. Munchie and Atlantis are up there in that very good range for me, as is Mordrid, but overall I feel it's been the strongest revival run. I don't think anything has felt like an outright lull to me. I need a little distance from Demon Squad to think about it, and GvJ we'll see.

[kracker]

Every season is going to have its slogs. I still need to do the rewatch but i dunno I put GvJ towards the top, I was LMAO. Robot Wars and Demon Squad near the bottom so pretty much your list but with GvJ towards the top

I dunno, so far this season doesn't have the magic The Return had for some reason because of the new format, but this my first experience of watching MST3K "week-to-week". The covid setup and lack of sets kind of takes away the feeling of it being show like it used to, the riffing feels different than the Return, perhaps because the writer situation may not be just like it was with Netflix. Might be just too many people that are rather green, down to Kelsey who had to suddenly be able deliver jokes written for Nate without fully honing her Crow voice. It just might take time to get the show to grow again like it did in the earlier days. I've said before that the Return felt like where MST3K would be if it had never left, and S13 certainly feels like more of a reboot than The Return where things are kind of starting over and the show has to build back to what it once was again.

[wedestroymyths]

I've been very much enjoying this season. I'd say the only full on high it's hit is Beyond Atlantis, so it doesn't have quite as many peaks as season 11, but the quality overall has been stronger for me. Here's how I'd rank the eps on a four point scale...like in school!):

1. Beyond Atlantis (4.0)
2. Munchie (3.8)
3. Gamera vs. Jiger (3.8)
5. Dr. Mordrid (3.6)
4. Santo (3.5)
6. Demon Squad (3.3)
7. Robot Wars (3.2)

[cavedweller]

This season has been a huge disappointment and it is the worst season out of the 13 seasons and KTMA. I almost forget the season with so many other things to watch. If there is a premiere I will catch it two or three days after the original airing. I'm deflated and not that interested, but the Gamera episode was by far their best this season. Here is my ranking of the episodes.

1, Gamera Versus Jiger
2, Munchie
3, Santo in the Treasure of Dracula
4, Dr. Mordrid
5, Beyond Atlantis
6, Robot Wars
7, Demon Squad

[comedyc]

For me, this season has been better than 8, 9 and 12. Probably tied with 10 and 11 currently in my estimation. YMMV

[intonyeon]

It is the worst show ever made worse than the beetles

[BilLumberg]

I have enjoyed this season. I think they have done a good job with introducing the multiple host concept and I can see how it gives them flexibility. Sure its fun to have guests in the host segments, but why not bring them into the theater as well. Not just with past crew members. I like that it is not exactly like the old show.

[demoniclambertobava]

GvJ was remarkably good, and I say that as someone who often thinks there's only so far MST can take kaiju films after the glory years.

My rough ranking (though I need to revisit Munchie to be certain):

1. Beyond Atlantis
2. Munchie
3. Gamera vs. Jiger
4. Dr. Mordrid
5. Demon Squad
6. Santo in the Treasure of Dracula
7. Robot Wars

I don't think any are outright so-so other than RW, which I think has a lot of peaks and valleys. I was very happy with Mordrid and Demon Squad.

[dignan]

I’ve enjoyed the season well enough so far. Beyond Atlantis and Gamera vs. Jiger have been the highest points for me, and Santo the (relative) low. But every episode has made me laugh out loud at least a few times, which is all I can really ask for, and some have done much more than that.
That said, nothing from the new seasons has managed yet to match the hilarity of the live shows I’ve seen from the new crews, particularly The Brain and Making Contact. But, based on that, I know they can still hit that level, so I’m optimistic they’ll get there.