Mystery Science Theater 3000/Recap/S04/E24 Manos: The Hands of Fate

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


How To Watch
You know, there are certain flaws in this film.
—Tom Servo

Films watched: Hired (short) Part 2 and Manos: The Hands of Fate

The Best Brains crew thought about not riffing Manos at first, as they considered the film too strange to riff on. Eventually they decided to go through with it, feeling they owed it to the world to expose people to Manos. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation of Manos contains examples of the following tropes:

  • Aside Glance: Torgo's quick and abrupt close-ups during his early scenes are treated as this trope in action, since he appears to be glancing at the audience over the couple's bickering.

Servo: Oh, these two.

  • Brick Joke: Torgo forgot the drinks in his car when he delivers the pizza at the end of the episode. He leaves to get them. ...Eight episodes later, he finally returns with their drinks.
  • Continuity Nod: During one of the host segments, the 'bots break down sobbing, and Joel tries to lift their spirits:

Joel: Come on, you guys, Stay Frosty! We survived Monster a Go-Go!, we can survive this!

    • At one point during the riffing, Servo starts singing the theme song to Catalina Caper.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Both of the Mads feel compelled to apologize to Joel and the 'bots for making them watch this.
    • Keep in mind that the point of the whole experiment was to find a movie so bad it would drive Joel and the bots insane. Gibbering, drooling, lost-all-identity, no dignity or self control insane. And this movie was considered going too far.
  • Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: The Master does this -- and the MST crew give it a perfectly-timed riff.

Tom: PULL my finger!!

  • Merging Machine: Joel's "Cartuner" invention, which "takes stodgy, ambiguous cartoons like Mark Trail and mixes them with stiflingly unfunny cartoons like Blondie, puts 'em together, and makes 'em funny!"

All: Ziggy HAD Garfield NEUTERED? NOW THAT'S FUNNY!!

Dr. Forrester: You have stolen painted eggs in a time of famine. Off with her head, Frank!

  • Parody Retcon: By the end of the experience, Warren predicted Manos could be redubbed as a comedy and make good money. How right he was…
  • Shout-Out: During one of the skits, there's a subtle parody of It's a Wonderful Life when Frank, after apologizing for the awfulness of the film, encourages Joel, Tom, and Crow to keep playing.
  • Spit Take: "You know, it's been two hours but this pizza's still pretty warm!"

"Torgo": They always do that.

  • We Want Our Jerk Back: The episode begins with Joel having installed "protocol modules" in the 'bots to make them believe everything Joel says or does is brilliant. Their incessant sucking up forces Joel to remove the modules during the first break.
  • You Look Familiar: Future Mystery Science Theater 3000 host Michael J. Nelson appears as "Torgo" in the closing segment.

"Why don't you guys leave us alone?"

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