Mystery Science Theater 3000/Recap/S08/E14 Riding With Death

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Film watched: Riding With Death, a TV movie compiled from two episodes of the television series Gemini Man.

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation of Riding With Death featured:

  • Ambiguously Gay: Observer, again. This time, he's dressed as a female nurse, while calling himself a Red Cross medic. (Of course, no field medic has ever been in a nurse's dress.)

Pearl: Brain Guy, what the hell is your deal?
Observer: My race is pacifist and does not believe in war. We only kill out of personal spite.

  • Call Back: At one point Mike mocks Abby's screams of "SaaaaAAAAM!" by saying "VaaaaAAAAAAANCE!" like Dr. Langer in The Giant Spider Invasion - a movie they'd seen just four episodes previous.
    • Near the end of the second episode third act, before Denby is arrested, Crow notes "hey look, a couple of VaaaaAAAAAAANS!"
    • Servo even gets in a "JeeeeeEEEEEEEEEeeeeed!", to which Crow moans, "Oh, here we go!"
  • Crazy Enough to Work: During the credits, Crow seems to consider the idea that the movie had an "Executive Story Consultant" unbelievable.

Crow: An executive story consultant?!
Servo: *as the consultant* Yes. I advise that you cast the most annoying cracker you can find and slam together two incomprehensible stories!

    • Incidentally, the show's executive story consultant was... Steven Bochco. THE Steven Bochco.
  • Double Entendre: Mike and the bots' commentary during the sequence when Buffalo Bill's truck is used to slow down Casey's out-of-control vehicle:

Mike: Ma' well-oiled chassis is comin' up on yer backside, now.
Servo: My rigid grill structure is bearin' down on yer unprotected cargo door.
Crow: My oft-complimented Peterbilt is rhythmically nudging that sweet honey pot of yours?
Mike and Servo: Crow!
...
Mike: Drained and satisfied, I'm tracin' lazy circles on yer' supercab now.
Crow: You said I was bad...
Mike: You inspired me.

  • Mike Nelson, Destroyer of Worlds: The Trope Namer rides again. "(W)hat's that, three for you now?"
  • Overly Long Gag: Driscoll spends several minutes cleaning his glasses, which are filled entirely with over the top squeaking sounds and the occasional "Still dirty!"
  • Running Gag: Turkey jokes for Jive Turkey Sam Casey.
    • "Leave Robert Denby alone!" This one was actually carried over into other episodes whose featured movies starred William Sylvester (Gorgo and Devil Doll, in case you were wondering)
    • "You're so elusive!"
    • The joke about Hale being inside the truck when he's not leads to such riffs as:

Servo: Don't come back here, I'm doing, eh heh, naked burpees!
Mike: (when the truck explodes) Sam, I'm blown to several thousand bits, but my patent papers!

    • Driscoll's filthy, filthy glasses.
  • This Is a Work of Fiction: Servo seems to consider it a blessing when the disclaimer pops up in the credits.

Mike: All characters depicted are...really stupid and disgusting.
Servo: Any similarities to actual persons would be really sad.

  • What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Inspired by a multitude of references to turkeys in the film (okay, one or two), Crow takes up the mantle of Turkey Volume Guessing Man!, who is able to instinctively calculate how many turkeys could fit in a given space, i.e. express something's volume in units of turkey. Crow is very disappointed to learn that Mike shares this power.
    • Briefly. He then becomes excited at a superhero team of turkey guessers.

Crow: Up, and whoooosh!

That Abby. She's some gal!

Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Mystery_Science_Theater_3000/Recap/S08/E14_Riding_With_Death?oldid=1340326"