Mystery Science Theater 3000/Recap/S10/E13 Diabolik
Film watched: Danger: Diabolik aka Diabolik
The MST3K treatment provides examples of:
- Brick Joke: When preparing for returning to Earth, Mike mentions that he's bringing rice. He asks if anybody wants some in the last scene.
- Buffy-Speak:
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Observer: Apparently, you initiated re-entry protocol for the satellite. |
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- Call Back: The above-mentioned Brick Joke is also a reference to episode 815 (thirty-three episodes prior), when Mike's apparent love of rice is first introduced.
- Servo helps prepare for the return to Earth by destroying the many clones of himself first introduced in episode 420.
- Continuity Nod: "Welcome, Dr. Meacham."
- Crapsack World: Crow fears Earth will be like this and is afraid. The others sing "To Earth" to calm him down, but as he expresses his fears in more detail, Servo starts to become afraid. By the end, Crow feels better about going to Earth, while Servo has "wedged himself under the desk."
- Department of Redundancy Department: To Eeaaarth, the very birthplace of my biiirrrth!
- Fade to White: As the SOL crashes.
- Glad I Thought of It: When Bobo helpfully suggests that Pearl initiate the SOL's self-destruct mechanism, she declares, "Bobo, I'm a genius!"
- Grand Finale
- Here We Go Again: The series ends with Mike, Crow, and Servo watching The Crawling Eye, the very first movie MST3K nationally riffed, on TV. And riffing on it. Crow experiences some mild deja vu but they all dismiss it as nothing.
- Of course, back then it was three entirely different guys doing the riffing...
- Hint Dropping:
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Eva: There must be something I haven't got... |
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- Mondegreen: During the theme song.
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Mike: "Keep my potty down"? Women and their toilet seat issues... |
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- Mythology Gag: The episode ends with Mike, Crow and Servo watching The Crawling Eye on TV. Crow remarks that the film looks familiar...
- Also, when Pearl disconnects communication at the end, let's just say four words come to mind... "Push the button, Frank."
- During the Fade to White, a few piano notes of Who Should I Kill play.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain
- No One Should Survive That: Somehow Mike and the 'Bots were able to walk away unscathed from the SOL crashing into Earth.
- Notable Original Music:
- "To Eeeeaaarrrrth!"
- Crow sings along with Diabolik's repetetive surf-guitar theme: "Let me play you my lick! / Does this bug you at all? / Gotta practice my lick! / Only one hour more!"
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Crow: Driving off to the store / Gonna pick up some bread / Maybe stop by the post office / Meet Delores for lunch / Hope they're serving that ham... oh yeah! |
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- "It's not unusual to steal trucks from anyone!"
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: While Eva is taking off her dress in the foreground, Mike points to some "dangerously steep" stairs in the background. Servo and Crow can only shake their heads.
- Shout-Out: The Mads' last scene echoes the series finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
- Shown Their Work: WTMJ is a real TV station in the Milwaukee area (it is the local NBC affiliate).
- Snub By Omission: When Mike and the 'bots think the SOL is about to self-destruct:
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Mike: This is it! I love you Crow, I love you Servo, I love you Gypsy! |
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- Steal the Surroundings: Authorities try to prevent Diabolik from stealing 20 tons of gold from a train by melting it into a single ingot and sealing it into a thick welded steel container. Diabolik blows up a bridge that sends the train into the water, where the super villain steals the entire container with the aid of balloons and a mini sub. Once back at his lair Diabolik drills a hole at the top of the steel container to insert a super heated rod to melt the gold inside. He then attaches a hose to a hole drilled at the bottom of the container in order to pour the melted gold into molds so that it can be converted to regular sized gold bars.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Servo gets rid of all the extra hims that have built up over the years.
- Sorry, I'm Gay: Uttered by the guys when Eva tries to Femme Fatale a car-jacking victim.
- Made better when the driver turns out to have a gravelly voice, and they claim he borrowed it from Harvey Fierstein.
- Take That: When Diabolik makes everybody at a press conference laugh hysterically:
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Tom: Dan Quayle announces his candidacy. |
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- Villainous Breakdown: Pearl learns that she has accidentally started the SOL's re-entry sequence. She does not take the news well. At all.
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Bobo: This can't be good for us! |
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- What Happened to Magic Voice?: The only SOL member unaccounted-for in the end.
- Your Makeup Is Running: Pearl is quite a sight after crying over her failure to destroy the SOL.
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Mike: (laughs) It doesn't really seem like he comes out ahead. —The last lines in the theater
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