1302 - Beyond Atlantis
#40 in Mighty Jack's Top 100
Premiere Date: Friday, April 28, 2022, 5:00 PM PST (soft launch - May 8 official launch)
Host: Emily Connor
Special Guests: Jonah Heston / GPC2 makes her first onscreen appearance - April 28 Livestream Q&A: Matt McGinnis, Emily Marsh, Conor McGiffin, Kelsey Ann Brady, Joel Hodgson | May 8 Q&A: Yvonne Freese joins Joel, Emily, Conor & Kelsey (and briefly Joel)
Writers: Tim Ryder, Sara Benincasa, Ross Bryant, Mary Christen, Devon Coleman, Michael Druker, Yvonne Freese, Tammy Golden, Emily Marsh, Hallie Haglund, Paul Sabourin
They're new! But not really, they've been around. And even during Kickstarter appearances you saw these folks had a natural connection, that was only honed during the tour. But for the show proper, Emily, as Connor, makes her debut as host, trapped in Kinga's new "Simulator of Love" with new versions of the Bots, who already know the score (Crow instructs E.C. on button pushing). Ems instantly likable, quick (she has an invention at the ready) and adds a physicality to her hosting skills - I got a kick over her panic at movie sign, it's very theatrical but funny. And her deadpan delivery of Jim Carrey's "Somebody stop me" was just one of several pitch-perfect moments in the theater.
Conor McGiffin's her Servo, he slips comfortably into the role; and proves to be a steady presence and smooth voiced riffer. I also enjoyed his take on the theme song (with added backing, nice). Crow's done by Kelsey Ann Brady, she has a rather cartoonish voice (not an insult, I'm an animation fan), and that might take some time getting used to, but she made me laugh and her spirited vocal energy reminded me of RiffTrax's Janet Varney. Yvonne Freese is heard as GPC (1 & 2)
The jokes? They were freaking hilarious. I love riffing where the references are clever, and the crew are really in sync with the film, and notice the details, like when Patrick Wayne enters a scene with his shirt unbuttoned, and Conor sings a little Tom Jones ("It's not unusual..."). They tackle the sexism, play with the pearls and tease the eyes (bug-eyed islanders on Syrene's regular sized peepers, "How can she even see?") Also... "charcuterie", lmao, knowing when to use a funny sounding word can make all the difference in a riff. This trio is already a well-oiled machine, even with Kelsey joining the studio group late in the game (she did tour with them), the blend works.
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GPC2 makes her on-screen debut
Host segs? While there was a lot of deserved buzz over the song "Mothercrabber", and Max's reaction ("We got to get me to the studio, I'm spitting heat!"), the one that got me laughing most was the game show. Kelsey's vocal inflections and line delivery, coupled to Emily's reactions, were priceless. The Jonah/Emily meet-up was cool, the remaining skits were fair, but with moments (Ems beard helmet). Note, the Mads experiment involves a plant with chattering teeth, which echoes Joel's first ever experiment (KTMA), the Man-eating Plant.
The look? With Max and Kinga, I like how their base spins, so you get a sweeping view of their surroundings in the window behind them, you see the Gizmoplex, the Simulator and Emily's ride as it takes off. On the negative, there was excessive movement in the final host seg, with constant tilts and zooms (what is this, Firefly?) I needed some Dramamine with that bit.
The movie was a good fit, providing several pearls to poke fun of (the lamb, the cardinal points, the father/daughter relationship) and cast with actors like Sig Haig and George Nader. Along with John Ashley and Patrick Wayne, who are apparently playing the same person, lol. Though it's a bummer by the end with all that death and destruction and greed, it was easier to sit through than Robot Wars, and was on the receiving end of stronger riff-work.
April 28th Livestream Q&A introduces us to our new Crow, and we get some insights on Kelsey's approach and thoughts on her bot. Joel checks out early, but the trio (with Matt) share some funny stories (Emily mispronouncing WHOM on tour), and are just a fun crew, fun to spend time with.
Oh, and I prefer how the commercials were aired throughout the episode here, rather than lumped together at the middle.
Update May 8 - The screener: Picture and audio-wise, the Mads and Emily no longer look so red in the face - Joel's voice has been added to Ardy (and they change his response to Bonesy from "Maybe later buddy", to "Oh, Bonesy, don't go there") - the little video glitches were repaired (none of the freezing and stuttering of the original livestream) - With there being no intermission on these screeners, they need to figure a better way to transition from one bit to the next at mid-point (perhaps just the old spinning moon with music?) Here, Servo shouts, "Crow you're a madman!" and it cuts off abruptly to a black screen, when we return, there's Em with Jonah... I can live with it, but it's jarring.
Livestream Q&A - Same group, but with Yvonne joining in - she and Emily share memories of the writer's room, Kelsey was asked about voicing and puppeteering Crow (though initially Conor was spotlighted, like he was going to answer the question, Haha!) and we learn that she worked for Disney. Conor talks Tom and all the practice he put in, and Emily addresses her character's last name (and others they considered). Again, these folks are funny and informative and my favorite aftershow guests so far. (Plus, no tech issues, so that helped).
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"They stuck their little Japanese flags all over me" - Emily
Favorite Riffs: "Not Margaret Keane's best work" - Servo on guy with huge eyes | "Weekend at Bernie's 3, Havana nights" - Emily | "Say, it turns out you can save money on a script by not mic'ing any of the actors, hu?" - Crow | "Uh, Eddie, that's the bidet" - Servo as Ed sits in bath | "It's delayed Beatlemania!" - Crow | "He's wearing half a cape because he's a humble superhero" - Emily | "Do that what's expected of you!" - "This guys obviously never had a teenager" - Nereus to Syrene/Servo | "Hard to argue with your dad when he's in his power clam" - Crow as Syrene | "Nereus buddy, you never going to win this staring contest" - Servo | "Marty Feldman's got terrible aim" - Crow | "My precious" - Crow | "Wanna feel old, this is the Nirvana baby now" - Emily
Favorite Host Segment: Game show parody, "Milk & Honey"
Amazing Colossal Grade: 4.25 - I laughed steady and it was even better on a second viewing. This is not only the best of the season to date, but also arguably funnier than anything in season 12 (or at least the equal of Ator)
