1305 - Doctor Mordrid
#47 in Mighty Jack's Top 100
Premiere Date: Friday, June 10, 2022, 5:00 PM PST
Host: Emily Connor
Special Guests: Dr. Kabahl, Dr. Erhardt
Writers: Tim Ryder, Harold Buchholz, Devon Coleman, Yvonne Freese, Tammy Golden, Storm Dicostanzo, Molly Lewis, Alex Lupica, Len Webb. Emily Marsh, Howie Smith
The experiment gets off to a rousing start, with Roller derby names on the SOL, and a hilarious appearance by Dr. Kabahl on the Moon (which explains how we're getting Joel back, and what that thing is we've been seeing in the background). Nice touches, like Emily pulling out opera glasses during the Gilbert and Sulli-phone experiment, and Max's reaction to the gross, "Palm Greaser" got me ready for a prime riffing, and while the group wasn't 'spitting heat' as they were in Beyond Atlantis, there's still a lot to love.
Despite the abrupt and anticlimactic finish (the villain really is a dud), Mordrid's a modestly entertaining flick with some solid casting, and Matt McGinnis deserves a pat on the back for his movie selections this season (Beyond Atlantis, Santo, and I'm looking forward to Batwoman, a picture I've seen and enjoyed).
Riffwise, the piece is heavy with puns and silly wordplay (sea-brah, Frankie Avalon's awful-ganger, I see (I-C), communist manifestone, Sam-ulet, Bone-jour). You also hear movie references (Sam Raimi's "The Apartment"), and they do an ace job keeping an eye on the little moments (Servo's simple kiss between dinos) and the facial reactions of the characters (Emily's line about the diarrhetic kicking in, which makes Conor giggle). Plus, the scenes with Gunner were gold (the eye jokes).
A couple of standouts for me were Crow's meta-riff... "Hey those tapes should be circulating!", and the line about rent control. Also, the amusing and smart end credit discussion about Christmas movies reminded me of some of the better end credit bits from the classic era. So, kudos for that.
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Love the "New York Host" paper Crow pulls out
The main host segments were all movie related, which I've always liked, though these were cute rather than laugh-out-loud funny. Still, I like this cast, I like their rapport and connection. I've read discussions on Jonah's relationship to the bots, but I don't really see one, they are more like comedians doing routines, there's not that father figure relationship (Joel), or the bungling big brother thing (Mike), however, this group recaptures that special relationship vibe, they remind me of school friends, or kids at a sleepover, goofing around with each other (the superhero sketch has that feel to it).
I dug the Mads segments; Max and Kabahl I spoke of earlier, but Felica too, Kinga passes out well (lol). And it's always a win when you have Dr. Erhardt stopping by.
Livestream Notes: Guests were Emily, Kelsey, Tim Ryder, and the movie's screenwriter C. Courtney Joiner, who dispels some myths, shares backstories and reveals that he's a MSTie too. Matt also speaks to a new, uninvited character seen during the show, Loading Bar (White Dot's mother).
Favorite Riffs: "Why are they using the Mary Tyler Moore font?" - Servo | "I want in that head hole (weird gargling kiss sound)" - Emily | "Oh look, he's pondering weak and weary" - Servo | "The world burns but she adheres to the social contract" - Emily | "My BMs are silver!" - Crow as doc with a diet drink | "Take care of Edgar" - "Like Goodfellas take care of him, or?" - Mordrid, Emily as Sam | "We can't afford flashing lights, but we got this heat lamp" - Crow as cops | "I took an oath" - " I mean a valium" - Mordrid/Servo | "Raymond don't, everybody loves you!" - Servo, as a Raymond look-a-like puts gun to head | "If you had a nose, I'd punch you in it" - Emily as Mordrid speaking to Monitor | "Hagar, you look horrible" - Crow | And the recuring 'garbage disposal' riffs
Favorite Host Segment: The intro, Dr. Kabahl's sudden appearance, Baron's so good as this character.
Amazing Colossal Grade: 4 - An experiment that gets better with every viewing, I've come back to it several times since its release - that combination of movie, riff and overall personality has made it a favorite.
June's lineup for Supernatural Summer month
