Recap / Mystery Science Theater 3000 S09 E11: Devil Fish

Film watched: Devil Fish

The episode is available in the Gizmoplex here.

The Segments:

• Mike has recently discovered evidence that there's a secret government conspiracy that seeks to erase all trace of his existence, forcing him to go on the run to escape their agents. It turns out that he just lost his wallet, and the 'Bots giving it back means that everything's fine again.

Segment 1

• Mike seems to lose his wallet again and freaks out, only to find it in his shirt pocket. Meanwhile, thanks to a mix-up in the phone book, Castle Forrester's number was put in an ad for cruise ship reservations. Bobo managed to make 2500 reservations before he told Pearl, but she was all too eager to take the money. She ended up leaving 2,498 of the guests "onshore", but she now has to fool the two guests who actually boarded before the castle "left port" into thinking that they're actually on a cruise ship. She has Brain Guy zap a tray of ice cubes to the SOL so the crew can make sculptures for the buffet table, but Servo uses his ice to make himself a gin and tonic, and Mike makes turns his ice into a puddle after trying to weld it with a blowtorch. Crow, meanwhile, manages to construct a massive replica of Michelangelo's David out of only four ice cubes.

Segment 2

• Taking note of Stella's job as a dolphin trainer, Servo and Crow wonder if dolphins really are some of the smartest creatures on Earth, considering that all they do is swim around, eat fish, make clicking/squeaking noises, and perform the occasional trick. Mike places a call to Sea World to ask Blowie the Dolphin if the claims are true, while the 'Bots continue to mock dolphins everywhere. As it turns out, dolphins are indeed very smart, smart enough to have constructed highly advanced warships, with which they zap the SOL since they don't like being mocked. Their retaliation only ceases when Mike apologizes to Blowie.

Segment 3

• Pearl has sent an electrician named Rick up to the SOL to install new outlets. Based on Bob's rather derogatory crack at fellow electrician Peter, Mike proceeds to mock him relentlessly. Rick notes that electricians like him have been getting a lot of lip since the film came out, and since they don't like being mocked either, they formed a mutual defense pact with the dolphins to look out for one another. As such, with one phone call from Rick, the dolphin warship comes back to zap the SOL some more. They don't leave until Mike apologizes to Rick, and really sugarcoats it in the process.

Segment 4

• Cambot has been given a new image/sound filter to make the crew look vaguely Italian. Pearl calls to explain that she fitted Cambot with the filter, since her guests have grown confused as to why Mike and the 'Bots keep cutting into the movie. When Bobo wants to adjust to another level, he and Pearl start fighting over the filter control. In the process, the filter accidentally gets turned up too high, turning the crew into blatantly racial and ethnical insensitive stereotypes.

Segment 5

• Mike and the 'Bots debate ideas for other cross-breed monsters like the Devil Fish, like a poodle and a fly, or a snail and a parrot. On the "cruise ship", Brain Guy plays Isaac the bartender while Pearl has dinner (cold cereal) served, barely being able to keep things together. Bobo, acting as the captain, is too busy eating to hear the couple asking when they'll be allowed on-deck, so Pearl hits him to get his attention. Bobo promptly goes nuts and starts throwing his dinner everywhere, forcing Pearl to tranquilize him multiple times.

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation of Devil Fish has examples of:

• Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole:
  • A tiny one, but when the sheriff declares the lab assistant's death a murder rather than a suicide, Mike and the Bots joke about it as if he decided it on a whim. However, the scene where the cops investigate the crime scene and point out some good reasons why it's probably staged as a suicide, along with the murder and coverup scene, featured a lot of female nudity and apparently had to be cut from the episode.
  • The editing of the uncut version is a lot less incoherent and random than the MST version. The Brains used an international video print of the film that was significantly reedited from the original, leading to a lot of bizarre and unmotivated cuts and transitions between scenes.
• The Alcoholic: Referenced numerous times.
  Mike: "Come on, beer, get in my mouth. Come on!"
  Crow: "You know, after this beer, we should have a beer sometime."
  Servo: (as the Devil Fish) "I'm a recovering alcoholic. I can't eat that guy."
  Servo: "Say goodbye to the beer for me!"
• Beyond the Impossible: Using just four ice cubes, Crow somehow sculpts an exact replica of Michaelangelo's David, and larger than the original to boot. Naturally, most of it is off-screen, so we have to take everyone's word on how impressive it is.
• Bilingual Dialogue: Blowie the dolphin makes the usual clicks and whines, but apparently Mike and the 'bots can understand him.
• Brief Accent Imitation: At one point, Bob says "I knoooow!" (which was also used as the stinger). But he says it differently than the rest of his lines in the movie. Tom observes: "Was this guy dubbed by J. Peterman?"
• Call-Back:
  • The Devil Fish's voice of hate is compared to Bob Dornan.
  • As the victim who looks like Rob Reiner is groaning in pain, Crow whispers, "Macken."
  • "Dolphins won the Super Bowl!"
  • A shlubby guy regrets not being Wendell Corey.
  • The octopus from Bride of the Monster was seen as more convincing than the Devil Fish.
• Celebrity Resemblance: The crew notes Miller's resemblance to Lou Reed.
• Censor Box:
  • The MST3K logo was used to cover up a surprise guest appearance by Peter's balls. "Dah! Incoming!"
    Servo: (as Peter, giggling) I hung one out for fun!
  • They're less offended by one shot of the leads with his crotch framed by a harness. Mike announces, "Yep, yep, we have bike rack!" Servo responds with an enthusiastic "Woo!"
• Comical Overreacting: Mike goes into full-blown Government Conspiracy mode when he misplaces his wallet.
• Devious Dolphins: At one point, Mike and the bots decide they dislike dolphins. They call Sea World in order to mock Blowie the Dolphin over the phone. And then a dolphin warship appears outside and fires at the Satellite of Love, and doesn't leave until Mike apologizes to Blowie.
• Didn't Think This Through: Mike is also given four ice cubes with which to make a sculpture.
  Mike: I, uh, I tried to weld mine, and, uh, [gestures to small puddle].
• Doomed Hometown: Parodied.
  Mike: I'm sorry for the electrician crack. My father's village was attacked by electricians.
• "Everybody Laughs" Ending: The movie ends with a small joke. Crow and Servo decide to laugh for the duration of the end credits in response.
• Fan Disservice: Mike specifically complains about the repeated close up butt shots on Miller during his underwater fight with Peter. You could probably count Stella (aka Skeletor)'s entire existence, too.
  Mike: Gah, did the director think this guy was hot?
  Crow: Well, it's a nice butt, Mike.
• Foregone Conclusion: Mocking the movie's distinctly Euro feel, Servo says "If I don't come back, adopt a single currency, eat snails, and don't shave your armpits" when Peter goes into the water for the last time. Peter survives unscathed, but evidently Europe decides his suggestions are worth implementing anyway.
• Freudian Slip: "That's six degrees off the port beer, I mean, bow!"
• Funny Background Event: Bill Corbett as Brain Guy as Isaac from The Love Boat in the last segment.
• Furry Reminder: As expected, Captain Bobo devolves into a rampaging ape, forcing Observer to tranquilize him.
• Gonk: Mike and the Bots repeatedly joke at how ugly Miller the Killer is, with Crow even speculating his sheer ugliness fuels his boat.
• Hayseed Name: As the devil fish attacks boats in the Everglades, Crow remarks that "a lot of guys named 'Bo' died that day.
• Lame Pun Reaction: Servo jokes about the Devilfish having "eleventacles." Mike groans audibly. He also groans at Servo's "We're experiencing tentacle difficulties!".
• Noodle Incident: One has to wonder how exactly Pearl "left port" and stranded all the other guests who'd booked a cruise with them. She shuts down the question quickly and decisively.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: Dolphins. Never piss those guys off, especially not any named Blowie.
  "Dolphin warbird decloaking off the port bow!"
  • Ditto for electricians, though largely because they have an alliance with the dolphins.
• Overly Long Gag: Crow and Servo laugh over the film's entire end credits; you get tired of it after a bit but it loops back around to being funny again.
• The Red Stapler: Parodied — supposedly the film was so widely seen that its dopey electrician character created a negative stereotype of electricians. Rick the electrician, sent up to repair the SOL during Segment Three, mentions that guys like him have been getting a hard time from people ever since Devil Fish came out. Mike proves their point by insulting him — until Rick reveals that the electricians have formed an alliance with the dolphins for protection, forcing Mike to apologize as the ship comes under attack by the dolphins yet again.
• Refuge in Audacity: Pearl turns up the "Italian Stereotype" vision mode on Mike and the Bots until they become full-on pizza-spinning, loafer-wearing, gondola-riding ethnic slurs.
  Mike: (Mario voice) Pearl! You-a make-a broad stereotype!
  Gondolier!Crow: (singing) O solo mio!
  Grandma!Servo: Antony! Antony!
• Running Gag:
  • References to beer and the Italian actors faking American accents. ^note Ironically, Peter, who gets the brunt of the "fake American accent" jokes, is portrayed by an actual American actor, but was still dubbed by a stock American voice for Italian films.
    Servo (as Peter): "Of course I am American and not European. I drive a truck!"
  • Cortez gets some riffs as a steroid-popping bodybuilder.
  • "As seen on TV."
  • Ragging on the Coast Guard for being in the movie.
    Mike: The Coast Guard was in this, I wonder if they'd be in my brother's wedding video?
• Self-Deprecation: According to Pearl, the guests were fine with the movie segments, but they were confused by the breaks caused by the host segments (aka "Whatever it is you do up there").
• Shout-Out:
  • The opening segment has Mike going on about his identity being wiped by a Government Conspiracy, referencing the 1998 TV series adaptation of The Net.
  • The dolphin attack on the ship is one big spoof on Star Trek's space battles, in particular the "Dolphin warbird decloaking off the port bow!" ...instead of a Romulan warbird, whose cloaking capabilities would menace The Next Generation's starship Enterprise multiple times per season.
  • The final segment sees Brain Guy acting like Isaac from The Love Boat.
  • "Yes dear. I'm doing it, dear."
  • "Kick, Punch, it's all in the mind."
• Take That!: "Still a better edited movie than Batman & Robin."
• Timmy in a Well: How Cambot alerts Mike and the 'bots to the Italian filter.
• What Could Possibly Go Wrong?: Invoked word-for-word by Pearl on Bobo acting as Captain during dinner.
• With Lyrics: At one point, Tom croons "Devil Fish in looooooooove" along with a particularly moody piece of soundtrack music.
• With This Herring: To help pass off Castle Forrester as a cruise ship, Pearl asks Mike and the bots to make her some ice sculptures. To accomplish this, she gives them a single tray of drink-sized ice cubes.