Netflix series Stranger Things gets the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment to celebrate the revival's debut. After a nearly two decade absence, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is back to make mincemeat out of terrible movies. Series creator Joel Hodgson is once again at the helm, though he has ceded on-screen hosting duties to Nerdist podcaster Jonah Ray. The show boasts new mad scientists in Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt, but still has the same quaint, home-made look. The format remains classic MST3K: Jonah and his robot friends are trapped in space and forced to watch terrible movies which they gleefully dismantle via running commentary.
A Kickstarter campaign got the new MST3K off the ground, and then Netflix stepped in to bring the show to audiences. The new MST3K has now debuted on Netflix, and as usual it is targeting terrible old movies, but the new gang at MST3K isn't above also taking on some of Netflix's other critically acclaimed series in addition to the cheesy flicks they normally savage. Nobody is safe when Jonah and the bots start riffing.
In this video posted to the Stranger Things Twitter, Jonah and the bots set their sights on one of Netflix's most popular series. The clip features a scene from the start of the very first episode of Stranger Things when we are introduced to the character of Hopper, a small town police chief played by David Harbour. Hopper is not the tidiest of fellows and the MST3K crowd have a good time making fun of his messy house as the camera creeps through, finally ending up on Hopper himself as he lies on his couch. This is the perfect time for one of those obscure references MST3K is noted for, as the gang makes a joke about the painter Edward Hopper.
The scene finally leaves Hopper's house and we next see him standing out on his deck with his pants undone looking out over the lake adjacent to his property. A shot of Hopper taking a shower leads to a quick bit of pantomime from Jonah, then we see Hopper donning his policeman's uniform with some added sound effects courtesy of the snarky threesome in the front row.
It seems sort of appropriate that MST3K would give a gentle nudge to Stranger Things, a show about a group of '80s kids who no doubt will later grow into the very kind of college students who loved MST3K and made it a cult hit in the '90s. Watching MST3K, a show that often tears apart horrible '80s movies, riff on a show about the 1980s that is steeped in the good movies of the decade feels a little bit like falling through the rabbit hole.
Watching this brief clip, one can't help pondering what other Netflix shows should get the MST3K treatment. A complicated show like House of Cards might actually benefit from some running commentary, even though Frank Underwood already supplies that with his straight-to-the-camera dialogue. Maybe the ever-savage Frank Underwood should join the crew at Mystery Science Theater 3000. With Netflix's huge catalog, the crossover possibilities are endless.
Next: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return Review
Source: Stranger Things