The Experiment
A fairly standard episode through and through. Though, one interesting thing about this episode is that they go more indepth into Kinga's diabolical movie distribution sludge known as Kinga Chrome. Kinga introduces it as a futuristic way of presenting films, as she not only uses it to show Jonah movies, but also uses it to broadcast the TV show, MST3K. However Max admits that it's honestly not at all more convenient than the normal medium of video. It spills constantly, it smells and is especially dangerous to ingest.
These host segments are not especially noteworthy other than the fact that this is the first Season 11 episode featuring a star cameo! This episode is joined by one Neil Patrick Harris. NPH has been a MSTie since he was very young. Many true MSTies will note that he was also featured in the very first MST3K Making of Special. In this episode, though, his part is severely underplayed. You will notice throughout this whole season, the misuse of their cameo star power. Neil Patrick Harris is cast as Kinga Forrester's internet boyfriend who comes to her to put on a magic show, sing a musical number, and then break up with her. The scene is lackluster, overly long, and serves no purpose other than to show off the fact that they have Neil Patrick Harris in a cameo.
Avalanche
Some grizzled old millionaire opens up a ski resort in the mountains. Some guys tell him bad things will happen, he doesn't listen, then an avalanche happens. People get caught under a blanket of snow and more people try to survive.
What makes this movie bad?
That question indicates there's some kind of movie to be had. There's not. This is not a movie, it is a series of scenes where things happen. There are attempts to have some sort of plot, but they are marred by scenes of repetitive conversations, mindless shouting, and divorcees.
They think that constantly talking about an avalanche occurring is considered some sort of build up to a climax with an avalanche, but it's really not. The fact of the matter is that there is no story, no real characters we care about and there is no reason for this movie to exist in the first place.
The guy who constantly warns the millionaire about the avalanche occurring is the one who fires a rocket into the side of the mountain to cause a giant slide. Okay, that's great. We seldom see this guy again, his story arc ends right there and is never resolved. There is no resolution. The avalanche happens, some people survive and then we all go home. Yay.
The Riffs
The riffs are the real hero of this whole experiment. With such a tasteless, pointless movie, the jokes and gags shine out like a beacon of light and carry you through all the way to the end. Unlike many boring and lifeless movies on MST3K, this episode is actually fairly memorable for a number of reasons, one of them being the rare visual censorship of nudity. One instance of this happening was the umbrella gag in City Limits where Joel uses the umbrella to cover up a woman's naughty bits. This time, however, they use a bit more futuristic technology with remote controlled helicopters used to cover up the chest of a young lady. It is hysterical!
The best riffs are fairly random. Yes, the grizzled millionaire brings about a good number of riffs, but these riffs are rather sporadic when it comes to a target for jokes. They are spread out evenly from the beginning to the end.
The Episode
Over all, this episode meets the quality we come to expect from Mystery Science Theater. The riffing is solid, the movie is just the right kind of bad, and despite some of the low points in the host segments, it's still enough to keep you entertained. Whether it is your favorite or not, it is worth revisiting if you haven't watched it in a while.