The series finale (until2017). As the SOLers and Mads end their 10-year mission, they watch Diabolik, a crime-intrigue-thriller movie based on a popular comic book (or graphic novel, as some prefer).
The dreaded thief Diabolik (Law) wreaks havoc in Europe for his own financial gain and amusement. He shares an extravagant underground lair (and a giant bed of money) with his curvaceous, superficial girlfriend (Mell), who helps Diabolik to kill innocent people and steal billions from the government.[1]
Trivia
The movie is based on Diabolik, one of the longest running—and most successful—Italian comic books. In the paper version, Diabolik is much more sinister than his cinematic counterpart—he's a criminal fighting evil with evil, often resorting to murder to "punish" the evildoers he meets. The movie was made assuming some knowledge of the comic book, thus explaining the negative reaction it gets outside Italy.[2]
Footage from this film was used in a Beastie Boys music video for their song "Body Movin'". The video is a parody of the movie and roughly follows the film's sequence of events, with a more deliberate comedic twist.
The Episode
Host Segments
Pearl symbolically pulls the plug at Castle Forrester.
Prologue:Mike & the Bots discover the SOL employee handbook, which seems not entirely progressive.
Segment One: Mike toys around with the handbook; Crow asks about dental coverage. "Shut up, you have no right to ask." Pearl, meanwhile, has a new joystick to control the SOL, but it breaks, accidentally causing the SOL to begin landing procedures. Mike & the Bots are thrilled (though Crow T. Robot is nauseous); Pearl is less thrilled.
Pearl loads the last movie
Segment Two: Crow and Mike are packed; while Servo begins disposing of the many extra hims on the ship.
Segment Three: In Castle Forrester, everybody is lining up new gigs: Pearl has accepted an offer to be dictator for life of Qatar, Bobo has a great new position at the zoo and Brain Guy has less desirable (to him) prospects.
Segment Four: Crow has become fearful of returning to Earth, so Mike sings a little reassuring song, which helps, but also succeeds in scaring Servo.
The final shot of the series
Segment Five: The SOL nearly disintegrates during re-entry, but Mike & the Bots survive the crash. Mike, Crow, Servo and Cambot (Gypsy has launched ConGypsCo) are last seen happily sharing a small apartment, and settling in to watch a bad movie--The Crawling Eye—on TV. As they begin to riff on it, it occurs to Crow that the movie seems familiar.
The final show of the Sci-Fi Channel era. At the time, it was unclear if the series would ever continue, and it seemed unlikely to do so.
While this is the series finale of MST3K (on cable TV), the last original episode that aired was Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders, on Sept. 18, 1999 (the airing was delayed by problems with rights clearances). The final episode to air in reruns was The Screaming Skull, on Jan. 21, 2004.
In a sense, this is the second series finale, as the final episode of the Comedy Central era (Laserblast) was written to serve as the final episode if the show was not picked up by another network.
Crow's comment about The Crawling Eye looking familiar is a reference to the first broadcast episode the show did for The Comedy Channel. However, neither Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, nor Bill Corbett had yet taken over their respective on-screen roles when the episode had originally aired (though Nelson and Murphy were part of the writing staff).
Tom Servo gives the last riff in the theater ("This has been the official biopic of Larry Fine").
Mike gives the last riff on the show ("Oh, Forrest Tucker, he's the guy that makes sure the trees' shirt tails are in"), while the gang is watching TV in his apartment.
The TV station they are watching is WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Crow's wire mother from Invasion USA makes her final appearance, despite being dumped into space with the rest of the trash on the Satellite in Code Name: Diamond Head. Crow is pleased to see her.
Obscure References
"Oh no! Is someone gonna tell us that something is "shagadelic, man?""
Referencing the catchphrase of Austin Powers, a character played by Mike Meyers in several films.
"Looks like the Two Fat Ladies have their own gang now!"
Marty Feldman was a British actor/comedian who was known for having misaligned eyes. This was especially prominent in his role as "Eye-Gor" from Young Frankenstein.
The green screen error (look to the right)
Goofs
At the end of the first theater segment when Cambot goes back through the doors, there is a brief green screen goof where part of the movie bleeds through the grey hatch.
Memorable Quotes
[Diabolik drives off down a highway as 60s spy-themed music plays in the background.]
Crow: [singing along with the music] Gonna go to the store! Da na na na na na! Gonna pick up some bread! Da na na na na na!
Maybe stop by the post office! Da na na na na na! Take Dolores to lunch!
Da na na na na na! Hope they're serving that ham, oh yeah...
[A caravan guarding a shipment of money is traveling along a road, to the sound of peppy surf-rock music.]
Crow: Y'know, this music would be better with women in bikinis shaking it all over the place... Well, I guess that's true of any music, really.
[In Diabolik's lair, the black-leather-clad antihero and Eva, still in their car, move in for another lip-lock.]
Servo [as Diabolik]: Let's have a tantric quickie.
Mike [as Eva]: Mmm… mmm… oh, you smell like a tire store.
Servo: This is just a good samaritan he met in the tunnel.
Crow: Heh! She's a great samaritan!
Servo [as Diabolik]: You don't mind if I swallow your face, do you?
[Diabolik drives into his lair through a rather conspicuous hidden entrance.]
Servo [as Diabolik]: This will fool them unless they look at it.
[The lovely Eva is removing her skimpy frock as she passes a staircase.]
Mike: Wow! Dangerously steep stairs!
Servo: You're watching the stairs?
Crow: Poor Mike...
[Eva and Diabolik make love in a pile of money.]
Servo: They're really gonna have to get their money laundered.
Crow: Steve Forbes and his wife!
. . .
Mike: You know, with my budget, I'd be rolling around in a handful of change.
. . .
Servo: Paper cuts are brutal.
. . .
Crow: The young Alan Greenspan!
. . .
Servo: They got pretty injured when they tried this with gold bars.
. . .
Mike: If they make love in English pound notes, their sex is 50% better.
. . .
Servo [as Diabolik]: You're the frendliest teller I ever met! Last time, I just got a toaster!
. . .
Crow: You know, if he'd stolen just a little less, I could see her ass right now.
. . .
Crow: Got greed?
Servo: Member, FDIC! [chuckles]
[During a press conference, Diabolik and Eva have released laughing gas into the room. Everyone breaks into laughter.]
Servo: Dan Quayle announces his candidacy.
[As mob boss Valmont meets with his henchmen, a whooping horn sounds the approach of a speedboat.]
Mike: The S. S. Jo Anne Worley!
Valmont: Is that Stud... coming?
Crow: I beg your pardon?
[In a later scene, Valmont addresses the man who arrived in the speedboat as "Stud" -- "Stud, you brought bad news."—clarifying the remark.]
[As Diabolik is waiting with Valmont's urn, the morgue attendant checks the retort.]
Morgue attendant: Yes, he's ready!
Crow: For some football!
[Diabolik, out of ammunition, pulls out a mysterious silver metal cylinder the size and shape of a very large bullet.]
Servo [as Diabolik]: My steel, reusable Fleet.
Mike [as Diabolik]: Maybe I can run real fast and push it into him.
[The movie closes with the word "FINE" (Italian for "the end").]
Servo: This has been the official biopic of Larry Fine.[N]
[At home, the gang watches The Crawling Eye, the first film in MST3K's cable run.]
Servo: "The Crawling Eye". The Marty Feldman Story.
Mike: Oh, Forrest Tucker. He's the guy who makes sure all the trees' shirttails are in.
Crow: This movie seems kind of familiar, doesn't it?
