Changes: Pearl Forrester

Revision as of 22:11, 29 November 2020

Pearl Forrester is the mother of Dr. Clayton Forrester and the grandmother of Kinga Forrester on Mystery Science Theater 3000, as well as being a mad scientist in her own right. Introduced in the Season 6 episode Bloodlust, she became a regular in Season 7 when Pearl took the place of TV's Frank after Frank Conniff departed from the cast.

Comedy Central Era

Dr. Forrester invited Pearl to visit him in Deep 13, hoping to impress her with his experiments on the Satellite of Love. When she arrived, she quickly bonded with TV's Frank, with whom she had been corresponding without her son's knowledge. The two of them took off together to have fun, leaving a frustrated and jealous Forrester behind.

Before Frank died in Samson vs. the Vampire Women, he had invited several guests to Thanksgiving dinner, including Pearl. When she arrived, she was disappointed at having traveled so far only for Frank to be gone. She decided to stay in Deep 13 to help Dr. F get his life back in order. She had also apparently met and befriended Crow somehow prior to moving in and helping with the experiment, although she knew him as Art.

Having his mother in his life proved to be very trying for Clayton as his mother ruled over him and his experiment with an iron fist, although he occasionally bested her. Among other incidents, Pearl dated a sleazy man named Sandy and oversaw turning Crow's infamous script, Earth vs. Soup, into a trailer.

Eventually, in the final Comedy Central episode, Laserblast, she helped Dr. Forrester pack up and move back in with her after his funding is cut. At the end of the episode, Clayton ages, dies, and is transformed into a 2001-esque space baby. Pearl delights in that she has another chance to raise Clayton right as the episode ends.

Sci-Fi Era

Themads2 — Pearl in Castle Forrester with her lackeys Brain Guy and Professor Bobo.

In Season 8, Mike Nelson and the Bots returned to the Satellite of Love, which had been drawn back to Earth, where it was now the year 2525. There, they discover Pearl Forrester, alive, well, and the "Lawgiver" to a group of sentient apes. She had vowed to start over right with Clayton, but had somehow never "gotten around to it", and he ended up turning out as warped and twisted as he had been before. She eventually smothered him with a pillow, but then, somehow blaming the SOL crew for his death, had herself cryogenically frozen so she could seek her revenge in the future. The apes thawed her out and helped her bring back the Satellite.

After ruling over her ape lackeys for only a few episodes, including the bumbling Professor Bobo, the future Earth ends up destroyed by a group of bomb-worshipping mutants. Pearl escapes in the Widowmaker, a VW van turned spaceship, with a stowaway Bobo. On another planet, she becomes the test subject of a group of omnipotent beings called the Observers, but escapes again after another world-destroying explosion, this time with Bobo and an Observer survivor who becomes known as Brain Guy. From there, she and her two new lackeys roamed to different worlds, including a planet where they start out camping and end up taking care of three omnipotent space children, and a trip into the Roman Times of Earth's past.

In Season 9, she makes her way to Earth in the present and Castle Forrester, the Forrester family's ancestral home. There, she continues her work as a mad scientist with Bobo and Brain Guy, continuing the experiments on the Satellite and terrorizing the local peasant population.

In the season 10 finale, Diabolik, she accidentally breaks the Satellite of Love and sends it spiraling down to Earth. Realizing the experiments are finally over, she leaves Castle Forrester to become the dictator of Qatar. Her first order of business: to put a "u" in the country's name. Her final words to Mike are "Listen, Nelson: move on. I am."

Netflix era

Netflix sci-fi mads — Brain Guy, Professor Bobo, and Pearl Forrester in MST3K 1102 - Cry Wilderness.

In Experiment #1102, Cry Wilderness, Pearl's granddaughter Kinga Forrester spots the Widowmaker driving by Moon 13 and gets in contact with her in hopes of having some family time between them. Apparently, Pearl is just as bad a grandmother as she is a mother, as she spends the conversation looking for any excuse to escape Kinga and drive off. It is also revealed that Synthia, the second of Kinga's assistants, is a clone of Pearl that was created to keep her granddaughter company (presumably so that Pearl herself doesn't have to). Pearl did appear in Moon 13 to sing her song Loving Lovers Love for Kinga and Jonah's wedding, before being scared away by Reptilicus Mettalus.

Pearl does not visit Moon 13 during Season 12. Kinga makes reference to her father having died "twenty years ago", which would seem to confirm that Space Baby Clayton was still a small child when Pearl killed him.

Personality and Traits

When first introduced, Pearl was older and eccentric in appearance with pant suits and "big hair" that sported her sons white streak (The Amazing Colossal Episode Guide indicated that Clayton got the streak in his hair and mustache from being struck by lightning, so it may be that Pearl had been struck by lightning at some point as well). It's possible that the experience of being in suspended animation also had a rejuvenating effect on Pearl, thus explaining her more youthful and energetic demeanor during the Sci-Fi Channel era.

Although critical of Clayton and his experiments (which ultimately led her to murdering him), Pearl later becomes obsessed with carrying on her son's work.

Husbands

As revealed in Experiment #1010, Pearl has had many husbands and fiancés, and apparently murdered them all. She specifically identified Chuck (who was turned into a prairie dog by some unknown means), Wendell and Philippe (who were both shot), Maury (who had hatpins shoved through his eyes shortly before the wedding ceremony), and Jerome (who died in circumstances that were not specified).

Pearl did not take the name of any of these deceased men, since both Castle Forrester and her offspring all share the same family name. It was not established if any of the husbands/fiancés she refers to were Clayton's father, or if his father was some other man.

Crackers

Pearl also has a strong adoration of snack crackers. In Experiment #819, Pearl has little to no reaction to being told Bobo's adoration as a god in ancient Rome might change history and thereby destroy the universe, but gets angry when Brain Guy tries a psychological maneuver informing her that destroying the universe would also destroy Nabisco's Chicken In a Biskit.

Pearl: Bobo is...messing...with my...favorite...snack...CRACKER?!

In another episode she is seen using Observer's brain dish to hold Cheese Nips while she drives the Widowmaker.

This fondness for crackers is apparently a family trait. Upon arriving in Castle Forrester during Experiment #901, Pearl is pleased to discover that one of her ancestors preserved a recipe for an antediluvian form of Chicken In a Biskit called "Her Majesty's Fool's Hen Crackle Bread".

The cracker running gag may have been inspired by Experiment #704 The Incredible Melting Man, wherein the protagonist becomes fixated on and perturbed by there not being any crackers in the house despite the other dramatic, life-threatening occurrences happening in the film.

Time Paradox

Given the show's conceit that it takes place in the "not-too-distant future", viewers can assume that Season 11 takes place in or near the year 2017. It is therefore reasonable to assume (based on Pearl's comments in Experiment #801 - Revenge of the Creature) that when Pearl visits Kinga at Moon 13 there is also another earlier incarnation of Pearl that is still on Earth. This earlier Pearl would presumably be engaged in one of two activities:

In suspended animation after having smothered Space Baby Clayton
Pursuing whatever lifestyle she led after having smothered Space Baby Clayton but before being placed in suspended animation.

The second scenario seems most plausible, given the internal logic of the show.

A similar situation exists with the other Crow from Experiment # 821 - Time Chasers.

The Mads

edit

Principal

Dr. Clayton Forrester • Dr. Laurence Erhardt • TV's Frank • Pearl Forrester • Professor Bobo • Brain Guy • Kinga Forrester • Max

Secondary

Gerry and Sylvia • Dr. Peanut • The Observers • Synthia Forrester • Ardy • Skeleton Crew • Dr. Donna St. Phibes • Bonesy • Mega-Synthia • Dr. Kabahl • M. Waverly • Growler

Mirror Universe

Mike Nelson • Crow T. Robot • Tom Servo • Gypsy

Locations

Gizmonic Institute • Deep 13 • Deep Ape • The Widowmaker • Observer homeworld • Camping Planet • Ancient Rome • Castle Forrester • Moon 13 • Moon 1 • Deep Hurting

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Char infobox
 | name           =Pearl Forrester
+| aka            =Mrs. Forrester<br>The Lawgiver
 | image          =Pearlseas7.jpg
 | image_size     =182px
 | actors         =[[Mary Jo Pehl]]
-| 1stappearance  =607 - [[Bloodlust]]
+| 1stappearance  =607 - [[MST3K 607 - Bloodlust!|Bloodlust!]]
-| lastappearance =1013 - [[Diabolik]]
+| lastappearance =1114 - [[MST3K 1114 - At the Earth's Core|At the Earth's Core]]
 | onlyapperance  =
-| location       =[[Deep 13]], [[The Widowmaker]], [[Castle Forrester]]
+| location       =[[Deep 13]]<br>[[Deep Ape]]<br>[[The Widowmaker]]<br>[[Castle Forrester]]
 | type           =Regular
+|caption=|onlyappearance=}}
-}}
-'''Pearl Forrester''' is the mother of [[Dr. Clayton Forrester]] on ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', and a mad scientist in her own right. Introduced in the Season 6 episode ''[[Bloodlust]]'', she became a regular in
+'''Pearl Forrester''' is the mother of [[Dr. Clayton Forrester]] and the grandmother of [[Kinga Forrester]] on ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', as well as being a mad scientist in her own right. Introduced in the Season 6 episode ''[[Bloodlust]]'', she became a regular in
-[[Episode_List#Season_7_.281995-1996.29|Season 7]] when Pearl took the place of [[TV's Frank]] after [[Frank Conniff]] departed from the cast.
+[[Episode List#Season 7 .281995-1996.29|Season 7]] when Pearl took the place of [[TV's Frank]] after [[Frank Conniff]] departed from the cast.
 ==Comedy Central Era==
-Dr. Forrester invited Pearl to visit him in [[Deep 13]], hoping to impress her with his experiments on the [[The Satellite of Love|Satellite of Love]]. When she arrived, she instead took a shine to TV's Frank, who she had already been corresponding with without her son's knowledge. The two of them took off together to have fun, leaving a frustrated and jealous Forrester behind.
+Dr. Forrester invited Pearl to visit him in [[Deep 13]], hoping to impress her with his experiments on the [[The Satellite of Love|Satellite of Love]]. When she arrived, she quickly bonded with TV's Frank, with whom she had been corresponding without her son's knowledge. The two of them took off together to have fun, leaving a frustrated and jealous Forrester behind.
-Before Frank died in ''[[Samson vs. the Vampire Women]]'', he had invited several guests to Thanksgiving dinner, including Pearl. When she arrived, she was disappointed at having traveled so far only for Frank to be gone. She decided to stay in [[Deep 13]] to help Dr. F get his life back in order. She had also apparently met and befriended [[Crow T. Robot|Crow]] somehow prior to moving in and helping with the experiment, although she knew him as [[The Giant Gila Monster|Art]].
+Before Frank died in ''[[Samson vs. the Vampire Women]]'', he had invited several guests to Thanksgiving dinner, including Pearl. When she arrived, she was disappointed at having traveled so far only for Frank to be gone. She decided to stay in [[Deep 13]] to help Dr. F get his life back in order. She had also apparently met and befriended [[Crow T. Robot|Crow]] somehow prior to moving in and helping with the experiment, although she knew him as [[Art Crow|Art]].
 Having his mother in his life proved to be very trying for Clayton as his mother ruled over him and his experiment with an iron fist, although he occasionally bested her. Among other incidents, Pearl dated a sleazy man named [[Sandy]] and oversaw turning Crow's infamous script, ''[[Earth vs. Soup]]'', into a trailer.
@@ Line 27: / Line 28: @@
 [[Image:Themads2.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Pearl in [[Castle Forrester]] with her lackeys [[Brain Guy]] and [[Professor Bobo]].]]
-In [[Episode_List#Season_8_.281997.29|Season 8]], [[Mike Nelson]] and the Bots returned to the Satellite of Love, which had been drawn back to Earth, where it was now the year 2525. There, they discover Pearl Forrester, alive, well, and the "Lawgiver" to a group of sentient apes. She had vowed to start over right with Clayton, but had somehow never "gotten around to it", and he ended up turning out as warped and twisted as he had been before. She eventually smothered him with a pillow, but then, somehow blaming the SOL crew for his death, had herself cryogentically frozen so she could seek her revenge in the future. The apes thawed her out and helped her bring back the Satellite.
+In [[Episode List#Season 8 .281997.29|Season 8]], [[Mike Nelson]] and the Bots returned to the Satellite of Love, which had been drawn back to Earth, where it was now the year 2525. There, they discover Pearl Forrester, alive, well, and the "Lawgiver" to a group of sentient apes. She had vowed to start over right with Clayton, but had somehow never "gotten around to it", and he ended up turning out as warped and twisted as he had been before. She eventually smothered him with a pillow, but then, somehow blaming the SOL crew for his death, had herself cryogenically frozen so she could seek her revenge in the future. The apes thawed her out and helped her bring back the Satellite.
 After ruling over her ape lackeys for only a few episodes, including the bumbling [[Professor Bobo]], the future Earth ends up destroyed by a group of bomb-worshipping mutants. Pearl escapes in the [[The Widowmaker|Widowmaker]], a [[wikipedia:Volkswagen|VW]] van turned spaceship, with a stowaway Bobo. On another planet, she becomes the test subject of a group of omnipotent beings called the [[The Observers|Observers]], but escapes again after another world-destroying explosion, this time with Bobo and an Observer survivor who becomes known as [[Brain Guy]]. From there, she and her two new lackeys roamed to different worlds, including a planet where they start out camping and end up taking care of three omnipotent space children, and a trip into the [[Ancient Rome|Roman Times]] of Earth's past.
-In Season 9, she makes her way to Earth in the present and [[Castle Forrester]], the Forrester family's ancestral home. There, she continues her work as a mad scientist with Bobo and Brain Guy, continuing the experiments on the Satellite and terrorizing the local peasent population.
+In Season 9, she makes her way to Earth in the present and [[Castle Forrester]], the Forrester family's ancestral home. There, she continues her work as a mad scientist with Bobo and Brain Guy, continuing the experiments on the Satellite and terrorizing the local peasant population.
-In the series finale, ''[http://mst3k.wikia.com/wiki/Diabolik_%28episode%29 Diabolik]'', she accidently breaks the Satellite of Love and sends it spiraling down to Earth. Realizing the experiments are finally over, she leaves Castle Forrester to become the dictator of [[wikipedia:Qatar|Qatar]]. Her first order of business: to put a "u" in the country's name. Her final words to Mike are "Listen, Nelson: move on. I am."
+In the season 10 finale, ''[[MST3K 1013 - Diabolik|Diabolik]]'', she accidentally breaks the Satellite of Love and sends it spiraling down to Earth. Realizing the experiments are finally over, she leaves Castle Forrester to become the dictator of [[wikipedia:Qatar|Qatar]]. Her first order of business: to put a "u" in the country's name. Her final words to Mike are "Listen, Nelson: move on. I am."
+== Netflix era ==
-{{Nav-Mads}}
+[[File:Netflix sci-fi mads.png|thumb|339x339px|[[Brain Guy]], [[Professor Bobo]], and Pearl Forrester in [[MST3K 1102 - Cry Wilderness]].]]
+In Experiment #1102, ''[[MST3K 1102 - Cry Wilderness|Cry Wilderness]]'', Pearl's granddaughter [[Kinga Forrester]] spots the Widowmaker driving by [[Moon 13]] and gets in contact with her in hopes of having some family time between them. Apparently, Pearl is just as bad a grandmother as she is a mother, as she spends the conversation looking for any excuse to escape Kinga and drive off. It is also revealed that [[Synthia Forrester|Synthia]], the second of Kinga's assistants, is a clone of Pearl that was created to keep her granddaughter company (presumably so that Pearl herself doesn't have to).
+Pearl did appear in Moon 13 to sing her song ''[[Loving Lovers Love]]'' for Kinga and Jonah's wedding, before being scared away by Reptilicus Mettalus.
+Pearl does not visit Moon 13 during Season 12. Kinga makes reference to her father having died "twenty years ago", which would seem to confirm that Space Baby Clayton was still a small child when Pearl killed him.
+== Personality and Traits ==
+When first introduced, Pearl was older and eccentric in appearance with pant suits and "big hair" that sported her sons white streak ([[The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide|The Amazing Colossal Episode Guide]] indicated that Clayton got the streak in his hair and mustache from being struck by lightning, so it may be that Pearl had been struck by lightning at some point as well). It's possible that the experience of being in suspended animation also had a rejuvenating effect on Pearl, thus explaining her more youthful and energetic demeanor during the Sci-Fi Channel era.
+Although critical of Clayton and his experiments (which ultimately led her to murdering him), Pearl later becomes obsessed with carrying on her son's work.
+=== Husbands ===
+As revealed in [[MST3K 1010 - It Lives by Night|Experiment #1010]], Pearl has had many husbands and fiancés, and apparently murdered them all. She specifically identified Chuck (who was turned into a prairie dog by some unknown means), Wendell and Philippe (who were both shot), Maury (who had hatpins shoved through his eyes shortly before the wedding ceremony), and Jerome (who died in circumstances that were not specified).
+Pearl did not take the name of any of these deceased men, since both Castle Forrester and her offspring all share the same family name. It was not established if any of the husbands/fiancés she refers to were Clayton's father, or if his father was some other man.
+=== Crackers ===
+Pearl also has a strong adoration of snack crackers. In [[MST3K 819 - Invasion of the Neptune Men|Experiment #819]], Pearl has little to no reaction to being told Bobo's adoration as a god in ancient Rome might change history and thereby destroy the universe, but gets angry when Brain Guy tries a psychological maneuver informing her that destroying the universe would also destroy Nabisco's Chicken In a Biskit.
+:<strong>Pearl</strong>: Bobo is...messing...with ''my''...''favorite''...''snack''...<strong>CRACKER?!</strong>
+In another episode she is seen using Observer's brain dish to hold Cheese Nips while she drives the Widowmaker.
+This fondness for crackers is apparently a family trait. Upon arriving in Castle Forrester during [[MST3K 901 - The Projected Man|Experiment #901]], Pearl is pleased to discover that one of her ancestors preserved a recipe for an antediluvian form of Chicken In a Biskit called "Her Majesty's Fool's Hen Crackle Bread".
+The cracker running gag may have been inspired by [[MST3K 704 - The Incredible Melting Man|Experiment #704]] ''The Incredible Melting Man'', wherein the protagonist becomes fixated on and perturbed by there not being any crackers in the house despite the other dramatic, life-threatening occurrences happening in the film.
+== Time Paradox ==
+Given the show's conceit that it takes place in the "not-too-distant future", viewers can assume that [[Season 11]] takes place in or near the year 2017. It is therefore reasonable to assume (based on Pearl's comments in Experiment #801 - ''Revenge of the Creature'') that when Pearl visits Kinga at Moon 13 there is also another earlier incarnation of Pearl that is still on Earth. This earlier Pearl would presumably be engaged in one of two activities:
+* In suspended animation after having smothered Space Baby Clayton
+* Pursuing whatever lifestyle she led after having smothered Space Baby Clayton but before being placed in suspended animation.
+The second scenario seems most plausible, given the internal logic of the show.
+A similar situation exists with the other Crow from Experiment # 821 - [[MST3K 821 - Time Chasers|''Time Chasers'']].{{Nav-Mads}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Forrester, Pearl}}
 [[Category:MST3K Characters]]
@@ Line 42: / Line 77: @@
 [[Category:Satellite of Love visitors]]
 [[Category:Rome inhabitants]]
-[[Category:Deep 13 visitors]]
+[[Category:Visitors to the Mads' Lair]]
+[[Category:Forrester family members]]