MST3K (515)

515 - The Wild Wild World of Batwoman (w/ Discussion Problems in Group Living: Cheating) - It's been a while since a bad movie has actually made me angry. Hey, Batwoman, you're not funny! Not one bit! I know you thought you were being campy and kitschy like the '60s TV series you stole your main character from, but you only succeeded in making me roll my eyes, frown, and eventually swear under my breath. The eponymous character with her faux-Adam West seriousness, the brainwashed cult of Batgirls (cast from a recently closed strip club, no less), the obligatory bad go-go dancing and the offensive babbling that was supposed to be Chinese all make me want to break something.

The short was great and really dark for something to show children. There was no redemption for little Johnny. His cheating made him a pariah at school, tormented by bodiless ghosts at home. Coming from the director of the excellent Carnival of Souls, this isn't too out of line with Herk Harvey's future work. The riffing during the short was strong, as expected. These things have to be second nature to the crew at this point. Crow can do his "whiny kid" voice, Servo can insert comments about the kid's pact with the Devil and everything is alright.

Like Servo's date with Gypsy in 503, all of the host segments in this episode tell the sad story of Crow's cheating. I'm still not a fan when this happens. Compared to the last episode which featured Mike's funny impression of Mikey and Mike singing, these continuity-bound segments just don't hold up. Servo wanting to execute Crow for cheating is funny, as is Crow's apology speech -- and at least it all ties in with the short -- but I still crave surprise and variety in my host segments.

"For the first time, Johnny feels real power." (6/10)

film d. Jerry Warren (1966)
short d. Herk Harvey (1952)
mst d. Jim Mallon (13 Nov 1993)