MST3K (1003)

1003 - Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders - Many years ago, after I'd successfully collected some of the Sci-Fi era episodes from reruns, I randomly grabbed this one off the shelf to show some friends. I'd had great success showing them perennial favorite Mitchell a few months prior. While I was converting Merlin to DVD, it looked like it might be fun, so I gave it a shot. It didn't disappoint. Though the copious bottles of beer may have helped, there was much laughter that night.

Sober, it doesn't disappoint, either. A completely goofy gestalt film starring Mermaid Man himself, there are ample subjects populating the film begging for riffing. "I'm Bob Jackass." My one complaint: the guys are a little hard on Merlin's wife Zurella. Aw, she just seemed like such a nice lady. No need to poke fun at her dog bed hat.

In a weird coincidence, the power went out while I was in the middle of this episode. Just like the kid in the framing segments --SNAP-- the TV and all of the lights shut off. I didn't have a grandfather handy to tell me about his failed movie scripts, so I settled for reading further in my collected Poe book by candlelight. "Emo," as the kids say, perhaps... but nifty all the same. Anyway, this makes 1003 the only episode to take me two whole days to watch.

"Merlin sends in his trained flatulence to scout the room." (9/10)

film d. Kenneth J. Berton (1995)
mst d. Michael J. Nelson (18 Sep 1999)