The last episode in season eight and one of the best. I’ve always respected Raul Julia as an actor even in this clunker. Lots of memorable moments in this one. Thoughts anyone?
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People talk about how the riff on Atlantic Rim was a bit jarring to look at, but even though I like the episode, the Shot on Video nature of this one is always a trick to get used to when pretty much the rest of the MST library is shot on film.
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One of my favorites! It’s entertaining from start to finish. And gave me a new loathing of anteaters.
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Oh, I really like this one! The movie is so high concept and out there, always giving them something to work with and the videotape picture quality gives it a real uniqueness!
And I just love the Public Pearl host segments! Some of the best in the Sci-Fi Channel era!
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Is that what’s going on here? The PBS-ness of it make it stand out, and the host segments leaning into that are some of my favorites. If I could have a life mulligan, it would have been to dance to “Loving Lovers” as our wedding first dance song.
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Oh, man, but I enjoyed the hell out of this one. Season Eight had such a strong finish to an overall superb season with that one-two-three punch combo of Space Mutiny, Time Chasers, and Overdrawn.
The gang clearly has such a fun time tearing the silly technobabble to pieces, and you’re totally all there for it. Of course, having Raul Julia in an MST3K’d movie is something fantastic, and I appreciate it that they didn’t go at him super-hard.
How weird is it, by the bye, to see Casablanca end up in a movie on MST3K? In a sort of way.
An all-time riff as snow starts coming down hard, courtesy of Mike: “This is how much pure cocaine you would need to enjoy this movie.” Those cheesy visuals where Aram and Aram!Rick’s digital selves mesh really lend themselves to a sequence of gold riffing.
The Public Pearl host segments are great in their sendup of PBS fundraising, and it’s nice to see Ortega in the mix once again.
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Folks have also added some riffs and screenshots about this episode to this thread:
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This was a strong episode that I loved watching on the Sci-Fi Channel.
The riffs were potent too such as when Raul Julia’s character is shown at the start watching the opening to Casablanca.
[Explaining Fingal’s problem, secretly watching movies doing work]
Appalonia : He was working in the data flow center of NoviCorp as a processor third class. He had a terrible job: monitoring routine data output on global climate control.
[The Warner Brothers logo appears on Fingal’s screen.]
Mike : And its effect on Bugs Bunny.
Servo : Man, never show a good movie in the middle of your crappy movie.
A few more tidbits about the film: it was based on a 1976 short story by John Varley. For all those complaining about the film being shot on videotape, there was a good reason for that - the budget ran into seven figures so videotape was used instead of film.
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This is a top ten for me, though one I came to very late in the game. It’s a classic not just of the SciFi era, but the entire run. Season 8 has such a strong run of episodes at the end, but closing out with the one-two punch of Time Chasers and Overdrawn is a total k.o. It helps that the serialized arc of the season more less wraps up with Space Mutiny, so the host segments feel like classic stand alone bits. Pearl’s pledge drive is amazing, of course, and the film itself is bizarre Canadian fever dream elevated by the always game Raul Julia.
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It does rather give the impression of being an Eighties Doctor Who with the Doctor inexplicably missing.
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I love this episode, and maybe hot take? I don’t think the movie is that bad.
It makes a lot of choices that are weird, inexplicable or both. It has ambitions that can’t possibly be realized with the resources and technology they had available at the time. And yeah, it’s deeply silly. But even if it’s not entirely successful I really appreciate what the movie was striving to be. There’s a vision and a unique plot here.
Also, I know they supposedly took it easy on Raul Julia because of his recent passing, but I’m okay with that - it’s an engaging, charming lead performance that’s easily one of the best in the entire MST3K canon.
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If you want to “go there,” Overdrawn at the Memory Bank is… kinda Matrix-y?
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This is one of those films where they clearly didn’t have the budget or skill to make what they really wanted, but that wasn’t going to stop them from trying! Getting Raul Julia onboard really turned it into something special, and he seemed to put as much into it as anything else he did. Just for that I have a soft spot for this one, and the Public Pearl segments make it even better.
It’s weird enough that I probably wouldn’t recommend it to a new viewer, but it’s good for the more sophisticated, Public Pearl supporting types. Now where’s my tote bag?
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The MST3K Info Club legit sold those “You Know You Want Me, Baby!” Crow shirts from the opening host segment.
I would’ve been all onboard if they sold Public Pearl tote bags, too.
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This has one of my favorite riffs of all time.
“FINGAL, YOU ARE MINE!”
“WITH BEARNAISE SAUCE.”
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“I LOVE YOU THIS MUUUUCCHHHH!”
“I don’t care for you.”
Gets me every time.
I’ve seen this one so many times, and I’m still not sick of it. Just talking about it now is making me hungry for some Flav-O-Fibes!
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IT’S SO GOOD 
Servo’s tiny “I don’t care for you” absolutely sells the moment.
Same, same, same. It still stays fresh, even after all these years.
Also, YES AND ALSO RECONST-D
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It was going to be part of a series of sci-fi films produced for PBS, but they ended up doing only two. This one and the actually decent adaptation of Ursula LeGuin’s The Lathe of Heaven.
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Also, to bring this full circle to last week’s watch-a-long:
Fingel’s hatred of anteaters (well, and that one subway guy too)…he must have scrolled up “Pod People” before he found “Casablanca”.
Also, when my friend in Germany first saw this episode, he got a kick out of the fact that they used “Animals are Beautiful People” footage wholesale like they did.
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