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"Well, they're out of fumar, now what do we do?"
- Mike


The Movie[]

Main article: Agent for H.A.R.M. (film)

A government agent attempts to foil a plot to contaminate American crops with a flesh-dissolving spore.

The Episode[]

Host Segments[]

Harmagenthost

Mike on trial

  • Prologue Servo and Crow are extreeeeme! If you can call yoga and stamp collecting extreeeeme! Mike chooses rice. They learn that some things are hard to make extreme.
  • Segment 1 Mike is still not extreme until he disappears. He has been taken to a mysterious location where he is to be put on trial by the Intergalactic Tribunal for blowing up Earth, The Observers' homeworld, and the Camping Planet. And a failure to yield. Mike inadvertently chooses Professor Bobo as his lawyer and Pearl as his prosecutor because the judge doesn't understand sarcasm.
CrowMikeTrail

Crow speaks at Mike's trial

  • Segment 2 Crow tries to bake a power saw into a torte. The trial continues below, with Pearl imaginatively using props to make her point. Bobo gives special attention to the word "panties" and then declares his disdain for Mike.
  • Segment 3 Bobo calls on the Bots as character witnesses via video depositions. Tom's deposition never gets past the guest stars. Crow's is rendered incomprehensible due the constant bleeping for expletives. Bobo accuses Gypsy of hearsay in her (harmless, even helpful) deposition.
  • Segment 4 Tom and Crow search for legal loopholes to help Mike. Meanwhile, Brain Guy takes the stand as a witness to describe the destruction of his world, and takes the dramatics a bit far. Somehow, Bobo manages to poke a hole in his testimony using his deep and abiding love of... pie. Yes, pie.
BoboMikeTrial

Bobo at Mike's trial

  • Final Segment The Bots hold a candlelight vigil, awaiting Mike's execution. Ortega is a witness, although his testimony is somewhat limited. Bobo calls a Little Amish Boy to the stand, who denies Mike's crime; Pearl's cross-examination deteriorates into an argument over the pros and cons of Amish fudge. The judge reaches a verdict: Mike is guilty and is sentenced to death. However, since Mike is basically a likable guy, his sentence is commuted to 800 hours of community service.
  • Stinger A scientist is knocked almost unconscious.

Obscure References[]

  • "Titles by e. e. cummings and k.d. lang."
Poet E. E. Cummings (often stylized "e. e. cummings") and singer k.d. lang are both known for spelling their names without capital letters.
  • "Tonight on Michael Collins, P.I...!"
Michael Collins was an Irish revolutionary, IRA soldier, and politician who was a leading figure in the early-20th-century Irish struggle for independence. He was shot and killed in an ambush by anti-Treaty forces on August 22, 1922. He is not to be confused with the American astronaut Michael Collins, who was part of the first moon landing mission.
  • "Mr. Peepers, P.I."
Mister Peepers is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955. Wally Cox starred as Robinson J. Peepers, a junior high school science teacher.
  • "I didn't know Section 8 built beach houses."
Section 8 is a program, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, that provides assistance with paying rent to low-income people. Most beach houses do not accept Section 8 payments. 
  • "I drink a lot, how come I never made the Dewar's Profile?"
A reference to a series of magazine ads produced to promote the scotch whisky brand Dewar's. The notable individuals profiled include artist LeRoy Neiman, chef Jeremiah Tower, and actor Jerry Orbach.
  • "PBR me, ASAP!"
​An old advertising slogan for Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, which was marketed at the time as a low-cost beer for hard-working blue-collar types.
  • "A young Charles Grodin..."
Charles Grodin was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. His notable films include Rosemary's Baby, The Heartbreak Kid, Real Life, The Great Muppet Caper, Seems Like Old Times, Ishtar, Midnight Run, and King Kong (1976).
  • "Now, we're going to hear the word 'Panties' a lot during this trial so let's get them giggles out right now! Panties... panties... panties... panties..... PANTIES... PANTIES.... PANTIES!!"
Bobo is "reenacting" one of the courtroom scenes from Anatomy of a Murder.
  • "Mike, why were you choking the monkey?"
​"Choke the chicken", "spank the monkey", and "choke the monkey" are all idioms alluding to male masturbation.
  • (As Dr. Stefanik picks up a syringe) "I'll have to go under my tongue with this one..."
​Long-term intravenous drug users run out of non-collapsed or un-scarred veins, which necessitates locating unused veins in unusual places on the body.
  • (singing) "Close the window, come alive..."
​A line from the 1977 song "We're All Alone" written and first recorded by Boz Scaggs. It was a hit for both Frankie Valli and Rita Coolidge.
  • "You don't have to be rich to be my girl..." "Have you seen my raspberry beret?" "I would die for him." "Controversy!" "Come over here and let me work on that zipper." "I think I wanna dance." "He should’ve taken the little red corvette!" "Baby, you've got to slow down." "Cream!" "I wonder if the water heater makes the water warm enough, Lisa." "Oh, man, just another manic Monday." "Let's eat our dinner at a fancy restaurant!" "I'd like to spend a night inside your sugar walls." "Wendy and Lisa are comin' over later, is that alright?" "Oh no! Let's go!!" "Would you shut up already, damn!" "Could that be the most beautiful girl in the world?"
The lab scientist resembles Prince, whose songs "Kiss", "Raspberry Beret", "I Would Die 4 U", "Controversy", "Gett Off", "Little Red Corvette", "Cream", "Computer Blue", "Nothing Compares 2 U", "Let's Go Crazy", "Housequake", and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" are being referenced here. Additionally, "Manic Monday" and "Sugar Walls" were written by Prince but performed by The Bangles and Sheena Easton, respectively
  • "If Pepé Le Pew was a human he'd be this guy."
Pepé Le Pew is a character from the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Depicted as a French striped skunk, Pepé is constantly in search of love. However, his offensive skunk odor and his aggressive pursuit of romance typically cause other characters to run from him.
  • "Well, that's the last Taco John's we'll see for a while."
Taco John's is a Mexican-inspired fast food chain in the Midwest.
  • "NAFTA's really workin'!"
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was an economic policy implemented in 1994 between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, which eliminated tariffs and other trade barriers between the three countries. It was superseded by the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement in 2018.
  • "He's got a wrist harmonica in case he runs into John Popper!"
John Popper is an American musician, co-founder and lead singer of the band Blues Traveler. He is known for his harmonica playing.
  • "Perhaps, much like Linus, I can wrap my cardigan around the tire."
A reference to the character Linus van Pelt from the Peanuts comic strip, who would often employ his security blanket in unexpectedly useful ways.
  • "He made his own gravy!"
A reference to a series of 70s-era Chuck Wagon commercials which promoted making its own gravy as a feature of the dog food.
  • "Da da DA DA!"
At several points, Mike and the bots hum the first few bars of the James Bond Theme, as a sarcastic comparison of the action-packed Bond movies to this far more action-less movie.
  • "Jerome Robbins, P.I."
Jerome Robbins was a world-renowned choreographer, director, dancer, and theater producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. He had a number of hit Broadway productions and ballets including Afternoon of a Faun, Bells Are Ringing, West Side Story, Gypsy, and Fiddler on the Roof.

Callbacks[]

Running Jokes[]

  • Adam Chance coming off as unlikeable and incompetent rather than as a suave and sophisticated secret agent.
  • Adam Chance's boss seeming to be an alcoholic, slurring his words.
  • Ava Vestok's personality being compared to that of a baby.
  • Mike and the Bots comparing the slow-paced nature of this spy film to the usually more fast-paced and exciting sequences found in most James Bond films.
    • Tom: "Sigh....By this time in a James Bond movie there would've been 10 helicopter explosions, 8 ski chases...."
    • Mike: "Yeah...This spy movie's just kinda hanging around the house..."

Behind the Scenes[]

MST3K cast[]

Regular Cast

Guest Cast

MST3K Crew[]

Notes[]

  • During the Host Segment in which Observer is testifying, the Judge is played by Paul Chaplin, who is a significantly smaller man than Bill Corbett.
  • First episode directed by Michael J. Nelson.
  • Unusual credits: Mike can be heard picking up trash through the credits.
  • Patrick Brantseg's first performance as Gypsy.
  • This episode includes the first mention of Mike's love of bleached and enriched rice, which would carry on into the last episode of Season 10.
  • The Little Amish Boy in the final host segment alludes to the 1985 film Witness.

Video releases[]

AgentforHarmDVD

MST3K DVD Cover

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