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What scares me is they don't have showers.
- Crow


The Movie[]

Main article: Hercules Unchained (film)

Synopsis[]

Hercules-0

Hercules Unchained

Hercules is asked to intervene in the fight between two brothers over who will rule the kingdom of Thebes. Hercules is waylaid by the seductive queen Omphale and loses his memory. He eventually remembers who he is and resolves the conflicts.

The Episode[]

Host Segments[]

Unchained22

Steve-O-Meter

Prologue: It's Wash and Wax day on the Satellite of Love, a fate worse than death if Tom and Crow are to be believed.

Segment One: While Crow is slightly more worse for wear after his go in the wash and wax, down in Deep 13 Frank and Dr. F's invention of decorator cockroaches gets an unintended boost from the star of today's movie "Steve Reeves". Joel's invention is the Steve-O-meter, which can tell if something's already been thought of by Steve Allen.

Segment Two: Gypsy constructs a set to allow her to show her to be the Hellenistic ideal, but her ability in playing a harp brings this into question.

MST3k MN as Steve Reeves

Michael J Nelson as Steve Reeves

Segment Three: After partaking of the Water of Forgetfulness, Joel & the Bots try other foodstuffs and drinks which trigger other mental and emotional states: the Carob Shake of Pretentiousness, the Blizzard of Loneliness, the Fruit-Striped Gum of Stability, and the Green Bean & French Onion Casserole of Happiness.

Segment Four: Tom and Crow try to get Joel to explain what Hercules and Queen Omphale are doing all day when they're cuddling and kissing, but he refuses to divulge.

Unchained3

Gypsy's set

Closing (Segment Five): The SOL crew attempt to discuss why the Hercules series and other fantasy films became popular and the meaning behind them. In Deep 13, Steve is unable to provide any insight. Frank continues to gush over Steve.

Stinger: When Queen Omphale remembers the good times with Hercules, her eyes get very big.

MST3K Cast[]

Regular Cast

Guest Cast

Trivia[]

Callbacks[]

Obscure References[]

  • "The board game Blow Your Own Horn!"

A game such as the one Tom mentions does exist, but it's named "Ego Trip: The Game That Lets You Blow Your Own Horn".

  • "Unchained Hercules? Oh Hercules, my darling..."

The title reminds Servo of "Unchained Melody" (popularized by The Righteous Brothers).

  • "It's just like Super Mario World!"

A reference to the famous SNES game; Super Mario World.

  • "This week on Genesis II..."

Genesis II was a sci-fi TV movie created by Gene Roddenberry (creator of Star Trek) that aired on CBS in 1973. It was intended as a pilot for a new series, but was not picked up.

  • "Have fun stormin' the castle!"

A line spoken by Billy Crystal's character in The Princess Bride as the heroes ride off to do just that.

  • "Oh-ho the Wells Fargo wagon--- c'mon everybody!"

'Wells Fargo Wagon' is an ensemble song from the musical The Music Man.

  • "I'm Ralph Richardson!"

Ralph Richardson was a British actor.

  • "...I'll send servants and provisions." "And lawyers, guns, and money."

A reference to the Warren Zevon song "Lawyers, Guns, and Money."

  • "Heh heh...Just playin' Narcissus here..."

Narcissus was another character from Greek mythology. He saw his reflection in a pool of water and was so hypnotized by his own good looks he was unable to ever look away.

  • "Headin' out to Eden... yea, brother!"

Tom and Crow sing the first lyric of one of Adam's songs in the Star Trek episode "The Way to Eden".

  • "This place looks like a Maxfield Parrish painting."

​Maxfield Parrish was an American painter who employed a grandiose neo-classical style.

  • "Oh, they're taking him to the Tiki Room!"

One of the mainstays of Disneyland, the Enchanted Tiki Room is a Polynesian-themed show/attraction.

  • "The Mighty Pavog (sic)!"

The Mighty Favog was a character from the Muppet segments on the first season of Saturday Night Live.

  • "Hey! It's Ting!"

Ting is a Jamaican soft drink.

  • "Jesse! Now Jerome!"

Lyrics from the song "Jungle Love" by The Time.

  • "Oh cool, it's like a Thingmaker!"

The Thingmaker was a 1960s toy that enabled children to create their own monster figures.

  • "I'm Big Jim McLain!"

Big Jim McLain was a 1952 movie starring John Wayne.

  • "It's twue! It's twue!"

Joel is imitating Madeline Kahn in a scene from the film Blazing Saddles in which her character is delighted by the scale of her new lover's masculine equipment.

  • "He's no fun, he fell right over!"

Reference to a comedy album called How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All by The Firesign Theatre. The line "s/he's no fun, s/he fell right over" occurs on both sides of the record.

  • "Peace on earth was all it said..."

A reference to the 1969 antiwar song "One Tin Soldier" by Original Caste. The song is probably best known as the theme of the Billy Jack film series.

  • "Bend it! If you can't you'll convince me!" "If you can, you're Uri Geller."

Uri Geller is a performer with reputed psychic and telekinetic powers, mostly demonstrated through the ability to bend spoons.

  • "It's Madame Trousseau's!"

Crow is mispronouncing the name of Madame Tussaud's, the well-known wax museum located in London.

  • "Hobbes, get off me!"

Said while Hercules is wrestling tigers in an arena, this refers to the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, about a boy who imagines his stuffed tiger is alive.

  • "It's the Smurfs vs the Skins."

The Smurfs are a race of small blue creatures of comic and cartoon fame. Tom's remarking on how the evil minions in that particular scene are wearing hats almost identical to the Smurfs' signature headgear.

Video Release[]

  • HerculesunchainedAmazon
    Commercially released on DVD by Rhino in April 2005 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 7, a 4-DVD set with Hercules Against the Moon Men, Prince of Space, and The Killer Shrews. The packaging accidentally swapped the photos between the two Hercules films.
    • Re-released on DVD by Shout! Factory in February 2018 as part of Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume VII.


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