Movie: (1969) The masked wrestler El Santo travels back in time to confront Count Dracula and acquire Dracula’s treasure. Original title: Santo En El Tesoro De Drácula.

Host: Jonah.

Opening: Kinga unveils Moon 1; Max explains what happened to Moon 13. They unveil the Kingadome and the Gizmoplex.

Invention exchange: Jonah gave an unhappy Crow blinkers. Grandma Pearl suggests a different activity, believing that Synthia and new clone Mega-Synthia can handle things.

Segment 1: The bots try regressing Jonah.

Segment 2: Jonah and GPC host QVSanto, the luchador home shopping channel.

Segment 3: Crow and Tom’s trash talk is very kind.

Close: J&tB sing the praises of Perico but there’s trouble in Moon One as the Kingadome is hit by a meteor.

Thoughts:

• The new normal: This season there are two parallel theme songs, sung by Tom Servo (Baron Vaughn in Jonah episodes and Conor McGiffin in the Emily episodes), along with Felicia Day and Paul (Sabourin) & Storm (Sicostanzo).

Jonah episodes:
TOM
In the not-too-distant future
Next Sunday afternoon
The evil Kinga Forrester
She ran her empire from the moon
Her latest plan was the Gizmoplex
A twisted scheme based on stolen specs
Now she’s pulling the strings from the old Moon base
And she’s back to her experiments with prisoners out in space
KINGA
I’ll send them cheesy movies!
The worst motion picture wrecks (la la la)
They’ll have to sit and watch them all
And we’ll stream them at the Gizmoplex! (la la la)
Now keep in mind they can’t control
Where the movies begin or end (la la la)
They’ll have to keep their sanity
With the help of their robot friends
Robot Roll Call
Cambot! (TOM: And, action!)
GPC! (TOM: Which one?)
Tom Servo! (TOM: That’s me.)
Crooooow!
If you’re wondering how we eat and breathe
And other science facts (la la la)
Then repeat to yourself, “It’s just a show.
I should really just relax!”
ALL
For Mystery Science Theater 3000!

• A middling start to the third season of the revived show. Some moderately funny riffs but not a lot of gut-busters.
• This ep marks the first appearance of Yvonne Freese as Mega-Synthia in a TV episode (the character originated as part of the live “Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour).”
• This ep premiered in the Gizmoplex March 4, 2022.
• If Joel ever talked about it anywhere I must have missed it, so, has there been any explanation as to how and why Cambot became a fleet of mini-Cambots?
• GPC swings into the theater to deliver a riff once in the first half, and again in the second half. She also helps out in the “Perico” song.
• The ending bit, where the meteor strike on the Gizmoplex somehow requires Kinga to turn to “Dr. Kabahl, the strange financier from the future,” kind of comes out of nowhere, but it gets fleshed out (somewhat) in future episodes.
• Stinger: Hoods vs. thugs.
• Callback: “Manos, the Hands of … oh, never mind,” (Manos)
• Fave riff: “Is the hubcap dating the second unit director?”
• Honorable mention: “Dream of ear-less silver-faced demons.”