Mister T “U.F.O. Mystery” (part 1 of 4)

by · July 13, 2009

SUMMARY: At a meet in Rapid City, Woody displays symptoms of one of the most horrifying diseases known to man: Mild myopia! Oh no! How will Woody and the team deal with the fact that he sort of can’t always see things exactly right? There’s something else about a U.F.O., and a semi-sentient robotic Mr. T, but those both pale in comparison to the horrors of nearsightedness.

You just have to love a show that makes the premise of Scooby Doo seem reasonable. If you’re able to grok the idea of a superhuman Mr. T (I know, that’s redundant) roaming the world as coach of a team of young gymnasts, solving mysteries along the way, you’ll have absolutely no problem with a stoner and his talking dog doing the same thing, right?

Looking back into the depths of the early 1980s, it’s startling to see how quickly the public persona of Mr. T changed. Mr. T clearly cultivated an image of a badass, but he also paradoxically managed to be kid-friendly at the same time. In 1982, he was the “wrecking machine” Clubber Lang in Rocky III, and yet, by 1983, in the premiere episode of The A-Team, Mr. T was explaining who Hannibal was to a group of kids. No, not George Peppard or Anthony Hopkins, the Carthaginian Hannibal. A year later, he was hanging out exclusively with kids and wearing shiny speedos and see-through pants. It’s like Mr. Rogers suddenly morphing into a gangsta rapper, but in reverse.

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Mark M. Meysenburg

Mark teaches at Doane College, a liberal arts college in Crete, Nebraska. Most of his teaching involves computer science, but Mark also occasionally teaches mathematics and the history of science; he has also been known to offer three week courses on the worst movies ever made. Mark's bad movie obsession was kindled in the early 1980s by the Medved brothers, then fanned to full flame by late-night showings of Plan 9 from Outer Space. Who could have predicted the long term effects of satin-pajama-clad, mincing alien menace? Mark's other interests include homebrew beer and wine, and practicing and teaching martial arts.

Multi-Part Article: Mister T "U.F.O. Mystery"
TV Show: Mister T

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