Through Netflix, I can stream dozens of episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I began watching one from 1992, The Rebel Set, when I came across this Moby Dick reference:
Joel Robinson is being "scary" to the robots, trying to tell them a good old scary story, and then humorously, he begins reading from the book Life's Little Instruction Book.
"#198: When facing a difficult task, act as though it's impossible to fail; when going after Moby Dick, take along the tartar sauce."
This reference tantalizes me because it is actually a THEME reference. Over the years, countless critics have tried to decipher the white whale as the ultimate in symbolism. In this reference, it is the difficult task that must be accomplished despite the odds.
