The Muppets Episode 5 - Walk the Swine

[Phillip]

Tonight make plans to watch "The Muppets" new episode "Walk the Swine" at 8|7c on ABC. Then join the discussion immediately afterwards in the Muppet Central Forum.

Episode 105 - "Walk the Swine"

The feud between Miss Piggy and Reese Witherspoon heats up when they volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Meanwhile, Fozzie and his girlfriend have problems.

If you saw "Walk the Swine" please like this post and share your thoughts below.

 

[JimAndFrank]

Huh…..okay. Let’s discuss this:

Firstly, yet again I was so happy to see an odd pairing being explored. Rizzo and Scooter are an interesting dynamic to explore. The writers are certainly willing to try these kind of new match-ups and for that I applaud them.

However while it was cool to get an idea of Rizzo’s stingy family, I didn’t particularly like the way Rizzo handled the situation. Scooter also fell flat when he was doing so well the past few episodes. I mean, yeah, Scooter keeps going back to the same terrible optometrist to get his eyes checked, so it makes sense that Rizzo could take advantage of Scooters passiveness. But come on, really?

Secondly, I didn’t even care that Beccy was back. The whole C-plot of Fozzie using his girlfriend’s quirks just to get cheap laughs is an overused plotline that has been used multiple times in other sitcoms, namely Seinfeld. The Muppets have always been able to take an overused bit like that and present it in a new and funny way, but this time it simply didn’t work. The way the plot was resolved was pretty predictable and boring as well.

Miss Piggy vs Witherspoon:

My Henson, I really wanted to get on board with Piggy, but I just couldn’t do it! What the heck was that? Eric Jacobson was the sole reason why I didn’t just skip over this A-plot. Reese held herself quite well, but again Piggy really suffered. Apologising by a song-and-dance number was completely back-handed, but I suppose that’s just how Piggy does things, right? Would it have killed them to just let her be a decent pig this one time?

Kermit:

While he wasn’t prominent in this episode, Kermit was one of two characters who were somewhat redeeming. He dealt with Piggy’s nonsense at the beginning of the show in a very quiet and professional manner. And when he decided to give Piggy a chance to apologise to Reese on the show, Kermit really wanted to believe that she was capable of doing the right thing. I was cringing along with him during the second interview and completely agreed when he said, “I really hope those two words are ‘I’m sorry’!”

Redeeming Moments/Aspects:

· Uncle Deadly was the second character I felt was handled perfectly! Matt Vogel really does wondrous things with Deadly’s lip movements and the articulation of his speech is vibrant and never dull! I would eagerly listen to an audiobook narrated by this particular Muppet.

· Zoot is this week’s King of Comic Timing. Playing ‘True Colours’ during Fozzie’s talking-head was a cute little gag I kinda enjoyed.

· I love how they are continuing to do new things to expand Kermit’s repertoire of expression and movement. There was some great gesticulation (sorry Sam!) and facial expressions as Kermit watched the first interview with Witherspoon go downhill!

· SAM STANDING BY IN CASE SOMETHING GOES WRONG! What was going to happen if he had pressed that button???

· The puppetry in the ‘I’m Sorry’ number was brilliant. I know that it really was just a matter of digitally removing a green-clad Eric from the screen, but it was pulled off wonderfully. The Electric Mayhem were also performed with much enthusiasm and you can tell the performers were just having fun with it!

· Eric Jacobson was a godsend this episode, despite everything he rode it out and gave nothing less than 100%. The musical number was ludicrous, but Eric was marvellous and nailed every second! He is definitely this weeks MVP (Most Valuable Puppeteer)!

I really don’t want to be so negative about the show, but this episode really didn’t do it for me. I hope other people enjoyed it more than I did!

 

[antsamthompson9]

First of all, it's about time that they finally credited the additional Muppet performers. This episode was very good. Finally, Kermit got to work with her celebrity crush. Piggy's apology musical number was great. The plot with Fozzie and Becky was funny. I liked Fozzie getting emotional over True Colors and Zoot playing it on the saxophone. The plot with Scooter and Rizzo was fun.

 

[The Count]

Thoughts on this episode.

1 Walk the Swine, reference to a Johnny Cash line, and the Hollywoodized biopick of the singer which played a role in the actual episode. This was clever and good planning since Piggy's guest was Rees Witherspoon.
2 Loved Uncle Deadly at the beginning getting his coffee order and dishing gossip with Kermit. Uncle D may be head of wardrobe on Up Late but I really like how he's becoming a main source on backstage happenings.
3 True Colors apparently makes Fozzie very emotional... And I chuckled at getting in on the act, which makes Fozzie say that song's even more hauntingly beautiful on sax.
4 This exchange.
Becky: "So says the shrimp who's dressed in a turtleneck and gold pants, you look like you belong in a BoysIIMen video."
"Hey, ju dress for the job ju really want."
Now that's good snarky banter.
5 The running plot about going to different relatives of after his car troubles... Did that get a proper resolution other than Scooter huffing at Rizzo that he'd take care of it himself with his own insurance company?
*Hopes he got that insurance from Flo.

Unfortunately, the rest of the episode makes me re-evaluate the current direction, it kind of returned to "mean Muppets".
Fozzie seems to have indulged his inner Don Rickles aiming new material at Becky's personal habits, which led to her retaliating with the True Colors bit. Although I did like Pepe's line of how Fozzie was being romantic by making an entire room of peoples miserable just for her when the bear went back to his regular material, but that entire outcome was predictable. Including the stinger at the end of the episode where he goes on about her big feet. This might probably the beginning crack for the eventual split between them, probable outcome of the writers not knowing what to do with Becky as a character.

The feud between Rees and Piggy. Typical divaness. Piggy telling Kermit she'd join Habitat for Humanity just to show up Rees was the perfect reason to join the charity organization, and then how she basically spoke for Kermit when he was trying to make her see reason, just pure pettiness which I didn't like. Continue that on to filming at the construction site... This was a missed opportunity where they could have harkened back to some TMTM referencial humor. Piggy dropping her voice just to promote herself and make Rees look bad is more of that pettiness.

Yes, there was the one moment where Piggy secluded herself in her dressing room and we got a true admission of self-disgust over her actions causing the construction site to fall down... But what did that get us? A big musical production where even in saying "I'm Sorry" Piggy treats it as a petty competition.

As far as I'm concerned, this episode gets a 3 out of 5 frogs, middle of the pack plot, "mean Muppets", and not much true laughs from me.

 

[charlietheowl]

So another decent episode with some signs that point well for the future of the show. Another Piggy/female celebrity feud, but I think we're beginning to see why she does these things. It's clear she's insecure of her place in the Hollywood scene and worries that people are going to outshine her, that any female actress is competition and someone she can't really relax near. So it's natural for her to want to seem like the biggest star and that blinds her to how she's really acting. We saw the other side to that today and hopefully it's something they can explore more. Will the show go in this direction? Who knows, but it's there for the taking.

The other plotlines were all right, nothing special but they had some good lines and I liked all of Rizzo's different relatives. Plus, seeing Muppets drive is always going to be hilarious. I love that Rizzo drives some bombed-out Jeep.

 

[Mo Frackle]

Pretty much agree with everything that's been said so far. Decent episode, some flaws to be sure. But the energy is certainly present throughout.

 

[The Count]

As Jim&Frank pointed out above... Uncle Deadly as the narrator for an audio book? Yes please!
Hey Disney, why haven't you gotten Uncle Deadly to do a reading of Madame Leotta's séance chant already? ! ?
*Insert Uncle Deadly "maniacal" smilie.

 

[DARTH MUPPET]

what this episode lacked in laughs it made up for in substance, I loved the fact that it had three plots thrown together!!!!!!!!!

 

[dwayne1115]

Im really afraid the average vewiers are going to grow very tired of the Piggy rivalrys if they don't give them more emotion. I have not even see the show yet but by the reaction of folks here that seems to be whats going to happen.

 

[DARTH MUPPET]

Im really afraid the average vewiers are going to grow very tired of the Piggy rivalrys if they don't give them more emotion. I have not even see the show yet but by the reaction of folks here that seems to be whats going to happen.

I would like to see an episode where Piggy and Kermit hook up again and start dating, there are so many ways they could write that...