The Muppets Episode 6 - The Ex-Factor

[dwayne1115]

It seems like this was the show for EM fans. The questions that some fans have asked for years even bother the band as well. I can't wait to see this show or it ratings.

 

[terrimonster]

I think I liked this episode less than most here, and less than most other episodes. It's not that it was a particularly bad episode or anything, I actually thought there were a lot of good/funny moments. But it's really starting to sink in that:
1. They're not parodying the mockumentary style, they're just using it.
2. They're focusing so much on making the Muppets "real" that they are pretty much interchangeable with a human cast.

This basically could have been an episode of The Office or 30 Rock. Actually, (I think others have said this) 30 Rock is arguably more Muppety. I'm enjoying the chance to see more of the characters' lives and personalities, but I'm not seeing anything that makes it uniquely Muppety.

 

[mr3urious]

I really enjoyed this episode. We finally get to see Denise again, and I'm really liking her bubbly personality here. Piggy was also more subdued and passive-aggressive compared to past episodes as Drtooth said, making her a more bearable character overall.

The subplot with Kristin Chenoweth and the Electric Mayhem was also a great character-driven moment, too. Abandoning her along the side of the road with nothing but a bag of Funyuns just for causing discord among Teeth and Floyd went a little too disproportionate, though, but I hope her phone still worked out in the middle of nowhere.

 

[LinkLady77]

Can I just say that I LOVED Miss Piggy singing a show tune with Kristin! Hearing Miss Piggy rapping during her "I'm Sorry" song last week made me cringe. I want to hear her belting out a song like the Piggy we all remember and not delving into hip hop, it's too awkward and forced. Seriously, if she was a rapper her stage name could be: The Notorious P.I.G.

 

[sarah_yzma]

I LOVED this episode. The Piggy storyline was refreshingly different than the last few, she actually gets along with another woman! This alone gives me some hope.

I know it is a bit controversial on here, but I love the EM dynamic they have created. Animal is more than a pet, the characters have some depth (Floyd being a conspiracy theorist is great), and Floyd hasn't locked Janice down, so I am not surprised she made some private mayhem with Teeth.

Also, I am becoming convince any scene with the writers group is not scripted. Pepe's 'meet me by the whoopsie bin' line had the best laugh from Rizzo. Seemed really natural and I loved it.

 

[Muppetboy09]

There is one thing that pretty much ruined the episode for me. Of course, I am being dramatic, but when the van with the Mayhem drives away, a zoomed out shot shows one of the WORST examples of CGI I've seen in a muppet production for a while. Kristin walking away on the side of the road is OBVIOUSLY green screened, as well as the unnatural movement of the tumbleweed across the screen to distract from the previous bad CGI. Made me cringe a little on the inside, but that is just me. Also, I think that Piggy and Kristin are green screened into the red curtain backdrop in the opening number they perform, which is odd, because they were obviously on set...

 

[Ladywarrior]

we need a muppets episode to air with an uncle deadly centered plotline. I wanna see more of our sophisticated dragon ghost.
also I finally figured out who dr. teeth's speech patterns reminded me of! J.J. from Good Times!
Also It always felt to me that floyd and dr. teeth are the best of friends. I mean right after dr.teeth does his cover of "lazy bones" he gives floyd a high five(low five?) like "Great job, mah brotha".

 

[Iwa Iniki]

The original Muppet shows were so much better.
These new ones just don't make it. Sad!

 

[LaRanaRene]

The original Muppet shows were so much better.
These new ones just don't make it. Sad!

They aren't in competition. Two seperate shows.

 

[LouisTheOtter]

I really enjoyed it. Thought it was actually better than "Walk The Swine" in many respects although I didn't necessarily dislike that episode. I just felt the whole thing flowed better, had sharper writing, and was truer to the characters while still advancing storylines (within the episode and for the series overall).

Great to have Denise back, and even better, great to have her a bit more well-defined. I felt something very organic happening in the scene that had her gushing over Kristin Chenoweth. There's a little bit of nerd-fangirl to Denise that could work well in future episodes if the writers are willing to keep pushing that.

Smart work with the Kermit-Piggy dynamic too. I had a feeling Piggy would find a way to slip in some mild sabotage with her gift (the look on Kermit's face when he heard the jewelry-box song was PRICELESS, followed perfectly by Piggy's "That is MESSED UP!" topper line). The promos had me worried that it would be yet another jealous-Piggy freak-out. Great to see a better fleshing out of that plotline, especially the scenes with Kermit trying to make the best of things at Color Me Mine and stalling with the "extra verses" of "Happy Birthday."

Kristin C. brought a wonderful energy to this episode, as is typical of her appearances in other media. I almost wish they had used her a little more extensively, which I expected to happen after she and Piggy did their duet. The scenes with her on the EM bus were a hoot and I'm glad to see the Floyd-and-Janice pairing got a minor subplot of its own. I think the actual production of the band ditching Kristin in the desert could have been more effective - it left me a little cold, and not just because of the green-screening. But overall, great use of the EM this week. ("Animal LOVE to perform with live snakes - but Zoot big baby..." bahaha...)

The supporting players are KILLING IT! Scooter and his Mom ("Put a ROBE on, Ken!"); the writers'-room guys and Chip coming up with terrible gift ideas; Pepe (e-mail address!), Rizzo and Gonzo in the closing sequence; Uncle Deadly "I don't offer solutions, I just dramatize problems"...I'm sure I missed some of the lines because I was laughing so hard at others. It's like my experience with the first decade of The Simpsons, honestly.

Everything and everybody felt pretty much spot-on this week, and I didn't mind Fozzie getting a breather after he had taken such a big role in the previous five episodes. Looking forward to next week already!