The Muppets Episode 14 - Little Green Lie

What did you think of "The Muppets" episode "Little Green Lie"?

  • Absolutely positively! This episode was great!

  • Bork bork! This episode was good.

  • Mee mee. This episode was so-so.

  • You're all weirdos! This episode was disappointing.


Results are only viewable after voting.

LouisTheOtter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Messages
326
Reaction score
511
Loved this episode. Already one of my Top Five for the entire season, right up there with "Going, Going, Gonzo," "Pig's In A Blackout," "Bear Left Then Bear Write" and "Single All The Way." (I haven't found a streaming service that will let us lowly Canadians watch "A Tail of Two Piggies" yet, so that list might change. But we'll see.)

What an incredible tightrope walk the writers pulled off - balancing the cuteness of a character like Robin with the pathos of his family situation, pushing the Kermit-Piggy will-they-or-won't-they storyline just a shade forward, making the most of classic character relationships (Gonzo-Camilla, Gonzo-Pepe-Rizzo), and yet, still delivering the laughs. As I've said elsewhere on this forum and on social media, I laughed harder at this episode of The Muppets than I have at 80 per cent of the TV I've seen on any network over the last six months.

Among the reasons I loved this episode so much is that two elements with the potential for disaster instead worked like a charm. Here's Robin, with the most dialogue and screen time he's had in years (decades!), having to win us over with Matt Vogel's characterization instead of Jerry Nelson's - yes, I know Matt played (and sang) him on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and very well I might add, but this was the first time many people had seen or heard Robin in years. It felt like Facebook and Twitter blew up in an avalanche of joy when he appeared on last night's episode. And his story was so well-written, I really felt for the little guy (and was willing to suspend my disbelief that there was absolutely no way he didn't know Kermit and Piggy weren't together anymore).

The second element that exceeded my expectations: Lara Spencer's cameo. I know how much it LOOKS like an ABC corporate-synergy shoehorning. I'm here to tell you that, not only did it make perfect sense (as Rizzo noted, Pepe HAS been "flirting with her for years"), it was an absolute hoot to see her getting the last laugh and putting one over on Pepe with his "you have to ask a girl on a date" line. Laughed hard at that, and at the concept of Pepe sending her "yacht photos."

So many other things to like here. Rowlf singing (I think I gasped when I saw him at a microphone as that scene opened) and Kermit and Piggy hollering, "NOT HELPING!" The puppetry in Gonzo and Camilla's calisthenics scene, a sharp contrast to the late-episode shot of the two of them on their smartphones at the dinner table. Absolute killer lines from Deadly ("the third least-important secret") and Scooter ("You made me the first person to ever lie on Twitter!"). The Electric Mayhem spacing out in the "Friendly Feud" sketch (which in itself had a nice Kimmel/Fallon modern-late-night feel to it). Big Mean Carl eating Foo-Foo and her later re-emergence from his mouth. The fact that Carl didn't even bother to defend his abilities as a wingman and just wolfed down a bowl of snacks at the bar after Sam and Chip made their respective cases.

I know the show has struggled in the ratings since the re-launch (and, arguably, prior to the re-launch) but I hope the undeniable quality of episodes like this one, and others, will combine with the enthusiasm of those who ARE tuning in to convince ABC to look seriously at a second season.
 
Last edited:

LinkLady77

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
77
Reaction score
94
I cracked up at the Robin/Kermit/Piggy vacation photos...especially Piggy's angry crumpled snout expression in the last 2 pics...ha ha!
 

Grovette

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
24
Reaction score
10
The show was fun!! Really enjoyed it! :smile:

Loved Friendly Feud! Uncle Deadly is awesome!! Iced cream. :zany:
Finally someone said my fave line "No! That is not a good answer!"
Hate watching Feud when a really dumb answer is said and everyone says "good answer".
Electric Mayhem gets a pass cos it was so funny!!
Schmanilla, Schpistachio, and Animal yells woman!
Vanilla? The capital of the Philippines? :halo:

*Rizzo and Rowlf!! Can't ever get enough of them!!! :shifty:

I'm starting to warm up to Pepe. He's still a newer character for me, not one I grew up with, but he's been really funny lately.

Not sure about Robin. Couldn't they have used the same puppet and give him another name? He could've been another nephew, twin?
Really drastic voice change there. :cry:

Where's Becky? :embarrassed:
 

LouisTheOtter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Messages
326
Reaction score
511
Ratings are in and we've got some good news, gang - "Little Green Lie" rose 5.28 per cent from last week's "Got Silk?" to finish at 2.57 million viewers:
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-muppets-season-one-ratings-38100/

Now, obviously those aren't NCIS numbers but at this stage of the game, any increase is a good increase. Worth noting that this is only the third time this season that an episode boosted its ratings over the previous week instead of dropping again.

Also, TV By The Numbers' chart points out a few encouraging signs: The Muppets pulled in higher ratings than Marvel's Agent Carter (again) and outdid pretty much all of the much-ballyhooed FOX comedy line-up, even coming close to New Girl's numbers:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/02/24/tv-ratings-tuesday-feb-23-2016/

Somewhat relieving, as well, to see that the drop-off from Fresh Off The Boat isn't quite as steep as it was over the past few weeks.

I'm curious to see how Hollywood Game Night has emerged as a bit of an unexpected success for NBC on Tuesdays. I'll admit that it's a favourite of Mrs. Otter and myself. Last night's episode was probably helped by the presence of Ke$ha, given the amount of media coverage she's received for her unfortunate battle with her producer over the past week.

Here's hoping that last night's ratings boost, however mild, will combine with the enthusiasm for "Little Green Lie" on social media, solid reviews from the likes of The AV Club and Tough Pigs, and maybe even some decent promotion of the season finale by ABC (dare to dream, eh?) to bring in another ratings boost for next Tuesday night.
 

Drtooth

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
31,718
Reaction score
6,707
Now, obviously those aren't NCIS numbers but at this stage of the game, any increase is a good increase. Worth noting that this is only the third time this season that an episode boosted its ratings over the previous week instead of dropping again.
Yeah, but then The Muppets are never going to get that "old person keeping the TV on for background noise" audience. :smile:
 

Ladywarrior

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2015
Messages
421
Reaction score
302
The amazing thing about Deadly is how he steals every scene he's in. Him randomly jumping into Kermit's interview about the number of secrets he keeps was amazing.
Of course he does! he's the best character in that show IMO. PLEASe MODS give him an emoji!
 

D'Snowth

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2003
Messages
40,651
Reaction score
12,811
Are these truly desperate times? It seems like every new show on TV now the viewers obsess over the numbers almost as much (maybe even moreso) as the network suits.
 

Daffyfan4ever

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2002
Messages
5,007
Reaction score
579
I have the feeling the writers aren't taking any chances about the show getting a second season and not wanting to "Neighbors" or "My Name is Earl" themselves into a corner that doesn't get resolved. Ideally, I'd love to see an arc where Denise and Kermit make amends faster than Kermit and Piggy, and Kermit has to juggle them through a series of misunderstandings, leading him to lose both, only for Piggy to come back around again. That's certainly what a season 2 storyline would be to me. Perhaps cliche ridden, but I could see it working out.
Well, it's not impossible. Some shows due tend to get renewed a few years after cancellations. Look what happened with Family Guy.

But I guess that would be hard to do with this series. If this is the last season and :smile: and :mad: do get back together in the finale then, what more could happen? If not, then that may create a premise for a second season or even a TV movie or something.

Not sure about Robin. Couldn't they have used the same puppet and give him another name? He could've been another nephew, twin?
Really drastic voice change there. :cry:
I don't think it would have been the same if they had used a different frog or a different name. I didn't think Matt's Robin was that bad. It's like I keep saying, Robin's had limited airtime since Jerry's passing. We just have to keep giving Matt a chance to improve with him.
 
Last edited:
Top