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LouisTheOtter
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2012
- Messages
- 326
- Reaction score
- 512
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.
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.
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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.