The Muppets Episode 2 - Hostile Makeover

[dwayne1115]

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...s-but-what-about-castle-and-nashville/473084/

This article says that The Muppets is a "sure bet to be renewed by May 2016"

I can't wait to seethe rateings....

 

[Phillip]

If you missed "Hostile Makeover" or if you want to watch it again, this episode is now on-line.

 

[CensoredAlso]

it was never said it was implied

Well that's what we've been talking about. There's a difference between clever implication and just outright saying it, hoping for a cheap shock.

 

[Drtooth]

Free from the exposition of the first episode, this series is beginning to show its real potential. And this episode was all the better for it.

Of note:

Yolanda is becoming a great character. I really hope we see more of her, as she's the perfect counterpart to Rizzo, and the fact that we need more naturally occurring female roles in the Muppets overall.

While it seems a small group of characters fits the roles of Piggy's production staff, there will always be room for more favorite characters, like how they managed to get Newsman in there. And I'm glad they did, he was hilarious.

No doubt some will be annoyed and or offended by Kermit's mental trauma of years working with (and dating) Piggy. I personally love it. There is no way that anyone can put up with her more intense moments and not come out a little twisted.

Fozzie's B story was adorable. Fozzie clearly meant no malice from taking souvenirs, and Jay said he did the same exact thing. It's not so much the fact he was too stupid and therefore did the same thing again twice so much as the fact he wasn't caught the first time and thought he could get away with it. If the guilt wasn't killing him inside, I'd think its almost out of character. Also, him thinking the appointment book was Jay's joke book was delightful.

Gonzo has a mother?! I'd say he's probably adopted.

Bobo is just as his wonderful Bobo-est right here. Glad to see Bobo still in the picture, as well as Big Mean Carl.

On the subject of the EM being potheads... that's an old jazz musician stereotype well before it became a rock star stereotype. I wouldn't doubt that the joke about them being on the stuff was one of those jokes passed around the writing staff that they didn't make blatantly obvious in their writing. That said, I wouldn't be surprised that the fact the band is aging they have prescriptions for it. Dr. Teeth strikes me as someone who's suffering from glaucoma and or diabetes in his older age.

I get the feeling that the cookie joke could have had a different punchline, but Disney wouldn't allow them. And if you're a Muppet fan, the joke should be painfully obvious.

Laurence's line somehow should have came out of Statler and Waldorf.

And this episode gives us our first glimpse of a sketch (or song, rather) being used in the context of the show. And it's glorious. Much better than the tacked on Imagine Dragons bit last time.

 

[CensoredAlso]

they didn't make blatantly obvious in their writing.

Because that's what makes implications like that funny.

 

[mr3urious]

Overall, I found this episode to be a lot better than the previous, getting a lot more laughs from me especially. I particularly enjoyed the subplot with Fozzie stealing Jay Leno's candy dish as a keepsake (and the punchline at the end), as well as several other secondary Muppets getting their fair share of screen time (Lew Zealand, Bobo, Newsman, etc.).

 

[LinkLady77]

I burst out laughing when they showed the picture of Piggy with Josh Groban at the People's Choice Awards and Piggy's white gloved hand is covering Josh's face! Her reaction to the Josh Groban Presents: Up Late With Miss Piggy sign is also priceless...when Piggy curls and crumples her snout when she is REALLY angry, everybody run for cover!! I'm still waiting to see Link and Strangepork though...maybe next week?

 

[AlittleMayhem]

Oh! I almost forgot! Did anyone else notice the SPECTACULAR puppetry when Piggy was crawling across the piano towards Groban?! Brilliant!

That was one of the highlights of the whole series and it's only the second episode! Everything about those few seconds was just mesmerising! It looked so so real! I hope we get to find out how they did that and the tour from the first episodes. This show is really pushing what puppetry can do, even if it's really simple things.

While I'm on the subject, is it me or does Kermit's face get better and better with each year! Kermit's expression at "What is going on?!" Is so brilliant and inventive!

I am Sure Jim Henson smoked pot I think he used to hang out with George Lucas and Spielberg at the American Zoetrope parties they used to throw in San Francisco in the 1960's If you guys know what I mean?

Actually, you're kinda right. Aparently Jim Henson did try drugs at least once in his lifetime because he wanted to see what it was like and see if he could get any creative inspiration from the experience. However, after he tried it, he found it surprisingly boring and never went back. I'm not entirely sure if it actually happened or not, but it's still one of my favourite celebrity stories.

 

[Drtooth]

Because that's what makes implications like that funny.

I'm inclined to agree. I HATED it when The Simpsons took burnout character Otto from "probably a pot head" to "does every drug there is." Among other reasons, drugs outside of pot kinda effect you a little more harsh than being a burnout. Bad enough there's still that Pot= LSD mentality, but the "all drugs are essentially the same and have the same burn out effects" thing is unforgivable. That's 1980's hysteria type thinking.

Then again, we're talking "The Simpsons" which coined the term Flanderization for a reason. As long as this show doesn't go that deep into character derailment, I've no problem. The Muppets keeps everything to code words that go over kid's heads, while merely referencing the college kid urban rumor levels.

 

[Oscarfan]

I thought this episode was an improvement over the previous one. I felt the characters were a bit too mean in the first episode (Piggy, Scooter and Kermit especially), but everything was fine here (other than a heightened-for-comediec-effect freakout from Piggy).

I kinda wish they did something to develop Josh Groban's part more. Kermit calls him evil before he does the worst of his personality (thinking the world would be better if everyone were like him).

I liked the Fozzie storyline. I don't see why him stealing things the way he did was a character issue. He was just so excited; he meant no harm by anything.

I'm not a big fan of the "legally now" joke. The only down note in the whole Bobo storyline; I loved the Newsman and Carl's involvement.

But this episode was much funnier than the last and I hope things improve from there.