The Muppets Episode 4 - Pig Out

[Muppet Master]

I thought this episode was not as good as the last two, but a little better than the pilot, I still liked it a lot though, what was missing for me was nothing was happening on Up Late With Miss Piggy, still enjoyed it though.

• The Statler and Fozzie plot was hilarious.
• No Rowlf, why
• The songs they sang at the tavern was a really cool part
• While I don't mind it, why is Fozzie always having a plot without the others.
• Sam liking Janice was pretty funny, I finally get to see Sam's different side.
• Crazy Harry and Lew Zealand need to do something.
• Still no Denise or Becky, I'm beginning to think they were just for the pilot.

Overall, it was a great episode, though not as good as the last two, sad there is no episode next week oh well at least there's Charlie Brown to watch that week.

 

[Davina]

have to say, i think this was my favorite episode so far.. the humor was much better in this one and not as mean spirited for the most part... loved the Fozzie/Statler plot, that was really so very wonderful..
Loved the kareoke stuff, so much of that was just flat out hysterical.. do love the chef's bit.. that was unexpected and great. wasn't thrilled with all the drinking, hang overs and flaking on work part of it, but.. there you are.
Hubby and I agree though that the serious run away surprise from underused past characters is still Uncle Deadly.. he is far and away the best surprise of this new show for us so far... he is getting such wonderful lines. (he was always hubby's favorite anyway...)

 

[JimAndFrank]

Steve's Kermit has always been more comfortable being a jerk. Kermit could be snide and frequently eruptrws into arm-waving hysteria on TMS, but it was always tempered by a sweetness that was part of his character. Was.
When Steve took over, things took a turn for the mean. I'm not saying Steve is mean OR snarky--I'm sure he's very nice--but his interpretation of Kermit has always been more likely to bite than kiss.
The funny thing is--by and large--audiences don't like it. Eventually--and you can see this time and time again in the muppets' history--the viewing public seems to hit some sort of "im tired of the obnoxious frog" saturation point, at which time some writer or Disney executive says "whatsamatta. The frog is bombing." Cue Ms Piggy, who allows Kermit to redeem himself by being all lovey-dovey, and ratings soar.
It has always looked to me (just my opinion here) as though Steve favors the "pigs are fat and stupid" camp, and his natural humor seems a lot more rough than Jim's. Jim Lewis is another one who seems to find humor in Kermit being mean to Piggy just because picking on fat chicks--who are obviously stupid, otherwise they wouldn't be fat, right?--is always fun and good for a rude laugh.
This is always troublesome to me, because it goes against the whole "our differences make us strong" idea that is keystone to the muppets appeal. (Unless, of course, you're Piggy, in which case your differences only make it acceptable to ridicule you and make fat jokes.)
I never worried, because critical mass always seemed to right what seemed wrong to me, and either a movie or a public appearance or something always seems to drive Piggy and Kermit back together again. "The Muppets" thrived on the reinvigoration of the Kermit-Piggy dynamic, with Piggy being self-actualized and deciding not to go back to the frog who NEEDS her but doesn't WANT her. Contrast that with psycho-pig who trashes the studio because of sharpies.

It dawned on me while I was writing the above what has seemed off and out-of-place.
The Muppets actually treated the muppets like adults.
It's "the muppets" who seems to equate puruile and mean with "grown up."
Ru, who is Still grateful there are always books when television is just stupid.

I can see and respect where you are coming from, however I respectfully disagree with your analysis on Kermit in this series.

While the show has a long way to go before it finally hits its stride, we've already seen fair examples of Kermit trying to walk the line between 'Boss Kermit' and 'Friend Kermit', especially when Piggy and Fozzie are concerned.

Pig Girls Don't Cry:

Here, the harsh breakup is still causing a huge amount of tension between Kermit and Piggy. Kermit's feelings are probably still very raw considering that he was the one who ended it. Very much like the 'Fantastic Miss Piggy Show' where Kermit stone-facedly continued to direct the special after their disagreement, here Kermit buries himself into his job as the EP to keep his mind busy. So when the Elizabeth Banks issue pops up, he is so focused on the show that he becomes blinded to Piggy's feelings associated with the actress.

However, once Piggy confronts him about it Kermit never hesitates to admit that he had been an 'insensitive toad' towards her. He really does care about Piggy and wants to be able to work with her on a daily basis without the awkward tension that seems to be constantly between them.

Hostile Makeover:

There is no denying that Kermit uses what he knows about Piggy to manipulate her into doing things for the benefit of the show-I will not deny that. It's a bit difficult to justify Boss Kermit's actions as a positive thing.

In Hostile Makeover, Piggy's irrational behaviour over not having a date (blame the writers for that particular bit of poor character development) is causing the rest of the troupe a huge amount of grief-it's affecting the morale of everybody involved. So Kermit had to step in and do something before Piggy went too far and started to break down the other Muppets to the point where it would start to affect the quality of the show.

Kermit was convinced that setting up Piggy with Groban would be able to make her happy and spare his friends and himself from her wrath. He had no possible way of knowing that Groban would turn around and talk Piggy into making terrible decisions for the show. So, Friend Kermit who had helped her find a new boyfriend had to give way to Boss Kermit so he could save the show and keep Piggy's successful career on track.

Yes, using Piggy's rather large ego against her was a bit sneaky, but Kermit knew it was the quickest and cleanest way of getting rid of Groban and allowing Piggy to keep her dignity.

Bear Left then Bear Write:

Once again, Friend Kermit and Boss Kermit collide when it comes to being honest with Fozzie about his terrible sketch. At first, Kermit's longtime friendship with Fozzie causes the frog to lie in order to protect Fozzie's feelings. Any decent friend would. But of course, once Fozzie decides to leave the show to pursue his new ambition to write a movie, Boss Kermit has to step in once again.

However, Friend Kermit is still in charge of the situation. Once he realizes how lying to Fozzie was the wrong way to go, Kermit goes after him to apologize and to offer to help him draft the sketch until it's production worthy. Boss Kermit is just happy to have Fozzie back as the show's sidekick.

Pig Out:

Once again, Kermit proves to be sneaky and rather manipulative, but yet again, it is perfectly justified by the fact that the troupes foolish actions are being fueled by Piggy's decision to act irresponsibly. A successful pig such as herself should be able to realize that partying all night then turning up to work at 2 in the afternoon-hungover or still half-drunk- is a damaging thing to do for ones career.

Yes, it's wonderful that she finally connected with the other Muppets, and yes she deserves to have as many friends as she likes. But these guys are also her co-workers and she was leading them down a path that could potentially destroy all of their careers. There's a big difference between letting loose on a Saturday night and doing it every day of the week.

What choice did Kermit have? Really? What kind of boss, not to mention friend would he be to let his friends go and to stupid things? He needed to step in and stop the problem at the source: Piggy.

Once again, he used Piggy's own ego against her. While it was harsh, it needed to be done to restore order. Piggy is more than welcome to go out and enjoy some quality time with the other Muppets; just as long as it is in moderation.

Also consider:

At San Diego Comic Con, Bill Prady stated that 'Kermit's fatal flaw is that he has hired his friends. His weakness is that he cares.' Kermit finding that particular balance between boss and friend is going to be his main story-arc throughout the series. When you think about it, this is the first time that Steve Whitmire, alongside the writers, have a solid foundation on which to develop Kermit beyond what he has been reduced to over time.

So if the show is granted the opportunity to develop and grow- then so will our favourite frog!

Believe me when I say that I am not trying to change your opinion in the slightest. I just think you're being a little too harsh on Kermit when the series has barely begun. Give him time.

 

[Drtooth]

I'm enjoying these shows, but there's something about the plotting and the amount of story they're giving that isn't quite feeling right with me.

It's almost like the case of M11 and MMW. Both films had a lot of plot threads and ideas that couldn't fit into a whole movie. This episode felt kinda the same. I get the entire plot and how it worked out, but I feel like some of it could've been fleshed out more; maybe the ending where everyone comes in late.

That's the one thing I have issue with this show as well. Like charlietheowl said a couple pages back they cram too much into a half hour. Seems like they only really need an A and B plot, and the C plots should have been edited out. Plus, I really want to see some continuity of past subplots have a greater effect on the episodes that came after it. Maybe even cutting down one of the subplots and show more of Miss Piggy's show? In this episode, I really think there should have been another little scene with Staler and Fozzie bonding, especially since that would have made the payoff a little more satisfying. There's always room for improvement in that area specifically.

And btw just the other week I was predicting something very like this drunk thing and being told it wouldn't happen.

Ehhh...no. You predicted Piggy getting drunk, falling off her chair and everyone laughing at her.

I saw nothing but Muppets bonding with each other and getting closer to the Pig, as well as Piggy enjoying the company of her writing staff. Nothing mean spirited or juvenile about it.

 

[Drtooth]

Getting karate chopped all the time, being tricked into marriage, being unwanted-ly advanced upon. He sure hasn't suffered at all.

At the risk of double posting, I found this on a Cracked Photoplasty...

Forgot the link http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_1738_15-movie-romances-that-are-actually-creepy-as-****/

 

[CensoredAlso]

I'm sorry, what exactly do you guys think real romance is? Two Stepford people frolicking in the grass together? Yes, Kermit and Piggy have their quirks and personal issues. Don't we all! Doesn't mean they don't compliment each other, doesn't mean they're not meant to be together. Mocking their relationship in such an adolescent way (on a show that isn't Robot Chicken) isn't good writing. Again, it's a huge misunderstanding not just of their characters, but of adult relationships in general.

that-are-actually-creepy-as-****/

Charming....

Yes, I get that it's a joke and no I'm not a prude (big South Park fan here). But I can't stand that juvenile jaded Internet humor. It's not clever, it's not articulate, certainly not original; it takes literally two seconds of the most shallow thoughts the human mind can muster. People who write that stuff don't live life. They just sit back and mock anyone who does so they themselves don't have to risk getting hurt.

:: Sorry about that, lol. Again, quirks and personal issues. My boyfriend understands.

 

[rexcrk]

This is definitely my favorite episode of the season so far.

I love that Ed Helms was the guest, I loved him on The Office and I hated how people were so unwilling to give him a chance as manager.

It was really funny that Sam developed a little crush on Janice.

Isn't funny how Denise was only in the first episode?

 

[LouisTheOtter]

I didn't think this episode was as funny or well-written as the first three but I still enjoyed it, from the pure entertainment standpoint as well as the continued development of previously-existing and relatively new character relationships.

The highlight for me was the B-story of Fozzie and Statler. I am absolutely delighted that so far, this show has gone a long way to developing Fozzie beyond the one-note bad-joke-factory that he has often been reduced to in the last 15 years. It feels like every relationship Fozzie has is complicated - with Becky, with his idols (Jay Leno), with the hecklers, even with Kermit - and I have thoroughly enjoyed the MAJOR role he has played in the early stages of this show. That's a credit to Eric as a performer and to the writers and producers for having the foresight to make Fozzie front-and-center.

Among the many things I liked about that plotline: The visual gag of the T-shirt bowling over Statler (Mrs. Otter and I laughed out loud, literally, at how that was executed); Uncle Deadly telling Kermit that he's "very good at hiding things"; Fozzie explaining his difficult relationship with the hecklers (both before and after being "suckered" by Statler); Statler getting a little character depth and even inspiring some sympathy before we learn it's all a ruse; the gag about Waldorf going to the hospital and accidentally being taken to the morgue (that felt like it could have come straight out of TMS); and the tight, funny final scene with S&W suckering Fozzie yet again. I think that's my favourite closing scene of this entire series so far, partly because it feels so "classic" and even organic to have S&W get the last joke of the night.

Also: "Arse over teakettle" (a popular expression in my part of Canada) actually sounds right coming out of Statler's mouth. I have no earthly idea why. It just does.

Lots of wonderful bits sprinkled throughout the rest of the show, particularly in the karaoke scene. The Chef doing "Rapper's Delight" makes me laugh every single time I've seen it in ads, on the actual episode, and in the viral clips uploaded to YouTube overnight. And I also got a kick out of Bunsen & Beaker's "I Got You Babe" (and Beaker's Piggy impersonation), "Love Shack" with Gonzo, Rizzo and a droopy-eyed Pepe, and "Don't Stop Believing" - I almost wish we could have seen more of that last one. Maybe there will be extra "karaoke footage" on the DVD release...

I woke up this morning with Sam Eagle's rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings" running through my head. (Only mildly disturbing.) The Sam-and-Janice plotline, which I had read about in an early-season media story about the new show, looks like it could work. Sam's initial reaction to Janice saying "Hi Sam" was just priceless. And, let's face it, we've seen him dancing with a random young woman prior to Gonzo's family's arrival in MFS, getting weepy with Ty Burrell near the tail end of MMW, and then getting freaky on Mai Tais in the recent "Jungle Boogie" video - why COULDN'T Sam have a crush on Janice???

I'm not sure if people are reading too much into the Beaker-and-Bunsen-in-each-other's-clothes joke. I enjoyed it purely on the level that the two of them were letting loose and getting silly, like the rest of the gang. That being said, Bunsen's "If it happened outside the office, it doesn't count" line was a hoot.

With all due respect to other MC regulars who disagree with me on this point, count me in the camp that doesn't find it blasphemous that some of the Muppets might enjoy a drink now and then. (I would have stopped watching the Muppets decades ago if that was the case.) Like Muppet Master a few posts back, the biggest issue I had with the Rowlf's Tavern scene was the inexcusable lack of, well...ROWLF!

And...Kermit being too manipulative? What? He showed up at the office (with donuts, no less!) and found it empty, felt betrayed by the FRIENDS he had hired to fill these roles, and somehow he WASN'T supposed to do something to fix the situation? I think he could have been a lot harsher - on Piggy or anyone else - than he actually was. (Don't forget, this is the same frog that actually fired both Piggy and Fozzie, let the Electric Mayhem quit, and also fired, re-hired and re-fired Wayne and Wanda - onstage, mid-song! - during the TMS run.)

As mentioned at the outset, I enjoyed this episode even though I didn't feel it was quite as good as the previous two. The bar has been set high from the outset of this series, so even a "good" episode is still a great night of entertainment, from where I sit. Looking forward to the next one! (Two weeks! I have to wait two weeks?!?)

 

[Randall Flagg]

For me, this show is at a 50% success rate now. Episodes 2 and 3 were good, but episodes 1 and 4 were a bit blah.

 

[CensoredAlso]

With all due respect to other MC regulars who disagree with me on this point, count me in the camp that doesn't find it blasphemous that some of the Muppets might enjoy a drink now and then

You guys say we disagree but the thing is you guys keep insisting we're saying things we really haven't been. Over and over we've said we appreciate the Muppets having edgy humor and over and over again we've said we know other Muppet projects had alcohol. And over and over again we've said it's a question of execution. And over and over again, apparently all you guys have heard us say is "We don't want to see the Muppets drinking."