Warning: kissing spoiler/review ahead. You have been warned.
Warning: Frog/Pig relationship dissection ahead--adult emotions will be discussed. If that frightens you, please feel free to hide until the scary parts are over.
Kermit has just rescued the day (and Miss Piggy). Piggy has just whacked the ever-living
tar out of Constantine, who finally realizes what an amazing woman she is, prompting Kermit to jealously declare, "Yeah--
my woman!" A lot has happened in the last few moments--
tons of revelations and lots of heroics and our two romantic leads are a little shy with each other. Kermit apologizes for ruining Piggy's wedding--a cheeky, bold move, full of sass and self-confidence because he now knows that Piggy doesn't just want a
wedding--she wants
him. Piggy is a little flummoxed in the face of Kermit's declaration of Mine-mine-mine, but she manages to tell him how glad she is that he came to the rescue. They are incredibly proud of themselves, and incredibly proud of each other, and there is nothing to stop them smooching but a seriously-smacked-around frog passed out on the floor of the helicopter, so they do. It isn't a "Gone With the Wind" moment--not by any stretch--but it is a good start on more of the same.
I liked the vibe I got off this kiss--it was honest and self-assured and more love-of-a-lifetime kiss than a heat-of-the-moment kiss. Also, I'd like to point out that Kermit never says "No" to Piggy's question about marrying her. He says "I
would' among his other babbling. Before, when they argue about the wedding, it doesn't sound to me like Kermit is actually arguing over
whether or not they should get married, but the whole "event" of it. He complains to Piggy that he hasn't even proposed yet, and says that, based on the current "bridezilla" conversation (my words, not his) he's not sure....he doesn't finish that thought. This fight
also had a realistic feel to it. It sounded like two people who are very different trying to plan a huge, life-defining moment. I read Kermit's protest
this way--he is going to come to this marriage and this proposal under his own steam, and not be pushed along. Mostly, it sounds/feels like he wants to be a part of the process and have a say in when and how it happens--not just be shoved to the alter like a stage prop. In the junior novel (
Is there a senior novel?), Kermit actually tells Piggy "I love you" during this argument. (Apparently, the sorry script gods do not allow actual, honest confessions of strong feelings--unless, of course, they are made by characters we don't see again.)
Also, almost immediately after he yells at Piggy, Kermit apologizes--something he has
never been good at. He is still getting used to the idea that Piggy is back--that she
came back for
him, and is
staying for him. He made a huge mess of everything before, and when
that happened, Piggy left. When Piggy left, he sort of lost his ability to manage things. Eventually, the other muppets left him, too, and his argument with Piggy was the catalyst for that. I see his natural caution emerging--he certainly doesn't want to mess things up again. The MMW junior novel says Kermit says it
this way: "Love isn't about doing what everyone wants. Love is about doing what you know is best."
In October of 2011, I wrote it this way:
Piggy stared at Jimmy in astonishment for the second time in this conversation. The thought that Kermit might cave in, might give over to her and let her have her way—whether it was good for her or not—was astounding.
Kermit is what turned this ragtag band of performers into a show that people might actually want to see, so in a sense, Constantine is correct--nobody wants to see their show--at least, not in the state that it's in. A real show--a good show--takes practice and planning and discipline, and they need Kermit for that. Which is why, to me, the idea that they wouldn't notice the difference between Constantine and Kermit felt not just silly but wrong. But then, I've obviously thought about this a lot....
If you've thought about this a lot (or if you're just a dabbler)...wade right in. The water's fine.