The Muppets S01E07 “Pigs In A Blackout” REVIEW

The Muppets S01E07 “Pigs In A Blackout” REVIEW

0 comments 📅30 November 2015, 20:50

The Muppets S01E07 “Pigs In A Blackout” REVIEW

 

Kermit around humans 2

stars 3.5

Airing in the UK on Sky One, Mondays, 8pm
Writers: Margee Magee, Angeli Millan (teleplay); Steve Rudnick, Emily Wilson (story)
Director: Matt Sohn

 

Essential Plot Points:

  • Kermit is so stressed at work that he faints, so is sent off to a “mindfulness” clinic to recover.
  • Scooter fills in while he’s away… and things do not go well.
  • Sam continues his terrible attempts to woo Janice.
  • Jason Bateman distracts Kermit at the clinic, getting him thrown out, but Rolf saves the day by giving Kermit an idea about how to relax.

Kermit around humans 1

Review:

Those who find themselves wondering “How on Earth does Kermit cope with all these maniacs each week?” finally get their answer in this episode: sometimes, he doesn’t. And frankly, if we had to deal with everything from malfunctioning lifts (imagine if Miss Piggy had been in that lift for hours – she’d have killed someone once she was released!) to Carl the receptionist attacking delivery guys, we’d probably have a fainting spell ourselves.

However, the crux of the story is that once Kermit goes off on holiday and Scooter takes over, things go to hell because Kermit is no longer in charge – which seems a bit unfair, given the chaos Kermit already deals with. The Miss Piggy show is always disorganised, so it’s a bit rich to show us the place falling apart and blame Scooter. Plus, all the poor guy does is flick an air-con switch! Still, it’s a learning experience for him – in that he doesn’t run away – and all’s well that ends well.

At least there’s a ton of humour to be mined from Miss Piggy losing all her clothes to condensation (“My babies! MY BABIES!”) and it’s also a great excuse to bash Beaker for the first time since the first episode… twice! Poor Beaker.

Jason Bateman

The Guests:

  • Jason Bateman
  • Pentatonix (a band who won season three of The Sing-Off)

Beaker bashing 1

 

The Good:

  • There’s some fabulous witty banter this week, with excellent plays on words (Kermit: “I feel awful!” Bobo: “Falafel? Could you get me one of those, please?”), general silliness (Kermit: “I want everybody know I’m fine.” Zoot: “Are you sure? You look a little green”) and clever observations (Rolf: “I don’t like those New Age places. They tell you to relax and then they stick you outside with a million squirrels who won’t mind their own damn business”).
  • The clinic is amusingly twee, with Kermit being asked to study a blueberry intently before eating it and think about his bottom as he’s sitting on it. Ah, California.
  • The sight of Kermit mingling with full-sized humans will never not be funny.

Kermit singing

  • Kermit sings “The Rainbow Connection”! D’awww! This was the introductory song to 1979’s The Muppet Movie, and was nominated for an Oscar. It’s lovely to hear it here, as a little nod to the Muppets’ long, fondly remembered history.

Kermit post-faint

The Bad:

  • We don’t find out what happened at the kids’ show. Did the ungrateful Jason simply take Kermit’s help and never contact him again? What a git.
  • Carl on reception is wonderful. WE LOVE HIM. But really… he wouldn’t last ten minutes in that job, would he? Surely he would’ve been sued to kingdom-come by now?
  • Dudley calls Miss Piggy “sausagey”. Which is, when you think about it, really, really inappropriate. As is this week’s episode title…

Beaker bashing 2

The Random:

  • Jason sees Kermit and announces, “Kermit The Frog!” To which Kermit replies, “Jason The Bateman!” And suddenly we’re wondering what a bateman is.
  • Best Quote: Gonzo: “What is the oldest saying in Hollywood?” Scooter: “’This is where we’ll put Hollywood?’”

Reviewed by Jayne Nelson


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