The Muppets S01E14 “Little Green Lie” REVIEW

Airing in the UK on Sky One, Mondays, 8pm
Writers: Dave Caplan, Jordan Reddout, Gus Hickey
Director: Bill Barretta

Essential Plot Points:

• Kermit’s nephew Robin is coming to visit, but as the kid’s been going through a rough time Kermit doesn’t have the heart to tell him he’s split up with Miss Piggy.
• Kermit and Miss Piggy therefore spend a day pretending they’re still a couple – which causes consternation among the crew, who have to lie to Robin.
• Rizzo and Pepe are enjoying living with Gonzo, but now that Gonzo has moved his girlfriend in, they’re missing a wing man when they go out. So they audition Sam, Big Mean Carl and Chip.
• Robin, Kermit and Miss Piggy play Laser Tag, where a well-meaning but stupid Scooter accidentally lets slip that he’s glad Kermit and Miss Piggy are back together in front of the kid. A news crew also turns up to ask if it’s true they’ve reconciled. Robin knows the truth!
• Kermit and Miss Piggy apologise for deceiving Robin, who says he can’t understand why they’re not together as they’re perfect for each other. Cue Kermit and Miss Piggy trying to pretend it’s not true while they clearly still have feelings.
• To Rizzo and Pepe’s surprise, Sam, Big Mean Carl and Chip succeed in leaving the bar with Lara Spencer (Good Morning America host) but they leave them behind.
• Just as they’re mourning their loss, Gonzo turns up and becomes their wing man again. Hugs happen.

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Review:

There are so many genuinely brilliant one-liners and set-ups fired off in this episode it’s hard to keep track of them all, from Sweetums announcing: “My fish died. I hugged ’em too much,” to the end credits gag that has two models having a meta-pillowfight before one of them wonders how there are so many feathers, given that the pillows are memory foam; Camilla the chicken’’s indignant face when she realises they’re all from her chest is a treat. When The Muppets works this well it’s hard to imagine why it’s not one of the highest-rated, most-loved shows on television today, but that’s showbiz for you. Bah.

That said, as usual the writers have gone with a deeply familiar plot: two exes reuniting to pretend they’re together for someone who can’t handle the fact they’re apart. It could’ve been terrible, but a few things make it work: the fact the crew run away screaming when they see Robin; Fozzie trying to act as though Kermit and Miss Piggy are together and totally ruining it; Scooter being unable to lie, then unwittingly doing so (“I’m the first person ever to lie on Twitter!” he wails). Oh, and Kermit and Miss Piggy, of course, who somehow muster more chemistry as pieces of felt and other material than some human couples do. Amazing.

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The Guests:

• Lara Spencer, TV host

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The Good:

• The Swedish Chef has famously talked in gibberish since his creation, and people always understand him. Until now… “I can’t understand a word this guy says!” laughs Robin.
• Zoot’s perfect stoner humour in action: “I tried to leave last night but the sign said ‘Fire Door’. I didn’t wanna risk it.”
• Why is it not surprising that Miss Piggy is good at Laser Tag? We also love the kid that runs up and asks, “Are you Miss Piggy?” To which she replies: “HIYAAA!” and zaps him. “Never meet your heroes,” Kermit says ruefully.
• Drunk Pepe is the greatest thing that has ever been on The Muppets. “Maybe I will become a priest,” he burbles, utterly sloshed. “It’s just another kind of turtleneck…”

• Actually, scratch that: watching a chicken pecking out a message on an iPhone could be the other greatest thing to have ever been on The Muppets. Why is it funny? WHY? We can’t analyse it. It just is.

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The Bad:

• What’s with all the references to eating each other in this episode? Kermit says: “We can finally go out for barbecue with a clear conscience,” while referring to leaving Miss Piggy behind; Big Mean Carl eats a dog (Fozzy: “Foo-Foo!” Carl: “He got the ball. He’s happy”); Rizzo announces he won’t eat chicken or snails; there’s a deeply uncomfortable gag about eggs based on the fact Gonzo’s dating a chicken… what kind of messed-up world do these guys all live in?!

And The Random:

• These candid shots of Robin’s last visit are superb.

• Best Quote: Big Mean Carl, after coughing up Foo-Foo: “Do you like wet puppies, Lara?”

Reviewed by Jayne Nelson

• Read our reviews of previous episodes of The Muppets