The Muppets 1.02 “Hostile Makeover”

I held my breath and turned in for the second episode of The Muppets…and was thrilled! The magic that the Muppets had harnessed in The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014) was shining through much of the episode.

The pace was set early on with Miss Piggy flipping out because she did not have a date for The People’s Choice Awards. She was not just upset. It was as if Hurricane Piggy had ravaged the set. The other characters were cowering and waiting for Miss Piggy to storm off. It was comedic scene that was reminiscent of a classic Frank Oz performance as Miss Piggy. It was a great way to open the episode and for the Muppets to show viewers that they are back. I just hope it carries on throughout the rest of the season.

Kermit and the others worked tirelessly to find an eligible famous heartthrob to book for Up Late with Miss Piggy, the show within the show. When they booked Josh Groban, Kermit used his Miss Piggy knowledge to set the mood during a duet which ended in a passionate singer on pig smooch! Although Groban made Miss Piggy easier to deal with backstage, his influence made her show terrible. Kermit and the gang were stuck between a happy Miss Piggy and an awful show or Hurricane Piggy and a great show.

In a side plot, Fozzie is invited to a party hosted by Jay Leno and he decides to steal a candy dish to have as a souvenir. He is then haunted with the prospect that Leno might realize that he stole from him. When Leno invites Fozzie over again to discuss a tour, Fozzie has the opportunity to make amends which takes a fun Muppet twist for the worst. As funny as I typically find Jay Leno to be, he not only looked like a bloated “fat Elvis” with white hair, but his scene seemed forced. Fozzie, however, was great and it reminded me once again on Oz’s original performance back the in the early days of The Muppet Show.

I cannot say that the Muppets are 100% back with this episode, but it is a victory. Future episodes will tell if it was just a fluke or if they have found their footing and rhythm after only two episodes. There are still some odd and awkward jokes that left me feeling uncomfortable. Alluding to NBC’s hit comedy Friends (1995), Kermit reveals that he and Miss Piggy had a “list” of acceptable celebrity partners and he continues that if he and Lea Thompson were ever stuck in an elevator together…it was a cringe worthy moment. It is one thing for celebrities to gush, flirt, and even kiss Muppet characters, but some of the sexual innuendoes are just too much. It did provide for a good laugh and bookend scene at the end of the episode when Kermit boards an elevator with lo and behold Lea Thompson as a passenger only to be interrupted by Gonzo who storms onto the elevator. Interestingly, Gonzo is still performed by veteran Muppet performer Dave Goelz, but Gonzo has not found his niche on this show yet. Hopefully, the writers can figure out how to write for him and where exactly he fits into the cast.

The Electric Mayhem Band remains true to form and fits perfectly as the house band of Miss Piggy’s show. Bobo the Bear competes with the Muppet Newsman in a fun parody of office’s all over America as they try to find buyers for their respective daughters’ Girl Scout cookies. The Electric Mayhem are very generous customers as they cookies are a perfect cure for the munchies. For those Muppet historians like myself out there, this episode marks one of the few times the trumpet player for the band, Lips, speaks. Other rare times he has spoken was singing a verse of “Barnyard Boogie” in a sketch from The Muppet Show (1976), a few lines from The Great Muppet Caper (1981), and when he simply muttered “uh huh” in The Muppets (2011). Perhaps Lips will become further developed in this series.

The MVP of this episode, behind Miss Piggy, of course, was not even a Muppet. Laurence Fishburne, star of the ABC comedy Black-ish (2014) cruises by Kermit on the backlot in a golf cart and heckles him about how awful Late Night with Miss Piggy is! Fishburne had the funniest lines of the episode and delivered them with wonderful timing. If only those lines had been reserved for Statler or Waldorf instead of just showing them groaning and hiding their faces!

Hiccups aside, I enjoyed the episode and feel a bit more hopeful that The Muppets may be able to pull through. I give this episode 4 out of 5 rubber chickens!