The Muppets - S1E15/16 - Generally Inhospitable/Because… Love

Previously on The Muppets, ‘Little Green Lie‘

Images: ABC

“Yes! Kermit loves me. We’re getting back together!”

The Muppets closed out its first season with a two-part finale which ended with a cliffhanger that suggested perhaps-sorta-maybe Kermit and Miss Piggy will get back together. Amusing that the show is renewed for a second season, of course. Before I talk about the rest of the season finale, I’d like to address the elephant in the room: Kermit and Piggy’s relationship. The seeds for their sudden return as a couple seems a bit contrived given how quickly they rushed Denise out of the picture after the winter hiatus and how much the show kept touting the break-up as a massive gamechanger during the lead-up to the pilot episode.

Now don’t misunderstand me, Kermit and Piggy are an iconic couple. But all the kerfuffle surrounding their very, very publicized break-up as a driving point of how “modern” and “edgy” this show was going to be all seems moot now that they’re pretty much getting back together again after 16 episodes. What was the point of Denise? What was the point of their entire break-up if the writers were going to inevitably revert to the Muppet-verse’s status quo?

“Peace and bless, fools!”

The rest of the finale’s storylines weren’t too bad. After gruesomely twisting her ankle during rehearsal, Piggy insists on hosting the next episode of her show from the confines of her hospital bed. It comes as no surprise that morphine-addled Piggy would be comedy gold. The misadventures of Rizzo, Pepe, and Yolanda - especially involving Pizza - elicited a few chuckles. It was also really nice to see Rowlf in one of the show’s sketches.

The show did a great job utilizing musical guests Willie Nelson and Jack Black in both episodes. “On the Road Again” is such a Nelson classic that rings true to the spirit of the Muppets as an ensemble cast while Jack Black’s cover of “You are the Sunshine of My Life” was nothing short of brilliant. If there’s one thing that the new showrunners have done right at least, it’s capitalizing on the Muppet’s song-and-dance variety show roots.

Side Notes

Quote of the Week:“I’m touching my face and it feels amazing, Captain Unicorn!”- Miss Piggy

• Uncle Deadly was great in this episode, as usual. He should have the title of “The Pork Whisperer” in his resume with how deftly he handles Piggy’s insanity.
• “Peace and bless, fools!”-Pizza
• Janice’s awkward one-liners are an absolute treasure
• “This must all be part of the grand gesture of love!”-Piggy
• “It looks like Liberace’s quinceañera in here.”-Rizzo
• Jack Black and Kermit singing together in a car was everything to me. Everything.