The Muppets - S1E4 - Pig Out

Previously on The Muppets, ‘Bear Left Then Bear Write’

“Wait a minute. You want me to force the crew to ask you out so you can say ‘No?’”

Drama ensues when Miss Piggy discovers that her staff have been going on post-show outings without her. She decides to put that trend to an end by dropping by to rub elbows with her employees (much to their collective dismay). The surprise twist is that things go exceedingly and eerily well. As it turns out, Miss Piggy is actually fun to party with and Ed Helms shows up to engage the Muppets in good old fashioned karaoke.

Miss Piggy is back in the spotlight this week and that is one of the major elements that made this episode successful. While I’ve voiced my criticism of their script and how it holds back on the humor and creates lukewarm subplots, they seem to have really nailed it this week. Piggy is a delight on screen what with her being allowed to exercise every delicious pound of her self-absorbed diva personality (“Do these diamonds make me look relatable?”). And while there is a subplot involving Fozzie and one of the grumpy old men (Stantler with the prominent chin and not Waldorf with the mustache), it wasn’t as meandering as the previous subplots they’ve had involving Fozzie.

“Don’t stop believing!”

It’s true that the episode is a rehash of an old comedic plotline regarding a boss wanting to be invited to an employees-only work party. It’s also coincidental since this has happened on the Office before and their guest star this week is Ed Helms. The show succeeded in taking a story we’ve seen before and infusing it with a refreshing element: Muppets karaoke.

Whether in real life or fiction, karaoke has always been an outlet for people to express themselves. It takes a lot of guts to get on stage and sing and leaves a person very vulnerable to their captive audience. Each character’s song choice revealed a lot about themselves while adding humor to the episode. It was entertaining to see The Swedish Chef sing (or bork) “Rapper’s Delight” and Beaker shock his co-workers with his rendition of “I Got You, Babe.” There was even drunk Pepe and Gonzo leading the crew with a riotous performance of “Loveshack.” It was great to see the [non-existent] love triangle between Sam the Eagle, Janice, and Ed Helms developed through their song choices: Bette Middler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings” and Lisa Loeb’s “Stay.”

Fans of Ed Helms whether from the Office or the Daily Show know that he doesn’t shy away from the microphone and his role in this episode showcases how to effectively use a celebrity guest star.

Side Notes

• “We’re all just hanging by a thread. Tomorrow is promised to no one. Enjoy the show.” Grim humor Fozzie is much better than regular Fozzie.
• Where can I sign up for Astral Projection classes, Janice?
• I would pass on “Swedish Sushi” as well
• Pepe in the role of “Hamlet” sounds awesome. It should be a DVD extra.
• Ed Helms and all the Muppets singing “Don’t stop believing” was just brilliant.