It’s time to play the music! It’s time to light the lights! It’s time for a recap of The Muppets tonight! ABC gave us yet another great episode, so if you were looking for harsh criticism or the nonsense “#notmymuppets” hashtag, it’s just not gonna happen. Actually, having even typed that hashtag once makes me feel like a doofus and I can’t imagine there are people out there to continually rail against a show that blends the new and old so perfectly. Lets get to it.
Kermit, Fozzie & Becky
Tonight’s episode featured the wonderful Riki Lindhome once again playing Fozzie’s girlfriend Becky, one of, if not the only human regulars in the series. She and Fozzie seem to be getting along well.  So well that Fozzie tells Kermit he’s planning on asking her to move in with him. It’s a big step in any relationship and Kermit feels he’s moving way too fast, especially considering they’ve only been together for twelve weeks. In classic sitcom fashion, Kermit’s overprotective attitude toward Fozzie causes some turmoil after he sticks his nose (or whatever frogs have) where it shouldn’t belong. Incorrect conclusions are drawn and it causes a rift between the two best friends for a bit.
Thank the sitcom gods that this is wrapped up within the half hour. As the format of the show has the tendency to do, this plot felt very Office-esque that screamed of Michael or Dwight overstepping their boundaries. Â That said, it was refreshing to see that Kermit was playing a bit of the fool.
Scooter’s Got Game
The main plot (as far as I’m concerned) involved our dear little Scooter attracting the attention from the one and only Chelsea Handler. While on Piggy’s show, Handler admits that she’s really just looking to date a nice, lovable dork after dating too many jerks. Scooter, who has a thing for Handler, musters up the courage to ask her out and does so in the dorkiest way possible.
It's love at first scoot as @chelseahandler​ stops by on tonight's #TheMuppets! @GoferScooterhttps://t.co/JMXgiDWV42
— The Muppets on ABC (@TheMuppetsABC) November 17, 2015
Handler takes it a bit too far — for ol Scoots’ anyways — by ending the first date with a first kiss. Scooter, who has lived an incredibly sheltered life up to this point, reels at how “forward” Chelsea was being and tries to break things off. The two eventually meet a middle ground, so it’ll be fascinating to see where this relationship goes.
The episode hits a few punchlines alluding to Scooter’s unhealthily close relationship he has with his mother, and putting the outspoken and risque Handler into the mix seems like the perfect catalyst for more Scooter plots. I still hope we eventually meet his mom’s boyfriend, Ken. I’d love to see Scooter introduce Handler, to his mother but the show already went that route with Fozzie and Becky so it’d be a bit odd to recycle that plot device.
All in all, it was another great episode of The Muppets. There isn’t anything glaring that should be addressed and not much they’re doing wrong. Even when things seem like they’d get old hat, the show slaps that thought out of the air. An example of this in tonight’s episode is when Kermit, seemingly in testimonial format, is actually trying to hold conversations with people. They assume he’s addressing the camera crew and don’t bother to listen or participate which is just fantastic. Holding a lens up to the format of the show itself and poking logical holes in it is a credit to the show’s great writing, as well as the awareness they must have for what they’re doing.
Muppet Musings
- “She really filled in some of the gaps from that talk we got in health class”
- Scooter’s grasp of what constitutes vulgarity is adorable.
- Fozzie has belly hair plugs. Poor guy.
- “Beautiful and wise, just like my Mmmmo… *ahem* – you. “
- The band is really making use of their MMICs
- I feel a standalone Rizzo and Pepe episode coming in the future. They’re the Rafi and Dirty Randy of the series
.@TheMuppetsABC SNEAK PEEK: Scooter starts a hot & heavy relationship with @ChelseaHandler. https://t.co/9a9ItdgqTzhttps://t.co/q12CmW8kUC
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) November 17, 2015
What did you think of “Too Hot To Handler”? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image: ABC
