Dear Internet,
It is
kind of funny now that I think about it.
I spent yesterday's post describing how "The Muppet Show"
relies on a certain number of skits that repeat from one episode to the next and
that these skits are repeated for ease of use for the show's format. Now that I have started to watch season
three, some things have changed that somewhat go against what I said.
The
change that I noticed first is probably the one that is least apparent and
deals with what I had said about repeating skits. Those skits are just not repeating. I should not put it like that. Those repeating skits are still there but are
not as repetitious as they were in seasons 1 and 2. The two ones I talked about, Pigs in Space,
and Veterinarian's Hospital, have reduced in number considerably. I think of the 12 episodes I watched, less
than four had either or of these skits.
At the Dance, a sketch where Muppet dancers would waltz around while delivering
puns, also seemed to have dropped in consistency. This change in format does two things for the
show. First, the time that the show
would usually allot for these skits is then used for new skits. This means that the show is able to reach out
and try new things. The second thing is
that with these skits having new premises, there is a chance that the skits
will bomb. The reason shows repeat
material is because they know it works.
Exploding Muppets is funny, so the show blows up Muppets. It is funny when Fozzie Bear gets heckled, so
he is heckled. It is funny when Miss
Piggy hits Kermit, so he bears it for the sake of our enjoyment. The fact that "The Muppet Show" was
willing to expand on their bag of tricks works well for them because there is plenty
more that can be done with those felt puppets.
The
second notable change is the continuity that occurs within each episode. For the most part, the previous episodes all
had some sort of side story that was occurring while the show was being
performed. Something like Miss Piggy
being jealous of the new talent or Fozzie trying to get extra acts in because
his mother was in the audience. These
plots would add a bit of flavor to the goings on behind the stage and would add
extra entertainment between acts.
However, previously these backstage plots would be occurring and have
little impact with the skits being performed.
Kermit might comment about his troubles about putting on a certain
sketch or number until it actually gets performed, but what was occurring on
the side lines did not affect the performances themselves. In season 3, this changes dramatically. What happens on the side of the stage readily
spills over. The episode's plot is relevant
to the skits and numbers being performed.
Take the Gilda Radner episode. I
one skit, the Muppet scientist develops a new kind of superglue. The glue is then, of course, mishandled and
Radner finds herself glued to a number of things. After that, the super glue seems to appear
for the rest of the episode. It even
continues to plague Ragner in a later musical number where she is still stuck
on the items that she had been adhered to earlier. The Muppets are glued to one another until
they have to give their closing bows as one giant blob of joined
individuals. Even the hecklers in the
box find themselves glued to their seats for a change, albeit unwillingly.
I like
this change in the show. Now, the things
that happen in the episode's plot seem meaningful and draw in my
attention. In the earlier seasons, the
plot of each episode had trouble drawing me in because it was so marginalized. If there was some problem occurring, it did
not feel like a big deal. In these
episodes, it spilled over to the point where Kermit's problems would make an
impact on the show considerably. Characters
from one skit would trespass into another's and the comical mayhem would ensue.
"The
Muppet Show" changes things up just enough when things were beginning to get
a bit stale. The repeated skits, while
still funny, were getting close to being a sign of copping out for lack of different
and original material. I did not mind
the use of repeating premises, but I find the new and different material that
stands in its place to be plenty entertaining.
Yours in digital,
BeepBoop
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