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Riley's Fraggle Rock Reviews!

Season One, Episode Three- Let The Water Run

Greetings, reader! So glad to have you back. Today's episode is gonna highlight Red Fraggle, as well as a curious group of Fraggles who will never be seen again. Take that as you will. Cue the first gif!

(You’re playing a dangerous game of “Peek-A-Boo,” Gobo.)

Doc's busy fixing the boiler up in the workshop. Sprocket's "helping", and Gobo is waiting behind the hole in the wall to snag his postcard. He's brought Wembley with him this time, and tells him he'll get the card "like a thief in the night".

Doc's digging through a box for a gasket (more proof that he and Sprocket just moved here- he's still got boxes to unpack!), and while he's distracted, Gobo snags the card. Sprocket however, is far more observant, and lunges for the little Fraggle... until Doc asks for that wrench over there. After Gobo rushes back into the hole, panting, Wembley asks if he's doing alright. he reassures Wembley that "there's nothing to it!" The two of them proceed to run back to the Rock, yelping in terror (Gobo’s honk is especially amusing- if you’re keeping up on watching with me at home, keep an ear out for it!).

Back in Fraggle Rock, Red's putting up a lot of decorations. What's the event? Why, none other than her swimming extravaganza (the first of its kind)! Mokey brings in some costumes she's made, and Red tells Mokey that costumes are *her* department. So it seems is scenery, and publicity- as she callously dismisses a poster Wembley's made for her without even looking at it. "Is there anything we can do?" Gobo asks, and Red says nope! "I can do it on my own".

Oh wait, that's our first song already? Kind of an awkward transition here, from her saying the line to music suddenly starting up. This song is, of course, about how Red can do anything and everything to prepare for the extravaganza. It's a fine enough song, if a little on the nose. It's clear that Red's in the wrong here, and completely oblivious to the fact that she's hurting her friends. As she dances off screen, Mokey supposes she'll just head out to the Garden to pick some radishes.

She is quickly stopped by Junior Gorg, who is guarding the entrance to the outside world just in case any Fraggles sneak through. He in turn gets pulled away by Pa, when his dad ropes him into dramatic battle reenactments.

(Ooh, how details like this drive me wild! Is this a real map of a real Gorg Empire? Was there ever *really* an empire?)

Pa’s got the whole battle planned out. Junior, on the other hand, doesn’t know or care what he’s supposed to do as the enemy army. Admittedly, I enjoy the little stint into Gorg comedy, but Ma cuts things short when it's time for His Highness' Royal Bath. Pa apparently HATES bathtime, but Junior, glad to get out of battle, readies the water. He amicably says hello to the pump as he begins to gather buckets of water. Down in the Great Hall, Wembley pushes for Red to please look at the picture he worked so hard to make her. She dismisses him again, saying she's too busy, and heads off.

At the bottom of the Gorg's well is the source of their pump's water, the Fraggle Pond. Just as Junior pumps above, water drains below. Look to the gif on the left for a cute bit of humor as the water drains:

Wembley: “Why does it disappear every day?”

Junior: “Why does Daddy takes a bath every day?”

Mokey explains to Wembley that nobody knows why the water drains, but when it does, the Pipebangers come, and they bang the pipes until water flows back into the pond once more. Of course, her vision of it is much more sweepingly beautiful and poetic than how some other Fraggles would describe it (Red sums up the deed in one word— “wet”). Speaking of, here come the Pipebangers!

There’s another jolt from no sound design to sudden music as they come on the scene, but there’s a very groovy instrumental from the rhythm section as they come on the scene, and a fun percussion piece as they (as the name suggests) bang on the pipes. I don’t normally link instrumentals, but I’ll link this one because it’s a great deal of fun. Pipebangers!

(You may notice I didn’t put their group’s name in bold. That’s because, despite all the worldbuilding put into this episode, the Pipebangers are never seen again after their debut. This is due in part to changes in writing and in set design, both of which deemphasize pipes and pipe-banging as time goes on. This is an ongoing trend, by the way— the original opening had the Fraggle Five pipe-banging while they sang!)

When they finish, everybody looks to the pool expectantly… and nothing happens. Back in our world, Doc has apparently just turned off the water while he fixes the boiler. (Maybe it’s because of how many times I watched the episode for this review, but I find it odd that Doc’s house is the sole water source of not only the Fraggles, but the giant Gorgs, too. They all surely are drinking and swimming and bathing in a *lot* of water, and it’s all coming from one man’s house? Who were they all getting water from before Doc moved into the workshop? I’m sorry, but this is the one part of this whole water chain that I just don’t understand. Maybe if it was coming from Doc’s whole town…)

Red, having apparently been too busy decorating to notice, comes back to find the pond empty, and does a double-take when the Arch-Pipbanger (oldest of their sect) tells her that there is no water: “What do you mean there’s no water?! Bang the pipes!!” But it’s no use— the Arch-Banger tells her that pipes work in mysterious ways. Red exclaims that “millions of billions” of Fraggles (I’m sure an exaggeration..?) are coming to see her swimming extravaganza though, and the Arch-Banger asks if he can come too, because he just loves swimming shows. Red storms away from the empty pond in frustration.

Meanwhile, at the head of the pump, the water’s stopped coming out. Junior goes in to warn his parents, but Ma dismisses him and asks for one more bucket. Junior continues to find no water from the pump, and returns to tell his folks once more. Pa (who was playing navy in the tub) boisterously quotes to Junior what their ancestor Gorgus the Great used to say: “There is always water!”

(Hey, where did Ma’s eyelids get off to? She doesn’t have them at all this episode!)

Back in the Rock, everybody’s upset about the lack of water, but most especially Red, who slumps on a stone next to Wembley and Mokey. Gobo comes in to read the group his uncle’s postcard from this morning, but Red doesn’t have time for one of Matt’s silly fairy-tales. Gobo promises her this card will be very interesting. Today, Matt’s discovered creatures that can pull water from the sky.

He describes a group of Silly Creatures (humans) who all stand around a ritual site (bus stop), and use a strange device called an “umbrella” to draw water down from the heavens. First they look up, then they put their hands out, then pull their “umbrellas” up from under them, and whoosh! Down comes a plume of water (rain). After a small child comes out of the crowd to shelter Matt from the storm, he observes that the umbrella not only can make you wet, but keep you dry as well.

After Gobo finishes reading the card, Red calls phoney (This is a reoccurring trend throughout the series, by the way. Remember she didn’t believe the Mouth to Outer Space existed in Beginnings?). Gobo in turn calls her bluff. “Umbrellas” are real, and there’s one in the Workshop— he saw one there this morning. Red decides she needs to go get it, and Gobo warns her that she shouldn’t, she’s never been out there and it’s dangerous. But Red can do it on her own, and defiantly charges off to the Mouth of Outer Space. Mokey and Wembley ask Gobo to stop her before she gets hurt, and he promises to make sure she’s safe.

Red is a very athletic Fraggle, and has already made her way to the Fraggle Hole at the end of the tunnel. Something doesn’t feel right, though.

Wheezing steam pipes surround her, and Sprocket bays just outside the gateway. Try as she might to reassure herself, she just can’t seem to make it across the threshold. Maybe if she holds her breath, and runs out? But no avail. Fear is too strong.

She almost leaps out of her sweater when Gobo appears behind her. He tells her he’s only up here because he needed to stretch his legs. “Did you get the umbrella yet?” Gobo asks. Red tells him she’s just about to dash out there and get it, and Gobo responds coolly that he’ll just wait right here, if Red doesn’t mind. She says she doesn’t, but she’s lying as much to herself as she is to Gobo.

After one more lunge to the tunnel’s end, Red has to face the music— she just can’t do this one on her own. Gobo consoles Red, but she hasn’t said just what she needs to yet, so Gobo begins to head out, until Red finally caves in and admits to him that she needs his help. “I’d be happy to help you, Red!” Gobo replies, “Whoopie!!” And out he goes.

(If my prose didn’t give it away, this is my favorite scene in the episode. The way Gobo slyly gets Red to admit of her own volition that she needs help and the stillness of the scene make it the most powerful in the episode, hands-down.)

Doc’s almost done fixing the boiler, but just a few more things before its ready. Sprocket is excitedly preparing for the water to return by pulling out his washbasin and bath-toys (the only dog I’ve seen that’s excited for bathtime). Gobo sneaks out and grabs the umbrella with no trouble, but finds himself snagged on the way back; seems Sprocket wants to play tug-of-war. Once again, Doc calls upon Sprocket to fetch him a tool, and Gobo scurries back into the hole, umbrella and all.

Back by the Fraggle Pond, Red can finally hand the umbrella to the Arch-Banger, who marvels at the incredible banging-stick. Red tries to explain what the device is and how to use it, but the Arch-Banger assures her he knows a “sacred banging-stick” when he sees one. (I find it interesting that there seems to be some kind of religious connotation around the Pipebangers, based on the dialogue and title of the Arch-Banger.) The old Pipebanger slams the sacred stick on the nearest pipe, and we transition into the last song of the episode, “Please, Water Run” (Finally! A good song transition!).

This is another neat number, and I quite like how it speeds up and changes as it progresses. Nothing much to say about this one, otherwise. Much more interesting to me is what’s going on during the song. Junior gets splashed in the face while trying the pump once more, and runs back inside to tell his folks they were right the whole time. Red thanks the Pipebangers for bringing back the water, and personally thanks Gobo for giving her the umbrella. Then she... kisses him?? (I’m not upset, just kinda seemed outta nowhere, no?)

(Just as a heads up, Red and Gobo are gonna kind of ambiguously have some sort of chemistry for the first part of Season One. It’s short lived however, either because the writers or Red’s performer, Karen Prell, didn’t like it.)

Red finally throws Wembley a bone and puts up his poster, and by the time the song’s over she’s already in costume and ready to perform. She executes the opening dive...

...And falls flat on her face a foot away from the pool. “Wanna see me do it again?” she asks, as she rolls into the water and splashes around to the applause of her friends. The episode ends with Sprocket in his bathtub decked out in bath gear. Doc comes by in a bathrobe and shower cap, and asks to borrow Sprocket’s soap and rubber ducky, promising to not use up all the hot water. Poor Sprockey!

FINAL REVIEW- 4/10

Song Score- 3 Radishes out of 5 Sound design was a little awkward today, heh. Aside from the awkward openings some of the songs had, they were all fine. I didn’t mind sitting through them, even if “Do It On My Own” felt a touch too on-the-nose. “Please Water Run” was my favorite of the bunch, but still low on the list overall.

Story Score- 2 Radishes out of 5 The story was kind of weak this time around, mainly because the actual conflict and resolution of the plot were so fast. While I had fun with Pa and Sprocket’s baths, I feel like they probably took away valuable time from this episode. Red learns that sometimes she’s gonna need a hand to get by, sure, but there’s a lot of emphasis in this episode about how her nearsightedness can negatively effect others, and we never really see her face that and resolve it. She doesn’t recognize what she’s done to Mokey and Wembley, and while she hangs up Wembley’s poster we never see her apologize for dismissing their talents (and she never wears Mokey’s crab costume! That was her flying fish one!). The worldbuilding would make up for it, if it was just a little more streamlined, and if the Pipebangers actually stuck around.

Performance Score- 3 Radishes out of 5 Not much stuck out to me this time. Everybody gave suitable performances, but nothing special. The Pipebangers had some fun visual moments, but not a lot of the personality side characters need to stand out in a show like this. Highlights on the Gorgs, who were obviously having fun, and on Gobo. The way he gently gets Red to admit she needs help without pushing her is fantastically clever and serves his character well. Red herself, on the other hand, just wasn’t it today. All the elements are there in practice, her nearsightedness, her athleticism, and her inability to be vulnerable, but she lacks the energy I know and love from her. Karen auditioned for the role of Mokey initially, so Red being much more low-key like Mokey is doesn’t surprise me. Still, not a great hand to be dealt for her introductory episode. There goes “Let The Water Run,” on the lower half of average. Our lowest score so far, but not one I’m actively angry at (There won’t be many of those, but I’m sure when they come up, those reviews will be interesting reads, haha). It had some good moments, but it’s a little scatterbrained and mediocre. If you disagree with me, I respect your opinion 100%. I have a strong hunch every single one of these episodes is going to be *someone’s* favorite, even if it doesn’t hit the sweet spot for me (I believe this to be true for all art, really).

Thank you so much for reading! Send me a postcard if you have any thoughts of your own to share, and I’ll be back next week for “You Can’t Do That Without A Hat”!

#reviews #fraggle rock

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downatfraggleblog · 2 years ago

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babes this is so cool

Thank you so much for the compliment, old friend :] I'm glad you stopped in for a moment.

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downatfraggleblog · 2 years ago

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Riley’s Fraggle Rock Reviews!

Season One, Episode Two- Wembley and the Gorgs

Welcome back, readers! Today's episode is exactly what it says on the tin- an introduction to one of our main Fraggles, Wembley, and (unsurprisingly) to the Gorgs. Ready? Here we go!

It’s mail day at Doc’s house, and there’s something for everybody- a catalogue for Sprocket (he’s only interested in the cute collar models), a letter for Doc, and another one of those postcards to that schmo ‘Gobo Fraggle’. Tossing the postcard in the wastebin (AGAIN, Doc??), he opens his letter to find an invitation to the North American Society of Tinkerers’ annual convention. Doc calls them boring and unimaginative… until he reads they have named him ‘Man of the Year’! Doc begins packing, while Sprocket wails in anguish.

Meanwhile, just beyond the walls of the workshop Boober and Gobo approach the Mouth of Outer Space (Boober has brought his ‘lucky walking stick’ to ease his terror about accompanying Gobo). Boober, scouting ahead, tells Gobo they should turn back, as Doc and Sprocket are out there and making a lot of commotion. Gobo decides to “mosey on out there” and get the postcard anyways, and proceeds to zip out the hole.

“That was a very spirited mosey!”

Thankfully, Doc and Sprocket are too busy over there to even notice the little orange varmint tiptoeing across the workshop floor as Doc tries to console Sprocket about his leaving for four days. While Doc’s gone, he’s planning to have his neighbor Ned Schimmelfinney watch Sprocket and make sure he’s fed. Sprocket howls at the notion, and when asked why does his famous Ned Schimmelfinney impersonation:

(Doc will proceed to dump this entire box of gizmos into his suitcase, by the way.)

Gobo runs back with his postcard, right into Boober and his lucky walking stick (now “sticks”, seeing as it broke in the collision), and floats the idea that he and Boober “mosey” on back home. The two agree and proceed to hurry back to the Rock, screaming in terror. We get a fade-in to Wembley, sitting in his little nook in Gobo’s room (when Matt moved out, Wembley moved into Gobo’s bed, and Gobo moved into Matt’s). He’s playing a short ballad on his bongos, “Here to There.” It’s a delightful little ditty, and ends just as the boys come back from their adventure, Boober whining about his broken walking stick all the way. Gobo finally decides that since Boober is too chicken to go get another stick from the Gorg’s Garden, he’s gonna go out there, and whisks Wembley along for the ride.

(I never noticed this curtain at the door of Gobo and Wembley’s room. Was this always here, or is it just another one of those season one things? I’ll have to keep an eye out for that.)

Wembley yes-man's just about everything Gobo says as they make their way to the Garden, and when Gobo comments on how much his friend likes to agree with people, Wembley says he can’t argue with that!

Here we finally get a proper introduction to the Gorgs. You may remember Junior Gorg from last week’s episode, and I hope his plain, provincial clothing didn’t fool you. His parents, Pa and Ma Gorg, proclaim themselves to be King and Queen of the Universe, with Junior as their prince (Whether they truly are or aren’t is up for debate; the Gorgs live like farmers, but the decaying castle behind their garden truly does raise some questions). Fraggles routinely creep into Gorg territory for most all of their foodstuffs, as well as the wisdom the Trash Heap provides.

Speak of the devils, Pa Gorg’s unhappy. There are never any loyal subjects bowing at the castle gate, and he’s getting sick of it. Ma reminds him that they don’t *have* any loyal subjects, and that doesn’t exactly help his temper. Worst of all, his son’s too busy setting up elaborate Fraggle traps to do anything useful— like tending to the radishes.

(Look in the bottom right corner- mini fraggles! We’ll see a lot of the smaller, radio controlled puppets throughout this episode~)

Wembley and Gobo sneak past the ogreish lot, and find a suitable stick. As they’re sneaking off however, Wembley gets captured- not by Junior’s trap, but by a stray radish pot Junior accidentally drops on top of him. Junior rushes back to the castle to show his parents his new prize, and Gobo rushes back to the Rock with the fear of Gorg instilled in him.

(…Yea, Ma is not exactly a fan. )

For context, the Gorgs don’t exactly see Fraggles as people; they’re more like talking garden pests, so Wembley is confined to a small jar (don’t even THINK about it), much like how a human may contain a frog or spider they've found. The little Fraggle proves useful to Pa, however; his agreeable nature leads Wembley to willingly salute the King and Queen of the Universe when prompted to by the great Gorg, and he is quickly whisked away by Pa.

Meanwhile, back in the Rock, Gobo is telling the gang about what happened, and they all react with terrified gasps. Boober in particular breaks into hysterics, and says he’ll prepare a memorial stone, as Wembley’s surely been squashed to death by now.

(Fraggle Rock does not dance around the topic of death, neither does Boober Fraggle. I can count at least three episodes off the top of my head that center around the theme of coping with death, dying, or killing).

Mokey reminds Boober that they don’t know if he’s been squashed to death yet, and the group rallies together to save Wembley. Gobo pulls a snare drum out of nowhere and they all march out to the tune of our second song this episode, “Heed The Drumbeat,” which is an interesting one. Fraggle Rock has a wide variety of genres under its musical belt, and already in the second episode we’re seeing an old marching tune!

Fraggles aren’t a society that is very familiar with war, armor, or weaponry, so the fraggles don baking pans and pie tins, and grab sticks and shovels to go rescue Wembley (humorously enough, the Gorgs have at least one suit of armor, a sword, and a blunderbuss, so I assume that’s where the Fraggles were introduced to the concepts of war and weapons?).

The song itself is fine, a little longer than it needs to be and kind of forgettable, but not bad. The end of the sequence shows a bunch of background Fraggles, and it kind of irks me that none of them are coming along to help save Wembley- but this is also before Fraggle Rock really figured out what they were doing with the Fraggles outside of our main five and Matt.

Out in the Garden, Wembley and the Gorgs are pretty impressed by one another. Fraggles aren’t very familiar with centralized government, either, so Wembley’s never met a King and Queen before. The Gorgs likewise have never met any willing subjects before. Ma in particular takes a liking to him, and lets him out of the jar under the stipulation that he does not run away. Wembley, of course, does as he’s told. As the Gorgs prepare a feast in honor of their new subject, Wembley marvels over the fact that he’s in the company of the rulers of the Universe (and that they’re bringing him dinner)! Maybe the Gorgs aren’t so bad..?

Back in the Workshop, Doc’s saying his goodbyes to a wailing Sprocket. Mr. Schimmelfinney’s at the door, and brings his cat, Fluffernella, to say hello! It goes about as well as a cat and dog meeting usually goes in stories like this:

(Wanna see Ned? Too bad- Doc has a few friends and neighbors, but the only person we ever properly see in the workshop is Doc himself!)

After dinner, the Gorgs have Wembley sing for them, and he reprises “Here To There” (It’s much the same as the first time, except for Ma accompanying on the harp). By now, the other Fraggles have had the time to make their way to the Garden, and sneak all the way up to the end of the table.

While the Gorgs quickly dip inside to collect lamps, they tell Wembley to climb down the table leg and they’ll take him home. Wembley refuses, saying he has to entertain the king and queen. “They’re GORGS!” Gobo hisses at him. Nobody seems to notice as Junior lurks past the table with an axe.

Ma continues to play the harp while the baffled Fraggles wonder what is going on with their friend. The peaceful air of Wembley’s humming and Ma’s strumming is quickly slaughtered when Junior chops a rope and springs the same Fraggle trap he was building earlier in the episode.

(The performers are all shrieking at the top of their lungs once the trap hits the ground, by the way. It’s spectacular and terrifying.)

Wembley quickly assures the Gorgs that these are his friends, and Pa asks if they’ll bow and curtesy like Wembley does. Wembley says yes, but Gobo says a hard *no*, and stabs the King in the nose with his stick. The Gorgs declare them “enemy fraggles”, and sends Junior to throw them in the toolshed. Ma whisks Wembley away into the castle, claiming they need to keep a close eye on him due to the “bad company” he keeps.

While trapped in the toolshed, the Fraggles sing the bluesy tune, “Fraggle Rock Rock”. Boober’s performance on the harmonica is a highlight of the number, but the concept of them breaking out of their cage with the power of music is kind of silly, if admittedly very fragglish. Gobo, trying to distract everybody (but mostly Boober) from their situation, remembers the postcard he retrieved earlier that day— Maybe a message from Outer Space will help?

Matt describes his experiences with various flying creatures held captive on leashes. He finds that strangely, when he cuts some free (balloons) they eagerly fly away into the sky, but when he cuts others free (kites), they fall back to the ground in await of their masters. "Evidently, the world here is much the same as Fraggle Rock," Matt writes, "in that some creatures value freedom more than others."

(Well, that didn’t help at all!)

The next morning the Gorgs take Wembley and his caged friends out to the garden once more, Junior brandishing a club to “thump” the enemy Fraggles. Wembley demands they give his friends a fair trial, and the Gorgs excitedly run inside to prepare for the trial. With the Gorgs gone, Wembley’s friends congratulate his cleverness and wait expectantly for him to free them so they can all scurry home.

…Wembley of course does not do this, expecting that the Gorgs truly will give them a fair trial. “They want to make slaves of us!” Gobo pleads, but it’s too late, and out march the Gorgs in gowns and powdered wigs.

(Gorg court is now in session! Can we really call that judge honorable?)

With Pa acting judge, Wembley defends his friends in an adorable speech that I just have to share. It’s so earnest and there’s such a childlike simplicity to it that could only come from Wembley. ((**EDIT** It appears as though the audio bite I uploaded refuses to save to this post. In the meantime, I have transcribed Wembley's speech, and if any of you have some tips for adding custom audio to text posts, please send me a postcard!))

“Of course they don't deserve to be thump-ed! Gobo knows all the crannies and all the caves of Fraggle Rock! And Mokey knows songs, and Red knows games, and Boober... Well, Boober knows special stuff that means a lot to him. I’ve known all of them, forever. And I’ve always loved them. They don’t deserve thumping, they deserve good stuff- they deserve to live!”

This speech is evidently enough to bring even the Gorgs to tears, and they decide that the Fraggles should be spared. Junior complains that he can’t thump them, but Pa comforts his son with the notion that they’ll keep them as slaves (told you!), and make them grovel and sing and salute, just like Wembley’s been doing willingly the past two days.

Wembley finally realizes his friends were right, and takes a hearty bite out of Pa’s nose. The ensuing chaos breaks open the trap and all the Fraggles scurry back into the safety of the Rock.

That night, Gobo and Wembley sit in their little nooks at home, with Wembley processing his experiences and Gobo calmly listening.

“It didn’t feel like I was a slave… I guess some slaveries feel like freedom. I didn’t notice what they were doing to me till they tried to do it to you.”

“That’s good, Wembley. That means you know who your friends are.”

The episode ends back in the workshop late at night, when Doc comes home from the convention early. He couldn’t enjoy being Man of the Year because everybody was so stuck up, and his mind was only on his poor dog, alone at home. After showing Sprocket his award, he hands Sprocket a big, fresh bone, for the “Dog of the Year”.

FINAL RATING- 8/10

Song Score- 3 radishes out of five The songs in this one are alright! Sensing some similarity between the songs of this episode and last, one good low energy, one good high energy, and one that's kinda just there to put another song in. None of this batch of songs are bad, but they aren't all great either. Kind of forgot they were all in this episode before I rewatched it.

Story Score- 5 radishes out of five The story in this one is spectacular. It does a fair job establishing the characters its highlighting, and the structure of this one really reminds me of an old Brothers Grimm fairy-tale for some reason (and I *adore* fairy-tales!). I also really want to highlight the theme at the heart of this episode. Wembley's held captive by not only the Gorgs, but by himself, refusing any outs until he sees what is really being done to him. The Gorgs were never his friends, they only wanted him for the service of being a subject to sing and bow and do whatever they want of him. The only difference between him and his friends was that his cage wasn't physical- it was in his mind and in his heart. Be careful who or what you give your time to, be it spouses, jobs, or friends, and remember that sometimes we can all make ourselves willing slaves without realizing it.

Performance Score- 4.5 radishes out of five The tech crew must have had a blast with this one. A lot of the panning shots of the Gorg's Garden look gorgeous, and the amount of use they got out of the waldo mini-fraggles in this episode is incredible. They look so natural too! Not to mention the Gorgs themselves, which are a wonder of puppetry of their own, but we can get into what makes them tick some other time. Only thing bringing this episode down is how early on they made it. Wembley's weak will and agreeable nature are played a little too hard in this episode, to the point of feeling unnatural at times, and the Gorgs likewise aren't in order just yet. Not to mention, Mokey and Red don't really have anything to do at all this episode! Give 'em a season or two. They'll really shine, all of them.

That was Wembley and the Gorgs! I really enjoyed that one, moreso than I remembered. I think this is one I'd fully recommend (yes, even to you, reading this!). I'll definitely keep this one in mind if I ever wanna introduce anybody to the Rock, as well as put it in my pocket for future rewatches. Seemed like this review's a little longer than the last, but my feedback last week was quite positive, so I hope you all don't mind! I'll see you next time for "Let The Water Run".

#reviews #fraggle rock

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downatfraggleblog · 2 years ago

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Riley’s Fraggle Rock Reviews!

Season One, Episode One- Beginnings

Beginnings are always hard, aren’t they? Even if you have a vision for what you want your project to be, it can be hard to get to that point from nothing. You have to start *somewhere*, while making sure everything makes sense for your audience and keeping them entertained and promising that “This will be great! Really!!”

...Admittedly, this is more for me than for Jim, Jerry, and the incredible team of performers, puppet builders, crew members, songwriters, and gorg wranglers who worked their baloobiuses off to get Fraggle Rock made (because *surely* the work of one woman typing reviews about a decades old show is harder than actually making the show was). I’m not sure how to start things here myself, so I feel a little better seeing the crew of Fraggle Rock is in the same spot that I am on this one... more or less.

So! Without further ado, I want to welcome you to the review series! (If you’re looking for more information on the series, check the ‘about’ page.) If for some reason anybody reading this does not know anything about Fraggle Rock, I will be highlighting the names of all the major characters and groups in this episode. There are a lot of elements at play here, but I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Now, I know what you’re here for- let’s start the episode! How does Beginnings begin?

We begin with a dark workshop. *The* workshop, actually, as we see old handyman Doc and his loyal dog Sprocket begin settling into this old, dusty room. I always assumed the workshop was the front room of the house, as we often see Doc bringing in groceries and talking to neighbors, but he explicitly says he is converting an “unused room” into his workshop. Did they always live here? My personal theory is that Doc inherited the house from an old friend or relative, who simply used some other entrance to the house, as I simply can’t believe Doc just had a whole room lying around for who knows how long. He doesn’t strike me as a man to make waste of a whole room like that. Besides, I find more whimsy in him settling in here just as things begin stirring in the world just below his feet.

Speaking of which, just about five feet down and ten feet to the viewer’s right is fraggle explorer Matt, who is lamenting the end of his journeys charting out the caves of Fraggle Rock.

(I can see where Gobo gets his sense of style from!)

His wish for more adventure is quickly granted when a magical force (Doc) penetrates the cave wall (moves a box out of the way), opening a portal to the mythic “Outer Space,” a legend to fragglekind. The exposition from Doc in this scene is kind of flat, but I quite enjoy Matt’s antics here. He quickly rushes home to prepare for this new adventure.

Here we meet Matt’s nephew Gobo, who suffers from protagonist syndrome but has a healthy dose of eccentricity to balance the mixture. Matt trusts Gobo with his papers as he begins to pack (along with one of my favorite bits of physical humor in the episode).

“I am leaving my books and maps with you for safe keeping!” he says as they thud on the cave floor. (Look at his arms— he’s rod handed. I wonder how many takes it took to get this shot perfect…)

Gobo pages his uncle’s (presumably now damaged) tomes and here comes our first song of the series, “Hip Hip Hooray!” Despite the name, I’m not quite fond of this sequence. I feel like it’s mostly here to showcase some of the new puppetry tricks still being toyed with for the series, but we will see just about all these tricks honed much better in later episodes (swimming fraggles, waldos, fraggles “balancing” things on their nose). Admittedly, I am quite a fan of the one fraggle just before the song balancing on one foot atop another’s head, but I’ll let you find that one for yourself ;) Otherwise, the song is boring and so is the staging. Anyways, let’s meet some more fraggles!

(I find it adorable that Wembley comes out following Boober in their very first shot onscreen together. Just something I appreciate!)

Enter gloomy Boober, silly Wembley, and daredevil Red. After an endearing slapstick sequence, the trio all find themselves tripping over one another in Gobo’s room. This scene doesn’t really forward the plot in any way besides establishing these three as characters, and I honestly don’t mind too much.

After the brief visit from his friends, Gobo sees his uncle off on his newest adventure in what is probably my favorite sequence of the episode, and our second musical number, “Follow Me”. Not only am I getting a wave of nostalgic pathos, but the interactions between uncle and nephew are very charming to watch. Gobo’s interactions with Matt in this song and the sequence that shortly follows are endearing because of how natural they feel. There’s genuine chemistry between these performers, having worked together on the Muppet Show and first few Muppet Movies, but beyond that the relationship between Matt and Gobo feels like a real family. They are by no means perfect, but there is clearly a lot of love for one another. It’s a shame that a lot of relationships highlighted in Season One fall to the wayside as the writers figure out their footing.

Matt tasks Gobo with receiving messages he will send back home as he explores Outer Space, and while Gobo says he could never, his uncle doesn’t quite hear that last part. Gobo, feeling a sense of obligation to his elder, sees no way out of it, and wishes Matt goodbye. “Think of me as Uncle Travelin’ Matt,” he replies, and a music cue tells the audience (and, seemingly, the fraggles onscreen) that this name will be important. With that, he’s gone out the door, and Doc is none the wiser. Sprocket, on the other hand, is freaking out at the discovery of these strange little creatures coming out of the mysterious hole in the wall.

We catch up with Gobo a little later, when the nurturing and dreamy Mokey asks him why he’s been so down. Gobo doesn’t know how to talk about his feelings, which Mokey interprets as needing space to process things. Gobo announces to nobody in particular that no, he needs *help*, and Wembley (unaware of his friends anguish?) eagerly calls Gobo to look at a musical construction made by the diminutive, formic Doozers. We get an instrumental sequence here as Doozers build a new bridge with tiny construction tools. (Sequences like these are quite common in the earliest episodes of Fraggle Rock, and while they often can be fun, they can really stop an episode in its tracks...)

By the time Wembley finishes his song, the Doozers have trapped him in with the new bridge they just assembled, as Gobo glumly comments. “It’s a good thing I’m hungry,” Wembley proclaims, as he begins devouring the highway before him.

(If you’re new here, no this isn’t just a Wembley thing. All fraggles do it.)

Wembley asks Gobo what’s wrong, and Gobo again cannot elaborate, so he heads out to go get some wisdom from Marjory the Trash Heap (Again, if you’re new here, she’s their oracle. And yes, she is a talking pile of compost.)

In order to get to her, however, he must cross the Gorg’s Garden, guarded by the titanic Junior Gorg. His blundering mammoth size proves no match for a fraggles’ speed, however, and he misses Gobo as the latter makes his way to the oracle in question.

Her heralds (sons?), the murine Philo and Gunge announce her presence and the pile of compost awakens. She declares that Gobo has “Troubles,” and breaks into the highest energy segment of the episode, our last new song, “I Seen Troubles”. I adore this sequence, especially with how much fun everybody seems to be having and how high energy it is. It’s a spectacular contrast to the rest of the episode, in the best possible way.

Gobo explains that he doesn’t know how to do what he promised his uncle, and that he feels alone and scared of the terrible monster (Sprocket) that he will have to contend with. “Alone? Then don’t be alone!” Bring some friends, Marjory says, friends help. Philo and Gunge declare that to be all, and Gobo goes back to recruit his friends to tag along and help him out. Boober finds the request terrifying, and Red doesn’t believe a word of it, but the group agrees to go.

The sequence where they enter the tunnel to Outer Space has great scoring, and establishes a few running jokes, such as Wembley here bumping his head on a pipe. Everybody is subsequently stopped by a ‘Hideous, Round Thing’ (a red ball Sprocket lost down the hole) blocking up the doorway to Doc’s Workshop.

I hope this wasn’t bothering any of you before, but I just can’t help but be irritated by the fact the Hideous Round Thing is floating about six inches off the ground. Come on! Couldn’t they just have one of the Fraggle Five bend offscreen and pick it up? Couldn’t be bothered to do that?

Regardless, Gobo bravely ventures out of the Fraggle Hole and into Outer Space, past a sleeping Sprocket, only to find his uncle’s message when Doc comes in with the mail, various magazines and… a postcard for one Gobo Fraggle? Doc puts the errand card in the trash (...instead of checking with his neighbors? Perhaps more proof Doc just moved in.) and Gobo makes for the safety of Fraggle Rock. Only problem is the commotion woke up Sprocket, who now has Gobo by the collar of his cardigan, and everybody is freaking out. Mokey finally decides to throw the Hideous Round Thing at the monster to get it to let Gobo go.

This of course works, as dogs love their balls, and Gobo zips back into the tunnel with a “whoosh” sound- another running gag in the making. Red apologizes for not believing Gobo, and they head back home, singing a reprise of Hip Hip Hooray. That night, Gobo reads the message proclaiming his uncle is okay, and finally the young fraggle can rest easily.

(In actuality, Matt almost got hit by a car, ran into a fire hydrant, and mistook a bunch of children playing baseball for horrible warriors. He simply thought Gobo would find Outer Space too preposterous to put all that in his letter back home.)

We end the episode back on Doc and Sprocket, who have just finished setting up shop (literally). Sprocket barks down the hole at his new ‘friends’, and Doc declares that one of these days he’ll get around to boarding up that revolting crack in the wood paneling.

Final Rating- 6/10

Song Score- 3.5 radishes out of five “I Seen Troubles” and “Follow Me” are both spectacular songs, and I like them both in very opposite directions. I Seen Troubles provides a great energy boost to an otherwise meandering episode, and the fun everybody had during it is infectious. Follow Me is a wonderful lullaby for the soul, and one of the series’ classics for a reason (Oh yea, it’s coming back!). “Hip Hip Hooray,” however, brings the score down for its mediocrity, both times it comes about. It’s not horrible, but it’s weak as cardboard.

Story Score- 3 radishes out of five I admire the determination of the writing crew, getting every main character and group on screen with ample time to shine. However, the episode feels both very busy and very hollow at the same time, and the actual plot of the episode is kind of short compared to all the little side bits we run into (Gobo’s friends visiting his room, Wembley playing his song on the Doozer construction, etc.). None of these little bits really push the episode forwards either, but I do think all of this can be forgiven by a writing team that is still figuring themselves out.

Performance Score- 3.5 radishes out of 5 Everybody seems to be having fun! The quick establishing moments of Mokey, Wembley, Boober, and Red all do a good job giving the audience a nice feel for each character, and the physical comedy in this episode is very good, better than I remembered. The puppetry stunts are mostly standard for the series going forward, with many of them improving greatly beyond this episode, but there are a few novel ones as well, such as Matt dropping his books. Score is also a little low for this episode due to it being in what I like to call the “Glum Gobo” era, before Jerry really figured out the light inside Gobo’s character. Don’t worry, it’ll come with time.

That was Beginnings! It’s not perfect, but that doesn’t surprise me. The show is still getting its footing. This is by no means an episode I’d skip in future watchathons, but it’s not one I’ll go out of my way to see when I’m thinking about the Rock. Part of me fears I rated it so middle of the road because I don’t have much to review it on other than memories of other episodes, but I think it is still a fair rating. I apologize if this one was a little wordy too, there was a lot to cover! Next episode up to bat is “Wembley and the Gorgs”. I’ll see you there!

#reviews #fraggle rock

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