ewicomkicks 2.0

The quiet introduction to these sort of things will always get me emotional, I do really like how quickly they jump into it, though. I absolutely loved Gonzo’s opening bit, the noise and movement he made was perfectly hilarious.

Now, I couldn’t care less about Sabrina. Although, she does not feel unfit for The Muppets at all, considering the guests on the original show. Yet I do wish there was more slapstick with her. Her not being affected at all by the fan bothered me. I will let you know now, that was the ONLY thing that bothered me in the entire special.

I was pleasantly surprised at the ‘Pigs in Wigs’ bit, it does a good job at being a modern successor to ‘At the Dance’. Miss Poogy is there !!!! And sorry not sorry but I really like Pepe. Thank god they didn’t make him obnoxiously horny, he actually has a character besides that, he always did, I love him. “Whomst I am tornt betweenst” is my favourite line in this whole thing. Also, I’m pretty sure there’s a brief appearance of gays in the background, yay.

Unfortunately, I got Rizzo’s number spoiled for me, HOWEVER, I was not expecting all that set design !! You could tell from the very start that the team had plenty of time to finesse every detail but the uniqueness of that idiosyncratic city was especially wonderful. I am not going to be surprised nor would I care if they couldn’t always do sets like that if the show actually happens.

I like that Maya and Beautiful Day Monster are into each other, then how she moves on to one of the Mutations. Muppet and human relationships are fun when they’re done right [and not in a way that makes its characters outrageously and unnecessarily heterosexual… god I hate the 2015 show so much, don’t I ?] I don’t really know her or Seth’s individual work, I don’t know modern actors in general but they really did their best in this as comfortably understood side characters.

Muppet Labs sketch ! Wahoo ! The way Honeydew was saying “stop it” was really funny, like “omg cut it ouuttt you’re embarrassing me !!”.

I can’t really continue to say anything special about every specific scene but I will say that they’ve done everything right so far. It feels just like an old episode with a modern meta twist. I’ve loved seeing Hilda, Johnny and Sal, and especially Yolanda whom I adore and was a saving grace for me in the 2015 show. Good job to whoever was puppeteering Gaffer because that tail was mesmerising. I immediately noticed that an eyeball had appeared on their eyepatch, which was cute. I squealed when Janice zoomed onto screen, I love how that’s just a part of her character. Incidentally, I’ve always had an inside joke to myself that whenever Janice appears, hitherto not being relevant, I say “hi Janice~” in the most courteous way, as if totally lost in reverie, and I think her consistently popping up without reference is partially what spawned it.

The immediate cut to the news flash was perfect, a really great way to adapt the original concept of the sketch; being live on the scene and behind the stage.

The production of the ‘Islands in the Stream’ song was mesmerising, I’ve invariably admired the darker, swampier sets, I gasped at that big snake. Seeing those more realistic yet still so piquant creatures and their habitat is a great way to rest during all the chaos.

Obviously the ending was lovely, and I have nothing to add… other than it will always be funny to me when they do big collective numbers like that because, excuse me for being obvious, I couldn’t help but notice that Dolores wasn’t there. Or even Nigel for that matter. It’s really funny, albeit in a way that wasn’t intended. It kept cutting to Rowlf but the hope of seeing her came to no avail.

Now here are my past thoughts…

The Muppets have never been the same since Jim’s death, we all know that. Disney has done nothing but give them chances and keep breaking them, we all know that and we’re so mad. But a lot of the original puppeteers are still here. Disregarding every new Muppet thing feels like you’re spitting in the face of everyone who is still here and still cares. And to any newcomers who will likely become disheartened before they get to be treated with any respect at all. Hating Disney is such a righteous indignation that I also hold to a degree that I can be proud of, but I keep seeing art. They keep showing me art and I very well may hate the bloody hands that are showcasing it, yet I am undoubtedly amazed at what I’m seeing. The corporation should not get the credit. I love the muppets no matter what they do, even if it objectively sucks [*cough cough* 2015 show *cough*]. We all want media from them to spark the same as the first movie but that is an inordinate expectation, it’s unrealistic.

We can’t be having such a tight grip on this cast because who knows how much longer they’re gonna go on for. I know that’s very dark but we’ve all been thinking it, right ? Maybe it’s just me and my deep paranoia of death but the scene with old Gonzo in The Muppets Haunted Mansion really cemented that worry for me. I’m really mad at Oz for preaching that there shouldn’t be any new puppeteers, especially since he hasn’t been part of the crew for a while. I, and you, miss Steve so much, but Matt’s kermit is just as different as his. Listen to the three of them right after the other and they all sound just as different. I cannot understand why people think that not liking his voice is a totally credible critique and reason to not want to like new Muppet things. Do not disregard any talent since we know the history of this team, that it takes time for a puppeteer to adapt to the foam and felt engulfing their hand. If Matt’s Kermit seems a little too awkward and simplified to you, it’s because he’s got incredibly large shoes to fill and he’s received nothing but complaints.

The plot has been done before ? [Yeah, as if the original show totally wasn’t repetitive at all, right ??] It’s so obvious that this plot is reoccurring due to how well it parallels reality. The world keeps forgetting about the Muppets and that’s not a bad thing, that happens with a lot of media and brands, so why can’t it still be understood as meta ? It’s feels deplorable to expect a back door pilot for a revival of a show from the 70’s to fully appeal to the hardcore fans when it needs to be as accessible to as large of an audience as possible. My mum watched the show when she was young and especially loved Fragile Rock, whereas those memories are from when she was a child with a child brain. She doesn’t need to be as obsessed with it all now as she was then, now a fully grown adult. There’s a difference between Muppet fans and fans of The Muppets. The minority and the majority. Us fans in the fandom and everyone else whose favourite muppet is either Kermit or Animal. Us hardcore fans would’ve always been here even if the Muppets didn’t last as long as they have, and yes, I do believe it’s a miracle that they have. We really have something perfect here but it’s always going to be inevitable that they imperceptibly fade from the public consciousness again. We should be grateful that they keep coming back because we’re not letting them go away.

Think back to before the show was on air. Nobody wanted it, it was too risky, they didn’t get it. Part of the reason why Jim let them be owned by Disney is so they could be stable. If they wanted to make a special, merch, or literally anything, they could ask without worry and it could happen. But then of course we go back to corporate greed and FUCKING MUPPET VISION 3D FUUCCCCCCCCKK. My point is that the problems we have here have been going on for a while which is of course extremely disheartening but if you’re gonna view Jim at such an angelic degree, then take up his word and believe anyway. Keep consuming art, keep making art. “Keep believing, keep pretending.” The ending of the first Muppet movie is impossibly bittersweet in retrospect but you are still being directly told to hold onto that sweetness. The fear of the corporation is applicable with every new Muppet creation but, pardon me for this, I don’t think Jim wouldn’t have wanted you to carry that fear.

It is exciting, excruciatingly so, and the worst it can be is fine. It’s going to be okay. This new special with guests that you don’t care about is not any different from any episode of the original show. I cannot stress that enough. Please don’t circumvent this special, just because it’s new, because any of the concerns I saw could be summed up as ‘it’s new and I don’t like it.’ I get it, I seriously do, but failing this special will fail the chance of the show coming back. And we should all want more from The Muppets right ?? That’s what you want, right ??!

FUCK YEAH IT IS !!!! The hype I’ve seen has been so immediate and scintillating. I feel so verklempt. Is this some kind of mass hysteria ?? Am I experiencing apophenia because every little thing is uplifting my spirit to believe in The Muppet Show TM coming back. What is happening ???? And can they give Lips his full afro back ? He still looks so deflated. And don’t forget his fucking fashion sense. God damn grey fucking blazer and t-shirt…burn it…

I’m really, REALLY not used to overwhelming optimism and hope, my body physically can’t take it. The Muppets are the only thing that gives me hope, for the future and even the past, that we can overcome anything that can and will knock us down. I’m not well, I’m back on antidepressants and I’m losing my mind.

In conclusion : if the show gets picked up, do you think Dolores is going to actually have a character now ? You know because she had a whole week dedicated to her and she still doesn’t even talk ? That would be craazzyy. It took them, like, 40 years for Lips to have a character, Dolores has had to wait 50 years. Give my girl her own ‘Barnyard Boogie’-like moment. Give her a spin-off show.