The Muppets: "Single All The Way"

Premiered December 8, 2015.
(Note:The Muppets was a TV series that aired for sixteen episodes on ABC during the 2015-16 TV season.)

Christmas is approaching and the cast and crew of Up Late With Miss Piggy are busily preparing the live Christmas episode.  Fozzie Bear (Eric Jacobson), who serves as the show's announcer, can't focus because his girlfriend Becky has recently dumped him.  He is supposed to play Santa Claus in the episode, but Fozzie can't stop crying about the break-up.

Miss Piggy's (Jacobson) special guest star Mindy Kaling is being difficult.  Kaling is a terrible singer, but she insists on performing a Christmas song with Piggy.

Sam Eagle (Jacobson), the show's head of Broadcast Standards and Practices, is interested in dating Janice (David Rudman), the show's lead guitarist.  He camps out by the mistletoe for the purpose of "jump-starting" a relationship with Janice.  This does not go the way Sam hopes.

Meanwhile, Yolanda the rat (Julianne Buescher) has rigged the "Secret Santa" gift exchange so that she will get every gift. The previous Christmas, Yolanda was left off the list and received no present.

The star of the show, Miss Piggy, is also having some holiday problems.  She's nervous about attending George Clooney's ugly Christmas sweater party.  Piggy doesn't think her sweater is ugly enough.  She is also upset about being alone during the Christmas season, since she and Kermit the frog (Steve Whitmire) have recently broken up.

In the middle of it all is Kermit the frog (Steve Whitmire), executive producer of Up Late.  He's got to help Fozzie to get in touch with the Christmas spirit, soothe Mindy Kaling's ego and get everyone to work together to make it through the holiday episode.

Shortly before airtime, Kermit learns that Miss Piggy is having an emotional breakdown and is unable to go onstage.  If the star of the show won't go on, they literally have no show to put on the air!

Can Kermit get everyone to pull it together before the live showtime arrives?  Will Yolanda's attempt to rule the gift exchange backfire?

J.A. Morris says:
I watched every episode of this series and generally enjoyed it during its brief run, but I can understand why it was short-lived.  I think the main reasons it didn't last was that the creative team couldn't didn't know how to appeal to kids and adults at the same time (a hallmark of earlier Muppet productions) This often resulted in flat storytelling.

However, "Single All The Way" is a fun episode and it's one of the best episodes of the series.  It's got some entertaining holiday tropes, like a gift exchange gone awry. The "Christmas episode within a Christmas episode" gives it an interesting "meta" quality.  It also touches on more serious topics like loneliness during the holidays, which Miss Piggy and Fozzy are facing.  Mindy Kaling is funny and plays off the Muppets very nicely.

 While it's not as good as earlier Muppet holiday offerings (like Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas or Muppet Family Christmas), "Single All The Way" ends with a an all-hands-on-deck singalong of "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year," which reminded me of those classic Muppets holiday offerings.

 "Single All The Way" is recommended to all Muppets fans and it also works as an introductory episode to this series.

J.A. Morris' rating;

3 candy canes.

RigbyMel says:

 

I am always happy for more Muppets content and quite enjoyed "Single All The Way" overall. 

It has a lot going for it in terms of festive fun -  Secret Santa mix ups (Yolande's scheme is diabolical), finding excuses to stand under mistletoe, a bit of humor, a bit of pathos and lots of good cheer.  

Plus, some of the slightly newer secondary characters like Uncle Deadly and Pepe the King Prawn get a chance to shine in this episode as well as others in the rest of this series.

As J.A. Morris mentions above, the writing on "The Muppets" series is a little bit uneven - but I think this is the case with most post-Henson projects with our favorite fuzzy friends.  It does not mean that there's nothing to enjoy here, though!

It's a shame this particular series was never allowed to really get into a flow before being cancelled. 

"Single All The Way" is a nice addition to your Muppet holiday viewing if you feel so inclined. 

RigbyMel's rating:  

3 candy canes. 

Parks and Recreation: "Galentine's Day" (2010)

 

Premiered February 11, 2010.

What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, Leslie Knope and her lady friends leave their husbands and their boyfriends at home and just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas!
-Leslie Knope

It's the day before Valentine's Day in Pawnee, Indiana.  Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), Pawnee's deputy director of Parks and Recreation, has gathered her women friends and colleagues for her annual celebration of Galentine's Day. 

 Leslie's friend Ann (Rashida Jones) and her boyfriend Mark (Paul Schneider) are celebrating their first Valentine's Day together.  

Leslie asks her mother Marlene (Pamela Reed) to tell her romantic story about falling in love with a lifeguard who saved her from drowning in 1968.  Marlene fell in love with the lifeguard, they got engaged, but their parents didn't approve of the relationship and she lost touch with him.  Leslie's lawyer boyfriend Justin (Justin Theroux) offers to track down Marlene's long-lost love and reunite them on Valentine's Day.      

Knope and her Parks and Rec staff are also busy planning and organizing a Valentine dance for Pawnee's senior center.  

Justin locates Marlene's lifeguard in Illinois and decides to bring him back to Pawnee.  His name is Frank Beckerson (John Larroquette), he's a bit eccentric, has led a nomadic life and is prone to panic attacks.  When Leslie meets Frank, she changes her mind and tries to prevent the reunion. Unfortunately, Frank sneaks away from them and goes looking for Marlene at the seniors dance.

The music at the dance is provided by Mouse Rat, a local rock band fronted by Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt).  They perform rock versions of standards like "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Under My Skin."  

April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), another Parks and Rec employee, attends the dance with her "gay boyfriend" Derek (Blake Lee) and his boyfriend Ben (Josh Duvendeck).  Derek and Ben spend most of the evening mocking the senior citizens. 

April, who normally joins in with their mockery, gets tired of them and seems to be genuinely moved by the senior couples who are still very much in love. She also seems to be developing a bit of a crush on Andy. 

Will the reunion of Marlene and Frank lead to a rekindling of their youthful passions?  Or will it be a Valentine's Day disaster?  

J.A. Morris says:
This is a good Valentine's Day episode.  It's a tribute to "Galentine's Day" that fans of this series have been inspired to organize their own Galentine's Day celebrations.  

Lots of romantic stories involve "the one that got away."  This episode shows us that sometimes it's best to remember the good parts of the past and not revisit them.  

For Galentine's Day, Leslie gives everyone a mosaic portrait made from the crushed bottles of their favorite diet soda.

For some people, Valentine's Day is treated like a big deal.  For others, it's just a reminder that they're single.  I appreciated that "Galentine's Day" features several different Valentine's Day experiences.  Ann and Mark's relationship is in a good place and they have a good time.  Leslie is beginning to have question her relationship with Justin.  The normally cynical single April is moved by the older couples' love on display at the dance.  

Parks And Recreation had one of the best ensemble casts of any recent series, some of them are still among my favorite actors.  In addition to the regulars, "Galentine's Day" also features John Larroquette and Pamela Reed, two of the best character actors of the last 40 years.  They're both great here and their reunion is a highlight of the episode.  I also liked Mouse Rat's "rock" version of old standard love songs.  

If I have any problems with "Galentine's Day," it's the same problem I had with every episode of this (otherwise great) series.  By the time Parks And Recreation premiered, I'd had enough of the "fake documentary"-style comedy shows, best exemplified by UK and Us versions The Office.  However, being a fan of holiday episodes, the story and acting in "Galentine's Day" make it rise about the series' usual "documentary" storytelling device.  

"Galentine's Day" is recommended for fans of these actors and fans of (somewhat) unconventional Valentine programming.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 Valentine Hearts.


RigbyMel says:

"Galentine's Day" is a great episode of a great series.   I must part company with my esteemed co-blogger's objections to the faux-documentary format of the show.   If it's well done -- as it consistently was on Parks and Rec -- it allows for some fun direct address moments. 

I quite like the way that Parks and Rec manages to balance sweetness with the absurd and this episode manages to do well by that balance.  Andy isn't quite sure about performing standards rather than Mouse Rat's original tunes at the senior dance, but manages to do a good job with the standards regardless, thereby feeding into April's growing feelings for him.  I also appreciate that April grows to see that her "ironic" relationship with her gay boyfriend isn't really very fulfilling.   

Leslie loves the *idea* of reuniting her mother with her lost love, until said lost love turns out to be a bit of a disappointment in reality.  The distance between ideas and reality can often throw a wrench into relationships.  

Speaking of said lost love and his quirkiness, John Laroquette gives a great  comedic performance in this episode.  I also appreciated the meta-humor inherent in that Leslie asks Frank if he was ever a lawyer, since Laroquette has played lawyers in several other series over the years (including Night Court, The West Wing and Boston Legal).  However, this character has to answer the lawyer question in the negative.

We see all kinds of different relationships playing out in the course of this episode.  Ann and Mark and celebrating their first Valentine's Day together, senior citizens are still in love after decades of being together, Tom (Aziz Ansari) is unsuccessfully (and rather gauche-ly) trying to get back together with his ex, April is realizing her feelings for Andy, and Leslie is discovering that maybe she and Justin aren't going to work out in the long run.  And of course, there's the main plot point of Leslie and Justin trying to reunite Leslie's mom and her long lost love. They pack a lot of character development into a 22 minute episode but it's so well written that it doesn't feel overstuffed.

I also love that the concept of Galentine's Day -- a celebration of one's female friends as articulated on the show --  has spilled over into real life.   

"Galentine's Day" is recommended for anyone who enjoys smart and well written comedy with a holiday flair. 

RigbyMel's rating:

 4 Valentine Hearts.   

The Simpsons: "Halloween Of Horror"

454 Evergreen Terrace is transformed into Everscreem Terrors!

Premiered October 18, 2015.

It's the day before Halloween in Springfield.  The Simpson family is excited that their home is undergoing its annual transformation into "Everscream Terrors."  When Homer notices that some of his decorative skeletons are worn out, he visits a Halloween pop-up store, which is operated by Apu (Hank Azaria).  

When three pop-up employees offer to steal decorations for Homer (Dan Castellaneta) in exchange for cash, he inadvertently gets them fired by Apu.  They tell Homer he's "gonna be real sorry" for getting them fired.

In addition to decorating their house, Lisa (Yeardley Smith) is excited that she's finally old enough to attend the Krustyland Halloween Horror with her brother Bart (Nancy Cartwright).  

When the Simpsons arrive at Halloween Horror, Lisa gets scared and regrets coming along.  Homer tells her to stick close to him and she'll be alright.  

However, they are accidentally separated and Lisa is petrified of the actors dressed as zombies.  The Halloween attraction is shut down and Bart is furious at his sister.  

The next morning, Lisa is still shell-shocked.  Bart's anger grows when his mother Marge (Julie Kavner) says that Lisa's condition means the Simpsons won't be handing out candy and they'll have to take down all their decorations.  

He feels better when Marge says she'll take Bart to "Spine Chills," the best trick-or-treating block party in Springfield.  Unfortunately, it's located in a gated community and Bart and Marge are turned away. 
   

Homer and Lisa plan to spend Halloween putting together a puzzle.  When there's a knock at the door, Homer answers and is greeted by the three pop-up workers! 

They've come to take revenge on Homer for their firing, which means he and Lisa will face something much more frightening than the Krustyland Halloween Horror.

Plus, Bart discovers what happens when trick-or-treating ends and Grown-Up Halloween begins!

J.A. Morris says:

After two decades of "Treehouse Of Horror" episodes, this is the first Halloween-themed episode that is considered "canonical" in the Simpsons' history.  

"Halloween Of Horror" deals with how Halloween changes as kids grow up.  Lisa thinks she's ready for the Krustyland horror attraction, but quickly learns otherwise.  This reminded me of some of my own childhood experiences.  I recall kids my age wanting to watch R-rated slasher movies or going to "realistic" haunted house attractions.  The next day they would regret it.  

I also appreciated the way Marge and Homer handled Lisa's new fear of Halloween.  They take down all their decorations and decide not to hand out candy.  Did they overreact?  Maybe, but it underscores that in spite of Homer's frequent failures since the series began, he and Marge are good parents.  

However, the highlight of the episode is the "NC-17 Halloween" musical number.  It's a hilarious song and it's fun to see the residents of Springfield dressed as hobbits...

... monsters... 

...and even Zardoz!

As usual, we try to avoid spoilers at this site.  However, I will say that everyone ends up having a great Halloween before it ends.  

Lisa dresses up a Freda Kahlo for Halloween, Santa's Little Helper wears a Yoda Costume!

 

"Halloween Of Horror" is a great episode and it makes me want more canonical Halloween episodes of The Simpsons. 

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 jack o'lanterns!

RigbyMel says: 

"Halloween of Horror" is an excellent episode of The Simpsons and an unusual Halloween Simpsons as it is the only one (so far) to be considered in canon.   So unlike the Treehouse of Horror episodes, this one actually "happened" in the Simpsons' universe.   This is a character-driven episode that looks at the tensions between childhood fears and adult responsibility and does so rather well. 

I felt for Lisa in this episode.  Her terrified reaction to the Halloween horrors of Krustyland and subsequent shell-shock are utterly understandable.  It's worth noting that Yeardley Smith's voice acting is really top notch in this episode.  For all Lisa's smarts and precociousness, she's still a little kid who needs protecting and Smith's voice acting underscores this beautifully.

I think I also relate to Lisa pretty strongly in this episode because I have never enjoyed slasher movies or gore and was myself rather traumatized by a spooky ride at a local amusement park when I was small. To this day, I HATE  haunted house attractions, but weirdly love a good ghost tour and/or ghost story! 

Homer and Marge try to do the right thing and remove all their Halloween decorations, becoming "skippers" to help their little girl cope.    

Marge tries to placate a furious Bart with a trip to the fancy Halloween block party only to be denied -- they get a tantalizing glimpse of what they're missing in passing. 

And then comes the *real* scary, a home invasion by the disgruntled Halloween pop-up store ex-employees forces Homer to do his best to keep up a brave face for Lisa.  (He tries whistling nonchalantly and settles on the theme from Halloween as his melody of choice!)  Eventually he has to come clean - "I may not be the smartest dad, or the bravest, or the smartest ..."  It's touching and helps Lisa come up with the confidence to formulate a plan.

We also get another angle on the grown-up responsibilities theme with the Rocky Horror inspired "NC-17 Halloween" song and dance number in which the adults of Springfield (in amusingly naughty costumes) sing about the one night a year when they can cut loose (once the kids are asleep).   It's an amazingly clever and funny take on the adult elements of the holiday. 

"Our lives are awful and weary, so tonight we're going way, way, way, way, way too far!" 

Nobody does Halloween as well as The Simpsons and "Halloween of Horror" is a sweet, funny and scary stand out episode that's well worth annual repeat viewing.   

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 jack o'lanterns