Unique air date: June 6, 1983

I believe we’re all responsible of taking our associates with no consideration each every now and then. All of us have that one good friend who’s not allowed to be in charge of the music on street journeys for worry that they’ll begin taking part in their extremely obscure Broadway showtunes playlist (it’s me! hello!). Certainly you all know what it’s like to search out out that perhaps not everyone seems to be as concerned with your extraordinarily distinctive obsession. It hurts being the good friend within the group who people flip to final in sure circumstances. We’ve all pigeonholed a good friend based mostly off a number of traits, and perhaps made them really feel lesser than they’re – even when by chance.

The episode “Mokey’s Funeral” presents a transparent and concise lesson – how we should always not minimize out our associates from alternatives due to our personal biases that get baked right into a relationship, nor ought to we deal with their strengths and pursuits as much less necessary.

(And why sure, I’m one of many three hosts of the most recent addition to the pantheon of ToughPigs podcasts – Fraggle Speak: Traditional. Full disclosure, we’re nowhere near speaking about this episode in our recording periods, so I’m leaping just a little forward within the course of!)

This one is a Mokey episode, which you could possibly very a lot guess on title alone. Mokey’s the primary Fraggle we see, on her method to collect radishes from the Gorg’s backyard. She bumps into Gobo and Purple, who present some fairly good banter (“I’m in control of building, he’s in control of errors.” “My first mistake was asking her for assist!”) as they inform her they’re going to construct a ship at Candy Water Grotto.

When Mokey expresses curiosity in serving to, they immediately deflect her supply. They don’t even attempt to be well mannered and conceal the reasoning, these two straight up inform her that she does “the inventive stuff” and so they do “the sensible stuff” earlier than taking off, leaving Mokey to stew in her frustration (granted, Mokey’s zen ranges of frustration are far tamer than everybody else’s).

As a poet myself who’s perhaps not probably the most useful particular person round the home, this hits residence. Mokey saying that simply because she “writes poems and stuff” doesn’t imply she’s incapable is a really actual feeling. Even if you happen to’re not an artist, you’ve absolutely skilled one thing to this impact.

Mokey continues on her method, solely to search out that the entry to the Gorg’s backyard is blocked off by a lure to catch Fraggles (full with garlic gumdrops as bait). When requested by his Ma why he desires to catch Fraggles, Junior dramatically turns to the digicam and says, “As a result of they’re there!” Mokey’s intuition is to get her associates, however with the phrases of Gobo and Purple ringing in her ears, she decides to take issues into her personal fingers.

Mokey then daydreams about sacrificing herself for the larger good of Fraggle-kind (which, once more, relatable) however decides it may be too painful. So, as a substitute, she builds a duplicate of herself, who she lovingly names Rags. We then get our first of two numbers on this episode, this being one of many higher identified Fraggle Rock songs on the market – “Ragtime Queen.” Kathy Mullens sings this track fantastically and with a lot tenderness within the supply. In it we get to see Mokey’s loneliness as she sings to a creation of herself, the one one she feels will take heed to her.

When Mokey goes to point out Rags to her associates, a traditional TV trope takes place – she overhears them badmouthing her! She hears them say that her plan is dumb, after which they’ve the audacity to say “Mokey’s poems are higher than her plans,” and “Yeah, and her poems aren’t a lot!” I imply, OUCH. Dunking on her poetry? When that’s her entire factor?? Harsh, dudes!

Upset, Mokey rushes off to place her plan into motion, which seemingly works – Junior thinks he’s caught a Fraggle when he finds Rags, thus eradicating his lure from the backyard’s entrance. However earlier than Mokey can come out of her hiding spot, Purple and Gobo strategy to apologize for his or her insults solely to see Junior come to the belief that the Fraggle he’s caught isn’t transferring and should be useless.

We then get a sequence of Gobo and Purple being caught up of their disbelief and grief, regretting the best way they handled their good friend who they imagine is deceased. This provides up — in spite of everything, that is the lesson that the episode has been constructing as much as for the reason that first Fraggle scene. What caught me abruptly was Junior and Ma Gorg. Junior is immediately mournful of the useless Fraggle in his fingers, believing he should have been the one who killed her. When he tells this to Ma Gorg, she tells him, “It’s a tragic, unhappy factor to kill a creature,” and when he continues to grieve she says, “Junior, you’re breaking my coronary heart.”

And simply, like, WHOA. While you consider Gorgs, you consider them making an attempt to whack the Fraggles with a membership of their backyard and eliminate them. Attending to see these two course of the dying of one other is a strong and surprising second. (And also you simply KNOW it was an intentional determination for Pa to not be current for any of this episode – chances are high he’d have a a lot much less delicate strategy to a useless creature.)

After Junior sings the second and last track (and wears a reasonably wonderful funeral hat), Mokey reveals to her mourning associates that she’s nonetheless alive. Purple and Gobo (and Junior too) rejoice that it was only a dummy and never truly Mokey’s corpse. Again on the Rock, the Fraggles apologize profusely to her, even asking for her to share her well-known “white birds and dying” poem, which she fortunately begins to recite.

Minimize to the Doc & Sprocket section, we see that Doc has the hiccups and has tried all the pieces to rid them (holding breath, operating in place, ingesting water, bag on head, and so on.). When Sprocket asks to be fed (as a result of, y’know, HE’S A DOG AND IT’S DOC’S JOB TO CARE FOR HIM), Doc hiccups and drops the meals everywhere in the floor. As a substitute of apologizing and selecting the meals up like a very good canine proprietor, Doc proceeds to inform Sprocket that he can “eat it off the ground” after which says, “Generally I’m wondering why I maintain a canine right here in any respect.”

Wow, Doc, your canine has a reputation, my dude, and final I checked he is determined by YOU to feed him! Justly, Sprocket takes off, although he doesn’t make it very far – he makes a brand new area for himself on Doc’s entrance porch. After Doc apologizes a number of instances and a thunderstorm rolls in, Sprocket returns residence and the 2 make amends.

There’s a transparent correlation between the Fraggle A-plot and the Doc & Sprocket B-plot. In each tales, we see a good friend not solely taken with no consideration, however actively have their emotions damage. It’s not till they’re gone (whether or not as a result of they’re “useless” or as a result of they’ve left the home) that the preliminary good friend realizes they’re at fault. Each plots finish with apologies given and the promise to do higher subsequent time.

And at last, within the postcard section we see Uncle Touring Matt in a mall. When somebody drops a cup on the bottom, he finds a “stone of nice magic inside” and begins searching for “the wizard who had dropped it.” When he can’t discover the proprietor, he’s shocked to search out the stone in his pocket has disappeared and been changed by water.  It’s because the stone is an ice dice. Very similar to with Doc & Sprocket, you possibly can draw similarities to the principle story (although far looser).

Nevertheless, I used to be largely befuddled as a result of I’m certain that Fraggles know what ice is. It’s been a decade since I final went via the collection, however I KNOW there’s not less than one episode with snow in it! I do know Matt is a spacey character, however absolutely he has seen a small chunk of ice earlier than! Get it collectively, Matt!!!

Total, this episode is stable from begin to end. The Fraggles’ lesson is obvious and value taking in (respect your mates not only for what you anticipate them to actively contribute), there are two nice songs, Junior wears a jaunty hat, and there’s a few very tender moments. All in all, a pleasure to look at – however what else would you anticipate from Fraggle Rock?

Earlier than we go into the wrap up – a shameless plug. Should you haven’t but, open your podcast app and search for Fraggle Speak: The Unofficial Fraggle Rock Podcast and provides me, Adam, and Beth a hear!!

Strongest Second: Actually, the area this episode provides to Gobo and Purple grieving the dying of a good friend and taking into consideration how they handled her is one thing else. We get to see them be in disbelief, flip to remorse, mourn a beloved one, and finally rejoice. What’s extra, exhibiting us the depth of the Gorgs as soon as they really are “accountable” for a Fraggle’s dying is so oddly candy. Fraggle Rock has a variety of strengths, one in all which is that they aren’t afraid to present these heavier moments room the breathe.

Weakest Second: None! This episode is so stable all through! If I had to decide on one thing, I suppose not sufficient Wembley??

MVF (Most Worthwhile Fraggle): Unsurprisingly, I’ve acquired to go together with Mokey. Her title’s within the dang episode title, in spite of everything!

Most Traditional Second: Arms down needs to be ‘Ragtime Queen.’

Musical Spotlight: As a lot as I’d love to present it to the opposite track on this episode (which, don’t get me fallacious, ‘Joke Isn’t Humorous Anymore’ is a good quantity and I really like getting to listen to Richard Hunt sing), it’s gotta be ‘Ragtime Queen’ once more.

Fraggle Lore: Gorgs love garlic gumdrops and Fraggles hate them!

Darkest Second: I imply, as a lot as I do assume everybody mourning Mokey is the strongest a part of the episode, IT IS DARK, Y’ALL.

One Extra Factor… Be kinder to the canine in your life – feed them after they’re hungry!

Okay, One Extra Factor… Be kinder to the poets in your life – take heed to them after they’ve acquired a brand new poem about white birds and dying!

Click on right here to speak about how nice Junior’s funeral hat is on the Robust Pigs discussion board!

by Julia Gaskill