"Rockbeetle!"
Since she's sprained her tail, Red is training Wembley to take her place for the Rockbeetle Race, where the participants roll mossballs (giant balls of moss) with their noses, jump up, and shout, "Rockbeetle!" all the way to the finish line. Despite the fact that they're competitors, Gobo and Wembley promise each other that in spite of whoever wins or loses, they're still friends. This is put to the test after Wembley wins the race and Gobo claims that Wembley got lucky. Red proposes a rematch, which Gobo accepts, much to Wembley's dismay.On the Front 'N' Back Race, Wembley loses on purpose, infuriating Red, who knows what he did. She tells Gobo, who demands another rematch, telling Wembley to play it fair or their friendship is off.
Wembley tries to get out of the Run-Hop-Swing-and-Run Race by pretending to be sick, but Red and Gobo call him out on it. Having had enough, Wembley tells them both off for putting him in the middle of their competition. He says he'll do this last race, but for himself. Though he wins, he feels bad, fearing Gobo won't want to talk to him anymore. Gobo apologizes for being a sore loser and tells him he's glad he won.
This episode contains examples of:
- An Aesop:
- Friendship is more important than winning.
- Gambling can become both addictive and dangerous.
- Audience Participation Song: An in-universe example. During the Front 'N' Back Race, the World's Oldest Fraggle leads the spectators in singing "Front 'N' Back Patter Song (Turn Around Now!)" The song tells the racers when to "turn around now" and reverse the direction in which they are running.
- Bait-and-Switch: Boober and Rumple bet radishes on the Rockbeetle Race. When Boober wins and Rumple gets thumped trying to get the radishes, Boober is aghast, and it looks like he's going to call off the bet. Instead, when it's time for the Front 'N' Back Race...Boober: I have an idea, Rumple. Why don't we bet double or nothing on this race? And this time, you take Wembley.
Rumple: You're on! [Laughs.] Go, Wembley!
Mokey: Boober, Boober...
Boober: Hmm?
Mokey: Are you betting again?
Boober: You see, this way, when Wembley wins again, Rumple and I will be even.
[Mokey groans.] - The Bet: Just before the Rockbeetle Race, Rumple proposes a bet: Boober will owe one radish if Gobo wins, and Rumple will owe five radishes if anyone else does. Although Mokey tries to discourage gambling, Boober starts cheering for "anybody but Gobo!"
- The Big Race: Gobo and Wembley compete against each other in three of them.
- Blame Game: Red and Gobo play this after Wembley says he's sick of the race.Red: You see, this is your fault for being a sore loser!
Gobo: My fault? Hey, you're the one that says he's lost on purpose! - Blatant Lies: Uncle Matt observes a race and mistakes the starting gun for a device that scares the racers into running—and scares Matt into running with them. "I, of course, was unaffected," he writes.
- Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: Played with. Wembley gets sick of being put in the middle of their competition and tells Gobo to leave him alone. When he wins the third race, though, he's afraid Gobo won't want to talk to him anymore. They make up when Gobo apologizes for being a sore loser and tells Wembley how happy he is for him.
- Cane Fu: The World's Oldest Fraggle keeps doing this to Henchy when the latter corrects something he's said.World's Oldest Fraggle: On your marks, get set...
Henchy: But we can't start yet! There's only one Fraggle at the starting line, and I...
[Henchy's voice trails off as he gives an Oh, Crap! look to his boss. A Beat.]
World's Oldest Fraggle: [pointing to a spot on the ledge] Flunky, put your nose right down there.
[Henchy reluctantly does so.]
World's Oldest Fraggle: We'll just have to wait, won't we?
[Henchy nods. The World's Oldest Fraggle bonks him on the nose with his cane.] - Character Name and the Noun Phrase: The episode's title.
- Competition Freak: Gobo says early on how much he hates to lose, and Red tells Wembley how important it is for him to beat Gobo, while Wembley just wants to do his best. This is the first hint that there will be trouble whether Wembley wins or loses. Sure enough, when Wembley wins the Rockbeetle Race and Gobo claims that Wembley got lucky, Red immediately challenges Gobo to a rematch, much to Wembley's dismay.Red: Ohhh, lucky, my tail! You race again, and we'll beat you again!
Wembley: What?
Gobo: [to Red] Oh, yeah? You want to race again? Well, that's fine. We'll race again, just Wembley and me!
Wembley: Uh, I don't think that's such a good idea!
Red: You keep out of this, Wembley!
Wembley: But...!
Red: [to Gobo] We challenge you to a Front 'N' Back Race. And this time, there'll be no excuses!
Wembley: But... no, no...!
Gobo: Okay, Red. You're on!
[Red and Gobo glare at each other as Wembley looks on, aghast.] - Continuity Nod:
- While announcing the Rockbeetle Race, the World's Oldest Fraggle is holding a flag with the Solemn Mark of the Fraggle, first seen on the lid of the music box in "The Lost Treasure of the Fraggles." The mark is a pictograph of a smiling Fraggle putting his thumbs in his ears and spreading out his fingers.
- In Mokey's lap is her shoulder bag, seen in "A Cave of One's Own."
- Didn't Think This Through: When Boober and Rumple decided to bet, they didn't stop to think about the dangers of where to get the prize.[It's time for the second race. Rumple now has a bandaged arm.]
Boober: Hey, Rumple! What happened to you?
Rumple: Oh... uh... nothing, Boober. I almost got caught by a Gorg trying to get you your radishes.
Mokey: [aghast] Oh!
Rumple: Uh, but don't worry. I'll get them for you soon.
Boober: Mokey, this is awful! I don't want to win radishes this way. - Dissonant Laughter: Gobo is laughing at Uncle Matt's latest postcard and starts to read it to Wembley.Gobo: [reading postcard] "Dear Nephew Gobo..."
[Wembley bursts out laughing.]
Gobo: That's not the funny part.
Wembley: Oh. - Emotionally Tongue-Tied: A humorous variation in Wembley's Fantasy Sequence has Gobo unable to say the word "race" because he's traumatized over losing to Wembley.
- Fantasy Sequence: After the Rockbeetle Race, Wembley imagines Gobo moving out because he lost to the former.Wembley: Oh, but what if Gobo never forgives me for beating him?
[He looks over at Gobo's bed. An image fades in of Gobo, carrying his guitar and wearing his backpack and one of his hats. Next to him is Mokey, with her arms full of his other possessions. On her head is another one of his hats.]
Gobo: Mokey, if you take my collection of Uncle Matt's postcards, I got my pack and my string gourd. Then we'll just have to make one more trip for everything else.
Wembley: [aghast] Gobo, you're not gonna move out?
Gobo: [on the verge of tears] Tell you-know-who that ever since the big ra-a-a... ra-a-a... I can't say it. [Sniffs.]
Mokey: Ohhh, that's what's wrong with competition. Poor Gobo.
Wembley: But he's still my friend. I want you to be my friend!
Gobo: It's hard to be friends with someone when they beat you in a ra-a-a... ra-a-a... I just can't say it.
Wembley: [as Gobo and Mokey walk out] But I didn't mean to beat you, Gobo. I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to, Gobo...! - Friendly Tickle Torture: Gobo briefly does this to Wembley during their duet: "Friends Till The End."
- Friendship Song: Gobo and Wembley's duet: "Friends Till The End."
- Friendship-Straining Competition: Wembely fears the contests are doing this to his with Gobo. Indeed, the latter is irritated at his defeat in the first race, and when he finds Wembley lost on purpose in the second one, he tells him that he'd better play the next one fair or he can forget about their friendship.
- The Gambling Addict: Rumple and Boober, in a Compressed Vice example. Even after Rumple is thumped trying to get the prize, they both want to keep betting.
- Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Gobo does this when Wembley says he lost on purpose only because he didn't want the race to hurt their friendship.Gobo: Hurt our friendship? [Jabs his index finger into Wembley's chest.] Wembley Fraggle, we're gonna run one more race—and you better run it fair, or you can forget about our friendship!
- Goggles Do Nothing: Rumple wears an aviator's helmet and goggles, even though he doesn't have an aircraft.
- "Good Luck" Gesture: Before the first race, Gobo, Wembley, and the other racers put their tails in the center for good luck.
- Graceful Loser: Gobo, at the end of the third race, when he apologizes to Wembley for having been a sore loser, then congratulates him on winning.
- Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: When Wembley wins the first race and Rumple gets thumped trying to get the five radishes he owes, Boober offers a double or nothing counterbet, with the radishes on Gobo this time. But when Wembley deliberately loses to Gobo, Rumple now owes Boober ten radishes and gets thumped even worse. At the third race...Boober: Okay, we'll go double or nothing on this last race.
Rumple: Yeah!
Boober: If Gobo wins, you win. If Wembley wins, I lose. Okay?
[Mokey sighs.]
Rumple: Yeah, okay! [Laughs.]
Boober: Good. But you have to promise never to bet again.
Rumple: Oh, you bet! Uh, I mean... sure, sure! Go, Gobo! Go, Wembley! You can do it...!
Mokey: [whispering] Boober, I thought you said you weren't gonna bet again.
Boober: Don't you see? If Gobo wins, Rumple wins. If Wembley wins, I lose, and Rumple still wins. Either way, we'll be even! - Heartfelt Apology: Just before the final race, Gobo tries to apologize, but Wembley says to leave him alone. He wins but fears Gobo won't want to talk to him anymore. Just then, Gobo walks up behind him and finally gets to apologize.Gobo: I'm sorry I was such a sore loser, but I'm glad you won. You're the best!
Wembley: Gosh! Now I really feel like a winner. - Heterosexual Life-Partners: Gobo and Wembley are extremely close friends. They love to do things together and even share a room. Their relationship is illustrated by Gobo and Wembley's song "Friends Till the End."
- Hypocrite: Boober makes Rumple promise never to bet again... once they've gone double or nothing on the third race.
- I Don't Think That's Such a Good Idea: Wembley says this after the first race, when Gobo accepts Red's offer of a rematch. Red tells Wembley to stay out of it.
- I Let You Win: Wembley loses the second race on purpose in an effort to keep his friendship with Gobo safe. It would have worked if Red hadn't tattled on him.
- Injured Limb Episode:
- Red is training Wembley as her replacement in the race because she's sprained her tail.
- Rumple gets thumped by a Gorg when he tries to get radishes for Boober. Twice.
- Jerkass Realization: After Wembley's What the Hell, Hero? speech, Red and Gobo realize they've been putting Wembley in the middle of their competition.Gobo: Wow! He's right. We have been putting him in the middle!
Red: Yeah... I guess we have!
Gobo: I gotta apologize! Oh, we gotta get there before the race!
Red: Yeah! - Large-Ham Announcer: The World's Oldest Fraggle, who comments on the races in a grandiose manner.Henchy: Attention, all the Fraggles in the world! The World's Oldest Fraggle will now welcome you all to the big Rockbeetle Race!
World's Oldest Fraggle: Welcome, you-all, to the big Rockbeetle Race! - Leave Me Alone!: Wembley says this when Gobo attempts to apologize before the final race. He tries desperately to catch up to Wembley so he can say he's sorry, but this only drives Wembley to run faster.
- My God, You Are Serious!: When Red confronts Wembley about having lost the second race on purpose...Gobo: [walking in] Well, coach...!
[Red groans.]
Gobo: I told you I could win, and I did. So I can't be a sore loser, right?
Red: Wrong.
Gobo: Huh?
Red: The only reason you won the race is because Wembley lost on purpose.
Gobo: [laughs] Get out of here! Nobody would lose a race on purpose. [Laughs, then looks at Wembley.] Is it true?
[Red nods.] - Noisy Shut-Up: Wembley shuts up Red and Gobo's Blame Game by yelling: "WILL YOU CUT THIS OUT!"
- Oh, Crap!:
- Wembley, when Gobo accepts Red's offer of a rematch.
- Rumple, when Gobo wins the second race.Rumple: Now I owe you ten radishes! [Groans.] Back to the Gorgs' garden...!
- Parodies of Fire: During the final race, a slight rearrangement of the Chariots of Fire theme is heard as we get slow-motion views of Gobo and Wembley running.
- Pet Contest Episode: In "Outer Space," Doc, insulted by Shimmelfinney's insinuation that Sprocket is ugly, decides to enter him in one of these, against Sprocket's wishes. At the end of the episode, Doc has a Jerkass Realization and calls Shimmelfinney to say that he won't be entering Sprocket—because Sprocket is still a winner to him, no matter what anyone else thinks.
- Playing Sick: Wembley, in an attempt to get out of the third race, tells Gobo he has a stomachache. Unfortunately, he remembers too late that he'd told Red he had a headache, so Red and Gobo see through the lie.
- Pom-Pom Girl: Three of them can be seen cheering on the racers. After Wembley wins the third race, they triumphantly cheer for him while hitting him with their pom-poms.
- Punch a Wall: Gobo does this after losing the first race.
- Rule of Three: Gobo and Wembley run three races.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Subverted. Wembley, in an attempt to keep his friendship with Gobo safe, tells him he's decided not to run in the second race. Red and Gobo make him race anyway.Gobo: You can't quit now!
Red: That's what I told him!
Wembley: This race is getting in the way of our friendship!
Gobo: Listen, if you're a real friend, you'll give me a chance to get even! - Song Style Shift:
- Gobo and Wembley's "Friends Till the End" has a bridge where the tempo briefly slows, then reverts to its original tempo for the final chorus.
- The "Front 'N' Back Patter Song (Turn Around Now!)" starts off slowly but gradually increases in tempo as the Front 'N' Back Race progresses and the racers keep turning.
- So Proud of You: Red says this to Wembley (and herself) when he wins the third race.Red: Oh, Wembley, you did it, you did it! And you have a fantastic coach!
Wembley: Yeah!
Red: You were pretty fantastic, too, Wembley! [She hugs him.] - Sore Loser: Gobo, who claims that Wembley got lucky.
- Spelling Song: During "Friends Till the End", Wembley says, "Let's spell it out!"Wembley: F...
Gobo: Someone asks of me...
Wembley: R...
Gobo: You and me a team...
Wembley: I...
Gobo: Say we'll always be...
Both: Friends till the E-N-D! - Staircase Tumble: Red tells Wembley to cover his eyes, then imagine himself pushing a mossball while beating Gobo. Wembley tries this while going to get his things, then falls down the steps leading into his room.
- Underdogs Never Lose: Played with. The submissive Wembley beats Gobo twice, only losing the second race to try to salvage his friendship with Gobo.
- Unsportsmanlike Gloating: Red gloats on Wembley's behalf after he beats Gobo the first time.Gobo: I'm just mad at myself for losing. How could I have let myself get bunched up with those other Fraggles?
Red: Oh, don't blame yourself, Gobo. Wembley would have won anyhow. With my coaching, he's practically unbeatable! - Verbal Backspace: Just before the third race, Wembley tells Red he's not feeling well. She tells Gobo, and they find Wembley moaning and groaning.Wembley: Ohhhhh, ohhhh!
Gobo: Hey, Wembley!
Wembley: Ohhhhhh, ohhhhh!
Gobo: Where does it hurt?
Wembley: Uh, sort of in my stomach! Ohhhhhhhhh!
Red: I thought you said you had a headache!
Wembley: Oh! Oh, I do, I do! I have both, a headache and a stomachache. You know me, I can never make up my mind. That's why I have two pains. - Vicariously Ambitious: A Compressed Vice example. When Gobo claims that Wembley got lucky in the Rockbeetle Race, Red tells him, against Wembley's wishes, that she and Wembley challenge him to a Front 'N' Back Race. Wembley wants to drop out of the race to keep his friendship with Gobo safe, but Red won't let him; she literally pushes him to the starting line. As far as she's concerned, if she can't race against Gobo herself because of her sprained tail, training Wembley to beat Gobo is the next best thing. She does have a Jerkass Realization, though, when Wembley tells her and Gobo off for putting him in the middle of their competition.
- Vine Swing: Part of the Run-Hop-Swing-and-Run Race involves swinging across a chasm on vines.
- Wacky Racing: The three races, with rules as explained by the World's Oldest Fraggle. The first is the Rockbeetle Race, involving mossballs. "Roll a mossball with your nose, jump up and shout, 'Rockbeetle!' all the way to the finish line." The second is the Front 'N' Back Race. The rules: "When you hear the crowd yell, 'Turn around now,' if you're running frontwards, you turn around and run backwards; but if you're running backwards, you turn around and run frontwards." The third is the Run-Hop-Swing-and-Run Race. "First you run, then you hop, then you swing on a vine, and then you run to the finish line."
- What the Hell, Hero?: Wembley tells off Red and Gobo after shutting up their Blame Game.Wembley: You're both making me sick! [to Gobo] You think I'm lucky! [to Red] You think I lost on purpose! You want to know what I think? [A beat.] I don't know what I think. But I know I don't like being in the middle! Ohhh, ohhh, I'm gonna race, all right. Oh, yeah, yeah! But this time, I'm gonna do it for me! [He lets out a Cathartic Scream, then runs off.]
