"It's the hugest thing in the universe!"
Annoyed that she doesn't always have the limelight, Red sulks by a lily pond and discovers a sea monster with a "magic wind weapon." She tells her friends about the creature, but they laugh, saying that the "wind weapon" (an electric fan) was what Gobo had just encountered in Doc's workshop. She takes them to the place where she found the sea monster, but he doesn't appear. Red's friends give up and leave, but Red stays by the pond to wait for the creature. As she begins to wonder whether it was all her imagination, the monster appears again, calling himself the Last of the Lily Creatures. Excited, Red tells him she wants to introduce him to her friends. She runs to get them but doesn't see him duck into the pond in alarm.Red asks her friends to come back with her and meet the Lily Creature, but Gobo laughs her off. Red pleads that she needs just one witness, and Marlon agrees to go with her.
At the pond, Marlon tells Red how popular they will be once they have made contact with the Lily Creature. Gobo, meanwhile, brings Boober, Wembley, and Mokey to the pond to "snap [Red] out of it." As Red and Marlon wait for the sea monster, they see a fin sticking up—which reveals itself to be Gobo, pretending to be the creature. Frustrated, Red vows to live by the pond until she sees the Lily Creature again but changes her mind on learning that Marlon plans to start his own museum, with the sea monster as the exhibit. She tells him that she made up the creature, and he leaves in disappointment.
The Lily Creature reappears, thanking Red for protecting him. He explains that if he cannot live in the pond in peace, he cannot live at all. Red agrees to keep his existence secret, and the two part as friends. Telling her other friends she was mistaken about what she saw, she reconciles with them.
This episode contains examples of:
- Ambition Is Evil: Marlon, who is willing to capture and imprison the Last of the Lily Creatures.
- And Here He Comes Now: After Red moves out to live by the lily pond, Mokey sings "Sorrow and Shame", a bluesy, sad song Gobo has written about how much he misses her and how sorry he feels about how he and the others have just treated her. Gobo says he wishes that playing it would bring Red back. While they're playing it, Red returns from the pond and overhears the song. She comes out of hiding, her friends welcome her back and apologize, and the song changes to "Sing It and Say," a joyful gospel-style piece.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: The others doubting Red's story, despite the fact that they live in a world full of magical caves and creatures.
- Blues: "Sorrow and Shame" is a bluesy, sad song about how much Red's friends miss her and how sorry they feel about how they've just treated her. This changes to "Sing It and Say," a joyful gospel-style song, once she comes home.
- Building Is Welding: The Doozers are welding while building a tower.
- Cassandra Truth: No one—except Marlon—believes Red saw the Lily Creature.
- Character Name and the Noun Phrase: The episode's title.
- Cooking Stories: Doc is experimenting with various way to cook seaweed.
- Driven by Envy: Red is jealous of the times Gobo has the limelight, especially when he's reading another one of Uncle Matt's postcards. At the beginning of the episode, she's trying to break Gobo's record for holding one's breath underwater.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Red and Marlon have this reaction to Gobo's prank.
- Evil Laugh: Marlon cackles in an evil-sounding way while telling Red how happy they will be once they have made contact with the Lily Creature.
- Foil: Marlon is this to Red, willing to make any sacrifice to get popularity. Red, on the other hand, while keen to keep the spotlight, doesn't.
- I Just Want to Be Special: Why Marlon wants to capture the Last of the Lily Creatures.Marlon: Once we alone have made contact with the beast, other Fraggles will admire us greatly.
Red: Well, of course they will. It'll be terrific!
Marlon: They will shower us with invitations! But we will have to turn them down, because we are so busy, so very busy with our full and happy lives.
Red: What are you talking about?
Marlon: I'm talking about popularity. Having friends!
Red: But... but what has the sea monster got to do with having friends?
Marlon: You cannot understand the workings of a lonely mind. - Jerkass Ball: Gobo's tongue is pure acid in much of this episode, and his prank on Red is pretty thoughtless. He eventually does feel remorse for it.
- Jerkass Has a Point:Red: Marlon was right. I was just trying to use the sea monster to get everybody's attention.
- Last of His Kind: The Lily Creature calls himself this.
- Living Museum Exhibit: Marlon wants the Lily Creature to be this.
- Melancholy Musical Number:
- At the start of the episode, Red claims to have broken Gobo's record for holding one's breath underwater, despite the fact that her friends, while timing her, weren't counting in unison. Boober says Red exaggerated, and Red goes off to sulk by a lily pond. Feeling foolish about having exaggerated, she sings a wistful song called "Bring Back the Wonder".Red: [wandering down a tunnel] So... maybe I stretched the truth a little. All I was trying to do was have some fun. [Beat] Oh, phooey! Now I feel really dumb. [She wanders over to the lily pond.] I hate it when I feel like this.
- "Sorrow and Shame" is about how sorry Red's friends feel about the way they've just treated her.
- At the start of the episode, Red claims to have broken Gobo's record for holding one's breath underwater, despite the fact that her friends, while timing her, weren't counting in unison. Boober says Red exaggerated, and Red goes off to sulk by a lily pond. Feeling foolish about having exaggerated, she sings a wistful song called "Bring Back the Wonder".
- Secret-Keeper: Red promises the Lily Creature to keep his existence secret.
- Shark Fin of Doom: Subverted. Gobo wears a fake fin on his head while pretending to be the Lily Creature. Red and Marlon are not amused when Gobo reveals himself.
- Speaking Up for Another: Mokey does this when Gobo doesn't believe Red saw the Lily Creature.Mokey: I know you don't believe that Red saw a sea monster, but... well, she does, and she is our friend.
- Stock Ness Monster: The Last of the Lily Creatures, a creature with a strong resemblance to Nessie (albeit it is sentient and can talk) that lives, hidden, in the Fraggle Rock pond.
- Tastes Better Than It Smells: Sprocket thinks the seaweed Doc is cooking smells disgusting. When he tries it, though, he loves it.Doc: I've never seen one dog tuck away so much food. And you thought I was exaggerating when I told you how good that Japanese seaweed pie would taste.
- You're Insane!: When Red tells Marlon she made up the Lily Creature...Marlon: But WHY?
Red: Well... call it the workings of a lonely mind. [Cackles.]
Marlon: Uh... Red... you are very strange! Perhaps I... uh... had better be leaving. Bye-bye!
