Later that day, while Red and Mokey are gathering radishes, they see the Gorgs leaving overnight for their second honeymoon. Red is outraged that Gobo will be spending in the night in an empty castle and decides to show Gobo "something to be afraid of." What she and Mokey don't realize is that Junior is just helping to carry his parents' luggage and will be coming back to spend the night in the castle alone, to guard the crown jewel.
Wembley, not wanting to spend the night alone, accompanies Gobo through the tunnel leading into the Gorgs' castle. Meanwhile, Junior, unseen by Gobo and Wembley, locks the door and puts the crown jewel in an open chest on the floor, where he can keep an eye on it. After Junior leaves to make some garlic popcorn, Gobo finds the jewel. Hearing strange noises (Junior rattling around to make the popcorn), Wembley starts to panic, despite Gobo's insistence that the Gorgs aren't there. Gobo thinks maybe it wasn't the best night to map out the castle and decides to go home and bring the "Gorgish artifact" back to the Rock. As Gobo and Wembley are about to slip back into the tunnel, they hear strange noises coming from it. Since he and Gobo think the Gorgs aren't there, Wembley starts to believe the castle is haunted.
Unknown to them, the noise was Red playing a prank at other end of the tunnel, with the reluctant aid of Mokey and Boober. Red, overhearing Gobo's plan to take the crown jewel back to the Rock, decides to mess with him some more by hiding the jewel when he and Wembley aren't looking. Seeing the jewel is gone, and hearing the noises of Junior trying to make garlic popcorn, Wembley is more convinced than ever that the castle is haunted and wants to go home. Gobo, however, is determined to finish mapping out the castle.
As soon as Gobo and Wembley leave the room, Junior enters, notices the jewel is missing, and thinks it was stolen. Seeing that the door is still locked, he thinks the thief is in the castle and sets out to look for him. Meanwhile, the Fraggles are all running about in the castle, and Junior, listening to the noise they're making, is starting to think he's hearing things due to having gotten indigestion from the garlic popcorn.
Eventually, the Fraggles all meet up with one another—and run into Junior as well. They're all relieved to realize who was making the noises, but then they notice a cloaked figure outside. Thinking it may be a thief, Junior and the Fraggles decide to work together. They set a trap and capture the figure, but it turns out to be not who they think.
This episode contains examples of:
- Acid Reflux Nightmare: Played with. Before leaving, Ma tells Junior not to make garlic popcorn, because it always does this to him. Junior makes some anyway, then thinks it's caused him to start seeing things when he hears the Fraggles running around in the castle and notices that the crown jewel is no longer in the chest.
- Big Storm Episode: A thunderstorm starts on the night Junior is guarding the crown jewel.
- Continuity Nod:
- Gobo mentioning and returning to the entrance to the Gorgs' castle.
- The portrait of Sir Hubris and King Gorgus the Great, first shown in "Sir Hubris and the Gorgs", can be seen in this episode.
- Face Your Fears: Junior does this, with some help from the Fraggles, when it looks like there's a thief approaching.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: Red considers Gobo this when she hears that the Gorgs are going to be absent on the night Gobo will be spending at the castle.Red: [fuming] So that's why Gobo wanted to go tonight! Oooh, some hero!
Mokey: [warningly] Red, Red... I know that look in your eye!
Red: Gobo thinks there's nothing to be afraid of. Well, we'll show him something to be afraid of! - Food as Bribe: Boober, terrified of picking up Gorg germs, wants to stay out of the castle—until Red tells him he'll miss the Gorgs' famed gourmet pantry.
- Friendly Enemy: Junior and the Fraggles decide to work together to capture the cloaked figure.
- Great Big Book of Everything: After Red is revealed to have been making spooky noises at the other end of the tunnel...Red: Ooh, that'll teach hotshot hero Gobo a lesson!
Mokey: Yeah, I guess.
Red: Ooh, making spooky sounds scared Gobo and Wembley right out of their skins!
Boober: [holding up a book] Well, of course it did. It's all right here in my edition of Fright and Terror for the Faint of Heart. - Halloween Episode: Not per se, but it ticks a number of the tropes of a Halloween episode, and in fact was released along with "The Terrible Tunnel" and "Scared Silly" in a DVD compilation called Scared Silly in September 2010—just in time to be a Halloween cash-in.
- Haunted Castle: Wembley thinks the Gorgs' castle is this.
- Heartfelt Apology: At the end, when the Fraggle Five are about to go back down the hole to the Rock...Red: Well, so much for making us think you'd be a hero, Gobo!
Gobo: Well, I never said that. I tried to tell you that the Gorgs were going away.
Red: What? [Gobo nods.] Uh, I guess we weren't listening.
Gobo: Oh, don't worry about it. This way, we all get to be heroes! - Hell Is That Noise: Wembley freaks out on hearing Junior rattling around to make garlic popcorn, and even more so when creepy noises come out of the tunnel as he's about to dash back into it.Wembley: AAAAAAHHHHHH! The Gorgs are down there, too!
- Hurt Foot Hop: Junior does this briefly after accidentally jabbing himself with Pa's scepter.
- Lots of Luggage: For the overnight trip, the entire wheelbarrow has been loaded with boxes, bags, and baskets... mostly belonging to Ma.[Junior is unsteadily carrying a towering load of luggage toward the already packed wheelbarrow.]
Pa: Awww, 'tis only for one night, O Empress of Shadows and Light. No need to bring half the kingdom! [to Junior] Here, let me give you a hand there, son. I'll take this one...
Ma: [appearing at the door with more luggage] Oh, and don't forget these, Junior, my little beastie of burden!
Junior: That'll be the other half, Daddy.
Pa: [groans] Egad, by the time we get going, 'twill be time to come back. Why, all this won't even fit inside the cottage! It'll sink into the swamp. What kind of vacation will that be? - Mysterious Stranger: The cloaked figure stalking the castle. It turns out to be Pa.
- Nervous Wreck: Wembley becomes this when he starts hearing strange noises, then sees that the crown jewel is missing.
- Object Ceiling Cling: When Junior, after some unsuccessful attempts, finally manages to get the garlic popcorn made...Junior: Well, accidents will happen. I hope Mommy doesn't notice the peanut butter on the ceiling!
- Old, Dark House: The Gorgs' castle becomes this, with the nighttime weather adding to the effect.
- One Side of the Story: Gobo tries to tell his friends he'll be spending the night in an empty castle, but they're too busy praising his bravery to listen. Later, when Red sees the Gorgs leaving, she considers Gobo a fake ultimate hero and decides to show him "something to be afraid of."
- Out-of-Context Eavesdropping:
- Gobo, peeking into the garden, overhears the Gorgs say they're going on vacation. This gives him the idea of mapping out the castle while they're away. What he doesn't hear is the part about Junior coming back that evening.
- Later, Red and Mokey, while gathering radishes, walk past the castle just in time to overhear the Gorgs as they're leaving for the swamp. Since they, too, missed the part about Junior coming back, they think Gobo will be spending the night in an empty castle.
- Out-of-Control Popcorn: At one point, a cloud of smoke is seen billowing out a window as a coughing Junior opens it, while a noise like out-of-control firecrackers is heard in the background.Junior: Well, another batch of garlic popcorn up in smoke. Maybe I should use more peanut butter. Yeah, that's it!
- Pinky Swear: Junior swears to Pa that, while his parents are gone, he'll protect the castle and the crown jewel.Pa: And now, since you're a grown Gorg, we share the Gorgish oath.
Pa and Junior: Inky-dinky-waddly-poo!
Notsy-nosy-giggly-goo!
Diddly-bom, diddly-bom!
Diddly-siss-boom-bah!
With a Hey Nonny, Nonny and a Ha-Cha-Cha! - The Prankster: Red.
- Quaking with Fear: Wembley spends a lot of the episode doing this.
- Secret Test: Pa and Ma's second honeymoon is revealed to be a distraction to see how competent Junior is at guarding the crown jewel.
- Secret Underground Passage: The Fraggles use the one leading from the Rock into the Gorgs' castle.
- Series Continuity Error: Possibly. In this episode, Junior locks the castle door. Pa mentions in "Junior Sells the Farm" that the lock has been broken for the last twelve generations... unless it was repaired between these episodes.
- Staging the Eavesdrop: To lure the thief to the trap, Junior does this, complete with Bad "Bad Acting".[Junior steps outside the castle door, carrying the crown jewel and the chest.]
Junior: [in a loud, stilted tone of voice] Oh, well! It looks like I must have been seeing things after all. I guess I might as well go to bed, after I put this, the Gorg crown jewel, back in its safe hiding place inside this chest!
[He puts the crown jewel inside the chest, then lets out a fake yawn.]
Junior: Boy, am I tired! What a night!
[He picks up the chest and hurries back inside the castle.] - Trip Trap: The Fraggles use one to catch the mysterious figure.
- Wrong Assumption:
- Gobo thinks he'll be spending the night in an empty castle.
- Gobo's friends think the Gorgs will be in the castle with him. Red becomes outraged when she learns the Gorgs are to be away.
