Recap / Fraggle Rock S 4 E 24 Inspector Red

Inspector Red is on the case!

Noticing the missing Fraggle Horn, Red takes it upon herself to investigate. She gathers a list of suspects but soon finds her suspicions to be in doubt.

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This episode contains examples of:

• Added Alliterative Appeal:
  • The ice cream Doc brings home and later thinks Sprocket has stolen: peach-and-praline.
  • Gobo and Wembley have gathered peaches and pralines in hope that Boober will make them into a pie.
• Aesop Amnesia: This isn't the first time Red has accused someone without proof. Although, in the case of Boober, having the stolen object in your cave is pretty damning.
• Amateur Sleuth: Red, who even considers it to be a game.
• Bluffing the Murderer: After Red's second false accusation, Henchy, at the World's Oldest Fraggle's bidding, gathers all the suspects together. Red then accuses herself of stealing the Fraggle Horn. Henchy, unwilling to let someone who's innocent take the blame, immediately confesses to having stolen the Horn.
• Continuity Nod: At one point, Red is eating a radish bar, a sweet treat introduced in "Red-Handed and the Invisible Thief".
• Denied Food as Punishment: Downplayed. When Red makes her first false accusation, the World's Oldest Fraggle declares the penalty to be no radish bars for a week, then grabs Red's radish bar and eats it himself.
  World's Oldest Fraggle: I'll just take that. Thank you very much... [Grabs the radish bar.]
  Red: Hey...!
  World's Oldest Fraggle: [takes a bite] Delicious! [He walks off with it.]
• Disproportionate Retribution: Lampshaded by Red when the World's Oldest Fraggle punishes her for her second false accusation.
  Red: [walking backwards, carrying a large rock] Are you sure walking backwards, carrying a large rock, is the proper punishment for falsely accusing two Fraggles? [Falls over.]
  World's Oldest Fraggle: Well, I'm only going by the book.
  Red: Whatever you say.
• The Dog Bites Back: Indirectly. It turns out that Henchy stole the Fraggle Horn so there wouldn't be any more meetings. He did this in an effort to avoid being bonked on the nose by the World's Oldest Fraggle.
• Fake-Hair Drama: Uncle Matt, when his toupee falls off.
• Fedora of Asskicking: Just before starting to sing "There's a Lot I Want to Know," Red dons one, along with a trench coat. As displayed in the page image, an Inkspot is also seen wearing a fedora.
• Flashback Cut: There are several as Red questions various Fraggles.
• Foreshadowing: It's briefly mentioned that Ned Shimmelfinney is suffering from asthma. This becomes an important plot point a few episodes later.
• The Freelance Shame Squad: A bunch of random creatures laugh at Uncle Matt when they overhear him telling Red that he lost his toupee in Outer Space—it fell off when he was hitching a ride on a race car.
  Uncle Matt: You see, when I took my little ride, I uh... [whispering] I lost my toupee.
  Red: [aloud] You lost your TOUPEE?
  Uncle Matt: Shhh, shhh, shhh!
  [A group of random creatures suddenly appears.]
  Random Creatures: [in unison] HE LOST HIS TOUPEE?
  [The random creatures begin to guffaw.]
  Red: [yelling at random creatures] That's not polite!
  Uncle Matt: I think I'm going to go lie down. [Walks off.]
• Good Luck Charm: Marlon's lucky pebble.
• Here We Go Again!: Red says this when the World's Oldest Fraggle tells her she's about to be punished for making her second false accusation.
  Red: Oh, no! Here we go again.
• Hurt Foot Hop: The World'd Oldest Fraggle does this—when he tells Red to drop the rock, it lands on his foot.
• Hypocritical Humor: Marlon claiming Henchy and Red have close-slit eyes.
• It Was Here, I Swear!: After confronting Boober about the Fraggle Horn being in his room, Red says this when they see it's no longer there.
  Red: But... but the Fraggle Horn! It was in here just a few minutes ago!
  Boober: Red, if this is some kind of a joke, I'm afraid I just don't get it.
  Red: It's not a joke! But... but I don't get it either! Where is it?
  Boober: Well, how should I know? Gosh, Red! You... you shouldn't go around accusing innocent Fraggles without evidence. [Walks off.]
• Mystery Episode: Who stole the Fraggle Horn?
• Narration Echo:
  Red: [narrating] But I was about to stumble onto a mystery so strange, so bizarre, that I would always think of it as the "strange and bizarre mystery."
  Red: The Fraggle horn! It's missing! This is strange and bizarre.
• Narrator: Red.
• Oh, Crap!: Red, when the World's Oldest Fraggle tells her she's guilty of false accusation.
• Open-and-Shut Case: Red says this just before making her first two accusations.
• Ow, My Body Part!: When Red drops the rock on his foot, the World's Oldest Fraggle says this while doing a Hurt Foot Hop.
  World's Oldest Fraggle: Oooh, my foot! Ohhh, ohhhh!
  [Hency tries to suppress a giggle. The World's Oldest Fraggle bops him on the head with his cane.]
  Henchy: Wait a minute! I didn't drop that rock.
  World's Oldest Fraggle: Noooo, but you enjoyed it! [He bops Henchy with his cane again.]
• Pinky Swear: When accusing a suspect, one is required to take the Solemn Oath of the Fraggle.
• Rule of Three: Red has three suspects: Marlon, who lost his lucky pebble in the Fraggle Horn; Boober, who often doesn't care for parties (which the Horn is frequently used to announce); and Uncle Matt, who was going to have a party thrown for him in honor of his brave deeds but is embarrassed over the loss of his toupee.
• Summation Gathering: After Red's second false accusation, Henchy, at the World's Oldest Fraggle's bidding, gathers all the suspects together.
  Red: You're all probably wondering why you've been called here today.
• Sweet Tooth: Red loves radish bars. So does the World's Oldest Fraggle, to the point that he takes Red's as punishment for making her first false accusation.

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