Recap / The Muppet Show S 5 E 15

Carol Burnett guest stars, but Gonzo has arranged for a dance marathon to take place during the show!

Songs and Sketches

• "Watch What Happens", attempted by Carol Burnett
• Pigs in Space — At the Dance on the Swinetrek
• UK Spot: "Poke Me Polka", done by the dancers
• "But Not for Me", sung by Carol Burnett's cleaning lady character from The Carol Burnett Show
• "I Was Made for Dancin'", sung by Carol
• Carol tries to do her famous "Lonely Asparagus" sketch during the closing theme.

This episode has examples of

• Actor Allusion: Carol goes on a rant about how Julie Andrews didn't have to put up with all this crap when she appeared on the show; the two are actually life-long friends.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Carol's not happy when Gonzo sets her up with Animal as her dance partner... especially when he does his "one-two-three-DIP!" bit, as he did way back in the first season.
  • Kermit brings up how when Julie Andrews was on the show she sang "When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish".
• Formula-Breaking Episode: Instead of the usual format, we get a dance marathon that was arranged in the same time slot—essentially an episode-long "At the Dance" sketch.
  Kermit: This is just like our regular "At the Dance" spot.
  Gonzo: Yes, but it goes on forever! Ha ha! Yowza, yowza!
• Idiot Ball: Given how many bad ideas Gonzo has given Kermit throughout the show, you'd think by now, he wouldn't listen.
• Interrupted by the End: Carol starts to do her famous "Lonely Asparagus" skit in the final moments of the show, only to be interrupted by the last notes of the closing theme.
• Lady Looks Like a Dude: Downplayed. While Carol is behind the screen in her dressing room, changing into her asparagus costume, Scooter runs in to tell Kermit he's needed downstairs. Right after Kermit leaves, Carol emerges, dressed as an asparagus.
  Carol: Ta-da!
  Scooter: Hey, mister, you're in the wrong place. They're doing the vegetable-soup commercial next door!
  Carol: Mister? I'll have you know I am a lady!
  [She whacks him, sending him flying out the door and over the balcony. He gets up, cross-eyed, then faints.]
• Loophole Abuse: The Cleaning Lady is approached by Gonzo, who reminds her that only contestants are allowed on the dance floor. She turns around, revealing the #37 she's wearing.
  Gonzo: Oh, yeah? Where's your partner?
  [She displays a #58 on her mop.]
• Musicalis Interruptus: During a rest period, Carol starts to sing "Watch What Happens", but in the middle of the song, Gonzo calls for a polka. She yells at the dancers to knock it off, actually stopping both the music and dancing for a few moments, and continues singing... but then Gonzo calls for a can-can.
• No Fair Cheating: An in-universe example. In the closing moments, Dr. Honeydew reveals that the winning couple is a pair of robot dancers he invented in Muppet Labs, and Gonzo tells him that robots are against the rules. Making it worse, this means Gonzo decides that no one has won. The enraged dancers begin chasing him around the stage.
• On Second Thought:
  • Carol tries to get out of dancing on the excuse that she doesn't have a partner. Gonzo immediately finds her one: Animal.
    Carol: Oh, no, no. Now, look, look, I am not dancing.
    [Animal hustles her onto the stage.]
    Carol: I'm dancing. I'm dancing. Nice Animal. Nice. Nice.
    Animal: NICE DANCE!
  • Piggy tries to get Kermit to dance with her, but Kermit resists... that is, until Gonzo tries to get Kermit to dance with him.
• Rule of Three: Subverted.
  Carol: Kermit, I really don't want to hurt your feelings. Don't misunderstand me, but this is one of the three worst shows I've ever seen.
  Kermit: Well... what were the other two?
  Carol: There are no other two; I was just being kind.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Subverted. Carol threatens to leave in the middle of the show, but Kermit gets her to stay by promising that she can do her famous "Lonely Asparagus" sketch as soon as the marathon is over. To speed up the marathon, she sings "I Was Made for Dancin'", encouraging the contestants to dance faster and faster, until all but one couple has dropped out by collapsing from exhaustion.
  Carol: [to two babies dancing] Come on, come on, you little darlings! You're so young, you shouldn't be tired! You can go faster! Yeah, that's right, just...
  [The babies collapse.]
  Carol: ...speed it up! [She turns to another couple.] Oh, good! Yeah! Faster, faster, faster, faster!
• Skewed Priorities: In "Pigs in Space", Piggy gets eaten by a Weird Alien Thing. Gonzo rushes in... to tell her she has to keep dancing or she'll be disqualified.
  Piggy: Aw, come off it, Gonzo!
  Gonzo: There are no exceptions to the rules.
  Piggy: Oh, all right, all right! [She starts dancing inside the alien's stomach.] One and two, and one and two, and one and two, and one and two...
  Gonzo: Fred and Ginger were never better.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Carol really lets Kermit have it for having a dance marathon during her episode.

---

[Carol sneaks back onstage.]
Carol: Oh, what a sad and lonely asparagus am I! Most of my hollandaise are behind me...
[Band finishes the theme.]
Carol: Oh, rats...