♫ Well, when I'm wembling west, I take the friend I like best, so we can wemble, wemble, wemble side by side. ♫
Forced to vote for whether the team should go to Blue Rock or stay home for Red's swimming competition, Wembley chooses the latter. Gobo, who wants to go to Blue Rock, gets upset with him and leaves to journey there anyway but forgets to bring his pickaxe. Wembley decides to bring it to him, and together the two friends face the mythical Beast of Blue Rock. They manage to arrive home just in time to win the swimming competition.Outer Space (North American version): Sprocket has caught cold and dreads Doc's taking him to the vet.
This episode features the song "Wemblin' Fool," which was one of Jim Henson's favorite songs and was sung by Jerry Nelson and Steve Whitmire at Henson's memorial service in 1990.
This episode contains examples of:
- Afraid of Doctors: The very mention of the word "veterinarian" strikes fear into the heart of Sprocket.
- Big Eater: Large Marvin, who's always seen snacking when not doing cannonballs for the swimming competition.
- Bravado Song:
- Alone in his room, spending his first night without Gobo, Wembley sings "Brave Alone," trying to face his fear of being by himself at night.
- The next day, when he realizes Gobo forgot his pickaxe, Wembley tells the Trash Heap and asks her to call Gobo back. She can't, so Wembley decides to go after Gobo. The Trash Heap sings "Brave Boy, Jump Up," telling him he can sing it to keep his mind off monsters on the way.
- Broken Bridge: Wembley manages to get across one made of Doozer sticks before it breaks, stranding the others and forcing them to return home.
- Cat Scare: Wembley, on his way to find Gobo, gets scared by a noise, thinking it's Poison Cacklers. It turns out to be Boober, Red, and Mokey, who had decided to accompany him.
- Continuity Nod: Doc remarked at the end of "Mokey's Funeral" that Sprocket seemed to be catching a cold, and sure enough, this episode features a sick Sprocket.
- The Ditherer: Wembley has so much trouble deciding whether to attend Red's competition or go with Gobo, he crashes into a wall.Wembley: Boy, making a decision sure is hard!
- Down to the Last Play: Gobo and Wembley end up accidentally taking the swim meet victory away from Large Marvin when they crash down into the Fraggle Pond, much to Red's delight.
- Face Your Fears:
- Gobo and Wembley learn to do this. They also find out facing the Beast was just facing the fear of the unknown all along.
- So does Sprocket, only to be confronted with a new fear when Doc, after praising the dog for his courage at the vet's office, tells him it's time for his medicine.
- Jerkass Ball: Gobo is downright cruel to Wembley after Wembley chooses the swimming meet over the expedition to Blue Rock. Fortunately for Gobo, Wembley doesn't hold it against him.
- Powerful Pick: When Gobo is afraid to face the Beast, Wembley uses Gobo's pickaxe to try to break into Blue Rock. Gobo tries doing the same, and enters Blue Rock, where a vision of the Trash Heap tells him that facing the Beast is just facing the fear of the unknown.
- Security Cling: Boober and Wembley cling to each other in terror at the thought of being eaten alive.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Once Gobo and Wembley enter the Blue Rock, they find the Trash Heap, who informs them that there never was an actual Beast, but that the rumor of one kept Fraggles away for centuries.
- True Companions: Red, Mokey, and Boober accompany Wembley to help him, rather than stay for the swimming competition, like they had planned. The Broken Bridge, however, forces Wembley to go on alone.
- The X of Y: The episode's title.
