Recap / Fraggle Rock S 3 E 12 Scared Silly

"Wembley, it's all in the timing."

After Boober scares Wembley to test his baloobius (the fluffy end of a Fraggle's tail, which flares when a Fraggle is scared), Wembley tries to pay him back and goes to the Trash Heap for advice on how to do so. The Trash Heap warns against this, telling Wembley that if he seeks revenge, he takes the consequences. Wembley tries to do so anyway, planting masks and popping snakes in Boober's room while he's away at Rock Soap Cavern, but panics when Philo and Gunge tell him that Boober could blow up from being scared enough.

Meanwhile, Boober returns and, completely unfazed by the masks and snakes, deliberately sets them off and goes to take a nap in the pantry, since his room is now too messy to sleep in. When Wembley returns and finds that the traps have been sprung and Boober is gone, he freaks out, believing that Boober has blown up.

After Wembley leaves to get a broom, Philo and Gunge enter, looking for Wembley because the Trash Heap insisted they apologize. They try on the masks and accidentally scare Wembley into fainting when he returns. Philo and Gunge leave without noticing Wembley, who wakes up and think he's blown up as well. He then sees Boober come in and tries to convince him that they have both blown up. Philo and Gunge find Wembley at last and tell him they were joking. Wembley apologizes for trying to get Boober back, and Boober admits he took baloobius testing too far—just before he scares himself.

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This episode contains examples of:

• An Aesop:
  • Taking something too far can ignite a desire for revenge.
  • Revenge is not the answer; it will only make things worse.
• Argument of Contradictions: Philo and Gunge keep having these, annoying the Trash Heap to the point that she threatens to blow up at them.
  Gunge: Oh, no, I didn't!
  Philo: You did too!
  Gunge: I did not!
  Philo: Did too!
  Gunge: Did not!
  Philo: Did too!
  Gunge: Did not...!
  The Trash Heap: [lowering her book] Boys, boys! If you two don't pipe down, I'm going to lose my temper. I've read the same sentence six times!
  Philo: Well, don't blow up at me. Blow up at him. He's the one who did it!
  Gunge: Did not!
  Philo: Did too!
  Gunge: Did not!
  Philo: Did too...!
  The Trash Heap: When I blow up, I'll blow up at both of you. Now, be quiet!
• Blasé Boast: Wembley hides under a pile of laundry, planning to jump out of it to scare Boober, who isn't fooled, as he sees Wembley's tail sticking out. Boober hides, waits for Wembley to jump out of the laundry, then scares him again. When Wembley complains of this...
  Boober: Well, face it, Wembley, I'm an expert on fear.
• Bleed 'Em and Weep: Wembley cries after thinking he's blown up Boober.
• Butt-Monkey: Poor Wembley ends up as this for much of the episode—if he's not being scared by Boober, he's (unintentionally) scaring (and angering) Red, Mokey, and Gobo with his attempts to get revenge on Boober, and then with his attempts to get their help when he thinks Boober's blown up.
• Can't See a Damn Thing: Since Philo and Gunge can't see out of the masks, they don't notice that Wembley's in Boober's room—even when they scare him.
• Continuity Nod:
  • When Doc realizes the key to the workshop is locked inside that room, he asks Sprocket to get it by using the doggy door Doc built for him in "Gobo's School For Explorers."
  • Beastie, Tosh's pet beast, introduced in "Boober's Quiet Day", makes a brief appearance.
  • Aretha, a cave creature Gobo encountered in the episode "Gobo's Discovery", is one of several creatures that sing "Scare Them Boo!" with Wembley. Her name is a shout-out to Aretha Franklin.
  • Boober visits the Squeaky Cavern, first mentioned in "Gobo's Discovery." In this episode, though, he calls it "Rock Soap Cavern."
  • Blowing up from being scared enough was mentioned by Boober in the episode "The Thirty-Minute Work Week."
• Correlation/Causation Gag: Boober on seeing his room's been rigged, deliberately sets off the traps and then leaves to take a nap in the pantry. A few minutes later, Wembley runs in and, seeing the sprung traps and no sign of Boober, believes that Boober's blown up.
• "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Wembley, thinking Boober's blown up, realizes he could have saved himself a lot of grief if he hadn't tried to scare Boober back.
  Wembley: If only I hadn't tried to get back at him for scaring me. He was only testing my baloobius! [He picks up a piece of laundry and cries into it.]
• Crowd Song: Wembley sings "Scare Them Boo!" with some random monsters who sneak up from behind and Jump Scare him.
• Don't Wake the Sleeper: Wembley, thinking Boober's blown up, runs to get the help of Gobo, who's having a nap. He's not happy when Wembley wakes him by frantically yelling, "GOBO!"
  Gobo: Wembley!
  Wembley: I... I just...!
  Gobo: Can't a Fraggle get a nap around here?
  Wembley: But, Gobo...!
  Gobo: You just scared the radish resin out of me!
  Wembley: I'm sorry, Gobo...!
  Gobo: Listen, my baloobius is fine. Now, leave me alone!
• Dramatic Irony: The audience knows that Boober didn't blow up, but Wembley doesn't know that.
• Dude, Not Funny!:
  • Wembley's reaction every time Boober scares him.
  • And the reactions of Gobo, Red, and Mokey whenever Wembley (accidentally) scares them. And when they're scared again by a mask-wearing Philo and Gunge and storm into Boober's room, assuming Boober sent Philo and Gunge to scare them. Red in particular is pretty close to her Rage Breaking Point by then.
• "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Everybody, including Boober, laughs after he scares himself.
• Exact Eavesdropping: Wembley talks out loud to himself about his plan to scare Boober by jumping out from under a pile of laundry—not realizing Boober is hiding behind him, listening.
  Boober: So Wembley thinks he's gonna scare me. This could be interesting.
• Failed a Spot Check: When Wembley decides to hide under Boober's laundry and scare him, he doesn't realize that his tail is sticking out. Boober does, though.
• Failed Attempt at Scaring: Wembley's attempts to scare Boober back keep backfiring on him.
• Faint in Shock: Wembley does this when Philo and Gunge accidentally scare him.
• The Gadflies: The Trash Heap says she nearly blew up (as in, lost her temper) when Philo and Gunge scared her by playing a prank. Wembley thinks that means she nearly exploded, and Philo and Gunge decide to mess with him by reinforcing the misunderstanding.
• 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 "A Dark and Stormy Night" in a DVD compilation called Scared Silly in September 2010—just in time to be a Halloween cash-in.
• Heartfelt Apology: At the end, Wembley apologizes for trying to scare Boober back, and Boober admits that he took baloobius testing too far.
• Hidden Depths: The usually cowardly Boober seems to enjoy scaring Wembley a lot.
• Hoist by His Own Petard:
  • Wembley, when his plan to scare Boober by jumping out of a pile of laundry backfires on him.
  • Wembley again, when he gets scared into unconsciousness by Philo and Gunge, who were trying on Wembley's masks. When he wakes up, he thinks he's blown himself up and that he's in "The Land of Having Blown Up."
  • Earlier, Boober had gotten in another scare by having Wembley step on a device that flings laundry into the air. At the end, Boober accidentally steps on it, scaring himself.
• It's All My Fault: Wembley says this to Boober while trying to convince him that they've blown up.
  Wembley: No, Boober, it's all my fault. Don't try to grasp it all at once. Take your time. Now, what was the last thing you remember?
  Boober: Remember...?
  Wembley: Was it the spiders?
  Boober: No...
  Wembley: It must have been the snakes! Oh, Boober, I'm so sorry! I was trying to get back at you, and the Trash Heap said I would take the consequences, but I never thought it would come to this!
  Boober: To what?
  Wembley: Boober... Boober, you and I have blown up—KABOOM! There's nothing we can do about it, and we're never gonna see our friends again! [He breaks down in tears and begins sobbing on Boober's shoulder.]
• Jerkass Ball:
  • Boober takes this by repeatedly scaring Wembley.
  • Philo and Gunge take this when they tell Wembley it's possible to blow up from being scared enough.
• Jerkass Realization: Boober, at the end of the episode, realizes he was taking baloobius testing too far. He then gets a bit of Laser-Guided Karma when he accidentally scares himself and is rightly embarrassed.
• Literal-Minded: The Trash Heap tells Wembley she nearly blew up when Philo and Gunge scared her. Wembley, who has just rigged Boober's room, freaks out, thinking Boober could explode if the masks and snakes scared him enough.
• Missed Him by That Much: Wembley, noticing Boober, Red, and Mokey in Gobo's room, decides to hide just outside and scare Boober when he comes out. Instead, he accidentally scares Red and Mokey, who had come out of the room first.
  Wembley: It was a mistake! I didn't mean to do it!
  Red: [furious] Wembley, don't do that!
  Wembley: I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
  Boober: Sorry? Look at these baloobiuses! [He holds up Red's and Mokey's.] Why, Wembley, these two are in fine, fine shape. I really appreciate you helping me with my testing.
  Wembley: But I didn't...!
  Mokey: Yes, and Wembley, I would appreciate your never doing that again, okay?
  Wembley: Okay, Mokey, I promise! I...!
  Red: Dumb, Wembley. Very dumb!
• Mistaken for Afterlife: Wembley assumes he and Boober are in "The Land of Having Blown Up" until Philo and Gunge explain they haven't blown up at all.
  Wembley: Gee, this must be the Land of Having Blown Up. It's amazing... it looks just like Boober's room!
• My God, What Have I Done?: Wembley, after thinking he made Boober so scared that he blew up.
• The Oldest Tricks in the Book: What Boober calls the masks and snakes and so on when he sees that they've been rigged up in his room.
  Boober: Oh, brother. Wembley, Wembley, Wembley, these are the oldest tricks in the book. [Sighs, then begins setting off the traps.]
  First the snakes. [The snakes fly out of his cupboard.]
  Then the pebbles on the head. [The pebbles fall, missing Boober.]
  Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm. Then the masks. [The masks pop up.]
  And I'll bet you he's even put fake spiders in my bed.
  [Turns the covers back, revealing fake spiders.]
  Yep. What'd I say?
• Ordered Apology: The Trash Heap insists that Philo and Gunge apologize to Wembley for telling him that it's possible to blow up from being scared enough.
• Plot Parallel: Thanks to Shimmelfinney, Doc falls victim to the Bucket Booby-Trap, then sets some traps of his own in an effort to get even.
• "Pop!" Goes the Fraggle: Wembley thinks this has happened to Boober.
• Prank Gone Too Far:
  • Wembley thinks the traps he rigged up in Boober's room made Boober so scared that he blew up.
  • Boober, at the end, realizes he was taking baloobius testing too far.
• Punch a Wall: Wembley, after one of his failed attempts to scare Boober, does this, then sucks on his hurt fist.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Wembley, on seeing that the traps have been sprung and Boober is gone, thinks Boober's blown up.
• Revenge: What Wembley wants to do. The Trash Heap warns him against doing this.
• Scatting: Part of "Very Scary (If This Don't Getcha)," which Wembley sings while rigging Boober's room, involves this.
• Spiders Are Scary: Defied by Philo and Gunge in "Scare Them Boo!"
  Philo and Gunge: [singing] Who's afraid of spiders?
  Who's afraid of snakes?
  Who's afraid of bad things,
  Making Fraggles shake?
• "Take That!" Kiss: Boober gives one to Wembley after getting in one more scare before leaving for Rock Soap Cavern.
  Boober: Wembley, it's all in the timing.
  [Kisses him on the nose and hurries off, leaving Wembley fuming.]
• Talking to the Dead: Wembley, alone in Boober's room and thinking Boober's blown up, tearfully talks out loud to him.
  Wembley: I'm so sorry, Boober. I'll... I'll clean this place up. I know you wouldn't have wanted to leave a messy room!
• Title Drop: After Boober first scares Wembley...
  Boober: No, don't thank me.
  Wembley: Thank you? For scaring me silly?
• Wrong Assumption: When the Trash Heap says that she nearly blew up after Philo and Gunge scared her by playing a prank, she meant that she nearly lost her temper. Wembley thinks she meant that she nearly exploded.
• Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: When Wembley tries to scare Boober but accidentally scares Red and Mokey instead, Boober tells him how much he appreciates his help with his baloobius tests. Wembley does not appreciate the compliment.

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