Once Upon A Time...
The Storyteller remembers Uncle Matt's first exploit, telling the Fraggle Five how, when she was young, the Fraggles were suffering a famine of mushrooms and that Uncle Gobo's injury through Matt's bumbling prevented him from finding more. Matt takes it upon himself to solve this, discovers the Gorgs' garden, and takes a red boulder home for his rock collection, not knowing that it's a radish. The Fraggles realize it's food and eat it. Matt takes this exploit as a sign of greatness.This episode contains examples of:
- Accidental Discovery: Matt accidentally discovers the Gorgs' garden and radishes.
- All Love Is Unrequited: The Storyteller has an unrequited crush on Uncle Matt.
- Big "NO!": Ma, in a panic on seeing Matt, throws a basket of radishes into the air, one of which lands on him. After he picks it up...Matt: A gift! She's given me a boulder as a gift! Oh, thank you very, very much, but... what I really need to know is whether there any mushrooms around here?
Ma: [leaping into Pa's arms] NO!
Matt: Oh, too bad. Well, thanks a lot. And thanks for the wonderful gift! - The Cat Came Back: Uncle Gobo can't get away from Matt, who idolizes him and insists on following him practically everywhere.
- Comically Missing the Point: When the other Fraggles taste the radish Matt brings back, he tells them to stop eating his red boulder.Wimple: Hey, this smells pretty good! [Takes a bite.]
Matt: Stop it! That's my boulder!
Wimple: Yeah? Well, it's the best boulder I ever tasted. Let me at it!
[The other Fraggles start crowding around Matt and devouring the radish.]
Matt: No, no, wait! Stop it! Stop it...! - Continuity Nod:
- Doc recalls the time he decided to sew a button on a fried egg, from the episode "The Preachification of Convincing John."
- Matt sings "Follow You," an upbeat version of "Follow Me," with modified lyrics, to Uncle Gobo. Later, Matt sings "(I Will) Follow Me," a version with closer lyrics. "Follow Me" was first heard in "Beginnings."
- Eek, a Mouse!!: Ma has this reaction on seeing Matt.
- Enraged by Idiocy: Matt's bumbling tends to drive Uncle Gobo mad.
- The Famine: The Fraggles once had one with mushrooms, which they used to eat all the time. The Fraggle Five think a diet of mushrooms sounds disgusting.
- Hallucinations: Uncle Gobo thinks Matt is having these when he says that some mountainous hairy creatures gave him a red boulder.
- A Hero to His Hometown: Matt becomes this when the other Fraggles realize he's discovered radishes.
- Identical Grandson: Gobo is named after and looks like Uncle Gobo.
- Injured Limb Episode: In a cave wall, Matt sees a chunk of speckled granite that he wants for his rock collection. When he pulls it free, the wall loosens, and rocks fall on Uncle Gobo, resulting in his having a twisted ankle and being unable to look for more mushrooms.
- Instant Taste Addiction: Exaggerated. The other Fraggles taste the radish Matt brings back, and it immediately becomes their Trademark Favorite Food.
- Origins Episode: Here we learn how Uncle Matt became an explorer and the circumstances of how the Fraggles started to use radishes as their main food source.
- Shout-Out: Gobo's (the younger) hat in this episode may be a Boy George shoutout: it's a wide-rimmed hat with beads hanging from it.
- The Storyteller: The official storyteller of Fraggle Rock, who remembers every tale ever told.
- Whole Episode Flashback: Matt's beginnings as an explorer.
- Wrong Assumption: When Ma throws a basket of radishes into the air and one lands on Matt, he thinks she's given him a red boulder.
