Recap / The Muppet Show S 2 E 2

Zero Mostel guest stars, while Scooter's Uncle-Who-Owns-The-Theater insists on some old-fashioned entertainment... lady wrestlers.

Songs and Sketches

• "Polonaise in A Flat", performed by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
• "What Do The Simple Folk Do?", performed by Zero Mostel and a tall human muppet.
• At The Dance - Tennis Jokes
• UK Spot: Kermit and Sam discuss the show's material.
• Muppet Labs: Magnetic Carrots (First appearance of Beaker)
• "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", performed by Zoot and Rowlf.
• "Fears of Zero", performed by Zero Mostel, featuring various muppet monsters.
• Drum Solo by Animal
• Lady Wrestling

This episode has examples of

• Curb-Stomp Battle: Granny the Gouger versus the mysterious Miss Mask (Kermit in drag). Poor Kermit is seconds out in the first round, thrown into Statler and Waldorf's box. Fortunately, Miss Piggy then puts Granny in her place.
• Dodgy Toupee: Zero wears one throughout the episode, at one point during his "Fears" recital lifting it up. "Fear of baldness on the head!"
• Failed a Spot Check: Sam fails to notice Zero making faces, then escalating to nearly clubbing him with a hammer and shooting him with a gun, behind his back.
• Finger Wag: "But there are other fears..."
• Flat "What": Sam's reaction when Kermit introduces Chopin's "Polonaise in A Flat"... as rendered by the Electric Mayhem.
• Inadvertent Entrance Cue:
  • Crazy Harry gets one during one of the tennis jokes in "At the Dance."
    Dancing Woman: My tennis instructor says I've been using too small a racket.
    Dancing Man: Well, why not get a big racket?
    Crazy Harry: [running in] You say you want a big racket?
    Dancing Woman: Yeah...
    [KABOOM!]
  • When Kermit wonders how he's going to find a second lady wrestler, he asks himself out loud where he's going to find "another heavy-weight, aggressive, tough female with a killer's instinct". Cue Miss Piggy.
• Incoming Ham: Zero makes his appearance by loudly insisting, "I'm not in my dressing room eating! I'm in my dressing room BEING EATEN!" and then goes on to out-ham the Muppets at every opportunity for the next twenty minutes.
• Large Ham: Zero leaves molar marks all over the set, particularly when mocking Sam the Eagle and doing his recital.
• Literal-Minded: Kermit tells Animal to "get the door." (That is, someone is knocking, so check it out.) Animal tears the door off its hinges and presents it to Kermit. "Here door!"
• Man Bites Man: As the credits begin, Zero actually bites Sam.
• Never Mess with Granny: The first applicant for the lady-wrestler gig is none other than Granny the Gouger, who demonstrates her strength by punching the phone off the wall.
• Nervous Wreck: This is Beaker's default state from the moment he first comes inching reluctantly into view.
• Nothing Is the Same Anymore: When Muppet Labs starts, it seems like it's going to be more of the same from Season 1... until a redheaded Muppet shyly enters the scene. As of this episode, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is now accompanied by an assistant/guinea pig, Beaker.
• Pie in the Face: Sam gets pied by a Muppet for being his usual self. But Kermit did set him up with a line about "just desserts".
• Puff of Logic: "Fears of Zero" ends with Zero vanishing from existence when the Muppet behind him realizes he's just a product of the Muppet's imagination. The muppet, Timmy Monster, gets confused about what happened.
• Reaching Between the Lines: When Scooter talks to his uncle on the phone, some smoke comes out of the receiver.
  Scooter: Could you put out your cigar, please?
• Running Gag: "Lady wrestlers?!"
• Violently Protective Girlfriend: While Miss Piggy initially (and violently) objects to participating in the lady wrestling sketch, forcing Kermit to wrestle with Granny the Gouger, she proceeds to wipe the floor with Granny the moment the former knocks Kermit into the theater box with Statler and Waldorf.
• Wallet Moths: They come out of the show's cashbox, but same basic idea.
  Kermit: Three moths and a washer. Well, that's more than we usually have.
• What, Exactly, Is His Job?: Kermit even admits to Sam he has no idea what the eagle's supposed job on the show is, and he's the manager.
• Who Would Want to Watch Us?: Statler and Waldorf spend the entire show watching a TV in their box. They change channels, and...
  Statler: WHAT is THAT?!
  Waldorf: It looks like two ancient old guys sitting in a theatre box watching television!
  Statler: That's crazy! No one would watch junk like that!

---

Statler: Well, what do you think of television?
[Waldorf gets electrocuted from touching the TV set.]
Statler: Shocking, isn't it?
[Statler laughs until Waldorf touches him, causing Statler to get electrocuted as well.]