Big (Pig) Girls Don't Cry - the muppets pilot

Both Chris and I were looking forward to catching the pilot episode of ABCs new show, The Muppets, a mockumentary style show designed for those of us who grew up with The Muppets.  I went in expecting something along the lines of The Muppets meets 30 Rock.

Note: This is riddled with spoilers...don't say I didn't warn you!

Image courtesy of the A.V. Club

Pilot Plot Summary

You are introduced to the team behind the scenes on set for Miss Piggy's late night talk show,Up Late With Miss Piggy.  You are put back in to a Muppet style show featuring timely bands and actors who are late night guests.  In this particular episode the main focus is around Kermit trying to acclimatize to his life as show producer, post break up and navigate the many moods of Miss Piggy as she demands that he cancel Elizabeth Banks as a featured guest.  Subplots include the introduction of Kermit's new girlfriend Denise (with a voice more annoying than Janice's - I didn't think it was possible) and Fozzie Bear's attempt at impressing his human girlfriend's parents.

Best Parts of the Pilot

Familiarity of classic Gonzo attempting to showcase ridiculous skits with Pepe the Prawn brought me back to The Muppet Show I grew up with.  As a show that is geared towards adults, complete with a warning for explicit content and language, I appreciated the acknowledgement that time has passed for all characters and that their "lives" are somewhat different.  The highly anticipated introduction of Denise, Kermit's new girlfriend (also a pig) re-affirmed I'm still totally "Team Piggy".  While calm and supportive Denise may be a better fit for Kermit, she's passive and boring (I've renamed her Dullnise).  Kermit seemed to be eating his feelings throughout the episode with Dullnise as the enabler.  In the end of the episode we were brought back to Kermit and Piggy and their breakup for some closure on what happened, and to get Piggy's perspective on her demands surrounding Elizabeth Banks.  Musical guests were Imagine Dragons.  The hidden gem in this episode for me was the cold and blatant acknowledgement and treatment of C and D level celebrities - well played.

Worst Parts of the Pilot  

I get it, pilots are hard, you're trying to introduce the audience to a whole new world in an entertaining way. There seemed to be some disjointed themes between a darker, more adult show and classic goofy Muppets and they'll probably need to find a balance that works.

Overall I was disappointed, but just like I give a book 50 pages before I tap out, I'll give a show like The Muppets another few episodes before I stop watching.  Some of my favourite shows, like Parks and Recreation, had lack luster pilots but produced a fantastic series.  I think they can do some really great things here and I want to see it happen.

What did you think of the first episode?

To view my thoughts on Miss Piggy as a role model click here.

To read my review of Muppets Most Wanted click here.

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Piggy in the Mirror

When I was a kid, like many children of the 1970s and 1980s, I loved the Muppets.  My favourite characters were Gonzo, Animal and Rowlf the Dog.  Although I enjoyed the show I somehow felt that there was always something missing from my Muppet experience: I longed for a female character that I could relate to and the two most prominent female leads annoyed me.  I couldn't quite articulate why I was neither Team Janice or Team Piggy.  I mean really, was I supposed to embrace the burn out hippy or the overbearing boar who isn't complete without her man?  Miss Piggy really got under my skin in a way that Janice was just incapable of...she was bossy, overbearing, desperate, loud, aggressive and self-centred: everything that little girls aren't supposed to be.  And the faux French, come on!

Chris is a huge Muppet Fan, so a few years ago when Jason Segel's The Muppets came out, we went to see it.  I enjoyed the movie and throughout found that I was also enjoying the complexity of the character Miss Piggy.  I soon came to the conclusion that Miss Piggy wasn't written for little girls, she was written for women everywhere, flaws and all, because she's real, maybe even in a Carrie Bradshaw kind of way.  Sure she can be misguided and desperate at times (she still makes me cringe a little), and there are some rage issues, but nobody's perfect.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Here are my Top 8 Reasons Why Miss Piggy Is A Great Role Model 

1. She's one smart little piggy.  She ultimately became Fashion Editor at Vogue Paris.
   "The early bird gets the worm – which is what he deserves." Miss Piggy.
2. She's a fashion icon with her own make-up line, nail polish line, clothing deals and has been in numerous fashion magazines.
   "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may become necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye." Miss Piggy.
3. She is an advocate for being fabulous at any size.
   "Style comes in all shapes and sizes.  Therefore the bigger you are the more style you have."  Miss Piggy.
4. She's tough, knows karate and can bend steel with her bare hands.
5. She's loyal.
6. She knows what she wants and she's isn't afraid to fight for it.
    "This, you see, is my ultimate ambition – to live a simple life with the frog I love." Miss Piggy.
7. She's Funny.
   "How far should a girl go on the first date? Tucson. However, if you live in Texas, you can probably go a bit farther." Miss Piggy.
8. She knows who she is, owns it and accepts it.
   "I don't care what you think of me, unless you think I'm awesome.  In which case you are right." Miss Piggy.

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