Muppet Relationships
written by Nicholas NapoliThe Muppets (2015) might only have lasted one season but that single season gave us something The Muppets have not had enough time to do before. It gave us an inside look at how these Muppet relationships, which have been going on for almost sixty years now actually work be it romantic or friendly.
Kermit and Miss Piggy’s relationship was not only explored during the season it was also the main point of the entire show and it delivered well. “Kermit do you love Miss Piggy?” this time Kermit did not shrug off the question with a simple pig joke, this time he actually took the time (16 episodes) and one young pig girlfriend later to realize that he does indeed love Miss Piggy. Denise was one of the biggest obstacles in this break up, Kermit and Miss Piggy have had their share of arguments before but never to the point where they actually form a new strong relationship with someone else let alone from the same species.
This was a big hurdle and a brave one on the writers’ part in my opinion, this was getting deep and although in my heart I knew Kermit and Miss Piggy would eventually get back together, for the first time I felt anxious over these two as a pair. I’ve felt excited over a TV/Movie coupling before but as much as I love the Muppets and believe in them as being real it is harder for them to achieve this and with me at least they did, I was genuinely worried and invested in Kermit and Miss Piggy’s relationship more than I have been for a long time.
Kermit in my opinion has always had his doubts over his relationship with Miss Piggy but it was not until towards the end of the season that the tables had turned. This time it was Miss Piggy who seemed like she did not want to be with Kermit, no matter how madly in love with her he might have been at the time. This is where it started becoming very interesting for me, sadly I now assume Miss Piggy woke up on the plane in Thailand, turns around, looks at Kermit and says “I love you too”. Then Pepe returns back home with them to share the good news with the rest of The Muppets. That keeps me happy so that’s what I’ll keep thinking.
As interesting as Kermit and Miss Piggy’s relationship was in this series it was the impact it had on them as individuals within the Muppet group that I found most interesting particularly with Miss Piggy. Now that herself and Kermit were no longer together Miss Piggy finally after all these many years was forced to mingle with her costars.
All this time Miss Piggy has never really interacted or cared for any other Muppet other than Kermit and unless playing a part in a skit alongside another character, bickering with them or ordering them around she really doesn’t interact with the other Muppets.
All this time Miss Piggy has never really interacted or cared for any other Muppet other than Kermit and unless playing a part in a skit alongside another character, bickering with them or ordering them around she really doesn’t interact with the other Muppets.
The only other Muppet that I think ever came close to actually being a real friend to Miss Piggy is Rowlf the Dog but that could very well be because of Rowlf’s easy going personality or simply the dynamic duo of Jim Henson and Frank Oz at their best.
In the episode where the Muppets sing karaoke with Ed Helms it is highlighted that none of the other Muppets want to hang out with Miss Piggy. Perhaps because of this is why Miss Piggy was mostly forced to interact with Celebrities or Muppet Pets, most notably FooFoo rather than other Muppets because sadly after all these years she hadn’t ever really made a connection with any other Muppet other than Kermit. Who is Miss Piggy’s bestie in the Muppet universe other than Kermit? That question was finally given an answer, the best answer anyone could have ever hoped for nor expected.... Uncle Deadly!
Miss Piggy and Uncle Deadly’s surprising friendship was a real treat for me leading up to one of my favourite episodes which also allowed Uncle Deadly the chance to perform his own rendition of Clueless. What Uncle Deadly became to Miss Piggy is what Fozzie Bear has been to Kermit all these years, though sadly in the past this friendship has been lacking screen time and again The Muppets
Fozzie felt a little out of place for some reason amongst the Muppets at the start of the season but as the season progressed,
as Miss Piggy began to do, Fozzie too began mingling with the Muppets. One of the strongest Fozzie moments in this series for me was when he visited Stater at the hospital, this was a relationship I did not expect to be explored so soon, since we only got one season, I’m glad it did.
Fozzie and Miss Piggy’s relationship also took a step forward, they spoke to each other! Not only did Miss Piggy and Fozzie have a conversation, they had a heart felt one which also developed them as individual characters, that was one of my favourite scenes in the entire series. For the first time ever Fozzie finally started dating and like his pal Kermit he moved away from his own species and even his own franchise and began dating Becky the Human. I found this very interesting and extremely brave on the writer’s part, this was a bold move, one I expected Emily Bear to put a stop to in the future, sadly the fate of Fozzie and Becky’s relationship has also been left unanswered.
Fozzie and Miss Piggy’s relationship also took a step forward, they spoke to each other! Not only did Miss Piggy and Fozzie have a conversation, they had a heart felt one which also developed them as individual characters, that was one of my favourite scenes in the entire series. For the first time ever Fozzie finally started dating and like his pal Kermit he moved away from his own species and even his own franchise and began dating Becky the Human. I found this very interesting and extremely brave on the writer’s part, this was a bold move, one I expected Emily Bear to put a stop to in the future, sadly the fate of Fozzie and Becky’s relationship has also been left unanswered.
The only problem I had with this relationship was that I had no idea how it came about, what prompted Fozzie to suddenly begin dating Becky? What was so special about her? How did they meet? Did they have chemistry? I think this was one of the problems all these relationship’s shared, it seemed like we were watching season two rather than season one when it came to Muppet romance. Kermit and Miss Piggy’s breakup was witnessed on screen (and it was very well played out) but I personally could have used more knowledge as to why Kermit suddenly realized he was better off alone. How long did Kermit wait before dating Denise?
How did their encounter become a relationship? How did Miss Piggy react when she learned Kermit was dating another Pig? As Muppet Fans we are obviously invested in these relationships but how about the casual viewer? How are new viewers supposed to get excited over Kermit and Miss Piggy getting back together when the show began with Kermit dating another pig? For me personally I was missing a bit too much information to get fully invested in some of these storylines. Gonzo and Camilla suffered the same fate, as a Muppet fan I spent all season wondering where Camilla had gone.
I did enjoy Gonzo’s online dating and wish that had been explored further but at the same time I wanted Gonzo back with his Chicken. Near the end of the season we learn that apparently a while back Camilla had left Gonzo and run off to become a show girl in Las Vegas. In that very same episode Camilla returns back to Gonzo and I was overjoyed, when the screen cut to black after Camilla walked up to Gonzo at the pool party I was very excited, had I had this information leading up to the reunion a few episodes before I’m sure I would have been even more excited. Dr Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker were also hinting at a possible romance between the pair, I wish this idea had been explored further, it would have been interesting to see what would have happened both on screen and off, the hidden romance kept a secret since 1977.
How did their encounter become a relationship? How did Miss Piggy react when she learned Kermit was dating another Pig? As Muppet Fans we are obviously invested in these relationships but how about the casual viewer? How are new viewers supposed to get excited over Kermit and Miss Piggy getting back together when the show began with Kermit dating another pig? For me personally I was missing a bit too much information to get fully invested in some of these storylines. Gonzo and Camilla suffered the same fate, as a Muppet fan I spent all season wondering where Camilla had gone.
I did enjoy Gonzo’s online dating and wish that had been explored further but at the same time I wanted Gonzo back with his Chicken. Near the end of the season we learn that apparently a while back Camilla had left Gonzo and run off to become a show girl in Las Vegas. In that very same episode Camilla returns back to Gonzo and I was overjoyed, when the screen cut to black after Camilla walked up to Gonzo at the pool party I was very excited, had I had this information leading up to the reunion a few episodes before I’m sure I would have been even more excited. Dr Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker were also hinting at a possible romance between the pair, I wish this idea had been explored further, it would have been interesting to see what would have happened both on screen and off, the hidden romance kept a secret since 1977.
Rizzo and Yolanda’s relationship has always been something I’ve wanted to see developed since I was a little kid and watched The Muppets Take Manhattan for the first time.
Since that movie I’ve always assumed Rizzo was more in love with Yolanda than she was with him and I‘m glad this is how it played out. The Muppets (2015) might have been cancelled after only 16 episodes but it not only gave us the grand return of Rizzo the Rat but Yolanda too along with a blossoming romance all throughout the season. I grew up with The Muppets Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island and because of this Rizzo’s reduced role in the last eight years has been very notable to me. Rizzo not only had enough screen time to appear in front of the camera but he also had enough time to remind us all just how well he gets along with both Gonzo and Pepe and how madly in love he is with Yolanda.
Since that movie I’ve always assumed Rizzo was more in love with Yolanda than she was with him and I‘m glad this is how it played out. The Muppets (2015) might have been cancelled after only 16 episodes but it not only gave us the grand return of Rizzo the Rat but Yolanda too along with a blossoming romance all throughout the season. I grew up with The Muppets Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island and because of this Rizzo’s reduced role in the last eight years has been very notable to me. Rizzo not only had enough screen time to appear in front of the camera but he also had enough time to remind us all just how well he gets along with both Gonzo and Pepe and how madly in love he is with Yolanda.
One of my favourite things in this new show was when an “old” character appeared alongside a “new” character and one of these duo’s which I really enjoyed was Yolanda and Pepe, they play so well off each other, for a moment when they were looking for Kermit in his office I thought they were going to kiss. I’m glad they didn’t though as we already had another odd Muppet love triangle playing out somewhere else.
Sam the Eagle, Janice and Floyd, my favourite part of the entire series, why? I have no idea, you would think that being a diehard Muppet Fan I would be opposed to this idea but in fact I found it to be one of the most entertaining storylines throughout the entire series and the one which made me laugh the most too.
Sam the Eagle is one of my favourite characters ever since I saw him take on the role of Samuel Arrow on the big screen when I was ten years old, it was about time he found love, sadly he fell in love with the second most popular female Muppet. I think what I most liked about this love triangle was the way Sam the Eagle handled himself around Janice, I feel so bad and even confused at the fact that some part of me wanted Sam the Eagle to win out over Floyd. Janice and Floyd’s relationship status was also a little unclear at the beginning, the way Janice handled herself amongst the male celebrities at the start of the season led me to believe that she and Floyd had also broken up off screen.
Luckily this was actually addressed in the episode where The Electric Mayhem and Kristin Chenoweth go on a road trip together. Apparently Floyd was under the impression that he and Janice where still dating but Janice on the other hand reminded us all that she is a free spirit and is attached to no man, which actually makes perfect sense for her character, this was a good answer.
What I most enjoyed about this revelation was that fact that this meant that Sam the Eagle also believed Janice and Floyd were in an official relationship yet he still tried to steal her away from him. The most disappointing storyline left unanswered for me was not will Kermit and Miss Piggy get back together or not but rather when was Floyd going to confront Sam the Eagle about his feelings for Janice and how would Sam have handled himself in that situation.
Special thanks to YouTube user Kylie Dee.
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