The first episode alone, what puppetry/storytelling brilliance, best pilot episode for a revived classic show ever in my opinion. Not only does it follow the classic elements of Fraggle Rock perfectly, what it adds and updates it with is genius writing. The pilot episode, had it been a bit longer and released as a movie, I think it would have done really good, this is how good this show is. They do such a great job in introducing the characters and the Fraggle world all in one episode. Connecting the Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs, Humans (Doc) and Sprocket to the water, amazing and very clever to add in the first episode, it connects them all. When the Fraggle five were falling down the waterfall, loved that, that is the kind of things I wanted added as a kid, stuff that in the 80’s couldn’t really be accomplished. Uncle Travelling Matt asking Gobo to come with him to outer space, then uninviting him, then inviting him again, how clever, what a brilliant way to adapt the storyline from the original pilot episode and give it more depth and layers, truly outstanding.
I was immediately in love with this show as soon as it opened with “Party In Fraggle Rock” as much as I missed the original intro, I still thought this was a worthy replacement, it had won me over by basically changing the theme song, how is that possible? Still, I was so happy when it ended and we got the original intro, so clever to place it at the end in the first episode, it fits better there I believe. The intro starts in actual outerspace, not just Doc’s workshop window, takes it even further, love all these updates. The original Fraggle Rock intro is to catchy and iconic not to include, and when they sang that song at the end and it finished, I realized I had been entranced for the whole 30 minutes, just like when I was younger. This show had held my attention for 30 minutes and not once did I feel I was not in this world, not once did something throw me out of the illusion that I was exploring Fraggle Rock, those 30 minutes felt like 5 minutes. I’ve just watched the whole series in two days and I plan to watch the whole thing again this week and numerous times throughout my lifetime because this is truly worthy of the Jim Henson name. And then the last episode, all the Fraggles in the Gorgs garden, the song, the messages, is it just me or is this not the smartest children’s show that has premiered since the original back in the 80’s? A children’s show that does not speak down to kids and teaches them real values, is it me or is Fraggle Rock not the best at it in both shows? All the Fraggles carrying Junior’s plant at the end, Sprocket catching Uncle Travelling Matt, the water returning, the final shot, this is outstanding, they don’t make shows like this anymore. Best revived show I’ve ever seen, best Jim Henson production in years, the ongoing stories throughout the whole series, amazing, I really like that it’s serialized, the first one was, but this one makes it clearer.
The first episode made me think it was a reboot, since Uncle Travelling Matt found the hole into the workshop and this seemed to have been the first time. Second episode made me realize it was a continuation, I was a five-year-old kid again, when Uncle Travelling Matt mentioned he had come back to outerspace. Sprocket didn’t recognize the Fraggles, he now lives with a new Doc, Fraggle’s didn’t know what outerspace was, Junior and the Fraggles aren’t real friends from the start but at the same time, it also feels like a continuation. This is brilliant writing, I understand why some elements seem rebooted and some a continuation, focused on a new audience, respecting old fans, I think The Jim Henson Company is the best at doing this in Hollywood. But they have outdone themselves because they have accomplished both perfectly, a reboot and a continuation, both in one show, how is that even possible to write and create? The reveal of the Fraggle hole into the real world, Fraggles entering outerspace for the first time, today’s new audiences need these elements to connect to this world, they need to be part of the journey from the beginning to feel like they’re going along on a ride, this was the best way to do this.
The way this series connects all the worlds, I think that’s my favourite part, as a child, I still remember how in awe I was when these worlds connected, when Doc finally met the Fraggles at the very end, that blew my mind. For old fans its fan service, for new fans, it’s mind blowing, it helps them believe Fraggles exists in their world too. It makes them believe somewhere in their house there might be a hidden Fraggle hole, that leads through Fraggle Rock into the unknown universe to be explored behind the Gorgs castle. That is what made me connect to the Fraggles and its messages so much as a kid, that belief that this was all real and the way this shows handles the connecting of these worlds is brilliant. When the Ditzies light up Fraggle Rock and then come out into the Gorgs garden through the well and light over Junior, that’s so beautiful. That’s the type of things I wanted to see as a little kid but as an adult now understand why I couldn’t have it, it just makes this whole world feel even more real now. You know how believing that the possibility of Star Wars could actually exist makes it even more special, that’s how I feel about Fraggle Rock. This is how kids today will feel, if this show can get kids to believe they can actually find a hole leading into the world of Fraggle Rock, this show has accomplished its job. And since it seems to have kept long-time fans drawn into this world, which is harder, I think that means this show has succeeded, how can it have not?
For me the one thing I cherish most from growing up with Fraggle Rock is the messaging I received from it at such a young age. When the mind is being programmed, this is when these ideas should be inserted, for greater impact in the future, for that I am very grateful to Fraggle Rock (original). This new return Back To The Rock is just as powerful, strong and clever and this time around even more relevant and I think even braver. Teaching good lessons through fun entertainment is the best way to use television, Fraggle Rock is aimed at the younger crowd, whilst The Dark Crystal expands on those ideas but for a more modern audience and now the worlds seem to be colliding? The Jim Henson Company you are geniuses, caring for these properties for so long, to bring them back in this fashion, such a worthy investment for everybody involved, even the audience watching.
Songs are a very important element to the Fraggle’s, not just good songs, clever songs, clever songs that make you think without realizing, same applies to the storytelling and on both fronts Fraggle Rock: Back to The Rock succeeded. Great storytelling and amazing music, luckily the soundtrack to the show is available for purchase, all the songs are so powerful, just like the original. This new show features both old songs from the original and new songs, and all of them go together perfectly, the new ones are just as amazing, I especially like the last one. Music is very important and I like that many of the old songs were brought back, the words in those songs are just so powerful. And the new songs, they’re also as powerful and just as beautiful, I can’t wait to listen to these over and over again.
This new updated world is so true to the original, it feels so real and if it does for me, it certainly must for children. The best part is, all the things that “bothered” me as a child have been fixed. Something I really like, is the fact that it’s mentioned very early that the Doozers like that the Fraggles eat there Doozer constructions. As a kid I remember I found the Doozers boring and thought the Fraggles were bullies, the way they just ate their construction art and broke everything and then just didn’t seem to care. I remember my six-year-old mind actually thinking, I like the Fraggles but they’re so mean to the Doozers for no reason and I resented them a little, made me happy that Junior Gorg would terrify them, serves them right. Throughout the original, the Doozers on different occasions comment that they like that the Fraggles eat their constructions but for so long, I didn’t realize that. So, I’m glad this one fixes that problem by making it clear from the very start, very clever, I hadn’t even remembered that until watching the show over the weekend.
Fraggles and Doozer children, this makes me so happy, this is the kind of good, clever update a reboot should get. As a kid I wondered why the only Fraggle baby only appeared in the credits, we never saw any Fraggle children and I wondered why. Now in the reboot, the old fans are happy, because wanting something for so long, as silly as it might be, makes the whole thing more important, because you waited for it. This new generation will not have to wonder this, as an adult I just think it’s fun and handled correctly, as a kid it won’t make them question that aspect of this world, I know it will, this bothered me and my sisters a lot as we grew up, it wasn’t just me, where were the Fraggle children? A brighter Fraggle Rock, that’s something else I remember thinking of as a kid, I remember thinking it’s so much fun, so many colours but the caves are so dark, this new generation now get this bright, more colourful looking version, much easier to keep a young minds attention.
That Mantor would have scared me so much as a kid watching Fraggle Rock, a good scare, an exciting one, one the original never really gave me. I always remember hoping to one day see the Fraggles get in real danger, the Gorgs terrified me but I knew they‘d never kill the Fraggles, this Mantor on the other hand, that would have scared the radishes right out of little six-year-old me, I truly believed the Fraggle were in real danger from an actual bad creature. When Red had her flashback to a previous episode, for a kid that is a memory that they also remember, makes them feel this is a journey they are on together, so I really like that, I know the effect it would have had on my imagination had I been five again. The fact that the storyline with the water is brought back every now and again, keeping the whole thing together as one long narrative, so clever, all the worlds connected, the storylines connected, it’s a journey, I’m so on board. The way the Fraggles now all run and escape in full view, it all looks so real, Gobo climbing out of Fraggle Rock and walking towards Junior, all the Fraggle running from Junior and hiding under the bridge, this all looks incredible and so realistic. You believe this world can exist, even as an adult, imagine a child’s mind growing up being influenced by these stories they believe are real. Connected to their world thanks to the Doc element of the show, that’s how it worked on my mind when I was little… and now too because the reboot succeeded in what it’s meant to do.
Karen Prell is Red, nothing has changed at all, from all of them, she’s the one that most makes me feel like the original Fraggle Rock adventures had just taken place days earlier within this timeline, that’s just Red hands down, the one that keeps me in the illusion the strongest. The more I grow up, the funnier I find Boober, the more I relate to him. As a kid I actually didn’t like Boober or Mokey for that matter, I found them boring but Boober he just didn’t belong, he just complained, he should just move to a cave of his own, that was my mentality as a kid. As an adult, I accept Boober so much, because I can relate just as much. This time around though, I don’t feel Boober gives off that vibe to young children, being an adult I’m not sure, but there’s more of a young mind fun likability to him this time around. Seeing as this is Dave Goelz, it’s also one of the strongest characters to keep me in the illusion that this world is real. Boober does not sound exactly like the Boober my child mind remembers, but it still sounds like Boober, I’m sure my voice has changed to since I last saw him so many years ago. Boober sounds like he’s just matured, his voice has changed slightly after all these years. Wembley, he’s grown up and matured a bit, that way he doesn’t feels different to me, that’s my mentality so I can stay in the illusion whilst watching this show. The new recast for Wembley is just as amazing as all the others. When it’s an original character it’s easier, when you’re doing an imitation of someone else’s character it’s even harder and he nails it, so very talented. The thing is I don’t want an imitation of Wembley, I want Wembley. Those Steve Whitmire Wembley noises, if I heard those, I’d get a feeling I missed out on this time around. Wembley was so good, I was able to stay in the illusion, though I had to pretend but I thought that was going to ruin the show for me, so grateful at how well Wembley was recast but I don’t want a recast, I want Steve Whitmire. As a fan from childhood, I want to feel every childhood emotion possible and as perfect as the show is, for me personally, Steve Whitmire’s Wembley would have made this so special, I just have no words to explain it.
When I was little, I found Uncle Travelling Matt so funny yet interesting with how he observed the world, my little young brain was so proud that I was smarter than him, I could spot his mistakes when describing what human things are used for. Five-year-old me always hoped to either find a Fraggle hole or bump into Uncle Travelling Matt walking around whilst outside. As I grew up, I find him so entertaining, he’s been my favourite Fraggle for so long and in this new show not only did he return perfectly but I feel we got the closest to classic Jim Henson sketches in a long time. All his scenes in outerspace, so silly and Muppety. This actually applies to the whole show, it’s so Muppety, and certain scenes actually feel like sketches straight out from the original The Muppet Show, such as the song Fraggle Lagoon. “Scientific jargon… dry stuff meets wet stuff” Uncle Travelling Matt is hilarious, the whole series is, which is very clever, great writing, I am amazed at the writing staff. Uncle Travelling Matt now sends other stuff as opposed to just letters back to Gobo from outerspace, what a perfect update. The Uncle Travelling Matt segments are so clever and funny, he should have his own Tik-Tok Account.
The Minstrel, handled perfectly, better than I ever thought possible, what a clever idea, I can get on board with this, especially because it’s the best way, when you think of the backstage situation. I was so eager to see how this character was handled, I actually expected him to be retired but deep down didn’t want that but knew that without Jim Henson I could not accept that character from anyone. Well turns out I can, the specific changes they made to the look and even the name, I as a fan facing that problem, this was the only way to fix that, they gave me what I didn’t even know was a possibility. I love that “Cantus” is in this show, the best way to bring this character back, this show did everything perfectly, I cannot stress that enough. So many returning faces such as the Storyteller, the World’s Oldest Fraggle, Large Marvin and so many new ones, I enjoyed all the new Fraggles all the way from Lyle to the big new Viking Fraggle and the mystical white-haired tail- glowing Fraggle. I’m so glad that this time around characters stick around, unlike the original they don’t disappear, as a child you have no idea how many creatures, I wished had stayed living inside Fraggle Rock, mostly because I felt sad that they were not there with everybody because the rest of the caves seemed so lonely. That’s another improved update I like from this new show, I really like that that the Fraggle species has been expanded on more this time around. We have more prominent different groups of Fraggles living within the caves such as the Mergelles and the day sleeping/dream living Fraggles, what a cool concept, great idea. This time around the caves don’t seem so empty, there’s more life, more Fraggles, there’ only two more Fraggle’s I’d like to see living in these caves. There needs to be a Steve Whitmire Wembley Fraggle and a new mean and grumpy Frank Oz Fraggle, this world needs a Frank Oz Fraggle.
Junior Gorg’s introductions in the first episode, walking out like a huge scary intimitading monster, only to immediately be distracted and goofy, then chasing the Fraggles in the garden, best thing I’ve ever seen. The new modernized chase scenes look so real, it’s beautiful to watch. When Junior Gorg stood up to his father to protect the Fraggles right to their water, so amazing. Although this is a recast, which I always knew would have to be the case and even though he looks quite different from the original, less scary looking, it still feels like Junior Gorg. We’ve seen Fraggles return here and there every now and again, Doozers got their own animated spinoff show, The Muppets and Sesame Street never left, but the Gorgs, they hadn’t been seen since 1987! So Ma and Pa Gorg are hand puppets right? I was wondering throughout why they didn’t come out of the house, it wasn’t until I really focused that I saw the difference in size between them and Junior Gorg, you can’t even tell, I was just specifically looking out for this. I laughed because I felt silly that I had not realized earlier, I was lost in this world, I forgot it was a show, and was not thinking of the behind-the-scenes stuff, I was focused on what’s on screen. If that happened to me, you can be sure children will definitely be lost in that world. I remember as a kid watching Dinosaurs, thinking if they have so many different Dinosaurs why do they only use the same ones over and over again as different characters? Eventually I realized the other Dinosaurs were hand puppets, but when your lost in that world, as if it is real, that’s not even an option, that’s what this new generation gets to experience now.
This new series is so spectacular, in my mind, it deserves a standing Fraggle ovation, this has all been perfectly accomplished.
by Nicholas Napoli
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