Synopsis: Mokey makes a new friend who takes advantage of her, and as a result she beings to shrink.
Original air date: May 13, 1985
This might be the darkest episode of Fraggle Rock. And that’s saying a lot for a show that featured an episode where two characters nearly suffocate to death.
Death seems to loom over Fraggle Rock near-constantly, but we rarely see direct signs of emotional abuse. Sure, Pa Gorg treats his son like dirt, but it rarely goes above a sitcom-level of danger. We can almost always laugh it off, but not so much when it comes to Begoony.
Mokey randomly comes across this rabbit-like creature named Begoony who cries and moans and thinks himself to be worthless. Mokey, always the people pleaser, takes pity on him and volunteers to be his friend. And honestly, that’s the right Fraggly thing to do. But Begoony doesn’t seem content with having a new friend – he wants a new plaything to keep.
Over the course of the episode, Begoony calls Mokey, who goes wide-eyed like she’s in a trance and immediately goes to him, abandoning her friends. Each time she does it, she shrinks a little more. When Begoony magically builds a little house, he attempts to trap tiny Mokey inside.
It’s hard not to look at this episode through the lens of an abusive relationship. Begoony manipulates through emotion, acts selfishly without the slightest consideration for Mokey’s feelings, entraps her against her will, and goes as far as to affect her physiology without her consent. He doesn’t seem to be doing it maliciously, but his intentions are most certainly amoral.
Thankfully, Mokey is equipped with a secret weapon. Looking at her Begoony relationship through this lens, it’s satisfying to see that Red’s got her back, literally fighting the abuser while Mokey wrestles with her emotions. It’s difficult to escape a toxic relationship, but having a supportive friend in your corner is the first spark in making it possible.
In the end, Mokey stands up for herself and gets back to her full height. In a different story, Begoony would’ve learned his lesson and become a better friend to Mokey, but here his story just sort of… ends. As it turns out, that’s a bit more true-to-life. Abusers don’t change overnight, and they especially don’t just because someone stands up to them. Sadly, it’s much more complicated ending the cycle of abuse.
Thankfully, it seems Begoony did seek out help and eventually change his ways. At least, that’s what I choose to believe after seeing him (or, technically accurately, the same puppet) pop up in Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, and Mopatop’s Shop. And most recently reimagined as “Bongo” in Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, who is thankfully not an abuser, but does hide in Boober’s pantry eating all his radishes. Seems like we got our happy ending after all.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing abuse, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at thehotline.org or by calling 800-799-7233.
Strongest Moment: Honestly, the theme is a tough one, but the metaphor is handled so well, especially for an all-ages show. Fraggle Rock co-creator Jocelyn Stevenson wrote this episode, and she knocked it out of the park.
Weakest Moment: Traveling Matt’s postcard is a little shoehorned in. He’s hiding in a toy room watching two kids play with Barbie dolls. And wow is it disturbing to think about this tiny adult man hiding out and secretly watching children inside their own home.
MVF (Most Valuable Fraggle): Everyone needs a friend like Red Fraggle, who’ll beat the crap out of a rabbit in your defense.
First Appearance Of…: The Inkspots! I’m genuinely shocked to learn that we’ve made it almost to the end of season 3 before seeing those little guys.
Musical Highlight: The only song in the episode is “I’d Give My Soul,” which is sweet and disturbing and kind of a bop. Plus, it’s got Inkspots!
Coolest Puppetry Effect: It’s genuinely incredible seeing the various ways Mokey seems to be changing sizes. Using differently-sized puppets, green screen, and even the simplicity of Kathy Mullen dropping her arm down a few inches. Plus, what a great use of the Doozer-sized Mokey puppet normally reserved for running around the Gorgs’ garden.
One More Thing…: The Fraggle Five are putting on a puppet show, which is delightfully meta. And impressive seeing the puppeteers perform the Fraggle puppets and the Fraggles’ puppets at the same time.
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by Joe Hennes – [email protected]
