Synopsis: When Doc pries up some floorboards in the workshop, Sprocket ventures into Fraggle Rock. Hilarity ensues.
Original air date: January 6, 1986
It’s not surprising why many television shows often use a season premiere as a chance to have a big “event.” After a hiatus, you have to grab viewers’ attention again. And with the calendar hitting 1986, the writing team at Fraggle Rock decided to try something new. After three full seasons of being mostly separate, it was time for our world to collide with the Fraggle world. But having Doc discover this world would’ve drastically altered the dynamic. You think he’d find out about Gorgs and Doozers living just steps from his home and just keep it to himself? Ned Shimmelfinney would call the cops! So as not to disrupt things too much, they went with the logical alternative: Sprocket. He’s known about the Fraggles for a while, and he’s even made friends with a few. But just what would happen if you let a dog loose in Fraggle Rock? About what you’d expect: chaos.
Our story kicks off in Doc’s workshop, where Gobo tries to teach Sprocket how to say his name. But soon, Doc arrives, hell-bent on unclogging his pipes. (I usually find a high-fiber meal does the trick for me, but your mileage may vary.) And since he’s so occupied with his task, he doesn’t want to hear Sprocket barking on about Fraggles, especially since he can’t prove it. So when Doc leaves to oil his monkey wrench (which I didn’t think you could do in a kids’ show), Sprocket takes advantage of the missing floorboards, which have been removed to access the pipes, and digs his way to Fraggle Rock.
And does he make an entrance! Because he’s so much bigger than the Fraggles, he winds up accidentally knocking down a bunch of Doozer towers, getting the Doozers’ attention. When the Fraggle Five return from a trip to find mush melons, they see the damage, but no sign of Sprocket… aside from Boober’s sneezing.
When Sprocket resurfaces, the Doozers capture him… and thank him for clearing room for new constructions! They love him so much that they want him to keep moving fast and breaking things. So just like the tech industry, but less greedy. But a big adventure needs a little more than just meeting Doozers, so Cotterpin eventually picks up on Sprocket’s stressed barks and realizes he’s lost. So she helps direct him on his way, but of course he gets lost again as he searches for Gobo, leading him to the Gorgs’ garden.
There, he finds Marjory with Philo and Gunge, and catches a big break: Marjory can speak dog! (She also notes that it helps to know a second language, a lesson she might’ve learned from another dog.) She’s able to suss out that Sprocket’s been looking for Gobo to help him prove that Fraggles are real. And just as the communication barrier is bridged, Gobo cries out for help, as he’s caught in the clutches of Junior Gorg! And in a nice bookend to “A Friend in Need,” now it’s Sprocket’s turn to get Gobo out of a jam. As for the rest, I’ll leave something for you to discover for yourself.
When I’ve done these “40 Years Later” reviews, I tend to talk a lot about the lessons from the episodes and how effective they are at conveying them, and that’s fair. It’s a very message-driven show! But at the same time, I don’t think this episode has a specific message. The storyline doesn’t really suggest it. Sure, Sprocket has a hard time being understood, but it’s not like anyone doesn’t make at least an effort to listen. And nobody’s really mean to Sprocket (unless you count being temporarily tied up by the Doozers) because he’s a stranger. The episode’s really what it says in the title: a big adventure. Nothing too serious, but it is kind of a cool way to shake things up a little.
Strongest Moment: It’s hard to pick! There are so many highlights, like the gang grabbing Boober to use his allergies to find Sprocket, or Junior barking like a dog, but I’m going to go with Marjory and Sprocket talking, with Philo using a phrasebook to translate. Sure, it’s a ripoff of a Monty Python sketch, but it’s still funny, especially when he thinks Sprocket’s saying something naughty.
Weakest Moment: You may disagree, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the song “This Way.” We know Sprocket’s lost, the number feels unnecessary. Most songs on Fraggle Rock don’t, but this feels like filler.
Most Valuable Dog (MVD): Come on, after all the pooch went through, Sprocket deserves a treat!
Most Valuable Fraggle (MVF): But I also have to give it up to a pair of Fraggles: Wembley, for misinterpreting the instruction to “spread out,” and Boober, for the way he pronounces “stew.” From now on, I’m calling it steeeeeeewwwwwwww!
Musical Highlight: For whatever reason, I really love when the Doozers sing, and they get a great showcase in “A Time to Build.” They just love it when their work’s destroyed so they can start again! What a fascinating bunch.
Fraggle Lore: In addition to Marjory’s multilingual-ness, we learn that when ripe, Mush Mellons can be a tasty snack. That’s different from Mushmellon, who expired in 1961.
Obscure Character Watch: This episode sees the return of Crusty Doozer, last seen in “The Cavern of Lost Dreams,” which was also the last episode I reviewed! I swear I’m not stalking him!
One More Thing: Season four also marked the debut of episode titles appearing just after the opening theme, which makes it easier for the ToughPigs team to keep track of which episode’s which. You wouldn’t believe how many reviews we accidentally wrote for “Manny’s Land of Carpets!’ (Mine was laced with profanities.)
Okay, One More Thing: So the reason Boober’s making Doozer stick steeeeeeewwwwwwww is because apparently the Fraggles haven’t been able to get fresh radishes for days. This feels like a bigger crisis than they make it out to be. I guess they’re very adherent to the whole “worries for another day” thing.
Click here to buy a kumquat on the ToughPigs Discord!
by Matthew Soberman – [email protected]
