Synopsis: Philo and Gunge move out and discover it’s not everything it’s cracked up to be.
Original airdate: February 11, 1985
Where is home? What is home? Is it a place, or is it something you build with people you love? (well, spoilers. . .) These are the questions this episode of Fraggle Rock asks, as Philo and Gunge strike it out on their own.
The episode starts with Doc preparing for a new job at the inn owned by Miss Ardath, who Sprocket insinuates he has a crush on. (Doc gets back at him by mentioning his, dare I say it, puppy love for her Airedale, Marigold.) We’ll check in on them, and their trash, later.
Philo and Gunge get their day in the limelight in what looks like it’s going to be a straightforward buddy comedy: they want to leave the Trash Heap and go home. Only. . . they don’t know where it is. Or how long they’ve been with Marjory. Or who to ask for directions. Due to a misunderstanding, they head for Red and Mokey’s home, and, well, make themselves at home. This involves setting up a new trash heap, which they expect to come to life just like Marjory did. No dice. This lasts a day (or about 7 minutes of real-world episode). When they come back to Marjory, even though she’s already warned them about the dangers of Wander McMooch (and worries herself sick about them after!), in a bit of all-knowing Trash Heap tough love, kicks them out. In the latter half of their search for home, first in Wembley and Gobo’s cave (complete with trash-themed Traveling Matt postcard), then in Doc’s workshop (covered with trash due to a sanitation workers’ strike), then into the hands of (guess who!) Wander McMooch. The day is saved thanks to The Powerpuff Girls The Power of Love – after realizing they love Marjory incites them to go back home to her and escape Wander McMooch, the love Fraggles have for each other (which McMooch hates) inspires Philo and Gunge to act lovey-dovey toward him (which he HATES), and he lets them go in disgust.
There’s a lot of talk of love in this episode, but one word that’s conspicuously absent is “family” – which I think another more modern show (not Back to the Rock, but that’s another conversation for another article) would lean into explicitly, by name. Marjory, Philo and Gunge are certainly a unit – they literally give Marjory life, not to put too fine a point on it – but they aren’t called a family, found or chosen or otherwise. (*At this point I went down a linguistics rabbit hole – the nomenclature of the time would’ve been “family of choice”, in what I’m pretty sure was a usage in predominantly queer circles. Again, that’s another article.)
With all this talk of love, maybe it’s appropriate this review goes up on Valentine’s Day. Maybe write a letter to your home-person, the person you’re most thankful for (wait, that’s a different holiday. But this one doesn’t have all that colonialism and genocide baggage!), to tell them so. Maybe just send them this review, if you don’t know how to articulate it. But I do think trying to articulate it is the important part, especially now. People deserve to hear that they have meaning in your life. Keep your people close, however you can, and that’s where home is, after all.
Strongest Moment – For as histrionic as she is, Marjory’s deterioration and worry never feels unearned or played for laughs. All Jerry Nelson is doing is slowly exiting the puppet, and yet that communicates real peril that she might not get up again.
Weakest Moment – The garbage strike subplot exists to lure Philo and Gunge into Outer Space for a brief moment, to check on the smell (and possible sentience) of the trash, and little else.
MVF (Most Valuable Fraggle) – This is a Fraggle-light episode, so I’m arbitrarily giving it to Red, who appears to be the first to tackle McMooch in the confrontation scene. Red Fraggle voted Most Likely to Bash the Fash, good for her!
Most Classic Moment – Philo and Gunge shouting “Irony! Ironyyyyy!” after realizing (after being captured by McMooch) that Marjory was their home because they love her. I dunno if it’s classic exactly, but it got the biggest laugh out of me.
Musical Highlight – “Home”, Philo and Gunge’s jaunty little number. It’s a remarkable quirk of the English language, exploited by songwriters since time immemorial, that “home” rhymes with “roam”.
Coolest Puppetry Effect – A lifeless Gobo is pushed out of bed, only to pop up into frame a second later. Classic puppet switcheroo, with its own little button, as Gobo winces “Glad that fall didn’t hurt my back!”
Darkest Moment – Wander McMooch is here, so. He literally chains Philo and Gunge to his cart to use them as slaves.
Fraggle Lore – Marjory is telepathic, confirmed. Also, Fraggles (or at least Matt) know what seagulls are.
Obscure Character Watch – The little froggy creatures in McMooch’s swamp – do they even have names, or a Muppet Wiki page?
One More Thing… As the garbage piles up around them, Sprocket wears a respirator on his nose. It’s super cute.
By Ren
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