Synopsis: Wembley thinks his wishes have come true when he finds an old bottle containing a genie, but it turns out the genie only wants to serve his own desires… and doesn’t care who he hurts in the process.
Original air date: February 25, 1985
I think it’s safe to say that Fraggle Rock was, and still is, one of Henson’s most overtly message-driven projects. And for a show designed to end war and show the interconnectedness between humanity and nature, I’d argue it was mostly effective in conveying the messages it intended to deliver. So now here we are, dealing with a very important topic for children: bullying. How do we deal with the selfish, manipulative and overall toxic people in our lives? Unfortunately, the advice that’s given isn’t terribly practical, but I’m getting ahead of myself. First, a bit of summary.
The episode opens with Wembley searching for treasure with Gobo and Red. While the latter two find some neat stuff, Wembley seems to think more ordinary things are cool, like rocks and mushrooms. But Gobo is quick to remind him that they aren’t special, to Wembley’s disappointment. So he keeps looking and finds a very old bottle. He takes it back to his cave to clean it up, and I bet you can’t guess what happens next. He has a very nice keepsake to display as a conversation piece, which makes him a hit at parties. Just kidding, true to the old trope, Wembley rubs the bottle and out pops a genie. But this is no genial genie. This is a rude, nasty, and downright mean genie. (Now the title makes sense, doesn’t it?) He bluntly tells Wembley that he’s tired of granting other people’s wishes, so he plays off Wembley’s sympathy by asking him not to make any. Instead, he offers to be his “friend” and use his magic to have some fun. Now, this gets off to a solid start. It’s an interesting play on the genie subgenre to have him refuse to grant wishes, and sets up really early that this isn’t a character you want to call a friend.
Now while some might have fun by, say, singing and dancing or playing games, this genie decides to get his kicks by stealing Gobo’s postcard from Uncle Traveling Matt and breaking all the newfound treasure he and Red found. Wembley, not wanting to upset the genie, doesn’t stand up for his pals, trusting that this mayhem is all meant to be funny, as his new friend asserts. But Gobo and Red do a little research and find that theft and property destruction is just this genie’s opening act. When Gobo tries to warn Wembley of his bad deeds, the genie once again manipulates Wembley into sticking with him under the guise of standing up for himself. But when Wembley finds the postcard that the genie claims he didn’t steal in his possession, he realizes his real friends were right all along, and they work together to trick the genie into getting back into the bottle. But as they prepare to throw the bottle into a cave and seal it off, the genie whines about being trapped again, never knowing when he’ll be free. Okay, good ending, the genie is no longer a threat, time to get to superlatives, and wait, there’s several more paragraphs. Dammit.
Wembley, who clearly doesn’t realize when he’s being played, reopens the bottle, hoping that the kind gesture will sway him into being nicer to everyone. Because as we all know, giving bullies what they want will totally prevent them from wanting more. But don’t worry, the episode’s not over yet, because as nobody could’ve predicted unless they have any understanding of bullying, OF COURSE the genie decides to wreak havoc on all of Fraggle Rock, hypnotizing everyone except Wembley into doing and acting how he wants. (He also destroys a Doozer tower in a really wild musical number, but more on that later.) Fed up with how the genie treats his friends, Wembley offhandedly wishes that the genie would stop behaving so badly, and wouldn’t you know, the genie hears this and is forced to grant it. Breaking his spell, the genie releases everyone from his clutches, explaining that all Wembley had to do to get his wishes was stand up for himself. And as a reward that he CLEARLY deserves after being forced to understand and apologize for his actions, Wembley wishes for the genie to be free. It sounds like a happy ending, but is it?
Now maybe recent events have colored my perspective, but this episode doesn’t feel like it’s making the point it wants to make. I get the writers wanting to teach about the power of empathy, but the ending undercuts the entire point. The genie doesn’t apologize after realizing the error of his ways, he’s just granting Wembley’s wish! There’s no real accountability at all. And worse, it doesn’t take into account the fact that not every bully stops the minute you stand up for yourself. If that were the case, there wouldn’t be a lot of bullies in the world. Even more baffling is the fact that the whole ending hinges on Wembley unwittingly making a wish and it working! Bullies aren’t typically bound by the rules of a genie. The episode states its lesson, but when you actually look at it a little closer, it doesn’t hold up.
Compare this with Doc and Sprocket’s storyline. Working on a comedy act for a talent show at The Captain’s Inn, Doc ropes Sprocket into the routine, but the canine clearly doesn’t appreciate all the demeaning jokes Doc makes. Like Wembley, Sprocket stands up for himself, but instead of giving Doc what he wants and hoping the kindness will spread, Sprocket refuses to go on unless Doc makes significant changes to the act. In the end, Doc realizes he’s hurt his friend’s feelings and agrees to the changes. The moral of the story? Don’t. Give. Bullies. What. They. Want. Stand up, stand tall, and stand firm, but don’t stand for capitulation. If Wembley had done that, the happy ending might’ve actually left me feeling happy.
Strongest Moment: Uncle Traveling Matt’s postcard, where true to his nature, he completely misunderstands a zoo, as well as who is being kept there.
Weakest Moment: I mean, do you have to ask? It’s the ending.
Most Valuable Dog (MVD): I’m sorry, but I can’t, after all that dissection, give the Most Valuable designation to a Fraggle this week. So I’m giving that title to Sprocket, who demonstrates the power of a labor strike. Now that’s a good lesson!
Musical Highlight: Certainly the most impactful moment would have to be the episode’s musical number, “Do You Want It?” There are some really unsettling visuals, watching nearly every Fraggle hypnotized into anger to match that of the genie. That’s a moment I won’t forget.
Coolest Puppetry Effect: Uncle Traveling Matt’s legs spinning as he tries to escape an elephant enclosure at the zoo. I just love how frantic they make him look.
Darkest Moment: Darn if that “No! Get Out of Our Way!” chant doesn’t seem eerily relevant to American politics right now.
Fraggle Lore: To find out why the genie is so mean, Gobo and Red consult the Encyclopedia Fragglia, the repository of all wisdom in Fraggle Rock. The name was also used behind-the-scenes as a sort of production bible started by Karen Prell, containing episode and song titles, writing credits, information about the characters and world of Fraggle Rock, and much more. You can view the full document on Muppet Wiki!
One More Thing…: The whole aesthetic of “Do You Want It?,” from outfits the Fraggles wear to the slow-motion footage of the genie breaking the Doozer tower, feels very much inspired by the famous Apple “1984” commercial. So be careful, Big Genie may be watching you. (Or Siri.)
Okay, One More Thing: Do you think if I went to the White House and wished they’d start treating all people, including the LGBTQ+ community and racial minorities, with more respect, it’d work? I guess I’d have to see if there’s a bottle somewhere on the grounds.
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by Matthew Soberman – Matthew@ToughPigs.com
