Synopsis: An important rock hockey player is coming to watch Red play in a game. When Red gets injured at practice, she has to decide what’s more important: taking the time to heal or meeting perceived expectations.
As this episode involves sports, there are only two ToughPigs staff members qualified to review it. Since Matthew Soberman wasn’t fast enough on the draw, the honor falls to me. But you might be surprised at the lesson this episode has to share. It’s not one of the usual topics that sports-themed shows tend to hit: sportsmanship, playing fair, working as a team, etc. It’s much more than that.
This episode was one of my favorites as a kid, I presume because of the rock hockey (an almost incomprehensible game involving terms and maneuvers taken from baseball, hockey, American football and basketball at the very least). I come from an all-sport-appreciating family. Every sports season, no matter how terrible our home teams are, we tune in and yell at the television. My siblings and I signed up for every sport at school, not because we were particularly good, but because it was something we loved to do. It was a culture we were comfortable with. And maybe, if we were lucky, the player we just sacked might eventually become the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals. Then we’d have a hell of a story to tell. (Alas, not me, one of my brothers.)
But as I grew older, hurt all my joints and became less capable of competing in these types of arenas, the episode still stuck with me. In the plot, Red really wants to impress Rock Hockey Hannah, one of the most esteemed rock hockey players of all time, who is coming to the rock specifically to watch Red play. Red is so distracted by the upcoming visit that she is late to practice, can’t concentrate on what’s going on and ends up injuring herself.
Taken care of by a very thorough medical attendant (Boober), she is advised that the best thing to do is rest. And what’s the one thing that Red can’t do even on the best of days? Rest. So you can lay money there’s no way she’ll manage it when her idol is coming to town.
And if this isn’t me, I don’t know what is. Less than a month ago, I took a trip to the emergency room and left with, among other things, a prescription for rest. And boy did I hate it. I’m a “wake up at 5am to write, check off at least three things from a check-list, go for a run or at least a walk every single day” sort of person. And that is me taking it easy. So when someone says rest, I ask if I can still walk the dog. And unfortunately the answer was no. I couldn’t.
This is something else I got from my family. Just last week my mother broke her leg and she was in more pain having to sit still in a recliner than she was from the injury. She’s retired with grown children around to help and no immediate obligations she had to tend to. Yet she still couldn’t help but try to shuffle around and contribute. (She thought it was a pulled muscle at the time because they couldn’t find anything on X-ray.) No one expected anything of her, but her expectations of herself were such that sitting still while life continued around her was an impossibility.
For those of you thinking, “Wow, what a nutso family!” ask yourself, are you working when you’re not feeling 100%? Are you going out because your friends invited you even if you’d much rather watch some TV at home? Are you staying up late to work on a project because how else will the job get done? Expectations, whether self-imposed or imposed by others, whether consciously imposed or not, are powerful motivators.
Getting back to the Fraggles, Red slips away from her enforced bed rest after she has a dream of Rock Hockey Hannah and all of her closest friends telling her, “When it hurts real bad, you gotta play real good,” creating even more pressure on her to ignore what her body so clearly needs. She disguises herself as the goalie and plays her game of rock hockey in front of Hannah. And she does it poorly. She lets down her team, herself and her idol. Only to find that once she comes clean, Hannah already knows the wisdom of self-care. “When it hurts real bad, you gotta quit real fast.”
This episode begs you to interrogate your own life. Is there anything that you’re pushing yourself to do that your body or your brain is giving you signals to stop doing? Mental and physical burnout are real and we don’t get enough external cues reminding us to rest. Pushing beyond our limits does us more harm than good, making us more likely to injure ourselves both physically and mentally. So this is your external cue! The expectations of the world are not as important as taking care of you. Rest!
I’ll bring you some peace soup to nourish your mind, body and soul.
Strongest Moment – When we first dive into the Rock, Red has just received a letter from Rock Hockey Hannah and is thrilled at the opportunity to impress her idol. That’s followed up with an ask not to tell anyone. Putting this immediate pressure on Red has the effect of setting into motion everything that comes after, including all of Red’s amazing actions and reactions.
Weakest Moment – As much as I love sports and love how Fraggle Rock takes its time in building to a climax, I think there’s a bit too much time spent showing the actual playing of rock hockey. Since we don’t know the rules of the game or know who’s scoring, a lot of the action is contextless. We only see Red a handful of times failing as goalie and those are really all that’s necessary. The rest is kind of a waste.
MVF (Most Valuable Fraggle) – Perfect episode for this distinction as every sport in the world awards this honor. And I think it goes to Gobo. Considering how antagonistic he can be with Red, it’s nice to see that in this case he is insistent and firm that Red actually do what’s best. He won’t hear of her playing because it would hurt her more and possibly hurt others. He doesn’t make fun of her or express disappointment. He is the friend/boss/parent we all need.
First Appearance Of… – Rock Hockey Hannah, Chuchu Fraggle, and Harmer Fraggle, who all seem to only make this one appearance. You need a lot of Fraggles to put together two hockey teams. Also Dimpley Fraggle who shares the name with another Fraggle, but is clearly a different puppet.
Most Classic Moment – “Chase the Wind” is in this episode. A fan favorite for years because of its dreamy quality and message of infinite possibility. Red gets to dress in a shiny rock hockey uniform and live out being the best player ever. It’s so classic that they brought it back in Back to the Rock for Cynthia Erivo to absolutely crush.
Musical Highlight – Since I already mentioned “Chase the Wind,” I’ll highlight “Lonely as Can Be.” It’s a feel your feelings song that Fraggle Rock does just when they’re needed. Red sings this melancholy melody sitting alone in her room at night after Mokey has left so as not to disturb her rest. Her friends are really caring for her, but what Red really wants is for someone to understand the position that she’s in, but since she can’t mention Rock Hockey Hannah, that’s something she just can’t do. Mental loneliness is just as valid as its social counterpart.
Coolest Puppetry Effect – There are so many people on the ice(?) field(?) court(?) during the rock hockey scenes that it’s almost impossible to keep track of just how many puppeteers have to be down there dancing between one another, elbowing each other as they jerk their arm rods around and are generally just as athletic as the sport they are depicting above.
Darkest Moment – One of the times that Red sneaks out of bed, Boober comes to take her pulse only to find that the dummy she has left in her place has no pulse at all. Boober believes that she has fallen into a coma and that he has failed her.
Obscure Character Watch – We’ve got Tosh, Feenie, Rumple, Noble and Gettas: your rock hockey all-stars, all of whom show up in more than just this episode, some more than others.
One More Thing… – In my review for Red-Handed and the Invisible Thief, I asked “What teeth?” when Boober mentioned sweets rotting your teeth. Well, hockey wouldn’t be hockey unless someone lost some teeth, so please enjoy these horrifying Fraggle teeth. Filming in Canada, Fraggle Rock stories were often required to include Canadian specific content. And I’d say there’s nothing more Canadian than hockey. Slap one between the wickets and don’t go spitting chiclets.
Okay, One More Thing… – Watch out for the icy patch.
Click here to quit real fast on the ToughPigs discord!
By K. T. Lyn – [email protected]
