Synopsis: To prove he can have fun with his friends, Boober lets Sidebottom take over, but too much fun comes with dangerous risks.
Original air date, January 20, 1986
Sidebottom is back! … Hooray?
Boober starts out secure in his own kind of “safe, cozy fun,” wearing a white coat as he gives Wembley a tour of his home remedies. But a misunderstanding brings out his old insecurities, and this creates the perfect opportunity for Boober’s suppressed fun side to wheedle his way back into control. When Boober thinks his friends don’t want him around spoiling their fun, Sidebottom offers “Maybe they would if you’d just loosen up and be fun once in a while!” When Boober hesitates to let Sidebottom take over, Sidebottom counters with “For a minute, I really thought you wanted to be more fun.” Because they’re the same guy, Sidebottom knows exactly what will work on Boober. Sidebottom’s particular brand of manipulation is especially insidious, as it always comes in the guise of harmless fun—this time in a “Dr. Fun” outfit with sparkly stethoscope and springy head mirror.
Sidebottom takes over the cancelled game of follow-the-leader and leads Boober’s friends into the trap-filled Gorgs’ garden. In what is admittedly one of the most fun Fraggle-Gorg interactions of the series, Sidebottom hypnotizes Junior, convinces him that he’s a giant Fraggle, and gets everyone dancing together to “Fun is Here to Stay.”
It quickly becomes clear that Sidebottom, usually suppressed and powerless, is now on a power trip. He tells Junior, “You will obey my every command!” and loves hearing Junior call him “master” (or, rather, “mastehw”). When Wembley starts bonking from his bonkleberry allergies, Sidebottom asks, “Are you gonna let a little allergy spoil everyone’s fun?” He even tells Gobo, “Don’t be such a stick-in-the-mud! We Fraggles have taken over the Gorgs’ empire!” Heedless of the danger he’s putting them all in, Sidebottom is blissfully unconcerned with their comfort or safety. “There is no such thing as too far if you’re having fun!”
When it becomes clear that only Boober can help poor bonked-out Wembley, Sidebottom realizes just how helpless he is in a real crisis and how much he needs Boober. Boober, meanwhile, realizes the misunderstanding at the heart of it all, that his friends never thought of him as a “big goof,” and that he needs to work with Sidebottom if he’s ever going to find real peace with himself.
“Fun” is subjective. Boober really does enjoy “safe, cozy fun,” and I gotta say I agree with him. The problem is that “too much fun” is also subjective. It can be infuriatingly hard to gauge when to stop before things go “too far,” but Boober knows that when someone gets hurt, that’s a hard line—this is why things like DUIs and the Five Second Rule exist. Remember, as our old friend Billy Bones said, “It’s all good fun until somebody loose an aaaaaah!” “Sidebottom Blues” is still great because it shows how scary that gray area of subjectivity can be while never feeling like an after school special sponsored by D.A.R.E.
Strongest Moment: While his friends are singing and dancing with a Gorg, Sidebottom lets Boober out to witness this “golden moment.” Boober tries to convince Sidebottom that they’re all in danger, but Sidebottom’s subtle manipulation game is strong: “Quit worrying and listen to your friends laughing, Boober! They’re having fun! And it’s all because of me!” He’s got Boober convinced that the “big goof” is better off on the sidelines.
Weakest Moment: When Wembley faints, Gobo says “We’ll never make it over to the hole carrying Wembley,” but … why?? Gobo has previously carried Wembley on his back solo! And so has Boober! Surely, between the four of you…
MVF (Most Valuable Fraggle): Boober and his home remedies! He’s got yin-yin plant poultices for minor abrasions, yoruba root for giggle fatigue, and the oh-so-crucial pollen ointment for Wembley’s bonkleberry allergy.
Most Classic Moment: While Uncle Traveling Matt’s postcard has nothing to do with the rest of the episode, it features Matt trying to hold simultaneous conversations with a tea kettle, a telephone, and a cuckoo clock.
Musical Highlight: “Fun is Here to Stay” is the only song in the episode, but it’s such a banger that it’s been reused in the animated series episode 113 “Fraggle Fool’s Day,” Back to the Rock episode 209 “The Great Radish Ball,” and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Live.
Coolest Puppetry Effect: Not a really an effect, just a ton of groovin’ dance moves from Junior’s body puppeteer, Rob Mills.
Darkest Moment: When Sidebottom’s hypnosis breaks, Junior threatens to throw him in the stewpot! Maybe Gorgs do occasionally eat Fraggles?
Obscure Character Watch: Alas, this is the third and final time we get to see Sidebottom, who previously appeared in “Boober’s Dream” and “Boober’s Quiet Day.”
One More Thing…: Doc, meanwhile, gets roped into pretending to be a sea captain for a bunch of actual sea captains, when really he gets sick at the mere thought of being on the ocean. It’s unclear how Doc’s story relates to Boober’s—Be honest about your anxieties from the beginning? A little bit of fun is enough? Is Ms. Ardath like Sidebottom, getting Doc into more than he bargained for? Anyway, at least it ends with Doc admitting he likes the silly little sailor hat and dancing a jig with Sprocket.
Okay, One More Thing…: Like Reese Witherspoon said in her 2015 Glamour Women of the Year acceptance speech, I hate when a female character says to a male character in a moment of crisis, “What are we gonna do now?” Mokey, you’re better than that.
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by Beth Cook
