Farced Perspective

Back from a long hiatus, and no longer quite on "anniversary schedule", Pete and Ben turn their sights on the nomenclature of pairs, the legacy of earning the rank of Eagle Scout, and how the Ship of Theseus paradox works with editing and production numbers. And somehow that's all supposed to tie in with Connie Stevens career and appearance on the Muppet Show. One, two, three, dip!

Ben and Pete sit down to discuss the legendary voice and persona of Ethel Merman, while also debating whether any movie would be good without sound editing, and possibly putting to rest the season-long investigation as to whether the Muppet Show knows it's being broadcast on television. Also: thrill to the debate about if Pete deserves an extra half-point in the trivia competition!

Pete and Ben hunker down in the Sadness Café and try to tickle the ivories and make them laugh more than Phillis Diller did.  They also talk about how authentic a stand-up comedian needs to be, how great of a sax player Zoot is, and whether it's time to join the great Spotify exodus.

Ben and Pete hit the catwalk with a twirl and a smize and discussions about whether this episode was produced all at once or cobbled together later, how to reconcile that the show only sporadically engages in continuity, and whether one can ever get used to the weight and movement of long hair.

It's February when this drops, late from a January anniversary airdate, featuring footage from Spooky Season and an featured skit that takes place on New Year's Eve. And that doesn't even include the number of moments that Ben and Pete feel are out of order within the episode itself! Join them to untangle the chronology and to figure out how much Vincent Price is too much, not enough, or too obvious.

Broadway dancer and actor Ben Vereen is the Muppet Show's guest this week, and so  Pete and (a totally different) Ben delve into Vereen's show-biz controversies. They also discuss how they are quick to anger about flag etiquette, that they are confused about the appropriateness of the phrase, "hep to the jive", and that there might be a benefit to leaving in the noises of a squeaky chair.

Pete asks Ben to translate and pronounce the French in this episode, and Ben asks Pete to explain whether the writing is consistent with other episodes or constructed piecemeal out of half-baked ideas. Along the way they speculate about what musician has sold the most albums, the appeal of Americana in the UK, and whether this was the episode that got Frank Oz to lock into the character of Miss Piggy.

Harvey Korman grumps his way through an episode where he apparently only spent a third of the time a guest normally commits to production, and Muffy the dog seems to take against him for it. How will Pete and Ben feel? Also, what do they think about underaged frogs on Top of the Pops, replacement drummers, and the meaning of life?

Bruce Forsyth spends this episode panicked that a gawky bird might find him attractive, astonished at sharing a dressing room with a chicken, and grossed out by the affections of a pig... but wants to rent a great-looking duck for a whole month. Ben and Pete spend the episode confused by this, along with many other inconsistencies. It's a wild one, folks.

This episode was originally filmed right before Henson Associates went on holiday, and it is being dropped, delayed, when Ben has finally recovered from one. Enjoy Ben and Pete's most contentious discussions so far about what landed (or didn't), and enjoy diversions about The Seventh Seal and disgust about long, long, long legs.