Farced Perspective

Anna and Ben lie back on the psychiatrist's couch and delve deep into the challenges facing the "classic paranoid" behavior of a man who believes he's Sherlock Holmes and the woman who violates professional ethics for him. They also discuss how cavalier language about sensitive topics can be hurtful, and how they probably aren't equipped to do no harm, but at least they have trivia questions about candy!

Ben and Pete squabble over this episode, which Ben thinks might be one of the best introductions to the Muppet Show, while Pete finds the vibe — and millennials are all about vibes — lacklustre. But they can find common ground in their problems with Kermit, who Ben thinks is undercutting his own show, while Pete is astonished that he somehow doesn't understand the jokes he's hosting on his stage.

Ben and Pete return, somewhat belatedly, to examining the 45th anniversary of the original TV broadcasts of The Muppet Show, and they examine Helen Reddy's accent, Doctor Bob's lasciviousness, and just how busy the Muppet studios were in 1978. With new characters, newly credited actors, and new Lego minifigs to vie for, why does the show seem weirdly negative, and will it continue? Speculate wildly!

Pete and Ben wrap up their coverage of the Muppets' second season with a look at the celebrated career of Cloris Leachman. They also sum up the cumulative statistics from the entire season, and Pete's rankings of the guests generates disbelief on the part of both hosts.

Carve out about three hours for Pete to quiz Ben about English songstress Petula Clark, her relationship with other Muppet guests, and his research on her chart-topping status. Ben takes Pete to task about his dislike of apparent cue-card use and presents his own "Pet" theories about Ms Clark's lip-synched performance.

Thrill to the unexpected, as Pete and Ben look things up on the Internet while broadcasting! Join them to discover whether Muppet special guest Lou Rawls has deliberately smuggled bird imagery into many of his lyrics, and whether a bonus question can earn Ben yet another victorious Lego minifig!

Pete and Ben go bullish and steak their reputations on some prime cuts of cow-based punnery that you'll calf to heifer yourself to believe. Somehow in the midst of all that, they manage to talk about Julie Andrews' career and how she was able to naturally interact with the Muppets in a way to which other guests could only aspire. Pete also watches a clip from the infamous Muppet Movie test footage, and Ben remembers a favorite childhood book.

Pete and Ben come to very different determinations of the rules Pete has established for judging the performances of the guest stars on the podcast. They also make a ruling on Ben's previous confusion about Muppet crocodiles, talk about not talking about a particular sketch, and find an unexpected application of the word "hornswoggle".

Pete and Ben discuss the legacy, potency, and popularity of the Soviet Union's premiere cultural defector, and consider how he's objectified by the episode, whether Statler and Waldorf should sing along to the theme song, and how big Robin's hat should be. They also determine a head-canon for the Muppet Show warm-up comedian and that Pete doesn't appreciate anything classy.

Pete and Ben investigate how well the Fawlty John Cleese of 1977 matches up with the potentially more cloth-eared John Cleese of 2022, and what the term "cloth-eared" means, anyway. They also investigate the height of the Muppet theatre, where Frank Oz was during this episode, and why both local fireworks and Siri seem to want to interrupt their recording session.

Pete and Ben find themselves pulled between critical poles on this episode, enjoying the charisma of the guest-star but lamenting her musical choices, and also finding that while the backstage runner has aged poorly, the UK Spot might be the greatest musical secret the Muppet Show has ever concealed from American audiences.

It's an extra-long episode of self-indulgence as Pete goes down a nerdy rabbit hole of calculating dropping a weight on the Muppet newsman, and Ben investigates a tweet about Robin's princely origins. They also talk at length about Bernadette Peters' awards and honors, unwrap a new minifig, and payoff teases of obscure redheads, House of Leaves situations, and Karnak's mystery prediction.