Recap / Fraggle Rock S 2 E 18 The Day The Music Died

"It's gone! The light is gone!"

Chosen to write the Glory Song, Gobo accidentally convinces everyone to stop singing so he can concentrate. Within hours, all the light in the Rock goes out. The Ditzies, the source of this light, appear and introduce themselves, explaining that they're dying and don't know why. They beg the Fraggles to help them.

Gobo and Wembley decide to ask the advice of the World's Oldest Fraggle, but he's fallen asleep and won't wake up. To Gobo's horror, he realizes the same thing is happening to the other Fraggles. When he and Wembley are the only ones left awake, they go to see the Trash Heap, who says to "do what Fraggles always do." Not understanding, they decide to move the other Fraggles to the Gorgs' garden so the daylight will revive them—but on getting back to the Rock, Wembley falls asleep as well. Distraught, Gobo begins to sing. The song not only revives the Ditzies but turns out to be the Glory Song. The other Fraggles wake up, joining in the song, and Gobo realizes it's music that keeps the Ditzies alive.

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This episode contains examples of:

• Accidental Discovery: When Gobo, in a moment of despair, begins playing his guitar and singing in the darkened Great Hall, Ditzies begin to appear and the Great Hall brightens. This is when he realizes it's music that keeps the Ditzies alive.
• Actually Quite Catchy: Gobo and Wembley don't understand the Trash Heap's advice: "Do what Fraggles always do." To explain, she sings "Stuff Samba" while wearing a Tutti Frutti Hat topped with garbage, including banana peels, chili peppers, and a load of radish tops. They still have no idea what it means, but Wembley gets into the beat and starts dancing along, while Gobo just shakes his head and gives Wembley a Disapproving Look.
• Baffled by Own Biology: Not even the Ditzies themselves understand why they're dying... until Gobo revives them by playing his guitar and singing.
• Big Blackout: At the beginning of the episode, the light in a cave goes out as Ditzies start to vanish. Before long, the entire Rock has gone dark.
• Brick Break: Wembley shows Gobo how he "attacks a problem" by trying to do this to a Doozer bridge.
• The Chooser of the One: The Storyteller draws Gobo's name from the Gourd of Guidance.
  Storyteller: [to Gobo] The Gourd of Guidance has brought your name to the top. It's never been wrong yet.
• The Chosen One: Gobo.
• Continuity Nod:
  • The Solemn Fraggle Oath, introduced in "The Preachification of Convincing John," makes a return.
  • While Gobo is sitting in his room, trying to write the Glory Song, some Doozers drive by, singing "Doozer March Song (Set Your Shoulder)," introduced in "The Great Radish Famine."
  • A few minutes later, Wembley, Red, and Mokey dance in, singing "Muck and Goo," introduced in "The Garden Plot."
  • At one point, Mokey is writing in her diary, something she was shown doing in "The Preachification of Convincing John."
• Creator Cameo: Uncle Matt meets a street musician, played by Phil Balsam, who co-wrote most of the Fraggle Rock songs with Dennis Lee.
• Crowd Chant: When the Storyteller picks Gobo's name from the Gourd of Guidance, all the other Fraggles begin chanting: "GOBO! GOBO! GOBO...!"
• Cryptic Conversation: The Trash Heap tends to engage in this.
• Dangerous Drowsiness: Going up a darkened tunnel on the way to see the Trash Heap...
  Wembley: [yawns] I gotta lay down, Gobo. I gotta get just a little sleep.
  Gobo: It'll all be over if you do, Wembley!
• Darkest Hour: The Ditzies are dying, the Rock has gone dark, and all the Fraggles but Gobo and Wembley have entered a Forced Sleep. As a last resort, they've decided to try carrying the other Fraggles above ground, where the light will wake them. Then, when they get back to the Rock to carry out this plan, Wembley falls asleep, and Gobo is on the verge of doing so as well. The darkest hour, indeed.
• Energy Beings: The Ditzies are tiny flying creatures who are seen only as specks of light.
• "Eureka!" Moment: Gobo has one when he realizes it's music that keeps the Ditzies alive.
  Gobo: The Trash Heap said, "Do stuff you've always done before." And Uncle Matt said nothing is more important than music. Ditzies—that's it! They must live on music.
• Fantastic Light Source: The reason the caves are so brightly lit is the Ditzies, creatures that feed off music and turn it into light. At first, though, not even the Ditzies themselves realize that music is what keeps them alive.
  The Ditzies: The glow of our bodies lights your caves. Now we are dying. We do not know why. We must save our strength. Help us... help us...! [They fade away.]
• Fell Asleep Standing Up: Gobo sees that this has happened to Red.
• Forced Sleep: The Fraggles enter one without the light of the Ditzies.
• Foreshadowing: At the start of the episode, Gobo and Wembley are walking through a cave that nobody's been in for days. A few minutes later, the cave goes dark, and they start to feel tired.
• Got Me Doing It: While sitting in his room, trying to write the Glory Song, Gobo says a potential line, then gets interrupted by some Doozers chanting "Doozer March Song (Set Your Shoulder)" and finds himself chanting the words to it.
  Gobo: I have to attack this songwriting more systemically. Let's see. "Ask me what's a Fraggle! Oh, what's a Fraggle for...?"
  Doozers: [driving by] Hut, two, three, four!
  Set your shoulder.
  Move that boulder.
  Hut, two, three, four! Hut, two, three, four!
  Gobo: "What's a Fraggle for, two, three, four! Hut, two...!" [He catches himself.] No, no, no!
• Go-to-Sleep Ending: Inverted. The episode ends with the Fraggles waking up and joining in Gobo's song.
• Hollywood Darkness: In this episode, it's revealed why the caves are brightly lit.
• I Can't Believe I'm Saying This:
  Red: Boy, it sure is quiet around here without anybody singing or playing music.
  Boober: Yeah. I never thought I'd say it, but it's depressing, too.
• It's Probably Nothing: At the beginning, when the cave Gobo and Wembley are in goes dark, they think they hear a voice. They don't see anyone else, though, and they dismiss it as nothing. Little do they know it's the Ditzies, trying to ask for their help.
  Gobo: Shhh!
  [A faint voice is heard briefly.]
  Gobo: Did... did you hear something?
  Wembley: I felt something...
  Gobo: No, no, I mean a sound. Like... a voice... or voices.
  Wembley: Hmmm...
  Gobo: Nah.
  Wembley: Nah.
• It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: Gobo isn't exactly thrilled when he's the one picked to write the Glory Song. It's an honor, but all it does is stress him out.
• Light Equals Hope: Gobo sits in the darkened Great Hall, so tired that he's barely able to lift his hand to strum his guitar. But as he tentatively starts to sing, Ditzies begin to appear, the Great Hall begins to brighten, and the other Fraggles wake up, joining in the rousing song.
• Magic Music: Gobo's song, "Shine On, Shine On Me", revives the Ditzies.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!": All the Fraggles and Doozers, when the Great Hall goes dark.
• An Odd Place to Sleep: Many of the Fraggles fall asleep on the floor of the Great Hall. Another goes to sleep on top of a Doozer building.
  Wembley: Oh, boy, is a pile of Fraggles ever... [lies down on a pile of sleeping Fraggles] ...comfortable. [Falls asleep.]
• Oh, Crap!: Gobo, when the other Fraggles start falling asleep and won't wake up.
• The Only One: Toward the end of the episode, Gobo is the only one left awake.
• Over-the-Shoulder Carry: After Wembley falls asleep, Gobo carries him to the Gorgs' garden this way.
• Pinky Swear: The other Fraggles take the Solemn Fraggle Oath to help Gobo in any way they can—except help him write the Glory Song, which the rules state he has to do himself. They then take the Oath to stop singing and playing music so Gobo can concentrate on writing it.
• Poor Communication Kills: Gobo asks Mokey, Red, and Wembley for a little quiet so he can concentrate on writing the Glory Song. When they think he wants everyone to stop singing, they tell this to the other Fraggles, who all stop singing. This causes more and more Ditzies to die, leading to a complete blackout in the Rock and to the Fraggles entering a forced sleep.
• Real After All: The Fraggles are amazed when the Ditzies introduce themselves.
  Red: But I thought "Ditzy" was just a nonsense word!
  Gobo: Shhh!
  The Ditzies: We have been trying to speak to you.
  Boober: But we've never met you before.
  The Ditzies: We have never gathered to speak until now.
  Wembley: Well... well, that makes sense.
• Red Alert: A Doozer siren goes off when the last cave in the Rock has gone dark. No red light, though (or any kind of light).
  A Doozer: [repeatedly] Blackout in the Great Hall...!
• Samba: The Trash Heap sings "Stuff Samba," telling Gobo and Wembley, "Do the stuff you've always done before!"
• Saving the World With Art: In this case, saving the Rock with music.
• Self-Soothing Song: In the Great Hall, Gobo is the last Fraggle awake. Sitting in the dark, he begins to sing to comfort himself, feeling himself, without the Ditzies' light, starting to slip away into a Forced Sleep with the rest of the Fraggles. Just as he begins to tentatively sing "Shine On, Shine On Me", Ditzies start to appear. He realizes that the Ditzies come from music, and he renews his efforts with more vigor. The other Fraggles start to wake up, joining in the song, until all of Fraggle Rock is restored. The other Fraggles hail Gobo as a hero, and the Storyteller exclaims that Gobo's just written the Glory Song.
• Silly Song: An unnamed song, sung to the tune of "Ring Around the Rosie" by Gillis and two random Fraggles.
  Gillis and Fraggles: [singing] Flitsy-wisty bitsy!
  Your brain's so itsy-bitsy!
  Your toes so small.
  No nose at all.
  You're smaller than a Ditzy!
• Singer-Songwriter: Gobo writes and sings the Glory Song: "Shine On, Shine On Me".
• Slap Yourself Awake: Wembley does this when the light in the Rock goes out. It only works temporarily.
• Sleepwalking: After the light in the Rock goes out, the Storyteller begins doing this.
  Gobo: [seeing the Storyteller approaching] Thank goodness the Storyteller hasn't fallen asleep!
  Storyteller: Storyteller hasn't fallen asleep. [Sleepwalks past Gobo.]
• Spark Fairy: The Ditzies are tiny luminous flying creatures who are the source of all light in Fraggle Rock.
• The Storyteller: The official storyteller of Fraggle Rock, who remembers every tale ever told.
• Tentative Light: The lantern Gobo carries keeps him awake, but when it goes out, it's all he can do to stay awake long enough to carry Wembley to the Gorgs' garden so the sunlight will wake him. The other Fraggles gather lanterns to keep them awake, but they fall asleep when the lanterns go out.
• Titled After the Song: The episode's title is named for a line from the song "American Pie" by Don McLean.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Gobo inadvertently causes the death of the Ditzies and the eternal sleep of the Fraggles.
• Weakened by the Light: Inverted. Without the light of the Ditzies, the Fraggles can't stay awake. Lighting lanterns keeps them awake temporarily, but they fall asleep when the lanterns go out. Gobo manages to wake Wembley up by taking him to the Gorgs' garden, where the sunlight revives him.
• Wrong Assumption: When Gobo asks Mokey, Red, and Wembley for a little quiet, they think he wants everyone to stop singing.
• You See, I'm Dying: The Ditzies, explaining to the Fraggles that they're inexplicably dying.
• You Were Trying Too Hard: After being chosen to write the Glory Song, Gobo sits in his room, trying out different lines and coming up with nothing that sounds right. On top of that, all the light in the Rock is going out because the Ditzies are dying, and everyone begins entering a Forced Sleep. Gobo manages to carry Wembley above ground by the light of a lantern. This revives them, but the Trash Heap's advice on how to save the Ditzies makes no sense to Gobo and Wembley, and Uncle Matt's latest postcard provides no ideas. Gobo and Wembley decide the only thing left to do is to carry the other Fraggles above ground, one by one, so the light will wake them up. But once they're back underground, Wembley falls asleep, and Gobo is on the verge of doing the same. In despair, he begins to play his guitar in the darkened Great Hall, singing about how he wishes his song could bring back the light. The music revives the Ditzies and wakes the other Fraggles, who join in the rousing song, and Gobo realizes he's finally accomplished what he was chosen for.
  Storyteller: That's it! That's Gobo's Glory Song!
  [Mokey and Wembley lift him onto their shoulders as everyone cheers.]
  Gobo: It is? [A short Beat.] Yeah, it is!
  Storyteller: Gourd of Guidance guides again!

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