♫ I sniff the rose! ♫
Boober plans to have a quiet day by himself, but he's visited by Sidebottom, then has various interruptions from the other Fraggles. At Sidebottom's urging, Boober lies to his friends in order to spend the day alone, but his lies build on one another. Struggling to keep his promises, Boober gets stuck impersonating the Old Gypsy Lady, who he pretends to have loaned his cave to—and midway through his performance, the real Gypsy Lady unexpectedly shows up. Proclaiming his frustration, Boober confesses all his lies, explaining that he just wanted to have a quiet day.This episode contains examples of:
- All Just a Dream: Defied. Boober, when he meets Sidebottom in his dreams, is aware from the start that it's a dream.
- All Work vs. All Play: Boober is all work, and Sidebottom is all play.
- Artificial Limbs: The Old Gypsy Lady has a peg leg and a squeaky shoe.
- Blatant Lies: At Sidebottom's urging, Boober keeps telling these.
- Can't Believe I Said That: Tosh wants Boober to take care of Beastie, her pet beast. To get out of doing so, Boober lies that he's going on a trip. After Tosh leaves...Boober: I'm not going on any trip! Why did I say that? I never tell lies!
Sidebottom: [appearing] I made you do it! - Cathartic Scream: At one point, Boober does this.Sidebottom: That's better. Now relax.
Boober: Right. [Faints.] - Character Name and the Noun Phrase: The episode's title.
- Confronting Your Imposter: Right in the middle of Boober's performance as the Old Gypsy Lady, the real Gypsy Lady unexpectedly shows up.Old Gypsy Lady: [glaring at Boober, who is cowering behind Gobo] Hmmm...
Boober: Evening.
Old Gypsy Lady: Huh!
Boober: [nervously] Huh!
Old Gypsy Lady: Huh! That's-a funny. I thought I was the only gypsy lady around-a here! - Continuity Nod: When Boober falls asleep, he meets Sidebottom, introduced in "Boober's Dream."
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: At the end, after Boober explains why he told all his lies, Gobo wants to know why Boober didn't just ask his friends to give him some peace and quiet.
- Crossdresser: Boober dressing up as the Old Gypsy Lady.
- Disguised in Drag: To avoid taking care of Tosh's pet beast, Boober lies that he's planned an overnight trip to the Lilac Caverns. Then, since Mokey is going to hold an overnight Chant-a-thon that evening in her cave, which she and Red share, Red asks to borrow Boober's cave for the night so she can get some sleep. Boober lies that he's loaned his cave to the Old Gypsy Lady. When Gobo and Wembley learn of this, they plan a surprise party for the Gypsy Lady—so Sidebottom magically disguises Boober as her.
- Dragged into Drag: Boober's not happy about having to impersonate the Old Gypsy Lady.
- Dramatic Unmask: Boober, facing the real Gypsy Lady, takes off his wig, to the gasps of the assembled Fraggles.
- Dream Land: Where Sidebottom lives.Sidebottom: Hey, hey, hey, look who has come to the land of dreams! It's my old other self, Boober!
- Dreams of Flying: At the beginning of the episode, Boober is relaxing with a cup of moss-rind tea. He then falls asleep and dreams of floating through the air in a giant teacup.
- Entertainingly Wrong: Everyone believes Boober is the Old Gypsy Lady—except the real Gypsy Lady, when she shows up unexpectedly at the party and confronts her imposter.
- Faint in Shock:
- Boober does this when Sidebottom tells him he'll have to impersonate the Old Gypsy Lady.
- Later, he faints again on realizing Tosh's beast is right behind him.
- "Fawlty Towers" Plot: Boober's lies keep building on one another, until he's stuck pretending to be the Old Gypsy Lady—only to have the real Gypsy Lady show up in the middle of the party.
- Fortune Teller: Legend has it that the Old Gypsy Lady can tell a Fraggle's fortune by reading the shape of his tail. Boober, while disguised as the Gypsy Lady, pretends to do this for Mokey.
- Fun Personified: Sidebottom.
- Gollum Made Me Do It: A literal example. Sidebottom convinces Boober on his crazier escapades. Sidebottom is not evil, though, just fun-loving, overactive, and irresponsible.
- Honesty Aesop:Boober: [after revealing himself to be Boober] There is no such thing as one little harmless lie!
- Hostile Hitchhiker: Averted. When Boober realizes he's about to wake up, Sidebottom hitches a ride on the teacup Boober's floating in. Neither behaves hostilely.
- Impossibly Tacky Clothes: Sidebottom has a patchwork hat trimmed with feathers of different colors. He also wears clown pants to match, and footless red-and-white-striped socks. His outfit is trimmed with fluffy green pompons and jingling bells.
- Irritation Nightmare: At the start of the episode, Boober falls asleep only to dream about Sidebottom.Sidebottom: Sidebottom at your service.
Boober: I don't want you at my service! I just want a nice quiet day.
Sidebottom: Go on! I'm sick of quiet days, and so are you. What we want is some real knock-around, dance-about fun and shenanigans!
Boober: I hate that! - Loves My Alter Ego: Beastie is a lot tamer around Sidebottom.
- Meaningful Name:Sidebottom: I'm the fun side of Boober, and you keep me on the bottom!
- Melancholy Musical Number: "The Gypsy Song (I Sniff the Rose)" is about singing to deal with the pain of departed friends and life in general. Boober, while disguised as the Old Gypsy Lady, sings it to the other Fraggles—with a little help from Sidebottom, who secretly teaches him the words.Boober: [aside, to Sidebottom] Oh, this is my kind of music!
Sidebottom: No, it's our kind of music! - Oh, Crap!: Boober, several times:
- When he falls asleep only to meet Sidebottom in his dreams.
- When Tosh wants him to take care of Beastie.
- When he hears about the surprise party and realizes he's got to impersonate the Old Gypsy Lady.
- When the real Gypsy Lady unexpectedly shows up at the party.
- And at the end of the episode, when he goes back to his cave only to find Beastie there.
- Pet Monstrosity: Tosh's pet beast, Beastie.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Subverted. Boober tries to sneak out of his cave before the party, but the other Fraggles jump out and yell, "SURPRISE!"
- Security Cling: Boober, when he's confronted by the real Gypsy Lady, cowers behind Gobo while clinging to his shoulder.
- Shadow Archetype: Boober comes into conflict with the fun-loving, irresponsible part of his personality.
- Signature Instrument: The Old Gypsy Lady's is a tambourine.
- Split Personality: Sidebottom, Boober's alternate personality.
- Surprise Party: Gobo, Mokey, Red, and Wembley throw one for Boober—who they think is the Old Gypsy Lady.
- Verbal Backpedaling: Gobo does this after running up to Mokey to talk about the surprise party for the Old Gypsy Lady, then realizing that who they think is the guest of honor is standing right there.Gobo: [running up] Hey, Mokey!
[Boober jumps.]
Gobo: I got some more news about the surprise party for the Old...
Mokey: [putting her hand over his mouth] Uh, Gobo, Gobo...!
Boober: [under his breath] Oh boy, oh boy...!
Mokey: Hi. Uh, Gobo, I'd like to introduce you to the Old Gypsy Lady.
Gobo: [laughing nervously] Oh, whoops!
Mokey: Whoops!
Gobo: [to Boober] Uh, hi there! I was... uh... I was just saying that...
Mokey: Something about... uh... your Uncle Matt's postcard, right?
Gobo: Yeah, yeah! Yeah, I got it right here! - Written-In Absence: Subverted. At the beginning of the episode, Doc is on the phone with Ned Shimmelfinney, discussing the fact that Sprocket is at the vet's for a flea bath. At the end, though, Doc gets a call—it's the vet, saying that Sprocket wants to talk to him. He barks excitedly as Doc says he'll be over soon to pick him up.
