On the Nov. 10 episode of The Muppets, Kermit tries to de-stress at a yoga retreat, leaving Scooter in charge of the show. Can Scooter handle the pressure or will it be a disaster?
Kermit admires his parking sign when Sweetums flies past on a golf cart at top speed screaming, “There’s butter on the brakes!” Sweetums crashes inside the studio where Kermit learns that Patrick Dempsey cancelled his appearance due to poison ivy. Scooter has replaced the segment with the Swedish Chef carving a butter sculpture in the shape of Piggy’s head. The Chef is upset that the butter is getting squishy. Kermit asks Chip to mop up and heads backstage.
The writers tell Kermit they have a great sketch for Patrick. When he tells them Patrick cancelled, they say they’ll replace Patrick with the block of butter for Piggy’s kissing scene. Piggy’s assistant then approaches Kermit to tell him Piggy needs to approve a winter wardrobe shipment, but she’s stuck in the elevator.
Kermit asks Piggy if she’s okay. She’s horrified that people can only see her legs. Bobo is trying to fix the elevator. He says he was a helicopter mechanic in the service, which is basically the same thing. He zaps two wires together and the elevator drops below their floor. Piggy is now horrified that everyone is staring at her forehead. Bobo touches two other wires together and the elevator flies to a higher floor. Fozzie tells Kermit he’ll be right back and accidentally steps into the open elevator shaft. He calls up that there’s something wrong with the elevator. Kermit collapses from stress.
Kermit comes to in his office. Janice cleanses his aura with crystals. Bunsen tries taking his temperature with a laser thermometer, but it’s the wrong laser. It burns Kermit’s nose instead. Janice switches to a healing crystal she got in Hawaii. Sam hits on her, telling her he’s been to Hawaii too. He tells the camera that love doesn’t work on a time table. If he sees something he wants, he swoops.
Denise comes rushing into the office to see how Kermit is. Piggy is close behind her. Piggy tell him he needs time at a spa to decompress and Denise agrees. Denise tells him about a place close by and Piggy is annoyed; she was going to say the same thing. Piggy gives him the rest of the day off and tells him to spend a long weekend there.
Kermit assures everyone in the office that he’s okay. He’s leaving Scooter in charge. Gonzo is upset he isn’t left in charge. He thinks he’s ready for a high pressure job after being a stunt man. Kermit says Scooter can use his office and his assistant.
Scooter tells Carl to get coffee orders from everyone and put it on his mom’s credit card. He’s helping her earn points for a trip to Rome. Yolanda says to make hers iced because it’s warm in the office. Scooter says he’ll turn down the air conditioning. Yolanda says Kermit doesn’t want anyone touching the thermostat. Scooter moves it anyway. It makes a terrible noise and then the pipes burst through the ceiling, freezing Beaker solid. Scooter turns the thermostat back to its original position.
Kermit tries to make the best of the spa. Jason Bateman sits next to him at lunch. His wife made him come because he’s stressed from directing an elementary school version of Wicked. Jason asks Kermit if he knows a cheap costume guy. Kermit says he’ll give him the phone number. Jason says he also needs a lighting guy that will work in exchange for a date with a single mom.
Bunsen defrosts Beaker’s face with a hair dryer. Piggy is in hysterics because condensation from the broken AC destroyed her winter clothing collection. The Swedish Chef warns Scooter not to slip in the butter. Carl slips in it instead and drops the hot coffee on Beaker’s head. Scooter hears explosions coming from the stage and finds all the lights exploding. Bobo says the Freon from the AC caused condensation which created a power surge in the electrical system. Janice dances around saying she’s a fire goddess and Sam copies her. The power goes out completely and Scooter runs off screaming that he broke the show.
At an energy exercise, Jason sends Kermit’s partner away and complains that Reggie won’t give him a deal. He wants Kermit to call him. Kermit says if the spa catches them with electronics, they’ll throw them out. Jason guilts him into it. The head of the program sees Kermit with Jason’s phone. Jason denies he was in on it, telling Kermit if he’s home before Monday, his wife will kill him.
Scooter is packing to leave. Gonzo tries to stop him. He compares Scooter to the captain of the Titanic, staying on until the very end. Scooter says he’s more like the man who dressed in women’s clothing to get on the lifeboats – he’s ashamed, but alive. Gonzo believes in him, though. Scooter gets an idea to continue the show without electricity.
Piggy does her show by candlelight to raise awareness for energy conservation. They run the camera power off of the golf cart battery. Scooter even got an acapella band, Pentatonix. While they sing, Sam tries to hit on Janice. She tells him he’s on fire and he thanks her until he realizes it was literal. He runs off to put it out.
Kermit sits in Rowlf’s bar. Kermit says he wishes he were more selfish, but Rowlf insists he should accept himself as he is. He asks Rowlf how he’s so easy going. Rowlf says he loves to chew on old shoes when he feels bad. He offers one to Kermit, but Kermit says he’ll find his own thing.
Three weeks later, Scooter tells Kermit that Patrick Dempsey’s rash has cleared up. Yolanda tells Kermit that Carl is in a fight with the delivery guy. Carl ate his clothes because the man put the box upside down. Kermit apologizes. Chip asks Kermit to talk to the FBI on the phone to straighten out an accusation of computer hacking. Kermit yells to Pepe and Rizzo to stop messing with Chip. Chip is elated that he has friends.
Kermit says the stress will never end, but he loves what he does. He says he found his own dirty old sneaker – he put a swamp in his backyard to replace the pool. The show ends with him playing “Rainbow Connection.”