I am sad to be reviewing the final episode of Gogglesprogs 2017, but what a pleasure it has been. What a finish to a great series; this week’s episode had me laughing out loud to myself on more than one occasion. These week’s shows ranged from Babe to Dirty Dancing, and as always romance is my favourite topic to watch the sprogs discuss.
Beginning with First Dates, the children once again showed their softer side, showing sympathy and compassion for David who found dating difficult when living with Cerebral Palsy. When partnered with Jen, little Janai excitedly shouts, ‘woohoo she is hot’, with a cautionary glare from brother Shuaib. Eli declares, ‘please don’t tell me it’s time for them to kiss’, adhering to the universal kids code of repulsion and disgust at the slightest hint of love or romance. This only gets worse for them later in the episode with Nature’s Weirdest Events, in which a human male is called upon to mate with a large bird; thankfully the outcome was a strictly platonic meeting, which only involved ‘dancing about like an idiot’, according to Jacob, as he sighs with relief and clutches his chest.
‘Oh don’t tell me women are attracted to a god damn gorilla’ has to be one of the best lines from any Gogglesprogs episode ever, and of course, it comes from Connor, one half of the dynamic duo Jacob & Connor, who continue to be a firm favourite of viewers alike. Highlighting the stupidity of visitors at a zoo, there to visit the ‘handsome’ gorilla Shabani.
They then proceed to watch another episode of The Voice UK, which sees a hopeful contestant sadly turned away after quitting his banking job in London. William explains, ‘life’s not always fair Molly’, to his younger sister, who is overcome with emotion. Brooke takes the conversation to a completely new direction, espousing her dreams of becoming a monkey-carer.
The next show in store is childhood classic, Babe, putting kids of sausage dinners since 1995. Following the animal theme is bizarre show, The Secret World of Posh Pets, which sees a millionaire couple treat their dogs to a £4000 wedding of luxury. ‘If someone was allergic to cuteness, they’d be dead at the very start of this’, an eloquent observation from Sadie concludes. But it is really in the final viewing, Dirty Dancing, that the kids become excited, either incensed in Joel and Jacobs case, or overjoyed as in the case of Roma. Turning to Jacob, Connor asks, ‘have you ever been to a summer camp?’ to which he replies rolling his eyes, ‘unfortunately’. The bond between the two is unparalleled on the show, and they certainly were on fire this week. Shedding light on the logistics of the film, ‘Wait, so she went to a summer camp, with her parents? Poor, poor girl’ retorts Dotty in her usual casual wit. The close, steamy dancing sessions compel Connor to say, ‘not a very professional relationship between a teacher and a student is it? That’s like doing that with one of your teachers’, Jacob in response simply shudders with a queasy ‘eugh no’. The film closes with one of the most famous lines in Hollywood, to which Jack repeated confusedly, ‘nobody puts baby in a horror…’, much to my amusement as both a fan of the film, and the Gogglesprogs show itself. Unimpressed Joel muses, ‘at least Romeo and Juliet is a romance with loads of killing in it’. On that lovely note, I must say I have a wonderful time reviewing the show this series, and am proud to say it has certainly defied all its initial critics, becoming a TV phenomenon with a strong following.
