No doubt the mundine gag was a setup. I think they felt bad for the skit they did with him the week before where they tried to stickytape his mouth. it made the mufti look bad (worse?). So this was a way of reversing the bad publicity he had received.
As for the show, it's fantastic. Best thing to come along for a while. Unfortunately the last few shows have been a bit ordinary. It hasn't had the zing of the previous season or the start of this new season. Still, it's compulsory watching in our house.