Down on the Farm ( Chat des champs) is the 23rdUS/17thEU episode of the first season of The Garfield Show.
Synopsis[]
Jon goes to visit his brother Doc Boy who lives on a livestock farm. It's out in the country, and since Garfield is a real city cat, it's no picnic for him! To make things worse, Doc Boy asks him to do some work: pile up some logs, wash down the windows, sweep up the leaves. Things really reach their low point when Garfield realizes there's no TV and no pizza.
Plot[]
Jon drives to the farm with Garfield and Odie to spend a week there, much to the dismay of Garfield. After arriving, Doc Boy shows them around the farm (and gets annoyed with Jon calling him “Doc Boy”). Ralph, the farm hand, informs Doc of a television offer for high definition cable television. Doc turns down the offer, stating that he and the farm animals are uninterested in having TV on the farm, much to the shock of Garfield and Jon.
As Jon and Doc Boy drive to town to pick up supplies, Doc expects Garfield and Odie to do chores around the farm. Odie does all of the chores while Garfield goes over the list. Eventually, Garfield misses watching television, and tries to see if he can get the animals to change their minds.
Garfield starts out with a cow, whom he informs of a cooking show made especially for cows. He then moves on to the chickens and horses, where he and Odie enact scenes from movies and shows. They are soon convinced, and Garfield gets Ralph to order cable TV. As Jon and Doc Boy return to the farm, they discover the cable TV man (and his truck), who has already installed the cable, as well as Vito, who has bicycled over to the farm with pizza. Determined to find out what is going on, Doc Boy checks on the farm animals, discovering that they all are slacking off their duties by watching television and eating pizza.
In the house, Garfield, Odie and Ralph are watching Name That Fish, showing no interest in Doc Boy’s complaints. Jon gives him his condolences, referring to him as just “Doc” instead of “Doc Boy”, which results in an emotional moment between the two. Meanwhile, Name That Fish dials a random number to guess a fish featured. The phone rings, and Doc ends up participating in the show, which asks him to identify the fish. With Garfield’s help, he gives the right answer, which results in him winning one hundred thousand dollars.
With the prize money, Doc Boy buys a big screen television, a red sports car, pizza, and paid vacations for the farm animals. Doc notes that he will satisfied with going back to farming once the money runs out.
Characters[]
Main Characters[]
Major Characters[]
- Doc Boy Arbuckle
- Jon Arbuckle
- Ralph
Minor Characters[]
- Farm animals
- Cable TV man
- Vito Cappelletti
- Eddie Gourmand
- Anchorman
- Mrs. Edna Flurp (mentioned)
- Booker (cameo)
- Sheldon (cameo)
- Orson Pig (deleted scene)
Trivia[]
- The book that Garfield is holding is titled Aquapedia. It would reappear in "Fish to Fry".
- This is the first and only episode where Jon calls his brother "Doc" instead of "Doc Boy", which made him happy.
- This is the second time Jon has a leading role in a The Garfield Show episode, the first being "Jon's Night Out".
- This is Doc Boy's first animated appearance since A Garfield Christmas.
- Orson Pig was intended to have a cameo appearance in this episode. When Garfield complains about farm life, Orson tells him to stop, noting "At least you still have a show." Orson's model was created and his dialogue was recorded. Due to international laws against talking pigs, the scene was cut.[1]
Cultural references[]
- Garfield re-enacts Star Wars and King Kong, among other features, to the farm animals when he convinces them to get television.