Mind Over Melvin is an episode from the sixth season of Garfield and Friends.
Synopsis[]
Roy hosts an unfair game show with questions nearly impossible to know. Meanwhile, Orson encounters an alien named Melvin, who gives him an artifact, which grants the ability to read minds.
Plot[]
Inside the barn, Roy is hosting a game show called "You Can't Win," with impossible questions. Contestant Wade guesses "mixed grill" for what Eric the Red fed his cat, missing the correct answer "chopped llama," and leaves with a rock as a consolation prize. Lanolin, the next contestant, fails to guess the address of Venezuela's only dry cleaner, losing without a prize due to a rock shortage.
Wade, disgruntled, convinces Orson to participate, but Orson initially refuses. After Wade gives Orson the rock, Orson encounters a UFO and meets its pilot, Melvin. Melvin trades Orson a mind-reading crystal for the rock. Orson decides to test the crystal by joining Roy's game show.
Lanolin loses her final question about Abraham Lincoln's baby blanket, leaving without a prize. Orson, now a contestant, uses the crystal to answer Roy's impossible questions correctly, stunning Roy and winning the game. Orson's victory demonstrates the crystal's power, and he decides to teach Roy a lesson about fairness.
After the show, Orson realizes the dangers of reading minds when he hears his friends' unfiltered thoughts. Concluding it's wrong to invade their privacy, he discards the crystal in a pond. Melvin, observing from his UFO, reassures his mother about giving away the crystal, and they fly off into space, satisfied with their new paperweight.
Characters[]
Major characters[]
- Orson Pig
- Roy Rooster
- Lanolin Sheep
- Wade Duck
- Melvin
- Johnny (voiced by Gregg Berger)
Minor characters[]
- Booker
- Sheldon (non-speaking role)
- Bo Sheep
- Various farm animals
- Melvin's mother (voiced by Julie Payne)
Trivia[]
Cultural references[]
- The episode's title is a spoof of the phrase "mind over matter".
- The announcer's name is Johnny, likely a reference to Johnny Olson.
- As he leaves, Roy quips, "How come this never happens to Pat Sajak"? This alludes to Wheel of Fortune, which has been hosted by Sajak from 1981 to 2024.
- The mind-reading amulet Melvin gives Orson functions in the same exact way as Medallion of Thoughts from old "Dungeons and Dragons" tabletop game editions, designed in 1979.
Goofs[]
- The announcer says Lanolin's last name is "Lamb", when it is actually "Sheep".