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"Halt! Officer Odie orders you to stop and help!"
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(The episode opens next to Garfield’s house. Harry is noisily digging through Jon’s trash cans looking for a bite to eat)
Harry: Humming
(As he throws various trash items aside, his crashing and searching can be heard by a sleeping Garfield in Jon’s bedroom)
Garfield: (while sleeping) Oh, mommy, mommy, mommy, Oh… (he opens one eye) waking me up is a crime punishable by no less than 15 years in a maximum security prison, or at least it should be. (He jumps down and lands on the floor with a thud) Alright, I’m up. Let’s see who’s too stupid to mot be sleeping at this hour. (He puts a paw on his face, exasperated and sleepy. Downstairs, he opens a window and sees the culprit in the garbage tossing a couple of tin cans and an old sock out of the way) Oh, it’s you, Harry. What are you looking for? (Harry looks up at Garfield with a can over his left ear)
Harry: Leftovers.
Garfield: In this house? Nothing is left over. (Harry hops out and stands on another trash can lid)
Harry: So I see. (He takes the can off his head and tosses it away) What I really had my appetite set on was that nice, plump, juicy bluebird! (He points at a bluebird tweeting and flying overhead) Mm! Does that look like good eating? But I'll bet you’ve had your eye on that one for a while, right?
Garfield: (putting up his paw) Not right. I never chase any birds smaller than a roast turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and that creamed corn that Jon’s mother makes. (He puts his paws together after listing the succulent sides with a hungry look on his face)
Harry: (surprised) What?! No bird chasing?
Garfield: (putting up his paw again) I gave it up. Too much work, too many feathers, not enough drumsticks.
Harry: Then, uh, do you mind? (He points at the bluebird, which had landed on the pavement beside Jon’s house. Garfield leans his head out the window and looks at it as it pecks the cement)
Garfield: Be my guest.
Harry: Bluebird pie, here I come! (he ducks out of view. The unsuspecting bird hops around Jon's backyard, tweeting happily. Harry peeks out from behind a trash can) Chuckles evilly (He has the bird in his sights…) Chuckles again (and he prepares to pounce. He stretches a bit, but the bird senses the danger just in time. Harry leaps, but the bird flies away and Harry bites the dust, somewhat literally)
Bluebird: Squawks angrily
Harry: (pointing at his prey) You win this round, bird, but I’ll get ya next time! (The bird takes off. The alley cat decides to find something more flightless to eat) Maybe those trash cans over on Maple Drive will have leftovers. (He leaves)
(Upstairs, Garfield had been watching from the window)
Garfield: Chasing birds, looks like fun, but I'm not gonna get into THAT again. My chasing bird days are behind me. (Immediately after saying this, he opens the back pet door and heads outside) No, no! They’re ahead of me! I must chase birds! (He stumbles around with his claws bared, swiping at the air before freezing in place and speaking to the audience) OK, if you were a cat, you’d understand. (The bird, with Harry gone, has returned to Jon’s yard and lands in front of Jon’s shed. Garfield spies from a short distance away, and he lifts his head into view) Ahem, the hunt is on! (He sneaks over toward the fence on his fingers and toes, uses a tree for cover–albeit not very good cover–and grins sinisterly as his prey pecks the ground. He reaches for the bird with a long arm and bares his claws. The bird turns around at that moment)
Bluebird: Squawk! (she flies away as Garfield grips the air where she was and pounds the grass furiously. She flies over the back fence)
Garfield: It’s going over to the neighbor’s yard. It won’t get away from me!
(In the neighbor’s yard, the neighbor is grilling out as Garfield peeks through a gap in the fence)
Neighbor: Humming
(The tubby tabby leaves before returning with a bush disguise and slipping between the pickets in the fence. He scans the yard)
Garfield: Humming (he sees a lawn chair, umbrella, a table, a tree, another lawn chair, and his prey on a stack of firewood) Chuckles (He sneaks over in his bush disguise, again on his fingers and toes. The bird thinks she hears something and glances over at the bush, but Garfield hides himself. Thinking it was nothing, she returns to pecking the wood, only for Garfield to sneak out of frame and back into frame a lot closer to her. She turns around again, but the Flabby Tabby hides. Once her back is to him, Garfield leaps out with bared claws) Meow! (The bird takes off and Garfield lands head first on the pile of wood. She flies and rests on a nest in the neighbor’s tree, while Garfield coughs, spits, and dusts himself off) That bird can’t get away from me! (She flies off again, tweeting as she goes. Garfield’s newest plan involves literally running up the tree and waiting on the branch where the eggs lay. He holds his tummy as he sits on the tree limb) I’ll just wait here until she comes back, and THEN I'll catch her. (he holds up one finger and addresses the audience) She has to come back, she left her eggs here. (he points at the nest and the trio of eggs inside)
(Later that day, Jon’s neighbor wheels the grill into the garage. The mama bluebird pecks the ground again on the driveway when a worm inches its way into her sight)
Bluebird: Gasp! (She chases after it, while squawking, into the garage, where it ducks into a hole in the wall. The bird grabs the worm’s tail and tries to pull it out, but is unsuccessful in doing so. The worm gives her an indecipherable talking to and hides again. After it does this, the bird hears something. She turns around and sees the garage door close behind her. She flies up to one of the windows in the door and looks out as the neighbor starts to leave)
Jon’s Neighbor: (shouting) I put the barbecue away, Muriel! (The mama bird flies in the closed window in a panic)
(Meanwhile, Garfield was still waiting. At this point, he was reading a newspaper, the Truffle News)
Garfield: Humming (he talks to the audience) Oh, still sitting here waiting for my dinner to return. Chuckles The Garfield strip’s funny today. (A ticking clock is heard in the background as the scene changes from morning to evening. By this point, Garfield is lying on his stomach, newspaper still in hand, staring at the eggs) Sigh Just gotta wait here. (he drops the paper) Yawn No matter how long it takes. She shouldn’t leave her eggs alone THIS long, not with creatures like ME about. (The ticking clock can be heard again as more time passes from evening to night. By now, Garfield is starting to get frustrated) What’s WRONG with that mother bird, leaving her eggs alone all day? (he crosses his arms and shivers) Gee, kinda cold. (he pokes one of the eggs) I don’t think that’s good for them. Oh well, not my problem. (He walks down the tree) I’ll chase her tomorrow if she comes back. (he glances back up at the tree a couple of times as he goes) She HAS to come back. She HAS to take care of those cute little eggs.
(In the living room, Jon is sitting on the chair watching TV, Odie stands beside him)
TV: The female bluebird lays a bunch of three to five eggs…
Odie: Mutters
Jon: Hi, Garfield. I'm watching a very interesting documentary.
Garfield: Anything about feeding your cat?
Jon: It's all about birds hatching eggs. (Odie pants as he leans on the left arm of Jon’s chair. Garfield, interested in the documentary’s topic, watches the screen with wide eyes)
TV: The incubation process in which the female sits on the eggs to keep them warm takes about two weeks. (The TV shows a mother bluebird holding an egg of hers)
Garfield: (turning to the audience with a bit of concern in his voice) It's not that warm out there. (His eyes cross. The program continues and Garfield watches)
TV: If the heat is not maintained, the eggs will perish.
Garfield: (now with a lot of concern in his voice) Perish?! (He puts his paws to his face, surprised, before turning away from the TV and putting his hand up at it) Oh well. Like I keep telling myself, it’s not my problem. (He leaves the living room and walks through the hallway)
(Later that night, Garfield tries to catch some Z’s)
Garfield: Yawn I think I'll just get me a little sleep. (He nods off and snores a bit, but he can’t get the eggs out of his mind) Perish?! Gulp! (He turns toward his window and looks. Unable to sleep, he slowly walks out the back pet door with a lit flashlight in his right paw) Maybe I'll make sure the mother bluebird has come back to sit on the eggs. (He puts his hand on his hip) I’m SURE she has. (He returns to the tree, sits on the bough and illuminates the nest with his flashlight) She hasn’t. (He looks at the nest and holds a thermometer to the eggs for a moment. He then examines it) Oh this is NOT good. Maybe a muffler or a heating pad. (He looks around. Inside the neighbor’s house, a silhouette of the neighbor walks about the lit window) I wonder if there’s a place up here to plug in an electric blanket. (He looks around again, and faces the audience) Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. OK, but don’t tell anyone I did this. (He gingerly sits on the eggs) Here we go. (he puts his hands on his knees and wiggles his fingers) Keep warm little eggs. It’s just until the mother bluebird comes back. She’ll be back any minute. Any minute… (The sun rises and a rooster crows, signaling the next morning. Garfield dozed off and snores, now lying on his back on the nest when slight cracking noises are heard from beneath him) AAAHHH! (He wakes up quickly and stands on the nest, looking around worriedly) Yow! (He looks down and sees an eggshell starting to burst open. Surprised, he loses his balance and falls off the branch, but clings to it with his right claws before he can hit the grass) Hey! Oh… (A baby bluebird chirps at Garfield) Hey, or, uh, she’s been born! (He holds his paws together, beaming with pride and affection. The other two eggs hatch soon after) And now there’s another one being born! And this one! I’m a mother! (He puts a paw on his face, realizing what he just said) What am I thinking?
Baby Birds: (repeatedly) Mama! (They hop in their nest)
Garfield: No, no, no, I'm not your mama.
Baby Birds: (repeatedly) Mama!
Garfield: Wait, stop that! (The birds obey) I’m not your mama, I'm a cat! Honest! (He holds up two fingers as if making a promise) I am! Here, listen to this: meow, meow! See? (the birds look at each other. Garfield, meanwhile, walks down the tree) I hate to abandon the little fellas but, (he turns to the audience and shrugs) I don’t know anything about taking care of baby birds.
Baby Birds: (repeatedly) Mama! (They hop in their nest again)
Garfield: No, not mama. Why are you unclear on this concept? (He leaves and goes back home, but the birds hop on the branch and ride the cat’s tail, going unnoticed by the exhausted feline) Sigh Good time for a nap. (He opens the back pet door and heads inside) It’s always a good time for a nap. (In the living room, Garfield has made himself comfortable in his bed next to the fireplace) Yawn Cute little birds, but I'm not cut out to be their mama. (He retracts his head underneath his blanket and snores. He catches a few winks before hearing a baby bird cooing. He pokes his head out again in surprise before eventually returning to Dreamland, but when a bird sneezes, this wakes the Tubby Tabby up again. The trio of birds leave their hiding place and play with each other around Garfield’s water bowl, chirping happily) Wha-? You guys again! Look, you can’t stay with me, fellas!
Baby Birds: Chirping (They float in Garfield’s bowl)
Garfield: And my water dish is NOT a birdbath! (He points at the birds)
(Annoyed, the fat cat takes the bowl and the birds outside through the back door)
Baby Birds: Chirping
Garfield: I don’t care WHAT you say, you CAN’T live with me! (He stops to give the birds this pep talk)
Baby Birds: Mama!
Garfield: And stop calling me mama!
Baby Bird: Papa?
Garfield: Moan (He eventually gets the bluebird chicks back to their nest. He walks on the tree limb and the birds hop out of the bowl into their home. They turn around to face their “mama” as he tosses the bowl away behind him) Now you’re gonna stay there (he points down at the nest) and THAT is an ORDER.
Baby Birds: Chirping (They now look sad)
Garfield: Don’t look at me like that. (He turns away from them and covers his eyes) I can’t take care of you guys. You need someone who can teach you how to fly, (he flaps his arms) I can't do that. You need someone who can… share worms with you for lunch, (he holds his hand up as if he was eating a worm) I REALLY can’t do that. (He shakes his head no)
Baby Birds: Sigh (They hang their heads sorrowfully. Garfield too looks a bit down but he averts his eyes from them)
Garfield: (while putting a paw up to block his vision) I’m not gonna look at them anymore. (His tone becomes serious) Your real mother will be back sooner or later, now good-bye! Buh-bye, bluebirds! (He climbs down the tree and starts to run off, but glances up at the nest once again) They’ll be just fine. (He tries to assure himself, but looks as blue as the hatchlings)
(Later, Garfield–now gazing out the back kitchen window with his paws on the pane–is even more worried about the birds)
Garfield: What if the mother bird never comes back? They could be cold, (he puts his arms around himself to emulate coldness) they could be hungry, (he puts his hands to his head, stressing more and more when he sees an unwelcome guest) gasp! (Harry sneaks into Garfield’s yard and breaks a picket in the back fence) They could be Harry’s lunch! (Mortified, Garfield bursts out the back pet door and hustles after him) My babies! (He runs forward, but is unable to get to the birds first)
(Harry– now with the nest in his hands– walks through the neighbor’s yard)
Baby Birds: (panicking, and repeating) Mama!
Harry: Hey, hold it down, little guys. I’m gonna be eating! (Before he can indulge, Garfield stops him by running up to him and standing in his way)
Garfield: Let me have those birds, Harry! (He points at the alley cat)
Harry: Get your own lunch, Garfield!
Garfield: I said, “let me have those birds!” (He grabs the nest, grins at the birds, and zips away, leaving Harry stunned at what just happened. Harry takes a second to gather himself)
Harry: Hey, that’s MY meal! (He chases Garfield) I saw ‘em first! (Garfield runs through the hole in the fence into his yard)
Garfield: Hold it down, guys! If Harry catches us, (he pants and glances behind him as he rounds a corner) you’ll be bluebird sandwiches!
Harry: Those birds are mine, Garfield! (He points at himself as he and the Tubby Tabby zip by and on a hedge) You can’t get away from me, Garfield, I'm faster and I'm stronger!
(The chase had taken both cats into the neighbor’s yard. Garfield ducks for cover behind three trash cans next to the neighbor’s garage. Harry runs by because that’s what cartoon characters do in a chase scene)
Garfield: He's right, he is! (He scans the area around him rapidly) I need a place to hide them. (He looks back down at the birds)
Harry: That’s not fair, Garfield. I don’t eat your lasagna, you can leave my bluebirds… (as Harry rounds the neighbor’s house again, Garfield bolts through a “pet door” of sorts in the neighbor’s garage)
(Inside the garage, Garfield screeches to a halt in the corner. There is nowhere left to run)
Baby Birds: Mama! Mama! (Garfield looks around him with a terrified look on his face)
Harry: (from outside) AARRRRGGGH! (He bursts in through the same door Garfield used, staring angrily and hungrily at him and the birds)
Garfield: Oh, big mistake. Now I’m trapped!
Harry: Big mistake. Now you’re trapped! (He points at Garfield)
Garfield: I said that. Whimper (He holds the nest away from Harry, but the latter approached menacingly) Ouch! Stop! Don’t hurt them, or me! (Harry lunges forward and grabs the nest) Don’t hurt any of us! (He rips it out of Garfield’s paws, the latter sprawling on the floor as he tries to protect it)
Harry: Now finally it’s LUNCH time!
Garfield: No! (He puts his hand up in protest. The mother bird, which had presumably been sleeping through the night, suddenly wakes up and sees Harry about to devour)
Mother Bird: Squawk! (Harry licks his lips, but before he can eat, the bird mom swoops in and pecks him hard on the head)
Harry: Ow! (Harry tosses the nest into the air and holds his head. Garfield catches it and the birds within)
Baby Birds: (repeating) Mama!
Harry: Ow! Get away! Stop! (Now that the hunter has become the hunted, Harry hustles out of the garage in a panic and runs down the street) I’m giving up bluebird meal! I’m giving up eating… birds altogether!
(As Garfield holds the nest, the mama bird starts pecking him, too. He drops the nest and grabs his head)
Garfield: No, no! I was taking care of them!
Baby Birds: (repeatedly) Mama! (They hop out of the nest and onto Garfield’s stomach. The mother bird stops pecking and flies above them)
Garfield: Not me, guys. THAT’S your mama. (He points at mama bluebird, who tweets at her offspring)
Baby Birds: Mama? (repeatedly) Mama! (Garfield hands the babies to their mother, but the kids turn around and float back up to the fat cat)
Garfield: Laughs (He holds the baby birds in his paws)
(Some time later, the bluebird chicks have grown up and are able to fly on their own. They hop out of their nest and join their mother in flight. Garfield sits on the branch and waves them all good-bye)
Garfield: Bye-bye guys! Come visit! (He turns to the audience) OK, so I saved some birds. You didn’t see that, OK? (He points at the camera) I know where you live. (He gives a quick smile and the episode ends)
THE END