After working on a lot of Garfield Show transcripts, I wanted to post a page where I voice my opinions on each episode. This post is all about the episodes from Season 1, since doing all four in one seems a bit excessive. Keep in mind, these are all my opinions. You may disagree, and that's fine with me.
Mother Garfield[]
Garfield is surprised when the eggs he sat on for the night hatch beneath him.
Garfield holds the baby birds he hatched one last time in his paws.
This is one of the first episodes ever made, in fact it's the second one, and boy did they come out swinging. This marks a good introduction to Harry the alley cat and shows a softer side of Garfield rarely seen. Basically, while bird hunting, Garfield hatches a trio of bluebird eggs. The birds call Garfield, "Mama!", despite his insistence otherwise. His wave of emotions from pride to frustration at the birds is fun to watch. He eventually does the heroic thing and rescues them from Harry, resulting in a chase. The chase is a bit generic, with Garfield being forced to hide from Harry but the ending is nailed with the mother bird swooping in at the last moment, driving Harry off. The fourth-wall breaks are also a thing to behold, with Garfield reading his own comic and delivering a banger of a final line, "I know where you live." This whole episode was a great way to show Garfield's compassion and a great predecessor to built a Part 2 off of, which they did. This is a rare episode that shows Garfield's heart, and that gives it bonus points as well. I prefer these types of episodes because knowing Garfield, it's rare to see his heart. I would've given this a solid 8/10, but I just love the fourth-wall breaks, so that gives it an extra point and a half.
Score: 9.5/10 Awesome
Orange and Black[]
Garfield imagines Nermal in order to make himself hostile.
With Catzilla vanquished, Garfield tiptoes toward him.
Their first "special" was a Halloween theme, and yeah, it was not half-bad. Garfield dresses up as the dangerous Catzilla when the real Catzilla escapes from the zoo. Police capture Garfield and the real beast sneaks his way into Jon's house. Garfield manages to escape captivity and defeat Catzilla by using taffy to glue his jaw shut. Creative solution, I like that. Odie doesn't do much in this episode, but his jab at Garfield is hilarious. When the cat debates what to go as, Odie told his to go as an "overweight pussycat", as translated by Garfield. His desire to get angry by imagining Nermal is also humorous. The cat's craze for peanut brittle is hilarious since I personally have never seen peanut brittle dished out on Halloween. Hershey's, Snickers, Reese's, M&M's, that what I'm used to seeing. Regardless, he gets his wish by joining Catzilla in his habitat. Wholesome ending. The police chase is a bit more expansive than the one in Mother Garfield and seeing Garfield, Odie, and Jon run circles around the house when they got chased by Catzilla is also funny, especially when they slip on the kitchen linoleum. All around a good time, though I like some others more.
Score: 7.5/10 Great
Freaky Monday[]
Garfield, in Odie's body, laments how dogs never land on their feet, unlike cats.
After getting his body back, Garfield does the very thing that he criticized dogs for: not land on his feet.
This is a pretty good episode, albeit with pros and cons. Odie is barking late one night and Garfield decides to deal with him by tossing a ball outside and locking him out. As Garfield goes back to bed, Odie spots a UFO in the sky coming straight toward him. It crashes in the yard next to Odie, who helps the pilot Nimbus by finding a necessary part to the spacecraft. Nimbus plans to repay Odie and reads some of Odie's memories. Upon seeing Garfield's torment toward the pup, Nimbus decides to switch Garfield's and Odie's bodies before heading out. Garfield wakes up the next morning, confused. When he goes into the kitchen, he sees Odie, in Garfield's body, scarfing lasagna at the table. The fat cat looks at his reflection, realizes the problem, and panics. Even worse, Jon decides to take what he thinks is Odie (but is actually Garfield) for a jog. Garfield protests, but manages to get out of it by strapping his collar around a hydrant. He meets up with Arlene and explains to her the situation. Arlene sees it as justice for the fat cat's mistreatment of Odie, when Nermal walks up. Garfield begins chasing him, but gets tired out quickly. After a brief pause, he sees Odie trotting outside. Horrified, Garfield tries to stop him from meeting with a couple of dangerous dogs, but Odie doesn't listen and goes to make new friends. Garfield tries to diffuse the situation, but when Odie digs up the Doberman's lucky bone, they flee and hide. Garfield tells Odie to stay and points the dogs in the opposite direction, but when he checks back on Odie, he sees the pup is gone. Odie strolls by Herman Post, and the mailman, seeing what he thinks is Garfield, prepares to mail him away. Garfield chases after him, manages to free him from the back of the mail truck, and gets caught up in traffic to try and rescue the pup, only to find out he had saved a laptop and Odie was in the process of robbing the butcher of sausages. Garfield catches up to Odie and tries rescuing him, but everywhere they go they encounter someone that wants "Garfield" either gone or very injured. The pets get cornered in an alley, but before anyone can strike, Nimbus arrives and switches Garfield's and Odie's back. While Garfield is initially overjoyed, he still gets pounded. Later that night, he returns home bandaged and bruised, but Odie scoots over and lets him sit on his chair. What I liked was Garfield's constant attempts to keep Odie out of danger due to the pup being in his body. Garfield sticks up for his best friend, even if it is for somewhat selfish reasons. I also like parts of the ending, like when Garfield actually apologized to Odie for the years of abuse the cat put the dog through, and when Odie moved over to let Garfield sit on the chair. That aspect of Odie (his pure-hearted nature) is one piece of what I love about him. What I didn't like was how Garfield got beaten up for doing essentially nothing except trying to save Odie, and also I am not a fan of how Odie was portrayed. I get it, he is dumb, it another aspect of him that I love, but I feel like Odie is smart enough to listen to Garfield when he says to not approach someone or to stay put. Also, stealing from a butcher shop seems very unlike him. He would steal food in later episodes, like Little Yellow Riding Hood, but in that case, he did it for a little wolf pup and not for himself. Odie is naturally selfless, and I just think he was a little too dumb and possibly selfish (He stole the sausages for himself) compared to other episodes. Despite this, I think the ending was very good, and I think Garfield learned an important lesson. The episode was also pretty exciting, never boring, so it gets a decent score.
Score: 7.5/10 Great
Bone Diggers[]
Odie holds a giant bone he unearthed in his mouth.
Garfield sneaks past the security guard at the museum.
This episode introduced the world to Hercules, a little Chihuahua with a tough, greedy personality. Hercules is a good antagonist to Odie and his innocent, selfless nature, and this is shown when the Chihuahua tricks Odie and steals his rib bone that Garfield gave him. In response to Odie getting his bone stolen, Garfield tells him to dig up another one. Odie does, and finds a dinosaur bone in the yard. Garfield figures this out and goes to the museum to get a reward, $250,000. He tells Odie to dig up the rest of the skeleton, not listening to Odie's warnings about the consequences about the house getting demolished. Odie reluctantly obeys. Garfield eventually found out, albeit too late, as his house is set to be destroyed. Odie did try to warn him beforehand, the cat did not listen. Upon returning to the house, he urges an exhausted Odie to bury the skeleton. Garfield soon relents not giving him a bone when he had the chance, otherwise this wouldn't be happening. I like this aspect, Garfield realizing his fault, and Odie coming clean about the first bone Hercules stole, which led Garfield into baiting Hercules into stealing all the dino bones and getting his house destroyed instead of theirs. This had a happy ending--Garfield was willing to share his rib bones with Odie--a funny chase scene in the museum (Garfield rolling on the bone is unique) and Beasley getting stuck in a T-Rex's ribcage. All around a great episode.
Score: 8/10 Fantastic
The Robot[]
This episode was pretty fun, not gonna lie. Jon is making food, when he trips and falls on Odie's toys and then Garfield's bowl. Covered in beef stew, he answers the door, where a salesman waits offering a robot to help clean up after the pets. While outside, Garfield tells Odie to clean up, which he does, and as he cleans, he gets a firsthand experience of the robot, named the TI-D 7000. The TI-D cleans the living room, including Odie, and then polishes the kitchen, sucking Garfield up as he was making a sandwich. It deposits them into the garbage, unbeknownst to Jon, who is still outside. He goes inside to see how well the robot did, and upon seeing the house spotless, he signs the contract, buying the robot (for only 7,000 payments. That is pretty funny). The salesman leaves, giving Jon the instruction manual, who promptly disposes of it in the trash. Garfield and Odie are forced to be a lot more careful, but after Garfield drops a cookie crumb on the floor, he gets vacuumed up once more, joining Odie inside. They are once again dumped into the trash cans outside, where Odie finds the instruction manual (I like how it was Odie who found it. He was given an important role to play in this episode). Garfield takes it, reads it, and comes up with a plan, involving Odie's help (He was the bait, obviously, but props to him for being willing to take one for the team). Odie spills popcorn everywhere, resulting in a chase, and Garfield hops onto TI-D and reprograms it to clean up after Jon instead. Jon gets a taste of what the pets had to deal with, and Odie decides to let Jon off the hook. Garfield agrees and turns it off, and Jon apologizes to his pets. Garfield reprograms it once more to clean up after sleazy salesmen, so when Mr. Sellers, the man who sold Jon the TI-D, returns, the robot chases him after getting mud dumped on him from Garfield. Jon chases after them, realizing he didn't get his money back, and the pets return to make a mess of the house. There is a lot to like about it. This is more of the "zany humor" type than deep and heartfelt, but like I said, there is a lot of fun to be had, especially if you're a fan of it. I personally prefer the deeper, more heartfelt episodes, but I still enjoyed watching and writing this transcript (A process that only took me two days. Usually, they take me three or more). It is simply fun watching Garfield and Odie combat this machine. Odie also got a solid role, considering he found the manual and was the bait while Garfield tweaked the machine. Odie taking one for the team, I really like that about him. He's selfless, quite a contrast to Garfield's selfishness. There isn't really a whole lot to say about this episode. There's just a lot of zany hijinks and fun. It's not too deep, but it is fun to watch and enjoyable, especially the ending, where Garfield and Odie spend time together to wreck the place. I find that ending satisfying, especially seeing Mr. Sellers get chased by the robot. Uno reverse card activated. All in all, it's just fun. Solid opening, solid middle, satisfying ending, and just a lot of fun. One of my favorites? Not necessarily, as I prefer an episode with some good heartfelt moments, but I still really like this episode. It's great.
Score: 7.5/10 Great
Catnap[]
Garfield and Odie fear that Silent Jack is at their door.
Garfield sets a mousetrap for "Silent Jack".
I really like this episode. Jon heads to the dentist for help with a toothache and the pets stay behind. Garfield goes to extreme lengths to protect the house from a thief, Silent Jack, but when Jon gets back to his house, he realizes he forgot his keys. He tries to get in, but Garfield, thinking that he's Silent Jack, keeps him out in a variety of hilarious ways, from using a very powerful fan to a simple mousetrap. Garfield, Odie, and Squeak assemble a trap for "Silent Jack", which works perfectly on Jon. After realizing their mistake, they all head upstairs to find that Silent Jack had stolen everything. I like the unique concept of this episode, in dealing with a thief, and the many tactics that Garfield uses to keep "Jack" out are all hilarious in their own right. Mousetrap: always funny. Super-powerful fan: awesome. The final trap: worked to perfection. Odie didn't do a whole lot, as he was more of Garfield's sidekick/victim (Garfield tried forcing him to confront "Silent Jack" when he tried fiddling with the back door) but there was a moment where Garfield hugged him out of fear, which I like. This episode revolved around my favorite characters in this series: Odie, Garfield, Jon, and Squeak. Anything that focuses on those four is gonna score high. That said, I'm not the biggest fan of the ending. I prefer a happy ending to a funny ending, and I would've preferred if they didn't get robbed of house and home, but it is kinda funny to see everything gone without a trace. All in all, very good episode.
Score: 8.5/10 Fantastic
King Nermal[]
Nermal gives Garfield a snarky look after stealing the remote.
Garfield and Odie dancing is the one good scene in this episode.
Where do I begin? This episode is awful, and judging by the comments section on the page, I'm not alone in this opinion. This is Nermal's first appearance outside of appearing in Garfield's mindscape during the episode Orange and Black, and boy did they butcher him. They could not have made him more unlikable if they tried. Nermal is abusive, toxic, and manipulative in this episode, not just to Garfield, but to Odie as well. I get being mean to Garfield, as they have been at odds since the kitten first appeared in the comic, but what did Odie do to deserve this? Admittedly, Garfield and Odie could've been more accommodating to the kitten, (kicking him out of the house was mean, I admit) but Nermal makes a terrible houseguest, so I feel more for Garfield and Odie than Nermal, especially after it is revealed that he faked his injury. He used Jon to make the pets his slaves. Garfield and Odie are unfairly punished when they try to get back at Nermal and thrown out into the rain. Even after all that, this episode could've been salvaged with a good ending, maybe Nermal getting punished, or just moving out, but they picked the worst ending imaginable. Garfield and Odie are the ones in body casts after tripping down the stairs on Nermal's bandage, and worst of all, Nermal moves in with them until they get better. What's the lesson here? Lying, deception, and manipulation is OK? If you have enemies, make them your slaves by faking an injury? There is no justice in this episode. Nermal is the worst. It's like watching the school bully get rewarded and pampered even though all the kids know his true nature. There is only one good scene. Garfield and Odie dancing to the stereo, trying to drown out Nermal's bell is funny, but Nermal is so toxic and Jon buys in every single time. I'm thankful that Julien Magnat, the writer of this episode, learned from his mistakes and wrote Nermal better in later episodes, but his first appearance should be incinerated. Disgusting, terrible, horrible episode.
Score: 0/10 Vomit-inducing
Desperately Seeking Pooky[]
An electronic replacement for Pooky has just finished treating Garfield like a rag doll.
Garfield uses a bush disguise to get Pooky back.
This is one of the first episodes featuring Garfield's stuffed bear, Pooky. After a lasagna accident, Pooky is forced to get a wash and is left on the clothesline to dry, much to Garfield's horror. During the night, he gets stolen, and Garfield goes crazy searching for him. Watching him search high and low for the bear is hilarious. Odie also plays a major part, actively helping by trying to sniff the bear out. He eventually finds him in the neighbor's yard guarded by Hercules the Chihuahua. While Jon tries offering Garfield some Pooky replacements, one of whom pulled an Uno Reverse Card and tossed Garfield around like a rag doll, Odie soon tells Garfield where Pooky is, and Garfield's escapades to get him back are hilarious, with each one ending with Garfield somehow getting whacked back into his yard and resulting in a painful landing. Odie tried to catch Garfield on one occasion, but that misfired. Eventually, Garfield is able to get Pooky back, but after hearing the Chihuahua's sad story, the cat and dog duo realize that they have to do something for him. They do that by giving him the Pooky rejects, and everyone is happy, even Odie, despite Garfield's knock at him at the end of the episode. I like how Garfield initially calls Pooky his best friend in front of Odie, making him jealous and forcing the cat to backtrack. Overall Odie did a lot for Garfield. Between Odie being a big help, Garfield's craze and attempts to get Pooky back, and Hercules getting some friends he so desperately wanted, this episode scores high, and deservedly so.
Score: 9/10 Awesome
Jon's Night Out[]
Jon falls asleep at the wheel.
Odie licks his owner, grateful that he's safe.
This episode starts out already in progress. That is a bit of originality that I like and that gives it some extra points. As for the episode itself, I really like this one. Jon is having trouble sleeping, so he tries hypnosis to get himself to sleep. It works, but to wake him up, Garfield is told to press a buzzer, not knowing that the on/off switch is actually Odie's bark. This results in some hilarious hijinks, like Jon literally falling asleep at the wheel and him dozing off during Liz's speech, among other times, as explained by a narrating Garfield. But, Jon nods off and, while the pets are watching TV, starts sleepwalking out the door and eventually into a construction site. Garfield is desperately trying to wake him up, while Odie's barks pierce through the noise and wake Jon up and put him to sleep a handful of times. The cat figures it out and tells Odie to stop barking when Jon wakes up. Jon falls off the unfinished building but lands safely in a net. Odie greets him, the sleepwalking is removed, and Jon is hypnotized into getting Garfield lasagna upon hearing Odie's bark. This episode as a whole is pretty funny. Odie gets a major role, which always gets a thumbs-up from me, Jon nodding off and waking up while driving is funny since he was the only one to get through the green light. It's relatable getting into a long line of cars before going and then stopping before crossing the intersection. Odie as a whole is hilarious, being the sheep that Jon tried to count and getting Garfield lasagna by barking at the end. He's so considerate. As for Jon and Garfield, they both have good parts as well, since Jon is the main character and Garfield is frantically trying to wake him up, as well as narrating. My bias is showing, as I love Odie, but even if one doesn't, this is still a great episode.
Score: 8/10 Fantastic
Not so Sweet Sound of Music[]
Odie dances along to Jon's accordion music.
Odie's constant tugging at the accordion soon causes Garfield to snap.
This is a pretty good episode. It mostly revolves around Garfield and his numerous attempts to get rid of Jon's accordion and save himself from having to listen to Jon play it. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot, and it soon drives him crazy. His attempts range from simple to insanely complicated, and his desire to get rid of it is hilarious. The fact that no one else wants it makes it seem like the funniest game of Hot Potato ever. But the best part about this episode is Odie. My bias is showing, but I don't care. The pup's willingness and determination to get Jon his accordion back is kind of heartwarming, but his dumb nature is also shown when he and Garfield pass each other without noticing each other. Eventually, Odie finds it in the bottom of a hole that Garfield filled with dirt and brings it home to his master. The instrument's constant whining makes Garfield get closer and closer to going off the deep end, and eventually he does. I think this is pretty funny as well. Odie just wants to bring Jon his stuff back so that he can play for the pup to listen and dance along. The ending, where Garfield is bandaged and forced to listen to bagpipes (a fate worse than accordion) is...fine. I think it might've been better, but it's still OK. It does it's purpose and shows a funny ending. This brings the score down a bit, but still it's very good. I like this episode mostly because of Odie. His unrelenting drive to get the accordion back it what I love about this episode, as well as Garfield's slow dissention into insanity at the end. Squeak was also in this, but didn't do much after the first few minutes. A real shame, since Squeak is one of my favorite characters in this show. Nonetheless, a great episode.
Score: 8.5/10 Fantastic
Turkey Trouble[]
Garfield catches the turkey eating his food.
Garfield and Odie have turkey for dinner.
This episode is a thing. That's about it. It's perfectly fine, and a decent episode for Thanksgiving, but I do not consider it anything special. Jon is delivered a live turkey to eat for dinner (it's not explained that it is Thanksgiving in the episode) and it proceeds to wreak havoc in the house. Obviously, neither Jon nor Garfield have the heart to kill the poor bird, so it just runs rampant. It sleeps in Garfield's bed and eats his food, rubbing Garfield the wrong way, and eventually Jon catches it (after catching Garfield disguised as a turkey) and brings it back to the butcher shop, where it gets locked up in the back while the butcher sharpens his knives. Garfield manages to free the bird and they have it for dinner, literally. I like the wordplay that Garfield used, (I'm a sucker for literal jokes) and the carnage that Garfield and the turkey make is funny. This episode centers around Garfield, Jon, and the turkey, so Odie only appears in a couple of scenes. Jon catching Garfield instead of the turkey is funny, if a little predictable, and a customer asking for a turkey without fur is also funny. Garfield rescuing the turkey, despite all it did, is cool and has a unique solution using its allergy to feathers. Ironic. Otherwise, it's a pretty OK episode. Nothing great, but it definitely isn't terrible, either.
Score: 5/10 Meh
Pup in the Pound[]
This episode is a bit of an enigma to me, primarily because of that ending. Jon is watching his favorite game show when a news report comes on. It says that dogs without dog tags will be taken to the pound, prompting Jon to put a collar on Odie (much to the pup's displeasure). Garfield decides to go to sleep, but Odie wants to play. Garfield kicks him out of the house, causing the collar to fall off his neck. Garfield finds it on the floor, but shrugs it off. Odie, meanwhile, chases a butterfly--unaware of his missing dog collar--when he is found and caught by Al the dogcatcher after a short chase. Back at home, Garfield is unable to sleep, so he goes to Jon asking for dinner. Jon makes it, but refuses to serve it until Odie is there. Begrudgingly, Garfield ventures out to find him and eventually learns that Odie got hauled off to the pound. After his first attempt to sneak in fails, Garfield disguises himself as a dog and gets himself captured. He gets thrown in Odie's cage, where he reveals himself to the pup and straps the collar around his neck. Al notices the collar, frees the pup, and takes him home, leaving Garfield in the cage until he returns with the keys. Furious, Garfield begins insulting the dogs around him, which gives the dogs enough adrenalin (It's the only explanation I have to why the caged dogs didn't break out earlier) to bust free of their cages and corner him. As Garfield manages to escape the dogs, Al brings Odie home and apologizes for the mix-up. Outside, Garfield flees for his life from the pack of angry dogs. For the most part, the episode is fine, and Garfield rescued Odie. I like that. However, I do think the "Garfield saves the world" trope is a bit overused, and this is just an offshoot of that with bringing Odie home. Some might say that Garfield was a bit rough early on, but this is Garfield, the cat who makes a living off of kicking Odie off the table. Even I get annoyed with my younger sibling at times, much like the fat cat. Like I said, I do like the fact that Garfield did go searching for Odie, however I would've preferred he did it voluntarily and not for selfish reasons like food (To his credit, he did the right thing in the end, so props for that). But this ending, I don't know how to feel about it. I'm very split about it. A part of me feels Garfield is getting punished for saving the pup, another part of me feels he deserved it for insulting the dogs around him. Actions have consequences, buddy, and you had it coming. If you taunt multiple vicious dogs, what do you think is gonna happen? I am glad he saved Odie, he gets praise for that, but all you had to do was keep quiet and wait for Al to return. Was that so hard? I have stated before: I prefer a funny ending to a heartwarming ending, and if I had to write an ending, I would've had Garfield get freed along with Odie and the pets and Jon enjoy dinner together and Garfield would've apologized to Odie for getting him into that mess. Perhaps that's a bit out of character for Garfield, but that's just my personal "head cannon", so to speak. This is a very hard episode to grade, mostly because of that ending. I cannot decide whether I like it or not, but everything else was fine. Garfield's heart for Odie shone through and he rescued the pup from the pound. I cannot hate the episode for that. However, I cannot rank it too high because of that ending... sheesh. That drags it down closer to my average score.
Score: 7/10 Great
Odie in Love[]
Odie falls in love for the brush.
Garfield helps Odie rescue the brush.
Yeah. This is a great episode. This is the first to have Odie's name in the title, and unsurprisingly, he is one of the main characters along with Garfield. Odie becomes smitten for a new grooming brush Jon got, making Garfield jealous and prompting the cat to do away with the brush. Odie howls for 24 hours nonstop over the loss, and Garfield eventually relents and gets him a replacement. Odie realizes this and Garfield is forced to get the brush back, if only to shut Odie up. What follows is a chase into and through the dump, dodging many dangerous obstacles but emerging unscathed with the brush. They return home, and Odie falls for Jon's shoe brush. Garfield--who nearly died for a grooming brush--asks it out. Garfield is a bit of a jerk for the first half, going as far as throwing the brush in the trash can. However, to his credit, he did help Odie get the brush back, going so far as to risk his life to keep Odie safe. Was this because of Odie's unceasing howling, or possibly the lack of sleep, thus producing a lack of lasagna? I would say that both of those scenarios had something to do with it, but the fat cat did keep his beagle buddy safe in the trash compactor. I like episodes where Garfield and Odie are rescuing each other from danger. It shows that they really do care about each other (despite the cat's efforts to show otherwise). Seeing Odie fall head over heels for the brush is adorable. Garfield and Jon have girlfriends, why can't Odie have one? Just a thought. Garfield did have a nice arc, going from jealous to relenting to selfless, and the ending is pretty funny. Not a perfect episode, since I'm not a fan of Garfield during the first few minutes, but he did redeem himself later on. I respect that.
Score: 9/10 Awesome
Lucky Charm[]
This would fall in the "solid" category. Jon and the pets are stuck in the rain at the park. Garfield complains about how unlucky he has been, when the rain stops and Jon goes out to fish. The pets see a rainbow, and Garfield tells Odie the story about the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Excited, Odie ventures into the forest to look for it, leaving Garfield behind to catch some Z's. Odie eventually finds the pot of gold and drags it back to show Garfield. The cat pays it no mind at first, but when it sinks in, he greedily claims it for himself, until Paddy the Leprechaun demands it back. Paddy offers to give Garfield something, and the cat decides to give the pot back in exchange for good luck. Later, Jon has Garfield reel his line in after some uneventful fishing, (Jon, how lazy are you? Reel your line in yourself) only for Garfield to catch a ginormous fish. Jon hurries off to cook it, and Odie thinks his friend's luck is changing, but the cat is adamant that it's not because he has no tartar sauce. Instantly, a plane drops 100 gallons of tartar sauce on him. More similar things happen to him: Garfield asks for ice cream and chocolate sauce, and two barrels fall out of two different trucks and cover him with the stuff. He tries to turn get some money, and a winning lottery ticket gets blown over to him. The cat lives life easy thanks to his newfound riches, until his relatives, investors, and a tax collector arrive at once, prompting him to flee. Garfield tries to rid himself of the good luck with bad luck superstitions, walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror, and paining Nermal black and having him cross his path, but to no avail. (Should've tried each of these 13 times, but I digress) Desperate, he asks Odie where he found the pot of gold, and the pup shows him. Paddy removes the good luck, (and the money that Garfield got, which the cat was fine with) and the pets walk home, leaving Paddy to deal with the tax collector. There is a lot of good with some great sprinkled in. It's probably funnier than most episodes (at least to me). Garfield pawning the pot of gold off on Odie, (even though it was the pup who found it initially) the tax collector taxing exhaling and screaming, and getting covered in various foods gets a smile from me. Odie also had a decent role, seeing that he found the gold and showed Garfield where he found it, and the final shot of Garfield and Odie walking side-by-side is, to me, endearing. Best friends, inseparable, just how it should be. It's also a good introduction to the Garfield Show equivalent of Floyd from Garfield and Friends: Paddy (and by that, I mean he only appeared once or twice in a given season). Paddy is a character that I like, and seeing his first appearance is really cool. Despite all this, I'm not sure there's anything that pushes the episode into the top tier of my hierarchy. It's a solid episode all around, but it lacks that heart that other episodes have. Nonetheless, good humor, good characters, and good ending result in a solid score for a solid episode.
Score: 7.5/10 Great
Curse of the Were-Dog[]
Odie--in monster form--gets revenge on Rottweiler
Garfield has his own monster form.
This is an episode. I don't really know what else to say. This revolves around Odie switching between becoming a monster and turning back to himself due to a weird moon phase and creating chaos around the house. He eats a pan of lasagna and destroys the house, and Garfield (understandably) gets blamed for both, as neither Jon nor his cat see Odie in his were-dog state. I cannot blame Jon for getting upset with Garfield, as it makes sense that he is the most obvious culprit, but Odie, being the compassionate dog that he is, can't stand to see Garfield take the rap and leaves. He goes outside, where Rottweiler is waiting for a bounty of dog treats. He threatens Odie, only to retreat when the moon shines on Odie, turning him back into a monster. I like this, Odie gets revenge on Rottweiler and sends him into space. Eventually, Jon and Garfield realize Odie's transformation and take him to see Professor Bonkers. He tells them that the effect will wear off, but that Garfield will turn into a monster. This episode is fine. Odie plays a major part but there's not really anything special about it. Odie sending Rottweiler into space is hilarious, especially after Rottweiler bullied Odie into giving him the latter's bone. Otherwise, this is perfectly fine. Odie being the main character brings the score up a bit, but it's fine. Not terrible, but still great.
Score: 7/10 Great
The Pet Show[]
Garfield glares at the host for rejecting him. Odie is filled with compassion for his best friend.
While Garfield distracts Nermal with a photo op, Odie makes his way to the finish line.
While working on its transcript, I really wanted to write a review on it after getting a little over halfway through. This is an episode that is really hard for me to grade, because there is a lot I like, but some parts that I really don't like. Nermal arrives at Garfield's house to tell him about the pet show he is in. Garfield responds by throwing him out, but then Nermal tells him that he's not going to share first prize, lasagna, with him (I honestly don't think Nermal was going to share it even if Garfield didn't throw him out, but I digress). Intrigued, Garfield decides to try out for it himself, but gets laughed out of the room. After his audition, the host notices Odie and comments on how cute he is and encourages him to enter. With a promise from Garfield that he will share the prize, Odie accepts. The fat cat then gets to work thinning the crowd of 83 contestants down to two by telling them about a fake pet show on the other side of town, leaving only Odie and Nermal. The first contest scores cuteness, which Odie wins when Garfield stuffs his ears with cotton and then rubs his claws on a blackboard during Nermal's turn. Nermal ties it back up by winning the second contest, an intelligence test, (mostly due to Garfield forgetting about the cotton in Odie's ears) leading to a winner-take-all obstacle course. Nermal makes short work of it while Odie stumbles at every turn, but in the home stretch, Garfield distracts Nermal by taking his picture repeatedly, allowing Odie to slip by and win the event, and with it, the entire contest. Jon congratulates his pup and tells Garfield to share the lasagna fairly. Garfield promises that both him and Odie will get a piece, but Odie gets only a tiny shred while Garfield takes off with the rest. Before he can get too far, he is stopped by some of the other contestants, who want revenge at Garfield for lying to them. Odie too wants his fair share, but Garfield distracts the animals by serving them Odie's tiny slice before escaping. The other contestants chase him down the street. I'll start with what I like. Odie's affection to Garfield, trying to cheer him up after his audition, is so adorable. I think it captures who Odie is. I am also glad that Odie got the win over Nermal, and the Klopman Diamond reference is a great callback. But, the more I review this series, the bigger difference I see from Nermal from season to season. Thankfully, it was for the better, but since this was a Season 1 episode, this means that Nermal was a scumbag in this episode. This is one thing I dislike about this episode. Nermal's comment after the second event, the intelligence test. I quote, "Ha! Let's see you top that, dog!" This isn't the first time Nermal calls Odie dog, and I swear. Nermal, if you call Odie "dog" again like that, I am going to shove that overinflated ego down your throat so far, your head's going to inflate and you are going to be mistaken for a hot-air balloon. (Gosh, I hate how Nermal is portrayed at times. Like I said, he got better over time, but this is one of the low points) Another thing I don't like about this episode is Garfield's greediness at the end. You could've given Odie more, like ANYTHING more, but nope. I guess that was too much. That ending was not the best, and this is surprising since I expect better from Mark Evanier, the writer of Garfield and Friends. I don't fully blame him, as the story was by two different people, (Evanier just wrote the dialogue) but I would be lying if I said that I love this ending. My personal head canon is this: Odie went home sad after Garfield stole the lasagna. Jon noticed this and decided to make Odie his own pan of lasagna while Garfield got chased around the city. I really do not know how to score this. The good parts were great, but the low points were REALLY low. I think that the good and the bad even out a bit, but I do really like how Jon congratulated Odie at the end, and the Garfield and Friends reference is really cool. It's nice to see the pup get some praise, so it gets a respectable score. (If Nermal had won, this score would be much lower, I promise you that)
Score: 7/10 Great
Curse of the Cat-People[]
Garfield and Odie in an alternate universe.
Odie thanks Garfield for rescuing him.
Solid episode. That's really about it. Liz and her niece Heather tell Jon about their trip to Egypt, and about an artifact they got while there, a magic mirror. Garfield and Odie get trapped in an ancient Egypt-themed alternate universe by going through the mirror where Garfield is seen, and treated, as a Pharaoh and Odie-- who is seen as a jackal--is imprisoned. Neferkitty, the priestess of the pyramid, plans to do away with Garfield by sticking him in a sarcophagus. He escapes, thanks to his constant talking, frees Odie, and the two of them manage to get back to their world, with Neferkitty in tow. Upon reaching the real world, Neferkitty was instantly adopted by Heather, much to the cat's chagrin. The parallel universe the pets find themselves in is very unique. I give this episode credit for making a brand-new world, and a new villain who is seen as quite a threat, until Heather adopted her. Garfield's trick on Neferkitty is quite clever, considering how much we care for our pets. They probably do think we are their servants, (we feed them, bathe them, and give them endless affection, after all. At least, I hope) but it's worth it. I do like episodes where Garfield and Odie are rescue each other, and this time it was the cat saving the dog, showing that he does care for Odie. Otherwise, he would've left the pup in jail. Garfield's last line is also pretty hilarious, and Odie played the a critical role by opening the portal to and from Neferkitty's realm with his tongue. While I do like this episode more than Curse of the Were-Dog I think Jon's Night Out is a bit better overall, so this episode gets a score right in between.
Score: 7.5/10 Great
Glenda and Odessa[]
Garfield and Odie wear new outfits from the twins.
Odie blows Nermal a kiss.
This episode is...an episode. Basically, Drucilla and Minerva dress up Garfield and Odie, and the pets use their disguises to stop a trio of rib-stealing animals, Harry, Hercules, and Rottweiler. I personally am not the biggest fan of the twins. They're fine I guess, but here, they did not get much screen time. The episode mostly focused on Garfield and Odie, which I like. Their outfits the twins give them are somewhat funny, if a bit repetitive, (Garfield and Odie typically wear the same thing every time they get dressed up) but this is one of the twins' first appearances, so I cannot knock the episode for that. However, the pets do use their new outfits to their advantage, which is a unique aspect compared to later episodes, where Garfield (usually) wears them for a scene or two and then appears normal (though Odie has also gotten dressed up on occasion). The plot with Harry and the dogs swiping ribs is engaging, and Garfield and Odie wanting to gets the ribs back is admirable. The baddies to end up getting caught by Al, and the pets are freed thanks in part to their disguises (Al also bought their disguises. Otherwise, he probably would've caught them) Nermal showed up for a few scenes, and seeing him flirt with the pets is hilarious, since he doesn't know that it's Garfield and Odie under their dresses. Odie doesn't do a whole lot, aside from being Garfield's sidekick (or victim in the opening scenes when the twins first appear) but gets a fair bit of screen time. He does blow Nermal a kiss, which is pretty funny, and Garfield uses Odie's tongue to slurp Nermal's lips when the kitten asked for a kiss. These Odie moments bump it up a bit, but it has the twins, who aren't my favorite characters, so that drags it down. However, the Odie moments and seeing the thieves get caught give it a descent score.
Score: 7/10 Great
Underwater World[]
Garfield looks underwater, looking for Odie.
Odie opens his bubble to save Garfield.
This is a great episode. Garfield, Jon, and Odie go out into the cove to do some fishing. While there, Odie gets thirsty and slurps the ocean for a drink. A fish, mistaking Odie's tongue for a worm, grabs it and pulls him under. While there, Odie struggles for breath. The fish Odie saved recognizes the pup and gets a blowfish to blow an air bubble for him, which he does just in time, allowing Odie to breathe. When Garfield notices Odie missing, he dives in after him. The fish see Garfield gasping for air and Odie and the fish save the him by forcing him into Odie's bubble. The pets get a tour of the cove. and rescue their new friends from a shark. In return, the fish help them return to the surface, and back to Jon. This episode is very unique, the underwater world is beautiful, and filled with spoofs. There's a McDonald's knockoff and seahorse races, making it look like a real metropolis under the surface. That is really creative, and this episode gets props for that. Garfield and Odie get a lot of attention, exactly the way I like it. Odie's compassionate nature shines through when he secretly helps a clown fish out of Jon's bucket, and Garfield's love for Odie is portrayed when the cat leapt after Odie when the pooch was dragged overboard. I like episodes where the pets rescue each other. Garfield helped save the fish from a shark by baiting him with Jon's dough ball, resulting in Jon getting carried around the lagoon wildly before crashing. This was hilarious. The fish are super kind to the pets, mostly due to Odie helping Red get out of Jon's bucket. Who doesn't love Odie? But, credit to Garfield for risking his own life to save Odie and fighting a shark to save the fish, as well as some good humor when Jon is mourning his pets and at the same time telling them to not try to cheer him up. There are barely any flaws with this episode. Between Garfield saving Odie, Odie saving the fish, and Jon's comedic moments, this is awesome.
Score: 9/10 Awesome
Family Picture[]
Expectation....
vs. reality
This is a solid episode. This one revolves around Jon's numerous efforts to get a picture of himself and his pets for Liz's birthday, and the numerous hilarious ways it goes wrong. Credit to being an episode that is already in progress. That is, it starts and ends with Liz's birthday party, with Garfield narrating periodically. The in between is the photo attempt. It seems that anything that can go wrong does, from photobombing pigeons to Nermal hogging the camera to Nimbus stealing the camera. It's pretty funny seeing Jon and Garfield get more and more aggravated the more they have to retake the shot. Odie didn't do a whole lot, as he was just one of the three that was supposed to be in the photo and was overall very cooperative, but he did create mayhem when a squirrel ran by, and brought the camera too close, forcing Garfield to put it back. Eventually, they go to a professional photographer and get their picture taken there. At the end, we see the final image, and it is pretty funny. Jon's reaction to seeing it is also pretty funny. Some of the failed picture attempts are better than others, but overall the episode is descent. The ending is great, so that drives it up.
Score: 8/10 Fantastic
Fish to Fry[]
Garfield watches TV, getting a bigger and bigger desire for fish.
Garfield gets spun around by his fishy prey.
This is overall a very creative episode. Garfield, while watching a show on TV about fish, overhears that Liz will be going out and leaving her fish with Jon to pet sit. Jon agrees and assures her that Garfield will not touch them, despite the fact that he is already perusing his buffet. Garfield cannot control himself and attempts eating them, but all of his tries fail in hilarious ways. A pufferfish inflates within his stomach, another one electrocutes him, and a third grabs Garfield by his toes and spins him around the room. Most are unique in their own ways, and I like that. His final victim takes him into the ocean, where he is judged by a fish judge and jury. He is found guilty and swallowed by a whale before he wakes up (revealing that much of the episode was just a dream) and making himself a tartar sauce sandwich. This episode is centered around Garfield and his internal craving for fish. Seeing the prey turn into the hunter is hilarious, and for a moment, this cartoon has a moment of logic when Garfield questions how he can breathe underwater. This is one of Odie's smaller roles, as he doesn't do much outside of the first few minutes, but he does catch his feline friend crossing his fingers when making a promise to Jon. Garfield's line to him after that is also pretty funny. The ending, where Garfield wakes up and reveals that most of it was a dream, is also creative since that only happens a handful of times. I wish Odie had a bigger part, but not every episode can be Odie-centric I suppose. Regardless, it's still a good time, and I really enjoy it.
Score: 7.5/10 Great
Little Yellow Riding Hood[]
Odie's first encounter with the wolf pup.
Odie watches the wolf mother reunite with her pup.
Now this is an episode I love. Basically, Odie meets a wolf pup in the woods during a game of "Go Get It!" with Garfield. He secretly takes him home in the picnic basket, not knowing the mother wolf is following them. Eventually, the mom and pup reunite, and they are taken back to their home in the woods. This episode starts already in progress, which is an aspect of this show that I like since it isn't done that often, and it starts with the mother wolf chasing Garfield and Jon. Garfield narrates the episode throughout. Odie is the main character of the episode, and his interactions with the wolf puppy are adorable and heartwarming. After first meeting the pup, Odie lets him have his bone and gives him a bigger meal by letting him have the cheesecake that Jon and Liz were saving for later. I can't blame Jon for blaming Garfield for the missing cheesecake, especially since Odie isn't the type to do something like steal food (though he has shown to have a mischievous streak) and the fat cat is the obvious culprit. Odie's attempts to keep the pup hidden are hilarious, since he gets so annoyed with him, especially after they get home and the pup is supposed to stay in the garage. This episode also has a bit of action, when the mother wolf arrives and chases Jon and Garfield around the house for essentially kidnapping her pup. Before she can strike, though, Odie reveals her pup and the two are reunited. In the end, the wolves go back home, Liz tells Jon that the little wolf ate the cheesecake and not Garfield, (resulting in an apology meal to make it up to him) and best of all, the pup waves good-bye to Odie from inside the truck as he goes. Odie waving good-bye back to his friends and the wolves howling as they go are simply the cherry on top on a perfect episode. Between the heartwarming scenes and action sequences, I love this episode so much I'm giving this episode a rare score, even though I might get some criticism for this.
Score: 10/10 Perfect
Fame Fatale[]
Odie is confused when he sees Garfield and his copycat.
Garfield dances with mice.
I thought this episode was pretty OK. Garfield is watching TV when the batteries in the remote die. He yells for Odie, and the pup changes the channel for him, eventually coming to a talk show about a celebrity cat named Sir Leo. Garfield soon gets bored of it and tells Odie to change the channel again, but they then hear Jon's car pull up. Jon and Liz enter the house carrying a large object with a tarp on it. They reveal that the thing is a pet carrying case with Sir Leo, who is an exact lookalike of Garfield, inside. The cat and dog duo welcome Leo in and are in the process of feeding him fish sticks, when Leo's fans arrive at the house. Garfield offers to take his place, since the two of them are exact lookalikes, and Leo agrees. Garfield signs autographs for the fans, rides in the limo, shoots a commercial, and watches a movie while Leo relaxes at home. By the time Garfield can get home, it's the next day, and he tries to get some sleep, but his fans won't give him a break. He desperately asks Leo to swap back, but the celebrity adamantly refuses. Garfield decides to try and tarnish Leo's reputation by mocking the fans and throwing pies at Odie, but when that does the inverse effect, he decides to dance with mice and have them attack the fans. The mob leaves, the mice are paid a truckload of cheese, and Leo--seeing that the media thinks he's a rodent lover--takes his life back and asks Garfield to help fix things. They publicly reveal themselves, Leo's reputation is saved, Garfield gets his life back, and best of all, he has dinner waiting for him. I give this episode props for uniqueness. Sir Leo would not appear in any other episodes, but I think the story is just OK. I will say this, I am glad that Garfield eventually found out the joys of having a normal, boring life. Mostly because I also lead a pretty normal, boring life myself. I can't blame Leo for refusing to take his life back, though I don't think he ever repaid Garfield for taking his life in the first place. Leo did say, "I owe you one," but it all worked in the end, so that's fine. I like the scene where Garfield is dancing with the mice, but there was not much Odie to be seen aside from the first act and a couple scenes after. However, there was nothing I disliked about the episode. It was just OK, nothing that special in my opinion.
Score: 5/10 Meh
Virtualodeon[]
Garfield is amazed when fish fly out of the TV.
A giant alien from a movie is scared of Odie of all things.
Another episode I would call fine. Garfield and Odie are watching TV one night. Jon tells them not to watch too much, as it's bad for their eyes, but Garfield shrugs it off. After finding nothing to watch, he decides to try a channel called Virtualodeon, which can bring TV characters into one's living room. Professor Bonkers, the host, first shows an ocean scene, and the fish fly out of the TV, impressing Garfield. The next thing he shows is a game show, and the pets are instantly put on a show resembling The Weakest Link. Finally, Bonkers plays Jack and the Beanstalk, and the beanstalk grows out of the TV, punching holes in the second floor and roof. After this, the director tells Bonkers that his show is getting complains and calls for being a bit too real, and Bonkers quickly cancels the program. The beanstalk in the house retracts into the TV, taking Garfield with it, and leaving Odie shocked. Jon heads downstairs, but falls through the hole in the floor and blames Garfield for it. When looking for him, he finds his cat in the TV and quickly calls the network. Bonkers tells Jon to keep him on safe channels, and while that is the case at first, with Garfield appearing on a kids show, but Odie accidentally sat on the remote and changed the channel to a spy movie. This starts a few scenes of Garfield traveling through different TV shows and genres, from horror to Eddie Gourmand's cooking show, to an old-timey romance. Bonkers eventually arrives with a device to get Garfield out and Jon hugs his cat, but then other TV characters come out of the TV and begin wreaking havoc in the house. Eventually, Garfield trips on the TV cord and the characters fade away. Garfield then zaps Bonkers into the TV and decides that that is enough TV for one day and ends the episode. I give the episode credit for originality but there isn't much that makes it stand out in my opinion. A problem arises, but by the end is solved. However, Garfield did not solve the problem, which is uncommon. I think Professor Bonkers is a fine character, around average to slightly above average if I was to rank him, and I like the ending. It's solid and everything is alright for Garfield. Odie didn't do a whole lot, but he did provide my favorite moment in the episode. Near the end, when characters are coming out of the TV, Odie (of all characters, as he is not known for his bravery) musters the courage to stand up to the giant Green Alien, something Garfield didn't do. I give him respect for that. Defending his owner, even when (earlier that season) he was too cowardly to face Silent Jack during the episode Catnap. This alone bumps up the score, but it's overall fine. Not my favorite, not even close, but not terrible either.
Score: 6/10 Good
Extreme Housebreaking[]
Of all episodes I would consider "solid", this gets the upper tier of solid, if that makes sense. Garfield is doing his daily rounds of mischief in the house, kicking Odie off the table, stealing food, and shredding drapes. After finishing, he is surprised to see that Jon recorded him doing all these acts. Jon takes it upstairs, converts the video onto a disc, which is promptly sent to Dr. Whipple, who is known for whipping misbehaved pets into shape. Later on, Jon watches Whipple's show (after wrenching the remote away from Garfield) where the doc presents one of his best transformations: a cat names Kittykins whom Garfield seems to recognize. After they finish, Jon subtly implies that he is sending Garfield to Dr. Whipple, and at that moment, the nurse comes and takes him away. The cat bids a sad farewell to Odie and he is caged up and escorted out. Garfield is then subjected to Whipple's ruthless training. He is subjected to an hour of voices telling him what to do and what not to do, a robot version of Odie that knocks him off the table, and a test where if he tries stealing food, he gets a safe dropped on him (PETA will not be pleased when they find out about this). After finishing with Garfield, Dr. Whipple goes to shoot another episode of his show, leaving Garfield behind. While waiting, Garfield meets Kittykins, who is actually his friend Harry wearing a wig. Harry explains what he is doing: he pretends to be well behaved and gets paid in his weight in tuna. He offers Garfield the same scenario, leaving the fat cat a difficult decision. Soon after, Whipple's show starts and Garfield seemingly is going along with Harry's plan. acting well-behaved, until he does a complete 180 and devours sandwiches not meant for him and shreds the curtains before getting caught by a cameraman. While getting taken backstage, Garfield swipes a microphone and secretly records Whipple insulting his customers in the crowd, (Jon and Odie among them) and on national TV. Whipple finds out too late, Garfield is taken home, and Whipple's customers take their business elsewhere. Back home, Jon apologizes to Garfield with lasagna and he and Odie watch TV together. I wouldn't consider this fantastic or anything like that, but there is nothing I outright hated and is all around decent. There were some funny moments, like Garfield shredding the drapes at home and seeing him during Whipple's program. But what stood out to me the most was, surprise, surprise, Odie. While he did not get much screentime, his heart shines through when he is on screen. When Garfield is being taken away, Odie is visibly saddened by it, and is also concerned before the big reveal. What stuck out to me the most, though, is his final bark to Dr. Whipple. The way he expresses it gives me a vibe of, "Never mess with my best friend!" Another example of his loyalty to the cat, despite the years of abuse. That alone gives it a small edge on other episodes that rate in the "decent" category. Overall, not bad, but not exceptional either.
Score: 7.5/10 Great
Caroling Capers[]
Odie enjoys a good laugh at Garfield's expense.
Nermal and Odie sing and Garfield drums along.
This was the first Christmas-themed episode of this show, and I must say I really like it. While watching a movie with Odie, Garfield gets an idea to go caroling for food. When he does, all he gets is buckets and water, which amuses Odie. When the pup tries, singing "Jingle Bells" as a backup to Nermal, the duet get full plate of food, much to Garfield's shock. Odie and Nermal continue caroling and piling up loot while Garfield is left in the dust. After a couple more tries, and fails, Garfield finally waves the white flag, until discovering that he can accompany Odie and Nermal on hand-made drums. The three of them begin caroling for people, and they all get a massive feast, along with the turkey Jon just pulled out of the oven. Odie's singing is adorable, even after Garfield scorned him so that the cat wouldn't have to share. While it is a mean thing to do, that's typical of Garfield to not share his food, so I can't fault him for that, and Nermal and Odie say as much when Garfield asked them for a bite. Nermal turning him down makes sense, as the two have been at odds for years, and I cannot blame Odie for the same reaction, especially after Garfield left him behind earlier. They did give Garfield a chance to join them, which I like, and the fat cat's way of getting in is hilarious. They let him join, if only for a house, before they go their separate ways and eventually reuniting. While Nermal isn't my favorite character in the show, this is one of his better roles. He isn't abusive or toxic in any way, he and Odie are actually friends, he also aggravates Garfield by simply being himself: adorable and also full of himself. Also, Julien Magnat, the writer of the dumpster fire King Nermal, wrote this episode, and he gave Nermal and Odie descent roles. He also portrayed Odie the way I like him: adorable, optimistic, yet willing to take a jab or two at Garfield's misfortune. Quite the turnaround, (though I will admit he did have some great moments before this, like Odie in Love, but most of them did not have Nermal as one of the main characters. It only seems fair to compare episodes where Nermal played a bigger role) and I applaud this episode for that.
Score: 9/10 Awesome
From the Oven[]
This is a fine episode. Nothing special in my opinion. Garfield and Jon accidentally make a cake for Odie's birthday that comes to life and terrorizes the city. The trio are forced to stop it, and Garfield manages to do so by coaxing it up the TV building's antenna, getting it struck by lightning and turning it into tiny cupcakes, one of which Garfield offers Odie for his birthday. While the monster itself is unique, the plot is somewhat generic. Monster is born, main characters have to stop it, and they eventually do. There is not much memorable in this episode, outside of the fact that it was Odie's birthday at the time and the pup was watching a scary movie with Garfield. Not sure why, maybe he wants to spend time with his fat feline friend for his birthday. Jon and Garfield assembling the cake is funny, especially Garfield putting 12 packets of yeast into the bowl, but there isn't really that much "funny" factor, except maybe Harvey forgetting his wife's birthday (which was rectified when the giant cake stomped Harvey into the street) Aside from it being his birthday, Odie didn't do that much. He was Garfield's "horse" to ride, but I will say this: Garfield offering a piece of cake to Odie (especially after Garfield stated earlier that he was going to take a slice the size of Portugal) is the best part of the episode and I really liked it. Odie was very appreciative for Garfield's act of generosity. They nailed the ending, bumping it up a bit, but the beginning and middle were...fine. There were a few good moments and the monster is creative, but overall, it's not really that unique in any way. It's definitely good, and I liked it, but not great.
Score: 6/10 Good
Neighbor Nathan[]
Don't ask me why, but I really like episodes with Nathan in them. Maybe it's because they typically have Garfield and Odie in major roles. Either way, I really like this episode. After a rude prank from Garfield, Odie moves in with a new neighbor, Nathan, who is on the surface more kind to the pooch. Garfield watches and eventually goes over there to persuade Odie to return, but the pup refuses. Garfield goes home, wondering why Odie won't join him. His question is answered when Squeak shows him a video of his multiple forms of abuse upon Odie. Garfield considers it a lost cause, but hearing a cry for help Odie prompts him and Squeak to investigate. Odie is strapped to a table by Nathan, who plans to turn him into a cockroach. Garfield saves him and Nathan is hit with his beam, turning him into a bug. Garfield's arc is really cool. He starts off cruel, and even says he'll prank Odie again when he returns. Over time, though, he realizes what he has done and why Odie wanted an escape. He even agreed to not do anything mean to Odie...if only for a week. I can't blame Odie for wanting out or turning his nose up at Garfield's offer to take him home. Nathan, though, is one of my favorite characters exclusively in this series. I like his mad-scientist nature. As for Odie himself, much of the episode revolves around him. His newfound friendship with Nathan, his unwillingness to rejoin Garfield at first, and the reveal of Nathan's true nature all involve the pup in some way. What I like most though about this episode is the ending. Garfield swoops in and saves Odie (trapping Nathan in the process) and the cat admits that he has been rotten to Odie. Odie confronts him about it after they get home, making him stutter. He doesn't typically admit that he cares for Odie, so I love this aspect of the episode. Squeak played an important role, and he is one of my favorite characters as well. There's barely anything I don't like about this episode. I wouldn't call it perfect, but it's pretty close.
Score: 9.5/10 Awesome
Up a Tree[]
I like this episode. I really like this episode. Garfield wakes up in the morning and addresses some fan mail about his 10 favorite things to do. Most of them involve eating, sleeping, or mailing Nermal to Abu Dhabi, but his favorite thing is watching Odie get tormented by squirrels, which is what is happening right now. Odie chases a couple of squirrels, one of them named Devil, but the squirrels trip him up using a badminton racket and then use said racket like a golf club and whack Odie over the house into a trash can in a move that would make prime Tiger Woods blush (I don't care that the score was a tennis score. I got major golf vibes from this scene). Garfield laughs and feeds Odie a bone as a thank you for the entertainment, and the squirrels also get a good laugh behind the pup's back. Odie, however, is too dumb to know when to quit and chases another squirrel, which Garfield overhears. The fat cat gets a front row seat to watch Odie get his head stuck in a knothole, have a face painted on his butt while stuck in said knothole, crash into various items in the shed while chasing Devil, and step on a rake that Devil placed. The aptly-named Devil stands on Odie and bows as his friends and Garfield laugh and cheer. Odie recovers and runs after the squirrels again, only to see that the squirrels have Odie masks, confusing him. The squirrels soon remove their masks and mock Odie some more, and Devil runs out to get some more nuts, when Odie chases him. One of his squirrel companions tells Devil to return, and during the chase, Devil accidentally steps on the rake, whacking himself in the head and knocking him out cold. The other squirrels are horrified and Odie stops suddenly, deeply concerned for his torturer. Garfield tries to assure him that Devil will be fine, but Odie, seeing that Devil isn't moving, decides to take Devil inside to help him recover. Garfield wants nothing to do with Odie's antics and leaves, and Odie tries doing what he can to help the poor squirrel. He gives Devil a bone, and then licks his face, the latter of which works, and Devil wakes up, but seeing Odie standing over him causes him to faint out of shock (Odie's horrified gasp at this moment scream to me, "Oh no! What have I done?" I love this aspect). The other squirrels convene with an older, wiser squirrel, who tells them that they have to leave. One of them leaves immediately, but the other three aren't willing, and instead discuss trying to make peace with Odie. Back inside, Odie gives Devil his signature doggy greeting, which Devil misinterpreted as tasting. Odie then stops and extends his paw to shake as a peace offering between them. At first, Devil cannot believe it considering what he has done to the poor pooch, but Odie is all too ready to forgive and forget (He probably already has forgotten by this point). Devil accepts and the two become friends, even going so far as to throw a ball for Odie to fetch, much to the other squirrels' shock. Soon, the rest of the scurry, seeing how well Devil and Odie are getting along, has their fears dissipate and make amends with the pup. Garfield, who was watching TV, hears Odie's barking and, assuming Odie is getting abused, goes to the window to watch, only to be shocked when he sees Odie and the squirrels as friends. Garfield goes out to confront the squirrels, and their comment about Odie being wise, and mocks the pup and squirrels. Devil demands Garfield apologize, but when the fat cat refuses, the scurry attacks him, topples him, shoves him into the knothole in the tree, and paints a face on his butt. Garfield notes that his favorite show is over, and Odie and the squirrels enjoy a good laugh at Garfield's expense before playing together. This episode features all of the aspects that make Odie my favorite character: his unintelligence in knowing when to quit, (No matter how many hits he takes, he always comes back for more) his huge heart, and his secretive dark side when he laughed at Garfield. While I am not a fan of the squirrels in the tree mocking Odie scene, the squirrels are not all bad characters. They care for each other, and by the end of the episode, are willing to stick up for Odie as well. But by far, my favorite scene, is when Odie took Devil into the house and cared for him. The pup's actions just warm one's heart as he tries to wake Devil up, and though the bone didn't work, one can see what Odie was trying to do (Quite the contrast from Garfield, who was trying to dissuade Odie from taking Devil in in the first place). I also like how Odie was more than willing to make peace with Devil, despite all of what Devil did to him. The pup even snickered a bit when Devil reminded him of all the awful things he did. Odie's got a sense of humor, and I like that, and I also like how he and the whole scurry became friends, even if Garfield doesn't approve or comprehend. Odie is just so loving, caring, and compassionate, and I love that about him. I also like how Garfield got shoved into a knothole. That's just straight-up funny. But yeah, what is not to like about this episode? Well, maybe Garfield laughing at his best friend's pain, but as someone who watches America's Funniest Home Videos, I can understand how one can find other people's pain hilarious. Definitely a diamond in the ruff, pun intended.
Score: 9/10 Awesome
Nice to Nermal[]
I kinda like this episode. Jon is doing some spring cleaning, waking up Garfield with the vacuum in the process, when Nermal shows up to spend the day with Garfield. The fat cat decides to roll out the red carpet for Nermal, which involves sticking the kitten inside the carpet and rolling it down a hill. Meanwhile, Jon decides to clean Garfield's blanket. He sets Pooky on the table and takes the cat's bed with him, but trips and falls down the stairs. The resulting thud causes Pooky to fall off the table into a box. Nermal then confronts Garfield about his prank and Garfield responds by throwing him into the garbage. The kitten laments that one day, Garfield will be nice to him. Inside, Jon--unaware of Pooky location--takes the box Pooky is in and throws the contents away into the same trash can that Garfield dumped Nermal. Nermal finds Pooky amongst the garbage and hatches a plan to get Garfield into being nice. Garfield, meanwhile, goes to take a nap, but realizing that Pooky is nowhere to be seen throws him into a panic. He frantically looks for him throughout the house until Jon tells him that he must've accidentally thrown Pooky out. Garfield hurries outside, but cannot find his friend. While there, Nermal reveals that he did something to the stuffed bear and after a short chase, promises to give Pooky back if Garfield agrees to be nice to him for the rest of the day. The fat cat, having no other choice, reluctantly agrees. Nermal does things like eat Garfield's cookies, sleeps in his bed, and has Garfield stroke his ego by calling him the cutest cat in the world. When Nermal announces that he is going to eat Garfield's lasagna, the fat cat snaps and launches a counterattack. He emails Drucilla and Minerva, who arrive and begin chasing Nermal. They catch him and give him a bath, and Nermal tells Garfield where he hid Pooky in the hopes that Garfield will intervene. The fat cat finds Pooky in the hollow tree and Nermal emerges in his new twin-do. He leaves, and the twins catch Garfield next. I am not a big fan of Nermal. His ego and personality rub me the wrong way. That being said, this is one of his more tolerable roles. Unlike in King Nermal, he does not abuse Garfield or Odie in any way, he simply asks Garfield to be nice. And, to his credit, Garfield does by allowing him to sleep in his bed (despite the cat wanting to do something so bad). I also like Garfield's frenzy to find Pooky and Nermal's new look at the end. I wouldn't call this a case of justice, (an antagonist getting what they deserve) since Nermal wasn't outright mean or toxic to Garfield, but Garfield did get Pooky back, so he "won" in the end. Odie didn't have that much to do, but he did help Garfield track down who stole the cookies and enjoyed a good jab at Garfield's expense. Overall, solid episode and one of Nermal's better roles in the spotlight.
Score: 7.5/10 Great
Super Me[]
Another episode that is overall, descent. Garfield dresses up as a superhero, Ultra Powerful Guy, so that Nermal can get him food. Garfield gets the idea after seeing Nermal use his cuteness to get a pizza and thinking that the kitten would've offered a slice to Ultra Powerful Guy. He dresses up as the hero, swindles Odie out of sardines, and rescues Nermal from a phone booth that Garfield secretly trapped him in. To show his gratitude for "Ultra Powerful Guy", Nermal gets a plate of spaghetti for him. Garfield schemes to save him again, but in the process, he reveals himself to a couple of criminals. They also buy his disguise and after seeing his true identity, plot to rob the bank. Garfield returns to get a prize for saving Nermal's life (which, to his credit, Nermal delivers) and the kitten leaves, disappointed with the "hero". He sees the bank robbery in progress and hurries to get Garfield, who is begrudgingly shoved in front of the criminals. Soon, the real Ultra Powerful Guy shows up. He stops the criminals and saves Garfield (who got his cape stuck in the getaway van). He thanks the cat for his help, and Nermal sees both Garfield and Ultra Powerful Guy and wonders who is real. Instead of giving him an answer, they leave him stranded on the moon. I give the episode credit for a creative idea, and Nermal is written pretty well in this episode. He delivers on his promises to get food for Garfield after the cat "saved his life" a couple of times. For once in his life, he doesn't think about himself. I very much like that. It's quite a change, especially for him, and that makes the score slightly higher. However, I'm not the biggest fan of Nermal. The dumpster scene is fun, and so is the getaway, where Garfield got his cape stuck. I also like the ending, where Nermal got stuck on the moon. That said, there is a lot of good, but nothing exceptional. The episode centered on Garfield and Nermal, leaving my favorites like Odie very little screen time. Odie had only one scene, and so did Jon. But like I said, there is a lot of good, and a couple of fun scenes, but I'm not sure if I can rank it any higher than great. It lacks that memorable factor that would've given it a higher score.
Score: 7/10 Great
Mastermind[]
Much like Super Me, this is also a descent episode. After getting a mind-reading helmet in the mail by mistake, Garfield decides to test it out, first on Odie and then on Jon. He finds out that it works and goes out to use it on random people, and then on Nermal. After this, he overhears a conversation between two suspicious-looking people. He follows them and finds out that they're aliens plotting a world takeover if Vito's pizza is "the best in the universe", according to the promotional ad. Garfield hurries to warn Vito, who has banned him from the restaurant due to his gluttony. Vito greets the disguised aliens and allows them in, while Garfield watches from the window. Time passes, and the aliens decide to give their leader Kaal'zone a call to abduct the restaurant, and inadvertently Garfield along with it. Kaal'zone demands a pizza, promising galaxy-wide advertising to Vito. He accepts, but Garfield tries to stop him. The cat sticks the helmet on Vito's head and he hears their conversation about the invasion. They make a pizza with anchovies, the aliens' biggest weakness, and serve it up. After eating the anchovy pizza, Kaal'zone calls off the invasion and puts the restaurant back. Vito thanks Garfield with all the pizzas he can eat. There are some good moments, like the scene with Nermal. That is pretty funny, and Garfield saving the world is a scenario I like (even if it is repeated a handful of times). However, like Garfield, I'm not the biggest fan of these sci-fi episodes. There are some good moments, no doubt, but I prefer a different type. Odie didn't do much, nor did Jon. What I did like is when Garfield tested the mind-reading device on random people. He hears some funny thoughts, and I like the visual of two giant aliens bowing low before a king half their size. One expects a king to be big, but he's not. That's funny. But like Super Me, there isn't that much memorable in this episode. This brings it down, but it's still solid overall.
Score: 7/10 Great
The Amazing Flying Dog[]
This episode is amazing. Throughout the day, Odie dreams about himself being a superhero, rescuing a black poodle from things like a burning building, a runaway car, and a giant spider. Each time he does, though, Garfield wakes him up right at the worst times. Eventually, Odie snaps and goes off on Garfield, and the cat defends himself by saying that Odie was thrashing around and he thought that Odie was having a bad dream. Odie explains his dreams to Garfield and then tries to fly himself, but can't. Garfield loudly tells him that he cannot fly--deflating Odie like a balloon--and heads out to Vito's to get a bite. As he does, he gets stuck in fresh asphalt that is about to be paved by a steamroller. He cries for help, and Odie stands on the roof to swoop in to save him, but remembers what Garfield said and thinks he is helpless. However, when he hears a poodle that also got stuck trying to save Garfield, he gets his motivation back and leaps off the roof. Amazingly, he spreads his ears and flies like a plane, managing to swoop in and saving both of them in the nick of time. Odie and the poodle instantly fall for each other, and Garfield is left speechless. The cat then wakes up, revealing that it was just a dream, and tells Odie about it. They both go back to sleep and Odie begins dreaming of himself as a superhero. Everything that I just wrote I love, even if the episode was just Garfield's dream. From Odie's dreams to the amazing rescue, there is barely anything wrong with it. Odie dreams of flight, and he eventually does. It's so adorable yet heartbreaking to see him continually try to fly and fail, until that last scene. Bonus, he gets the girl in the end, his literal dream girl, and Garfield is finally stunned into silence. Admittedly, Garfield was a bit of a jerk at times, but he had good intentions... occasionally. He did prank Odie a lot, (so much for letting sleeping dogs lie) but Odie still saved his life. I'm a sucker for the pets rescuing each other from peril. I cannot give this episode enough praise, I love it, and it gets a rare but well-deserved score.
Score: 10/10 Perfect
The Last Word[]
This episode isn't terrible, but it's not my cup of tea. Garfield is watching TV and snacking on a pile of food when Nermal suggests that he lacks willpower. Garfield disagrees, but Nermal is skeptical, so the former offers to make a bet with the latter. Nermal agrees and proposes Garfield to go one hour without eating. If successful, Nermal will stay away from the house for a month, but if Garfield fails, he will be Nermal's slave for a week. Garfield bets on himself and agrees to it at 11:00 flat. He quickly puts the food away, and gets tempted by food-related TV shows, as well as a stray popcorn kernel, all within the first five minutes. (I will say, seeing Nermal catch Garfield licking the TV screen was pretty funny) He flees and decides to sleep for the remaining time, but is coaxed out of bed by Jon making lasagna for lunch. After a loud yell, Garfield takes his seat at the table and watches Nermal get an extra helping of lasagna. (Garfield, I wish I could be sympathetic, but you're doing this to yourself. You gotta run at that point. Heck, you did something similar by putting the food in the fridge earlier. Why didn't you do that here?) He manages to avoid eating anything and is 15 minutes away from winning the bet when he starts getting hallucinations and hears food talking to him. With his mind in shambles, he nearly breaks, but before he can, the clock strikes 12:00. Seeing this, he celebrates by eating everything in the fridge and Nermal--to his credit--follows through on his half of the bet and leaves the house. After scarfing the food, Garfield develops indigestion and is taken to the vet, where he is told to not eat anything for 24 hours, just out of precaution. After being taken home, Garfield is taunted by Nermal holding a chocolate fudge-sicle. Like I said, this episode is not my taste, but I can understand if one put it higher on their own list. There are some good parts, like Garfield licking the TV, Nermal actually leaving after Garfield won the bet (I give Nermal credit for following through. This gets a thumbs-up from me) and (debatably) Garfield's hallucinations. (I say debatably because I did not like that scene, but I'll get to that) I will also say that Nermal got a decent role in this episode, (I'd give his role a solid 7/10, since he wasn't toxic, but solid, outside of that final scene) which impressed me, though him eating the popsicle in front of Garfield is a moment I hated. Speaking of moments I didn't like, Garfield going crazy with hunger is one of them. I got reminded of a scene from a Disney 2D Winnie-the-Pooh movie (That may be the title, I'm not sure). Basically, Pooh--my favorite cartoon when I was a young lad--ran out of honey and is starving practically the entire movie, so much so he has a dream where he sees everything as honey. I didn't like seeing my bear Pooh starving like that, and the same sentiment carries over to Garfield here. I didn't like seeing him starving near the end, and seeing him remain at the table watching everyone else eat is torture to myself, as well as the fat cat. And that ending... I hate that ending. Why would Garfield get indigestion despite being known to have a stomach that is deeper and wider than the Grand Canyon? That makes no sense to me, and Nermal flaunting that popsicle to Garfield afterwards... I hate that, too. How did Nermal even know that Garfield was still on food restriction? How does that make sense? I don't know, but at least Garfield has 30 more days without the kitten. As for that ending, if it were up to me, I would've had Odie walk in on Garfield in the middle of his feeding frenzy. Garfield sees him and explains the events of the past hour to him, and the two watch TV together and enjoy some snacks, with Garfield learning a lesson about appreciating what he has, and he would explain that to the viewers. This episode has its moments, and it's definitely enjoyable, but there are other parts, especially that ending, that just leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Score: 4/10 Subpar