(The episode opens above Jon’s neighborhood on a dismal day. Paddy the leprechaun narrates the story as it goes)
Paddy: (narrating) It all started as some good things do on a bleak and rainy day. In the Arbuckle house, a man named Jon was concerned about his cat.
(Inside the kitchen, Jon speaks to Liz)
Jon: I don’t know what it is, Liz. he’s just been moping around, looking kind of glum. I don’t think he’s sick or anything.
Liz: What did you mean when you said he had no enthusiasm? (Garfield enters slowly)
Garfield: Moans
Jon: Watch, I'll show you. (He walks up to his cat) Uh, Garfield, (The tabby glances at his owner looking downcast) I'm baking a ton of sausage lasagna! Aren’t you excited? (Garfield just blinks twice before turning and leaving)
Garfield: Moans
Jon: Gasp!
Liz: You’re right. Something’s very, very wrong.
Jon: And I have no idea what it is!
(In the living room, Garfield looks over his shoulder)
Garfield: Even if I could talk and tell you, Jon, you wouldn’t understand because I don't understand. (He walks into the camera and the hallway) It’s like, I don't even matter. All I do is eat and sleep and eat and sleep. (Odie trots up to him with a stick in his mouth)
Odie: Mutters
Garfield: Oh yeah, I also throw the stick so Odie can fetch it. (Odie pants excitedly) Unmeaningful. (He tosses the stick aside and leaves)
Odie: Hmm?
Garfield: Whimpers
Odie: Mutters (He looks sad for his best friend, and his ears droop a bit) Whines
(Some time later, Garfield ventures outside through the front pet door)
Paddy: (narrating) And a little while later, the rain had stopped as the rain always does. (Garfield moans) Garfield had been cooped up inside for days, so he decided to go out front for a little walk, (In a nearby park, he is caught off-guard by a rainbow) but he headed for the end of maybe the most spectacular rainbow anyone had ever seen! (He runs up to it and starts floating up its arch) And what do you suppose was at the end of the rainbow? (At the end sits Paddy on a tree stump with his pot of gold nearby. In contrast to Garfield’s dark, gloomy neighborhood, where Paddy sits is bright and full of life) Why me, of course! (He hops up and greets the audience) Top of the cartoon to ya, folks! The name: O’Furniture, but you can call me Paddy.
(Meanwhile, Garfield bounces down the other half of the rainbow…)
Garfield: HEEEHHEEEEEELP!!! ENGH! (and lands with a thud next to Paddy)
Paddy: Greetings, Garfield! (The fat cat starts to get up, dazed from the fall) Remember me? (Garfield turns to his friend) The great maker of magic back in Season 2?
Garfield: Hey, if you’re so good at magic, how come you haven’t gotten yourself on the show since then? (Not true, as he appeared in the episode Boris the Snowman in Season 3)
Paddy: You haven’t needed me since then. (He resumes narrating. The camera zips through the trees and to the hill where the main characters are) And need me he did. Garfield told me how he’d been feeling lately, like his life was boring and didn’t matter. (The Flabby Tabby sits on the ground in front of Paddy, waving his tail behind him)
Garfield: It’s like it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference if I'd never been born. (He wiggles his toes)
Paddy: It would’ve made a BIG difference!
Garfield: (standing up) Oh yeah? Tell me one thing that would’ve been different if I never existed!
Paddy: Well, I'll do better than that! I’ll show ya! (Garfield starts levitating into the air with the leprechaun’s magic)
Garfield: Gasp! Where are we going? (Paddy joins his friend in flight)
Paddy: To a world where you never existed. (He takes Garfield’s paw and lifts him off)
Garfield: Yow! (They gently touch down on the sidewalk in front of–presumably–Jon’s house) We’re here?
Paddy: No, (Garfield turns to him) we’re there. There is not here. We’re in a world exactly like the one you lived in, except you never lived in it. (He spins around. Herman Post the mailman approaches on his delivery rounds)
Garfield: Oh, there’s the mailman! I’ll scare him! (dreamily) That always makes me feel better. (He charges Mr. Post, screaming and sticking his tongue out at him. The mailman, however, doesn’t notice and instead walks literally right through the Tubby Tabby, much to the latter’s surprise)
Paddy: Oh he can’t see us. He can’t hear us, either. Remember, in this world, you never existed.
Garfield: Ouch. (Herman rings the doorbell of “Jon’s” house, and the owner answers it, except it’s not Jon any more, it’s an elderly woman. Garfield hears this and turns over to them, shocked)
Mrs. Goodrich: (offscreen) Oh thank you, Mr. Post.
Herman Post: Here you go, Mrs. Goodrich. (He hands a letter to her)
Garfield: (while waving his arms frantically) Who’s that woman living in our house?
Paddy: It’s not your house in THIS world.
Mrs. Goodrich: Is that other letter for me?
Herman Post: Nope, it’s for Mr. Arbuckle. He’s the fellow who owned this house before you. He lives over in a MANSION on the west side, now.
Garfield: (turning to face the audience) Mansion?
Paddy: C’mon, I'll show ye! (He holds Garfield’s finger as the two float into the sky) A lot of things are different, because YOU aren’t around.
Garfield: Apparently. (They touch down at Jon’s new digs. It is as the mailman described; a mansion, complete with a massive yard, gate, everything one would expect. Garfield is stunned at this and puts his paws on his head) Wow, (He and Paddy walk through the closed gate) how is Jon able to afford a place like THIS?
Paddy: Oh, mainly it’s the money he’s saving by not having to feed a cat.
Garfield: Ouch. (Paddy’s last remark deflates the fat cat, but as they draw near, he spots something) Huh? (Odie trots up to Jon, who wears a nice tux, with a stick in the pooch’s mouth)
Odie: Mutters
Jon: You want someone to throw the stick so you can fetch it, boy? (Odie stops and wags his tail) Oh, Daws? (He turns to a gentleman next to him, his butler, Daws)
Daws: Stick-throwing duty again, sir?
Jon: (nodding) Please.
Daws: Very well. (He walks over to Odie) Here, Odie. I shall throw the stick and you can fetch it.
Odie: Mutters (Daws does so, and Odie brings it back for every time it is tossed)
Daws: Again, and again, and again…
Odie: Mutters and barks
Garfield: (while hanging his head) Sigh They don’t seem to need me. (He gets a brainwave) Hey, Arlene! (He points to the sky) She always seemed to need me!
Paddy: Well, let’s go see! (Garfield takes his hand and they float off)
(In front of the movie theater, Arlene sits on a bench with Bruno sitting next to her)
Arlene: Oh, Bruno, you always make me feel so beautiful. (Garfield and Paddy land in front of them. Garfield shakes his head as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing)
Garfield: Gasp!
Arlene: (while walking with Bruno) Let’s go to the park, and we can sit under the trees. (Garfield tries to stop them by standing in front of them with his arms outstretched, but like the mailman before, they both faze right through him)
Garfield: (addressing the audience) Arlene and Bruno?! Boy, I REALLY don’t matter.
Paddy: (offscreen) No, Garfield. (The fat cat turns around and waves his tail back and forth as Paddy runs up to him) I brought you here to make you realize you matter for MANY reasons, and one in particular.
Garfield: Well, I haven't seen… (Around him, people run away, screaming)
(Paddy then takes Garfield to a TV store that plays the news on its display TVs)
Garfield: Hey, what’s going on? (Garfield lands in front and watches the Anchorwoman give the report)
Anchorwoman: A state of emergency has been declared for the entire world. It was announced moments ago by President Jim Davis.
Garfield: President Jim Davis?! (He turns to Paddy) Jim is president in this world?!
Paddy: Aye. He doesn’t have your comic strip to draw.
Garfield: Whoa. (He turns to the TV, which is now showing the reason for the state of emergency: invaders from the planet Parma) I hope he doesn’t mind the loss of prestige.
Anchorwoman: Scientists report the impending invasion of warriors from the planet Parma, a world where people all resemble earth lasagnas.
Garfield: Whimpers
Anchorwoman: (continuing) This telescopic footage (The TV shows the warriors approaching via UFOs a spaceship that resembles an oven) shot moments ago shows the invasion forces who intend to enslave us all. (They zoom toward Earth. Inside, soldiers march in formation as General Gorgonzola watches. He turns to face the camera and gives an evil smile)
Garfield: YAAAH AAH AH!
Anchorwoman: Landing any minute now.
Garfield: AAAAAHH AH HA! (The people around Garfield gasp in terror while the TV shows Jim Davis golfing)
Anchorwoman: And President Davis urges us all to remain calm. In these horrifying times, it is important that everyone remains…calm and cool…even though…we’re all DOOMED! DOOMED I TELL YOU, DOOMED!! AAH HA HA HA HA! (She races off, as do the other people around Garfield. The Flabby Tabby takes Paddy’s hand and they both fly upward. The General’s space oven goes through them as it lands and opens)
General Gorgonzola: People of Earth, (He hops out of the oven. His two aides jump beside him) bow down before your new masters! You will work for us, you will obey us, and you will not eat anything that looks like us!
Garfield: Isn’t there anyone who can stop them?
Paddy: There’s no one in this world who can stop them.
Garfield: Hold the phone. I can stop them! (He floats forward toward the ground)
Paddy: You can’t, Garfield. (Garfield glances back at Paddy) You were never born, remember?
Garfield: But you can fix that! Make me real! Quick, before my favorite food conquers my favorite planet! (He points into the palm of his paw) Make me really exist here!
Paddy: Well…I shouldn't, but I guess this is an emergency. (He snaps his fingers. Garfield glows as the magic is taken off. He promptly drops as he has no magic to keep him floating)
General Gorgonzola: There seems to be no one in this world who DARES to stand against us!
Garfield: I dare to stand against you! (He approaches the general with an angry look) Grr!
General Gorgonzola: Laughs A cat? One lone cat thinks he can defeat the awesome forces of Parma? Private Provolone, (The private stands at attention) scan the memory cells of this impudent one, and show me what he is capable of.
Private Provolone: (saluting) Yes, General Gorgonzola. (He zips up to Garfield)
Garfield: (taken aback) Wha-? (Provolone whips out a device and scans Garfield’s head) Huh?
General Gorgonzola: This will show us what he has done so we may see he is no THREAT to us.
Garfield: Gasp! (Provolone finishes the scan and shows it to the other lasagnas) Huh? (The scan reveals Garfield devouring plate after plate of lasagna, much to the horror of the space invaders) Ooh! I wanna get a copy of this on Blu-Ray!
Space Lasagna: We cannot defeat such a monster! What are we gonna do?
General Gorgonzola: I will tell you what we do: RETREAT! (He and the others flee into their space vessel and take off. The UFOs above them do the same)
Garfield: Chuckles (A crowd of people gather around the Tubby Tabby thanking him for saving the world) Hey, maybe I CAN make a difference in this world after all. (Paddy watches from above. With another snap of his fingers, Garfield is invisible to the people of this alternate dimension–much to their confusion–and levitates off the ground) Huh? (He gives the audience a look, as if to say “Oh, come on!” before floating up to Paddy) Hey, why’d you drag me away from my adoring public?
Paddy: Because you don’t belong in this reality.
Garfield: (pointing at the leprechaun) You said you’d show me a special reason why I mattered. Was that it? Me saving the world?
Paddy: (shaking his head) No, that wasn’t it, but we’ll get to it.
(Later, in the entrance hall of Jon’s mansion, Jon talks to Odie, who trots slowly up to his master)
Jon: Did you enjoy having my butler throw the stick so you could fetch it, boy?
Odie: Eh… Melancholy mutters
Jon: Sigh I know how you feel. (He bends down and scratches Odie’s ears as the pooch whimpers) It’s not the same as having a playmate in the family. I’ve been thinking…
Odie: Huh? (He tilts his head curiously)
Jon: (continuing) maybe we should have someone else here. (He hops on the first step of a flight of stairs behind him) Maybe…a cat!
Odie: (excited by the idea) Bark! Yeah! Yeah! (He wags his tail happily as Garfield and Paddy watch nearby)
Garfield: Gasp!
Jon: (chuckling) Oh, but it couldn’t just be any cat. (He steps off the stairs and pets the back of Odie’s head) To fit in with us, it would have to be a very special cat. Hmm, smart, funny. (Garfield watches, awestruck by what he is seeing) Sigh I don’t think there’s a cat like that in the entire world. (Upon hearing this last line, Garfield starts to realize how much his family wants him around)
Garfield: (while running up) Yes there is! Me, me, me, me, me, me, me! (He jumps in front of Jon and Odie waving his arms to try to get their attention. However, as he is invisible in this world, they both turn and head upstairs, not seeing the fat cat. Seeing his efforts are fruitless, he hangs his head and walks back over to Paddy) Moan Pants Is that the thing you wanted to show me that proves I’m needed?
Paddy: No. Come with me. (He and Garfield float off out of the mansion and above the city. They eventually land in the park, where Squeak is talking to Arlene on a park bench. Bruno is not with them)
Squeak: Hey, I thought you and Bruno were sweet on each other.
Arlene: We were, but he’s just not right for me. (Garfield watches, floating with the leprechaun’s magic) The guy I want has to be one-of-a-kind, with a great sense of humor, (Garfield gasps and smiles) someone orange with black stripes, (Garfield is taken aback by this comment) someone I can do things for, like, maybe make lasagna if he liked it.
Garfield: Laughs That’s me! I like lasagna! I’m all those things! Is that the thing you wanted to show me that proves I'm needed?
Paddy: (shaking his head no) Mm-mm. (He and Garfield head to their next destination: Vito’s pizzeria. They land in front of the door and read the sign on it)
Garfield: Vito’s pizzeria is out of BUSINESS?! Wha-? (He holds his head in shock) How did this happen?! (He and Paddy faze through the door and see a weeping Vito and his love Angelica trying to comfort him)
Angelica: Do not be sad, Vito. You are a great cook. (Garfield glances at Paddy with a look of concern on the former’s face) It was not your fault business was so poor.
Vito: If only I had one more regular customer, one who ate 50 pizzas a week! (He continues crying)
Garfield: Without me, Vito would have to close down! So that’s the thing you wanted to show me that proves I'm needed?
Paddy: No. Come with me. (Garfield takes Paddy’s hand and the pair float away. They return to the park, which is now empty. Garfield loses his magic and lands hard on his rear)
Garfield: Yow!
Paddy: Garfield, you know all those people out there watching the show? If you didn’t exist, you know what’d they be looking at right now?
Garfield: (getting up and rubbing his head) No. what?
Paddy: (turning around) This! (Garfield looks toward the camera. It abruptly shows static, because without Garfield, none of his cartoon series, movies, or TV specials would’ve ever existed. It would just be static. Garfield soon pops up and points at the audience)
Garfield: Yes! They’re still watching.
Paddy: Because you MATTER, (he turns to the audience) to them, anyway.
Garfield: Wow! Chuckles I guess I do. (He blinks and smiles)
Paddy: I think it’s time you went home to the place you belong. Bye now! (He and Garfield fade from this static realm)
(Garfield returns to his own world, which is now sunny and clear compared to the dark, dreary rain from earlier. He looks around with a confused look on his face, taking a second to collect himself)
Garfield: Huh? Hoo! (Arlene walks up)
Arlene: Hi, Garfield. (She smiles. Garfield does the same) I'll be ready on time for our date, tonight.
Garfield: “Date tonight”? Oh yeah, sure, Arlene. Sure. (He turns and sees Odie holding a stick in his mouth beside him) What?
Odie: Bark! Mutters (He wags his tail and bobs his head back and forth, hoping for Garfield to throw the stick so the pup can fetch it)
Garfield: Oh, sure, boy! Sure! (Garfield takes the stick…)
Odie: Bark! (and throws it. Odie chases after it) Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!
Garfield: (sighs deeply) I matter. You do, too, (he points at the audience) and I hope you don't have to go through what I went through to know it.
Odie: Bark! Bark! Bark! (He gives the stick to Garfield, who throws it again) Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! (Above them, Paddy, who is sitting on a lightpost, watches the animals play. The leprechaun winks at the audience, and this heart-warming episode comes to a close)
THE END