In the modern age of the internet, the perception of Garfield has always been super weird. Mostly out of freakish, bizarre and unique interpretations of the exploits of Jim Davis. Be is Lasagna Cat or I'm Sorry Jon, it seems that if you want to make something super bizarre, Garfield is the perfect franchise for it. But here's the thing. Garfield has always been weird. The internet community merely adopted the weirdness. Garfield was born in it, molded in it. And I think no part of Garfield lore best exemplified that than Garfield and Friends.
Running from 1988 until 1994, Garfield and Friends was an animated adaptation of not just the titular Garfield, but his friends, as in U.S. Acres, the other Jim Davis cartoon that never really succeeded where Garfield did. Not even an ounce. Honestly, I find people are rough on the U.S. Acres segments as they had their moments and could be just as bizarre as Garfield, even more so at times. You see, instead of just staying to the traditional formula of the Jim Davis comic strips, Garfield and Friends focused much of its comedy on meta humor, fourth wall breaking jokes, self referential gags and even some digs at the general formula of the series itself. Garfield being fat, Jon's life being hell, Odie existing, Nermal being annoying, the standard stuff.
Garfield and Friends was always a wild card. Sometimes you'd have more structured stories closer to the formula of the strips, then you'd have a short with Garfield and Odie joining a knockoff X-Men group and wanting to go stop off at a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon for some pizza. Or then you'd have a short where the entire episode is parodying the David Letterman top ten lists. A definite chaotic feel holding much of the energy from cartoons like Duck Amuck. So, in other words, there's plenty of weird episodes to choose from. But today we're talking about "The Horror Hostess" the two Garfield shorts from the penultimate episode of the series. Why this one? Let's see just why as we review this thing.
The episode opens with Garfield surprised at Jon's sudden love of horror movies. This gets answered quickly as he's really the fan of a horror show host named Vivacia. And it turns out she loves two things: horror movies and baseball. Which aren't the two oddest things for someone to enjoy, but I guess it is when your whole shtick is gothic movie girl. While Garfield and Odie are a bit annoyed by Jon's inability to keep it in his pants, Garfield does think that despite his faults, Jon's still good to them, and thus they should repay him by setting him up on a date with Vivacia.
And yeah, as evident by his room, Jon's really into Vivacia. Thank god she isn't selling bath water or anything. Yech. But sure enough, Garfield and Odie manage to lead Vivacia to Jon's house where he meets the ghoul of his dreams.
"Three minutes and he hasn't spilled anything on her" - Garfield. And, like, I know what he meant, but...
It hits off super well. Too well. Vivacia invites Jon to her place at midnight and tells him to be wearing a baseball uniform. Now, I know cartoons are often responsible for some of our most outlandish fetishes, but this is already giving a new meaning to the term "Seventh-Inning Stretch".
Sure enough, Jon has dinner at Vivacia's and soon learns that he's eating bat for both his meal and dessert. Because I guess when Vivacia is into the horror life, she really commits. She also has a pet named Spot that is some sort of monster we never see. But, why the baseball uniform? Well, Vivacia soon explains that as well when we see her collection.
But first she shrinks Jon, which, okay. Shrinking episodes are pretty much standard bearer concepts for weird episodes of shows, but why the reduction?
Well, before we get the full answer, Garfield and Odie are made aware on the news that eight other men were reported missing after heading to Vivacia's. All wearing baseball uniforms. Realizing that Jon's in trouble, Garfield and Odie go to his rescue. Only, they can't actually do that because this cartoon's over. Or at least part one of it is.
After the U.S. Acres short, we get Garfield recapping the plot as the two make their way to save Jon. However, they have to deal with a fire-breathing dragon who chases after them, but Garfield and Odie trick the dragon with a fire extinguisher, so that settled itself as well as you'd hope. After that ordeal, they finally make it to Vivacia's castle where we finally learn why Vivacia is kidnapping and shrinking men dressed in baseball uniforms. And hoo boy, it's quite a concept.
Vivacia shrunk Jon and eight other men to play a baseball game against a group of rats, possibly (while not actively said but let's be honest) for the purposes of gambling with other monsters. You know, I think cartoon ideas peaked in 1994.
However, while I assume this took months of preparation, Vivacia didn't count for her being easily distracted as a fat cat dressed as a peanut vendor easily steals her wand to save the men. Look, I said it was a unique idea, not the most foolproof one. Garfield and Odie get chased by the monsters until Garfield realizes that he has the power to change the monsters into the most repulsive creatures imaginable...
Street mimes.
And so Jon is rescued and soon wakes up believing it to all just be some weird dream. That is until he sees he's still wearing the uniform. Whether or not he stopped being a simp for Vivacia is uncertain. I mean, being shrunk by a goth to play baseball may seem like a deal breaker, but I don't know...
And that's "The Horror Hostess". In terms of just the absurdity of the plot, it's definitely up there in strange Garfield and Friends episodes. And while the concept with the shrinking and baseball gambling stuff is crazy, it doesn't get much actual time with the game itself, instead focusing the lion's share of the second act to Garfield, Odie and the dragon, which admittedly also fun. As for Vivacia, she's a fun villain, but much like the last act, just stops mattering. Hell, she's not even a part of the chase scene at the end. After losing the wand she's just done. Which is a shame. But also just a sign of this episode coming super close to just hitting a wall, but instead was just a light graze.
I really would love to know where this plot came from, or more specifically how it all got pieced together. How a plot about Jon dating a Vampira-like TV star got turned into Honey, I Shrunk the Field of Dreams. Like, I refuse to believe this was an idea created by a sober person. It's definitely memorable and weird, I'll give it that. Overall, a really fun episode that definitely fits the criteria of this blog series. A definite home run.
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