The seventh episode of the seventh season of Garfield and Friends.
Post-Opening Sequence Line: "Penelope is singing today, folks, so don't leave any expensive glassware near the TV!"
The Guy Of Her Dreams
Penelope returns, and gets bored with Garfield constantly eating during their dates, so she imagines him as the perfect male for herself.
The Discount of Monte Cristo
Orson attempts to tell the story of The Count of Monte Cristo to Roy and Wade, but his cousin Aloysius is hired to keep him from going over the show's budget.
The Fairy Dogmother
Odie wants to go to a secret dog ball which the other dogs don't want him to attend. Esmerelda is sent to fulfill Odie's wish from Doggy Wish Central.
"The Guy of Her Dreams" provides examples of:
- Big Eater: Garfield: He spends his date with Penelope eating large quantities of Italian food, much to her dismay.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Penelope complains to Garfield that all she does on their dates is watch him eat pizza and lasagna, she says it's time for a change. Garfield tells Penelope that she's right and that it is time for a change... and decides to try some cannoli.
- Deliberately Monochrome: Penelope's third fantasy is done in black and white as a homage to classic detective movies.
- Mr. Imagination: A female example with Penelope; she imagines herself as a jungle explorer, a cowgirl, and a detective's secretary.
- Musical Episode: Throughout the episode, Penelope sings about how she can be whatever she wants and Garfield is the hero who saves her from bad guys.
- Rule of Three: Penelope has three fantasties; one of her in the jungle, one of her in the wild west, and one of her in a detective movie.
"The Discount of Monte Cristo" provides examples of:
- Adaptation Expansion: The episode actually invents elements that didn't appear in The Count of Monte Cristo for the sake of jokes about going over budget. For example, there's a trial scene just so that Aloysius can complain about the expensive courtroom set, but in the original novel, it's a significant plot point that Edmond Dantès was sentenced without trial. Likewise, Edmond was not pursued by "a hundred of the king's finest soldiers" after he escaped from the Château d'If.
- Adapted Out: Even before Aloysius' cost-cutting, the conspiracy against Edmond Dantès is already pared down to Fernand and Danglars, leaving out Caderousse and Villefort.
- Animated Actors: Some of the expenses that Aloysius complains about would only make sense for a live-action production, such as costume rentals and location permits.
- Biting-the-Hand Humor: This episode predicted the reason behind the show's cancellation, in the form of Aloysius cutting the show's budget. At the time of the episode's broadcast, CBS wanted budget cuts, and the creators refused to suffer. Orson hated Aloysius firing production members in order to keep the budget low.
- Cutlery Escape Aid: Orson attempts to tell the story of The Count of Monte Cristo with him in the role of Edmond Dantès, but his cousin, Aloysius, is hired to keep him from going over the show's budget. In the scene where Edmond uses a spoon he had taken from his dinner tray to dig a tunnel out of his prison cell, only to reach no father than the cell next door, Orson discovers that the background for the cell next door is the exact same one from the previous scene. Aloysius informs him that he's using the same background because it saves money that way.
- Cutting Corners: Orson tries to tell the story of The Count of Monte Cristo to Roy and Wade, but Aloysius is hired to keep him from going over the show's budget. Among the cuts Aloysius makes are firing the orchestra for Orson's musical number, firing the actors playing the bit characters (and having Roy and Wade take their places), using the same backgrounds for Edmond Dantès' jail cell and that of the prisoner next door, and having the backgrounds be uncolored. Eventually, Orson reaches his breaking point and Roy helps him get back at Aloysius by having him tell the story of Robinson Crusoe with Aloysius in the title role. Aloysius ends up stranded on a desert island, and Orson, Roy, and Wade refuse to pay for any possible chance of him getting off it.
- Dartboard of Hate: Danglars (played by Wade) tosses darts at a picture of Edmond Dantès (played by Orson) due to envying Edmond's graphic promotion in business.
- Demoted to Extra: Abbé Faria is only identified as "the prisoner in the cell next to his" and isn't even brought up until after he's already died. Notably, this means that Abbé Faria never tells Edmond about the treasure on the island of Monte Cristo, so the story couldn't actually have continued much beyond the point where it was cut off anyway.
- End-of-Series Awareness: This episode is about Aloysius cutting the show's budget, which is why Garfield and Friends ended.
- Faking the Dead: When Edmond (played by Orson) discovers that the prisoner next door has passed away, he decides to cloak himself in a blanket, hoping to be mistaken for the deceased so he can be carried away by the undertakers (played by Roy and Wade in a cost-cutting measure) and escape from the Château d'If.
- Frame-Up: Danglars and Fernand (respectively played by Wade and Roy) arrange for Edmond (played by Orson) to be arrested on a false charge.
- Parasol of Pain: Mercedes hits Fernand (played by Roy) with her umbrella when he tries to kiss her.
- Running Gag: This episode has Orson asking Aloysius what happened to something in the story. Aloysius' response: "I fired them!"
- A Taste of Their Own Medicine: At the end of the episode, Roy decides to help Orson get back at Aloysius for cutting the show's budget by having Orson tell the story of Robinson Crusoe with Aloysius in the title role, stranding Aloysius on a desert island. When Aloysius demands for a way to get off the island, Orson, Roy, and Wade refuse to pay for any possible solution.
"The Fairy Dogmother" provides examples of:
- All of the Other Reindeer: When Odie arrives at the dog ball, the other dogs shun him, and he walks away, feeling sorry for himself. Just then, some of the other dogs are captured by a dogcatcher, and Odie has Esmeralda grant his wish for the dogcatcher to be turned into a cat. The dogs who haven't been captured then chase the dogcatcher-turned-cat away, and after rescuing the other dogs, they apologize to Odie and invite him to next year's dog ball as the guest of honor.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: At the end of the episode, Garfield is not satisfied with the story's ending, saying that while Odie got his wish, he didn't get anything. He then says that he wishes the show were over, and Esmeralda appears and grants his wish. Garfield begs her to stop and wishes for money instead, but it's no use, as Esmeralda fades the show to black and rolls the credits.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: Garfield cites Odie and the Fairy Dogmother as a great fairy tale, alongside Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and The Congressional Deficit Reduction Plan.
- Cinderella Plot: In this episode, Garfield narrates a Cinderella-like story about Odie wanting to attend a dog ball.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: After previously being shunned by the other dogs, Odie saves them from the dogcatcher, earning their respect and being invited to next year's dog ball as the guest of honor.
- Exit, Pursued by a Bear: After being turned into a cat, the other dogs chase the dogcatcher away.
- Fairy Godmother: Esmeralda is Odie's "Fairy Dogmother" who uses her magic to help him out.
- Forced Transformation: Esmeralda turns the dogcatcher into a cat so the other dogs will chase him away.
- The Hunter Becomes the Hunted: The dogcatcher remarks that he enjoys his job capturing dogs and taking them to the pound. After he's turned into a cat he is immediately beset upon and chased away by the dogs he was attempting to capture.
- Inept Mage: Esmeralda is not a very good Fairy Godmother, which is why she was assigned Odie.
- Karmic Transformation: After she turns the dogcatcher into a cat Esmeralda explains to Odie that it's only temporary and that he'll learn a lesson.
- Magic Pants: The dogcatchers hat still fits him perfectly after he's been transformed into a cat.
- Punch-Clock Villain: The dogcatcher is just doing his job.
- Separate Scene Storytelling: This episode is presented as Garfield telling the audience a story.
- Shapeshifting Excludes Clothing: Zig-Zagged. When the dogcatcher is turned into a cat his uniform appears to transform with him, except for his hat which remains on his head.
- Talking Animal: After turning into a cat the dogcatchers personality and ability to speak remain intact.
- Take That!: In The National Wish Clearinghouse's central office, the CEO is able to easily grant requests for wishes to fly to Mars and travel back in time. However, when he's told about a wish from someone from Cleveland for the Indians to win a few games, he exclaims "Do these people think we can work miracles?"
- Verbal Tic: The dogcatcher starts saying "meow" at random after he's been turned into a cat.
