The twenty-fifth episode of the second season of Garfield and Friends.
Post-opening sequence line: "Garfield and Friends is taped in front of an animated studio audience."
Lemon-Aid
The episode begins with Jon receiving a phone call from used car salesman Al J. Swindler, as part of a "contest" to win a new car. Jon manages to win the contest, despite a bizarre question from Swindler, and is told to head to Swindler's lot. Outside the house, Jon meets an elderly man (who is obviously Swindler in disguise) offering to buy Jon's car for $500, which he quickly accepts, despite Garfield's misgivings about it.
Jon arrives at the Swindler lot after the man drops them off, only to discover that his new "prize" is a rusty old lemon falling apart. Jon tries to refuse, but Swindler threatens to charge him $20 an hour for parking, forcing Jon to take the old wreck. Despite Jon's attempt to make do, the car quickly dies on him, just as a mechanic (Swindler in disguise again) happens by to offer his help. Unfortunately, the estimate is enough for Jon to buy an entirely new car; the mere observation by Jon prompts Swindler to appear again to offer him a new car.
To Jon's shock, the car Swindler offers is his own car. Swindler tells him he had a contract saying it is his car and offers Jon $1500 for that car, much to Jon's displeasure, knowing his con. At this point, Garfield and Odie decide to help Jon get his car back, raiding a costume shop to masquerade as a police officer and make Swindler move the old lemon out of a no-parking zone. Swindler refuses and tries pinning the blame on Jon—but Jon points out that the car is currently under Swindler's name, so Swindler himself will have to move it if he doesn't want the ticket. Swindler tries to drive off, only for the car to suddenly go racing out of control through the city, and onto a pier towards the river front.
The guys chase Swindler in Jon's car and manage to convince Swindler to sell Jon his car back for $500 before rescuing him. As thanks, Swindler promises to make an honest living and leaves... only to return back as a hot dog seller. The guys scream and wisely flee from him, leaving him to lament that it's getting tougher to make an honest dollar.
Hog Noon
Orson receives a letter from Hammerhead Hog, an old school bully whom Orson was forced to hand over his milk money to until he got "detention for life" through Orson snitching on him to the principal. Hammerhead tells Orson that he hasn't forgotten what happened, and he is coming to settle his old score with Orson.
Orson, fearing what the fearsomely strong Hammerhead might do to him, starts searching his books for help while Roy plots a sneaky trick on him and Wade... starts panicking. He pulls out the book "Tales of Old Dodge City", and reads a tale of justice where he plays the Marshal of Dodge City, having to face down the bandit Hammerhead Hog at The OK Barnyard at high noon.
While his Deputy Wade suggests going into hiding until the next century, Marshal Orson wants to confront Hammerhead to talk him into surrendering and changing his ways and goes to confront Hammerhead. At the OK Barnyard, Marshal Orson and Hammerhead have a showdown with cream pies, but Hammerhead isn't quick enough and gets a face full of lemon custard.
Back in reality, Roy shows Orson his trap for Hammerhead: 50 pounds of creamed corn to be dropped right on whoever stands on a giant 'X'. Orson, however, decides to confront Hammerhead alone. On a windy hill, Orson finally confronts Hammerhead, ready to receive his payback... which turns out to be the money Hammerhead took from him as a kid in quarters. Hammerhead leaves Orson, his conscience clear and his debts settled. Orson leaves, having learned the value of standing up for yourself... and accidentally steps right into Roy's creamed corn trap.
Video Airlines
After a brief mishap with the popcorn maker, Jon, Garfield and Odie settle down to try and find a good movie on TV. Unfortunately, the only movie that does seem to be on TV is Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage 2... on every channel, even the Spanish station.
With nothing else on TV for the night, the guys decide to head to the video store to find another movie to rent. However, Jon isn't a member yet, prompting an overly laborious and intensive application process which involves several forms of identification and multiple signatures. Thankfully, it gives Garfield and Odie enough time to do a musical number on the wonders of renting video tapes!
Unfortunately, by the time Jon gets his membership, every video in the store is rented with the exception of... Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage 2 (they only realize it once they reach back home without looking at the tape they rented). In frustration, the guys head to the biggest movie theater in town... and their film turns out to be not Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage 2, but rather Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage 3. The guys quickly decide to leave, only to find out that everyone else in the auditorium is a Kung Fu Creature, forcing them to stay and watch out of fear for their lives.
"Lemon-Aid" provides examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: Al constantly gets Jon's surname wrong. He calls him "Arburkle", "Arbinkle", "Arbrownicle", "Arsenic", "Arsenio", "Arbidet", "Arbopple", and "Arbinky".
- The Alleged Car: Al sells Jon a rusty old lemon that is falling a part for the sole purpose of charging Jon to replace nearly everything in it, which costs more than a new car. Jon foolishly sells his old car before seeing the condition of the car Al sells him.
- Con Man: Al Swindler.
- Dagwood Sandwich: Garfield gets carried away making a sandwich like this. He ends up putting Jon's shoes, the telephone, and even Odie into the sandwich.
- Don't Try This at Home: When Jon chases Al down the pier, Garfield leans out the window holding a harness attached to a rope, which he uses to save Al with. He looks at the viewers and says, "Kids, don't try this at home. We're professionals, and also we're cartoon characters." It was also a really long pier.
- Face Fault: Garfield and Odie do this when they can't believe that Jon didn't see this coming.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Al Swindler. Garfield sarcastically wonders if the budget for new actors is in trouble when he shows up as a mechanic.
- Removable Steering Wheel: When Al tries to steer away from the pier, the steering wheel to the old lemon he drives breaks off.
- Shout-Out: When Jon first drives the run-down car Al sold to him, Garfield paraphrases Bugs Bunny in Rabbit Seasoning by saying, "Would you like to shoot it now or wait till' you get home?"
- Totem Pole Trench: Garfield and Odie do this when they disguise themselves as a police officer to save Jon from Al. Garfield is on top, and Odie is on the bottom.
- We Are Not Going Through That Again: After Jon gets his old car back from Al, he decides to buy Garfield lunch. Al shows up with a hot dog stand, and upon seeing it, Jon, Garfield, and Odie run to Jon's car and drive away, determined not to get scammed by Al again.
"Hog Noon" contains examples of:
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Wade tells Orson that Hammerhead is wanted for robbery, rustling, and using the accounts and descriptions of a game without the expressed written consent of Major League Baseball.
- Cowboy Episode: An imagine spot parodying Tales of Old Dodge City takes place in this episode.
- Heel–Face Turn: Hammerhead does this at the end of the episode, returning the lunch money he stole from Orson when they were kids.
- Pie in the Face: How Hammerhead meets his defeat in Orson's Imagine Spot.
"Video Airlines" provides examples of:
- Captive Audience: The ending has Jon, Garfield and Odie forced by the Kung Fu Creatures to stay in the theater.
- Disney Acid Sequence: Garfield's song "Video Airlines".
- Exact Words: Before they enter the theater, Jon asks the usher if the movie playing is Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage 2. The usher replies that no, it isn't. So Jon, Garfield and Odie head on in... and discover that the movie is Kung Fu Creatures in the Rampage 3.
- Latex Perfection: The scene in Kung Fu Creatures of the Rampage 2 that keeps appearing across TV channels depicts a man pulling a rubber mask off his girlfriend "Sylvia" to reveal one of the titular alien creatures.
- Out Of Control Popcorn: At the beginning of this episode, Jon's popcorn machine makes popcorn that ends up flooding the kitchen (not that Garfield minds this).
- Title Drop: In-universe within the Kung Fu Creatures movies."You! You're not Sylvia! You're one of the Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage... 2!"
- Your Television Hates You: A variation of sorts, as all the TV channels are airing Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage 2 or something relating to it.
