Adventures in Care-a-lot Episode 5

Thankfully, the episode quality was much better than the last one. I liked both of these stories, even though there wasn't any Grizzle. Of course, I liked the second part just a little better, but the first had its moments.

Part one - Care-ful Bear
The Care Bears are having some sort of playday, with Funshine going around coming up with ideas to make all the games better, leading up to a game of Belly Badge Tag (Oddly enough, it was the sight of Oopsy knocking himself over with his own ball that inspired Funshine to suggest a game that Oopsy cannot play, since he doesn't have a belly badge). It's all good fun until Share trips over a rock and hurts her paw (and Grumpy comforts her--so cute!). Cheer conjures up a rainbow stretcher to take Share home, but Funshine takes the blame (since the game was his idea and all).
Later, Funshine spills his heart out to Wingnut: he loves being Funshine and having fun, but not if it ends up hurting someone. Instantly, he is inspired! With a towel for a cape and a bandage over his belly badge, Funshine is reborn as Care-ful Bear! Champion of Safety and Keeping Care Bears from getting Hurt! First stop: the park!
Which is where he finds Amigo and Harmony about to race down the hill, her on a skateboard and him on his ice cream cart. But it's okay because Harmony has the proper pads and helmet, and Amigo is only pushing his cart. Funshine is not convinced, however, and has Wingnut steal their wheels. With nothing to ride, Harmony sheds her padding, inspiring Funshine yet again! With permission from Harmony, Funshine uses the pads and helmet to outfit the accident-prone Oopsy. But there's still more to do!
Cut to: Grumpy's Garage. Grumpy assures Love-a-lot that building her a birdhouse is "simple as simon" (I love it!), but not with all his tools gone, courtesy of Care-ful Bear! This is my favorite part, when Grumpy confronts Funshine with "I've been using tools my whole frindinglin' life, and I've always been careful!" Because that is just *so* him, y'know? Funshine silences him ("No time for yakkity-blab!") and runs off to do more of the same to someone else.
Back in the park, Oopsy trips over a flower and points out that the helmet and pads aren't really helping. Funshine's solution: cover Oopsy in pillows!

Funshine: There! Much better!
Oopsy: Uh, if you say so.
Funshine: Indeed I do!

It's the delivery that makes it for me. Funshine is definitely getting into the whole superhero persona, including spouting lines like "Let us away!" and only ending sentences in exclamation points. Nobody else in enjoying it, though, with even Good Luck Bear warning everyone when he sees Funshine coming. Funshine misinterprets everyone hiding as everything being peaceful, and is pleased. Everyone else (especially Grumpy) is getting close to the breaking point.
That night, Funshine is finishing his rounds when, not looking where he's going, he trips over the curb. However, he blames this on the fact that it's dark out, "and darkness is the enemy of carefulness and safety!" Thus he uses his belly badge to make enough sun to thoroughly confuse everyone who was trying to sleep. Grumpy easily figures out that Funshine had a hand in this, and Share, who missed the whole thing while she was recuperating, is brought up to speed on Funshine's antics. Oopsy, translating for Wingnut, explains Funshine's rationale, causing Bedtime much pain ("If it's always daytime, when will there be bedtime?"). Cheer's about to talk some sense into Funshine when Harmony points out that Funshine was quashing all their fun, it's now bright as day and they're all up anyway, so they might as well do something fun while "Care-ful Bear" is in bed.
The sounds of fun waft into Funshine's room, and he leaps into action! Finding everyone in the park having a picnic, he does the only sensible thing: he steals their marshmellows. With the picnic ruined, Cheer finally confronts Funshine, reminding him of the bear he used to be. Funshine is not easily swayed, insisting that it was the old him that got Share hurt. Share points out that it was just an accident, and Wingnut reminds Funshine of how he tripped on the curb. Which makes Grumpy point out that if "Care-ful Bear" can't avoid having accidents, why should he think he can prevent them for anyone else? Unable to argue with this logic, Funshine renounces Care-ful Bear for good, and admits that he was starting to get on everyone's nerves. "Maybe a little," Cheer tells him, but Grumpy retorts, "A little? He took my marshmallow!" XD Funshine promises fresh marshmellows for all, and then proposes another game of Belly Badge Tag. Everyone runs off, leaving Oopsy still in his pillow get-up. On another show, this would be the time to fade to black, but luckily for Oopsy, Funshine comes back and unties him. A happy ending for all!

There were a lot of good lines in this one, could you tell?

Part Two - A Case of the Grumpies
It's a beautiful day in Care-a-lot, but Grumpy is in a bad mood. He brushes off his friends, slams the garage door, and makes tons of earth-shaking noise in his garage. Funshine doesn't think Grumpy's any grumpier than usual, until he comes out, slams trash in the trashcan and shoos everyone away. Cheer decides that he needs some cheering up, but no one else is very enthusiastic about it, even when she describes it as "ungrumping the Grumpster." Figuring that he's been cooped up inside for too long, Cheer plans to get him out and about to improve his mood. Everyone else does their best to get out of "the grumpy zone" before she knocks on his door.
Cheer tries to convince Grumpy that she has a surprise for him, but he insists he doesn't have time for "any jimjammin' surprises." So Cheer blindfolds him, tells him it's something he both needs and has to go with her to get, and whisks him away on a rainbow to a birds-eye view of Care-a-lot. Grumpy is not impressed to learn that this is what she thought he needed, and goes on a rant about "pretty" (since that was the only qualifier Cheer gave the experience), then storms off to finish his work. Cheer, however, welcomes the challenge. She calls an emergency meeting to discuss cheering up Grumpy, but no one likes the idea of getting a face full of Grumpy's trademark grumpiness. Still, Cheer insists that with her leadership, they can cheer him up, and goes over her main points. Plan 1: Give him pudding. Plan 2: A surprise gift. Plan 3: A hot air balloon ride.
The pudding plan ends with it on his head, naturally. There's a good exchange between Cheer and Grumpy, though:

*after the pudding lands on his head*
Grumpy: What is this?!
Cheer: Uh, pudding, aheheheh...
Grumpy: *perfect imitation* Pudding, aheheheh? Next time, trying "pudding" it in a bowl, and NOT ON ME! (I just love his imitation of Cheer)

The gift plan fails not only because it consisted merely of Surprise Bear coming out with a flower, but because Grumpy was actually anticipating the parts he ordered (from where?). From this, Funshine hypothesizes that Grumpy might be working on something, but Cheer insists on bringing in the balloon. Love-a-lot provides the actual balloon part, by the way. But how to get Grumpy in the balloon? Cheer has a complicated plan involving duck calls and GPS, but in typical cartoon fashion, Grumpy manages to get tangled in one of the ropes, and since he dumped his trash into the basket, it falls out and makes a hole in his roof. And still Cheer is not discouraged, although everyone else is. Once again, Funshine points out that something else may be going on, that Grumpy may not even be being grumpy. But Cheer just pooh-poohs this notion and goes with something a little more simple.
While Grumpy is out getting more parts "downtown" (again, where?), Cheer arrives with a card. Finding the door open, she goes inside and is repulsed by how dark and dreary it is in the garage. She vows to turn it into a place that'll make anyone happy, which translates to covering it with rainbows and potpourri. Grumpy is less than pleased when he arrives, and goes on a tirade about how he doesn't want anyone's help. During this, Funshine, Share, and Oopsy show up, and speak for Cheer to apologize. "I guess 'we've' been doing things that we like instead of what you like," for example. Cheer finally gets it and apologizes, and Grumpy points out that he hasn't been grumpy, he's been frustrated. It seems that lately Wingnut has been sluggish, and Grumpy's been trying to fix him, but nothing worked, not even adding an mp3 player (no, really!). Cheer sees that Grumpy's doing the same thing to Wingnut that she was doing to him (i.e. trying to solve the problem without finding out the cause), and it turns out that Wingnut was just low on oil the whole time (but wouldn't Grumpy check that first or something? I'm confused). So now Wingnut's back to normal, and so is Grumpy (Cheer claims she is, too, but I don't know what she means by that). But there's still a hole in his roof (bet you forgot about that, didn't you?). So Funshine and the others promise to help fix it and they scatter to get to work. Cheer doesn't take off, though, until Grumpy fixes her with a look. With everyone gone, he tries to be grumpy, but he knows he's still got it. (Seriously, that's the look he has in the last frame.)

Okay, let me just say, I love Grumpy when he's grumpy, I really do. But it kind of bugs me that he was really rude (as fun to watch as it may have been), but never apologized for it.

Screenshots!
Tenderheart gets a couple of lines
Grumpy got tagged!
Share is hurt...
But Grumpy's there for her
Defenders of justice safety!
Now Oopsy is safe
He sleeps in the hat, with an eyemask
They're fluffity, they're puffity...
Grumpy facepalms
Confronting Care-ful Bear
Grumpy shooing
Grumpy facepalms again
Blindfolded
Covered in pudding
Grumpy is not happy with Cheer
Grumpy gives Cheer "the look"