Adventures in Care-a-lot episode 13

Both of these eps were just okay. They each had their moments, but the whole is definitely not greater than the sum of its parts. The first ep gets points for lots of Grumpy (literally!), plus Grumpy in safety glasses (so cute!). The second part is only worth mentioning for UR-2's quip and a cute Grumpy/Share moment.

Two of a Kind - "You have to listen! You're me!"
This ep starts on a fine summer day, as Cheer jump-ropes outside of Grumpy's garage, not a care in the world. Sparkles start sprinkling out of the garage, followed by Grumpy, who's having a hard time getting his latest new invention, the Sparkle Sprinkler, to work right. Cheer doesn't see the problem, until Grumpy directs her to his singed bottom. Since Grumpy's having trouble working on it on his own, Cheer rounds up the usual gang (plus Surprise) to help out. Oopsy starts to touch stuff, but Grumpy wards him off, sending him stumbling back, and ends up getting his foot stuck in a pail of glue. While Oopsy struggles, Grumpy briefs the others on what the sprinkler needs. Did I mention that everyone's wearing safety glasses? Except Oopsy, who manages to get himself stuck to the wall, which is just where Grumpy wants him.
Apparently, Grumpy's briefing was too brief, as no one has any clue what to do. So they try moving all his tools within reach, but Grumpy just trips over everything and ends up in the trash. Then Cheer starts painting the sprinkler pink, Share adds the wrong gears, and Surprise and Funshine make the sprinkler shoot out streamers (how, I have no clue). I absolutely love Grumpy's delivery on his next line, "Why...are you wasting time on streamers?" If he sounded like that all the time, it would be awesome. Grumpy yells at the others for not doing things "the Grumpy way," but Cheer points out that they don't know what that means. Surprise tries to take advantage of Grumpy's vagueness, but no dice. Grumpy feels he doesn't have time to show them what to do if he's going to fix the sprinkler, but everyone still wants to help. So Grumpy tells them they can help him most by leaving. So everyone does, heavyhearted, except for Oopsy who's still glued to the wall.
While Grumpy initially feels bad, he tells himself that he didn't need help, only to be proven wrong. Just as he admits that he does need help, he accidently sets off the streamers again, and vows to get some "Grumpy help." So he pulls out the mirror of Erised a strange mirror device. He powers it up and out walks another Grumpy with a handy 2 on his belly badge. The clone is ready to get right down to work, and takes a look at the plans, only to disparage them instantly. Grumpy doesn't understand how the clone, who is essentially himself, could dislike the plans, but no matter, the clone takes matters into his own paws and gets to work, telling Grumpy to "go organize your bolts." Grumpy instead works on the side, only to have the clone tell him he isn't do it right. Again, Grumpy is confused about this, since he's never seen any movies about cloning. Don't you know, Grumpy, the clone always thinks they're superior to the original!
While Grumpy asks his reflection (rather than break the fourth wall, like he usually does) whether he's just getting what he gave earlier in the episode, the clone goes offscreen and makes a clone of himself, this one with a handy 3 on his belly badge. The two clones (referred to from here on as Two and Three) gang up on Grumpy, saying that he doesn't know how to do things "the Grumpy way," despite the fact that he invented it, and just confusing him more and more, especially when Three tells him to "Tell it to someone who cares," since they're, y'know, Care Bears. But the clones forcibly eject Grumpy from the garage and lock him out.
Grumpy sees Cheer and attempts to explain what happened, but it just comes out as a confusing mess. So he tries again and Cheer immediately sees the parallels in how his clones are acting and himself earlier. Grumpy takes this to mean that she's gonna hold a grudge and not help him, even though Cheer obviously hadn't thought of that until he mentioned it. She feigns being mad at him, but he gives her such a winning smile that she can't help but forgive him. Besides, she empathizes with him for some strange reason. So she rounds up the gang and Grumpy briefs them on what they need to do. Again, too briefly. Cheer tells him to give them each something specific to do to make the plan work, so he has Cheer make ropes, Share get tools, and puts Surprise in charge of surprises (Funshine gets nothin'), and then they head up to the roof of his garage. With Funshine's help, Grumpy pries open a hatch, and they spy the two clones arguing:
Three: My way is faster.
Two: Well, my way is better.
Three: Oh yeah, well my way is faster and better! Your way is slower and dumber.
I don't know why that amuses me, but it does. Maybe because Three says the whole "faster and better" part really fast, too, as if to emphasize the speed. Or something. While the clones bicker, the others sneak in, and Surprise ruins the element of surprise they had going by popping up in between the clones. Grumpy starts to tell her off, but then switches to almost-sorta praise, probably to avoid Cheer feigning being mad at him again. The clones complain about everyone showing up, since they're out numbered now, and Grumpy escorts them back to the mirror and they go in willingly, being sick of each other. Even Grumpy was sick of himself by then (I had no idea he was a narcissist...). He apologizes to the others for being mean even though they were doing him a favor earlier. And the others forgive him, of course, and Funshine even points out that he does a good job of leading, when he actually tells them what to do. So Grumpy suggests they all go and play Belly Ball. Cheer teases him, but they all leave happily, except for Oopsy who is still glued to the wall.
Okay, so Grumpy apparently made the cloning device a while ago, but never used it until now? How come? I mean, sure it didn't work out for him, but he didn't know that until he used it. And how did he know it would work, anyway, if he hadn't tested it or anything?

Stand Up and Cheer - "I gotta go find my puppet!"
It's a random playday in Care-a-lot, emphasis on "random." Funshine shows off his juggling, although one morning's practice just wasn't enough. And Love-a-lot's doing some kind of weird balancing act with her hearts (Share calls it dancing and Love-a-lot neither confirms nor denies this), plus Harmony's got her trained canaries out for practice. Share and Cheer try to find a way to turn all these random acts into a theme for the episode and decide to make a new reality TV show: Care-a-lot's Got Talent! Grumpy scoffs at their lack of inspiration, until Cheer reveals that he could easily become a star, if only he had the talent... Fortunately, Grumpy always has an unrevealed talent, and this time it's ventriloquism. Share has no clue what's he talking about, so Cheer lays it out so blatantly that she's almost guaranteeing that Grumpy's act will fail. And then comes an adorable Share/Grumpy moment as Share gives him puppydog eyes to get him to be in the show, and Grumpy agrees (how could he not?).
Meanwhile, Grizzle spies the ad Share and Cheer came up with and instantly hatches a plot to crash the show and capture all the Care Bears, since they'll all be in one place. How handy. He orders UR-2 and Sargent Rocketbottom to make him a costume for the show, and UR-2 (who is made of win) snidely remarks that you need a talent to enter a talent contest.
Grizzle: My talent will be capturing those Care Bears!
UR-2: Oh. How original. <--so deadpan. I love it!
Also, Mr. Beaks gets a costume, but no sequins.
Conflict on the stage! Grumpy and Love-a-lot clash over who gets to practice on stage, but Cheer is there to keep things from getting out of hand. Share shows Cheer her sleight-of-paw act and confides in her about her semi-stage fright. Cheer promises to stay backstage to help, just in case, and Share promises to help Cheer with her act. But before Cheer can come up with anything, Grumpy runs in with another crisis, and off Cheer goes to work on the lights. Later, as more bears show up to help set up, Grizzle arrives sporting a harlequin costume and a ridiculous French accent. He introduces himself as Monsieur Razzle Dazzle (and Mr. Beaks as Beaky Pierre), and tells Cheer and Share about his act, involving a unicycle and spinning plates. Share and Cheer aren't fooled, but let him enter anyway, since the rules say that anyone can perform. And Cheer still hasn't thought up an act, and won't have a chance to, if the latest set of crises is any indication (the most interesting involves Oopsy, Grumpy, and Grumpy's dummy, Mr. Smartybritches).
Finally, the big night arrives. The stars are all out for the show--literally! And Friend Bear, too. Cheer acts as Ryan Seacrest to this Care-a-lot Idol, with Harmony and Grumpy as Paula and Simon, respectively (no Randy, though). The show opens with Love-a-lot, who stumbles but makes the most of her dance. Harmony calls it perfect (which it wasn't), prompting Grumpy to overcompensate to even out the judging. Cheer calls him on this, and blackmails him into changing his assessment. Moving right along, there's Funshine and his juggling, Harmony and her birds, and Oopsy's tumbling act that predictably (and a bit implausibly) ends with him on top of Grumpy. Share's cute in a top hat and cape, Grumpy mugs with Mr. Smartybritches, all leading up to the final act. Grizzle comes out, actually doing pretty well when you consider that he probably never rode a unicycle or spun plates before that day, but in the end, it all comes crashing down. So he reveals the huge net he set up to capture all the Care Bears, but when it comes down, he's the one who ends up inside. This earns him the Best Act of the Night Award in a unanimous vote. And he's quite touched.
Cheer announces the end of the show, but everyone demands to see her act. Cheer admits to not having an act, although she tries to pass it off as not having any talent of her own. So the others in the show point out her super-organizing skills, and everything ends with a hug, and nobody helping Grizzle out of the net.

Okay, who runs the Care-a-lot Coffee Shop, hm?