Top Cat is the thirty-first episode of The Tom and Jerry Show (2014). It is written by Adam Rudman and directed by Darrell Van Citters.
Synopsis[]
Tom and Butch both compete for the coveted Golden Fez in the United Mouse Catchers as they attempt to outsmart each other in capturing Jerry.
Plot[]
Tom is preparing for his meeting with the United Mouse Catchers, frantically searching for his fez. He spots Jerry using his fez for the mouse is luxuriating in a bath, blissfully unaware of Tom's sneaky approach. As Tom draws closer, Jerry unexpectedly squirts shampoo right into his face, prompting a wild chase down the stairs. In his haste, Tom narrowly avoids waking Spike, who is peacefully asleep. However, disaster strikes when Tyke, Spike's mischievous pup, bites Tom on the rear end, causing him to scream in pain. In his attempt to pry Tyke off, Tom inadvertently draws Spike’s attention, who growls a warning not to disturb his slumber again, threatening a hefty punishment. Meanwhile, Tyke barks ferociously at Tom, further asserting his dominance. In a fit of frustration, Spike punches Tom, sending him crashing into a grandfather clock.
Amidst the chaos, Tom realizes he's late for the meeting and scrambles to leave—only to be crushed by the very clock he just collided with.
Meanwhile, in the alley, the members of the United Mouse Catchers are joyfully singing their club’s signature song. Tom manages to arrive just in time to join in, albeit without his fez. As the song concludes, everyone tosses their fezes into the air. The leader of the group, Skid, calms the crowd to announce the meeting’s commencement and the impending selection of a new top cat—an event filled with nostalgia as everyone reflects on Skid's retirement.
Skid introduces the two candidates for the top cat position: Butch, representing the alley cats, and Tom, representing the domestic cats. Each candidate takes their turn to deliver a speech, but Butch cunningly interrupts Tom, praising the impressive legacy of past top cats, especially Skid, while emphasizing that every top cat has successfully caught their mouse. The crowd wholeheartedly agrees, but Butch quickly undermines Tom by reminding everyone that Tom has yet to catch Jerry, prompting a cacophony of chatter among the members.
In a powerful rebuttal, Skid stands up to assert that Jerry is not your average mouse. He enlists his assistant Marvin to dim the lights and present a slideshow highlighting Tom's struggles with Jerry and Spike. Skid then announces that the decision will come down to a vote between Tom and Butch, resulting in a tie. Citing club rules, Skid declares that some form of competition must determine the new top cat. Noting Jerry's reputation as the smartest mouse around, he declares that whoever captures Jerry first will receive the golden fez and be crowned the new top cat.
As Skid explains the rules, Butch slyly ties Tom’s tail to Marvin, leaving Tom stuck in place. With a smirk, Butch offers a taunting farewell before speeding off toward their goal. In an amusing twist, Tom must drag Marvin along with him on his bike, still tethered together, as he tries to keep pace with Butch, who is running on foot. However, Butch quickly gains an advantage on a speedy motor scooter, leaving Tom frustrated. Desperate to catch up, Tom leaps onto Butch's tail to hold on tight until a pothole sends Marvin flying into a nearby tree.
Two feline rivals collide as they reach the front yard. Just then, Tyke playfully bites Butch on the rear. Determined to outsmart his rival, Butch lifts Tyke and places him onto Tom's rear, hoping the pup will distract him. Tom is bitten in the rear and places Tyke in a thin pot to keep him out of the way before attempting to race after Butch, who has already reached the house.
Two feline rivals collide as they reach the front yard, ending up tangled and momentarily unconscious. Just then, Tyke playfully bites Butch on the rear end, causing both cats to yowl in surprise. Shaking off their confusion, Tom quickly places Tyke into a thin pot to keep him out of the way before dashing behind Butch as they attempt to enter the house.
Meanwhile, Marvin calls for help from a tree, but neither cat pays him any mind. Butch reaches the door first and spots Jerry, who warns him about the sleeping Spike nearby. Ignoring the mouse’s warning, Butch slams the door behind him, only to be met with Spike’s furious punch, sending him flying like a ragdoll. As Tom approaches the front door, he collides with Butch, who has just been launched by Spike and lands right at Tom’s feet. The two cats share a moment of dismay before deciding to sneak inside the house, careful not to wake Spike.
They search high and low, finally spotting Jerry in the kitchen, busily making a sandwich. With a swift and coordinated effort, they attempt to catch the clever mouse, but Jerry swiftly escapes their grasp. In a fit of frustration, Butch smacks Tom with a frying pan to clear a path to Jerry. The mouse, ever the opportunist, darts towards Spike, using the sleeping dog’s presence to elude capture. Jerry stands next to Spike, brandishing a mallet and playfully threatening to whack him. With a quick swing, Jerry manages to frame Butch, who frantically races out the back door in a desperate attempt to avoid Spike's wrath. But to his dismay, Spike is waiting there and delivers a blow with a mallet, leaving Butch dazed.
Meanwhile, Tom blocks off Jerry's escape hole with a piece of wood. In a clever ploy, Jerry knocks on a nearby table, tricking Tom into thinking he’s back in his hole. As Tom leans in to listen, Jerry sneaks up and whacks him with a broom. The mouse then scurries away to the stairs, with Butch spotting him as he passes. Butch then puts his arm out as Tom is chasing after the mouse, tripping him to thwart his rival from going after the elusive mouse.
The mouse scurries away, catching Butch’s attention and causing him to trip Tom in the process. Butch immediately takes off after the mouse, racing up the stairs. When he reaches the top, he sees Jerry sliding down the banister. As Jerry glides down, he turns around and spots Tom waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.
Both cats attempt to catch Jerry, but he eludes them once again. Jerry uses the recliner to launch both cats to a top of a vase dangling on it above Spike, who is napping peacefully nearby. Dangerously balancing on a vase resting on a table next to Spike. Tyke peeks into the room for a moment before leaving, completely unaware of the two cats above his view. As both cats sigh in relief, Jerry pushes the vase, causing the two to fall; however, Butch manages to catch the vase before it hits the ground near Spike. Tom chases after Jerry out of the room. Before Tyke returns, he finds Butch near Spike, sleeping, and bites him in the rear, causing him to yell and drop the vase on Spike's head. Spike rises up, seeing him. Tom returns to the room after Jerry and crashes into Spike's face. Angered, Spike beats them and throws them outside to the street, where they are launched back by a powerline as Spike slams the door on both of them.
Spike is sleeping when Tom sees that Butch has placed earmuffs over his ears as the alley cat waves back to him. As Butch has a hold of Jerry, the moment he looks away, dynamite explodes in front of him, turning him to dust. Jerry seizes the opportunity to brush Butch into a dustpan and out the window. Tom attempts to go inside through the manhole to enter the house from the bathroom, but Jerry thwarts his efforts by flushing him.
Butch tries to enter through the tree that Marvin is stuck on. Marvin, who is asking for help from his fellow member, is ignored by Butch, who is focused on catching Jerry at the top window. However, when he reaches for the window, Jerry shuts it on his fingers, causing Butch to fall down onto Tom. Realizing they're doing it all wrong, they remember the club slogan that unites the two cats work together and elaborate their next scene.
As the two crawl through the vent, Jerry overhears Tom and Butch discussing their ambitions of becoming top cat. In the next scene, Butch and Tom lurk behind a wall, calling out for Jerry. They've managed to tie Spike up with a rope anchored by nails. Spotting him in the kitchen, the feline duo pursues him.
Jerry shrieks and scurries into a hole, only to pop out on the other side, where he encounters Tom in the living room. He quickly retreats back into another hole, only to bump into Butch in the kitchen. The chase continues as Jerry zigzags back and forth, evading the cats.
Both cats frantically grope for Jerry as he jumps past them, resulting in their hands getting intertwined. Believing they've caught the mouse, they start yanking each other into the wall repeatedly. Frustrated, Tom escalates the situation by poking Butch with a broom, even thrusting it toward his throat as he tries to shake him off. Tom ups the ante and pokes at Butch with a broom, even going so far as to thrust it into his throat and therefore his body from mouth to tail. Tom proceeds to do this until he finds Jerry confidently smirking and points at him from another hole, Tom spots him and seizes the moment him and grabs hold of him.
Tom has Jerry firmly in his grasp, but Butch suddenly appears, noticing Tom's reluctance to share. Butch cleverly distracts Tom by looking away, then knocks him out with a pot to the head and snatches Jerry away. Butch rushes to the front door, where he is confronted by Tyke, who shows him the rope used to tie up Spike. In a fit of anger, Spike punches Butch, sending him crashing into the china cabinet in the dining room.
Meanwhile, Tom seizes the opportunity and, while Butch is unconscious, attempts to hurry out of the house. However, he is thwarted when Spike slams the door just as Tom tries to escape, causing him to collide with it. As Tom crashes into the door, Jerry is sent flying into Butch's waiting hands as he rushes out the back door.
Distracted by Tyke, who bites him again, Butch fails to notice Tom sneaking up behind him. Tom delivers a blow with a wooden plank, sending Jerry soaring into the air once more. In the chaos, Butch manages to catch the mouse with a net and laughs triumphantly—only to have the heavy cat Marvin fall from the tree, landing squarely on top of him.
As Butch struggles beneath Marvin, Tom cleverly steals Jerry away and walks cheerfully toward the road. Entranced by the sight of the open road, Tom nearly walks into oncoming traffic, leaving him paralyzed in shock. Meanwhile, Butch confidently strides out onto the road. Despite having warned Tom that it’s not safe to cross the street, Butch ignores the caution and walks directly into the street without looking, only to be run over by an approaching vehicle. The truck screeches to a halt at the stop sign.
Both cats soon return to the United Mouse Catchers club, sporting crutches and casts, having both failed to bring Jerry back. Skid, the leader, clarifies that he has read the rules twice regarding ties but finds that the rules do not explicitly address this situation. Since neither Butch nor Tom has successfully caught Jerry, Skid declares that the deserving recipient of the golden fez is… Jerry! The announcement leaves everyone in shock. Butch and Tom fall in disbelief as the other cats look on in confusion. Skid urges everyone to welcome the new top mouse, and Jerry cheerfully waves his arms at the crowd as the episode comes to a close.
Characters[]
Main Characters[]
- Tom Cat (Main Antagonist)
- Butch Cat (Secondary Antagonist)
- Jerry Mouse
Major Characters[]
Minor Characters[]
- Meathead Cat (slideshow)
- Other Cats
Trivia[]
- This episode's name is a possible tie in to the Hanna-Barbera animated television series, Top Cat.
- Meathead made only a brief appearance in a slideshow that showcased a chaotic scene, featuring one of the five cats tangled in a sprawling pile with Tom, Butch, and two others, all beneath a triumphant Jerry who proudly held up a pair of boxing gloves.
- The scene in which Jerry is inside a hole while Tom and Butch grab each other's hands, mistakenly thinking they have caught Jerry, and repeatedly smash into the wall, is reminiscent of the scene from Trap Happy. The difference is that, unlike in the original short where Tom pushes Butch into the wall, Jerry emerges from a nearby hole, and it is Tom who hits Butch with a broom instead.
Errors[]
Gallery[]
Main article: Top Cat/Gallery