♪
Great work today, family.
Despite being down one Green, we sped right through those chores.
I still hope Cricket is feeling better.
I still can't believe he said Melissa the goat tried to eat his arm off.
Yeah. Pretty convenient Cricket got hurt on chore day.
Well, since we work so hard, maybe we could...
treat ourselves early to that strawberry cake you made?
[Tilly gasps] Oh, yes, Mama, please?
Sure! But keep in mind, I'm not much of a baker.
Definitely not Alice-level.
- Yessir. - This cake was always my dad's favorite.
And despite our rocky relationship, it always brought us together.
[blows raspberry]
That's how good it is.
- Now, who wants some cake? - Me! Me! Me!
- Let's dig in. - [all gasp]
- My cake! - Oh, no. How could this have happened?
All of us were outside, doin' chores.
- Not all of us. - [both] Cricket!
- Cricket? - Ha-ha! That's me name. Don't wear it out.
What do you have to say about this?
The heck? You guys ate all the cake without me?
- Nice try. We know you ate it. - What? No, I didn't.
Cricket, your mom worked real hard on that cake.
And some of us thought we deserved a little treat.
You were the only one home. Therefore, the only one who could have done it.
But it wasn't me! I was upstairs, resting my hurt arm.
I've heard enough. Room! Now!
- Come on, up we go. - But I'm innocent!
Tilly, you believe me, right? You know I wouldn't do this!
Well, you were the only one home, and... you do love cake.
Please! I'm beggin' ya! I invoke sibling code!
- Sibling code? - Papa? A minute.
Brother, sibling code is a sacred oath of loyalty.
Only to be invoked in the most extreme situations.
If you're lyin', I'll never be able to trust you again.
I know. But I swear on sibling-hood I ain't.
Okay, family. I know my brother,
and if he invokes sibling code, then he is telling the truth.
Therefore, I propose... a trial!
Oh!
Oh, I could get into that.
[Nancy groans] Fine!
But the evidence is pretty incriminating.
Cricket is my baby brother. I will defend him in life and death.
It may take weeks. Months.
You have an hour while I make a new cake.
We can work with that.
Court is now in session. Let us begin.
Lady and gentleman of the jury,
Miss Mama Prosecutor.
We've gathered here to investigate a crime
about a cake.
Now. What makes a cake?
Sugar? Flour? Sure.
But you know what ingredient is not in Mama's recipe?
Injustice!
And that is what we have here today.
Ooh, she got you good.
Let us review the timeline.
This morning, Mama finished making the cake after breakfast.
The four of us left to do chores at 9:00 a.m.
Leaving Cricket and his injured arm home alone.
At 11:20 a.m., we arrived back at the house,
at which point, the cake was gone.
Did anyone see the cake between those times?
Yeah. At 11:00. We were all in the garden,
and I checked on it through the window.
It was untouched.
[whispering] That means I'm innocent, right?
No. It means Mama must prove you ate the cake sometime between 11:00 and 11:20.
Easy. For starters, there's a huge mess in the kitchen.
And I know exactly how it got there.
Cricket would never leave out delicious food for long.
I bet he waited until he thought it was safe to strike.
[sneaky laugh]
[Nancy] We all know, when Cricket eats sugar,
he goes hog wild,
hence, destroying the kitchen!
Cricket does get crazy after dessert. Sometimes.
- He'll just attack me! - Let's throw the book at 'em!
Seems like the jury is in agreement.
- [anxious moan] - You make an interesting point, Mama.
- But also, nuh-uh. - Huh?
You said you saw the cake from outside the house.
Therefore, the mess inside the house
could have been caused before 11:00 by anyone.
Like Gramma!
[gasps] I'm awake-- life sentence-- What?
I mean, she carries a sword around, for cryin' out loud.
Causing ruin at every turn.
Objection!
- Yeah, it tracks. - Yeah. Yes, it does.
Guess we were wrong. Maybe Cricket is innocent?
Now hold up. We haven't reviewed all the evidence.
Follow me.
Exhibit B. This big sweat spot.
And what could have caused that big a spot?
Well, eating a dessert meant for five people,
would pose a great physical challenge,
leading to involuntary perspiration,
better known as... "cake sweats!"
- Gross! - There is a big sweat stain here.
Made by someone in this room. But who, may I ask?
Papa, do you not also profusely perspire?
No! I only sweat after farming.
And cleanin' the house. And when I'm being accused of sweatin' a lot.
- Oh, man! - I'd say that speaks for itself.
Without any physical evidence to link my client to the crime,
you cannot punish him.
[groans] I guess I can't prove Cricket ate the cake.
That's right, baby. I'm innocent! Up top!
Cricket? Isn't that your arm
that kept you from doing chores today?
Ahh... Oh, no! I hurt so bad. I'm dying!
Oh, I see the white light! And it looks so... inviting!
Ohhh... Waah.
Nothin', really? Okay. Yes, my arm isn't hurt.
But that doesn't mean I ate the cake!
You still believe me, right, Tilly?
If he was lying about his injury,
how can we trust he's not lying about eating the cake?
- Cricket? - Come on, I know this looks bad,
but remember, "sibling code"?
Sibling code.
Okay, okay. Cricket may have lied to get out of chores.
But there is still no physical evidence
to link him to the crime of cake eating.
In fact, if Cricket ate the cake,
wouldn't there be some trace of it on his person?
After all, he is a messy eater.
Brother, can you take a little twirl for us?
One twirl comin' up!
[gasps]
Is that...?
Strawberry icing.
No, no, no! We don't know that it's strawberry icing!
It could be... marker. Or... ah, milkshake!
From last 4th of July!
Why don't you taste it for yourself, if you're so sure.
Fine. I'll prove once and for all, that it's...
Strawberry icing.
I'm sorry, Tilly, but we've got all the evidence we need, right here.
So, what do you say we call it?
Ah... I call a recess!
[groans] I can't believe you, Cricket!
You abused sibling code!
I didn't! I don't know how the icing got on my arm.
I was tellin' the truth before, and I'm tellin' it now.
Brother, you lied to me! And you've broken my trust.
Forever.
Wow, this is the worst day of my life!
I was pinned for something I didn't do.
Lost your trust! And I even missed my call with Gabriella.
Wait. You had a video call planned with Gabriella?
- Why didn't you mention it before? - Well, 'cause it never happened.
I was just about to call her when y'all got back from doin' chores.
Oh, lemme see that.
[softly] Bingo, bango.
- We'll fix it later. - Everyone, stop what you're doing!
We were just waiting for ya, sweetie.
And your dirty, thieving little brother.
Now, I know we've heard many theories today
about what happened to Mama's strawberry cake.
And I'm here to tell you...
that Cricket is very much responsible for all the evidence
- Mama presented. - So you admit it!
- Are you kidding me? - You make me sick.
Tilly? What are you doing?
But... he's not responsible for eatin' the cake.
Allow me to explain. During the recess,
I learned that Cricket had a video call planned
with his big-city girlfriend, Gabriella.
Seen here, in this drawing I found hidden in Cricket's room.
- Aint' that cute. - The boy's an artist!
- Nyah! What's your point, Tilly? - I will get there.
Cricket did lie about his arm injury.
Not as a way to be alone with a cake,
but instead, to prepare for his video call with his GF.
- And how's that? - I'm glad you asked.
First, I know that he becomes incredibly nervous
whenever he speaks with Gabriella.
When nervous, Cricket is prone to singing and dancing
with unbridled aggression, in order to soothe himself.
♪ I am the man I am the monster man ♪
Ayahh! ♪ I've just got to be free! ♪
♪ Barracuda-- ♪ Wow!
[mimicking guitar music]
Second! Cricket could have worked up quite a sweat.
And for a creative boy, anything could be a towel.
Including a cushion.
[Gramma] I hand-sewed those in 1950!
And third! Cricket wanted to climb up high,
to make him feel real tall and powerful.
I feel so tall and powerful!
Huh? Whoa-oh-wow!
Whoa-a-a-a-a!
Oh! That's exactly what happened.
That's all speculation. You have no proof that Cricket
didn't eat that cake in the 20 minutes after.
Au contraire!
May I present to the court, Exhibit C.
Ahem! Hey, Gabby-- that's not it.
Wassup, Gabs? No. It's stupid! Stupid!
Oh! Oh, no.
You always rehearse before makin' a phone call?
- Gimme that tablet! - It's for your honor!
Cricket's rehearsal video is an embarrassing 32 minutes long.
Like, is cereal a soup?
- Oh... - Cricket!
Coming!
This time-stamped video clearly proves...
that between 11:00 and 11:20,
my client's mouth was full of love, not cake.
And with that, I rest my case.
- I don't believe it. - [alarm ringing]
[Nancy] Cricket Green? I find you... not guilty!
[cheering]
Do the innocence wave with me, Ma!
Tilly, thank you for trusting sibling code.
And for knowing me better than anyone else.
I love you, baby brother.
Cricket, I am so sorry. I almost grounded you
for something you didn't do.
It's okay. I usually done it.
But if Cricket didn't eat the cake, who did?
There's gotta be something we're missing.
And now for a poem, "From the Fires of my Heart."
[clears throat] "G is for..."
What the... I know who did it!
I know who took the cake!
- [all gasping] - [slurping]
Hello, Dad.
- [kids] Grandpa? - [Bill and Gramma] Nick?
Hey! That's me. Dad Grandpa Nick.
♪ I got sweat in my eyes ♪
♪ Lost a bet and got ♪
♪ Bit by a hundred flies ♪
♪ I fell out a big old tree ♪
♪ Hit every branch And scraped up both my knees ♪
♪ I got chased by a dog ♪
♪ Kissed by a frog Got a rash on my leg ♪
♪ Dropped a dozen eggs ♪
♪ I got splinters in seven of ten ♪
♪ And tomorrow I'll do it all again ♪