The Final Episode #36: Pokemon (1997 - 1998, 1998 - 1999)

 

The second I pulled that kinda sorta almost loophole about it being a different show because it has new characters and a new theme song and location out of my asshole to talk about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers I KNEW it wouldn't be long before I decided to talk about Pokémon on my little blog. I'm sure if someone wanted they could put out a great rebuttal about how my reasoning is stupid but I write this to entertain some people and mostly keep my self from going crazy(ier) during the Covid-19 horseshit that has been going on for way too long. I'm sure writing about the Final Episode of Pokémon without this silly little loophole would be impossible because they are just going to make series or shows out of the franchise. The games are still popular after 25 years. Wow I feel ancient and must watch more episodes of Murder She Wrote.

Anyway Pokémon for those who still don't know is a massive series of games where you collect all kinds of creatures and make them fight. There are several types, like Water Type, Grass Type, Fire Type and on and on and on and on. A Fire Type can beat a Grass Type but a Water Type can beat a Fire Type. Stuff like that. They fight in Gyms and have to collect 8 badges to get into the Pokémon League. You also fought against several trainers and groups like Team Rocket (who would steal peoples Pokémon. I always wanted a game where you played as them because they were awesome). The TV show is mostly the same except all the trainers were like 10 years old. Pokémon takes place in a very weird world. I could honestly see the people who didn't like it because it reminded them of cockfighting, that's at least a quasi legit reason. The people who didn't like it because Pokémon evolved can literally put their mouth to my asshole and suck the shit out of it.

Anyway I can remember the first time I ever saw Pokémon. It was like mere days after my 13th Birthday and I was going back to School very soon (my birthday lands on August 31st for anyone who cares) and I was fucking hooked from episode one. Seeing all of these creatures, some cute, some weird, some gross, and I just HAD to see more. Which creature would show up next. It was something amazing that I just HAD to catch every single episode. Pokémon, along with Dragon Ball Z and the One Saturday Morning Disney cartoons are some of the last things I was into as a kid. I mean you could probably argue that 13 was too old for something like this but every kid in my class still watched. I'm pretty sure the last Saturday Morning Cartoon I would watch was probably either Fillmore or Lloyd in Space and that was around 2002. When I was 17. Maturity was never my strong point. Probably never will be. 

Like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers my interest in Pokémon waned when they changed locations and characters and all that. I dunno, I just remember giving up when Brock left during the Orange Island Adventures which had a new theme song and everything. Maybe not playing any games past the first one (until like really recently) also helped. Like the second I found out about the game I KNEW that I had to bring my amazing Gameboy collection from five games to six. Six whole games. At least I think it was six. I don't know totally remember if I owned Super Mario Land or not. I would follow along with the game. I think that might have helped. Anyway I just know that I watched less and less when Brock left and was replaced by Tracy who I found to be less cool and fun. I miss lovesick Brock who wanted to make sweet love to every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny (despite being like ten... I told you Pokémon takes place in a weird world) 

The Final Thanks to My Shitty Loophole Episode of Pokémon took place in 1998 if you lived in Japan and 1999 if you lived in North America (I remember feeling like it took forever for them to get new episodes in at one point but It was probably just a month. Remember being a kid when a month felt like a long time and instead of an adult when you realize a month is like over before you even have a chance to look around. I do.) and was called "The Best of Friends", well it was called that in America. Too lazy to look up the Japanese version of the name. Anyway This episode takes place during the Pokémon League, a set of about seven episodes. I didn't watch all seven episodes but I remember that he ends up befriending a kid named Richie who had his own Pokémon and that he ended up losing because Ash Ketchem is a dummy. Like a real stone dumb motherfucker. I don't give a damn if he's ten or not, he's dumb as hell. But a weirdly charming dummy.

Anyway in the penultimate episode Ash had lost the semi finals to Richie and his other Pikachu who has messy fur to make sure so you know which one is which. This episodes starts up with him moping around because he was a dumbass and put in his Charizard who NEVER FUCKING LISTENS TO HIM in. Anyway he fights with Misty and Pikachu literally shocks the shit out of everyone in the house. He then remembers Richie and goes to see how he is doing. Richie is talking to his Pokeballs and not his actual Pokémon giving them a pep talk. I don't know if that chat is somehow even getting to them or not. I do not know Pokeball technology. 

Anyway he loses to someone and he and Ash go to a nice little river and just talk to each other and talk about how disappointed they were but how they are going to train harder and become Pokemon Masters. Team Rocket shows up and tries to steal Pikachu. They dig two holes to keep Ash away while they take Ash's and Richie's Pikachus and none of the other Pokemon they own and are surprised when they escape using some Flying Pokemon. Team Rocket was funny and entertaining but they were kinda dopes too but not as dopey as Ash Ketchem. Anyway the box they had containing both Pikachus in it was somehow shock proof but the outside wasnt and it explodes sending them off screaming their catch phrase "Team Rocket is Blasting Off Again!" 

They go to the Pokemon League ending ceremony so that every trainer can walk around with their Pokemon and everyone gets a badge for getting into the Pokemon League and I'm sure some conservative thought that was bullshit or something. I dunno. Team Rocket shows up and tries to dig under the ceremony to get all the Pokemon (they at least learned something from the last time) and all they get is a weird Fireworks bomb that gets set off sending them flying yet again. The episode ends with the theme song playing (one of THE best theme songs ever and I will not hear anyone trash it. I will slap and smack you with all of my might!)  and we all wonder what adventures will happen in the next series.

FINAL VERDICT:  Thanks to my loophole I got more stuff to talk about and I love just splurting out my terrible thoughts about stuff. Pokemon was a fun show that I enjoyed watching as a teenager. I enjoyed revisiting this episode but it would not be in the top tier of Final Episodes. It's not even in the Top Tier of Best Series 1 Pokemon Episodes either. Still it was a lot more fun to watch than Mighty Morphin Power Rangers which is probably the worst  Final Episode thus far because it's so half assed. Anyway this episode also had this song playing from Pikachu's Jukebox which is really rad.