A Poached Ego! (282)

[Leonhart]

Also, it was from this point onward that James started to catch cute Pokémon!

While his new Sabonea that he befriended and captured here was certainly cute, I always had a soft spot for Kojirou's Matadogas, which I found somewhat cute in a bizarre, raggedy kind of way.

 

[Jnmisty]

It really bothered me that Ash never knew that Jessie and James released Arbok and Weezing to help guide the Ekans and Koofing to escape from the poacher. I mean by the next episode, Ash never asked them about them and didn’t really realize that they are good people deep down and hidden.

 

[Leonhart]

It really bothered me that Ash never knew that Jessie and James released Arbok and Weezing to help guide the Ekans and Koofing to escape from the poacher. I mean by the next episode, Ash never asked them about them and didn’t really realize that they are good people deep down and hidden.

I did find it a little strange that Satoshi didn't react to Musashi and Kojirou having new Pokemon in place of their old ones later on, although I didn't care that much that he didn't personally witness Matadogas and Arbok's releases here. I doubt that it would've changed how he viewed Musashi and Kojirou since at the end of the day they didn't change as characters in spite of their selflessness in this episode.

 

[DatsRight]

I'd argue the crueller knife twist was having Ash and co effortlessly beat the poacher in five seconds after the torture and sacrifice Team Rocket had to go through just to mildly slow him down.

This guy in the eyes of TR was one of vilest and most menacing antagonists the show had so far and even permanently cost two main characters their beloved Pokemon (something they'd failed to do even once in over six series) while as it turns out to anyone else he was just another useless criminal who couldn't even go down with a fight. One of Team Rocket's cruelest punching bag moments by far (and that's saying a lot).

 

[Leonhart]

I'd argue the crueller knife twist was having Ash and co effortlessly beat the poacher in five seconds after the torture and sacrifice Team Rocket had to go through just to mildly slow him down.

This guy in the eyes of TR was one of vilest and most menacing antagonists the show had so far and even permanently cost two main characters their beloved Pokemon (something they'd failed to do even once in over six series) while as it turns out to anyone else he was just another useless criminal who couldn't even go down with a fight. One of Team Rocket's cruelest punching bag moments by far (and that's saying a lot).

That just shows how weak the Rocket-dan were back then. I think they're generally stronger now, but in OS and early AG they were complete pushovers because they lacked battle tactics and usually attacked with brute strength, which hardly ever worked in their favor since Arbok and Matadogas were barely strong in the first place.

 

[DatsRight]

That just shows how weak the Rocket-dan were back then. I think they're generally stronger now, but in OS and early AG they were complete pushovers because they lacked battle tactics and usually attacked with brute strength, which hardly ever worked in their favor since Arbok and Matadogas were barely strong in the first place.

They were SOMETIMES a threat in the OS, but AG I think really took to making TR the show's perennial washouts, actually probably more so than even DP, since by then it had at least gone so far that they started breaking the formula and actually had them WIN some things.

Everyone plus their mother could usually beat them with ease in AG, even the series' other bungling antagonists. Ironically I think the only characters that were allowed to surpass the TRio's last place in the hierarchy were Biff and Cassidy, since double crossing them in a BF episode was about the only moment of oneupmanship they ever accomplished in this series (at least without the twerps' help).

I do generally remember AG's TR limelight having this pressing meaner more cynical tint to it, even compared to other 'punching bag TR' series where they usually got some moments of coming out on top. Maybe because this was the first region they had little backstory connection and so were almost always just treated as in-over-their-head third wheels.

 

[TheWanderingMist]

They were SOMETIMES a threat in the OS, but AG I think really took to making TR the show's perennial washouts, actually probably more so than even DP, since by then it had at least gone so far that they started breaking the formula and actually had them WIN some things.

Everyone plus their mother could usually beat them with ease in AG, even the series' other bungling antagonists. Ironically I think the only characters that were allowed to surpass the TRio's last place in the hierarchy were Biff and Cassidy, since double crossing them in a BF episode was about the only moment of oneupmanship they ever accomplished in this series (at least without the twerps' help).

I do generally remember AG's TR limelight having this pressing meaner more cynical tint to it, even compared to other 'punching bag TR' series where they usually got some moments of coming out on top. Maybe because this was the first region they had little backstory connection and so were almost always just treated as in-over-their-head third wheels.

AG even has the episode where the twerps start rescuing Pokemon while they are reciting their motto.

 

[DatsRight]

AG even has the episode where the twerps start rescuing Pokemon while they are reciting their motto.

I tend to remember AG being much more violent towards TR as well, as in while they regularly get extreme methods of 'blasting off' per series, here they felt REALLY painful, and they'd regularly get it while retreating or surrendering, or even when they'd done a very petty crime or just bugged the cast at the wrong moment. The twerps seemed to be completely DONE with their crap by this point and were trying to teach them the hard way to hit the road and NEVER come back.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I tend to remember AG being much more violent towards TR as well, as in while they regularly get extreme methods of 'blasting off' per series, here they felt REALLY painful, and they'd regularly get it while retreating or surrendering, or even when they'd done a very petty crime or just bugged the cast at the wrong moment. The twerps seemed to be completely DONE with their crap by this point and were trying to teach them the hard way to hit the road and NEVER come back.

AG also showed how violent Jessie could be as well. She literally beat Seviper to a pulp just because it accidentally cut her hair off scaring James and Meowth so much that they were literally shaking in terror and curled up in the background so Jessie wouldn’t hurt them. This is one of two incidences where a person was shown to graphically abuse a Pokémon with the other being the Plasma grunt in the games that was kicking Munna. Jessie was so close to straight up murdering poor Seviper and only stopped when James had to remind her that she originally just wanted to catch it.

 

[Leonhart]

I tend to remember AG being much more violent towards TR as well, as in while they regularly get extreme methods of 'blasting off' per series, here they felt REALLY painful, and they'd regularly get it while retreating or surrendering, or even when they'd done a very petty crime or just bugged the cast at the wrong moment. The twerps seemed to be completely DONE with their crap by this point and were trying to teach them the hard way to hit the road and NEVER come back.

I don't condone the way they were treated in this episode since they didn't do anything that merited the abuse that they suffered at the hands of the poacher, but I do remember that about twenty episodes from this one they almost drowned Satoshi's friends while on Muro Island. So that holds back some of my pity for the Rocket-dan trio.

 

[Ubermuk]

but I do remember that about twenty episodes from this one they almost drowned Satoshi's friends while on Muro Island. So that holds back some of my pity for the Rocket-dan trio.

That wasn't their fault though? They didn't plan on hurting May, Max and Brock their plan was to trap them in a cage to steal their Pokemon but then they got trapped themselves and the tide came in. I don't think TRio planned to let May and the others die...

 

[cricketlaxwolvesbandy]

Very sad episode, poor Arbok and Weezing.
Cacnea though!