I actually feel more ill today than I felt yesterday. Go figure.
It's a little bit of a frustrating time to try to review episodes, since there's a predominant sense of "been there, done that" on this site right now. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that predictions are that Ash will lose to the trainer who's appearing specifically for the league (and one does show up), there will be some excuse for Dawn to leave the group and Ash to go to the new region, and so forth. It's sapping all the excitement of the league, especially since not all of these details have been confirmed. But what was proven right via the preview at the end of the episode for Ash's first round Sinnoh league match has been enough to say "Well, we've been here before, and so we know what's going to happen." Not that I don't think that any of this is wrong; more than 99.9% likely, if you had to say something, those predictions are the logical ones to make. But what's surprising/saddening to me is that even the homepage of this site has essentially listed some of these predictions as facts, citing what's happened in previous regions as support. I suppose none of this should bother me, but part of the fun of actually coming to a pokemon site, besides learning information, is to hopefully meet some people who have similar interests about the show. And for me, I want to enjoy the league; I want to think something is going to come out of it. And that's part of the reason I'm doing these reviews: Sinnoh has been amazing. It's important to stay in the moment, and considering how long it takes for the league to come around, it's a shame if it's not enjoyed more.
Well, sorry about that, I needed to get it off my mind. Zoey's 3rd appearance is a little better than her second, although I still think she struggles from the writers trying to make her a perfect coordinator, and doing that at the expense of our heroes. Here, it's Dawn who can't find the medicine in her bag needed for Zoey's injury, Brock producing it from his own bag (of course!), Dawn remarking who needs Nurse Joy, and then Brock working himself into a fitful range. That actually reminds me...once there was something Paul said to Dawn that sent her into a fitful rage as well back at the first gym. It really seems like the writers were trying to establish cross-interactions for Dawn/Paul and Ash/Zoey, but in the end basically gave up, especially after they decided to make Paul an experienced trainer rather than someone starting out. So now, there's not as much need for Ash to respect Zoey and Dawn to respect Paul since those 2 rivals are worlds apart; if Paul is a better trainer than Zoey, it's b/c he's more experienced and not necessarily more creative or talented. Wow! What a tangent that was. But getting back here, Brock's reaction causes Zoey to murmur to herself about how she liked it better when Dawn talked. Again, I think this is a little forced; Brock, despite his flaws, is very helpful when it comes to taking care of injuries and would normally give pointers about what he's doing, not start yelling b/c of a compliment.
The other negative would be Zoey's rematch with Jessie, which is again one-sided. The writers even try to make Zoey seem heroic in agreeing to battle by showing her grimacing due to her injury, but the scene just made me roll my eyes (it's very forced).
On the other hand, I think Zoey's helping Dawn out with her contest move was pretty neat. I'm not exactly sure why Zoey takes such a liking to Dawn (Paul's rivalry with Ash is much more understandable), but I'll say it's b/c she sensed that at heart, Dawn isn't too confident in herself. And considering how much Zoey likes to wisecrack and look cool (and boy, how the writers tried to oblige her in the beginning), Dawn is the perfect person to influence in that way (Dawn wants to look up to and admire somebody). Ash later on provides the perfect balance for Zoey with respect to Dawn's development: Zoey gets Dawn started as far as contest tactics are concerned; Ash is Dawn's training partner at times, but more importantly encourages her, even if Dawn doesn't succeed at what she's trying to do (to the pt of naivety from Ash). Speaking of Ash, his double battle with Dawn is actually pretty good, and Pikachu gets Buizel back for Buizel's cheap victory in Buizel's capture episode. This battle also is the first attempt at ice aqua jet, which is a move that's used a few more times at important moments later on in the storyline.