Ahh, episode 10. For one thing, it's the start of the (long journey of) double digits, there are 72 episodes left to go before the Indigo League finishes. The other is it's known for the appearance and capture of Bulbasaur. It's been a while since Ash caught a new Pokémon, so it's about time he got a new team member. But who would've thought that he would get one of the three starters he missed on his first day? (...oh wait, the theme song spoiled it... err...)
I recall this being one of my favorite episodes, but looking at it now, the pacing was really... weird. At least when it compares to Charmander's and Squirtle's episodes, Bulbasaur's feels a bit off. It could be because there's no real conflict (Team Rocket showing up by the end with their... stadium float was a joke, let's be honest). Or it could be Bulbasaur was not given a backstory. We just know he's there as a bodyguard, but why he was there in the first place was never explained, though according to Bulbapedia he was technically Melanie's. The only thing that was interesting about Bulbasaur was that he had a bit of an attitude, which he keeps throughout the series (though he does mellow out a bit eventually). However, as Melanie said—and does turn out to be true—he is loyal. He indeed becomes one of Ash's most loyal and trusted Pokémon over time, sticking with Ash the longest besides Pikachu. It also becomes more apparent that he is one of the more mature Pokémon, though that characteristic can still be seen here. In a way, Bulbasaur has become one of my favorite characters because of that slow, subtle progression. Squirtle and Charmander were more way out there than he, but Bulbasaur's quiet demeanor has always stuck with me.
The one slight problem I have with Bulbasaur is that he warmed up too quickly toward Ash to allow him to battle it. Since we learn that Bulbasaur is a bit cynical towards Ash's loyalty for a while, why did he decide to give Ash a chance? Squirtle and Charmander I can understand warming up to Ash, but that was probably because there was time in between their first meeting and the capture that—not even a full day has gone by here. Still, his fight with Pikachu, while sadly short, was neat to see. His defeat by a Thunderbolt was a bit... cruel, since it looks like he got cooked. But his expression when the PokéBall hit him was great, almost like he couldn't believe what just happened.
Looking more at the episode, the beginning confuses me. How could Misty not know Oddish was a Grass-type, not a Water-type? You would think the leaves on its head would be a dead give-away, though I guess she does have a soft spot for cute things. It wouldn't be the last time she tries to get a Pokémon that's not a Water-type, but it still was an odd moment.
Ash apparently had a thing with pirates in this episode... okay. I also noticed that he might've crushed on Melanie if she was a pirate... or if he wasn't so into pirates to ask that question... I dunno. But speaking of Melanie, she's not a bad character-of-the-day, but her personality isn't that strong to me. She may be soft-spoken and kind (even though she set up those traps o-O), but that's not really enough for me to like her, let alone have her be memorable to me. She's also the first girl that Brock was actually developing (his usual) feelings toward, since I'm not counting Giselle due to her being a bit underage (Officer Jenny could count as well, but he wasn't blushing like mad and acting like a kid flustered over a crush). He sure took the rejection well, though—and I have a feeling this is the last time he's that mature over it. Best funny parts were when Misty teases Brock, her facial expressions were priceless. A shame she ends up not keeping that personality, but whatever.
Once again, Team Rocket is the butt monkey, doing nothing very productive in this episode. A shame, too, as this is the first gadget we see Team Rocket using that they get from Giovanni—though we don't know this at this point in time. I say it's a shame because... it's a weird machine. “Flying stadium”. Really? They couldn't go with anything more threatening? And how did Pidgeotto manage to blow it away? I don't care that balloons are attached to it, it looks like it has weight to it.
Even though it's been pointed out, for fun, here's the screenshot of the mistake where Bulbasaur's bulb looks like it got a bite taken out of it. Okay, yeah, it fits the shape of Ash's hands perfectly, but still, that made me double-take.
“Let's just hope our heroes don't take anymore shortcuts, or we may never get there.”
Pfft, so much for being the omnipresent narrator. But at least he (and us, I suppose) should be glad that we don't have to wait almost 30 episodes in between badges this early in the show. Those were a long several weeks as a kid, and I think they had a few more episodes they aired out of sequence.