Skipping one review, the set up episode with Kenny and Aipom's evolution to Ampibom.
Well, this is it, the last of the 3 (maybe 3-still not sure about the Tag Battle arc) really influential episodes in Sinnoh. You know, since the tag battle arc and James's release of Cacnea, the episodes have been sort of routine; nothing's happened that you wouldn't have really expected. Also, a few of those episodes were filler; to me, it seemed like things were now going to go the normal route since the foundation was laid for everything. Ash and Paul had their rivalry pretty much set, and Dawn had her rivals. So all there was to really look forward to now was Ash winning his gym badges and Dawn getting her ribbons, and then so on. Normal stuff. Then this episode came. Unbelievable. I think this is where I really started to believe anything can happen in Sinnoh.
Unlike last time, Dawn does play a huge role in her failure to get out of the first round. Her appeal is fine to begin with, but its success sort of gets to her. She's so happy that in a rush of confidence, she ends up overdoing it. And yet...You feel for her. The main reason why she is so happy and excited during the appeal is because of her result at the last contest (and remember, she didn't do anything too wrong then); so unfortunately, one disaster led to another. But this time, Dawn handles the loss better. She does not leave the contest hall after the first round results are announced, even when Jessie taunts her and begins pushing her towards the door. Dawn understands this time that losing is a part of things, as long as she and Ampibom gave their best. But that doesn't mean she's not upset; she's just trying to hide it and act responsible. I'm sure, at some point or another, we've all been (or will be) in a situation like this, and it's not easy. It's just a part of life. Brock (!) and Jessie are surprised by Dawn's decision to stay, but Ash catches on to how Dawn is really feeling, and looks down, with his hat covering his eyes (another example of not knowing what Sinnoh Ash is thinking). Like I said back at the Pachirisu episode, Dawn is an introverted character, and Ash and Zoey are the ones who recognize this the most and do something about it.
However, Dawn's loss this time is much more serious than last time. Dawn really does not know what to do, and that's quite frightening. It's one thing to work harder, but when you are already working as hard as you can, where do you go from here? The ugly answer may just be that you're not good enough to do this. No one says this, but considering the looks on Zoey's and Nando's faces at the last contest, and the look on Kenny's face at this contest-the manner of those looks-, it's on their minds. Even Dawn's mother is really worried, her concern contrasting to the knowing smile she had when watching the last contest; I would bet she never went through something like this.
Well, if all of this was not shocking enough, Jessie wins the contest! Absolutely unreal. 2 contests in a row where Jessie has outperformed Dawn.
I think Kenny's departure once the contest is over is something I've been guilty of many times, especially when I was in high school. Coming into this contest, Kenny had gotten 2 ribbons, and also made a final where he lost to Zoey. Things are looking really good for him, and he has to be feeling very confident. When life is going that well for you, sometimes it's easy to be a little dismissive of your friend's troubles. It really looks like, right now, that Dawn has little chance of becoming a great coordinator. She can't even get out of the first round. It's hard to know what to say to that, especially when you're doing so well yourself. To him, contests are probably so easy right now. I think this scene is quite ironic because of what happens at the Grand Festival and specifically in dp 180. I really think, if in this episode Kenny had stayed and told Dawn what she did wrong during the contest, the storyline would have been much different. However...
Zoey is the one who comes to the rescue (Zoey did not participate in this contest). Late next morning, she comes to the pokemon center, is told by Ash and Brock that Dawn is still in the bedroom, barges in there, and proceeds to tell Dawn what she did wrong. This is a MUCH better reaction from Zoey compared to the last contest, and I'm trying to think about why the difference. I really think she's taken some lessons from Ash on the optimism mentality, especially considering that at the end of the episode she tells Ash to do well at his next gym battle to cheer Dawn up. I think it's the way Dawn reacts to watching Ash vs watching Zoey. Ash works hard and connects with his pokemon, which is something that Dawn can be inspired by for her own training. When Dawn has watched so Zoey so far, she tends to think...that Zoey is brilliant, which is not the idea she needs right now considering how low her confidence is. Zoey has told Dawn what to focus on in her training, and that's really all Zoey can do for her until Dawn becomes more confident.