I can tell when somebody is biased. Some people hated this episode because Iris didn't get Deino (when it was NEVER clear she was getting the thing) and the writers supposedly trolled them (lol) and that's it, altough it's ok if you don't like something, like you said everyone have different opinions.
I don't really think that's why they dislike this episode.
Like I think I said it was better than some (of the episode I was able to see), so it isn't really the episode itself, but just how the plot of the episode worked out.
This is what I'm able to ascertain about this episode. I might be wrong, but I think from what I was able to see this the episode in a nutshell.
-Episode begins with training, and just because we're never going to randomly get a full one on one, they have to interrupt the battle with Deino (okay more opinion based, but its what happened).
- Both Iris and Ash see Deino that they want to catch. Since there are two, might as well catch them.
- Unfortunately for them they already belong to trainers, so cue Bobby or whatever and the whole daycare.
- Iris wanting to be a dragon master, knows more about dragons than Bobby.
- Bobby decides that maybe Iris can help him out. And then at some point Iris runs into the shy Deino (thanks to Pikachu and it's super ESP that for whatever reason never works around Team Rocket's schemes, and is only used to find Pokemon).
- Cue Ash, Cilan (and Iris I believe) helping Bobby out, just to get the lay of the Daycare that Bobby runs.
- Iris is still trying to get the shy Deino to come out of its shell.
- Then at night, Iris recalls the tale of the Matriarch/Elder of her village, being able to calm down Druddigon, possibly touching Deino in some way.
- Later on, the other Deino trainers come to get their Deino (for whatever idiotic reason for their being 3 separate trainers even though it made no sense). All except the shy one's trainer.
- Ash and Cilan apparently are ready to go to Driftveil or at least leave Bobby's daycare, but Iris wants to stay with Deino until its trainer comes and gets it.
- Then sooner rather than later Deino gets to trusting Iris, and they play for a few days.
- Then one day, Iris asks Deino if it wants to come with her, THEN Deino's trainer magically appears out of nowhere, limping with a cane no less, and then later recounts the tale of Chargestone Cave and a Tynamo. I'm not sure what happened after that, since the last thing I remember is the guy with a shocked face inside the cave, and then it was time for Deino to be recalled into its Poke ball.
So that's it from what I can remember. I may have mixed up some events, but it seems to have the same outcome regardless. And I will probably amend this post when I can watch it in better quality than the quality I saw it yesterday.
So the problem with episode? A lot of it has to do with her not getting Deino, and not because she needed one but rather it seemed like she was cheated out of getting it. And it goes back to An00bis's post about how this could've been resolved a lot sooner.
1. Iris would not have done this with any other typed Pokemon other than dragon. Had this been any of the other 16 Pokemon types (especially Ice), she probably would've been okay leaving even if she had bonded with said Pokemon during the time they were together.
2. As I believe, and as An00bis first pointed out (in this thread), this could've all been resolved SOONER. Instead of wasting a few days, just waiting for the trainer, that was always going to be there eventually to get Deino. So not only does Ash have to delay getting his next badge because he is a good friend and wants to support Iris, Iris also doesn't really get anything out of this.
3. To write it like this with no reward than a good feeling inside comes off as hateful to Iris's character.
See I think the biggest problem was having Iris bond with the Deino in a way that she wanted to be its trainer, and take care of it, since its trainer (regardless of his/her wellbeing; I know its a guy but assume for a moment I'm referring prior to HIS revelation to Iris).
This episode would've worked a lot better in terms of fairness if it was similar to Amy and her Druddigon.
Have Bobby say that the trainer called, saying that there was an accident, and he's going to try and get to Deino as soon as he can make it, under his injured condition or have the trainer always be there, and just have it be that even Bobby can't help the trainer with his Deino, cue Iris bonding with it like some characters bonding with Ash's Pikachu. Cue everything but the whole "Will you be my Pokemon?" "Let's stay until the trainer comes to get Deino? BS.
And if Iris actually told Cilan and Ash something along the lines "I want to wait until I can get through to Deino" than that would justify them staying for all those days.
See the problem I have about this episode is it focuses more on the bond between Iris and Deino, that the episode completely forgets that isn't supposed to be about their bond, but Iris's development as a Dragon Master.
See my examples would've been what the episode should've been about, because then it would've been about Iris's development as a Dragon Master and being able to open said dragon Pokemon up to her and other trainers.
I'm not saying that isn't what happened here, but I have to say it was cruel way of doing, since her development as a dragon master, was blurred by the whole bonding with Deino, and feeling sorry for it, to the point where Iris wants Deino to come with her.
That I think is why this episode is disliked. Because it does feel Iris was cheated out of Deino. But I guess there could be a kernel of humility/reality in the episode too, about how you can't always get what you expect/want. But they kind of did it in a cruel fashion that it comes off as unnecessary.
Edit: So aside from that biggest flaw, it was a fairly decent episode. Especially since Swadloon was in it. LOL.
