I'm disappointed Ash didn't catch Litten, since I was so certain he was going to, but this does give Ash a chance to bond more with Litten and really earn its trust before he catches it (assuming that he does, of course). That is one advantage of Ash being stationary for awhile - his captures don't have to be rushed. He can take the time to get to know Pokémon before they join his team. Litten might have warmed up to Ash a bit, but it still isn't that fond of him. I do like that Ash wanted to catch Litten, and even admitted that to Litten itself, but changed his mind after he learned Litten was taking care of and gathering food for the old Stoutland. He even promised to come back later with more food, which was kind and so Ash-like of him. It mirrored Rowlet's situation in a way.
I do like Litten's relationship with the Stoutland - a mentor helping its student, and the student caring for the mentor in return. If Litten gets another focus episode, I hope we see more of Stoutland and of their relationship (assuming Stoutland didn't pass away at the end of this episode). I have a feeling Litten's dream might be foreshadowing Stoutland's eventual fate.
In the meanwhile, it's clear that as long as Stoutland is around, Litten won't be going anywhere.
And what is with that Persian? It's like it's just being nasty for the sake of being nasty. And then it sidles up to humans acting all sweet and cute.
Thank Arceus Team Rocket didn't ruin this episode with an unnecessary kidnapping attempt, but at the same time, were they really necessary at all in this episode? Their appearance did absolutely nothing. Unless, as someone else pointed out, this is a setup for a later episode, when they decide to get their revenge on Litten for stealing their food.
However, I do like that Meowth's first reaction was to
act like the Pokémon he is and attack Litten with an actual move. It's nice to see Meowth actually remember he is a Pokémon and not a really short human.
Did anyone else notice Ash did Serena's "Ta da!" when he offered the sandwich to Litten? I will admit, that made me chuckle. I think it's safe to assume that was a Serena reference, since I have never heard Ash himself ever say that before.