This wasn't a bad episode for me at all. Yeah, the slapstick was a LITTLE overdone, but it helps Ash character wise and means the vibrancy and comedy doesn't end with Team Rocket. I like Ash is reacting a bit more to the cast putting him in uneasy situations compared to XY. He's lost his temper with Sophociles and Rotom so far in a light hearted way. I admit I am disappointed that the former argument was very brief and they didn't butt heads significantly, but hey, still more than XY's 'conflict'.
This Ash to me does a better job holding episodes than the more serious incarnations. When there wasn't a battle or someone to inspire, they were usually too dulled down. SM Ash can be put in a random house and cause chaos.
Okay spotlight episode for Sophociles, I was expecting a bit more on display, given recent scenes implied him to be a little arrogant, but showing his abilities and a bit of his quirks was fun. Togademaru is adorable in her bond with Pikachu. I can only hope this doesn't end up forgotten for most of the series like what happened with Dedenne.
Mimikyu is becoming very ambiguous. Meowth definitely doesn't consider it a friend like other TR Pokemon, and it even disobeys Jessie to start on Pikachu. It will be interesting to see what happens when the inevitable enemy mine with the twerps occurs, since it doesn't seem like the standard ever loyal teammate the TRio usually catch.
Team Rocket were fun to watch, still hilarious and little bit more formidable (I like it's continuing the premise of the twerps having to stop them by being smart and using their abilities in a puzzle like combination, sorta goes hand in hand with the trial formula of this gen used over just power and battling). We get another display of them working part time, and getting a little too into the role. I don't get why Wobbuffet still hasn't been used at any point, what's the point of having him out full time now if he's not doing anything? The Bewear scene was hilarious, though I am wondering if these gags have become so elaborate and hammy from the start, how far can they escalate them?