93: Meowth Rules!
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The animation was really turned up a notch following some very dodgy, less than acceptable attempts in previous episodes, which was really good to see.
This episode just goes to show that Team Rocket are no ordinary, two dimensional villains. They're people too, and they love each other just as much as the heroes in these cartoons usually do.
That's what makes Pokemon so great, they don't have 2D characterisations and shallow, pointless villains, but real, developed characters.
Anyway, onto the guide.
As this episode begins we see Team Rocket are already in trouble, their Magikarp Submarine trapped on the rocks.
James whines that he can't be happy, just like a frumpy housewife, which causes poor little poor girl Jesse to angrily call him a spoilt little brat.
Meowth, meanwhile, is singing and laughing, because he has three clams for his dinner. Seeing this, James leaps and twists from rock to rock in a fashion Jet Li would be proud of and demands that Meowth use his PayDay attack to make them some money.
No can do, Jimmy, Meowth used up all his intelligence learning how to talk and never learnt PayDay, but when James drops Meowth, the three hear what sounds like a coin....
Coming from James.
Like a hungry locust in a field of wheat, Jesse leaps upon James, grabs him firmly (no, Rocketshippers, it's not what you think) and begins spinning him around, showing her enormous strength.
The coin slips free, but it seems it's nothing more than an old bottlecap, although James leaps on it and hugs it desperately, not wanting to lose his favourite bottlecap.
We don't know, maybe it's a gay thing?
Spotting Team Toyboy, the trio leap onto the Magikarp and sail underwater towards Lapras, and when they emerge from UNDERWATER Jesse and James are already standing on top of it?
Hmmm, interesting.
Of course the newly repaired submarine starts sinking and Jesse and James are soon blasting off again, whereas Meowth lasts a couple of seconds longer before being blasted to an island where freaky beatniks dressed like Meowth's worship a giant golden Meowth statue and await the Bounty Ceremony, when a mystical Meowth will grant them huge amounts of money.
They offer Meowth food, and it seems that Giovanni pays his employees on a Tuesday, as Meowth promises to pay them back by then.
However, when he realises that they worship him and the food is free, he gives a trademark 'Evil Tim Curry' grin and chows down like a pig in a trough, proclaiming the food is whisker licking good.
Wanting entertainment, one of the priests brings out..... dancing girls? Who kiss Meowth and make him wobble and wiggle in a weird acid trip that is quite frankly very disturbing.
Sitting on a rock with his ukelele, Meowth sings very badly (although this is the American's fault, the Japanese version would have Nyase singing aeiou, aeiou, which is a very cool song).
He spots Lapras and has a terrified paranoid fantasy that depicts Ash, Misty and Tracey the way we sometimes see them, as wicked, evil, vindictive youths.
Demanding they are thrown off the island, Pokemon gets back to it's Anime roots and pulls out a Giant Robot.
Tracey continues his efforts to bring the metric system to American audiences before he and Misty follow Ash's lead and do an action hero dive of a cliff.
Returning to Meowth, who is happy, it is discovered that Jesse and James have washed up on the island.
"ARRRGH!" he cries, "These two will bring unhappiness and very bad stuff!"
Jesse and James are shocked, then very angry, yelling and roaring at Meowth, then pleading to be let go before being thrown off the same cliff as Team Toyboy (who have obviously moved on).
But J&J make their way back, disguised as bushes and keeping an eye on Meowth.
When Meowth discovers he's supposed to do PayDay, he tries to run away but is caught by the giant robot Meowth.
Telling them he can't do PayDay, a shocking Religious Schism ensues, nearly splitting the island in two before the old Priest decides (!) that Meowth needs to fight some more to learn PayDay.
Jesse and James (offscreen) beat up on some poor religious zealots and sneak into the Stadium in their disguises to see what's going to happen.
Meowth stands nervously watching and waiting, and his first opponent is.....
NIDOKING!
He's chased about, beaten and gored until he collapses in total exhaustion. Nidoking stands over him, confused and poking him to see if he's still alive.
Their lust for money still not sated, The Priest demands that Meowth continue to fight and they bring out.....
ONYX!
MAN! the things people will do for money.
Think about it, this religious group is brought together not out of a hope for a peaceful world, a new spiritual enlightenment or in order to follow some kind of philosophical path.
They want money, the capitalists! They're Hippy Capitalists!
Tell us you haven't had nightmares about this very real and dangerous possibility, you can't, can you.
Jesse and James watch Meowth take his beating and can't stand it, remembering fondly all the good times they had together. True, it's a video montage of mostly death and destruction, but it's still heartwarming.
Sneaking under the Stadium, Jesse seems to have been hoarding her own money (after attacking James for the same thing, but then again, James can hardly attack Jesse, can he!) which she now throws out into the arena.
James has no money, but throws out his prized bottlecaps before the two of them leave Meowth behind, knowing he'll be happier worshipped as a God on the Island Of The Hippy Capitalists than a loser with them.
However, back in his seat of power, Meowth spots James' bottlecap and nearly bursts into tears, realising it was Jesse and James who helped him.
Turning his back on a life of food, dancing girls and hallucinogenic chemicals, Meowth rushes to find J&J.
James is moaning that it'll be hard to pedal the Magikarp with just the two of them, and Jesse notes that at least it'll be good for their figures.
Too true, although neither of them have anything to worry about, James needs to keep himself slim and toned to fit into those short skirts and dresses he likes so much, and Jesse needs to maintain her fabulous figure in order to retain those skimpy outfits that she loves.
They hide when Meowth arrives, and hear him damn the Hippy Capitalists philosophy on life. Almost in tears, they re-write their motto and say :
Jesse : I'm a friend who needs you too
James : Make it double we both need you
Jesse : You protect us both from desperation
James : You unite us all in jubilation
Jesse : You help us chase away our loneliness
James : You're a mess, but we love you nevertheless
Jesse : Jesse
James : James
Jesse : Team Rocket's friendship never ends
James : So lets set sail on our ship of friends.
Sniff.
Anyway, James gives a little wink, but don't read anything into it folks, he's gay but he's not a freak, then they head out on their way as the Hippy Capitalists bemoan the loss of Meowth.
How long till they count those nickels Jesse threw out and discovers there's roughly $13.50 there?
Meanwhile, Ash is still moaning and complaining about getting thrown off the island and Misty tries to blame Pikachu.
Tracey, off course, comes closest to the mark, but Ash - who is desperate to belittle any other male who might rival him for Misty's affections - quickly shoots down any further conversation.
We close on Jesse, James and Meowth fishing for some dinner, and J&J theorise that maybe the freaky old Priest was right and Meowth just needs to battle to learn more attacks.
They're obviously joking as they pretend to call out Arbok and Weezing, and Meowth mockingly laments.
"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY FRIENDS!"
Man we love Team Rocket.
| BEST QUOTES |
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"Dese two will bring
unhappiness and very bad
stuff!"
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