day 455 Ash visits the charific valley/charizard leaves the party {ep134}
On the one hand, Misty has been giving Ash crap all season so far about Ash just razing all the n00bs to the ground with Char and not really challenging himself. On the other, Char now feels like a weakling himself when he sees how strong the other dragons are. So in solution, Ash leaves him in the valley where he will be well taken care of, and Char enters super mega training mode until he feels worthy enough to rejoin his trainer's roster.
Makes a lot more sense than that mess with Primeape. It's nice that TR was kind enough to help the lizard out, by pretending to make useless threats, instead of y'know making useless threats. Gee, I hope his internal measuring stick isn't Pikachu, you can't come out on top against hax that you already have a type disadvantage against. Really nice frame catch with Ash running at the end. Alright that's enough plot, time for... MORE FILLER!
135 is dumb+bad probably ranks up there as one of the worst, a sunflora contest? Is this Better Homes and Gardens? 136 is how Chikorita gets over herself and fully becomes part of the team not terrible but not exactly necessary or entertaining. 137 is also bad focusing on hoppip but uhh, it's better than 135. 138 is a batman parody which is good, 139 is dumb+bad and similar to the magnemite herding episode in Orange Islands just with mareep, and 140 is good filler with Heracross and a dojo fight.
day 472 ash catches cyndaquil {ep141}
Cyndaquil is a cutesy little cry baby that grows up into a man, I mean a more mature fiery echidna. He is also the only fire-starter that Ash has not to have a tragic back-story. (Why is that a trend anyway?) 142 has them getting to azalea town, oh look another desert that shouldn't be there, wait never mind it's just dehydrated grasslands, by the end of the episode + 1 rain dance later, everything is normal again.
day 479 brock catches pineco/ash gets second badge{ep143-44}
Say goodbye to the useless Macguffin everybody, this will be the last we see of the GS ball forever except for a brief mention in 150, Kurt probably used the Celebi that was probably inside to win the lottery several times and retire as a rich man, not like we'll ever know. The bugsy fight was ok, still not worth the 13 episode/1.5 month wait. Really puts the Pewter to Cerulean trip in perspective doesn't it? 145 is another bad filler episode with farfetched again so skip it, but don't fret because Team Rocket's getting a new recruit...
day 485 Jessie accidentally trades lickitung for a wobbufett {ep146}
Allow me to repeat myself, Amen, Hallelujah and Peanut Butter! That dumb pink thing is gone forever and is replaced by the pure awesomeness that is the walking blue punch-line. But Wobbufett is worth more than just a few cheap jokes and laughter at his every scene, he's in fact more intelligent than both his trainer and the writers of the show, as he uses counter and mirror coat when necessary even though Jessie only ever orders the first one 90% of the time.
(2013) Now that I think about it... what did that kid do when he found out he got a random lickitung?
day 487 squirtle the firefighter part 2/squirtle leaves the party {ep147}
Ash's Squirtle, the only Pokémon he has that gets his own damn paycheck. Now that's legit. Since his underlings aren't cool enough for Kamina to copy their sunglasses' design they have to make due John Lennon specs from the Beatles memorabilia store.
148 is more average to bad filler with some wooper, they try to do the catchy Pokémon name thing like with Clefairy but it doesn't work, 149 is good filler with both Jigglypuff and the snubbull that stalks Meowth, 150 is bad filler again but I have a soft spot for houndour so that bumps it up to average for me personally.
day 493 ash catches totodile/ misty's poliwag evolves into poliwhirl {ep151}
Misty's either a really intelligent trainer, sending out Togepi against Pikachu, knowing that he would never hurt her, or a really crap mom for sending what she has acknowledged as her (inexperienced) kid against a veteran power-house. You be the judge. Totodile is the class clown of the group, moving on.
152+153 are average quality filler again, wherein Cyndaquil learns to control his fire better and Totodile gets involed in a love triangle. Not exactly a reccomendation, but not a waste of time to watch.
day 496 ash catches noctowl {ep154}
LOLZOMGWTFBBQ, that bird is a shiny. No one will ever acknowledge that fact, or notice anything different about it, except in this one episode but I think it's important to note. (Scratch that, Max notices and so does his doppelganger Conway... maybe shininess only registers if one is wearing glasses?)
155 is an actually good/hilarious filler that has both team twerp+rocket separated and working together to find each other while being chased by many ursaring. 156 is a completely worthless episode (and that hurts, since I like girafarig) 157 gets a pass only because of Butch and Cassidy showing up and the memetic line that James is a flaming moltres, but honestly doesn't hold up all that well.
Next time "It's a straight line Ash! How have we not gotten to Ecruteak City yet?!" "Well if a mythical fire dog-beast hadn't kidnapped my mom—- that happened weeks ago!" movie#3, mewtwo returns, and Eps 158-182
