YMMV / Pokémon Scent-sation!

• Accidental Aesop: It's important to be mindful of what you say around others. Even unintentional comments can cause offense and potentially lead to trouble for yourself and those around you. In the particular instance of this episode, Ash's careless remark about perfume in a perfume store run by the Celadon City gym leader played a significant role in the events that followed.
• Broken Base: Erika is yet another Gym Leader who gives Ash a badge despite him not beating her in combat. Did him putting his life on the line to save her Gloom from the Gym fire make up for it, or is it yet another pity badge? Not helping his case is that unlike Brock or Misty who he at least had on the ropes, he wasn't able to come up with any kind of strategy to counter Gloom's overpowering stench before Team Rocket interfered.
• Common Knowledge: In an odd case for the English dub that most of the American fandom is familiar with it's widely misremembered that Erika banned Ash from the gym because he didn't like her perfume line. In truth, she only banned him from her store; it was her assistants who kept Ash from entering the gym out of petty revenge. Once Ash managed to sneak in, Erika was fine with battling him, even pointing out how Gym Leaders must accept challenges from trainers. In the Japanese version it actually was Erika herself who gave the order.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Many fans (especially the LGBT Fanbase) love Ash's female disguise of Ashley, even to the point of thinking her as a separate character and wishing for "her" return. It helps that "she" served as an "awakening" for many trans women Pokémon fans in their childhoods.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Ash considers using his freshly-caught Primeape against Erika, only to reconsider when he remembers just how violent he is. Considering that he'd be giving him away a few episodes later, one would think the writers would try to make the most of his limited screentime and give him at least one good showing in a Gym battle.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: Ash. While it was wrong for Ash to insult the city's perfume, everyone else, including his companions, went way too far in shaming him for it by banning him from ever entering the Celadon Gym and mocking him over it. As a result, many can't help but feel sorry for him.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: EVERYONE (with the exception of Ash and Team Rocket). We're supposed to side with them because Ash insulted their perfume. However, they all brutally and excessively shaming Ash just because he doesn't like perfume. The fact that none of them were called out on it or forced to apologize just adds more fuel to the flame.
• Woolseyism: The dub having Erika's employees ban Ash from the Gym seemingly without her knowledge makes more sense than doing it herself, given that arbitrarily refusing a challenge could be considered a breach of contract for a Gym Leader.