Recap / Pokemon S 3 E 16 For Crying Out Loud

Japanese Title: Crybaby Maril!

Original Airdate: January 27th, 2000

US Airdate: January 20th, 2001

Cute and cuddly is one thing, but a bawling Marill is too much even for Misty. When all Misty's attempts to toughen up the picayune Pokémon fall short, Team Rocket takes her by surprise. Misty is left with no help or hope in sight, save for little Marill.

Tropes

• Beam-O-War: Between Poliwag's Water Gun and Weezing's Sludge. Poliwag wins.
• Big "SHUT UP!": Misty yells at Marill to stop crying
• Bittersweet Ending: Wilhomena and Marill reunite but they're forced to say goodbye to Brock and Misty respectively, with both pairs lamenting this.
• Character Development: Through it's time with Misty, Marill becomes less of a crybaby.
• Cute, but Cacophonic: Marill.
• Did Not Get the Girl: Brock is forced to watch from afar as Wilhomena gets into a limo, knowing he'll never see her again. This also counts as Did Not Get The Guy for Wilhomena.
• Diving Save: Misty saves Marill from being crushed by a tree, nearly getting crushed herself.
• Fire-Forged Friends: Misty and Marill become great friends throughout the episode especially when the latter matures significantly. When they go their separate ways, both Misty and Marill shed a tear that they'll never meet again.
• I Always Wanted to Say That: Misty enjoys ordering Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on the Beedrill.
• Morton's Fork: Brock realizing that he can't have a happily ever after with Wilhomena.
  Brock: If we find Marill, Wilhomena will leave and I'll be unhappy. If we don't find Marill, Wilhomena will stay, but she'll be unhappy.
  Ash: Hey, Brock, what are you mumbling about?
  Brock: It's a no-win situation for Wilhomena and me, Ash. She'll only be happy if we find Marill, but if we find Marill, Wilhomena's gonna leave. I'm either gonna end up happy but unhappy or unhappy but happy.
  Ash: What?
  Brock: AAH! WHY CAN'T I HAVE A RAY OF SUNSHINE IN MY LIFE?!
• No-Sell: Misty wants to catch Marill, so she throws a PokéBall — and it bounces off Marill without doing anything. Ash then sees the bow on Marill's tail and realizes that it has a trainer, explaining why the ball didn't work.
• Ocular Gushers: Marill again.
• Prone to Tears: Marill cries Ocular Gushers so much that Misty is annoyed by it.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Wilhelmina starts falling for Brock when he comforts her about Marill. Too bad for him and his love life that Status Quo Is God.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Brock meets a girl that actually returns his affection for once! Too bad the Status Quo is a cruel mistress.