BW023/BW024 (Unaired) Scripts FOUND.

[The Holy Cat]

If it were not for the 3/11 Japan Earthquake, we would have Team Plasma make a second appearance in the episode where Professor Cedric Juniper discovers the Black Ruins. I wonder if the three part finale of the Episode N saga reuses some plot elements meant for the original idea for BW064-"Explorers of the Hero's Ruin!".

 

[ekatheparas]

I read this the same day right after it released but forgot to say anything about it,,this made me feel much less stumped because I found it odd that Jessie and James changed costumes so suddenly.

 

[The Holy Cat]

I read this the same day right after it released but forgot to say anything about it,,this made me feel much less stumped because I found it odd that Jessie and James changed costumes so suddenly.

I wonder if the switchover from their black to white uniforms a last minute change, especially since earlier footage for BW023-"Battling for the Love of Bug Types!" in the earlier previews showed Jessie and James in their black uniforms?

 

[The Holy Cat]

If the original version of BW037-"A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition!" ever aired as originally planned, it would had shown Ash and his friend's first time seeing the Team Rocket Trio using jetpacks and would it had shown the Team Rocket Trio in their black uniforms instead of their white ones they worn in the version of the episode that actually aired.

 

[Gabo2oo]

So since a slightly different version "A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition!" was supposed to precede "Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!" (Bianca originally staying at the end of the former), would that have been the last appearance then of Jessie and James in the different uniforms?

If the original version of BW037-"A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition!" ever aired as originally planned, it would had shown Ash and his friend's first time seeing the Team Rocket Trio using jetpacks and would it had shown the Team Rocket Trio in their black uniforms instead of their white ones they worn in the version of the episode that actually aired.

The "Fishing Connoisseur" episode was originally planned to air right after the Gym Battle, not before. So no matter what Team Rocket would've switched to their white uniforms already. There is preview footage of their stock motto from "Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!" with the black uniforms, but it was shown before the BW series had even started so I doubt it can be taken as indication for anything.

 

[Antiyonder]

The "Fishing Connoisseur" episode was originally planned to air right after the Gym Battle, not before. So no matter what Team Rocket would've switched to their white uniforms already. There is preview footage of their stock motto from "Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!" with the black uniforms, but it was shown before the BW series had even started so I doubt it can be taken as indication for anything.

I mean Bianca was originally supposed to stay at the end of the fishing episode, hence her presence at the beginning of the Gym Match:

Japanese Episode BW 037

 

[Galactic_V]

After about two weeks I'm finally done reading both scripts (been very busy lately). First and foremost I'd like to thank the person who divulged them.

Going back to 2011 I remember being so disappointed that both episodes had been canned and always had hope that they'd eventually show up (which sadly said hope was shattered with the start of Episode N). While I didn't expect much from this two-parter since it was a vast popular opinion that BW had poor writing (which I agree but still very much enjoy it), at least now we know what was supposed to happen and possible plans for the future (more Plasma-dan appearances).

Something I said that could happen a couple of times before the release of those scripts and as stated above several scenes or plot points did get reused for other aired episodes (such as the giant Electro Ball or Handsome holding the Plasma leader by the arms), and seeing that we already had confirmation of it (animation recycled for the Meloetta two-parter), I think we can most likely say had this episodes aired we probably wouldn't have the Meloetta arc? And possibly Episode N? My guess is Sakaki would most likely be done here and future appearances would be cameos (like what happened in late-BW). Also Idk if by hero they meant N or an original character, but we may assume they'd eventually get back to it? And like said above, unfortunetaly Flint turned out to be a minor character who'd be dropped, a thing I kind of expected but didn't want to (I like the theory of him being a double-agent).

I have no idea when Trio would change uniforms or why, my educated guess is that the script for the Hiun Gym battle episode was altered and that scene with Trio might have not been there originally (or written differently). We also know the fishing episode was supposed to have aired after the Gym battle so confirmation on the possibility of altered scenes. I can go further and say I actually believe on the possibility of more episodes being altered but there's no way to back this up and we'll never know. Plasma-dan taking so long to re-apper does strike as weird for me.

Anyway I have to re-watch the Hiun gym battle again as IIRC Trio's final lines in Part 2 kinda resembles their lines in the gym episode but I'm not really sure.

 

[Dummy]

Here we are, over a decade later and we can get a firm grasp at how these episodes would've played out. Should we consider this a script review thread?

---

The first half of Part 1 reads pretty slow-paced. I get that it's a build-up more than anything, but there's a lot of scenes with Team Rocket scheming in the Underground Ruins with not much going on. This was pretty common in BW though, so I'm not surprised. The scenes with Ash and co. sneaking around and the whole masquerade part sound quite interesting though, so I assume the episode picks up soon enough. I'm glad to hear it has some small comedic bits like Looker showing his badge from dozens of meters away or Juniper excited for involved in a spy mission.

Also Yamask was set to debut here! It makes sense in retrospect and I recall some people theorizing it since it made sense for him to come from the desert ruins.
By the way, I see that Meowth not doing anything and having zero lines in the entire first episode of the Meloetta two-parter was directly carried over from here. Huh.

As for Part 2, I certainly wasn't expecting Ghetsis to show up so early. It clearly paints a very different picture of how a Team Plasma arc would've played out and I'm glad we're getting stronger confirmation of it.

On the other hand, we also know of more tidbits that were passed onto both the Meloetta arc and Episode N, such as Looker getting into a physical fight with Team Plasma, great gusts of wind blowing both heroes and villains away, and Pikachu finishing the McGuffin with a powered-up Electro Ball, prompting Team Rocket to "renew" their wishes to capture Pikachu. It does line up to what happens in the next episodes when they switch back to their white uniforms, since they actually went back to more episodic schemes for a while. I'm surprised they managed to naturally fit that a second time for their Unova League hiatus.

By the way, I always liked it when the police actually appeared to do something in the anime, so it's nice that Officer Jenny showed up with an entire squad to raid the masquerade.

---

Overall, even if the plot seems a bit convoluted (jumping around locations a lot, two meteorites, etc), the two-parter manages to give closure to a lot of elements from the previous episodes. Early BW had this somewhat unique feel of a smoother progression from one episode to another and looks like this was to be the culmination of all of it, not just the Meteonite plot itself. The only thing that looks a bit out of the blue is Pikachu "synching" with the Meteonite IMO. I don't recall that being foreshadowed and not even the Meteonite's backstory seems to explain it either, unless I missed something here.

I wonder if some of the things here would've set up different plotlines as well (aside from the Team Plasma storyline, of course). I'm not sure if the writers would've come up with this group of shady Unova elite members simply as a way to stall Giovanni and allow Team Plasma to attack them, for example. I also find weird how Krokorok dissapeared for almost a year after this episode, and while there's nothing here to tell us anything about that, I wonder if the staff decided to halt pretty much all ongoing story arcs that showed up in this two-parter for a while, as they re-evaluated how to approach them.

Curiosity over this has dwindled over time but it's always been on the back of my mind honestly, thanks for the find. Here's to hoping we get the full footage from these episodes sometime during this cen

Do you think that they will ever air? I mean, who's to say the footage hasn't been destroyed?

 

[Gabo2oo]

Do you think that they will ever air? I mean, who's to say the footage hasn't been destroyed?

Air per se, absolutely not. But maybe they could be leaked at some point, or even exhibited as part of an event. But I'm thinking several decades in the future, say when a lost Pokémon episode reaches the historic significance a lost Disney cartoon has nowadays. In any case, I don't see any reason for them to actively destroy the footage. Worst-case scenario they could lose it.

 

[snowmint]

Apparently the dubbers received the footage too.

 

[DigitalGen6]

Apparently the dubbers received the footage too.

Wait… when?

 

[skynerel]

They did, but it was never dubbed. I don’t remember who confirmed this information, I think it was some animator at the time or something like that.

 

[snowmint]

Wait… when?

I think Tom Wayland said that a long time ago...

 

[DigitalGen6]

I think Tom Wayland said that a long time ago...

That’s cool. I might have to research it and see what’s up.

 

[snowmint]

I'm surprised nobody's asked James Carter Cathcart, the adapter, on it before he got super sick.

 

[DigitalGen6]

I'm surprised nobody's asked James Carter Cathcart, the adapter, on it before he got super sick.

They can still ask him, though, right?

 

[Disney Boy]

That was just Plasma Grunt A.

I think the implication was supposed to be that it happened because Pikachu had gotten zapped by Zekrom in BW001.

It wouldn't have happened with any other Pikachu, only Ash's because it was still carrying Zekrom's electricity.

The strange thing about that is it wasn't due to this two-parter getting banned, since the remainder of BW's first year's episodes (up to the Nimbasa Subway two-parter) were firmly in production at that point, and the episodes up to the Milos Island two-parter not far along behind. I truly believe Team Plasma was supposed to return at the same point in time we got Krokorok's return and the Black Hero's Ruins (which had the Golden Dark Stone that would've been used to bring about a Zekrom vs. Reshiram showdown), but this two-parter's banning plus B2/W2 put the kibosh on those plans. I still personally enjoy BW, even its Team Plasma arc, but knowing what it could have been will still always be a source of disappointment.

Hey there. I read your Team Rocket Vs Team Plasma translation and it inspired me to ask a question. Can you make a transcript for Team Plasma's Pokémon Power Plot.