Review S16 EP18: The Pokémon Harbor Patrol!

[garrison-san]

BW115 - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Please remember to keep all spoilers pertaining to future episodes inside spoiler tags.

 

[Sakuraa]

This was such a boring episode. I liked almost nothing about it. I don’t think I’ve felt this way about an episode since that dusk stone episode in DP.

The plot was so boring to me. It was the classic COD and COD Pokemon needs help episode. But there wasn’t much interesting about it. Halsey’s Harbor Patrol was somewhat cool, but I wasn’t that excited since we just a similar rescue team-like thing with Virgil. Also his Frillish were kind of…just there. They just put out the fires while Dewott and Watchog did more. Ash also seemed really dumb in the beginning; taking like 4 minutes to realize that all of the Harbor Patrol members wore scarves. Not to mention that he scanned Watchog again.

Team Rocket was actually cool again in this episode. But for some reason when they took Pikachu, Ash didn’t sound that upset to me. Woobat finally uses a new move since its debut and it’s Hidden Power. Hidden Power? Really? Not even a Psychic move, but a move that they just gave to James’s Amoongus. I was kinda disappointed about that.

I guess the only thing I liked about this episode was the tension between Halsey and N and their argument about Pokémon rescuing people vs. Pokémon rescuing Pokémon. Also N talking to Watchog to rescue Halsey was cool. Then later they took something from the other and actually changed the way they thought. That was nice.

So overall, despite Team Rocket being cool and not blasting off and N’s minor development, I really didn’t like this episode. I really was kind of boring. So this episode gets a 3/10.

 

[Moe]

I liked this episode - especially because N finally accepted the role of some Pokemon doing things because they want to. Would it be too much to ask for Ash to remember his own firefighting Pokemon?

I would complain that I wish episodes like this would then have an impact - Oshawott got totally trounced in ability by a Dewott and Ash makes no consideration of needing to get him stronger - instead just needing to call for help? Perhaps that's why he needed to catch Palpitoad - can't improve Oshawott? Just sub him out for tough battles.

A supplementary complaint about how Ash just politely asked Team Rocket why they took Pikachu, though he won that back by just telling them they can't win - I still like that one Hoenn episode where Ash just brushes them off by saying they are too busy - we need more of that. If James still had a personality, just have Ash start to crush rare bottle caps in front of him.

Still, this episode almost made me like Watchog. Almost.

 

[Darth Darkrai]

This was probably one of the Worst Episodes of this Season this was so bad that I felt like I was going To Puke. 5/10

 

[DracoMan]

Okay, so this ep had shades of "Pokémon Water War" and "The Case of the K9 Caper," along with a few others, but it didn't feel like a rehashing. Then again, Our Gang helps out professional CotDs so often that it's almost impossible to avoid reusing the general concept.

Halsey's attitude of never leaving one's station, no matter what, was kinda stupid. Especially since Watchog had just saved him and the team by doing so. In a crisis situation, I'm not sure if any absolute rules apply.

And speaking of attitudes, I wasn't so sure about N's belief in total human/Pokémon segregation, though I suppose it follows logically from his belief that humans exploit Pokémon. Plus it led to his realization that Pokémon can help people because they want to, not because they're forced to. One more reason he should've been around longer; such an idea deserves more exploration than it's getting.

The flashy new motto background isn't helping the TRio. Neither is their return to their former inability to do anything right. How long until TPTB figure out what to do with them?

 

[Gabo2oo]

I know this is minor but, was Yamask sick or something? Its voice sounded really weird to me.

Spoiler

I hope Tom Wayland does better in its appearence during the Episode N finale, even if Yamask has only zero-to-one lines in the whole episode.

 

[Magenta Fantasies]

I have very mixed feelings on this episode overall. I think if it wasn't for N traveling with Ash and friends, it would be a definite dud.

I liked N's argument with Halsey, and how N talked with Watchog to direct Excadrill through the ground.
I had mixed feelings on Team Rocket's appearance. I don't know if I found it hilarious or stupid because it was so short and to-the-point. Either way, I liked that they weren't "blasted off" by Ash; they blasted off on their own volition. I wish the writers had given them more to do (though I did find it funny how Meowth referred to N as "the hair dude").
Halsey was really harsh on his Watchog. I think it's a bit ridiculous for him to expect it to put out fires as well as the Water-types and for him to want it to stay in one place even if the rest of the group is in danger.

 

[p96822]

the episode was okay. Ilike N character development that made it enjoyable

 

[Mielikki]

I know that aplying physics in Pokémon is always out-of-question, but - have they really extinguishing electric devices with water?

 

[Jyo]

Being my second favorite episode in the entire Pokemon anime, can't say anything bad about it - probably the only thing was Watchog's voice. Not sure how to fully describe it, sounded too mature (in the original Watchog sounded too young and imature, it's what made it too emotional for me). Two of my favorite Pokemon (Watchog and Dewott) working together in the same episode, for me and my heart gives it 10/10. Going to have to see it over and over.

 

[Solacen]

I could help but wonder a few things while watching this episode. 1 : Why the heck is a class of little kids at an industrial power station? 2: Did they really try and fight an electrical fire with water? Im not surprised the fire got worse when oshawatt tried to put it out lol. 3: Ash has had his own pokemon compete in firefighting challenges as well as working as firefighters. Why no reference to that? Would of been cool.

Its abit of a wierd thing to be bringing up at this late point but does Cilan really have to tell every single person he meets that hes a pokemon connoisseur? No one he meets seems to care all that much and he hasnt really done any 'connoisseur'ing' in awhile anyway.

I liked that team rocket knew when they were beaten and jetpacked out this ep and the fact that ash and friends are traveling with someone with such radical differences in his beliefs. I do hope that one day they do find out that N used to be the leader of team plasma.

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

To be blunt, a very forgettable episode, IMO. Nothing stood out whatsoever, and everyone sounded bored silly. Still, not bad...I guess a 7/10 is fair.

 

[Queen Cynthia]

I would call that a decent episode.
Sure, the overall concept (rescue team, COD needs help) was obviously a rehash of older episodes and yes, Ash still doesn't seem to care about making his Pokemon stronger for a change. But, thank God, N once again saved the day! Not only did he again bring up that interesting question of what the relationship between Pokemon and humans should look like, he actually got involved in the action and, by the way, he was looking pretty cool while helping the others.

Also, I was glad that N finally realized that he needed to rethink his concept at least partly. I already mentioned before that I find N's way of thinking about Pokemon extremely intriguing but nevertheless I've always found it too radical and maybe also a bit too narrow-minded. So, regardless of any other flaws that the episode might have had, that aspect of N having to reconsider his ideas was excellent!
All in all, I agree with @Sakuraa that both N and Halsey took something important from each other. It could be a coincidence but I rather think the writers did that on purpose, so that the audience would be reminded of Cynthia's motto: "When one life meets another life, something will be born".:ksmile:

 

[Kelleo]

Yeah, not the greatest episode ever, but I did like Watchog's role and I really like how N is learning new things about the relationship between Pokemon and people in each episode. It shows that he's continuously developing and still staying a cool dude. ^^

And you bring up a good point about Cynthia's saying, Queen Cynthia! I can't believe I didn't think of that!

 

[NoodleChefKyle]

I could help but wonder a few things while watching this episode. 1 : Why the heck is a class of little kids at an industrial power station?

Two words: Field trip. Teachers will take kids to the most boring places.

 

[Solacen]

I could help but wonder a few things while watching this episode. 1 : Why the heck is a class of little kids at an industrial power station?

Two words: Field trip. Teachers will take kids to the most boring places.

Yeah but its hardly a safe place to take small children.

 

[Harryghost]

Woobat finally uses a new move since its debut and it’s Hidden Power. Hidden Power? Really? Not even a Psychic move, but a move that they just gave to James’s Amoongus. I was kinda disappointed about that.

Well, you never know, perhaps Jessie's Woobat's Hidden Power is the Psychic type.

Aside from that, I am glad N had a change in his viewpoint, though it is minor at this stage. I believe it would help him to better understand and appreciate human-Pokémon relations and Pokémon battles.