It's been about 15 years since this episode was released, but somehow, every time someone mentions Pokemon, this episode is what appears in my head.
It's not easy explaining why this episode hits home the most, partly because I can't really explain it myself. I guess the first thing you have to understand is that Pokemon was my childhood. It was the first animated TV series I've ever seen, and for a young boy trapped in a small town in his humble home, Pokemon was my escape to a land of unlimited dreams and imagination. I envied Ash, not only because he had the opportunity to explore the world and experience incredible adventures, but also because he had a dream, a fun and fulfilling purpose he designated to himself: to become a Pokemon Master.
But while Ash was the boy who I wanted to be, Meowth was more like the character I actually was, and the painful differences between the two became all the more evident in this episode. Ash grew up in the care of a loving, nurturing mother. Even when he makes dreadful mistakes, such as sleeping in on the day of choosing a Pokemon, things eventually end in his favor, such as luckily being able to get Pikachu from Professor Oak. Ash continues his adventure, getting friends, defeating gym leaders more than twice his age. He comes out victorious, loved, admired, respected. Ten years old, and he's already so accomplished, so mature, so compassionate for his fellow Pokemon that he understands the necessity of sometimes letting them go for their happiness, always ending up somehow making the right moral decisions. As a result, I always found Ash's character to be somewhat clichéd or unrealistic in retrospect.
On the other hand, Meowth is to this day this unclassifiable unique character, so interesting and multifaceted that I would go so far as to deem him as one of the most profound cartoon characters ever to have been created. And this episode, this brilliant, heart touching episode, was what singlehandedly granted him to this honorable status.
To begin, Meowth was likable because, unlike Ash, nothing was handed to him on a silver platter. There was no caring mom to raise him and guide him through life; he grew up alone, hungry, once strung up on a tree because his delusions from hunger made him see baseballs as food. But despite all this, we see Meowth persevere and concoct a dream: to go west and find a solvent life for himself, so he wouldn't starve again. Hence, it's not hard to see why someone would root for this underdog for his tenacity. He stood up to fight for his necessities and happiness.
At this point, most stories will fall into the common cliche of the protagonist climbing from "rags to riches" or finding some sort of happily ever after. A more cynical show would have shown Meowth continue to be trapped in his impoverished, pitiful lifestyle no matter how hard he struggled. However, another reason why I love this episode and the writers is that Meowth doesn't truly doesn't fall in either end of the spectrum.
Upon his arrival at Hollywood, Meowth quickly learned to steal food to survive. It was enough to get by, but the cat eventually shifted his focus towards another type of hunger: his desire for love. Believing the solution to his heartache was Meowzie --the classy, female Meowth dressed in jewelry and elegance-- Meowth strove to snatch her attention by attempting to become someone noteworthy and significant in his own way. Choosing a path of intense struggle and pain, Meowth agonizingly learned to walk and talk like a normal human in hopes of impressing Meowzie (and also finally answering the long held question of why Meowth could speak in the show). But in the end, despite achieving literally almost no other Pokemon managed to achieve, Meowth did not earn Meowzie's respect, but was instead called a "freak." After Meowzie chased after a Persian, Meowth tried to impress her one last time by defeating said Persian (the evolved form of his species) in battle, but was nevertheless still rebuffed.
There's a complicated lesson in this story. "Go West Young Meowth" teaches us the sad truth that sometimes no matter how hard you dig, the gold you sought remains unfound. Sometimes, there are things that you can never have, and other times there are people who will not love you no matter what you do. BUT the episode also shows us that that's okay, because there are still so many other paths in life. In Meowth's case, his fate does not by all means end in tragedy; Team Rocket may not be the epitome of perfect people, but they accepted Meowth, were there for him, made him part of their team, and Meowth eventually understands that they are an integral part of his life too. Using Jessie and James's words, Meowth all in all was a freak, but was still "their freak."
After seeing a rough outline of Meowth's rocky life, the episode concludes with Ash and the others upset and complaining about how their Pokemon wasn't part of the Hollywood show. While it may have been a jibe at how Ash's concerns are relatively inane in comparison to some of the bigger life problems we just saw Meowth face, the episode leaves the viewers to interpret its meaning as Team Rocket makes one final appearance and dances off the stage.
In the very last scene of the episode, we see Meowth staring at the moon, still thinking about Meowzie. While Ash simply moves on, rarely seen mentioning or reminiscing the old Pokemon and friends he departed, we get to see some of Meowth's more vulnerable moments, where even after all this time, he still couldn't let go of his first love. Anyway, this is a long review, but at this point, if Meowth's character doesn't strike you as deep, then that's okay, because Meowth simply didn't resonate with you as it did with me.
It's not easy explaining why this episode hits home the most, partly because I can't really explain it myself. I guess the first thing you have to understand is that Pokemon was my childhood. It was the first animated TV series I've ever seen, and for a young boy trapped in a small town in his humble home, Pokemon was my escape to a land of unlimited dreams and imagination. I envied Ash, not only because he had the opportunity to explore the world and experience incredible adventures, but also because he had a dream, a fun and fulfilling purpose he designated to himself: to become a Pokemon Master.
But while Ash was the boy who I wanted to be, Meowth was more like the character I actually was, and the painful differences between the two became all the more evident in this episode. Ash grew up in the care of a loving, nurturing mother. Even when he makes dreadful mistakes, such as sleeping in on the day of choosing a Pokemon, things eventually end in his favor, such as luckily being able to get Pikachu from Professor Oak. Ash continues his adventure, getting friends, defeating gym leaders more than twice his age. He comes out victorious, loved, admired, respected. Ten years old, and he's already so accomplished, so mature, so compassionate for his fellow Pokemon that he understands the necessity of sometimes letting them go for their happiness, always ending up somehow making the right moral decisions. As a result, I always found Ash's character to be somewhat clichéd or unrealistic in retrospect.
On the other hand, Meowth is to this day this unclassifiable unique character, so interesting and multifaceted that I would go so far as to deem him as one of the most profound cartoon characters ever to have been created. And this episode, this brilliant, heart touching episode, was what singlehandedly granted him to this honorable status.
To begin, Meowth was likable because, unlike Ash, nothing was handed to him on a silver platter. There was no caring mom to raise him and guide him through life; he grew up alone, hungry, once strung up on a tree because his delusions from hunger made him see baseballs as food. But despite all this, we see Meowth persevere and concoct a dream: to go west and find a solvent life for himself, so he wouldn't starve again. Hence, it's not hard to see why someone would root for this underdog for his tenacity. He stood up to fight for his necessities and happiness.
At this point, most stories will fall into the common cliche of the protagonist climbing from "rags to riches" or finding some sort of happily ever after. A more cynical show would have shown Meowth continue to be trapped in his impoverished, pitiful lifestyle no matter how hard he struggled. However, another reason why I love this episode and the writers is that Meowth doesn't truly doesn't fall in either end of the spectrum.
Upon his arrival at Hollywood, Meowth quickly learned to steal food to survive. It was enough to get by, but the cat eventually shifted his focus towards another type of hunger: his desire for love. Believing the solution to his heartache was Meowzie --the classy, female Meowth dressed in jewelry and elegance-- Meowth strove to snatch her attention by attempting to become someone noteworthy and significant in his own way. Choosing a path of intense struggle and pain, Meowth agonizingly learned to walk and talk like a normal human in hopes of impressing Meowzie (and also finally answering the long held question of why Meowth could speak in the show). But in the end, despite achieving literally almost no other Pokemon managed to achieve, Meowth did not earn Meowzie's respect, but was instead called a "freak." After Meowzie chased after a Persian, Meowth tried to impress her one last time by defeating said Persian (the evolved form of his species) in battle, but was nevertheless still rebuffed.
There's a complicated lesson in this story. "Go West Young Meowth" teaches us the sad truth that sometimes no matter how hard you dig, the gold you sought remains unfound. Sometimes, there are things that you can never have, and other times there are people who will not love you no matter what you do. BUT the episode also shows us that that's okay, because there are still so many other paths in life. In Meowth's case, his fate does not by all means end in tragedy; Team Rocket may not be the epitome of perfect people, but they accepted Meowth, were there for him, made him part of their team, and Meowth eventually understands that they are an integral part of his life too. Using Jessie and James's words, Meowth all in all was a freak, but was still "their freak."
After seeing a rough outline of Meowth's rocky life, the episode concludes with Ash and the others upset and complaining about how their Pokemon wasn't part of the Hollywood show. While it may have been a jibe at how Ash's concerns are relatively inane in comparison to some of the bigger life problems we just saw Meowth face, the episode leaves the viewers to interpret its meaning as Team Rocket makes one final appearance and dances off the stage.
In the very last scene of the episode, we see Meowth staring at the moon, still thinking about Meowzie. While Ash simply moves on, rarely seen mentioning or reminiscing the old Pokemon and friends he departed, we get to see some of Meowth's more vulnerable moments, where even after all this time, he still couldn't let go of his first love. Anyway, this is a long review, but at this point, if Meowth's character doesn't strike you as deep, then that's okay, because Meowth simply didn't resonate with you as it did with me.
