Episode Title Origin: The Screen Actors Guild, the actors' union.
Teaser:
Our heroes are in a city, when suddenly a figure hands them a bag and tell
them to hold it for him. Usually such bags have secret military papers or
enriched Uranium in them. This time, however, it's-a Smoochum?
Play that music!
In any case, when Brock is later mistaken for a celebrity, Smoochum, Togepi,
and Pikachu start following a robotic Skiploom (this should be raising a red
flag for you). Of course, Team Rocket is behind all of this, but they do not
last long in battle. After this, Brock, Misty, and Ash discover that Smoochum
belongs to movie star Brad Van Darn (Character Name Origin: Jean Claude Van
Damme, a famous actor in action movies). He is worried that Smoochum will
ruin his image (or at least his manager is). At the same time, he and
Smoochum have quite a history together, and he cannot bear to let it go. At
any rate, he must prepare for a performance he is giving. His manager,
meanwhile, tries to persuade him to get rid of Smoochum.
Van Darn is about to give his performance, and leaves Smoochum in the care of
our friends. The manager, however, concocts a plan to have security remove
them from the building. What he doesn't know is that the security guards on
duty have been replaced by none other than Team Rocket, who take the group on
stage to perform in their own torturous side show. Thankfully, Van Darn shows
upto put and end to it. However, to do so will require acknowledging the fact
that he, tough guy that he is, possesses a Smoochum. Even so, he presses on,
valiantly fighting Team Rocket. In the end, it all works out-Team Rocket is
ejected, and rather than being a downfall, Smoochum becomes a boost to Van
Darn's career.
Tag:
We see a trailer for Brad's newest film, and it seems now that Smoochum is
the star. In any event, our heroes must continue on their way to Olivine City.
Who's that Pokémon: Murkrow
Moral of the Episode: Be yourself.
Analysis: An interesting and original episode. It's a very unique twist on
the old "actor who wants to be himself" plot line. The manager was also a
very interesting character, as he tried to protect Van Darn from his secret.
In the end, the episode shows that sometimes it's more important to show you
really are than just what people expect.
Steven Reich
Webmaster Pokéwatch
http://pokewatch.nick15.com/
Proud Owner of a Life-size Togepi Doll
