This episode is often compared to The Tower of Terror episode from season one, with most people favouring that episode as oppose to this one. Personally I like this episode a lot more, mainly because it didn't have something stupid like Ash and Pikachu "dying", something that even today makes no sense.
One of the highlights in this episode was the interaction between May and Max. Not only does it make them feel like they're part of the show (as oppose to being a background character that does virtually nothing *cough*Misty*cough*) but it also makes them feel a bit more like real siblings. Max's interaction with the Shuppet was also good.
Another highlight (albeit minor) was the "afro" hair gag, which surprisingly offered a good laugh. It makes you wonder why we don't see more gags like that.
While she does have a bit of a generic voice, Emily (the character of the day) felt like an interesting character, despite the fact she only played a minor role in the episode.
The one thing that bugged me about this episode is the fact that the dub cuts out the shot where Jessie punches James and Meowth in the face. It doesn't make much sense as the aforementioned Tower of Terror episode (among others) had a lot more violence. Apparently its okay for Jessie to smash Meowth with a sledge hammer, but punching him in the face is forbidden. As the shot was only about a second long, its not a huge issue, its just an annoying one.
Although this is a filler episode, it was a very good one. Its always good to see a filler episode that's actually worth watching compared to the ones in other seasons (here's looking at you Sinnoh).moreless





