Recap / Pokémon S2E20 "Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?"

Misty: I have a natural understanding of matters of the heart.
Ash: Yeah? How come?
Misty: You're not mature enough to understand.
Ash: I am, too!
Misty: Well someday you'll grow up.
Ash: I already am grown up!

Japanese Title: Nidoran's Love Story

Original Airdate: June 10th, 1999

US Airdate: April 22nd, 2000

Sometimes love really does conquer all.

The one where... Pokémon does Romeo and Juliet.

Our heroes are on their way to Trovita Island when they come across two Pokémon trainers who seemingly hate each other, even though their two Pokémon are in love. He has a male Nidoran and she has a female Nidoran and all that the two Pokémon want is to be together. It takes Misty, the true romantic, to see that perhaps it's the two trainers that are in love as well!

Tropes

• Acting Unnatural: Pikachu acts very conspicuous when he edges his way to the fruit tree while pretending to look for Maria.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Misty is certain that, deep beneath the acrimony at the surface, there are feelings between Ralph and Emily. Tracey thinks the same of Ash and Misty.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: At the end of the episode, when the Narrator comments that "All's well that ends well", Team Rocket, who somehow got stuck in ringing church bells, respond.
  Jessie: Did he say that all's well that ends well?!
  James: I think so!
  Meowth: That has a familiar ring!
• Contrived Coincidence: The chef comments that Ralph and Emily somehow ended up catching the same Pokémon every time.
• Corner of Woe: Immaturity cracks from Misty put Ash here twice while the twerps are casing Ralph and Emily.
  Misty: Don't you know that love is the most important thing in the world?
  Ash: Not more important than catching Pokémon.
  Misty: You are such a big baby!
  Ash: I'm not a big baby! Am I, Pikachu?
• Demon Head
• Disguised in Drag: James as a female bride, along with Jessie as his groom, when they start their plan to kidnap both Nidorans.
• Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Downplayed. As Tony is trying to woo Maria, Emily dumps a bucket of water on him. Ralph on the other hand never makes any sort of attempt to harm Maria.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Misty makes a reference to the regular world when she says the town looks like "Merry Old England." The series would cease to reference real-world locations after a couple of instances in Johto.
• Forged Message: Misty sends Ralph and Emily love letters and gifts that seem to be from each other. Naturally, it doesn't work. The gifts in particular backfire horribly since she sent Emily flowers and Ralph a model airplane. Turns out Emily is allergic to the flowers Misty sent and Ralph barfs on airplanes.
• Got Me Doing It: While Ash is calling for Maria, Ralph is calling for Tony. After a couple of back and forths, Ash inadvertently calls for Tony.
• Idiot Houdini: Misty faces no consequences for the fake love letters she wrote to Emily and Ralph aside from Ash questioning it.
• Kick the Dog: Emily dumps a bucket of water on Tony the male Nidoran for trying to flirt with Maria, her female Nidoran.
  Emily: This oughta cool you off, Romeo!
• Literally Loving Thy Neighbor: Tony and Maria live next door to each other. When Ralph and Emily decide to let them be together, Tracey suggests building them a little house between their trainers' houses.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: As Team Rocket finds out, even though Tony and Maria are in love, they couldn't run away from Ralph and Emily.
• Never My Fault: Misty claims that Ralph and Emily were responsible for Team Rocket taking their Nidoran, forgetting that the only reason the two were fighting, let alone their Nidoran were in the same place, was because of her forged love letters.
• Only Sane Man: For once, Ash gets to play this role. He tries to tell Misty that the fight between Ralph and Emily is none of their business and makes it clear that her schemes to get them together are flat-out crazy (if not borderline illegal: "But couldn't you get arrested for mail fraud?").
• Please, Don't Leave Me: Following the defeat of Team Rocket, Emily and Ralph now understand how much their Nidoran care for each other, but both are reluctant to release them. Tracy points out they don't have to; since they literally live next to each other, they can build a little house in between for Tony and Maria.
• The Power of Love: After blasting off Team Rocket, the two Nidoran evolve into Nidorino and Nidorina.
• Rhymes on a Dime: When James and Jessie appear to our heroes, Ralph and Emily disguised as a bride and groom, respectively, they say this...
  James: (in cheesy falsetto) On this most sunny wedding day...
  Jessie: There's a funny trick we'd like to play.
  James: Our matrimony...
  Jessie and James: ...is a total phony! (they swipe both Nidoran) Now we'll take these Pokémon away!
• Scare Chord: The Death Glare that Misty and Ash give Tracey as part of She Is Not My Girlfriend comes with one of these.
• She Is Not My Girlfriend: Tracey makes the mistake of comparing the BST Misty thinks exists between Ralph and Emily, with Misty and Ash themselves. They both vehemently deny it.
  Misty: They're not mature enough to admit it, but they really like each other.
  Tracey: Ya know what? It's exactly the same thing with you and Ash.
  Misty and Ash: *both give Tracey a Death Glare* YOU MUST BE CRAZY!!!
• Shout-Out:
  • The male Nidoran is named "Tony", and the female Nidoran is named "Maria". West Side Story, anyone?
  • To Shakespeare: The title is a shoutout to West Side Story's inspiration, Romeo and Juliet. There's even a balcony scene, after which Emily derisively calls Tony "Romeo" while driving him off. Team Rocket also lampshades the narrator's reference to All's Well That Ends Well.
• The Snack Is More Interesting: While searching for Maria, Pikachu spots a tree with some delicious-looking fruit and pretends to keep calling for her while sliding his way towards a snack.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: The Nidoran's trainers don't like each other at first. One fight with Team Rocket, and they can at least put their differences aside on behalf of their smitten Pokémon.
• Time for Plan B: When the Nidoran refuse to go along with Team Rocket's Elopement plan, they just resort to kidnapping them.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Misty rightfully calls out Emily and Ralph twice for stubbornly focusing on their fighting when they knew how much their Nidoran loved each other.
• Would Hit a Girl: Ralph and Emily hate each other so much that they physically attack each other.