Infinite Possibilities! (Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series)
Note: The 1,100th page on the Bad Media Category!
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Infinite Possibilities! is an episode from Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series and it first aired in Japan on August 5, 2022, in Canada on January 21, 2023, in South Africa on February 14, 2023, in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2023, in Australia on April 25, 2023, and in the United States on June 23, 2023. It is the second episode of the third/final part of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, is the twenty-ninth episode of that Installment and is overall the one-hundredth and twentieth episode of the Pokémon Journeys series.
Summery
A Cerise family discussion about Pokémon Evolution prompts Professor Cerise to suggest a camping trip! On the way, he and Chloe stop to visit Grover, who knew Professor Cerise when he was a young child. The reunion causes the Professor to recall his friendship with a wild Clefairy and the emotional moment when they parted ways. Later, the family watches a group of Clefairy dancing in an Evolution ceremony under the full moon. After the Pokémon depart, Professor Cerise is certain that one of the evolved Clefable was his old friend. The experience helps Chloe realize that when it comes to herself and Eevee, the possibilities are infinite.
Why This Episode Has NO Infinite Possibilities
- This is a strictly filler episode, as not much really happens other then Cloe and her Eevee going on a Camping Trip with Professor Cerise.
- Having a lazy plot that's filler is one thing, but in the case with the Gravity Falls episode "Roadside Attractions" and the previous infamous Pokémon Journeys episode "Splash, Dash, and Smash for the Crown!/Slowking's Crowning!", this is another case were it's a filler episode in-between two very important episodes, and not just any important episodes, they are episodes from THE MASTERS EIGHT TOURNAMENT.
- Humongous waste of potential: During the first couple of minutes of the episode, the plot does focus on Cloe, Eevee and Professor Cerise(Cloe's father) going on a Camping Trip for Cloe to learn more about Pokémon Evolution, it gives it the potential of this being a Cloe and Eevee focused episode with numerous and tones of creative writing that's theme on Eevee's idea of his evolution, with tones of heartwarming moments that's also themed on Cloe's and Eevee's friendship as they could being doing daily things while camping and learning more about Pokémon Evolution such as playing in the water, spending time together in a tent, looking for wild Pokémon in the forest and so much more, which the episode itself could have 100% easily been about. But instead, around half of the episode is focused on Professor Cerise and his encounter with Clefairy, it's only until near the end when Cloe gets some decent screen-time.
- Given the fact that this is filler, nothing really happens in this episode, and to add salt to the wound.... Cloe's Eevee still does not know what he wants to evolve into yet, making this episode as a whole even more pointless then it already is.
- Despite this being a Cloe focused episode, Cloe barely appears in this episode and does anything remotely specie in said episode until the climax, instead most of it is focused on Professor Cerise as stated in the #3 segment.
- The pacing is very slow when compare to the previous episodes.
- Some of the events of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series such as the after-mention Masters Eight Tournament(as stated in the #2 Segment) and even the Project Mew are completely ignored in this episode, thus making it feel more like a filler episode from Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series rather than a continuation of the story.
- Around mid-way in the episode, there's a flashback sequence of Professor Cerise when he was a kid that explains how he met a Clefairy, and while it is well written and very heart warming, it feels out-of-place in an episode that focused on Cloe.
- This episode could've gotten May, Serena and Lana(Ash's previous companions that also has an Eevee) to join Cloe, Eevee and Professor Cerise as they would've help Cloe understand how evolution work and give her an idea of what to evolve her Eevee into, making it also a humongous missed opportunity for the three of them to appear in this episode.
- Near the end of the episode, there's a battle scene were Clefable is battling a group of Golbats, which while very entertaining and a nice change of pace, also feels rather out-of-place in an episode that, again, focused on Cloe.
- This episode barely has any impact on the Pokémon Journeys: The Series overall as stated in Reason #1's subsection, as most of its events are completely ignored in the rest of the series; its only main contributions to the story is Cloe's relationship with Professor Cerise and her Eevee(which is no different then previously), but even so, it can still be skipped. You can watch the show, skip this episode, and anything too important would not be missed.
Redeeming Qualities
- The backstory of Professor Cerise is well written and heart-warming.
- Parker Cerise, Cloe's little brother, makes an appearance in this episode after his long absents since the Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series episode "Memories of a Warming Kindness!", and is given an increasing bigger role in this episode since his last major role in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series episode "The Cuteness Quotient!", which was 89 episodes ago.
- Cloe and her Eevee are likable characters.
Reception
Despite having more positives reviews the negative reviews, "Infinite Possibilities!" has been highly critically panned by many fans and critics alike, with major criticisms going to Professor Cerise taking up much more screen-time then Cloe herself while the latter does not contribute much to the episode that's suppose to be focusing on her, the poor pacing and the lack of any continuity of both the Masters Eight Tournament and the Project Mew, its not only considered as the worst episodes in all of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, but is also considered as one of the single worst Cloe episode in all of Pokémon Journeys.