The Problem with Paras – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 44

Plot episodeCharmeleon disobeys

The Problem with Paras is the 44th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 44th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 46, Bulbapedia code EP044). It first aired in Japan on 14 May 1998 and in the United States on 13 February 1999. It falls within the season’s The comeback, Charizard & the Egg stretch (EP39–EP51).

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

Ash and friends arrive in Moss Green village, a cute little place but so small that it doesn’t even have it’s own Pokemon Gym, as a result Ash isn’t initially interested in staying but Brock steps in and says it’s a good time to replenish their stocks of antidotes, potions etc as they’ve run out. So they decide to go and stock up and get something to eat, in the meantime they are being followed by Jessie and James who are watching from the bushes, and Meowth seems sick. Jessie and James were about to leave a badly fevered Meowth on his own so they could chase Ash and Gang when a woman confronts them about leaving their sick Pokemon, she then makes a herbal remedy there and then to make Meowth feel better and it quickly rectifies his fever. The woman gives Jessie and James some pills to feed Meowth after each meal before departing off into the bushes. Meanwhile Ash and co enter a shop and ask a mysterious old woman if they can buy some stuff, after being briefly scared by her the same woman who told Jessie and James off arrives at the shop, her names Cassandra and she’s the owner of the Pokemon Pharmacy, upon hearing that Ash and friends are trainers she challenges them to a Pokemon battle. Team Rocket continue watching from the trees as the group head out to battle.

Cassandra uses Paras, she wants Paras to battle lots so it will level up and evolve into Parasect, because with Parasects Mushroom she can make a new potion to help Pokemon all over the world. So the battle begins, a downbeat Paras vs. Pikachu, Ash goes notably easy and Pikachu instead of using thunderbolt delivers a tiny static shock, knocking Paras out. Ash and gang look up Paras in their dex and choose a Pokemon which is weak against it, sending Squirtle out again it. Paras gets back up, with Cassandra hopeful that the type advantage might help Paras win, even a tiny squirt of water from Squirtle knocks Paras down so Ash recalls him, Ash sends out his newly evolved Charmeleon and tells him to go easy, unfortunately Charmeleon goes wild and gives Paras a really good beating sending it running off crying into the woods where it bumps into Meowth. Ash and friends, plus Cassandra search for Paras but with no luck, she explains to them that the Miracle potion she aims to create using Parasects Mushroom will heal HP, and restore defence, attack and even make the Pokemon smarter and more determined!

Meowth hasn’t forgotten what Cassandra did for him and actually acts to try and help Paras, asking Jessie and James to help, persuading them that Cassandra’s success could make them all rich too as she’d owe them for the help. Meowth uses Arbok and Weezing to ‘battle’ Paras, while Jessie and James cheer him on, Meowth intervenes in each battle knocking out Arbok and Weezing and then Meowth. Paras now has newfound self confidence thanks to it’s couple of wins and when Ash and gang catch up it challenges Pikachu to battle. Ash tells Pikachu to go easy, but paras stick his claw in Pikachu’s tail, Pikachu was about to thunderbolt it but then Ash reminds it to go easy and Pikachu pretends to lose. Ash sends out Charmeleon, who completely disobeys him, Ash tries to recall Charmeleon who ignores him and attacks Paras. Team Rocket appear and start cheering for Paras, bolstering it’s confidence further, Charmeleon doesn’t care for their cheers and incinerates them, just before he incinerates Paras one poke of Paras’ claw into Charmeleon knocks him over and Paras evolves into Parasect! Charmeleon gets back up and throws Team Rocket away into the sunset, Charmeleon approaches Parasect to attack again but gets put to sleep by Parasect before returning.

Ash and friends say goodbye to Cassandra and her rather creepy grandmother and head off on their journey.

Major Events

• Charmeleon begins disobeying Ash
• Cassandra’s Paras → Parasect
• Ash deliberately tries to lose (first time). Debut: Parasect.

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Parasect#0047 · EP044

Captures and evolutions

• Paras → Parasect#0047 · Cassandra

Trivia

• The English title plays on "the problem with people".
• The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.

Changes in the English Dub

• 1-s maneki-neko Meowth shot cut
• 薬/漢方堂 shop signs painted ~9 times
• A ghost-death remark becomes a fever
• Dub ending: the Kanto Pokérap (Thursday segment)

Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.