Reviews

I really can't fathom what a lot of the other reviewers are talking about. This is far from an uplifting film. Yes, the main character finds specks of joy among his life filled with monotony and regret, but the director never sees fit to give this poor man some relief by the end.

His niece visiting is a minor blessing, quickly followed by immense heartbreak from having to say goodbye to his sister once again, knowing that he probably will not see her any time soon afterward. His underling in cleaning shows some promise of growth, quickly followed by a betrayal, which ends up letting down a disabled kid.

He routinely says hello to a girl in the park, met by awkward gazes, incapable of summoning even a smile. He plays tag with a terminally ill man, after promising said man that he won't be able to take care of the woman he loves. He has nightmares of his mother's suicide and his father's dementia every night, accompanied by groaning dreary tones and symbolized by grey dreary images.

The end of the movie shows him struggling to smile while sobbing uncontrollably at the state of his life. It's like I watched a completely different movie than was promised by these other reviews. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM IF YOU'RE MENTALLY UNWELL OR AT RISK OF HARMING YOURSELF.

That other review is near incomprehensible... at least to me; so I've decided to leave my own thoughts as well.

When I first saw this episode upon its first airing as a young kid, it left the same impression on me as it did after re-watching it many years later, today. What a beautiful and emotional experience.

It teaches both the importance of valuing and respecting your loyal companions (in this case Pokemon) and simply caring about the life that exists around you.

Of course, I can't move along without mentioning that the relationship this episode eventually leads to (between Ash and Charizard) is a really fantastic character interaction and story arch which adds so much value to the series. I'm really glad Charmander was introduced here.

All in all, if you have a heart that hasn't become stone, you will have misty eyes by the end of this episode.

Unlike the other commentor, I'm not a perverse degenerate. It's a shame so many people of that sort frequent places of common gathering these days.

This is a great episode where Ash comes across AJ's gym. AJ is a very competent trainer that pushes his Pokémon to be the best they can be, including making the use of tools like training harnesses.

Although some of the moments in the episode (especially the ones involving Team Rocket) didn't land for me, overall I think it adds some good world-building to the series. The episode also teaches a great lesson about the value of discipline and hard work.

The overall message is silly, and was carried out in a very hammy way. The ending was especially exaggerated and nonsensical. Being overweight shouldn't be avoided due to fear of bullying, but rather fear of poor health. Allow yourself to enjoy your life, while still keeping control.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and unfortunately, many people still haven't learned their lesson.

A nice message here, speaking out against drug use. I appreciate the views Hank has on downtime, but have to note that your time is much better spent just sitting in a boat in the middle of a lake reading a book. The fish DO feel pain, and they aren't put out in nature to satisfy our entertainment needs.

Loved the moment with Dale in the courtroom, and the ending scene was pleasant as well.

Great episode, with a nice theme based on Halloween. While Junie has her heart in the right place, she takes her initiative way too far, and ends up alienating people rather than helping her cause.

There is nothing "politically correct" about being anti-halloween. In fact, the opposite is true. Unlike someone else, I won't go into a nutty rant about my personal views. I've always loved Halloween, but I can absolutely empathize with Junie's perspective as well.

Show is a bit hit or miss.

While I appreciate the highlighting of hypocrisy and pretentiousness of some people out there, Peggy is ever the grating character. More unlikable than ever before.

Bobby continues to be portrayed as a useless fool who can't think for himself (even though he's been shown in other perspectives before).

Hank (and pretty much the whole neighborhood) knows Dale's wife is cheating on him, but no one says anything. Of what use are enemies, with friends like those. Not to say that Dale is some perfectly moral character, but you can't call somebody your friend while you stand by and say nothing when they're being mistreated.

This show has its moments. Fantastic final section. Although, that line about Egyptians and their Hebrew slaves earlier in the episode is total nonsense. Brought to you courtesy of the same folks who took a jab at Berlin a little while ago.

Another great episode. Father and son bonding, and even Peggy is likeable in this one. They finally gave Bobby a break, providing him with a cool ability.

These writers really seem to have their claws out for Bobby at times. Was very relieved to learn that he was indeed using the head for practice socializing.

They made Dale pretty unlikable in this one (although he's shown signs of incompetence before). Bobby continues to be depicted as more stupid with each episode.

Overall, just okay, with some nice background on something Hank (and the neighborhood) considers important to them.

The best episode so far. Tackles an important issue threatening people of all ages, with comedy thrown in to relieve the tension. Sure, the depiction of addiction is exaggerated, but the scary thing is, it's only slightly so. Don't ever let your loved ones get addicted to any substance, much less one as bad for you as cigarettes.

The writers have done their best to make Peggy even more unlikable than before, and they've succeeded with aplomb! The ending, the VR lawnmower, and the parts with Bobby and Luanne were the only saving graces of this episode.

All I'll say is thank goodness there are people like Hank's father to counterbalance people like Peggy. Neither of them are perfect people, but one of them is definitely a hypocrite (as well as astoundingly overbearing).

Can't believe this episode is rated as eight stars overall. So hamfisted and exaggerated. The ending is okay, but overall a real bummer. Chock full of actual stereotypes via the writers (like making Bobby a dumb kid compared to Connie), while preaching about its dangers. Didn't find it that funny at all; more annoying.

To make an inspiring and emotional scene within the context of a constipation crisis is truly skillful. What a great ending. Hope there are many more worthy moments to come.

Nothing to write home about, although it is nice to find out more about Luanne and see the dynamic between her and Hank grow. Bit of overacting throughout, which made it more annoying than pleasing. Is Peggy going to continue to be this overbearing throughout the series? She may end up being the reason I stop watching.

I appreciated the ending of the episode (and the section with the hacky sack attack, but most of the episode wasn't all that great. Some more actual bonding between father(s) and son(s) was much needed in an episode about a camping trip.

The highlight on liberal hypocrisy is welcome, and relevant even all these years later (now more than ever) but I don't appreciate the whole thing with Dale's son being an obvious lovechild from a cheating relationship (much less the cheating itself). It feels totally out of place and sleazy in a show otherwise pointing regularly to good family values. Would've been seven stars if it weren't for those points.

Heartwarming episode with some bonding time between Hank and Bobby. The highlight of Hank's love of playing the guitar and golf also add depth to his character. Let's hope they take the two concepts further in future episodes.