Recap: Primeape Goes Bananas

The time has come for my year of the monkey celebration; and I decided to do it on one of my favorites. I carefully planned it that way. 

We open on Oak Labs, with the professor having breakfast when the phone rings. Krabby brings it to him, and Ash bids the professor good morning. He shows off his badges, but is dismayed when Gary and the others have 5 badges and passed through Celadon City. Gary has also captured 30 Pokémon. He said he had 45 on “Mystery of The Lighthouse:” did Gary release 15 Pokémon in that time?

However, the professor is enjoying Krabby’s company, even writing poetry! This is a common staple of the Japanese version: the Pokémon senryu. The professor composes a poem relating to a Pokémon at the end of each episode.

Ash is confused by this, but the professor encourages him to catch more Pokémon. As he gets off the phone, a tumbleweed blows by as the setting looks alarmingly like a cross between Nimbus III and where I used to live in Klamath Falls. 

Now, as Ash returns to camp, we get one of the more memetic parts of this episode: the infamous “jelly donut” scene. They are clearly rice balls, as many have pointed out. I mean, have you ever gone to a Dunkin’, Krispy Kreme, or Tim Horton’s and seen those on the shelf? I sure haven’t. This bit even continues throughout the episode. If you try to make a drinking game out of it, you’ll be hammered before you get to the Who’s That Pokémon segment. 

Anyway, they’re only a day away from Celadon City; and is encouraged further to catch more Pokémon by Brock and Misty.

Then, a Pokémon pops out of the bushes! This is Mankey, and his line has been my favorite fighting type and one of my favorites of the original 151 for some time, thanks to this episode. He’s also one of the many Pokémon who’s good luck for me, being born in the year of the monkey. He shall help me prosper this year. 

Brock then gives him the “donut”; and he loves it. Ash then vows to catch it, and Misty calls him out for just tossing the Poké Ball without much thought. Old habits die hard. 

Then, Mankey starts to thrash around. Not deterred by another “donut,” he vaults off Misty’s head, and kicks the crap out of Ash and takes his hat.

Team Rocket is then looking in on the situation through their binoculars, and decide to take advantage of it.

Needless to say, Ash is not happy about the hat. This is why this among my favorite episodes: it taught me that messing with a man’s hat is a line you just don’t cross.

Even worse, his hat even has a backstory: he won it at a raffle officially sanctioned by the Pokémon league; sending in “about a million postcards” to win. Misty also apparently entered. Brock sympathizes with him; as do I. This franchise managed to make that hat, and its ilk in later seasons; every bit as iconic as Mario’s hat and Link’s hat. Given the stuff in this episode: it’s also proof why jokes about hats are proof Arceus has a sense of humor. 

The situation is further compounded by Team Rocket intervening; and evolving into Primeape to cause even more trouble. Nobody, regardless of gender is safe from Primeape’s rampage, as shown when Jessie is thrown face first into a rock! This is another reason why this episode is among my favorites: the violence is so cartoonishly over the top that it’s a key way to show how the earlier seasons were effectively given a free pass to do whatever they wanted, in a good way.

As the Thrash continues, Primeape sends Brock blasting off when he tries to help; and everyone goes running through the hills. Primeape is definitely worse to run into than Tusken Raiders.

Naturally, Team Rocket is digging yet another one of their trademark hole traps. Stanley Yelnats has nothing on Wile E. Coyote-like villains Jessie, James, and Meowth.

Jessie then asks if Pikachu would like to “come for a ride on her head.” One of the many unintentionally hilarious lines from Team Rocket. Get your mind out of the gutter!

Now, Primeape has Ash cornered, and he’s had enough. He decides to capture him in a battle that I’m very glad was revisited for “The Fires of A Red-Hot Reunion” and we’ll get to that very soon. I have something special in mind for the 20th anniversary.

Charmander even manages to learn Rage to take on Primeape. Despite all his rage, they are still all just rats in a cage. Pikachu manages to get the hat as Primeape is taken down with one Flamethrower. Ash is thankful to have it back; as well as a new Pokémon. Everyone has reached Celadon City; and Team Rocket is KO’d among a field of Primeape; wishing they had some donuts as they presumably have the crap kicked out of them.

“Primeape Goes Bananas” managed to quite easily stand the test of time for me; given as how I still watch it every chance I get. Every time it came on; every time I could check out the videotape from the library; and a large part of why I ordered the new release of the first Indigo League set is because I wore the disc out watching that episode alone.  Everything just seemed to click with me on why I love this episode years later, and did in those days: the animation, the way the characters acted, the comedy; the way they managed to take a rather common Pokémon from the games and turn it into my favorite fighting type to this day. It is among my favorites for those reasons.

There will be much more to talk about as the 20th anniversary draws ever closer. See you space cowboy!