as much as i respect and adore the bond piplup and dawn have i still think its silly thaty piplup doesnt want to evolve. cant they just get over their emotions and move on

i was loving this episode until it ended with nurse joy giving piplup an everstone. now its a gurantee that it wont evolve

i hope piplup starts practicing bide more cause in the harder battles it gonna have to rely on it alot

This episode was pretty much another "Pokemon don't need to evolve to be strong" message, not too exciting but still good. However I have to say the reason why Piplup doesn't want to evolve was kind of bland. It didn't want to evolve to it could continue cherishing the moment it and Dawn first met. It's not a bad reason just sounds a bit forced. I mean the reason Pikachu didn't want to evolve is so that it can prove its stronger then its evolution and Bulbasaur didn't want to evolve just because it liked being a Bulbasaur. I guess for now it might be better off if Piplup remained a Piplup, however I would like to see it eventually evolve (probably after she leave's like how all over May Pokemon evovled after her leaving Ash and co.). In actuality I think the only Pokemon that should stay as it is is Pikachu since in the games, if Pikachu is holding a Light Ball its Special Attack and Attack becomes HIGHER then Raichu's! But as for Piplup and Bulbasaur, there is no statistic reason they shouldn't evolve. Anyway onto the episode:

Biding Your Time:
* This is odd, Piplup is sitting under a waterfall but I don't see Dawn, Ash, or Brock around. Was Piplup glowing just now!? Is Piplup... trying to evolve!?
* Hmm, now Piplup is with Dawn at a nearby Pokemon Center, that must have been a cold opening (they haven't done one of those in awhile). Though it looks like Piplup is having a problem staying on its feet.
* THUD! Barry! That was... unexpected... lol, Ash's hat fell right back on top of his head (guess after having it stolen so many times Ash must put magnets around it and wearing a magnet headband).
* Oh Barry calm down, it's not like there is a Gym anywhere nearby so what's the rush?... Kenny! So we have an Ash rival and a Dawn rival... are we going to see a double battle with Ash and Dawn vs. Barry and Kenny?
* Barry was sure to make friends with Kenny quick . Barry, we all know Kenny is from Twinleaf Town, infact Dawn and Kenny went to school together! Besides, what to you mean by Pokemon Ping-pong?
* Oh, just normal double ping-pong except your partner is your Pokemon, I thought it was going to be something like where you use your Pokemon to attack a giant ball and try to score against your opponent... then again that sounds more like volleyball...
* You're going to use Empoleon? Well I guess its wing fin might make for an effective paddle... Piplup is glowing! And Kenny confirms that means Piplup is evovling (he should know, he does have a... wait a minute...).
* Piplup was using Bide? Is Piplup trying not to evolve? Eitherway looks like "stopping" the evolution caused Piplup to faint.

Evolutionary-Family Roundup:
* Piplup is alright, and they all begin to talk about Piplup evolving (I'll get back to what I was saying my second previous comment before Piplup fainted.
* What Ash says doesn't really make sense, sure with Grotle it slowed down but when Piplup evolves I don't think it'll have any problems as the height and weight it gains are about equal. And Dawn, what you went through with Mamoswine was completely different, it didn't want to obey you.
* Ahh, Team Rocket ruined what I was gonna say. Anyway, with Dawn's Piplup, Kenny's Prinplup, and Barry's Empoleon wa have a complete evolutionary line, of a starter Pokemon no less! And that just gives more reason for Team Rocket to steal it...
* Looks like Piplup has evolution on its mind too, and after Dawn mentions how happy she is about it evolving it goes ballistic and once again uses Bide to stop the evolution process. Seems like its going through a bit of Ash's Bulbasaur syndrome.
* Dawn, I don't think Piplup wants to evolve, and you're not making things better by mentioning how it'll help YOU win Pokemon Contests... which then caused Piplup to jump out the window and run away...
* Hold it Barry, why are you pushing Kenny into Ping-pong training? I thought the plan was you Kenny to enter the Pokemon Contest while you enter the Ping-pong Tournament? And Brock, you might as well enter, it sounds like one of the tournaments the creators would allow you to compete in!
* Dawn, Brock just told you that Piplup is trying hard to not evolve and all you're worry about is it being hungry? How about the fact it doesn't want to evolve but the evolutionary process isn't exactly giving up? Where is an Everstone when you need it?
* Everyone split up, and Kenny sends out his Prinplup for some reason (yay, because seeing its evolutionary line is exactly what Piplup wants to see ). However Dawn spots a glow which I'll give you 3... no, 1 guess on who what it is.
* Yay, it's Piplup, and we're back at the beginning of the episode with Piplup under a waterfall but this time we know it's trying not to evolve.
* DAWN! WHAT PART OF "PIPLUP DOESN'T WANT TO EVOLVE" DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND! Sure, it hasn't given a reason why it doesn't want to evolve, but it's probably similiar to Ash's Pikachu or Bulbasaur, or with how the episdoe's storylines has been probably exactly the same.
* Piplup got caught in a web? Don't tell me the web belongs to an... Ariados. Well, at least there is only one this time. But phew, Dawn just nearly got hit by that Sludge Bomb... oh no, more Ariados? Well at least Piplup is now freed.
* Hyper Beam! These Ariados definietly aren't of the same variety as the ones back in Sandgem Town! Though Piplup jumps in the ay of the attack and uses Bide.
* Okay, now I know that this is the anime so they bend rules around, but I still have to mention this. No way Piplup should have been able to take that many Hyper Beams! Bide doesn't stop attacks from damaging, it just absorbs the kinetic energy. However it wouldn't be a climatic moment if it lost.

Sticking To A Chick:
* But while this was going on, looks like Team Rocket decided to go ahead and steal Kenny's Prinplup and Barry's Empoleon with a Piplup evolutionary-line themed mech.
* Yay Dawn, I think the purpose of this whole experience was to remind you of that moment and how strong Piplup is. Anyway Ash and co. found them, but also Team Rocket who's Piplup-evoltionary line mech looks to have Piplup's head and cape, Prinplup's body and horns, and Empoleon's wing fins. Anyway they snatch Piplup.
* LOL! Barry interupts Team Rocket's motto, but for some reason Team Rocket does stop this time (normally they'd yell at whoever interupted them and continue where they left off in their motto).
* Ash, do you think using Pikachu is really good idea considering Team Rocket has WATER-Type Pokemon being their captives... infact Team Rocket had it so that Prinplup and Empoleon would be shocked!
* However Dawn finds a way in via the valve door on the head (you'd think Team Rocket would have kept that close) and Piplup also escapes for both of them to be up against Team Rocket.
* So Meowth does his usual translations and reveals that Piplup doesn't want to evolve so it could continue protecting Dawn (I don't know why it couldn't do this as a Prinplup... they're not really giving a good reason why Piplup shouldn't evolve), and Meowth becomes teary-eyed over this because he would like to "protect" Giovanni from his Persian.
* It's kind of funny to hear one of our protagonists saying their Pokemon evolving into a bigger, stronger Pokemon while they are battling villains (even if it is Team Rokcet) is "bad timing". However seeing this Jessie switches their plan into giving Giovanni three Empoleons instead of an evolutionary family, which actually makes a bit more sense.
* Oh good, Piplup did the Team Rocket Blast Off, I was afraid that with Ash, Brock, Kenny, and Barry finally catching up with them Pikachu was going to do it. Though it would have been a bit better if all three Piplup, Prinplup, and Empoleon did the Team Rocket Blast Off.
* Ah, now I see, Piplup doesn't want to evolve so that it would be a reminder of the first day Dawn and Piplup first met. It makes a bit more sense now, but is still kind of a weak reason why it doesn't want to evolve.
* Everyone is all healed up and Nurse Joy gives Dawn an... EVERSTONE! How convenient! I guess as long as Dawn has it in her possession Piplup won't evolve (I don't know how that exactly works but we'll go with it). Any next time it's Dawn's Pokemon Contest!

Gotta agree with what most other people are saying.

Pretty good episode. Granted alittle forced at times. I think a much better motivation for Piplup not evolving is that it's afraid it's personality might change. Sort of like Mamoswine's did.

Team Rocket were annoying, pointless and retarded (I don't think I've enjoyed seeing them in an episode since the episode where Dustox left....)

Pretty much hating on Dawn (as usual). I wasn't a big May fan either but she had more personality and wasn't as annoying as Dawn (really missing Misty right about now..)

Piplup was adorable (once again, as usual)

And I'm glad Piplup didn't evolve. I like it just the way it is

All in all, I'd give it a solid 9.0