Top 5 WORST Episodes Of 101 DALMATIAN STREET Season 1

The first season of "101 Dalmatian Street" has concluded. For many fans, it feels like very little time has passed since they watched the first episode. Now, here we are a year after the show's premiere and well over a year since the show was announced. As with anything, there are good episodes and bad episodes that have been made. The good episodes definitely please fans as they are representative of the awesome side of "101 Dalmatian Street". There are OTHER episodes, however, that showcase that this series is not perfect by any means. There are even episodes that absolutely suck, and aren't even worthy of being acknowledged. This is a list of the episodes that I disliked the most. First off, one rule I've set is that the season finale, "The De Vil Wears Puppies", is not on this list. Neither are "Dante's Inferno" and "Better The De Vil You Know" for that matter. I don't think that these episodes should be placed on the same pedestal as the other episodes. Secondly, "Puppy Dreams" isn't on here as it's technically a package episode featuring the Gigglebug shorts. Finally, this is a subjective list, meaning that this is all my opinion, so don't be upset if I hate on an episode you like. Alright, without further adieu, here are three dishonorable mentions that aren't nearly as bad as the five on my actual list, but they do raise a lot of red flags for me...

-------------------------------
SNOW DAY
What fan of "101 Dalmatian Street" is going to say that "Snow Day" is the best episode? Very few of them. This episode is easily one of the more forgettable of the series, but even trying to break down the details of this episode still doesn't give it much of an advantage. One of the main problems with "Snow Day" is that it felt like they jammed in a multitude of cartoon cliches into one, and it doesn't seem like the writers were focused on pacing or narrative here. The Trix commercial styled ending where the Dalmatians don't even get to play in the snow is totally unsatisfying and it's a trope that is beaten to death, and overall there's nothing to offer here. It is the perfect example of a "meh" episode. If you like it, that's fine, but this episode is highly forgettable and offers nothing. This episode aged like dirty snow on someone's doorstep.

A DATE WITH DESTINY... DALLAS AND DEJA VU
Episodes that are botched due to cringeworthy bathos are seemingly a feature on this show. Some episodes still manage to climb out of that looking decent, others don't. "A Date With Destiny" is a prime example of this. While the episode itself is as solid as the others, and it's one of few moments where the Triple D are likable, the awful joke in the third act with one of the Triple D not being "helicopter trained" foils any sort of appeal the episode may have had. It's unfortunate, because it seems like any time the writers try to make the Triple D convincing, they do something else that's even worse, and this is an example of that. Definitely not a bad idea for an episode, and once again, there is potential, but because the mood of the episode is tampered with, the spots aren't aligned in the right places here. Definitely not. This episode ended up being more like deja vu than destiny.

DOTTY DANCING
The reason why "Dotty Dancing" is a dishonorable mention is due to personal reasoning. Yes, it is great that they made an episode of "101 Dalmatian Street" with DJ as a prominent character, and it's true that DJ is very well written in the episode. The main character Dylan is also well written and I like the idea of him trying to learn how to dance at a party to impress Portia his crush. What rubbed me the wrong way about this episode even though all of the arrows pointed to this episode being good? The fact that the rock style of music played at Portia's party is perceived as "bad" and the poppier-styled music that the Dalmatians endorse in the episode trumps everything. It's kind of an elitist attitude and certainly a haphazard approach. Maybe I am overanalyzing here, because this is a kid's show, but this episode tried to have the moves but didn't fully impress.

-------------------------------

Some other episodes I didn't care for are "It's My Party" and "Ride Along", but these of course didn't make the cut because I felt they had enough okay moments to be passable. These five episodes are ones that I disliked the most, and while it is obvious that this is an opinion-based list, these episodes are the weak side of the show. So, what are the five episodes that infuriated me the most out of the series' entirety? Well, let's take a look at the five worst episodes of "101 Dalmatian Street".

05. DIAMOND DOGS
I had a hard time picking the #5 slot for this list because I there aren't as many BAD episodes of this show. The four that are above this are the only ones I would consider to be terrible. However, I chose "Diamond Dogs" for this slot because this episode didn't leave a single impact on me. None. There is nothing in the episode that impressed or intrigued me in any way, and there was nothing that I genuinely cared about other than some OK visuals and solid animation. The plot is super generic and predictable to the point to where you can predict each plot element before it happens. Dolly and some others are planning a "reverse heist". OK, so what do we need for this episode? We need to have characters that unintentionally mess up the heist and make it more likely for Clarissa to find out that her precious designer collar might be stolen. We need to have Clarissa and her posh friends find out that someone broke into her house. And of course, in tradition to this series, we need to have Clarissa humiliated for some reason, leading to the protagonists making fun of her. It's sort of like "Tom And Jerry", but where "Tom And Jerry" is perfect and one of the best cartoons of all time, THIS feels cheap and tired. I kind of feel bad for Clarissa because she is one of my favorite characters, and this is easily the worst instance of her getting humiliated. So, overall, this episode isn't great, and I highly doubt that there are fans that would pick this episode as one of the best. Definitely not a diamond in the rough here.

04. LONG TONGUE DAY
Here is another episode that's ruined by a bad joke that's totally unnecessary. The only thing is, unlike the case of "A Date With Destiny", this does not have any redeeming qualities to make it special other than the three-second scene with Da Vinci. And if THAT is the best thing about an episode, than, WOW you have not succeeded with your material. I will give them credit, they tried to give this plot some appeal with the animation style, as it reverts from what you'd typically expect to a more comic-book oriented style in the scenes where Dolly and Dylan are fighting the Kraken. But here's the thing. One- they do this in episodes that are WAY better than this. And two- this is a very lame scene where Dolly and Dylan make fools out of themselves. What is there to really care about or latch onto here? And the fact that the episode ends with Big Fee making a flatulent joke is insulting. This was a decent idea for an episode, and it was built up for several months because a clip from this episode surfaced long before it was released, but it SHOULD have been so much better than this. They could have not made it such a misguided episode, but they did, because adults believe kids like passing gas apparently, so, let's not focus on storytelling I guess. "Long Tongue Day" should have not been so bad, but they lit it on fire, and not in good way. Place this episode in a drought and let it wither and corrode in the heat.

03. THE WALLS ARE ALIVE
We've talked about several moments in this series that I've checked out of. Well, "The Walls Are Alive", is the episode that I truthfully didn't care about from beginning to end. I believe that the idea of implementing horror to this series has somewhat become a creator's pet plotpoint. It worked well in some episodes, in fact really well, but others not so much. I mean, there were some that were alright, but "The Walls Are Alive" is the worst of these by a longshot. It's a bad "Paranormal Activity" parody that doesn't give me any material to work with, and instead just exists. They should not include the Triple D in any more horror episodes from this point. It has now come to fruition that they put them in that horrible "diva characters that scream at their own shadows" stereotype, and it REALLY doesn't work for them. It doesn't. Especially since we get to hang out with one of them till the near end of the episode when everyone else gets "eaten by the walls". I don't even get what this whole "do the walls eat us" thing is supposed to be about. That's a lame idea in and of itself, and it is almost too easy to do incorrectly. And they did. This feels like an episode written just so the series can meet the fifty episode requirement. No creativity, no interesting ideas. Nothing. It's just as bleak as the Dalmatians' house becomes in this episode, and it's not scary or funny. It takes advantage of zero of its elements. It is pointless, and if you're wondering if this episode is worthwhile, I'm afraid to tell you that it isn't.

02. THE WOOF FACTOR
This is the moment where we get to the truly awful side of the show. "The Woof Factor" is the first episode of this show that I truly thought was trash. Once again, the only good moment is the brief Da Vinci cameo when she is saying that she is doing street art across town. Da Vinci may be my favorite character, but even she couldn't save this awful episode. Like with the other episodes on this list, the plot did have potential as it focuses on Dolly, Dylan, and Deepak posing as The Triple D to shoot a commercial. But, that is also where the flaws come into play. This is an episode where the main characters are a hindrance, and that is NOT a good sign for any piece of media. The central characters are supposed to be likable, but in this case they keep messing up the commercial shoot for various stupid reasons, and it's such a contrast to other episodes where Dolly and Dylan are incredibly layered as characters. The episode itself is another generic and tired plot where the three dogs keep on messing up the commercial by not staying on the X, then at the end there is some crazy mishap that happens with the Triple D crashing in, leading to the director being in total amazement at everything. How many times have we seen an unsuspecting character be a witness to some "horrible" mishap, only to sudden change their tone of thinking and act all giddy and blown away by it? How many times do we need to see Dolly, Dylan, and Deepak mess up until we're infuriated? It also doesn't help that Deepak, who is likable, is roped into a stereotypically annoying scaredy cat role, and it doesn't put his character in a good light. It is weird to think that the Triple D are the only salvageable thing about an episode that they appear in, but it's true here. They really do carry this episode and are at least trying to do something that isn't infuriating... for better or worse. But, aside from that, this episode majorly sucks. This episode doesn't have "the woof factor", even if it tried to convince people that it did.

01. DON'T PUSH YOUR LUCK
And here we are, folks. This was not a surprising expectation at all. "Don't Push Your Luck" is the episode where I snapped pretty discernibly and truculently, as you can probably tell. When you ask people what their least favorite episode of the show is, it's most often times this one. Why is that? Most of people's reasoning has to do with Big Fee's presence in this episode, but my hatred for "Don't Push Your Luck" goes way further than just that. Unlike most episodes where there is at least a plot that I can see working well, this doesn't even have that. As I've stated before, it's an episode that combines the worst sports movie cliches with the absolute cringiest flatulent humor you can imagine, with some horrible "luck" cliches thrown in for appropriate measure. There is absolutely NO way to make this plot interesting anymore because anyone with a brain can see the plotpoints coming from an inch away. Of course Dolly will succeed in the skateboarding competition with Hansel. Of course Dolly makes a sacrifice to be in second place. Of course everything you'd expect to happen takes place. THAT'S NOT CLEVER OR MOVING. It is only worsened by Big Fee's awful gags and just how unlikable she is especially in this episode. Nothing works in this 10-minute trashfest. Big Fee doesn't work. The plot doesn't work. The short scene with the Triple D is awful. Everything about this episode is the bottom of the barrel. At least with the other bad episodes, I could see some potential. I could at the very least have some inkling of what they were attempting to do. With "Don't Push Your Luck", I honestly don't know what they were thinking in making an episode that's this generic and awful and repugnant. Garbage is not the correct term for this episode because giving it that feels too generous. This is an abomination. It is a gross display of all the things you shouldn't do if you are planning to write an episode of this show. As stated before, if you have not seen this episode, don't push your luck in watching it, because you will hate it.

-------------------------------
Which episodes from the first season did you dislike the most? Why did you hate them? What are some things you do not want to see in the next season? Leave all of your thoughts in the comments section below. Please feel free to enjoy my other content as well, including other lists, reviews, series, and my artwork. Also, if you'd like to get a glimpse at all of the insanity that takes place outside of this site, check me out as Scamp4553 on Instagram and as SimbaKoda4444 on YouTube. And of course, more content is coming your way soon. Take care.