The Powerpuff Girls Season 2 Ranking and Review

Season 2 is considered perhaps PPG's best season. As such the ratings can super change here, and just assume most of these episodes have some good humor, some good action, some good plot and character moments just as standard at this point. Even a mid tier episode is a "good" episode and my complaints are mostly going to be relative to others in the season. 

Season 2 Ranking:

26: Down N Dirty: This is just an episode of Buttercup progressively getting dirtier and teaching her she needs to take a bath. It's mildly gross, and not especially funny. A lot of children's shows have episodes that are just to teach children something, and that's fine but as an adult it does mean you don't have much to take from it. I feel like Powerpuff Girls will do much better at that this season. 

25: Cootie Gras: Also has some mildly gross imagery with the Harry Pitt-s growing out of the PPG in their nightmare sequence. The Powerpuff Girls don't always use their powers optimally which is fine, it happens in basically every work with superhuman abilities but it's especially notable this episode. Mojo drops the Girls into a pit and then drops Harry Pitt down with them and this treated like they are trapped and cornered even though they can FLY! It's kinda cute when they realize Cooties doesn't exist and actually don't run away from Harry Pitt but it's not like it's an ep about unfair ostracization, Harry Pitt doesn't react to anything in the episode.

24: Schoolhouse Rocked: This is an episode that kind of confuses me. The plot is the Gangreen Gang being in the Powerpuff Girls class which is already kind of strange given they are....clearly not the same age. They regularly torment the other students yet the Powerpuff Girls can't fight back...it raises the question why aren't the Gangreen Gang getting in trouble. School has MORE rules than the outside world, that's the point. The Gangreen Gang shouldn't be able to do their normal mischief with impunity in an area with more rules. They don't even really try to hide it. I do think the truant officer is a funny character, and the solution which is that Miss Keane encourages the Girls to play "Dodgeball" with the Gangreen Gang is a creative solution, but the main plot confuses me.

23: Slumbering with the Enemy: I know this is a super iconic episode, but I just don't really get it. The young girls beating up Mojo at the end is cute, it's cute that the day is saved by "normal little girls" but it does detract from Mojo's threat as a villain that he canonically was beaten up by a bunch of completely normal little girls. It also has several sequences that just go on for a while, and it doesn't resolves the PPG losing their powers. It's not bad but it's humor and action are really nothing special for the season.

22: You Snooze, You Lose: The ep where the PPG accidentally do Mojo's plan after finding the Amoeba Boys with it and thinking it's a ride. It's fine. It's got nothing really wrong with it. The humor is fairly decent. It just lacks anything really special to put it higher. The concept is amusing but after that it's basically just what you'd expect.

21: Mojo Jonesin: Another really iconic ep. I think the normal kids being given the Girls powers temporarily was fun, and Mojo being a really clear drug dealer metaphor is a funny inside joke. I do kinda object to the way the moral is presented as first the kids are happy to destroy the PPG, then they act like Mojo tricked them into doing it because he didn't tell them who he was, than it implies near the end that Mojo put substance into the superpower-granting substances that messed with their heads. It kinda takes from their apology if the episode implies they weren't in control of their actions, especially when they did seemingly to be doing it willingly at first, and if the moral is don't do drugs it would make more sense for it to be them making a mistake of their own free will and apologizing for it.

20: Birthday Bash: This is a pretty standard PPG episode I think. The main plot is Mojo Jojo, Princess, The Amoeba Boys, and HIM in sequence all send presents to the Powerpuff Girls; all of which being traps. It's mostly three action sequences as well as the joke of of the Amoeba Boys sending them voodoo dolls instead of actually using the voodoo dolls. I think the jokes, in particular HIM stating his real threat is that in giving them candy he will doom them to the terror of tooth decay is pretty funny and the action sequences are pretty good.

19: Pet Feud: This episode is another pretty standard one quality-wise for Season 2, but has a bit more identity. The Professor creates a pet for the PPG but they accidentally don't follow his instructions causing it to become a kaiju. It's pretty funny, has not quite as good action as Birthday Bash, but has a better plot. I like it a little bit more.

18: Mo Job: Mojo and Princess team up. I think the best part is just their first interactions with them yelling to each other on either side of Mojo's lair, and trying to work together briefly. The actual fight is also one of the most underrated in the series. The Girls fighting X-powered Princess is a really good fight, with both using elemental powers to fight, and Mojo shooting off antidote X to try and depower them. Also Bubbles has learned how to count!

17: Imaginary Fiend: As much as I don't like the "person gets blamed for something they didn't do" trope, this is a pretty cute episode. The problem and the solution are both pretty clever with the class being plagued by an Imaginary Friend gone wrong, and the Girls not being able to fight him because how do you fight an Imaginary Friend? Their solution is to make their own imaginary friend, which itself is a cute scene of them basically trying to collaborate and negotiate on an imaginary friend to beat Patches. Also there are references to Dexter's Lab and to...of all things....South Park.

16: Slave the Day: The PPG save Billy of the Gangreen Gang, who loyally joins their side in thanks for saving his life. It's cute and funny to see Billy trying to be good and help the girls. I also really liked the joke where the Gangreen Gang were playing Poker and it's commented Gruber somehow always wins. Also Batman's referenced.

15: Something's a Ms: As much as I don't like the Girls getting beaten down and needing to be saved again by a civilian, a bizarrely reoccurring trope for this season, Mrs. Bellum beating Sedusa is a really cool fight and great moment for her. Obviously this episode is also known for all the subtle sex jokes which is funny, and I also really that the girls were able to see through Sedusa's deception, showing basic common sense.

14: Stuck Up, Up, and Away: The first episode of Season 2 and the introductory episode of Princess, a real love to hate type villain for me. This episode has one of the best and most famous fights in the series with Blossom giving Power Suit Princess a beatdown. I do wish they gave some explanation for how Blossom was doing so well against Princess after she stomps Bubbles and Buttercup individually, the spectacle is certainly impressive. Also this is the ep that infamously has criminals trying to shoot the Girls with visible guns and bullets, and it does nothing as they boredly tank it. It's also pretty funny Princess money to powers is justified in universe that "Batman doesn't have powers." 

13: Just Desserts: This episode is a follow-up to Supper Villain, which is already pretty interesting, as PPG doesn't usually do sequel episodes like that. It's a pretty good episode in its own right, and somewhat follows up the theme of Supper Villain with Harold's family coming to support him and indeed turn to villainy by his side. To me the episode is mostly building up to the joke where Marianne Smith declares she attempted to destroy the PPG because worst of all, they ruined her dinner, only to be told that's not a good reason to attack them at all. I thought it was a good joke, and I liked the villain family is very popular for a reason, they are a fun set of characters. My only really contention is that the original was such a hard act to follow, that this episode doesn't rise to the level off.

 12: Too Pooped to Puff: The Powerpuff Girls have to guide the people of Townsville in beating a giant monster without directly getting involved. It follows the basic rule of frustration comedy, which is the characters have to be more frustrated than the audience. The girls arguably get more tired trying to coach Townsville than actually defeating the monster themselves. Also when the girls are fed up with asking them for everything even very easily doable things, the Professor asks Bubbles to bring him the remote just a couch distance's away. Blossom and Buttercup leaves but Bubbles picks up the remote...and throws it to the ground in front of him. F-ing Savage.

11: Daylight Savings: This is a pretty humble little episode where the Girls get a curfew but can save Townsville due to Daylight Savings giving them an actual hour to fight. It's a fun, creative way to solve the episode problem. I really liked the humor this episode, particularly the ending where the Narrator says that the day is saved thanks to Benjamin Franklin creating Daylight Savings. I sort of get why people don't like this episode, it's pretty unreasonable to force the Girls to have a curfew given that the city was literally being destroyed, but I mean...and I don't how to put this...most of the episodes have weird contrivances to get the premise to work. Series in general get a narrative gimme to make an episode premise. I don't look at Child-Fearing and think "wow it doesn't make sense Mojo was hired as the babysitter." I don't know why this one is different in that regard. 

10: Beat Your Greens: This is the prime example I was thinking of an episode made to teach children a lesson, in this case eating your vegetables, that you can get stuff from as an adult. The vegetable aliens fighting the children was a really funny sequence to me, particularly how they kept analogizing it to a war, and how well paced it was with changes in the battle, and that part where one of the Vegetable aliens trips while trying to flee and the hungry children just swarm it and devour it alive, which was hilariously dark and darkly hilarious. Another really iconic episode and I definitely can see why. 

9: Los Dos Mojos: This is another really iconic episode where Bubbles gets amnesia and thinks she is Mojo. Seeing Bubbles act like Mojo is cute and funny, and makes her a big threat giving she's as strong as she ever is yet her sisters can't fight back. I like the running gag of Bubbles and Mojo both speaking in extended speech, declaring they are Mojo, and also Mojo makes a Monty Python reference! It's a really good episode.

8: Dream Scheme: I have a special affection for this episode. The girls have to stop the Sandman whose put the whole world to sleep. I have a special penchant for things that rhyme and also for dream manipulation type battles which allow the writers to do essentially anything but also reflect reality. It's a really creative episode with both an interesting premise/problem as well as solution and due to the conflict taking place in a dream is one of the most unique action periods in the series, though there will be a similar one against HIM in a latter episode.

7: Cover Up: Probably the most relatable episode of Buttercup's for me the entire series. I was more of a Bubbles growing up, but I feel like most people can relate as children to losing something of massive sentimental value, something that makes one feel safe, and freaking out. Blossom's way of getting Buttercup's help back is pretty clever and in-character for Blossom. I also like that Blossom and Bubbles weren't especially mean to Buttercup over her having a security blanket as especially sentimental Bubbles who has Octi would recognize how Buttercup is feeling. 

6: A Very Special Blossom: Blossom is generally the most moral of the PPG sisters, acting as the leader for her sisters as she's less headstrong as Buttercup and more objective than Bubbles. This episode she commits a crime; stealing golf clubs for her father and it eats her up inside, especially as later she tries to frame Mojo. I feel this ep is a really good character episode for Blossom, with a good plot that evolves as the Professor gets falsely arrested for theft, and Blossom's growing desperation. It's pretty funny near the start as well. I like action alright, and I like comedy even more, but good character moments and plot for me is even greater and this ep has the latter while not totally sacrificing the former.

5: Collect Her: This is an episode that I recall being incredibly surprised when watching it the first time. An obsessive fan of the PPG kidnap them to add them to his collection. The people of Townsville organize into an angry mob and actually save the girls themselves. It's so surprising seeing the normal people of Townsville being portrayed as the actual heroes. While this season does have an oddly high number of amount of times that the girls have to be saved, this episode feels a bit more realistic than normal since the Girls were surprised by someone who would obsessively know their weaknesses, and he wasn't even defeated by raw force but by them breaking his stuff. It has a nice message about fandom I think holds up pretty well, it's really funny especially the Mayor going on this angry declaration that their enemy must be this random citizen of Townsville since they aren't there, only for them to actually be shown to be there. Overall I can really see why this episode is so popular.

4: Supper Villain: The top 3 episodes of the season are all iconic masterpieces, yet this episode is an episode I think is competitive with them in quality, which is saying a lot. This is the most bizarrely evocative episode as normal man Harold Smith, secretly an aspiring villain, has his soul broken by the grind of daily mundane life, only to have to have the PPG over for Dinner, causing him to break and take on his supervillain identity, SUPERVILLAIN....uh.....Harold Smith! I can't really do this episode justice in a short timeframe and I honestly think it should be higher, possibly number 1 for this season. It's funny, and compelling, and bizarrely universal and symbolic. I could create a blog just analyzing this blog and how it relays the feeling of having ones dreams and ambitions worn down by mundane life. 

The top three episodes of this season are all some of the most iconic episodes of the series, and are all little masterpieces in themselves. If you chose any of these to be your favorite episode of the series, no one could possibly blame you. The real question is how to rank them? 

3: The Powerpuff Girls' Best Rainy Day Adventure Ever: Probably the single most popular episodes in the series, I don't think I can say anything about this series you haven't heard in a hundred analysis of what makes it good. The episode captures the simple joys of childhood, and imbues it with the same life and grandeur that fights against supervillains do. I'm the type of person really doesn't enjoy Slice of Life, so to make just girls just playing superheroes entertaining to me is a real testament to the episode's mastery. The episode is full of cute moments as the girls pretend to be everyone in there normal character roster. It's funny and sweet and great. This is a great episode but I don't think it's a good example of the series as a whole as it's too light to really be indicative of the series overall.

2: Speed Demon: Another episode you don't need me to extoll the virtues off. The Powerpuff Girls fly into the future accidentally only to find that without them HIM has taken over, and turned Townsville into his Hellish Dystopia. This is like the opposite of the prior episode, while that one is possiblythe lightest the series ever gets, this is possibly the darkest. It's a chilling episode, and seeing the girls tearfully enraged trying to beat down future HIM and it just doing nothing is a compelling moving moment. HIM is my favorite villain in PPG and it definitely had to be him to do this, as no one else had even close the menace and darkness level. This is the exemplar of how dark HIM is, and why he needs to be opposed by the brightness and optimism of there superpowered little girls. The episode gives a good theme of personal responsibility that I really enjoy. 

1: Twisted Sister: 3 and 2 are both equal in my mind, they are opposites; PPG's light and dark extreme. Twisted Sister is an episode I might show to introduce the series because it is not just a balance between the two, it is a perfect blend between the two. The PPG creating Bunny and playing with her initially is really cute, Bunny saving the other is incredibly heroic, and Bunny's destruction is heart-rending. This episode is something so rare these days, which is an intentionally made tragedy. It is aa reflection of having a life in your hand, something that needs attention, and abandoning your responsibility for it, and the horrible consequences of that. The girls are not in the wrong to be fed up with all the things they have to do, but the episode is about not using people to get to your goals because that's what the PPG do in this ep, they use Bunny as a means to an end. Much like her namesake, Bunny was an innocent creature, too pure for this savage world. It's not really the funniest ep, thought the sequence with them "accidentally" adding the Chemical X is hilarious, nor the one with the best action, but this ep is truly a masterpiece in 11 minutes.

Season 2 Review:

It's easy to see why Season 2 is probably the most popular, and definitely the most iconic season of the Powerpuff Girls. Iconic is overall the word I'd use for describing this season. Even the lesser episodes I immediately know which episode this was, almost every episode is famous and well known. This season's best quality is its general well rounded-ness, even in comparison to the other seasons; balancing action, comedy, cute, character, and plot in almost every episode. It's the season that got the sweetest and happiest the series would ever go, and the season that went the most cynical and darkest the season would ever go. Season 2 is not actually my favorite series, but it's definitely the season that I think is the most Powerpuff Girls, and the one I think is the most indicative of the series overall. It has several episodes that are masterful, and a large collection of episodes that are fun and well put together. It captures the contrast of the Powerpuff Girls of being these Kryptonian Tier superheroes that are also three cute little girls.