Some character notes and episode notes for HZ041, writing them down for future reference.
Dot and Murdock were seen together in the kitchen for the first time! Dot hasn't been in the kitchen much so far (I think twice? When she went to fetch the donuts Murdock made for her in HZ008, and when she went to drink juice in HZ030), so it's cool seeing her there with Murdock since he is the cook. Dot also called Murdock by his name for the first time in her flashback with Friede, though she didn't refer to him as uncle yet. I hope it happens eventually.
Dot's mother (Blanca) showed up to take her home. She is completely different from Dot, much more talkative and excited, which Liko notes that Dot seems to be like that when she is streaming (which suggests that Dot seems to take inspiration from her mother, consciously or not, when she puts on a show as Gurumin). Blanca didn't seem to know about Gurumin though and wanted to ask Dot about it, and Murdock tells her that she should bring her donuts since she might open up more easily that way. The Ikkanezumi that Liko saved offer to take the plate of donuts to Dot, and apparently they've been helping out here and there on the ship as thanks for that. It's nice seeing them being active and getting a glimpse of their personalities.
Liko and Roy offer to talk to Dot instead of Blanca. She agrees and gets emotional over the fact that Dot has friends who look out for her. Liko and Roy go to Dot's room and want to know her side of the story and tell her that they don't want her to leave and ask her if she's really okay with it. Dot doesn't answer at first so Liko and Roy pretend to leave and give up on talking, and Kuwassu encourages Dot to chase after them to talk. Dot eventually agrees to talk about herself, and they go somewhere else on the ship to talk (first time Dot does so, since usually they all talk in her room).
Dot begins her story and talks about how she felt like she had hit a wall in the past. She likes looking up interesting things and cultivating her skills but there were things she couldn't experience from her room. She found one of Friede's thesis online once and was impressed by his work. She eventually meets him in the flesh since Murdock told Friede about Dot being good at tech and he came to her place to ask her to fix stuff for him, make an app for the RVTs and join them. I wonder if Murdock was the one who suggested Dot join the ship but asked Friede to extend the offer (Dot might not have been as receptive to it if Murdock had been the one asking her to join?). Dot was a bit overwhelmed by all of this (and embarassed about meeting someone whose work she admired) and she wasn't sure about his offer. She downplayed her skills too (saying that her being good at tech isn't a big deal, she often did that throughout the show) but Friede assured her that it was something special.
As an aside, I like the implication that Friede keeps writing research papers and even publishes them independently. Just because he left his previous job doesn't mean he lost his passion for his field, or that he stopped studying and writing. It seems like he still writes a lot, and even makes distribution maps about Pokemon and is very diligent about all of it. It's a nice character detail.
Dot asked Nanjamo for advice during a stream (similarly to Liko, she freaked out a bit about her question being read). Nanjamo's advice encouraged her to take action and she eventually convinced her mom to let her join the ship on a trial basis. It seems like at that point during the flashback, Dot wasn't friends yet with Nanjamo? Maybe they exchanged contact info and became closer later once Dot joined the ship? I also like the fact that Dot seems influenced in different ways by both Nanjamo and Blanca (who are very different from her in terms of personality).
Blanca eventually came up to Dot and the others, and wanted to ask Dot how she felt about her trial period ending. She was pushy about it, so Dot wasn't necessarily receptive to her words. Liko told Blanca that Dot needed to find the right moment to talk about it, so Blanca challenged Dot to a battle so they could talk openly during it.
As they battle, Blanca told Dot that she knows that she mostly stays in her room despite being on the ship and traveling and asks her why she became a trainer since she was never interested in being one before. Dot tells her everything: that she started appreciating the outside world, that she managed to make friends, and that her life became more exciting thanks to her Pokemon. Even though she was backed into a corner during the battle, she didn't give up (and referred to her and Kuwassu as "we", talking about them both as a team) and thought up of a strategy (targeting Lugarugan's feet) and eventually won. Kuwassu learned a new move, too. Dot immediately knew which move it was. Small moment that shows her knowledge (usually, Friede identifies the moves to tell Liko and Roy about them, it happened when Hogator learned a new move in HZ037 for example).
Dot eventually asks her mother if she can stay on the ship as a full-fledged member. Blanca accepts (she had a feeling Dot would ask that), and seems genuinely happy that Dot is growing and that she is enjoying her time on the ship. She hugs Dot too! Murdock's Iwanko brings Dot a tissue so she can give it to her mom (very thoughtful thing to do). Dot tears up a bit as well since she is happy that her mom accepted her request (but quickly hides her tears and denies needing the tissue when her mom asks w). I feel like we're seeing more sides of Dot lately. Her VA did a wonderful job when Dot was talking about her past too (her voice sounded much softer than usual).
Noting that Murdock remained more reserved than usual in this episode, probably to balance out his sister's personality? (I liked that Blanca had a Lugarugan, contrasting with Murdock's Iwanko, interesting that the younger sibling has the evolved form of a Pokemon) In general, I feel like Murdock takes on more the role of an observer when it comes to Dot. There might be some truth to Blanca's words, that sometimes it can be embarassing to talk to your relatives, so that may be why Murdock observes and reaches out in the only way he knows how (with food, which is how he conveys his love for his niece) and watches over Dot while Liko and Roy befriend her. (There is more to be said about this particularly) Overall, I liked that even though Blanca can be overbearing, she does have Dot's best interests at heart and wants her daughter to grow. Proper communication is how they managed to find a common ground and understand one another.
