Even in the episodes leading up to Togepi, there were a bunch of really lame episodes like Problem with Paras, March of the Executor Squad, and Battling Eevee Brothers. You can tell the writers were starting the struggle around that point, and it wasn't because of Togepi. There were still some amazing episodes in the second half of Kanto, but also a lot of more pointless, forgettable episodes. Especially that stretch between the last badge and the league.
