My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic:: READ POST 11156/PAGE 558

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Last week it was Flutterhulk, this week it's Flutterbat.

Funny, you'd think they'd have made Twilight a vampire so she could Sparkle in the daylight. Nevertheless tight episode with the Season 4 trend of cliff-hanger.

[The Egg WAH]

I really enjoyed Pinkie Pie in this episode, her and her wacky antics were pretty amusing, Flutterbat was pretty awesome too but over all the episode felt quite 'meh' and the song at the start just felt extremely out of character for them as it appeared they were bullying Fluttershy and we know they wouldn't do that.

 

Will be interesting to see if anything comes of the fact that it seems Flutterbat was not dealt with properly.

[Dr. Mechano]

I liked this episode, but I still have some serious problems with it.

 

First, no matter what your views on animal welfare may be, pests on a farm are a huge problem. Fluttershy's tenuous justification that the bats would spread seeds and be profitable to the farm in the long-term completely falls apart when you consider A.) How quickly the bats eat the apples, and B.) How slowly trees grow. In the end, I agreed with Applejack the entire time, and found myself echoing, "Stop the bats!"

 

However, even with that said, "Bats!" was a lot of fun. The song was incredibly catchy, and the cast's varied attempts to draw out the bats showed some great displays of each pony's personality (I chuckled at Rarity's hazmat suit in particular). Flutterbat was certainly unexpected, and overall, the episode was a nice mix of both slice-of-life and adventure elements.

 

The episode was a bit of a mess at times, but it was a fun mess.

[Celestia]

I'd be willing to believe that trees grow a lot faster in this universe (why haven't they been more clear about earth pony magic ffffff), but even then the vampire fruit bats do seem to drain the apples very quickly...

 

I guess what I see happening in the future (off-screen) is Fluttershy adjusting to their "language" so she can communicate with them? Maybe reason with 'em? It seems like a better solution than either just leaving them be or essentially taking away their only known source of food. :V

[Your Vest Friend]

I've done a little thinking on the issue, as a sort of thought exercise, using my Zoology background. So in this episode, we have this situation;

 

-The Vampire Fruits Bats have got into Sweet Apple Acres and are draining the apples! Oh no!

 

In this situation, we have the following two sides;

 

-The bats are pests. They drain the apples so quickly that livelihoods would be affected so the human...err, pony economic factor is compromised (there's also the issue of disease in real life, but let's say they're perfectly clear of disease despite the fact they look like they could easily be infected).

-The bats are animals who just want a food source for survival and reproduction and shouldn't be treated outright as pests. They also have ecological value in pollination and plant growth (supposedly).

 

There are a few questions raised by this though;

 

-How rare are the bats? The way to deal with animals in real life is largely dependent on their relative endangered status. Since Fluttershy hadn't heard of them and only found out because a farm had an issue with a local population, they seemed to be uncommon at the very least. But are they present in all orchards across Equestria (which means they have a general habitat, which is important for later), or are they a population derived from the Everfree Forest and thus limited in range to Ponyville?

-How severely is the economic factor compromised, and how much would affect business? Well, if the bats can wipe out the entire apple stock in one night even if a tree regrows fully after 24 hours, business would seize and the apple business would likely go under (since they seem to struggle with meeting demand for popular events as is, and it'd be even worse if they can't meet regular demand. They're already on the fritz financially). Since the Apple family have a monopoly in Ponyville, the knock-on effects would be huge.

 

So, in layman's terms, we have these options;

 

-Doing nothing (technically is, but that misses the point of solving the issue).

-A cull, either through shooting (how does a pony do that?) or setting traps that kill them instantly (like poison traps or spring traps). Gets rid of the problem, but decreases Biodiversity and might have unwanted side effects. Also they wouldn't cull in a show aimed at small children. :V Also the cage thing in real life is pretty pricey, so might not be in the price range of the business.

-Depriving the bats of their only source of food due to their specialisation in hunting thus having them suffer a slow, painful, lingering death...actually, that's a terrible option, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT. They don't even consider the idea that desperation might lead them to trying to kill other life forms. 

-Separating a section off for the bats as a sanctuary...actually, I want to address this one later. 

-Translocating them to another apple orchard, preferably a wild one which isn't in use for agriculture (and I don't mean a few feet away, this could be hundreds of miles). This is why it's important to know its habitat and natural range. If it can't be moved because it's literally limited to that one area, this actually isn't an option. If it's more widespread, you can look at different locations, and survey them based on whether existing populations are at the proposed spot or how much of an effect it would have on biodiversity and the native ecosystem if there isn't one there for one reason or another. It's really important to get the surveys right, my dissertation was entirely based on one case where this wasn't done right and the species translocated went locally extinct as a result. In real life, this is the priciest of the options and really should only be done if you're really committed to the idea. In Equestria though, it seems translocation would be a bit easier due to less fuel prices, more independent adaptation ability from the individual animals and the ecosystems apparently being hardier to changes in general (seriously, half the animals would not survive the stuff done to Ponyville going by normal logic).

 

 

In the end, getting rid of the bats probably wouldn't have been a bad thing to do, but the way they went about it was so ridiculous inhumane that I wouldn't condone it even if the Apple family's argument was the stronger one. 

So the next best option was probably the sanctuary one, and that's the one they went with.

 

But hold on...didn't they say that the bats usually stick to the Western orchard? Did something happen in that orchard that drove them out? Did the populous become so much that they were forced to look for other food sources? In the cartoon this is just a throwaway explanation as to why they were in the area, but in actual ecology this would be a bloody important point to raise! And if the Western orchard was already a place where the bats could stay put and feed without interfering with the agriculture...why did they not have the forethought to make that a bat sanctuary? Seriously, put up a wooden boundary since it's not too important that it be an expensive one due to flight, put out some bat boxes to give the bats incentive to stick to that orchard, have someone check up on it every so often to make sure the orchard hasn't gone awry for whatever reason, and you'd have prevented the need for these episode's events in the first place. The short-sightedness was aimed at just the solution to the bats, but it's actually far more deep-rooted than that. This is why ecological consultants are so valuable these days. 

 

 

 

And...I think that's it. 

[AdventChild]

I felt this episode is on par with Castle-Mania. 

 

Just to name the positives: Pinkie antics, Batman references, some dark atmosphere moments, FlutterBat, RD's cider problem. 

 

Though the whole reason for the rest of the Apple family not being there was forced and upsetting as it would have been nice to see more Apple Family interaction with the manes. Also, it's a missed opportunity for more Big Mac lines and maybe some FlutterMac on the side. I mean, I think it would have been nice to have an episode that was more slice of life that took a break from the last week's action episode to give it some balance. Even though the Mane had more purpose here than in Daring Do, having it just the Apple family and Fluttershy would have worked fairly well, I suppose. Maybe if FlutterBat didn't became one of the key issues and it was all about handling the vampire fruit bats that could have worked for a premise as well with the Apple family being involved. 

 

Another thing that was irksome to me was how the plot felt like an environmental PSA combined with Over the Barrel/Keep Calm and Flutter On. The plot did feel like a mess and that it stacked against AJ, leaving Fluttershy in the right when it seemed it was against Fluttershy in the beginning. So yeah it would have been better if everypony were finding solutions to keep everyone, AJ and Fruit Bats, satisfied than just going with one plan which involved similar magic in Swarm of the Century which obviously backfired in the end (smooth move, pointless princess). Also, AJ's reasoning felt more justified overall compared to Fluttershy's as the bats were a pest problem overall if they continue to wither the apples constantly, not to mention how considerably slow trees even if fruit bats help produce more of them, and they'd be better off some other habitat that befits them. Don't know why they didn't come to this conclusion at all rather than solve it with magic. I also expected for ponies like Pinkie or Twilight to side with Flutters than have all gang up on her as it would have lead to an even split and better than to copy the Keep Calm plot. The moral felt kinda mixed up as the plot. 

 

As for the song, it was better than Hearts as Strong as Horses, but not that great, IMO and kinda dragged a bit and lyric-wise weak. The song wasn't my cup of tea, not to mention how Fluttershy looked like she was getting bullied by friends during it. 

 

Also, still nothing concerning the box and keys, not even a clue. I know that we're not at the halfway of the season yet so it still might come up. Though it seems like this season revolves around this major plot point and I hope we get some progression with this soon. So far we've been getting a ton of open-ended/loose endings that may or may not tie together with the box or even with each other and lead to separate subplots such as the Pony of the Shadows, enchanted comic vanishing and Flutter fangs. Another thing is whether or not these are just throw away gag-endings and it's getting kinda annoying how many there are at this point if they don't amount to anything.

 

All-in-all an okay episode. 

[DGam'r]

I really loved how Bats! played out. It was funny but the peer pressure on Flutters felt so mean and selfish bc mainly AJ and mostly everyone else took advantage of Fluttershy's stare ability which made me upset. But the episode was great though even if it did teach us a valuable lesson about peer pressure and also Battershy or Flutterbat was too damn adorable! Is this like Season Fluttershy or some shit?! What's she gonna be next, a dragon?!

[Frogging101]

Well, if nothing else this episode gave me a new favourite song of the series. I also really liked its premise; pest control has been an ongoing battle (literally and ethically) since the dawn of agriculture. But the plot was weak. How Twilight arrived at her conclusion of what had happened is beyond me; her conclusion was correct but it was much too abrupt given its relative complexity. That bugged me a bit.

I liked Pinkie Pie in this one as well. I was surprised and amused when she referenced Winter Wrap Up, and even though it was unintentional I couldn't help thinking of "DRILL!" when she went underground, heh.

Oh, and I believe this is the second (?) time that we had "Fluttershy vs. Literally Everyone Else" and Fluttershy was right in the end; I think the previous one was Discord's second appearance (I'd look up the episode but Chrome on my iPad likes to unload pages when I switch tabs).

[Snatcher2047]

An Applejack episode.  Awesome.  It has an Applejack song.  Double awesome.  Needless to say, I liked this one.

 

* I thought Rarity and Pinkie Pie were both really good in this episode, despite their limited roles.

* "Applejack, when you go big you REALLY go big!" ~ Rarity.  Oh myyyyy...

* I like the song quite a bit, but it's definitely not the catchiest song in the series.  I think it's helped quite a bit by the visuals, but by itself, it's not quite as strong.

* Even as an evil being of the night, Flutterbat is still downright adorable.

* I loved the little 3D grid magic Twilight used.  Along with the spell she used on the bats, it just really shows how far her magic has come over the years, I feel.

* I'm glad Applejack came around in realizing the well-being of her friend was the most important thing.

* I'm not a huge fan of when they end the episode with a long epilogue with the characters explaining the moral of the story.  I kind of like it more when it's left up to ourselves to decipher what the moral was.

* DUNT DUNT DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNN ending.  Yes.

 

A fun little episode I really enjoyed, even with a few shortcomings.

[Kevin]

A bit late due to being with the family over Christmas, but my thoughts on this week's episode:

I liked this episode a lot! I thought it was going to involve constant arguing between Applejack and Fluttery a la Look Before You Sleep, but they handled their conflict very well in this episode.

I disagree with Fluttershy's notion of having to use the stare in dire situations as shown in Putting Your Hoof Down. Also I loved her bat transformation (along with how they said Flutterbat) and Twilight's graph spell.

Finally, they sure had a lot of cliffhanger type endings during this season. I really hope they make some kind of reference to them in later episodes.

One last thing I want to say is that since they final Pony episode in 2013, it's been quite a wild ride. I look forward to seeing what 2014 will bring us.

By the way, someone made a plush of Flutterbat: http://pulsefirekitten.deviantart.com/art/Flutterbat-plush-423030652 I know the fans are quick at making things, but that's the quickest I've seen someone make something.

[Kuzu]

I too liked this episode quite a bit, the conflict is a very real one and brings up a lot of ecological and ethical values that you don't see often. It presents both arguments pretty well, Fluttershy wanting to protect the bats and claiming the benefits, while Applejack wanted to protect her crops and livelihood. However, Applejack(and by extension the mane six's) methods become a little harsh, because you can't just deprive an entire species of their only source of food. Both sides give you a reason to side with them.

 

 

I just kinda felt the Flutterbat thing was kinda pointless to that conflict, would have loved to see more of that.

[Dr. Mechano]

With only one week to go until Rarity Takes Manehatten, the first Rarity episode in over two years, I'm going to spend the next six days re-watching all six of Rarity's focus episodes, reminiscing on each as we approach Saturday.

 

First on my "Week of Rarity," it's Rarity's first focus episode (and Applejack's second), Look Before You Sleep.

 

One thing I've always liked about this episode is that it demonstrates that Applejack and Rarity really aren't that close at this point in the series. We've only seem them hang out as part of a larger group, and the show gives us the distinct impression that - despite being Twilight's mutual friends - the two aren't really friends themselves yet. This is shown quite well by just how horrified they are at the prospect of spending a night under the same roof with each other.

 

One of my minor complaints with this episode is that Rarity's and Applejack's animosity is perhaps demonstrated too thoroughly. The cold opening alone shows the differences in their mindsets - artistic creativity vs. down-to-earth practicality - and how those differences drive a wedge between them. But the rest of the episode keeps showing these differences over and over in amusing - yet nonetheless somewhat repetitive - situations. The character development at the end of the episode is still good, but I feel more time could have been spent toward Rarity and Applejack gradually overcoming their differences and a little less time constantly bickering.

 

As an aside, I want to say that I really liked Twilight in this episode. Her childlike enthusiasm at having her first slumber party is so much fun to watch. It's a nice, subtle nod to the fact that she didn't really have any friends growing up, and that this experience is - to some extent - helping her live out a missed opportunity from her childhood. 

 

On that note, one thing that does stick out to me is that - despite their antagonism toward each other - Rarity and Applejack both value Twilight's friendship, agreeing early on to make her first slumber party a fun experience. Even though this doesn't go according to plan, I think this reveals a broader theme; That their friendship with Twilight is already a common bond between them, and ultimately, the catalyst for their own friendship with each other.

 

Despite my complaints about the abruptness of the resolution, I did find it very heartfelt. Applejack's and Rarity's friendship is one of my favorite relationships on the show, and I've enjoyed seeing how far the two have come since the bitter enmity of this episode. After re-watching Look Before You Sleep, I'm reminded of why Rarity is such a dynamic and likable character, as well as how much she's changed since her early appearances.

 

Dr. Mechano's favorite moment of the episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqj8MK6KlOI

[Strickerx5]

Well this was certainly an interesting episode:

 

Pros:

- Some actual Fluttershy and Applejack interaction. Haven't seen much of that.

- The barren apple orchard makes for a great setting.

- Pinkie again with her sight gags. You can tell the animators just have a field with her.

- That one little gag with Spike taking AJ's compliment even though he did next to nothing got a laugh out of me.

- Applejack putting her worry of the orchard behind her at the end and just wanting to get Fluttershy back.

- Libman pretty much talking to herself with the conversation between Pinkie and Fluttershy towards the end.

-Continuity, continuity everywhere!

-Flutterbat

 

Cons:

- I might be the only one here, but I really didn't like that song. It didn't even really sound like one as it was just FS and AJ stating there opinions and stances. Though, I know music is really a subjective matter so this may be more of a nitpick than anything. I may just not like the style it was going for.

- It really bothered me seeing everyone so dead set against Fluttershy. I can see the importance of saving the farm but I can also see the importance of keeping the bats. I mean, you'd think that Twilight at least would of been able to justify where Fluttershy was coming from and see the negatives of getting rid of the bats completely but this is never addressed. Also, this isn't the first time Fluttershy ended up being right when everyone else doubted her.

- Is it just me, or did the entire plot of this episode seem a bit forced. I mean, creating a whole different kind of fruit bat that basically does the exact same thing the others did (only scarier... somehow). Teaching lessons that (to me at least) seemed a bit redundant at this point in the series. Twilight knowing exactly what happened to Fluttershy and what to do to get her back. It all just seemed to come out of left field for me.

 

Side notes:

- Someone needs to count how many times the word "apple" was said in this episode. I mean, I know it's a half Applejack episode in all but it was like it was in every other sentence.

- I guess it's going to be a running thing this season to end each episode on a cliffhanger. I honestly don't expect them to amount to much as this is something multiple cartoons do. I guess it's just there to serve as a "what happens next? You decide." for the audience. The writers can easily choose to drop it as a small after affect that was fixed off screen or something that can be continued upon at their choosing. I wouldn't expect some huge final where it all comes into play though.

- So... where does this leave actual bat ponies?

 

 

I don't really know where to put this episode. There's nothing really wrong with it (most of the cons are purely based off my interpretations) but I do feel it trifled with one of my favorite things about this show, the characters. Excluding Fluttershy, they all felt off to me. Their willingness to just dis-concern Fluttershy in their quest to stop the bats just irked me more than anything. I wouldn't call it a bad episode by any means, just not one I'm going to rewatch that often.

[gato]

But hold on...didn't they say that the bats usually stick to the Western orchard? Did something happen in that orchard that drove them out? Did the populous become so much that they were forced to look for other food sources? In the cartoon this just a throwaway explanation as to why they were in the area, but in actual ecology this would be a bloody important point to raise! And if the Western orchard was already a place where the bats could stay put and feed without interfering with the agriculture...why did they not have the forethought to make that a bat sanctuary? Seriously, put up a wooden boundary since it's not too important that it be an expensive one due to flight, put out some bat boxes to give the bats incentive to stick to that orchard, have someone check up on it every so often to make sure the orchard hasn't gone awry for whatever reason, and you'd have prevented the need for these episode's events in the first place. The short-sightedness was aimed at just the solution to the bats, but it's actually far more deep-rooted than that. This is why ecological consultants are so valuable these days.

Just for the record, I loved this post you made, this little bits of trivia made my morning coffee much more interesting. But, I must correct you in a little bit of the quoted part, Twi and AJ state than the Fruit Bats stored on the west orchard are the regular, colorful and cute kind. It was mostly a way to say that the vampires were not the same kind of fruit bats we've seen before and that this ones came out of who knows where...

As far as we know, there might be a reason why there is a distinction between regular and vampire fruit bats, maybe the later could go as far as eating the former? (hence the vampire part of the name, similar as to how Flutter automatically assumed she attacked ponies after turning into one)

Also, I could somewhat agree on the Rarity of the species since the last time they've been spotted on SAA was back on Ponyville's foundation days.

Anyway! Let's get to business.

 

Overanalyzing is batty

Episode 72: Bats!

 

The story begins with AJ readying her body for the incoming Applebuck day/season/whatevs, she seems really happy to see the fruits of her hard work finally ready to be shared, sold and eaten depending of the situation

 

Let me tell ya, Ah sure do love apples!

 

Sadly all of this applecstasis gets squashed when she realizes her farm is being attacked by a swarm of Vampire Fruit Bats (actually, it wasn't a big one so I'm not sure if the term applies).

The first act begins with AJ calling up for an emergency meeting with the mane 6, she announces the situation and what's at stake here, not only the orchard, but the very pride and joy of the farm for this year's competition on Appleloosa.

 

Gentlemares, BEHOLD!

Fluttershy interrupts Aj's speech to suggest that talking to the VFBs (as I'll call the Vampire Fruit Bats from now on) might be enough to not let them get near the the big apple, AJ (while not showing much enthusiasm) agrees and off shy goes! She tries to reason with the bats but only receives a bullet seed attack to her head as an answer which might be a yes or a no (sounds like a no to me), Shy claims she could take a little more time to be able to talk with the VFBs but AJ is not having any of it, while Shy practices animal empathy the whole orchard and her prized apple are in danger and she's going to express it with a musical number. Fluttershy tries to sing her piece too but it seems like she is outvoiced when the rest of the cast join the Apple chorus.

 

Side note, but probably the only point I'll give to Fluttershy in this episode is the fact that AJ in the song (and the next few scenes) really seems to be talking out of superstition, Granny had troubles with them therefor they are nothing but monsters that deserve to be treated as such, she's very scared of them so she is not going to sit down and wait for a possible better solution to come by.

 

So anyway, the mane 6 try to think of ways to get rid of the bats, Fluttershy suggests leaving the bats at some sector of the orchard so they can't bother anyone else (and be somewhat productive in a near future) but that option gets quickly shot down by Applejack because of the aforementioned reasons, Princess Twilight, ever the diplomat and master organizer thinks that there might be a way of making the bats not eat any apple saving the big one in the process, but in a case of shortsightedness (this is the episode's word) she really didn't think the bats would then attack other orchards or that Apples aren't the only SAA product, still, none of the consequences of that were shown on the episode so let's not talk about it.

Back in the library Twi finds the spell that will make the bats not want to suck juice from the apples anymore, but to make it work it requires to hold their complete and total attention during the cast process and in order to make this happen the only choice is for Fluttershy to use THE STARE on them (or lure them with the big apple, but why risk it when it's not necessary?), Shy is more than distraught about this because that power is not the kind of thing that should be used sparingly but the mane 6 drive the point that the situation is really dire.

The next act begins back in SAA when Fluttershy finally decides to do as the rest of the cast peer presured her to do, and so they go and try to group all the bats together...

 

And then there's Rarity...

They finally get them together, Shy uses her stare (side note, but someone pointed to me that back in S1 she mentioned she couldn't control the thing, pretty cool what some time and experience can do to you huh? I think I mentioned this back in Putting Your Hoof Down, but feels nice to bring it back) and Twi casts her Parasprite control spell MkII and the result is... Surprisingly good! The bats has stopped eating and the orchard is safe! Who'd thought? I guess Princess Twilight DOES know what to do...

*MYYYYY LITLE PO---ooooooowowowowowo wait a minute there... Why is Fluttershy looking at that apple like that?

It seems like we hit a time rift or something because the very same scene we begun the episode with is playing again, even with the reveal that some apples are being sucked! The mane 6 get together again and decide to investigate this business but after a little search if turns out the bats are still under Twily's spell so they couldn't have been the ones who attacked the crops this time. Since not even Fluttershy knows who could be behind this act they decide to stay over the night and catch the culprit bareappendaged.

 

In case of party emergencies.

Hey! I'm getting Castle Mane-ia flashbacks! :v

Applejack being the Fred of the group suggests to split up in order to cover more ground (Side note: sadly, the version of the episode I got started to get sound problems in here. :x), Fluttershy starts getting a bad feeling, but that turns into a good one after seeing a juicy, delicious apple... So awesome that makes her drool like Pinkie Pie would at the idea of frosting, her eyes change color and she grows fangs and waitaminute...

Meanwhile Pinkie is doing her own route but then she spots something, there is a shadowy figure near her and soon that creature starts roaming around the rest of the cast, Applejack (and Pinkie I guess) finally lit her signal allerting the rest of what is going on, it turns out there is a giant bat-like being attacking the crops and is no one else  but... Fluttershy!?

The third act begins and we are already deep into Flutterbat country, the ponies are confused as to how did this happen but Twi figured out that the spell she cast somehow backfired into the former pegasus (I really wish we could have time for more exposition there), with that said, the only thing they can do is to reverse the spell on Flutterbat and turn that fruit sucking instinct back into the VFBs but this proves to be more difficult than usual because Flutterbat is either very aware of her host's abilities or somehow enhanced them and is not letting get herself caught into this. The mane 6 are running out of ideas but then Pinkie suggests that this would be easier if Flutters would be there to stare the creature, which gives Twi another idea!

Somehow Purplesmart knew that Yellowbatty would be using the stare on herself if they were to use a reflective surface like a mirror (how? I have no idea, but once again the episode doesn't have time to explain this). The only thing they need now is a way to lure her into the trap so they need to get the biggest, reddest, juiciest apple in the farm! And since Big Mac is out of town they had to use the other big apple that was introduced to us back at the beginning of the episode.

Applejack sacrifices her prized fruit (like, a lot of things on this episode) and manages to call the Flutterbat, after that a few well placed mirrors lock the former pony into a position close enough for the purple princess to reverse what she begun. And it works! Fluttershy is back to her former self.

As it turns out, this last part of the episode that was completely unrelated to the first one is somehow enough for Applejack to reckon they could give Fluttershy's idea a try. And reckon that the yellow Pegasus long term plan was for the benefit of all... The episode ends, everypony laughs and we are all back to normal...

Except that Fluttershy still have fangs.

 

 

 

 

Twilight is the one to blame for pretty much the entire Flutterbat thing, I'm not sure what direction the episode could have taken since the entire cast was part of it (contrary to what I expected) but the moment Twi suggested to look for a magical solution to the issue we pretty much discarded the entire original premise and turned it into something else.

 

I've seen numerous critics towards her in this episode for this, mostly because she really has this perk to try new (or old) spells in the field without previous testing nor research, but to be honest while that's true I don't think anyone could have predicted that a Pegasus freaky stare could cause a whole magical mishap (Flutter's abilities are pretty bizarre, almost like Pinkie Pie), if it weren't because of that we could say that the spell actually worked, we don't know of the consequences or all the fridge horror that cast could have caused but it did what it was supposed to without an inmediate and town destroying side-effect (which is a huge improvement over what she did back in S1). Also, it seems like no one was really willing to waste any time just in case the bats destroyed everything.

 

As a side note, it's now my headcanon that she copied that hologram spell from Trixie.

 

 

 

 

Rainbow Dash was an alcoholic, I don't think there is need to say anything else... Oh yeah, she's still a Drama Queen, with tears and everything. XD

 

 

 

 

Pinkie was fun during most of the episode except for that back and forth she had with Flutters near the end, that dragged on for far too long... Anyway, it's really nice to see she incorporated Mane.iac's abilities into her repertory. :v

 

 

 

 

It's a little hard for me to say this (considering how I felt about her when I started watching this show) but this season has been making a good job at making me stop liking Fluttershy, I mean, her freaky Pegasus self is awesome and is suffering all sort of mutations this season but her attitude baffles me from time to time, back in Castle Mane-ia when everything she could think about was "Angel" (understandable) to Power Ponies when she didn't give a shit about what the Mane-iac was doing until she dares to crush a firefly (she protects the weak and defenseless) but this episode really makes me question if the Pegasus even cares about her friends, I mean, I'm not trying to defend the rest of the ponies because the way they went to peer pressure her into doing as they wish didn't feel right at all but if we take the original issue and the 2 ponies truly involved around this it's hard to not think that Flutters was more than willing to sacrifice a bunch of AJ's farm just to achieve a compromise when the farmpony was in all her right to want to get rid of them.

 

It really doesn't help that across the episode the only reasons she presented to give the VFBs a chance was because:

 

1) They were like ponies, who loved their families and tried to live in this world peacefully.

2) They offered a long term benefit to the farm.

 

The first reason kinda falls apart and makes the Pegasus look delusional because at no time on the episode (other than her imagination spots on the song) we are show the batponies caring for each other and during most of the episode (even when they weren't eating) they behaved more like jerks, not even Flutterbat was exempt from this.

 

The second choice is also rather dumb and makes you question if Shy is the one being short-sighted here because in a real situation if the bats were left to their devices even in a little section of their own there is no telling if they would start breeding and outgrowing that space, also if this creatures were real they'd be eating fruit far faster than what the seeds would take to grow and begin sprouting more fruit, not to mention that spitting seeds randomly in the ground barely makes for a healthy orchard (it could actually have a negative effect on some plants actually killing each other while they take nutrients from the same place) but this isn't real life, this is fantasy, and we just have to nod and pretend what Fluttershy says is right even when there wasn't a single proof of it.

 

 

 

 

On the other hoof (as you might expect) i found it really really hard to not feel bad for Applejack in this episode, she finds the bats and (thanks to her Granny stories, who we've learned to respect because of her wisdom back in S2) assumes they are up to no good, of course her stubborn side and her respect to her Granny would nullify any comment telling her that there are other choices so she just kept pushing forward and did everything she could to get rid of the pests. And things start going downhil for her...

 

To start her plan was to just get rid of the bats, throw them somewhere else like they did with the Parasprites but then Twi had to put magic on the entire thing and turn Fluttershy into a vampire, AJ starts feeling really bad that her drive to get rid of this issue ASAP might have turned her friend into a monster and starts doing anything to get her back. She sacrifices her prized apple that she spend the whole episode taking care of to get Flutter's back as a pony.

 

Let me rephrase this, the thing she has been working for months gets thrown away to save her friend, as well as her dreams of winning that blue ribbon in a competition as well as the fact that she probably feels like she disappointed her family for not taking care of the apple nor the farm properly (after the incident there were a lot of apples missing) and if you remember how this earth pony feels about the mere idea of failing those dear to her... She ditches all of that to save Fluttershy and she still ends up as the "bad guy" of the episode for not following an idea that didn't have much ground to begin with.

 

It just feels a little unfair to me.

 

 

 

 

Rarity was a bit of an odd case in this episode, is like all her little scenes in it were like a little run through of her character, from her histrionics to her despise of icky things to her vanity to her shown of care for her friends when trying to calm down fluttershy and all those hilarious little lines she tends to spell from time to time (like asking Flutters to stop being a bat XD) we only missed a little more of her positve traits and making her do (or wear) a dress/Accessory (I don't think the hazmat counts).

 

 

 

 

Spike commented on how useful he was despite not doing anything, so he learned his lesson last week!... Sort of... XD

 

 

 

 

 

 

What could have been...

 

 

As I'm posting this, you are all realizing that if Amy Keating Rogers idea of making this episode the musical turned into a reality this song would have probably been part of it (the episode even had a similar ending!)

I feel really weird for saying this after seeing so many people enjoying this episode but this one is my least liked episode on the season. The story was a mess for more than a reason:

First of all the moral doesn't really work the way it was presented, Fluttershy was right but we really don't get to see why, we neither see how AJ's choice was the wrong (the one who caused the magical mess was Twi and even she isn't in the wrong either because it was an accident caused by an unknown variable: Shy's stare). And even discounting that I really don't like how there had to be 1 good and 1 bad side on this, (while I don't particularly think it's a good example) Mechano on this thread used Look Before You Sleep as an example of an episode that presented 2 points of view but when both sides ended up reaching a compromise on the end and I expected to see this sort of development in here.

Second I really didn't like the way this was supposed to have some Flutter/AJ interaction like we've never had in the show but instead we had the full cast in here and instead of being there to take part of the main discussion of this week they were mostly relegated to stomp and peer pressure Fluttershy (I'd think Pinkie or Twi would side with her). But this is more because of my expectations so...

Third, while Flutterbat was an awesome idea (and I'll be a sad cat if they don't use it again) the way this episode switched from the main storyline to "random vampire episode" at the half point to back to the original story at the end was a little jarring to me, especially the switch back at the end. But then again that's probably me still having issues with the moral of this one. As a matter of fact, I think the episode would have been better just being about the Flutter vampire problem, the spooky episode Castle Mane-Ia was supposed to be. (not that I don't like that other episode, so far the one I enjoy watching the most on this season actually)

All of this really affected my enjoyment of the episode...

 

 

 

Having said that, the comedy aspect was pretty cool, and this episode pretty much served us enough fanfic/fanart fuel to feed a first world country for some considerable time. I guess it's one of those "don't think too much about it and you'll enjoy it" kind of episodes like Magical Mystery Cure, Too Many Pinkie Pies or Luna Eclipsed (some issues of the comic would go here too, like the Nightmare arc and the Equestria Girls annual).

[LATER BUDDY]

I guess since everyone else is doing it

 

That episode was alright I thought. The Flutterbat was kinda just "wat" for me, and then ending for it felt kinda blah to me. It'll probably never be addressed ever again so why bother, and if it does, it'll most likely be out of place and largely "HEY REMEMBER THIS."

 

The conflict between AJ and Fluttershy was neat though, mainly because of it kinda being a serious subject. While I was sorta surprised it ended up as a 5 vs 1 argument on taking sides, I think it suited all those character's personalities pretty well. Dash obviously in for the cider, Rarity thinks they're yuck, Pinkie thinks they're mean/scary/gonna eat her, Twilight siding with it being a serious infestation issue. At first I was kinda pissed off with the notion that Fluttershy gave more shits about some random bats than one of her best friends, but at least it was (sort of) counterbalanced with her thing about making the farm more productive in the end. However I still think it's kinda bullshit seeing as the apples are AJ's family entire backbone to how they survive. The bats were already destroying /everything/, so I don't get how partitioning a small portion of the orchard for bats would solve anything (even though the episode ended on this).

 

Lastly, after some thought I thought Twilight's spell on the bats was kinda insane actually. Of course it being a kid show the bats just lounge about going "lawl we don't eat this shit anymore," but in a more serious mindset that's the only source of food those things have, thus basically starving them out lmao. I'm assuming they were fixed (unless they showed that, I forgot already), but still, it's all I could think about on that scene, XD.

 

If I were to choose an alternate solution to this episode, I probably would've had it more geared toward relocating the bats to feed in the wild or something, since the way it was settled was pretty blah for me.

[Soniman]

It was an alright episode, I loved Flutterbat even it it does come from nowhere. The debate about the bats was somewhat interesting, and it was all around just a fun episode.

[NGw00d]

This episode was pretty weird, but I enjoyed it. Flutterbat came out of nowhere and was something I never really expected to see in this show, but it was fun seeing all the other ponies reactions to her. I was kinda surprised that it was 5 against 1 instead of an even split, but all their reasoning were sound and in-character so I can't complain. The song was pretty catchy too, but I expect nothing less in that department.

 

All in all, it was a fun episode. Not that great, but nowhere near bad.

[Applejack1973]

The Japanese dub of The Last Roundup airs on Wednesday.

 

Let's have a look back at the Chat Reactions way back then.

 

 

 

[Dr. Mechano]

Day 2 of the Week of Rarity! This time, it's my favorite season one episode, Suited For Success.

 

Generosity. That's Rarity's element, and I think this episode - more than anything else on the show - clearly demonstrates why. We all know how this one goes; Rarity offers to make a set dresses for her friends, then makes another set when they aren't satisfied with the first, overworking herself and even putting her fashion career on the line for their happiness. Rarity may have her foibles and shortcomings, but this episode exemplifies what a caring and giving person she ultimately is.

 

"Art of the Dress" is fantastic. A clear homage to Barbra Streisand's "Putting it Together," the song touches on similar themes to its inspiration - the struggle between artistic integrity and meeting the demands of your clients. This is a struggle Rarity, and by extension, any creative person can relate to quite well.

 

It was nice to see more of Rarity as a businesswoman as well. For the first time, significant focus is placed on Rarity's dress shop, the Carousel Boutique, and its potential dealings with big-name designers from Canterlot. A lot is at stake when Hoity Toity arrives for Rarity's fashion show, and I felt that the prospect of her business suffering as a result actually had a lot of weight to it.

 

I don't have much to say about Rarity's breakdown, other than that I found it hilarious. I loved that she got sidetracked from her own histrionics just to debate what ponies are supposed to wallow in or how to go into exile.

 

Anyway, of course it all works out, and her friends arrange a second meeting with Hoity Toity and everything goes fine. This leaves us with a dual-message, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" for Rarity's friends, and "It's impossible to please everyone" for Rarity.

 

Continuity plays a big part here too. I like how the episode is part of the season-long arc leading up to the Grand Galloping Gala, referencing The Ticket Master from earlier in the season. The dresses here will be used again; Rarity wears hers for Celestia's visit in A Bird in the Hoof, and of course, everyone dons theirs in Best Night Ever. While the Gala is fairly low-key compared to other seasons' finales, I quite enjoyed seeing everything tie together throughout season one. Since we're still talking about continuity, it was nice to see Applejack and Rarity are - despite their continued differences - getting along much better since Look Before You Sleep.

 

Anyway, it's a fantastic episode, and I really enjoyed revisiting it. I'll be back tomorrow for A Dog and Pony Show. See you then!

[Echidna Adventurer CC14]

The real title for the special guest episode has been revealed:

 

It's actually called "Pinkie Pride." Also of note is that the new synopsis is a bit more vague on WHO the visitor is. Something tells me that Hasbro was planning on it being a surprise. In any case, this sounds like it'll be a great Pinkie episode!

[Applejack1973]

I love Suited for Success too.

 

Oh these memories from being a newbie way back then.

[Old dead account]

Ok has Hasbro been doing takedowns? After the weekend they air I can't seem to find any of the season 4 episodes, yet I can still find the other seasons.

I actually liked this episode. It had its moments and Flutterbat caused an explosion of great artwork and pictures, which was much better than the last explosion *coughtwilycanecough* Song was alright. I guess the episode around the same level as Castlemania.

I didn't even watch the last 2 until recently either. Flight to the Finish was a bit polarizing because it's not what I expected. I didn't expect Scootaloo to learn how to fly and get her cutie mark simultaneously, but I did expect it to be more about RD and scoots being sisterly. The moral in the end did make the episode better though, great message for the disabled, after all, a paraplegic will never be Usain Bolt, they need to do what they can at their best. Also, dat song.

Power Ponies was what I expected, wacky. I still don't know what super hero Twilight is supposed to be, it's not Iceman because they said her horn shoots elemental beams, not just ice IIRC, so my headcanon is that she's Samus Aran! Flutterhulk man. I still gotta wonder if we'll be seeing any more of that comic that just disappeared. I'm just glad they didn't go with the generic attitude of "oh comic books are evil poison to your brain blah!"

Isn't this topic getting locked in a few hours? It's come a long way.

[Celestia]

I still don't know what super hero Twilight is supposed to be, it's not Iceman because they said her horn shoots elemental beams, not just ice IIRC, so my headcanon is that she's Samus Aran! 

 

If I remember correctly, someone working on the show said her hero was intended as a reference to X-Men's Cyclops, just with an elemental sort of thing instead of concussive blasts. I think I prefer Samus though, so let's just go with that.

 

Isn't this topic getting locked in a few hours? It's come a long way.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. It's probably for the best, I suppose, what with how huge this topic has gotten. I have to say, it'll be sad to see this thing locked, it's probably the topic I've posted the most in so there's some...sentimental value, I suppose.

 

But hey, new year, new beginnings, all that good stuff.

[Dr. Mechano]

Day 3 of the Week of Rarity, and my last post in this thread before it's locked up for good! My, we've had a lot of fun here. But like the rest of you, I'm looking forward to the new 2014 MLP thread, and our continued discussion of the show there! With that said, A Dog and Pony Show is my next Rarity retrospective.

 

Defying stereotypes has always been a high point of praise for this show, and I can think of few stereotypes more ubiquitous or tiresome than the damsel in distress. That leads us to this episode: Rarity is kidnapped by a gang of treasure-hunting ruffians known as the Diamond Dogs, but rather than wait helplessly to be rescued, she uses her wits to take control of the situation and facilitate her own escape. It's a great lesson, presented in a very humorous fashion, and portrays Rarity at her absolute best.

 

Anyway, observations. Is that some continuity in the cold opening? Sapphire Shores mentions the rave reviews Carousel Boutique has been receiving in Clothes Horse Magazine, which could be an indicator that Rarity's previous dealings with Hoity Toity are already having some positive effects on her shop's publicity. Subtle, but it's definitely a nice nod.

 

This is also the first episode showcasing Rarity's unique type of unicorn magic, gem-finding. Since many of Rarity's outfits utilize gems (and hold notable monetary value), treasure-hunting is a fitting talent to pair with Rarity's knack for artistic design. Additionally, this episode provides more focus toward Spike's crush on Rarity. While his feelings were established since the first episode, A Dog and Pony Show delves far deeper into those feelings, providing Spike with some much-welcomed character expansion. 

 

I enjoyed how Rarity's friends pictured her as little more than a helpless captive, as it's a very satisfying payoff when they realize how Rarity got herself out. Nonetheless, their concern for their friend is genuine, and it's great to be reminded of just how much the main characters all care about each other.

 

The way Rarity outwits her captors is subtle but very clever. She determines early what sort of things get under their skin and uses that to her advantage, talking her way out of digging, and then pulling the wagon. Eventually, she grates on their nerves until they're digging gems for her, and eventually begging her to leave (taking said gems with her). Rarity leaves with not only her freedom, but six wagons of rare jewels as well, flipping a dire situation to her (very profitable) advantage.

 

"Just because somepony is ladylike doesn't make her weak. In fact, by using her wits, a seemingly defenseless pony can be the one who outsmarts and outshines them all." A great lesson for a great episode.

 

See you all in the new thread for Green Isn't Your Color!

[SweeCrue]

I figured, since we're coming to a close, that I would unearth my (in my opinion) greatest creation in this topic.

 

 

It's gonna be sad to see this topic go, but at the same time I know that we're gonna have some great times in the next one!

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!

http://youtu.be/qUb9hvjobUs

 

Pinkie Pie is best firework.