My Little Pony's Justice 2 - Official MLP Thread v2

[AdventChild]

This episode kinda felt average honestly, but at least, slightly better than last week’s blatant Breezie commercial and had a better ending.

 

Though the only things that I liked or what I thought was interesting were the ‘no time for song’ part, chimera encounter/battle, and Cajun ponies.

 

However, the first 2/3 of the episode felt flat and kinda dull, moving at a snail’s pace. Not to mention AJ been handed/hoofed the Idiot Ball almost the entire time (and where much of the humor seemed to lie, sadly) and went overboard/over-exaggerated with the overprotective sibling shtick where it felt cringe worthy at points. Also, with the whole list, OCDness, and safety measures, she’s been acting like Twilight Sparkle in a way, which is pretty ironic since that kind of character trait that made Twi more relatable and humorous seems lost or absent (hopefully, not fully removed as it’ll make her seem less flawed) in this season lately esp. after the whole ascension thing. Even though Apple Bloom made the foolhardy decision to do the pie delivery and get into trouble, this all wouldn’t have happened if AJ didn’t ‘check up on her’ and had little faith in her.

 

And speaking of being alone at home, I’m actually glad that there were barely or to no Home Alone references esp. anything in relation to the whole setting up traps and bungling thieves since I think it’ll be more suited for a Spike episode and could take place in the old castle than the library (seriously, the little guy needs more good episodes).

 

Overall, pretty average because of dull/slow beginning and middle acts, but had an ending that saved it and again, better than last week’s to say the least.

[Legendary Emerald]

Dine and Derp

 

This story is a sequel to The Subordinate Six: The Ensemble

Derpy just wants Bon Bon to have a nice day off from work, but how far will she go? Remember, the customer is always right.

 

Part of the Subordinate Six canon. It is recommended, but not necessary, to read The Ensemble first.

 

 

Sorry that it probably wasn't worth the wait, but my first new short story set in The Subordinate Six universe is now out. This story was nearly finished for almost a year, but kept getting put on the backburner due to jobs, college, and other miscellanea. I still think it's a dang funny story though, so of course I'm gonna recommend you read it, especially if you read "The Ensemble" in the past.

 

Unrelated, but, thoughts on today's episode in the spoiler box!

 

Okay, why does Applejack keep getting replaced with Twilight Sparkle in her own episodes?

 

I guess we just have to accept now that the writers are treating Apple Horse as no-wings-Twilight now, complete with freaking out over the littlest things and making giant lists. *sigh* You're really not changing my perception of Applejack as worst pony, DHX.

 

That said, despite Applejack being Book Horse, there were a few really funny moments in this episode, such as the interrupted song. And the whole thing with the magma bog and onward was super interesting. It kind of balanced out how annoying the first half of the episode was. Overall, it was better than the last episode, but still not one of my favorites by any stretch of the word.

 

[Dark Qiviut]

Currently, I really don't like Somepony to Watch over Me.

The fiery swamp and chimera were a sweet treat as far as the animation and visuals are concerned, and Scootaloo's "No time for a song" was definitely a hilarious poke at the show. But the first two acts were really grating. Applejack has not behaved like this towards Apple Bloom, who has been without her family (most of it) during stretches of time, since Bridle Gossip. (Then again, BG had everyone [outside of Zecora] out of character, if not seriously unlikeable.) If this happened somewhere after Bridle Gossip (maybe two episodes after Call of the Cutie), then AJ's stupid stick and constantly annoying pampering of AB would have some weight. Here, it really doesn't fit not just AJ's character, but also her and AB's growth since the pilot.

At this point, I'm placing this as my third-least-favorite episode of the season, in front of Flight to the Finish and Rainbow Falls.

 

———

 

Also, I finished my latest review for an MLP episode, Twilight Time, yesterday. Because of its size, it's under "spoilers." Check it out below.

 

Dave Polsky may be known for the controversial flare that’s been infamous in so many FIM episodes: Feeling Pinkie Keen’s poor use of language that resulted in the faith vs. science debacle, the Natives/White Settlers setting in Over a Barrel used as a gimmick for the moral, Too Many Pinkie Pies’s graphic ending, and Daring Don’t contradicting the purpose of Daring Do being a Dash recolor among other contrivances. But his strengths are usually his visual comedy and the timing. But when he writes well, he writes really well, as evident by his low-key Rarity Takes Manehattan (an excellent episode).

It was his turn again for Twilight Time, his first CMC-centric episode. Just like RTM, it’s also very low-key on the slapstick, although not to the former’s extent. But it doesn’t need to. With the communication between all of the characters and Twilight, it’s his second great — and currently my fourth-most favorite — episode of the season.

There are various strengths and intriguing insights:

• Twilight plays in a role similar to Celestia, but with character instead of boring two-dimensionality that Celestia suffers. She still has the love for learning, but simultaneously doesn’t intend to keep it for herself. The Cutie Mark Crusaders don’t communicate on-screen with Twilight too often, but this is the first time where their conversations are approached on a deeper, teacher-mentor level.
  
  Simultaneously, she retains some of the geeky nature of her character without crossing the line. In Hay Burger (a parody of the classic fast food joints we all come to know and love */sarcasm*), she munches on her burgers in the messiest way fashionable (including a funny moment where she wipes the ketchup off her muzzle with a burger). This twist provides some growth into her character, which I’ll get to later.
  
  (And, no, not in the way similar with my Rainbow Falls review.)
• Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are antagonists again, except they’re actually in character and somewhat likeable. One Bad Apple and Flight to the Finish gave each of them absolutely no dimension, following the typical taunts and insults (and for the latter, eventually going ahead to hit Scootaloo with the one-dimensional low blow that really crumbled the episode.) Here, they retain their antagonistic qualities, but don’t cross the line. In a way, they show some form of integrity. Diamond Tiara has the obsession for Twilight Time and the spotlight. SS tagged the same interests in a more toned down perspective. In a way, this is how they should be rather than they were in their last two starred episodes, sans their cameo in Pinkie Pride.
  
  And for once, two things happen.
  
  There’s no "blank flank" taunt to one-dimensionalize them. They play mind games again, but they have a limit to what they do and simply let the Cutie Mark Crusaders let their egos get the best of them.
  
  Karma bites them on the ass after Twilight calls them out for bandwagoning, ending their antagonistic juvenility prematurely. Unlike FttF, which they needed a good piece of punishment, they didn’t do anything so cruel to warrant anything to really send a message. Just Twilight putting them (and the rest of their classmates) in their place was needed.
• Ironically, despite their appearance, they aren’t the conflict, but mostly a minor catalyst. It’s the Cutie Mark Crusaders who bring the conflict unto themselves. They saw the Disasterly Duo’s attention and wanted it, too. When they got it, they ran with it far too long, engulfing their egos. Simultaneously, when they found out it was much bigger than they can chew, they wanted to solve it and get to Twilight to tell them about everything. The fact that they have the wherewithal to figure out the dilemma and try to fix it shows their intellect and naivety without dropping the ball stupidly like in The Showstoppers.
  
  In-characterization is such a beautiful thing, now isn’t it?
• The Cutie Mark Crusaders yearn to search for their cutie marks (*ahem*), but the journey’s reduced to simple wish-fulfillment and instead focused on their egos and abilities. This isn’t in any way objective here, but I usually find the CMCs to be much more interesting when they’re not focused on their cutie marks. When they’re constantly focused on their crusade, the characterization tends to lose plenty of focus and resort to gags and consequences (Ponyville Confidential being a huge exception, which partially failed for other reasons).
  
  More importantly, they’re definitely growing up, which is a good thing because the last thing a continuity-backed show needs is to keep them as kids continually pursuing their cutie marks. Sweetie Belle is learning her magic little by little. Apple Bloom is curious about potion-making. Scootaloo wants to rebuild her unicycle. For the latter, Scoots’s trait doesn’t need to revolve around simply her scooter; it can be multiple vehicles, as well. Hopefully, they capitalize it sometime in the future.
  
  But they’re growing up not just physically, but psychologically, too. Each of the characters adopt specific personality traits from their sisters or protégés. Sweetie yearns for the spotlight. AB has become a voice of reason. Scootaloo wants to be appealing and cool (at this point, her posing with the duckface is my favorite moment in the episode). Yet, Polsky never abandons their own unique characteristics. Instead, he blends them fluidly, allowing the characters to change (and this time, change for the right reasons), yet never being out of character.
  
  Hopefully, if they ever get their cutie marks someday, they don’t drop the ball like what happened with the Twilicorn.
• As for the Twilicorn, her status is finally readdressed and primary to the conflict for the first time since Castle Mane-ia! (Power Ponies and Three’s a Crowd don’t count.) One of the biggest problems this season is how much her status is overlooked and even ignored, simply proving how null MMC was. But the fact that the fillies were the ones to look up to and want to follow the Twilicorn makes so much sense because kids look up to celebrities as role models in real life. It’s a great parallel.
• Even better is Twilight’s character development via a subtle reinforcement of continuity. Like I said before, her geekiness doesn’t cross the line into regressing her character. But her character development’s honed in in two ways.
  
  a. Her response to her sudden celebrity status is extremely mature. If Twilight’s characterization was before Games Ponies Play (or even before The Crystal Empire), chances are she would’ve been confused and might’ve broken down over this because she didn’t know how to keep her composure under intense pressure. But that type of reaction would’ve been very out of character of her here because she learned techniques to calm down and used them to her advantage. Disappointed she showed when Pipsqueak spilled the beans, but she never snapped, embraced the spotlight, and was willing to give the CMCs another chance to remedy themselves after they royally screwed up.
  
  b. How she ate at the fast food joint. Messy, slapsticky, and hilarious. But it is never out of place. While she’s still organized in her reading, books, spells, scrolls, and equipment, having it explored beyond those negates her growth. But the best part is how relaxed she is while there. She was casual and collected — never uptight. It was a great way of showing how she’s no longer so obsessed in keeping everything so nice and orderly.
• As far as the story itself is concerned, it’s simple, but fluid. There are no obnoxious side-plots to distract the audience nor any Mane Six character beside Pinkie Pie and Spike — — giving Polsky the ability to expand his script without adding any redundancies in the conflict. You get the points across where the conflict starts, how it builds up, where the climax is, and the resolution. It isn’t like Daring Don’t or Power Ponies, where they get so extraneous, the idea of telling a quality story takes a back seat in favor of action and animation. It’s a very tame slice-of-life story, as it should be. Often, the best self-contained FIM episodes — Party of One, Winter Wrap-Up, Sisterhooves Social, Apple Family Reunion , Pinkie Pride (yes, I went there) — tell the simplest stories.
• Pinkie Pie only gets one role, but her characterization is a massive improvement over Filli Vanilli. She speaks very few lines, but they’re in character, likeable, bubbly, intelligent, and competent. All five traits that simply fit her!
• The CMCs learn their lesson rather early and try to fix things. Sometimes, the characters presented don’t estimate the consequences of their actions until near the end where the conflict is about to be resolved or in the last minute where they were being too stupid to learn it for themselves. By having the CMCs realize their mistake and try to rectify it, Polsky shows how they learn the moral without having to shove it in, thus allowing the audience to slowly process it. It was a very subtle, organic, effective method of storytelling.
• Continuity is acknowledged without ramming you over the head. Aside from Twilight’s ascension and the CMCs’ absorption of bits of their protégés’ personalities, there are two obvious ones:
  
  a. Apple Bloom's potion-making reference Bridle Gossip, The Cutie Pox, and Hearts & Hooves Day.
  
  b. Sweetie Belle's development for magic, which we’ve seen introduced in One Bad Apple.
• Beyond just the characters and story, the animation’s very fluid. There are no distracting glitches, either, nor does it cause any plot holes. My most favorite animation scene in this episode was this.
  
  
  
  By using very minimal light while the Cutie Mark Crusaders were huddling, it tells the audience how close they are spatially. Because there isn’t a lot of space for the sun to penetrate, not only does the huddle look very realistic, but the background gets really pushed back.

But with the strengths come the flaws.

• The stupid Spikabuse at the end. He makes so many nachos…but when everyone left, his cooking is wasted? This shit’s irritating, writers!
• The story sometimes tends to tell instead of show. Because of its simplicity, there’s a lot of dialogue, so the screentime tends to come with moments or ideas that tend to be exposited or reiterated, such as Apple Bloom telling off Scootaloo for her posing. When you tell a lot, you risk three things.
  
  a. Losing investment of your audience. Telling will often make your audience feel bored and want to flip the channel, and due to humor being in patches, this is the perfect recipe to make them decide what else to watch.
  
  b. Dissolving any form of tension. Surprisingly, TT doesn't get to that point.
  
  c. Hinting of a very wonky pace. While it's solid, the timeskip is the only place where the pace is truly a problem.
  
  Cut down the redundancies. Let the animation and a couple of quips do the trick.
• The continuity is really awkward. Twilight Time is officially the fifteenth episode this season, and Twilight has basically been there since MMC. To have the classmates behave obsessively this late during the season doesn’t make so much sense. Plus, Twilight has lived in Ponyville for over a year, so she is well-known throughout the community. Surely, if they became obsessed, they’d do so much sooner. If Twilight Time was the fourth or fifth episode and have Flight to the Finish relocated to TT’s slot instead, then the timing would’ve made more sense.
• Despite being structurally sound, Twilight Time doesn’t have the oomph to make it stand out. In Rarity Takes Manehattan, you have the atmosphere, uniqueness of Suri taking advantage of Rarity’s generosity, the somber reprise, and so on. Because of its bold message and mature conflict, there were golden opportunities to get invested, and Polsky capitalized it. And there were many great big moments as well as fantastic smaller ones.
  
  Here, you don’t get that. It’s a tame episode, which isn’t bad by any means, but RTM has the strength for the viewer to recall the episode once just to get you invested. But since TT’s in "play-it-safe" mode, the moments often get overlooked. You’ll have to watch it at least twice to recall the best and your favorite moments. The big moments don't shine so much, while the smaller ones do.
• The week-long time skip skips too quickly. You have a week full of events confined to two scenes. Because of this, the time skip is empty and does nothing to capture the audience’s attention. It's filler. If there was something like a montage song, a couple of more events, and/or even Twilight stopping by to visit, then the CMCs’ newfound celebrity status — in their standards — could be more impactful.
• Although Twilight Sparkle’s status is in the center of the story, there isn’t so much expansion. You don’t get into that much depth for what she does as an alicorn princess beyond simply being the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ mentor. She just becomes a celebrity and keeps her personality in check. Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and script tell us about her status, and we’ve seen a duty or two already from her. However, we don’t get to see it go into even more depth. Her other duties get glossed over in favor of simply her title and status. In other words, you don’t get to see the potential and may have to rely on Princess Twilight Sparkle, Castle Mane-ia, and maybe the finale to see her new role fully fledged out. Again, Polsky and crew play it really safe, cluing in how they don't really know what to do with her.

Nevertheless, this doesn’t falter the structure quality as well as the nuances that make Twilight Time stand out as one of the best episodes this season. With great characterization, a simple story, and a great conflict, the Cutie Mark Crusaders take a half-page from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s book and become classmate celebrities. Their classmates want to absorb in the fun, so they tag along, and the CMCs play themselves into corner after corner after corner. Simultaneously, they never were stupid — just naïve. And they were all competent, too. Twilight’s characterization balances out her love for learning with a more lax outlook. Altogether, Twilight Time is a story that will depend on your tastes, but its overall quality stands out, thus competing with The Cutie Mark Chronicles as the best or second-best CMC-centric episode to date.

[Snatcher2047]

I finally got around to watching the last two episodes today and I have to say I found "Breezies" kind of boring, with nothing really happening except Fluttershy getting her "key" item.  "Somepony to Watch Over Me" was fun for the most part, being both a CMC and Applejack episode (my two favorite kinds), but did feel weird since it felt like Applejack was acting kind of how Spike was to her in a previous episode.  Just another example of just how short-term these ponies' memories are. 

 

I did think the no-time-for-a-song bit was rather hilarious, though.  Especially considering the fact I kind of cringed when the song started (thinking, "Is this really the best time for a song?").  And the chimera was one of the better villains in a while, despite how little it was on screen.

[gato]

Well between the Pokemon Stream and a bunch of stuff going around my life I was left with little time for ponies, (though I still have my nightly visits to Derpi, I just can't leave that habit <3),

 

So I'm going to be more brief from now on and just comment on the episodes, though today I'll talk about the last 3 chapters (which means this post actually won't be brief at all, but future ones might :V )

 

 

 

 

 

About Twilight Time:

 

If I'm going to be honest I found this chapter boring and I actually did have a review half written when it aired but I ran out of stuff to say about the chapter right before finishing it, I felt like I was repeating myself a lot and that's something I felt the chapter did, the Crusaders actions backfire on them 4 times, but 3 out of those 4 ricochet and for some weird reason lands them in a position where they can keep making the same mistake. I think this would have been something hilarious but as

BatGuy said, the conflict just wasn't engaging enough for me and watching it being repeated over and over tired me.

 

Speaking of possible hilarity, this episode was somewhat lacking in comedy which is something weird for a Polsky episode (even his most nonsenical episodes like Games Ponies Play had me laughing at the character's antics, Spike At Your Service might be the only exception to this rule, and I know Williams had a hand on it but I got a feeling Polsky wrote it when it was a Rarity episode and Williams was the one who turned it into an AJ one). Though said missing comedy was all compressed and awesomely presented in "the Hay Burger scene", Twilight eating like if she were 3 kinds of pony races at the same time had me laughing out loud, the fact she comments about how much the Crusaders remind her of herself and then switching the the fillies mulling about the implications of said words made me laugh even more, the random stuff Scootaloo pulled about the camera is a clear exhibition of that Polsky brand of humor that delivered us stuff like Fluttertree in the past (random things that don't even make sense in context, but they are presented in such a way that it somehow works and becomes little memes for us, I do hope that Scoot's need to smile in front of a camera becomes a running gag for the fandom). It's a shame this whole scene was the only moment in the episode I found entertaining. The crusaders constantly failing at making their skills work as they should is probably one of those scenes I'm supposed to find funny but watching the girls fail like that actually makes me feel bad for them instead (which is why I always skip their awful performance in Show Stoppers)... Oh Yeah, there was Sweetie's imagination spot too, that one was good.

 

 

 

Twilight was going to take some paragraphs in my scrapped review, she becoming "Celestia 2: Sun Troll Molest Lecture Harder" is a bit worrying for me, it feels as if all the craziness that made her character fun and endearing is slowly vanishing in front of me, but on the other hoof, this is more or less the logical conclusion of her arch and the character progression everyone was expecting of her. And besides, I can look at the Hay Burger scene and tell to myself "everything is going to be JUST FINE! :U" I can only hope the fears I had at the beginning of this paragraph are just me being paranoid.

 

The Crusaders also made some interesting progresses and growth, and it's quite interesting because what we saw of their possible talents in S1 doesn't really match with what we saw here (except for Sweetie) but that's not bad at all, it brings me back to Twilight's comment way back in Call of the Cutie when she mentioned the fillies were in a way blessed for having untapped potential, potential that could go anywhere they wanted to. Does this mean the talents we've seen from the Crusaders in S1 are irrelevant now? Not likely, but it's nice to see they can still try something else and be good at it, one of my major worries that were introduced with Magical Mystery Cure was that ponies followed a Destiny that's set in stone and they can do nothing about it, and while this still holds some truth in this realm it's nice to see the ponies might at least have some leeway about what they want to do with their lives.

 

Having said that, Apple Bloom being a chemist/alchemist is a very interesting development for her (it'd be nice if we were to see this was thanks to all the time she spent with Zecora) and it's not so far away from her crafting talents, this might just mean she is a SCIENCE!!! mare. Though I'm kinda worried about what would happen if she somehow manages to make 1 true growth potion that manages to turn a Apple Sprout into a healthy and productive tree (or a giant apple on a trunk like Sweetie's mental pictures showed us) it would cause a revolution in the food industry of the likes Equestria has never known... Or will be ignored in order to not alter the status quo in such a radical way.

 

Scootaloo developing a talent for mechanics and "tunning" goes right with her Scooter talents (I can see her customizing it and other things to go even faster) and her love of speed and excitement. It also gave me some flashbacks to a fic called "End of Ponies"... Those who read it will probably know what I'm talking about so I'll leave it in that.

 

Sweetie can do magics now, and under Twi's tutelage, that made me feel all giddy inside because I always loved that headcanon! Other than that there is nothing much to comment about her besides the fact that her mental visions are a little disturbing, AB and Scoots use their talents to impress the school and make things for the better... Sweetie plays with the idea of using her magic to physically and mentally torment Diamond Tiara... ... ... If they weren't kids this behavior would be a bit worrisome, same goes for the way Tiara behaved here...

 

Speaking of Tiara, she is actually one of the positive points on this chapter for me, of course the random elder abuse at the beginning was a little grating but after that we get to see the nice side of her... Of course, nice relatively speaking since her motives are as petty and egoistic as always but she was genuinely trying to appear as someone likable for the CMC so she could get her Twilight Time. That's a side of her you don't see often and I could appreciate that. Also, this episode makes me think again that her special talent is "leadership", look at how she handled the pack of colts and fillies during this episode!

 

 

 

Twilight Time also happens to be the first time we see the new princess status addressed... By kids... And like kids it seems like no one ever bothered to just go into the library and spend time with the new princess (I'm pretty sure the CMC just barged in wanting to try something new and Twi started to teach them stuff). It's also worth noticing that even if the kids suddenly love the princess the rest of the town still acts the same, nopony batted an eye at Twi eating on the Hay Burger (nor the way she ate) no one cared about what she does and what she doesn't which means except for the kids her current status is pretty much as we've seen from Castle Mane-Ia onward. Thinking how no one kisses the floor Twi walks on (not like she'd want to) I started to think about why this happens? Why does Celly get all the adoration she has? Why Luna is both respected and sometimes even feared? And then my head went to the other princess in the zone, Cadence gets pretty much the same treatment Twilight is getting. Even if her wedding was a nationwide celebration she was still a babysitter and went to school (if you want to follow the "shaky" comic canon) when she was a teen, she didn't get all the pomp and adoration until after the wedding (coincidentially, it's also the moment she got a kingdom)... Maybe that's the thing, maybe princesses are no special unless you have a moon or a sun in your flank, who knows why but it seems like that's how it happens. (it remains to see how Twi's life will change once she gets her palace).

 

Actually, this gave me think about how the target audience might love the princess while we simply... Don't care about those toys, :U

 

 

 

Wow, I talked a lot more about this one than what I thought I would (and I'm pretty sure I forgot some tidbits), the other 2 are shorter, promise.

 

 

 

 

 

About It Ain't Easy Being Breezy:

 

Like other people have said this episode was.... weird.

 

It spent a bunch of time doing nothing and it solved the conflict (in a pretty hasty way) with 5 minutes to spare, which let the mane 6 turn into Breezies for a very hard to swallow reason (I'd like to scream product placement like many have, but I don't remember a single "mane 6 Breezie" toy on the horizon so... At the very least it'd feel like a product that came the story instead of the other way around).

 

Actually, the whole way the Breezies trip is a little hard to take even in a magical setting. Why the pollen? Why the baskets? Why they have to travel in a very specific breeze and whats so wrong about looking for an alternative? A lot of things go unexplained and that makes the whole set up of this episode feel confusing and hard to get into.

 

The Breezies themselves were also oddly characterized, we have Micro Vegeta Seabreeze who was awesome and the best thing of the episode wanting to get a job done (which is more than enough reason to do stuff without the emotional load he also had with him), but then there is the rest of the swarm who does nothing and doesn't really seem to care about being stuck in Equestria forever as long as they stay with Yellowquiet, which made me see them as really unlikable characters. (Not to mention that once they come back at home they are all happy but 10 minutes ago they didn't want to do anything with it, what's up with that?)

 

I also found disappointing that the episode was mostly centered in Shy's cottage, it could have been an adventure as the ponies tried to make sure the Breezies arrived safely to their realm (and now that I think about it, they wouldn't even need to change the moral to make an episode like that), or could have been done at the same time while Discord was causing mayhem to the royal sisters in law (thought I don't feel the episode would have changed much in this case, still, a change of scenario and some cross continuity would have been nice)

 

 

 

Having said that, I really liked the beginning of the Episode. And while it could have been presented better I find the lesson to be a good one, it's also nice to see every character is having the rainbow epiphany in a different way:

 

1) Rarity when she realized she was at the top, but alone, because in her desire to get back at Suri she abused of her friends and she believes that isolated herself (the rest of the cast was cool with it, but Rarara didn't know it). Forfeiting the prize she won and not giving a single buck about it inspired Coco to do something generous.

 

2) Rainbow when she saw her friends being loyal and keep going to the end with something she wanted to do (and by that I mean something they probably didn't feel as attached to as Dash is, they are just going forward because of their desire to make the cyan Pegasus happy), and that sudden moment of realization when she compares how her friends and how the Wonderbolts act which made her realize what truly defines her. Pretty much spitting in the face of Spitfire for how much of a horsey she was being inspired the often misguided Wonderbolt capitain to care about her teammates, Soarin also displays some great levels of tolerance by putting up with all of that and still wanting to keep going.

 

3) Pinkie when she saw herself contradicting her own element after realizing how her push to prove herself above Cheese Sandwich ended up drifting her away of what was truly important. This one might be the most unique of the rainbow key reveals because Cheese was not inspired by Pinkie's actions that day, but he was inspired by the actions the pink party pony did way on the past. Not to mention that he didn't learn a lesson at all (unlike the others) he didn't have a change of character or view (as in, he was misguided and now he's good), he simply realized his talent and what he wanted to do with his life.

 

4) Fluttershy discovers her key after... An argument, after finding out that Kindness is not equal to niceness and that both sides of the argument presented their good and bad sides. Being nice to someone who doesn't know what he/she wants could be bad for them in the long runs (or could be bad for others in the long run... *LOOKS AT BATS! WITH THE INTENSITY OF A 75W LIGHT BULB*), and being obnoxious despite the fact you are right isn't the best thing either.

 

Makes me wonder if they are actually doing this intentionally or I'm looking too much into it.

 

 

 

 

 

About Somepony to Watch Over Me.

 

Oh god this episode was hilarious, which IMO is enough to put them above the last 2 since at least it kept me entertained while watching it, AJ has the "silliest/most awesome" "faces/moments" on this one...

 

Having said that... AJ's character took some hits in this one, during the entirety of the first part I was expecting to see a justification as to why she'd become so overprotective during the rest of the episode. It didn't require much, just an injury (no, AB falling down the table was not enough) or an accident with heavy yet unintentional material damage (no, 3 Jars of Jelly an dropping cold soup isn't enough)... Anything that would send AJ into Twilight levels of paranoia which triggered the rest of the hilarious episode, but none of that happened! And looking at the things I said between parenthesis that's probably my issue with it, that it took too little to get so much of a reaction out of Apple Poneh. We know there is a lot more implied context as to why would she be worried about her little sis but that very same context existed in previous episodes too and it can't be used as a justification for what happened here, unless there was something else that was meaningful enough to add to those concerns (which is what I was expecting to see here). It's like if Simple Ways started with Rarity already acting all stereotypical without informing us she was doing this to impress "hipster/unintentionally racist Unicorn". (... actually, an episode that starts with a character acting off and trying to find why it's happening would be interesting... *reminds MMC*... Oh...)

 

Anyway, I like to think the conversation the Apples had before taking the decision of leaving Bloom alone helped but... ehh... It's something offscreen and I'm just filling holes with headcanon so that shouldn't count as an excuse for the episode.

 

The other thing that felt really off was the ending, because technically is almost like saying it's okay to go on a freaking dangerous mission with lots to lose and nothing to gain but to prove a point to the mule you have for a sister. The worst of it is that AJ agrees with this! "Oh gee Applebloom! You almost died but the pies are safe, that means you are responsible enough to be alone!". Which I found to be... Well... Bull...

 

Having said that, maybe AJ is noticing a sign of her own character in Bloom (being strong headed and protecting those beings/things you value over your own self), so maybe she faultily recognizes this as a sign of maturity because, hey! That's how I roll! :U

 

 

 

But yeah, it's a shame this episode have those big bumps because the rest of it is so freaking funny and had those moments that make you think how awesome ponies are (seriously, I could spend some time talking about little details here and there like AJ acquiring some of Pinkie's skills and the running gags this episode had), it certainly is an episode I'd rewatch for the funnies and for seeing Applejack kicking flank but still...

 

You could say this one has some very awesome salads, desserts and drinks, but the main meal is a little lacking.

 

 

 

EDIT: As a sidenote, I'm just realizing no one ever considered a babysitter.

 

 

 

 

 

Now if you excuse me, it's time for my nightly visit to Derpi. o/

[Strickerx5]

Well, I found this to be quite a fun little episode:

 

Pros:

- I did find AJ to be quite enjoyable in this. A lot of the jokes made with her actually had me laughing.

- Scootaloo, your logic is impeccable... actually, a lot of the humor in this episode was great for me

- I didn't really like the moral after my first viewing of this but after thinking about it there was a good message in it. My original complaint about it was that it basically said that if your parents completely over baby you then you should go completely against them. But once Apple Bloom did that she almost got hurt. So I think the real message to walk away with was that while you should have your own since of independence, you should still listen to your elders because you still could get hurt if you go too far from them. I don't know, that's what I took from it.

- *Inevitable gushing over animation in 3...2...1...* Oh my G-O-S-H, look at that fire swamp scene! Not to mention the animation on that three headed monster! Very well done!

- Nice to see some more new locations.

- "Oh mama, don't be like dat" XD

 

Cons:

- While I found AJ pretty funny and likable in this episode, she was written differently in this. The reason I don't use the word "changed" is because we've never seen this sort of character engagement before with Apple Bloom and AJ so I don't think I can outright say this isn't how she would act. Though, we have seen many examples saying that she wouldn't treat Apple Bloom like this. I mean, Apple Bloom has done A LOT without AJ being there and AJ decides the NOW is the best time to protect her? During a pretty big delivery? AJ did seem pretty off in this...

- After my second viewing, there were several jokes that I did find to have overstayed their welcome a bit. Not to the point to have ruined the joke but still overdone nonetheless.

 

Well overall I do like this episode. Though, I can understand where many of you may have problems with it. Again, this could be my somewhat disinterested nature when it comes to events surrounding AJ but I honestly found the writer's approach with her in this more funny than annoying. I honestly haven't found one of her episodes to be this enjoyable since Applebuck Season (Though looking back I am growing quite fond of The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000). So yeah, I'm probably not the best person to go off of with this but I did enjoy this episode. XD

[Legendary Emerald]

I released another new fanfiction. Don't worry, I'll be slowing down after this.

 

Lyra's Silly Dream

 

Description: The mind can do strange things to a mare who has slept for over 12 hours. Lyra Heartstrings only wanted to sleep in a little bit longer, but her mind holds her hostage with a series of increasingly strange dreams. Will she be able to wake up in time for band practice, or at least, not drool on the couch?

 

Categories: Comedy, Slice of Life

Rated T for mild innuendo

 

This story is in canon with my "Subordinate Six" series of stories. Reading "The Subordinate Six: The Ensemble" first is recommended, but by no means necessary.

----------

 

My solution to being bummed out about the lackluster performance of my previous story was to write another one! I am super interested in dreams and lucid dreaming, so this was really fun to write. I hope you enjoy it as well!

[Kevin]

A bit late, but I thought Somepony To Watch Over Me was a lot better than It Ain't Easy Beig Breezies. There were some funny moments and surprisingly the episode got pretty dark towards the end. In fact, this is the darkest I've seen the series get so far.

[Applejack1973]

Here are some fresh Episode news incoming.

 

Trade Ya

 

S04, E19 ( First Aired: April 19, 2014)

When the trip to the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange doesn't go as planned, the girls learn just how valuable their friendship really is

 

 

E422 – Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3

Rainbow Dash uses unconventional methods to prepare for her test to become a member of the Wonderbolts Reserves.

[gato]

- I didn't really like the moral after my first viewing of this but after thinking about it there was a good message in it. My original complaint about it was that it basically said that if your parents completely over baby you then you should go completely against them. But once Apple Bloom did that she almost got hurt. So I think the real message to walk away with was that while you should have your own since of independence, you should still listen to your elders because you still could get hurt if you go too far from them. I don't know, that's what I took from it.

That is indeed what Apple Bloom learned and probably what the show might have wanted us to see, but if you see things from AJ's point of view the orange farmer's reactions are a bit questionable.

Anyway, the synopsis.

Call me stupid if you want, but I don't understand what Trade Ya is supposed to be about. :x

The other one... Ehh... More power to you Dash if you want to do that, but I thought you grew out of wanting to become a 'Bolt. >_>

[Nix]

Those synopses...

 

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3...  I foresee Rainbow Dash calling Spitfire out on her bullshit

again.  Just a hunch.

 

Wish Trade Ya gave us more to go on.  It's pretty vague.

 

[AdventChild]

About the synopses:

For Trade Ya, I'm reminded of the Ed, Edd n Eddy episode (

http://ed.wikia.com/wiki/Who,_What,_Where,_Ed) where they made a huge trade chain so they can make an omelet.

As for Testing, Testing, it sounds like RD is going to cheat in some way and get called out on it. I'm actually hoping for (magic) steroid usage and gains a physique that matches Bulk Biceps (or turn into Rainbow Blitz.)

[Kuzu]

We're doing the Wonderbolts thing again? 

[gato]

About the synopses:

For Trade Ya, I'm reminded of the Ed, Edd n Eddy episode (

http://ed.wikia.com/wiki/Who,_What,_Where,_Ed) where they made a huge trade chain so they can make an omelet.

As for Testing, Testing, it sounds like RD is going to cheat in some way and get called out on it. I'm actually hoping for (magic) steroid usage and gains a physique that matches Bulk Biceps (or turn into Rainbow Blitz.)

I've never seen the Ed's before (mostly because I never liked the art style) but that sounds like a very nice idea, shame the synopsis doesn't go so well with that idea (it seems like the mane 6's friendship is going to be tested in some way).

Also, I lol'd at the 123 idea, I can almost see how we are going to react if they ever did something like that.

 

We're doing the Wonderbolts thing again?

Not gonna lie, I'd be freaking hyped by 123 if we hadn't got

Rainbow Falls on the middle. :/

[Dark Qiviut]

Not gonna lie, I'd be freaking hyped by 123 if we hadn't got

Rainbow Falls on the middle. :/

Honestly, I don't care. As long as AKR reinforces continuity correctly, makes the characters likeable, write the characters three-dimensionally and in character while describing the conflict, and is well-told while showing the conflict and consequences instead of telling us, I'll happily call it a good episode.

[Kuzu]

That's the thing, we've already done the "Rainbow tries to join the Wonderbolts" plot, and she learns a similar lesson every time.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Applejack1973]

I am looking forward to another Wonderbolt focused epsiode.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

AH, a Wonderbolts episode. Time to get the routine cards out again and see who calls what.

[DGam'r]

Damn, new episode tomorrow, I swear it's just another filler but at least we get to meet one of Pinkie's newest sister. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrJNxzdwX-E

[Nix]

Damn, new episode tomorrow, I swear it's just another filler but at least we get to meet one of Pinkie's newest sister. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrJNxzdwX-E

 

>The day after Pi day is a Pinkie Pie episode with multiple Pies.

 

They did this on purpose

 

those clever bastards.

 

Pinkie's sister looks like the no fun kind of fun.  It'll be interesting seeing everypony else try to interact with her.  

[AdventChild]

How should I go about this episode?

 

It definitely was like Maud in a way, dull with some interesting traits. Also, compared to Pinkie Apple Pie and Pinkie Pride, it’s the weakest of the Pinkie eps this season.

 

The things I liked were the camouflage game, rock poetry, rock throwing, and Maud saving Pinkie.

Despite having many highlights in the episode, I feel indifferent about Maud and she doesn’t seem to be as interesting as other monotonous and socially awkward characters like Raven from Teen Titans who has a bit more going for her and more personality while Maud felt like a one-note joke the entire time. I think it would have been interesting to add some snarky/sarcasm injected into her. Also, I was kinda hoping that she had some of Pinkie’s 4th Wall Breaking traits, but oh well, her great physical strength and speed was interesting to say the least.

 

Another problem is Pinkie Pie. Save for some parts in the beginning and near the end, she doesn’t seem to be as written well here than her previous episodes this season esp. during the parts where she and Maud were visiting the Manes individually and just did a bunch of slapstick moments that didn’t seem as funny. Sure, it’s better than her characterization in Fili Vanili, but still nonetheless, most of the time, she just hyped/praised her sister for comedic effect and it felt like a joke that overstayed its welcome.

 

Also, seeing the rock farm at the end just makes me yearn more to see the rest/all of Pinkie’s family and to see them in their element and how they function. I actually would like to see some kind of mini-arc where the Manes get to visit the rock farm and maybe stay for a few days. I mean there’s just so much possibilities and potential in terms of character/world building. Not to mention a chance to expand their monster list by introducing golems and maybe treants (for more Fluttertree references; tree vs rocks). Heck, maybe have Trixie to cameo/appear as she used to work at the rock farm as we’ve learned from Magic Duel. Maybe throw in more geological elements like volcanoes and earthquakes too.

 

Overall, despite some moments here and there, I find this episode as average as last week’s and some of the humor didn’t click for me. Again, it’s weakest of the Pinkie eps this season and doesn’t seem as good as the other two.

[Kevin]

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this episode, but I have to say this one truly nailed it and it goes up there as one of the best episodes of season 4 and definitely one if the funniest. I love Maude's character and I especially loved how the Mane 6 interacted with her. I was very surprised that she came in and saved Pinkie in that obstacle course, but looking at it again I can see why she was the one to do so despite the fact that one of the other character could have easily saved her. That small smile Maude gave at the end was sweet and I'm glad that it was shown that she wasn't just a miserable character the entire time. The new writer for this episode deserves a lot of credit for nailing it and after a few disappointments, it 's great to see Season 4 get back on track.

[Emperor Robrainiac]

I really enjoyed this episode. I gotta say, I loved the character of Maud Pie.

 

I've always liked the Idea of a character's sibling who acts completely opposite of the said character. Not to mention, I've been taking a Geology class this semester, so I couldn't help but laugh at her mentioning stuff like sedimentary and Igneous rocks.

 

Also there's something about her emotionless nature that makes her so adorable.  

[Adorkable]

 

Dropping the "Twilight Sparkle is best pony" bomb as an introduction. ;D

 

Anyways, loved the new episode! How long until we can discuss?

[Strickerx5]

Well that was certainly an interesting one:

 

Pros:

- Have to say I did enjoy Maud's character throughout the episode. A lot of the jokes made with her had me laughing out loud. She's such a polar opposite from what we've come to expect from this show.

- Nice to see all the pets again. I had almost forgotten Tank even existed.

- Boulder is best pet. Also the animations of Maud interacting with it/he/she were hilarious.

- *Looks back at The Cutie Mark Chronicles* Hey wait... Maud isn't even here... *looks at the family photo in Pinkie Pride*... Oh you sly dogs DHX.

- Rock poetry. My teachers always said that poetry could be about anything.

- So basically Maud proves twice that earth ponies have super strength. That... or she's an earth bender. Either one is good.

- Oh Rainbow, your egghead is showing.

- I like how the obstacle course that Pinkie built is suppose to represent all of their likes but it just ends up being a deadly mess. A nice little bit of symbolism.

- A lot of Pinkie's background animations were fun to watch.

- I did like where they were about to go with the moral. It's nice to see the show kind of address the fact that you can't be great friends with everyone. But....

 

Cons:

- ... they completely went back on it at the very end of the episode. The episode ended nicely but I think there was a meaningful message from not becoming friends that I felt was completely glossed over.

- While I found Maud to be an extremely fun character, some of the jokes did last a bit too long for my taste. Especially in my first viewing.

- I don't know how I feel about Pinkie in this. She has her moments but throughout a large chunk of the episode she kind of just came off as an air head who added nothing to what was going on.

- It would of been nice to see more of Pinkie's family in this. Especially since they actually went back to the rock farm.

- GAH! Spider! Kill it kill it ki... ah it has flowers... kill it. Also, missed Spongebob reference.

- Missed callback to Tom.

 

Side Notes:

- So, can ponies eat rocks? Is that a thing now?

- How exactly did the other five make it to the rock farm before Pinkie and Maud... carrying the rock candy nonetheless?!?

 

Overall, I did quite enjoy this episode. Though, it took me a second viewing to really get a grasp of what it was doing. It really is an episode that people are going to like or dislike purely based on how you feel about Maud herself. I found her to be a fun addition to the world that I hope makes a reappearance sometime in the future (though this could also be because I have met people like her before and have been in some similar situations that have ended with me gaining more understanding about others). With that said, this was a fun episode.

 

 

 

@ThatOneSonicFan: We're allowed to talk about it at any time. Though we have to put it in *spoilers* if it hasn't aired yet. So you're good to go with this one.