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Season 7, Episodes 5-6
Sorry this post is a day late! I finished writing it yesterday, but then I got distracted late at night and forgot to finish uploading all the images to WordPress. I guess my MLP post schedule is de facto every two weeks now, because I’m so preoccupied with my Eurovision reviews. The good news is, my Eurovision post series is a much shorter project than this one. After less than six months, I’ve already covered 38 out of 68 years!
Season 7 Episode 5: Fluttershy Leans In
In five words: Attempt at showcasing Character Development™.
Premise: Fluttershy sets out to realize her years-old dream of building an animal sanctuary, but she picks the wrong ponies for the job because otherwise the episode would be too short.
Detailed run-through:
To start the episode, Angel Bunny practices for a parkour contest and injures his paw with one misstep. She’s out of foot braces, so apparently instead of buying new foot braces, she has to take Angel to the vet. We never hear about this parkour contest for the entire rest of the episode, which makes it really transparent this was just an excuse to lead into the episode’s premise.
It’s easy to forget that Dr. Fauna isn’t a new character (though her voice is new). She first appeared in Secret of My Excess.
Some fan out there who really loves Dr. Fauna was surely excited to see her again.
Dr. Fauna: Oh! Some bunny hurt his foot! Let’s bandage that up so we can get back home.
Dr. Fauna: I’d like to keep him overnight, but as you can see, my place is just bursting with animals!
Wait, wasn’t it established that Angel needed a foot brace, not a bandage? And why would Angel need to stay away from his owner overnight? If all Fluttershy needed was a bandage, she could have gone to the grocery store and the whole episode would be over. I also find it hard to believe that Dr. Fauna doesn’t have any other employees. Does this poor vet really have to watch over all these animals herself? Is she the type who insists she can do everything on her own? Now that I think of it, that would make for a pretty interesting plot.
Most importantly, why would the animators give a giraffe colorful pony eyes and not make her talk?! That’s a bit unsettling if you ask me.
It turns out that Dr. Fauna is facing a situation that Fluttershy has experienced: a group of living creatures has made themselves overly comfortable in her home and she can’t get them to leave. Fluttershy has forced others to leave her house for their own good twice: the Breezies and Zephyr Breeze. But apparently she can’t send these animals back to nature even though they’re all perfectly healed. Weird for an episode that’s supposed to show off Fluttershy’s increased assertiveness.
Is the lesson that it’s good to let someone mooch off of you for as long as they want? I don’t think that’s what the show should tell adult viewers. To be fair, It Ain’t Easy Being Breezies and Flutter Brutter are against mooching, whereas only this episode is in favor of mooching. That’s two against one.
Dr. Fauna: But now this place is so full, I have no space to treat any injured animals!
Fluttershy: That is a big problem…
Fluttershy: That I’m going to fix for you! I already have the perfect solution that’ll make the critters happy and give you more space. Then you’ll have all your ducks in a row.
Dr. Fauna: The sooner you fix it, the better!
Fluttershy: I’m on it.
Another annoying thing about this episode is that everyone who isn’t a main character is either helpless (like Dr. Fauna) or an outright hindrance. Is this meant to tell viewers that it’s OK to wait for others to solve your problems? I thought Fluttershy and Dr. Fauna were both animal experts, so why do they never work together in this episode?
Fluttershy: I want to thank you all for rushing right over when I called.
Fluttershy: Dr. Fauna needs my help with a serious problem.
Twilight Sparkle: A friendship problem?
Jeez Twilight, you have such a one-track mind. This line is far more hilarious than it should be: Twilight is now at a point where she’s excited when she hears of a friendship problem. Well, she’s been like that since Lesson Zero.
Now here is a scene I have mixed feelings about. Fluttershy gives a speech introducing her idea to build an animal sanctuary where any sick, scared, or lonely animals can take comfort till they’re ready to take on the world. It’s great for the show to go out of its way to showcase character development, and to remark that these characters have grown over the years (as Fluttershy’s friends all do). Really great, in fact!
But the animal sanctuary being a dream of Fluttershy’s for a long time… I’m sorry, but that came out of nowhere. You can’t just have a character say they’ve dreamed of something for years, and expect that to count as character arc fulfillment. Rainbow Dash’s arc of joining the Wonderbolts and Rarity’s arc of opening a boutique in Canterlot work well because they’ve both aspired for those things since season 1. The closest hint to Fluttershy ever wanting to build an animal sanctuary was an offhand mention that she would like to make one in Bats!, and even that’s probably a coincidence.
There was no need for the episode to claim Fluttershy has dreamed of the sanctuary for years. The script could have said that the idea came to Fluttershy after seeing all those critters crowding the hospital, and that would be perfectly fine. But no, instead this episode makes up like 20 different things that we never heard of before and will never hear of again. Not just the big parts like Fluttershy’s supposedly longtime dream—even offhand mentions like the parkour race and Applejack saying she often takes Winona to Dr. Fauna. It’s perfectly fine to invent new details about characters, but it’s annoying when they’re just mentioned randomly and don’t tie in with the rest of the episode.
And now comes the part that really drives me crazy.
Applejack: I’m happy to offer my extra hoof to you.
Applejack: But come to think of it… I actually know a filly who’d be more help than I would. She’s a friend of mine from Winona’s sheep herding competition: Wrangler. She’s an expert in animal enclosures.
You know what this line comes off as to me? It comes off like Applejack isn’t that interested in building the sanctuary and would rather pass the work off to some stranger. I know that wasn’t what the writer intended, of course it wasn’t. If the rest of the Mane 6 worked with Fluttershy to build the sanctuary, the episode wouldn’t have a conflict.
Alternately, this scene comes off like Applejack is aware of the fourth wall and purposely picked a helper who would make the episode last longer. Credit where it’s due, the phrase “animal enclosures” is good foreshadowing that Wrangler will go against Fluttershy’s designs.
Pinkie Pie: Ooh, ooh, ooh! I know somepony too! Hard Hat is the best construction pony in Ponyville. He can build anything you could ever, ever, ever want!
It’s weird that Applejack and Rarity give an example of what their suggested construction pony has helped them with, but Pinkie Pie doesn’t. It would have made nice consistency if Pinkie Pie also gave an example, but at this point I’m just nitpicking. Hard Hat does mention later that he built the Ponyville hospital, but I don’t really like these random examples either way.
Rarity: Hearing you all mention these experts, I am reminded that I, too, have the perfect pony to help capture the essence of your vision.
Rarity: To give it some style, some flair!
Fluttershy: Is it you, Rarity?
Rarity should have said, “Oh heavens no, darling! Though my eye for design is nothing short of impeccable, everypony knows that this episode would be over in just two minutes if I were to lend my expertise.” It would have made the episode more interesting if Rarity herself joined the new characters in constructing the wrong version of the sanctuary, because it would mean she’d learn a lesson at the end, instead of no one learning a lesson and Fluttershy being right from start to finish.
Rarity: (laughs) No! No. Um, I was referring to the première interior designer of the Canterlot elite: Dandy Grandeur. He helped me when I was setting up my Canterlot boutique. I know he’d be thrilled to work with you.
Again with the thrown-in reveals that are never brought up again during or after this episode. Gillian M. Berrow (the writer of the episode) probably thought she was contributing meaningfully to the show’s lore with this line, but I’m sorry, she wasn’t.
Good job, Dr. Fauna. Keep sitting there doing nothing.
Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all advertise the construction ponies well, but the moment we meet them in person, they become a bunch of snooty jerks who won’t listen to Fluttershy’s perfectly sound ideas. I’m not sure how I feel that this episode portrays Fluttershy as always in the right. You could argue that this is a good showcase of her character development, but on the other hand, it means there’s no real conflict for her to overcome, so the episode has to force one to happen.
Rarity doesn’t mind at all that Opalescence is scratching her couch.
Having cats means letting them have their way.
Dandy Grandeur in particular was purported as the friendly kind of Rarity Episode Character (like Fancy Pants or Coco Pommel), but instead he’s the elitist kind of Rarity Episode Character (like Suri Polomare). Well, he’s not exactly a Rarity Episode Character… more like a Retroactive Rarity Episode Character Who’s Technically A Fluttershy Episode Character And Never Shows Up Again Anyway.
Why did Fluttershy leave these three to build the house themselves, instead of providing guidance?
Answer: Because otherwise the episode would be too short.
Fluttershy: I know you all worked hard, but none of you did anything I asked for.
Hard Hat: That’s not true. We used the trees just like you asked.
Dandy Grandeur: And that curtain fabric is organic. It’s got natural fibers.
Wrangler: And I added pillows inside my cages. That should count as feeling like a hug.
After we meet them in person, the construction ponies aren’t just portrayed as rude, but also extremely stupid. Fluttershy told Hard Hat to not clear the trees, but to use the trees, but Hard Hat had to clear the trees in order to cut them into wood. When an episode introduces new characters, it’s important to make them likable (like Maud Pie) or compelling villains (like the Flim Flam brothers). That’s how a one-time character becomes a recurring character. Hard Hat, Dandy Grandeur, and Wrangler are neither likable nor compelling villains. That’s why we never see them again.
Fluttershy: I may not know much about construction or interior design or wrangling, but I am an expert at one thing: the care of animals! And what animals need is a sanctuary, NOT THIS!
I don’t know about that. Considering Dr. Fauna’s predicament, it sounds like a second animal hospital would benefit Ponyville. And if giraffes not fitting through the door is such a problem, maybe Ponyville needs a separate hospital for giraffes. Even the first time I watched this episode, I didn’t really agree that the construction trio should be portrayed as in the wrong.
Fluttershy then tells the construction ponies to go away and refuses to give them a second chance, because their plot purpose has been fulfilled. Remember when Rarity gave Sassy Saddles a second chance after Sassy’s meddling almost shut down their new boutique? Or the many times the Mane 6 got second chances after screwing up the first time? Nah, we’re not having any of that here. The plot needs to progress instead.
Why did Fluttershy stand there leaving the building unfinished, instead of tearing it down and starting over? Again, the answer is so that the plot can progress. Dr. Fauna happens to arrive right after the construction ponies leave. Her crew of animals follow right behind her and destroy the unfinished building. But the construction workers aren’t to blame. It was Fluttershy who thought it was a good idea to leave an unfinished building out in the open without anyone maintaining it. This is all her fault.
At night, Dr. Fauna considers giving up on the sanctuary, but Fluttershy refuses to abandon her dreams.
Fluttershy: As you know, building the sanctuary didn’t go quite as planned.
Pinkie Pie: I know, right? Who would have guessed that Hard Hat wouldn’t build whatever you want?
Rarity: I never would have invited Dandy to help if I thought he’d act in such a manner.
Applejack: And Wrangler sure made a fool out of me, too. I’m sorry, Fluttershy.
Fluttershy: It’s OK. You were all just trying to help.
That’s an awfully nice way to say “you were all too lazy to help, so you passed on the work to a bunch of strangers who know nothing about me”. Typical Fluttershy, letting her friends believe they were even remotely in the right.
The fundamental problem with this episode is that if three of the Mane 6 hadn’t hired construction workers, the episode’s conflict would have never happened. You could argue from this scene that the rest of the Mane 6 would have piled on unhelpful ideas if they hadn’t hired construction workers, as they do here. However, this episode is supposed to tell us that Fluttershy is more assertive now, so she probably would have rejected these ideas either way (as she does here).
One thing I like about this episode is that it brings back a surprising character: Big Daddy McColt, who we’ve established is an expert in construction and will help build the sanctuary. I like this reuse of a former one-time character, which this episode could have had so much more of. It would have made more sense for Fluttershy to trust people she’s met before to assist with her project than those random strangers.
I really wish McColt did more in the montage.
Right afterwards comes another annoying thing about this episode (and many others in the late seasons): the important stuff happens in a wordless montage. Some montages can work well, but this feels lazy on the writer’s part. Also, why didn’t the Mane 6 think of bringing these six extra characters to help build the sanctuary the first time?
Fluttershy saying “every creature” near the end is a fearsome forewarning of the School of Friendship.
And so, Fluttershy presents to Dr. Fauna the Sweet Feather Sanctuary: a home for animals to recover after getting treated by the vet. That’s right: the whole point of this episode was to introduce a new location for future episodes. The only other episode featuring this sanctuary that I remember off the top of my head is She Talks to Angel, but maybe my memory is rusty. I do like the design of the location and it’s a great backdrop for later Fluttershy episodes, but this could have been executed in so many better ways. Maybe instead of having the perfect idea for the sanctuary right from the start, the idea could have come to Fluttershy after she tried hospital ideas that didn’t work. But the writer got too carried away in making this a Character Development Episode.
Fluttershy gives a lesson on never giving up on your dreams and with that, the episode ends.
Overall thoughts:
While there are several episodes that I want to like more than I do, this is by far the strongest example. I want to love an episode focused on Fluttershy’s growth as a character, but the fundamental problem is that this episode is designed around the conclusion, not the problem. The conclusion is that Fluttershy builds an animal sanctuary, so the writer needs to contrive a series of problems first to introduce this goal, then to prevent Fluttershy from achieving it until the last few minutes. That’s why we have the out-of-nowhere problem that the vet is clogged with animals, the random introduction of the construction experts, and their shooing once their plot purpose has been fulfilled.
A good MLP episode has the characters find a solution after tons of issues and setbacks. This episode introduces the solution near the start, then invents setbacks to artificially pad it out. Plus, it’s really kind of dull when you get down to it, because Fluttershy has no fear or issue to overcome. It’s too boring for me to even write any miscellaneous notes.
Grade: D
It may have been overly harsh for me to give A Flurry of Emotions a D, but this episode is indisputable D material. It’s one of few I didn’t gain a greater appreciation of after reviewing.
The next character to get an episode showcasing her development is one of few contenders to Fluttershy’s cuteness: our good pal Sweetie Belle.
Season 7 Episode 6: Forever Filly
In five words: Parallel situations of misperceived maturity.
Premise: Rarity realizes it’s been far too long since she last spent time with Sweetie Belle. She fails to realize her little sister isn’t as childish as she once was, and the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders discover a surprisingly similar problem.
Detailed run-through:
I think the cold opening of this episode is overly long. Do we need to spend two whole minutes seeing Sassy Saddles scramble to get everything done in time at the boutique while Rarity calmly checks items off her list? I get that the purpose is to show how Rarity’s daily life has been lately, and that she’s now risen up the ranks in the fashion industry, but it takes too long to reach the moment that drives the plot of this episode, which is:
That is an awful lot of makeup.
Rarity accidentally discovers an old photo of her and Sweetie Belle—not even that old, since Sweetie Belle has her cutie mark—and bursts into tears, and that’s what sets up the premise.
Something you have to understand about Rarity is that she tremendously loves Sweetie Belle, even if it’s obfuscated by frustration. I think people have a different kind of love for their younger siblings when they were old enough to remember their sibling’s birth, because they got to watch their sibling start off as a baby and gradually realize their potential. It means the older sibling is endlessly proud of their younger sibling but doesn’t always realize how much the younger one has grown up.
When Sassy Saddles offers to do the chores of the day, Rarity snaps out of her blubbery tears and gets excited to spend the whole day with Sweetie Belle. I don’t believe it’s been that horribly long since the sisters last spent time together, but I’m content in interpreting this as Rarity’s obsessive sisterly love.
A photo transitions us to what Sweetie Belle and friends are up to. They ride a slab of stone down a hill and nearly crush an innocent colt to death, then Scootaloo says “that was fun!” I get that they purposely delivered the stone to Chip Cutter, but it would have been safer if they got Bulk Biceps to carry it. I’m sure he’s strong enough.
Ah, the good old cartoon trope where a single whack of the hammer turns a slab of rock into a sculpture.
Chip Cutter gets a burst of inspiration and turns this rock into a statue of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, then he earns his cutie mark. I’m sure his name gave away his special talent to the Crusaders, but that’s not the point of this scene. The point is to show Sweetie Belle has her own affairs to be occupied with, unrelated to Rarity’s.
Just like the previous episode, this episode brings back a one-time character who only appeared briefly and gives her a much bigger role. This time it’s Zipporwhill, the hyperactive filly who we saw in Filli Vanilli, but now she’s not as hyperactive. She came to the Crusaders to report a problem: her puppy named Ripley, who she got her cutie mark for finding, now won’t connect to her anymore. As with Dr. Fauna, I’m sure there was some fan out there who wrote tons of fics about Zipporwhill and was excited to see her again.
That fan out there was almost as excited as Rarity is to see Sweetie Belle again. The moment Rarity glomps her little sister, you can see how conflicted Sweetie Belle feels.
Sweetie Belle: Rarity! What are you doing here?
Rarity: I am here to spend the day with YOU! I’m so excited, I could practically faint! You don’t happen to have a fainting couch in here, do you?
Sweetie Belle: No?
Rarity: Oh, pf. Of course not. It’s a treehouse! That would be très gauche.
Sweetie Belle: Rrright. Well… I sure am happy to see you, and spending the day with you does sound like a lot of fun, but…
Sweetie Belle: I’m kind of right in the middle of something important. I have responsibilities and…
Rarity: Oh.
I like that this scene doesn’t portray Sweetie Belle as reluctant to hang out with her big sister, but instead conflicted. She’s always craved opportunities to spend time with Rarity, but here her sister popped in without warning. The other two Crusaders encourage Sweetie Belle to have some sister time while they solve the cutie mark problem.
An adult enjoying a show for young children and laughing just as hard as the kids do? Where have we seen that before? Among kids’ cartoons, I think MLP isn’t actually the best comparison, because teenage and adult fans love coming together to watch the show, but this scene does seem like a light jab at bronies. Sweetie Belle’s disinterest matches the normal people who outgrow all such shows when they stop being kids. Couldn’t be me!
Zipporwhill drags her dog Ripley, who we saw as a puppy in Filli Vanilli, as though he were still tiny. Note that he was never named until this episode. I’ve read that Ripley was named after Jim Miller’s dog and that doesn’t surprise me at all.
I will never not be ticked at the cartoon trope where a character or animal is only allowed to grow up if we haven’t seen them for several seasons, but my degree of tickedness will never be more than mild. MLP averts this trope in some cases, like the Crusaders earning their marks or Spike gaining wings, but the difference between the dog aging and the baby characters not aging is jarring to say the least.
Rarity: (laughs) Banana peels are so very, very slippery! It’s funny because it’s true!
Sweetie Belle: (nervous laugh, sigh)
Rarity: What’s the matter, darling?
Sweetie Belle: I, um… guess I just prefer black box experimental theater.
Rarity: What?! Since when?
Sweetie Belle: (sigh) I don’t know. It’s no big deal. This is great.
I can only speak of the realism of this scene from the older sibling’s perspective, not the younger one’s. Rarity’s shock is on point: it’s incredibly surprising when you first learn your younger sibling likes shows for adults now, because you’re used to them liking little kids’ shows. But at the same time, I think it’s cool to see your younger siblings gain new interests you didn’t know of.
Rarity: Okay, we’re here! TADA!!!
Rarity: Aren’t you excited to be back here again? Do I know my baby sister, or do I know my baby sister?
Sweetie Belle: Uh… yeah… where is here, exactly?
Rarity: Oh, pff. Stop being so silly! You know this is your favorite ice cream shop!
Sweetie Belle: Oh. Right. From when I was a little filly.
When you’re an older sibling, it often turns out that one of your fondest memories with your younger sibling has been erased from their mind, because they were too young. That’s another thing this episode gets right. It always makes for an awkward moment: I always think, “you were six years old, how can you not remember this?”
Rarity reveals she convinced the original owner of the ice cream shop to come out of retirement to make Sweetie Belle’s favorite dessert, a classic example of her trademark generosity that her sister takes for granted. I’m not sure I like the exaggerated tiny size of the sundae; it’s a little too cartoony for an episode about tension between sisters. Sweetie Belle says she would have preferred something more filling like a salad, and I can’t blame her. Salads are pretty great.
I recall reading that executives rejected any requests to make the Cutie Mark Crusaders bigger as the show progressed. Which is honestly fair: it would have been hard for the animators to remember their new size in every scene. To compensate for their unchanged size, when the sisters wait in line to get a balloon animal, all the other foals in line don’t have their cutie marks. This should make it clear that they’re all younger than Sweetie Belle. It doesn’t feature any familiar minor characters either: just a bunch of tiny kids that Sweetie Belle doesn’t know.
The other three kids try playing fetch with Ripley, whose owner still calls him a puppy. He’s completely uninterested in these games and wants to do larger-scale activities. This reminds me that I’ve always been unsure when to start calling a kitten a cat: it usually takes a year or two longer than it should. But real-life dogs don’t outgrow these activities quite as much.
Sweetie Belle pauses to check in on her friends and we get this exchange:
Scootaloo: Seems like Zipporwhill’s puppy doesn’t want anything to do with her.
Sweetie Belle: Hmm… I see what you mean. (gasp) You know, it’s an awfully big puppy.
I find it interesting that only Sweetie Belle can tell Ripley is no longer a puppy. This may seem demeaning to the other Crusaders’ intelligence, but there’s a reason they function best as a trio. Without Sweetie Belle, they wouldn’t get to the bottom of problems; without Scootaloo, they wouldn’t help others achieve things that seem impossible; and without Apple Bloom, the group wouldn’t have been created. All three play their own part in holding the group together.
In the series of photos where the sisters wear various costumes, there’s some symbolism in what they’re dressed as: Rarity as an adult organism, Sweetie Belle as its infant form. Chicken and egg, caterpillar and butterfly, flower and seed. It’s a great visual analogy that I never realized before writing this review!
Are the other two Crusaders purposely staying this close to Sweetie Belle at all times? If not, that’s kind of weird.
Now comes a parallel scene where Zipporwhill doubts the meaning of her cutie mark and Rarity doubts her relationship with her sister. I’m going to focus on the sisters’ side of the scene.
Rarity: What do you mean, no?
Sweetie Belle: This is hard for me to say, but… um…
Rarity: Sweetie Belle, what is it? You’ve been acting weird all day. You used to love doing these things with me!
Sweetie Belle: That’s just it! I used to! That’s not who I am anymore.
[…]
Rarity: But it is you! You love puppet shows and dressing up and taking silly photos and tiny little clown-shaped ice creams!
Sweetie Belle: Really? If you still think I like doing this stuff, then maybe you don’t know me at all! (runs off)
Rarity: (starts crying)
Some fans think Sweetie Belle was in the wrong for lashing out at Rarity, and I really don’t get why. Rarity wasn’t treating her the way she wanted to and Sweetie Belle kept giving her sister the benefit of the doubt, but the lid had to burst eventually. It’s perfectly realistic and believable and it’s something Rarity needed to hear.
Zipporwhill: This isn’t who I am. My cutie mark must be for something else, because my puppy just doesn’t love me anymore!
OK, I should take some time to analyze Zipporwhill too. I really appreciate that after earning their cutie marks, the Crusaders don’t just help others earn their marks, but help ponies who already have theirs understand them better. Because in real life, even after someone has discovered a purpose in life, they might still run into a snag or doubt it along the way. It proves that cutie marks don’t make a pony automatically know everything about their field of expertise. Zipporwhill loves taking care of dogs and will probably grow up to be a vet, but she still has a lot of lessons to learn about it.
It’s extremely in-character for Rarity to dramatically monologue after Sweetie Belle just lashed out at her. But I’m not sure it’s in-character for her to get angry and decide to give her sister a piece of her mind. On the one hand, you could argue it’s normal for siblings to get mad at each other, even if they’re not normally angered. But on the other hand, it would be more in line with Rarity’s character to break down and blame it all on herself. Her pattern of blaming herself when something goes wrong makes Rarity unique among the Mane 6, and we aren’t seeing any of that here.
Sweetie Belle: Okay, Zipporwhill. What do you see?
Zipporwhill: My puppy?
Sweetie Belle: That’s not what I see. I see a full grown dog.
Zipporwhill: He did get bigger… I guess.
Sweetie Belle: He’s not just bigger. He’s older, too.
Sweetie Belle: You don’t still play with the same toys from when you were a foal, do you?
I find it very nice that the pieces snap together in Rarity’s head by seeing a similar situation from the outside, even if her spying is a little weird. Often, that’s really all it takes to realize what you’re doing wrong.
Rarity comes out of the bushes and makes up with her sister, then a stick in Rarity’s mane leads Zipporwhill to discover how to treat Ripley like a grown dog. In effect, Zippowrhill learns she can perform the same activities as before, but now with bigger objects. This transitions into the final resolution of this episode, which I’ve always felt mixed about.
The old owner of the ice cream shop took this picture.
We’re told that Rarity will now perform different, more mature activities with Sweetie Belle, just like Zipporwhill with her dog, but the final scene proves otherwise. The sisters are doing one of the same activities as before, just with bigger ice cream. Although this is a downright adorable ending, I’m not sure how well it ties in with the moral. Is the moral that when a relative gets older, you have to adjust and spend time with them in new ways, or that you should just feed them bigger food? The first time I saw this episode, I was lowkey hoping they’d eat salad together.
Overall thoughts:
Compared to the other two episodes focused on Sweetie Belle and Rarity’s relationship (Sisterhooves Social, For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils), this one is a little disappointing. It breaks my heart to say this, because I love both the white unicorn sisters and their dynamic, but that’s just how I feel. My biggest problem with this episode is that it doesn’t make much use of Rarity or Sweetie Belle’s character traits. It could have been about Applejack and Apple Bloom and its plot would go about the same. If it was about the Apple sisters, fans would’ve seen it as a rehash of Somepony to Watch Over Me, but I see it as a reskin of that episode anyway.
But this episode isn’t all bad! It has some good uses of the sisters’ traits, like Rarity convincing the ice cream shop owner to return from retirement, or Sweetie Belle being scared of hurting her sister’s feelings. And it’s clever that Rarity learns her lesson through the analogy of a pet. I suppose my fascination with Rarity and Sweetie Belle’s dynamic is why it’s featured so heavily in the first (and only) MLP fic I’ve ever written.
Grade: C
I’ve always felt mixed about this episode and I was really hoping I’d like it more after reviewing it, but that wasn’t the case this time.
Miscellaneous notes:
- On the wall in the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse, we see many pictures of characters who they helped earn or understand their cutie marks… as well as Big Mac and Cheerilee. Maybe this indicates that the kids still thought it was a little clever to feed them a love potion.
- I love how Scootaloo doesn’t mind being pat on the head after fetching and being called “Good Scootaloo”. Maybe she’s more receptive to dog jokes than to chicken jokes.
The next episode features another tense conflict between family members, but not ones we’ve met before.
See you next time as we finally meet Rainbow Dash’s parents. This next episode should be very interesting to analyze!
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