Episode Re-Review: Call of the Cutie · 4:48pm Jan 31st, 2021
So after a long string of episodes that were average at best and insanely bad at worst, the show really needed something to get it back on track. Surprisingly, the choice to do so was to a pilot episode for a planned spin-off, and Meghan McCarthy was tapped to write it. Given the success the CMC would go on to have within the show itself, was this episode the burst of quality the show desperately needed? Well, let's find out.
The episode begins with an establishing shot of the classroom inside the schoolhouse. It should be noted that originally Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle appeared in this shot, but someone realized the mistake that would be and hastily recolored their models to look completely different. Anyway, Cheerilee comes in and announces that she'll be giving a lesson in cutie marks, even though most of the class already have theirs. This is mostly to serve as exposition about what cutie marks are and how they're obtained, which is something the show would end up going in contradictory directions on. There is a brief joke about Cheerilee in an 80's style as she claims "That's how everypony was wearing their mane back then", but the real noticeable development involves Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon trying to get Apple Bloom's attention. Cheerilee only seems to notice when Apple Bloom is apparently passing a note, except the piece of paper is blank. Then we learn that Diamond Tiara is hosting a cutecenera (based on a Hispanic celebration when a girl reaches the age of 15), and she and Silver Spoon naturally rub in the fact that they have their cutie marks, while mocking Apple Bloom and Twist for not having theirs yet.
Apple Bloom complains to Applejack about this, and Applejack reveals that she and Big Macintosh were apparently the last in their classes to get a cutie mark. Then Applejack suggests Apple Bloom go see Twist and go to the party with her (or you know, if Apple Bloom doesn't want to go then she shouldn't go). Apple Bloom does so, but surprise surprise Twist has her cutie mark in the form of two peppermint sticks shaped like a heart. Apple Bloom is now distraught at the idea of being the only one in her class without a cutie mark, yet she doesn't think of maybe just not going to the party. Instead, she decides to help Applejack sell some apples and starts resorting to some rather dubious tactics to get customers to buy them.
Applejack eventually prohibits Apple Bloom from helping anymore, and then Rainbow Dash shows up and comments how Apple Bloom has a "dark cloud hanging overhead" quite literally. She then suggests that rather than wait for a cutie mark to appear on its own, Apple Bloom can make it happen. To that end she has Apple Bloom try as many different things as possible, including roller skating, martial arts (with Rainbow apparently having a black belt) and even hang gliding. None of them work though, and Rainbow is too busy thinking of what to try next to take any notice of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon not so subtly rubbing their new cutie marks in Apple Bloom's face. Then Pinkie Pie shows up and comments that Apple Bloom would be good at eating cupcakes. So Apple Bloom goes to help, and Pinkie reveals that she doesn't have any cupcakes but maybe Apple Bloom could make some with her. This leads into the song "Cupcakes" which is short, sweet and to the point. And no, we're not talking about the infamous grimdark fanfic that this song spawned.
Apple Bloom's efforts to bake cupcakes go astray, not that Pinkie seems to notice or even mind. Twilight then shows up and Apple Bloom pleads with her to magically give her a cutie mark. Twilight tries, but every cutie mark she attempts ends up disappearing right off of Apple Bloom's flanks, revealing that not even unicorn magic can make a cutie mark appear. But as we'll later see it can remove a cutie mark that already exists.
Apple Bloom finally decides she doesn't want to go to the party, only to find out it's already happening since it's taking place at Sugarcube Corner (I guess since Diamond and Silver were both showing off their cutie marks at the same time it didn't make sense to hold it at either of their places). She keeps darting from place to place to find somewhere to hide, and keeps having her hiding places exposed or destroyed. At last she sees the exit, but just as she reaches the door Applejack appears and stupidly thinks Apple Bloom has changed her mind about the party and is somehow over not having a cutie mark. This is a contrivence done solely to throw Apple Bloom right into the fire, but why did it have to be Applejack who noticed her? Why couldn't it be Twist or even Pinkie Pie?
So thanks to Applejack's sudden bout of stupidity, Apple Bloom is now the center of attention. Thinking fast, she throws a tablecloth over herself and pretends that her cutie mark is so great that it will overshadow Diamond and Silver's. It almost works, but then it gets caught on a table leg and rips, exposing Apple Bloom's blank flank in front of everyone.
But to the surprise of everyone, two other fillies with blank flanks step forward to defend Apple Bloom and put Diamond and Silver in their place. Their argument ends up winning over many of their classmates, leaving Diamond and Silver to feel left out (though Silver does try to cheer Diamond up). The two other fillies introduce themselves as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom proposes that they form a club of some sort. After debating names for a while, they settle on the Cutie Mark Crusaders. and then Twilight gets the idea to write a letter to Princess Celestia, which is basically about not being in a hurry to grow up. Kind of scraping the barrel, but at least it's done better than when the show would try to actually do that moral whole heartedly.
And that's the story, so what do I think of the episode? Even though it's a fairly obvious pilot for a CMC spin-off that Hasbro rejected, it's pretty good. Considering how most little kid characters in Western media tend to be portrayed, it was refreshing to see ones that were treated like actual characters with believable personalities and quirks. With the exception of Applejack's brief bout of stupidity towards the climax, the mane six who appear here feel in character and believable. Diamond and Silver are the bullies, but a lot of what they do is subtle and on the level where you can believe none of the grown-ups take notice. It does feel odd for Cheerilee to in-universe explain what cutie marks are when most of her class already have theirs and even the ones who don't probably know how cutie marks are supposed to work. And the moral does feel like it was tacked on solely for the sake of needing to have one. Aside from those relatively minor details (the scene with Applejack is really the only thing that needed to be reworked and it wouldn't have needed much to be changed for the better) this episode is quite solid, so I'm comfortable giving it an A+.
Now we're getting back to some of the good stuff, and tomorrow we're revisiting a real classic in the form of "Fall Weather Friends". I mean, it must be good if the show kept trying to harpen back to the rivalry in that episode, and who doesn't love a good grudge match?
I really love this episode, this was great
This episode is definitely a lot of fun
I kinda thought it was more just good than great. I enjoyed it, but it certainly wasn't one of my favourite McCarthy episodes, it felt a bit basic and it wasn't as funny or entertaining for me as a lot of her other episodes.
5445368 Maybe it is a little basic, but then a lot of Season 1 episodes feel pretty basic early on.
I know this may seem like an odd thing to bring up, but it's something I just noticed. This is one of three episodes this season (the other two being A Dog and Pony Show and The Cutie Mark Chronicles) where Twilight doesn't appear until the second act. I bring this up because in all the other Season 1 episodes, she would usually show up at least around the first act. But these three episodes in particular don't bring her into the story until the halfway mark. Because of this, I feel like these are the closest the first season has to Twilight Sparkle-less episodes.
5445584 Huh, never noticed that. And strangely enough, only "A Dog and Pony Show" is completely void of the CMC's presence.
5445589
Plus, of the three aforementioned episodes, that had the earliest appearance of Twilight, as the other two episodes waited a few minutes before bringing her into the story once their second act started. A Dog and Pony Show, on the other hand, kicked off its second act with Spike and the other Mane 6 going to save Rarity.
5445535
True, I just didn't find the entertainment value to be enough to make up for that basicness, unlike with next episode. That one's a real banger.
Why do you keep messing up the events in each episodes' timeline? Applebloom didn't go see Twist until AFTER she tried all those activities to get her Cutie Mark. Seriously, if you can't remember what happened in each episode and when, REWATCH IT before posting these reviews...