My Episode Review on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic-Daring Doubt · 9:21pm Jul 26th, 2020
Bueno Dias, my friends.
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for my 34th episode analysis, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Daring Doubt". The 21st episode in the ninth season of "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" to be precise.
Here’s the rundown of it:
Having recently become a fan of the Daring Do book series after reading them herself, Fluttershy also comes upon a Daring Do book written by another author named Groom Q. Q. Martingale, which portrays the pony adventurer in an entirely different light compared to the books by A.K. Yearling (Daring Do herself).
When Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash later visit the bookstore that Martingale is autographing his books at, the two of them discover that the author is really one of Daring Do’s archenemies, Caballeron, who is once again out to tarnish Daring Do’s good name. Ironically, while Rainbow Dash is able to see through Caballeron’s scheme, Fluttershy believes that Caballeron is displaying an entirely different side to himself. Especially after he tells her that he’s an archaeologist whose museum went out of business because of Daring getting the relics before he could, despite his past actions and the fact that he’s really a thief.
Convinced that he’s a good pony, Fluttershy decides to aid Caballeron in recovering the lost Truth Talisman of Tonatiuh, much to Rainbow Dash’s shock.
Will Caballeron and Fluttershy succeed in their quest? Or will they fail?
I’d like to be honest, I didn’t originally intend on making a review on an MLP installment outside of the movies and TV specials. In fact, I really planned on analyzing “Friendship is Magic” in a TV show review separated into two parts. One part for Seasons 1-7, and the other part for Seasons 8-9.
However, after I kept thinking about the episode more and more, and as I started looking back on the times I negatively commented on this episode, something began building up inside of me. What started in my head as merely small thoughts...grew into something bigger and more constructive. So much, that I decided to make my own analysis of the episode.
So, what do I think of “Daring Doubt”?
*sighs*
To be honest, I found this episode to be a mediocre end for the Daring Do saga.
Before I get into why this episode is one of my least favorites of the show, though, I’d like to point out the many things I did enjoy about it.
For starters, the humor and comedic-timings revolving around the Truth Talisman and the ponies wearing it were nicely done and funny. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t help but laugh so much at the part where one of the henchponies says he wants to be an opera singer.
Along with that, Caballeron’s reformation and development throughout the episode was surprisingly well-worked. Even though he was one of the last villains I expected to have a change of heart, it was amazing to see how much of an impact Fluttershy’s kindness had on him and his lackeys. It was also interesting to see Caballeron’s henchponies be upgraded from mere minors to ponies with a sense of life and personality.
And like many episodes of the show, Fluttershy’s acts of kindness throughout were a pleasant thing to see. I admired her determination and how far she was willing to go for her friends as well. Plus, she sure did look cute with the hat she had on after joining Caballeron on the expedition.
I’d also like to point out that the episode’s message to “treat others with kindness no matter what” was definitely a meaningful one to live by.
In spite of these positives, though, the episode...was nothing but a muddled mess. Sad to say, the biggest blame for it all goes to the writing by Nicole Dubuc.
Some have told me that the other messages of the episode was to “give others the benefit of the doubt” and “listen to their side of the story”. But if that really was the case, I find that the former message was done much better in Season 3’s “Keep Calm and Flutter On”, and the episode hardly did a great job at getting the latter message across.
In terms of the latter message I mentioned, it seemed more like the episode was saying that we should immediately trust strangers without being cautious or thinking about if the stranger can be trusted, which was completely immoral and wrong. Much of that particularly comes from how everything was playing out and how befuddling the narrative was. The reason I’m saying that the narrative was confusing is because amidst trying to prove whatever points Fluttershy and the episode were trying to make, Nicole Dubuc left behind a great many plot holes that made the story implausible and questionable.
In addition to that, Daring Do seemed to be getting painted as one of the biggest dunderheads around. I get that before she met Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Main Six, she didn’t trust anyone or think to ever talk and listen, but still...Caballeron and Ahuizotl hardly gave any reason to be the trustworthy types before. The lesson regarding the whole thing even painted Daring Do’s epic adventures as a list of mistakes and debts she made in the long run, which was a lot like saying she should never have been an adventurer to begin with or ever existed.
The way Daring Do’s reputation was getting tainted again, especially compared to Season 7’s “Daring Done?”, felt completely mean-spirited and heartless, like Nicole Dubuc apparently hated the character and didn’t care about how she was treating her. A prime example comes from the part involving her “kicking puppies”, which was frankly a flat and cruel joke for her to incorporate.
Plus, despite the episode’s references to Season 4’s “Daring Don’t”, it carried little acknowledgement or continuity with it. In this case, it contained a lot of contradictions with its predecessor.
If I recall correctly, Fluttershy met Caballeron and Ahuizotl in “Daring Don’t” and got to see firsthand what they were like outside of the books. And believe me, I studied the episode closely and made comparisons between it and this episode to know.
How could Fluttershy suddenly forget all about Caballeron, Ahuizotl, and the adventure? Or act like she hardly knew them and what happened then? Or be so careless enough as to fall for Caballeron’s lies?
And yes, I thought that Fluttershy’s heart was in the right place to be extending kindness and friendship to Caballeron and Ahuizotl, but still...she was way too naive and gullible, which was completely out of character of her. Fluttershy is a kindhearted individual, but she would never be quick to trust someone outside of her friends or without getting to know someone new for longer periods of time. Considering Caballeron was up to no good again, I’m pretty sure she’d suspect that foul play was afoot by making comparisons between both his and Daring Do’s books instead of being easily duped by Caballeron’s treachery.
The biggest elephant in the room, though...was when Ahuizotl said that he was a guardian of artifacts after touching the Truth Talisman.
Everything about what he said hardly tied in at all with his previous appearance in “Daring Don’t” and his aforementioned intention in Season 7’s “Daring Done?”, each of which showed him to be a villain through-and-through. It was literally nothing more than an idiotic and nonsensical retcon that held no correlation with the overall continuity to begin with.
How does Ahuizotl being a guardian tie in at all to the fact that he tried to bring 800 years of sweltering heat onto Equestria in “Daring Don’t”? And was mentioned to be trying to cause eternal night in “Daring Done?”? If he really was supposed to be guarding the jungle’s artifacts, then why was he traveling outside of it? Wouldn’t he have known that bringing eternal night and 800 years of sweltering heat would cause more harm than good and do more than just keep thieves away?
Even if he really was a guardian, there’s no justification behind all that he did. None of what he did wouldn’t have benefited him at all in his duties. If part of being a guardian of artifacts would literally include putting the world on the verge of destruction or endangering the lives of others...then I’m sorry to say he truly is a monster, is unfit to be a guardian, and has proven himself to be no better than the thieves who try to steal the artifacts. With all that said, I’m pretty sure his boss and co-workers (if he had any at all) would’ve been displeased by what he was doing.
All in all, it was like the episode was saying there’s no such thing as right and wrong, and that it’s okay to be doing bad things as long as you have a good reason for doing it, which is completely incorrect. There’s no excuse for committing acts of villainy, no matter what one says. The worst part is that it goes against everything the show was teaching before, which is that there’s such a thing as right and wrong.
In the end, there were things about “Daring Doubt” that I enjoyed, but the episode as a whole...was one of the worst I ever saw. And because of the gigantic amount of plot holes created, everything about it felt like the beginning of an incomplete story that Nicole Dubuc and Allspark were either too lazy to finish or didn’t care to complete. Until they actually do something to fix what they messed up, and since there are no references and acknowledgements in any episode after it, I refuse to count “Daring Doubt” as officially canon.
So, I rate “Daring Doubt” 2½ out of 5 stars.
The few things that I will admit is that if it wasn’t for this episode, I would never have made “A Moment of Truth” nor be developing its sequels. The story is available on FiMFiction.net, Fanfiction.net, and Wattpad.com, and the same will be done with the sequels.
Likewise, making this review deeply inspired me to do an analysis of every other episode of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” in the future. The same with the episodes of other animated programs, if I may add.
I agree with much of what you say. It's essentially a filler episode that accomplishes nothing aside from unnecessarily retconning a popular villain with a bs last-minute backstory.
Basically, this episode was along the lines of the ideology behind #BelieveWomen and #MeToo and never EVER suspect or doubt any claims from someone whose agenda lines up with yours, because CLEARLY they will ALWAYS tell the truth!
Plus, doing bad things is A-OK if it's 'for the greater good'! To counter that moronic notion in this episode: I present the brilliant social satire of "Hot Fuzz".
SJW writing is just awful and delusional. It's why they hate logic, linear thinking, reason, and self-control: all of this can be easily employed to utterly obliterate all their unfounded, emotion-and-impulse-driven arguments in nanoseconds.
But was there really any morality in this show before this? I mean look at the nonsense Discord got away with. In Princess Twilight Sparkle he's revealed to have planted vines that would've devastated all of Equestria (it's magic, land, and weather) does nothing to help even though he clearly could do so, and even expresses disappointment when they're stopped, yet is saddled with mere clean up duty.
In Twilight's Kingdom he betrays and sells out his supposed best friend for "freedom" and yet once he himself is betrayed, all is forgiven.
In A Matter Of Principals, he willfully lures the main six into dangerous caves, physiologically bullies Starlight, and sets predatory animals lose on students, and as a punishment only gets a verbal reprimand from Twilight (which is shown to have no impact whatsoever), simply because he wants a say in the running of a school he has had no involvement in either creating or improving.
So did MLP ever have any meaningful moral standards, or did it always operate merely on the basis of whatever feels they could get in the moment?
Although I liked the episode, it would have helped a few people if Ahuizotl’s backstory was explained either a bit earlier, or a bit better.
5323341
I wouldn’t say that. If anything, a backstory to further explain how he’s a guardian would just make things less clearer and more muddled. As well as open more holes.
yeah, kinda anticlimactic.
5323253
What on Earth has the #MeToo movement got to do with Daring Doubt?! Do you know that the movement started because people (especially the women) were being sick and tired of being sexually harassed a majority of the time?
But I'm not gonna talk about it here. No need to derail this blog.
5323289
As much as I like Discord, I agree he should have received a worse punishment for his actions in Twilight's Kingdom. Being sorry doesn't excuse the fact that he committed mass treason.
Yes this episode was just plain bad.
Also
Fun fact, I read in Lauren Faust's bible for G4 MLP, otwo of Fluutershy's negative traits were naive and easily manipulated. So on one hand I can totally see Fluttershy acting this way. But on the other, her willing to believe Caballeron despite all evidence is dumb.
5323743
Plus there's the fact that Discord has never once intervened on his own discretion to stop one of his schemes from going too far. It's always been someone else convincing him to "stop bothering us please" whether by providing him with new information, a gift, or some kind of ultimatum.
We've never seen any kind of moral limit to the guy, and since he's untrustworthy enough to break his own self-imposed ones, that means we're left without knowing if he has any. He's consistently puts his own interests above others and is down right untrustworthy.
If MLP's convinced me of anything, it's that the guy should not have been reformed. If you go through "Princess Twilight Sparkle" it becomes clear that the Plunder vines would've screwed up Equestria nearly as much as Cozy's spell, yet (despite making the things) Discord does nothing to help beyond the most token of gestures (none of which make any actual difference).
5323828
If you really think that, then do you think what Ahuizotl was doing is any better? Or that he’s in the right?
5323837
No not really. But like Starlight before him, if any of what he said is true, he just might wind up changing his ways with the right guidance.
With Discord we've been watching him for several seasons (some have suggested as much as two years), witnessed multiple selfish and harmful schemes, and various levels of punishment, and so far the guy has hardly changed at all.
And what they're doing to control him now is quite simply no longer working, if his reaction to Twilight chewing him out in a Matter Of Principals is any thing to go by. Something needs to change regarding how they are handling him.
5323856
And yet the one thing that’s keeping him balanced, and that’s bringing out the good in him, is his friendship with Fluttershy, Spike, Big Mac, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Thorax (possibly), and the rest of the Main Six.
In my point of view, the things Discord has begun struggling with the most is controlling his negative emotions without going chaotically crazy, as well as making his efforts actually helpful instead of causing more harm than good.
Make sense?
5323883
My problem is that we don't see efforts to encourage him to make more friends or grow as a person.
The issue with Discord is that most of the time he dosen't care about his friends at all. He cares about what they can do for him. In Break-up Break Down he only helps out cause he want's to get back to role playing. In Keep Calm and Flutter On he only cares about Fluttershy's feelings after she threatens to yank his emotional support.
In Twilight's Kingdom not once does he lament betraying Fluttershy except in the context that it's cost HIM his friendship and his magic. He says he is sorry but he had the entire episode to change his mind. Heck he might've been able to hide Fluttershy and merely deliver the others (it's unclear that Tirek even knows the elements exist) but instead he turns even her over to Tirek with little to no remorse.
And that's the problem with the idea of a struggle because Discord has never had any believable conflicts of interest. We never see him hold off on chaos because it's the wrong thing to do, or even because Fluttershy wouldn't like it. If anything all reformation seems to have done is expanded his interests in entertainment.
He enjoys a good ego stroking, and he enjoys his games with the guys, but none of that means he has changed for the better. Merely put his darker interests on hold for now. And having only a few friends who can entertain him is a poor model for handling him anyway, especially when you consider most of them are proberbly going to die from old age.
5323976
Maybe that’s the reason he’d be considered an anti-hero, because he still struggles to understand friendship.
Yes, he betrayed Fluttershy, but before that...he truly considered her a friend. And Tirek manipulated Discord into thinking there’s something better than friendship, remember? And it wasn’t until Tirek betrayed him that he saw there wasn’t anything greater than friendship.
You forget that “Keep Calm and Flutter On” was where Discord unexpectedly developed by realizing his friendship with Fluttershy was worth having in the end more than having everything his way. And while he certainly wasn’t interested in love before nor had much interest in helping Big Mac with his relationship troubles...he did show that he had a soft spot for his friends, and he did help Big Mac reconcile with Sugar Belle before she left Ponyville.
*sighs*
All I’m saying is there’s a difference between a creature of pure chaos and a creature of flesh and blood. Discord is a lot more complex than the others, and so he isn’t like them.
Don’t you even recall the fact that he made up for his mistakes? And that many of the things he went through, such as his chaos magic getting taken away, was punishment enough?
5323553
I think that the problem, in a lot of ways, is that we go thrlugh the entire series from the pony perspective. And Equestrian history isn't necessarily that.
The only time we have Ahuizotl's motivation completely free of outside interpretation is when he says that he does want the Rings to unleash "800 years of unrelenting, sweltering heat" and take over the valley again. But what we don't get is why he wants that. Once upon a time, he was a big shot in the valley,then he was taken down and a prophecy said that the rings could destroy the magical pony barrier protecting the valley from the heat.
But if the barrier was necessary to control the heat... Then wouldn't it make sense that the valley's natural condition was unrelenting, sweltering heat, that the ponies had changed in the process of moving in?
Ahuizotl's role as a guardian does make sense, if you assume that the ponies are the invaders/interlopers in his region, and that part of guarding the relics and temples of the lost civilization most effectively would probably involve making the valley naturally inhospitable to ponies again.
WHhich, really, goes back to something about the ponies we see throughout the series, back to episode one. They have completely terraformed their world, and things progressing naturally regardless of pony control is a downright terrifying concept to them.
There's a fair amount in the series that suggests ponies probably had a Manifest Destiny phase, and it's entirely possible that Ahuizotl predates that. If that were the case, then he would absolutwly see them as invaders and thieves... While seeming to be an archvillain from the perspective of ponies.
The show has often tried to show some sort of objective right and wrong, but it has also very much smacked of pony superiority, for a lack of a better description.
5324007
The problem is he still did it for selfish reasons, to in effect satisfy his own need for Chaos. You go that route and you'd be obligated by fair play to hand out a insanity defense to every villain who justifies their actions with a different moral viewpoint. Which is not what the show does. Not in the slightest.
By what standards of measurement? As far as I can tell he's only ever lost his magic a few times and it wasn't for very long. I could say Ahuizotl being thwarted and on the ropes with his bosses should be punishment enough if we really wan't to go that route.
In fact one could argue what he gets is even more cruel since it's never explained what happened to him, where's we know Discord got out of all of his predicaments safe and sound.
5324016
If Ahuizotl had been much more upfront about being a guardian and didn’t act so psychotically crazy, then I’d have believed he was telling the truth after touching the talisman. But frankly, I don’t, and it’s all because of the unforgivable things he did and the fact that he’s barely shown how he’s qualified to be a guardian. The way the whole thing was executed was hardly what I’d call convincing, as it felt unusually staged.
Wouldn’t using the relics you’re assigned to protect actually make things worse? Or for that matter be a dumb idea considering using the artifacts would ironically risk destroying them?
5324032
Is he a guardian? And is he telling the truth?
Because I seriously find that hard to believe, and much of the blame for that goes to the less than convincing execution of it all.
5324036
Honestly I get what your saying, but in truth, Discord's reformation never struck me as believable either.
I certainly don't buy that he cares about friendship now, not when it was a emotional ploy orchestrated by Celestia, vs when he deliberately made PInkie, who was gushing all over everything he did in The Return Of Harmony, into a manic depressive who hated everyone (even him), as opposed to say seducing her to his side.
I mean she even advocates for letting him do his eternal chaos thing all over Equestria. Even if it was simple gluttony on her part, he proberbly wasn't going to get any better offers than that.
5323743 Because with the left-minded people, EVERYTHING is used as propaganda. It goes hand-in-hand with the mentality "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before".
The mindset of manipulation is always looking for a way in. And it always starts subtly. Believe who WE tell you to believe. Question everything... unless it's us, then believe it immediately or you're a terrible person.
There are massive think-tanks dedicated to this, filled with people who think they've being clever at molding society to their whims, when in fact it's all nothing but very old tactics that even modestly informed people can pick out a mile away. The only reason it manages to work at all is people these days tend to walk about in a daze, incapable of seeing their hands in front of their faces in the fog of technical distractions.
I see you take after Malcolm (Shakespeare character).
5324045
Discord.... you just brought up another issue I have with him and his last display of "lessons" he gave Twilight at the end of the series... It's actually one of the biggest issues of season 9.
5323341
I saw Ahuizotl as this vengeful warrior of a lost ancient tribe who sought to wreck havoc on the world for the lost of his people, making him the last survivor. That's what I managed to gather from his actions and was hoping we would get an episode explaining this.
Yeah, changing Ahuizotl to 'really a good guy all along' was a silly idea. It clashes so heavily with prior portrayals to the point it makes both him and Fluttershy look bad.
5324890
Yeah Discord as a villain works very well. Discord as a hero? Not so much, especially when you realize how much power and how little self-control he actually has. And still lacks given what happened in A Matter Of Principals.
5323253
Finally, somebody else on here who's seen Hot Fuzz.
5327161 I am a creature of high standards and low sanity.
5327219
Heh.
5325413
Yeah and another thing is that, from Celestia's reasoning for wanting to have Discord to be reformed was to use his powers to help Equestria, which was put into action when Tirek was brought in. This of course failed and ever since then we never got another episode to further push the point of what Celestia was trying to do. Discord screwed up badly and it nearly cost everything. If the Tree of Harmony and that magic chest didn't exist, then it would have been over. Twilight would have given up her magic for her friends and Tirek would have been unstoppable. We never even had an episode to redeem him for what he did and then in season 9 his last big move didn't amount to anything. He created the entire issue and through his actions, caused the destruction of the Elements of Harmony.
I do often wonder how things would have been if Discord would have just stayed the villain or at the very least have relapses on his friendship lessons since he is the spirit of chaos. What I find interesting about Discord is that his very nature is the exact opposite of the Elements of Harmony, so that would be his counter. Chaos and Harmony would be two forces that would constantly clash with each other because of their very nature.
5327657 Yes, a better team of writers would have taken on that fundamental clash of order vs chaos and made something fascinating out of it.
In fact, that had been one of the initial plans with Discord returning: having him create the Elements of Disharmony, with 6 nasty ponies being the bearers.
It could've worked with the secondary antagonists we'd had by the end of Season 2.
Trixie: Element of Pride
DT: Element of Cruelty
SP: Element of Mockery
Flim or Flam: Element of Lies
Gilda: Element of Griffons... I mean, Greed
And finally, the Element of Failure.... Luna!
5327657
The problem with Discord is his contributions are often so small they're easily overlooked. Yes he helps the Main Six figure out the keys to the box, and yes he helps with finding the Elements of Harmony inside them in The Beginning Of The End, but it remains unclear as to whether or not they would've eventually uncovered those things on their own given enough time.
They certainly figured out how to deal with the Plunder Vines without any obvious help from him. And the only reason they were pressed for time in the first place was because of Discord's actions. Not to mention it's unclear how the elements have been affected by having their physical amulets destroyed and whether or not they could outlast their bearers.
To Where And Back Again technically counts as him helping. The only issue is they didn't actually need Discord per say. Any distracting individual with the knowledge to get to the badlands hive could've pulled off what he did, and given the proximity of Canterlot to the hive and Thorax having lived there before, I highly doubt it would've been that hard to locate it.
Teleportation might have saved them a few awkward moments or conflicts, but given how little priority was spent on keeping a eye on Starlight in general, she might have been able to pack supplies and stroll out of town just as easily as she walked in.
I do think he makes a better villain than hero. Largely the way they wrote him was just a mess. There were several ways they could've chosen to write Discord, but the way they eventually decided to write him, wound up disregarding many of the more positive routes they could've chosen to take the character, for the sake of drama and special effects.
the last three seasons were written by crap writers. most of the good ones had left for other things and the replacements couldn't match.
The school shouldn't have made, Starlight not as OP, and so many others.
5324429
While it comes originally from a medical textbook, the "don't waste a crisis" quote is most frequently associated with Rahm Emanuel. A man who hates the Left with the fury of a thousand burning suns, and vice versa. If anything, the modern Left criticises this mentality, see, e.g., the Shock Doctrine.
5335895 Rahm only 'hates' the left because they lack the subtlety and cleverness to get their way without revealing themselves in all their horribleness and insanity.
They have the same goal, however.
5335987
What makes you say that, when there is complete polarization of interests? Among other things, when he was mayor of Chicago, Emanuel wanted to spend on police and to take money from public schools, to break the teacher's union, and to ease land development. Chicago's Left, meanwhile, opposed the building of the big police academy, supported an increase to public school budgets, and opposed gentrification. The Left also backed Garcia rather than Emanuel come election time.
5335895
What did you think of this review? And this episode for that matter?
5335884
What does OP mean?
5341752
Overpowered
5341755
What makes Starlight ‘overpowered‘, exactly?
5341781
She went yoe to toe with Twilight and didn't even break a sweat.
5341750
(Generally speaking, if someone chooses not to engage with a topic and instead engages on a wildly different topic, you may presume they don't care much about or for the original topic.)
5341783
She's too far in the background to be worth animating sweat on her (unlike Twilight, who dominates the frame from the foreground), but Starlight's clearly tired in this shot. In the next moment, she can't break or get around the very partial shield Twilight puts up against her.
5341812
they don't shot that. they made her look fine
5341829
Come now. The first picture is literally titled "Twilight and Starlight Panting."
5341831
But Twilight is ELEMENT OF MAGIC AND ALICORN
5341832
So what? The Element of Magic was just the mechanistic creation of a unicorn mage, as were her wings. Any mystical or cosmological significance to any of it went out the window long ago.
5341834
means she is extremely powerful so Starlight doing so well is ridiculous.
5341839
Can't we just admit, having seen everything we're going to see of FiM, that neither being an alicorn nor wielding the Element of Magic either requires or confers special power?
5341963
Except its has been established as such from the begining.
5342040
No, it wasn't. Nothing was established until later; fans given only the barest tantalizing hints of information saw what they wanted to see.
5342051
Twilight versus the ursa Minor. shows that she was a powerful unicorn. so add in her going alicorn that's a magic boost. so by default Startlight though a powerful unicorn should be more visibly taxed then Twilight. also her whole cutie mark removal spell is just ridiclous. the staff should have been real.