You Can Be My Wingpony Anytime... · 11:32pm Dec 16th, 2012
Okay, so, Wonderbolt Academy.
In my opinion, this episode was entertaining in some ways, but also bothersome in others.
The Flash animation continues to envelope-pushing, and the visuals in this ep were absolutely eye-popping. The flight effects made the forced-3D of this 2D medium more vivid than ever. Also, the supporting cast was colourful and fun, and it was nice to revisit the Wonderbolts and Dash's ambition. Also "kicking tail" is now a canon expression, so there's that too.
HOWEVER, there were still some issues.
Spitfire continues to completely forget who Dash is, despite meeting her on numerous occasions across two seasons. In addition, she was pointlessly drill-sergeant-like for the sake of a "this is a drill sergeant schtick" scene or two. She has previously been presented as confident but laid-back -- more like a SPORTS star than a MILITARY figure. The Wonderbolts seem to be an aerial performance team and possibly disaster response unit, NOT a fighting force. I never saw any combat or weapons training. They don't kill for a living. So what's with all the "LEMME SEE YOUR WAR FACE! RAWWRGH!" stuff? There's only so far you can push the whole Top Gun thing before it damages the plot.
Pinkie was less a free-spirited Pony with her own unique perspective that provides uncanny insights as often as it clashes with others' reality... and more of a Warner Brothers cartoon. Considering the "Duck Season! Wabbit Season!" bit in Putting Your Hoof Down, I am starting to think this is an ongoing issue with Williams' characterization of Pinkie. She was funny, but every second of her zany schtick did nothing but eat up minutes that could have been spent following Dash's story with more depth. The gang could just as easily have visited Dash with the simplest of introductory comments in the balloon: "Dash will be so surprised when we come visit her! I hope her training is going well!" Pinkie is at her best when her antics MATTER somehow, not when she's a diversion from the episode.
Speaking of which... the ending was a dismal disappointment, mainly because THERE WASN'T ONE.
The episode essentially irised-out on a scene that REALLY needed some closure. Is Dash going to be a Wonderbolt now? Is she staying at the Academy? Is Lightning Dust? Is Dust expelled? Demoted? Vengeful? Heartbroken? Repentant? The ending smacked of non-story cartoon nega-continuity, where as of next episode the previous episode vanishes into the ether with the press of a massive Reset Button. With all of the continuity nods this season so far, this episode was a major step backward in storytelling. It's nice Dash showed that Loyalty to Principles can be as important as Loyalty to superiors, but it kinda would have been nice to get a little more detail about how her fondest and possibly ONLY goal in life played out, no?
I liked the concept of this episode, but the writing sadly left a lot to be desired.
She doesn't have to be military to act like a drill sergeant. Coaches and other instructors can have that attitude as well, and its normal for these people to be more laid-back when off duty. I thought Spitfire's characterization worked. She didn't necessarily "forget" Rainbow Dash, she just didn't want to seem like she was favoring anypony.
Eh, gave my two bits to so many blog posts, all I can now is that it's a kids show bro, they don't care about such things as you and I would, you know?
619742
I don't see why that means she has to have amnesia. She could have just been harder on her WITHOUT having brain problems.
"There's no room for Rainbooms in a Tight Chevron Formation, hot-shot! Let's see what you can do in a TEAM!"
I can sort of understand where they were coming from with the drill-sergeant schtick, if you're looking at realism.
As someone who fought Knockdown (Karate) in my regions team, the instructors, during training weekend camps, were like that.
During training, they'd push us by insulting us, smacking us with a Shinai when we slowed down ect ect. Outside of training, we'd all drink beer together, having a laugh and joke. And while not as harsh, I can imagine coaches from other sports being somewhat similar; relaxed outside of training, pushing you like a dog in training.
I haven't really got much else to add (I don't really analyze episodes. Too distracted by shiny), but that's my two bits on the drill sergeant / chilled back thing they had going on.
Pointy-Haired Bosses Script Re-Writers YAY!
It looks more like an academy run by bolts than a training camp for future members of the exhibition team. Cloudchaser and Thunderlane seem like decent flyers, especially concidering how everyone lookws impressed with Thunderlane's wingpower results last season, but they don't seem like the sort of ponies that have the same life goal as Dash. They'll just get a 'trained in advanced flying by the wonderbolts' degree and be better positioned to take Dash's old job when she finally joins the real 'bolts.
Meanwhile, Dash gets one step closer to her dream while still maintaing the episodic status quo, and Lightning Dust gets to fly off into the sunset with all of her hopes shattered so she can become the new Trixie. All she needs to do is crash land in the Everfree, cry a puddle of tears, and go for a month or two on a starvation diet of raw pine cones and she'll be set for becoming fandom gold.
It's not even the drill sergeant act that bugged me. It's that -all- of Spitfire's previous characterization was dropped to take on Air Boss Johnson from Top Gun's verbal tics and mannerisms. Combined with apparently being the worst instructor ever, as she somehow doesn't notice Dust's activities despite having her subordinate trainers all over the course running events... until Dash quits.
Then we get a cop out ending that looked to me like a serious case of 'Oh, shit, she's serious, and don't I remember those guys knowing the Princess... we're hosed.' on Spitfire's part.
But what can you expect. This is a SpongeBob writer, the 'brilliant' mind responsible for Mare Do Well. I'm not having shiny happy feelings for Meghan's term as Storyline Editor if this is the quality of episode writing she thinks needs produced in a season that's already running at half length.
To be fair, the Wonderbolts have been shown as something of a military force. Remember "Secret of My Excess," where they were called in as an airstrike? Spitfire being a drill sergeant makes sense to me.
I do agree with the rest of what you said, though: Pinkie wasn't exactly in top form, Lightning Dust was as unresolved as Trixie was (if not more so), and the episode didn't end so much as just stop.
I'd watch it again, but they really could've done a whole lot better.
I was thinking multiple personality disorder.
I totally agree with you, especially about Spitfire and Pinkie's pointlessness. As my favorite pony, it's always a weird feeling when she's funny for no reason. I giggle, but I feel empty inside. "Hold on... what about Dash?"
I liked the episode, but not as much as I should have. I think the ending was okay: I understood that Dash stayed in the Academy to continue her training to someday become a Wonderbolt, and Lightning Dust got kicked out. It didn't seem particularly fair or well-paced, but I understood and accepted it.
But that darn shift in Spitfire's personality... ugh! Drives me nuts.
The episode left me feeling bad for Lightning Dust. To me it looked like she had been expelled and for what? She may have been reckless and inconsiderate but she was getting positive feedback from Spitfire so she continued being reckless and got expelled for it.
Yep. And Spitfire's old voice was much better, as well.
Agreed on all accounts.
I did think Spitfire's drill sergeant shtick was understandable, though I agree it was jarring. I could fansave it, but it still distracted me.
As for the rest of your review . . . eeyup. I really didn't like Pinkie this episode; she not only ate up time that should have been devoted to Dash and Lightning Dust, but she wasn't even particularly funny this time around. To my mind, the rest of the Mane Six shouldn't have shown up at all. Lightning Dust could have endangered lives and Rainbow could have objected without all the bother of bringing in the rest of the main cast, and if they'd gone that route, Lightning Dust could have had enough screen time to get the treatment she deserved.
Spitfire's attitude can be summed up with one word: Discipline. It wasn't that she was like that at heart, it was that she was there for one purpose: Instill discipline in the recruits and train them. I don't know if any of you are in the military, but if you are, you know exactly what I am talking about. She was simply trying to see who would break, and who wouldn't. If you can't perform in a high stress environment, such as someone in your face and yelling at you, then you have no place on any elite team. The drill sergeants yelled and were stern at basic combat training, teaching me to perform under stress and push myself. They were constantly on everyone's ass. After basic training, when we finally earned the right to be called "Soldier", they loosened up quite a bit, and I still talk to a few of mine regularly now that I am in the Big Army. They are people too. However, in training mode, you need to be stern, you need to instill discipline and attention to detail into those that don't have it, stress them out to their limits so that they may push their own boundaries, and teach them the skills that are necessary to performing their basic duty. Spitfire did all of these things, and I was surprised she wasn't much harder on the recruits. Also, as for her "forgetting" Rainbow Dash, she didn't. The fact of the matter is that when training, you CANNOT show favoritism or engage in nepotism. It ruins the training, and produces poor results. You need to treat everyone equally, and she did just that. This is just my 2 cents as an Army brony, so take away from it what you will.
621315
That would be fine and dandy... if the Wonderbolts were soldiers.
We have seen them respond to a single disaster, and they could easily have been seen as emergency search-and-rescue as opposed to a combat force. They seem to be an elite version of whatever Dash is -- skilled performance flight and weather control.
We didn't see any combat training. We saw training in tolerance to (and manipulation of) adverse weather conditions, and training in speed. Aggression is the issue here, not discipline. Why be aggressive if you aren't trained to kill? Where was the emphasis on perfect formation? Precision? Skill?
You can have discipline by simply accepting nothing short of perfection; you don't have to do the whole shouting-match thing. Picture a trainer at something like a world-class Ballet school or Olympic training camp. Spitfire could have seemed just as disciplined by coldly washing out every recruit on their first notable mistake. "We only accept the best here. Sadly, that means nearly all of you will be leaving disappointed." You can produce immense pressure without having to channel R. Lee Ermey. Once again, I think their effort to turn the WHOLE thing into Top Gun damaged the story.
As for Spitfire's memory problems, see my response above. She could have acknowledged knowing Dash... and then been twice as strict with her. "That was a fantastic time - for a typical Pegasus. But we both know you can do better, Dash. Do it again... and shave ten seconds off. GO!" In addition, they spoke in private at least once. Why not mention past experiences then?
I already voiced my opinion on the episode on Ninestempest's and Cupcakes' blogs. I'm not going to repeat (all of) it here. I disliked how out of character Dash seemed and how (just as you noticed) Spitfire has no recollection whatsoever of Dash. Some can say it was her professional behavior, but I won't buy it. Spitfire was being a dick for the sake of being a dick. It's no wonder that, with that kind of academy taught at the academy, Wonderbolts can't do crap when it matters (like Ninestempest cared to mention: they were useless against the dragon and 3 of them got knocked cold by a falling unicorn). For Pete's sake, some greatest flyers they are.
What peeves me to the core, however, is, that if that was a fic sent to EqD, it be blown to pieces by the prereaders (well, most probably anyway). Because of incorrect characterization, abrupt ending, Dickfire, and so on and so forth. But no, it's canon, it get's special treatment and we have to live by it.
Well, can't really do much about it though. Don't get me wrong, there were some enjoyable moments there, and I will gladly have that kind of episode rather than none at all, but... I guess you crazy writers made me used to pony stories of higher quality.
Especially when it comes to structure, planning and characterization. 
619761
But that's the problem...
They SHOULD.
They know full well this isn't just being watched by children now, as was their original goal anyways so they should be trying to pull out all the stops... Go for the gold kinda thing, y'know?
625858 You make a valid point but they know that from US who are much older and will question SO MANY things in the show that the kids just want to see bright happy, colorful ponies and joy and sunshine and bucking rainbows, we look into the logic of it, we look into what else could have been done or how it could have been changed and unlike the kids who they will have until the entire season is over, we get out grow it (the Gods forbid) or just learn to be 'mature' as so many 'adults' keep telling us to do in the real world.....buck them!
Ponit is, we want to see things such as romance, true, evil villians and or not so happy endings, there are so many ways that Discord's second reign could have ended and same for the Changlings or Nightmare Moon, but the show only has thirty minutes and they have to pull as much rainbows and sunshine out of their ass as they can for the seven year olds.
So yes, I agree we WANT to see the show much more better then it's shown us but it's a Y7 show not T or M like many of the writers wish, it's called My Little Pony for a reason....thank the Gods we got fanfiction so we can put our own thoughts and ideas into certain creatures such as a dark Gilda and Lighting Dust fic that ends with one of the other being killed, that would NEVER happen in show...but in fanfic, anything is possible, long as they keep the creatures apperance and personilty intact
I'm sorry...what was the question?
The ending ruined everything. Lightning deserved so much better.