My Review of MLP: FIM season 7 episode 13 The Perfect Pear · 8:45pm May 19th
Grading Scale:
A (fantastic episode)
A- (an excellent episode with at least one flaw)
B+ (a great episode with a couple of flaws)
B (a good episode which still could have been better)
B- (a good episode with numerous flaws but still rewatchable)
C+ (a decent episode)
C (eh... it’s not terrible but not good either)
C- (it’s not worth rewatching although it does have good elements)
D+ (a bad episode with a few good things in it)
D (a really bad episode with wasted potential)
D- (a terrible episode with badly written characters and butchered moral)
F (horrible and unwatchable)
Greetings, folks! This is Mr. J back with another MLP episode review for today. This afternoon, I will be reviewing the thirteenth episode of season 7 entitled “The Perfect Pear”. I already knew for a fact that this would be one of the best episodes of this season; even after re-watching it earlier today, I still love how well they made this into a perfect love story.
This episode begins with Apple Bloom trying some delicious treats at the hooves of Grand Pear; she later shows her older siblings a jar of pear juice which actually shocks them. The reason why they’re reacting this way is that the Apples and Pears have a long history of rivalry and feud with each other.
Because they don’t want to mention the Pears to Granny Smith, they seek for answers as to why the Apples and Pears hated each other for so long. So they go to different ponies who each have a history with two particular ponies who are the deceased parents of the Apple siblings.
Every pony they meet each have a piece of the story that are all connected; the Apple siblings learn more about their parents—especially the fact that their mother was actually a Pear…making them half-Pear. Quite the revelation, isn’t it?
There, we see the feud between Grand Pear and Granny Smith when they were much younger and how their hatred has caused a lot of heartache for both Bright Mac and Pear Butter. But that didn’t stop them from falling in love. This is basically the MLP version of Romeo & Juliet, and just like R&J…they ended up dead…but from natural causes.
Okay, that was too far, but back on topic, Lewis & Songco did a great job developing these characters with so much emotional depth that makes them so lovable and interesting; plus, it was a great way to expand the backstory of the Apple family in excellent detail.
Sure, it’s not completely unique, but it has its own storytelling flavor which both kids and adults can enjoy. And the song Pear Butter was singing was so…beautiful. It’s the only word I can think of when I listen to it…beautiful. Her voice actress, Felicia Day, was absolutely phenomenal in her voice acting.
And Grand Pear himself has an interesting character arc; although his change of heart isn’t seen on-screen, it’s heavily implied he thought over the course of his actions as the years went by. Realizing how big of an ass he was, he decided to reunite with his true family after so long.
Again, the character development is immaculate in this episode. We learn that love conquers hatred, but if we hold unto hatred, it can separate us from family and make our lives miserable. Honestly, don’t wait until old age to change your ways because you’ll never know if it’ll be too late at that point. We must learn from our mistakes and improve ourselves while we’re still young.
I’m honestly surprised that William Shatner voiced him in this episode. How did I not recognize his voice?!
Also, the one thing I love the most about this episode is the way they handled the topic of death in a kids’ show, especially in this storyline. They don’t outright say they are dead, but we can easily tell they passed away just by the obvious. It’s an excellent example of adhering to the golden rule of showing, not telling.
Overall, “The Perfect Pear” is one of the best episodes in this series, not just this season alone. I love everything about it: the growth, the emotion, the story, the writing—you get the idea. This is a strong A. No argument here, and no debate.
Peace!
I agree. “The Perfect Pear” was undeniably one of FiM’s best episodes. Not only did it feature stellar guest appearances by William Shatner and Felicia Day, but its storytelling was phenomenal!
My only problem with this episode is that we don't know how the Apples are related to the Oranges if Bright Mac married Pear Butter.