Bongo Bongo Bongo, I don't want to leave the Congo · 4:52am Jan 21st, 2013
A couple of things first before I talk about ponies.
One, I've decided to add a bar (but haven't completed yet because I'm in a rather lazy mood) to my user page that lists of cartoons I recommended on my blog, mainly because some of the old links are dead (stupid copyright extension).
Second, a belated happy one-hundredth birthday to Danny Kaye, one of my favorite singers.
Finally, if you like comics chose either one first.
My take: I read the parody first before seeing the show itself. And well, I actually thought the parody wasn't exraggerating that much. It was kind of scary. Still, the piece is great because it's filled to the brim with the jokes.
That comic by the way comes from the early days of MAD magazine, back when Harvey Kurtzman was editor (Bill Eldar did the drawing). Kurtzman would eventually leave, and MAD took a drop in quality, but it was good while it lasted. I've read somewhere that a good satirist isn't one that is imaginative, in fact it was said to be counterproductive to the task, but instead is a literalist and rather narrow in outlook. Having read a bit of Kurtzman's non-MAD work, (including some of his war comics, which would be good if parts of the narration were scrubbed out), that might actually be true.
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If you want to avoid future episode spoilers you might want to skip this part.
Let me start with order the events happened. On Thursday, I found out a little about the season three finale from EQD, and instantly red flags went off in my brain because I could think only one thing: Twilight with wings (I am not going to use the a-word). I’m against the idea at the very core: it makes Twilight way too special, beyond anything we’ve seen, and we can relate to; that her whole life was to prepare her for this. That’s not something the show should do.
Then I say the synopsis below.
Okay. Personally, I’ve never liked cutie marks to begin with (they’ve always been a way of selling the same toy over and over again to me since the toys originally came out), but now that their connection with destiny has pretty much been confirmed. For the thousandth time, I don’t like fate or the idea of it. If the paths in your life are planned out, it doesn't matter what choices you make in it, you'll always end up in the exact same spot. Honestly, I'm disappointed. Not mad; neither of these moments made me mad, below is me mad.
Keep Calm and Flutter On
I was not looking forward to this. Discord is my favorite character from the show, and just reading the synopsis beforehand had me shaking with rage.
The episode started off pretty weakly. Nothing entertaining happens in the intro until after the theme song is over with (ten points to Twilight for yelling at Celestia for her crazy idea, minus fifteen points from her for apologizing afterwards). And to be honest, there’s at least some attempt at explaining that Celestia took a few precautions (although apparently he can move an element when he teleports the pony wearing it, so obviously it was useless or the writers forgot about it). But still, I don’t know what the heck Celestia was thinking, how in the world is a Discord’s magic somehow going to be useful? Where is Luna in all this as well, I am supposed to believe she really caves into her sister’s decisions this easily (sure when she didn’t submit to her sister, she became Nightmare Moon, but this is completely different)? And really Celestia, what business do you have in Canterlot that is so important that you can’t leave your sister in charge for a while and actually watch while the reformation attempt is taking place? I have a good mind to start a group on Fimfiction dedicated to the overthrow of the two, even taking into account that role-playing is ban. Plus, there was absolutely no debate between the cast about whether they should obey Celestia’s orders. Seriously.
Once they do release the Jabberwock, I had mixed feelings on what happened. Honestly, the portrayal of the ponies was incredibly bad. They were huge pushovers and heavily caricaturized. Fluttershy in particular, seemed to suffer, from this. I can understand that she feels the need to have the patience of a saint when dealing with Discord, but really she acted incredibly oblivious at times like the dinner party. Plus, they do incredibly dumb things. This isn’t a situation where they should split up (that’s what made them lose the first time), they need to be with each other at all times. He can brainwash them just by touching them, he could easily remove the elements using his hands (nothing is shown indicating he can’t), or teleport right in the middle of Canterlot and from then send the cast on a wild goose chase.
In fact, the only reason why he doesn’t do so is because he wants to have a little fun. At the end of the day, Discord is cocky and he has the powers to back that up. (Twilight: Your overconfidence is your weakness. Discord: Your faith in your friends is yours.) I’ll be honest, I don’t really have a problem with him letting the ponies attempt to reform him, because once he’s bored, he’ll laugh at them for failing, and then leave. That’s his character, that’s how he acted back Return of Harmony, he plays with his victims until he’s frustrated and bored, and then takes care of them. He doesn’t take the easy way of eliminating them by killing because it doesn’t matter what he action takes, he figures he’s already won. The constant pushing of Fluttershy’s limits (such as blasting her friends with tea or making her house rotate), that’s something very much he would do. I’ll be honest, I liked Discord here (until his...you know), and I was reminded why he’s my numero uno in the first place because it has the silliness and the cockiness and inner malevolence that make up his character.
However, I think Return of Harmony did a better job with the jokes. Larson is still the gag master of the writers, and David Polsky just can’t match up with him. Sure eating paper, that’s amusing (and it’s plot relevant but my headcanon says that a mere spell you look up in a book isn’t going to work on Discord, plus it involves mind manipulation, which is creepy), but drinking a glass and then throwing the liquid aside, which then explodes, that’s funny because it’s executed in the a really random fashion. Jokes with Discord work best when the character isn’t restrained like here, but instead full out. But, it wasn’t bad, overall. Not every joke worked, though. A fourth wall joke after Discord transforms the beavers failed to make me grin (the execution of it was so bad that it led me to believe that he was talking to the ponies). As did a size pun.
Then it collapsed once Fluttershy called Discord her friend. Okay, it was bad enough that the episode was rushed (this really needed a second episode) and that very little was done to convince me that Fluttershy’s strategy was working. But that whole sentimental bit (from the music to the tear) struck me as false and again counter-productiv. Then Fluttershy had me screaming once she took off her element. And finally at the end Discord, decides that yes, he’d rather have a friend than be chaotic.
Are you kidding me!!!!!!!
Now I'm mad
That goes against the whole point of his character. He’s the antithesis of the show itself. He thinks friendship is something to be mocked and laughed at. I mean seriously, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, the guy who manipulated the main characters in going against their true self, the one who made Equestria miserable without care of anyone else, deep down, really wanted a friend, and would not have been a bad person if he had one. Just having one little friend. Bullcrap! One, that’s not how reformation works, it takes time, lots of time. And again, why would the staff think that taking away all that made Discord great in the first place, would be a good idea. He’s now going to be subservient to Celestia instead of the freewheeling spirit of chaos. I'm going to pretend that this episode never happened and much of season three as well (hey ignoring reality works for politicians).
So, yeah. I hated this episode. Enough with the whole “everyone deserves a second chance.” The ending ruined Discord’s character. They murdered him. What’s next; the Joker all of a sudden becomes Batman’s best friend; Donald will never lose his temper again (in his animated form, not his comic form), Wile E. Coyote finally catches the Road Runner. Do any of those sound like good ideas? I shouldn't have to answer that.
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Mission: Implausible by John Perry
When I read “Trains, Carriages, and Airships,” I honestly felt the story would have just had been at home as in a movie theater as it was on Fimfiction. I very much thought the same about Mission: Implausible. It reminded like a lot of films of this type having a lot of noise, a mix of fun and action, and being ultimately shallow.
Okay, what I wrote is actually harsher than I mean. In fact, I actually liked that Mission: Implausible was shallow. It wasn’t trying to have more depth than its premise could reasonably support (the closest we get is some villain explaining why he left the service and Octavia’s counters to that, and that was incredibly inoffensive). In this age were too many works try to add layers of bargain-basement philosophy and dollar store political thought to look deep, but ultimately come across as pretentious, silly, immature, and ultimately, stupid, John’s decision here was very much a welcome here.
Of course, how good it as being a solid story and entertaining are still criteria. Mission: Implausible shares aspects with the James Bond Series and other spy flicks from some rather tongue in cheek parts (I can’t help but see Octavia using her bow-sword as anything but that) to the rather noisy action (there are quite a number of explosions). In terms of plot, the whole cartel busting storyline didn’t have much to it (but then again, neither did any of the James Bond films). Ultimately, I found things to be predictable, despite the twists and surprises (all of which I guessed). Character heavy moments are also rather absent. Really, the focus is on action and humor. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the latter, I never felt it was hard to follow and some deaths here and there, not taken too seriously.
While there are no noticeable elements of parody, funny parts certainly abound, for the most part. From the lame pickup lines dropped by Con Mane (and Octavia’s reaction to them) to the difficulties of finding a place to eat at San Fransicolt (and other pony puns). Even parts, that normally would be considered rather dramatic are resolved in a somewhat comical fashion (I can’t give any away because that would involve spoilers). Less to my liking where some of the references made; sometimes being nothing more than quoting from a line from a movie or borrowing from another source in the fandom (I cringed when Vinyl pulled out her base cannon, although I admit, what she did with it in the end was certainly rather amusing).
Characterization of Vinyl and Octavia is pretty much to be expected. Vinyl is once again the rather eccentric, tactless loudmouth with Octavia being more the sophisticated and mature one. There’s nothing groundbreaking or, in my opinion, remarkable with either of these characterizations. Because this is about the two, I should point out that the tags are right and there are no hints of a romance between the two. Besides, them the only real character of note is Con Mane. He’s basically Bond, if Bond turned power-hungry. Pretty much every other supporting character is minor (and non-canon) and pretty much just fills a role because someone needed to.
Two things that I want note before closing this review: one, the story never struck me being as particularly pony. While there’s no swearing, the action is still nothing like the show could show, really it probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference if it the characters were humans. Two, In terms of writing, I sometimes had the feeling of being a little bogged down by descriptions of locations and some of the pronouns felt overused (I’m fine with the occasional use of agent and DJ, but definitely not villain.)
I'd already read that MAD comic in particular when I went on holiday to the USA a couple of years ago, nice to see it again. I didn't realise it was actually making a parody of anything until just now. People say that commercialism is everywhere now, but if TV shows like that Howdy Doody clip were commonplace in the 50's then I'm just all the more glad not to be alive then. Still, MAD did at least do a great job of tearing it apart. I think The Simpsons might've done something similar in the episode 'Krusty get Kancelled' with The Gabbo Show.
I've never thought that Cutie Marks were in control of a pony's destiny as such, just that they outlined their calling in life. I figured how a pony would actually live their life, knowing their calling, would be up to them rather than being pre-determined. The episode might turn out alright, I think, as long as Twilight doesn't act like an idiot, and she stays as a Unicorn. Really, the idea of Twilight ascending to Celestia and Luna's power (I'll avoid using 'the A-word' if it annoys you) seems to be well-supported in the fandom, but I would hate it if that happened.
About Keep Calm and Flutter On, I mostly had the same problems with it that you did. The only big difference is that I didn't get properly mad about it; I was just confused instead (but not disappointed, since I had fairly low expectations for this episode.) It is a pretty hollow message to give out, that you can just become someone's friend so quickly when you practically start out as enemies. Time is needed to create a friendly bond, but evidently the allocated 22 minutes weren't rationed out properly in this case. And Discord suddenly turning good is a bummer too. Some characters do work best only as antagonists, not everyone in a story should get redemption.
I, too, actively disliked this episode. I loved Twilight screaming at Celestia in the opening, because that's exactly what I wanted to do to whoever approved this story.
The message: Be nice to someone who has abused you and they will get better. Having a good friend beaten to death by her boyfriend kinda cured me of that bit of idiocy.
I think you're overreacting to the episode's ending. But then again, this is what we get when a fandom springs up that's so far outside the original show demographic - we tend to overthink things.
Yes, true reformation takes time. Yes, perhaps this episode might have been better served as a two-parter. But the underlying message of the series is "Friendship Is Magic", and by taking issue with even the possibility of reformation, you effectively undercut that. The message sent here is nowhere near as despicable as you make it out to be (and as a lot of commenters have, too, here and elsewhere). Fluttershy is not a doormat, and she's not helplessly bound to Discord in any way, and comparing this to real-life abuser/victim situations is overthinking in its worst way. I didn't particularly like the episode, mostly because it was a waste of potential where Discord is concerned, but it was nowhere near the black abyss that you make it out to be.
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Well, back then the sponsors had a lot greater control so that a show was basically forced to make mention of them (Rod Serling complained about this before he started the Twilight Zone, I think he once said, "they couldn't ford a river, if Chrysler was the sponsor"). Then regulations by the FCC in the late 60's got harder on TV until around the 80's so that such practices couldn't be used, you couldn't advertise your sponsors like that. Then the Reagan administration relaxed those standards and that allowed, well, companies to finance shows based on their products starting with Mattel and He-man, and later things like Hasbro with My Little Pony. And then here we are.
I'll honest, I've only seen clips of that Simpsons episode, but from what I have, Howdy Doody was definitely an influence.
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Actually, I'd think that because the show is "Friendship is Magic," that the staff needs to do an extra amount of work at presenting the morals of their stories so that they don't come across as either silly or questionable. While being entertaining and making sure they have a good story with good use of the characters is more important, if you have a message people disagree or that you've basically told plausiblity to take a hike just to have that lesson, they are going to get ticked off quite easily. To step away from this episode, what bothered me about oh, say "A Friend in Deed" was that Pinkie annoyed Cranky constantly throughout the episode, despite him asking to be left alone. And then when she does, she decides to try make up (and ignore his request) with him a moment that I can't see as anything but Deus ex Machina, and then acts like (despite a letter to Celestia) that she really didn't anything at learned all, and that undermined what they were trying to teach.
Plus, I'd argue that there are a few episodes (Griffon the Brush-off, Boast Busters, Best Night Ever) that are, not necessarily cynical or realistic, but they do strip away at the gold surface by presenting the show's message as not quite as something everyone wants and that certain things don't turn out for the best (now whether or not you think those are good or not episodes, is another story). One thing that I like about Gilda is that while she's a jerk (and a violent one at that), she was also Dash's friend (something none of the other antagonists had) and she does accommodate to a number of Dash's requests. When she final reveals her inner-self, she initially tries to get back in Dash's good graces, before deciding to screw it, and leaves, cuting herself off from Dash. I like that, another show would have probably had ended with Gilda on good terms with everyone after a long miserable speech apology and a tragic backstory, which would strike me as forced. I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind an episode that ended with a rather bitter ending (as long as the episode wasn't being mean-spirited, amongst other things, of course).
What I object to with what happened here is that not only was the episode about taking away all that makes Discord an enjoyable character, he is to me literally irredeemable (harsh but to me he's like a dictator, not a thief). Plus, even accepting for a moment that he can be redeemed, having his big turnaround was based on the fact that nobody wanted to be his friend before is just flat out cheesy. It's something that made the older versions of MLP such prime targets of mockery. At the end of the day, this episode shouldn't have been written. There were too many factors that came with the concept that made it basically unworkable. Plus, they were pandering to the fandom, I really hate it when they do that.