Too much of a good thing · 11:00pm Feb 17th, 2013
So I was thinking of doing a full reaction/analysis/whatever of the season 3 finale, but so many others have done it already that I feel like I don’t have a lot to add at the moment. Besides, I’m happy with the bullet points I’ve already posted. Instead, I’m going to look at the episode’s songs (all seven of them if you count the reprise) and see what works and what doesn’t work. I’ll also talk about how I think the song could be better or, in some cases, how I think the time could have been better spent.
First things first, this is my opinion. Obviously. I know there are people who really like this episode, and that’s fine. I’m not very fond of it, but in time, I think I’ll come to at least tolerate it like I’ve come to tolerate King GRRRCrystals Sombra. So if you disagree with what I say, don’t take offense. I’d like to hear why you like it and maybe look at the episode from a different perspective.
Also, I’ll be looking at these songs mostly in the context of what they contribute to the story and how effectively they use the time allotted them. Why? Well, I’m a writer, so that’s kind of what I do. More importantly, the series has established itself as a storytelling medium, and for the most part, every element in every episode has been a means of telling that particular episode’s story.
So without further ado, here’s Scribblestick’s opinion/analysis thing of the songs in “Magical Mystery Cure.”
(Note: All time stamps are based on the iTunes version.)
Good Morning, Baltimore Baltimare Ponyville (00:03-00:55)
“Can things ever go wrong? I don’t think that they will.”
Am I the only one who thought of the opening number to “Hairspray” when listening to this?
So the episode literally starts with Twilight singing a song about how everything is great in Ponyville, how it’s just a beautiful day, and how thing can’t possibly go wrong. It also builds up to the (rather obvious) twist that everything isn’t okay by having Rarity unexpectedly drop a localized deluge on Twilight mid-lyric.
What works: I’ll admit, I find the tune kind of catchy, and it’s kind of a nice overview of an average day in Ponyville. The twist, while obvious, establishes the story’s conflict in a somewhat comedic way.
What doesn’t work: The song really doesn’t tell us anything we don’t already know. Ponyville’s a small town where everypony knows everypony, and it’s a generally pleasant and peaceful place. What’s new? We’ve been with this world and its characters for almost 24 hours’ worth of episodes. We know the world, and we know the characters, so what’s the point?
Plus, some of the things Twilight says are just wrong. Everything’s fine? Nothing can go wrong? Did that spell somehow wipe her memory of everything bad that’s happened in the last three seasons?
On a minor note (har har), this is the first episode that starts with a musical number, which for me was pretty disorienting. I’m not saying this is necessarily a bad thing. “Giggle at the Ghosties” threw me off, and though I don’t think it’s the strongest song of the series, it did its job well of establishing that this show will have songs from time to time. I don’t know what direction Hasbro plans to go in the future, but perhaps all future starting songs will be less shocking now that they’ve gotten the first one out of the way.
How I think it can be fixed:
I think this is one instance where a couple lines of dialogue can do everything the episode needed this song to do.
Twilight: Wow! This morning is really gorgeous, Spike!
Spike: (grumbe)
Twilight walks outside.
Twilight: I have a feeling today is going to be great! How could anything go wrong on a day like—
SPLASH.
Sure, it messes up the reprise at the end, but I’ll address that when we get there.
Also, I think it would have been better to open with Twilight casting Starswirl’s spell, but that’s an argument for another day.
Cutie Mark Slavery Switch Song (02:38-4:32)
“My destiny is not pretty, but it’s what my cutie mark is tellin’ me.”
We then get a song in which we see Twilight’s friends trying to do the jobs of others and doing them quite miserably, saying that it has to be their destiny because of their new cutie marks. We see what a mess they’re making of everything, and it also seems that none of them can remember what their original jobs were.
Why it works: The song does a good job of summarizing all the problems Twilight’s friends are facing in a short space of time. The tune itself also has some nice variations, particularly for Sweet Apple Acres and Carousel Boutique.
Why it doesn’t work: It destroys any idea of free will in Equestria, or at least absolves the characters of any personal responsibility for their actions.
(Note: Please read this update.)
Think about it. It’s obvious none of Twilight’s friends are good at or even really enjoy their new jobs. Pinkie flat-out states (or sings, rather) she doesn’t like farm work, and Rarity is the only one that seems to find some enjoyment by making weather patterns. So why do they keep doing it? Because their cutie marks say so. Every character has a variation of this line, and it begs the question: do ponies control their talents, or do their talents control them?
Now, I’ll admit this idea isn’t without precedent. Apple Bloom’s cutie pox forces her to perform every talent that appears on her body. But it’s pretty obvious that normal cutie marks don’t work like this. Otherwise, Twilight would never be able to stop using magic, Rarity would never be able to stop making clothes or finding gems, and Dash would never be able to stop racing. Sure, they do these things a lot, but they’re able to stop when they want and do something else, unlike Apple Bloom, who can’t stop no matter how much she wants to. The characters in this song all seem to say that they have to keep doing things they don’t like and do poorly because, well, that’s what my cutie mark says. Is that another side effect of the spell? I don’t know, the show doesn’t explain it very well.
Even if this is just resignation on their part rather than some kind of forced labor, it still makes it hard to pin any responsibility for the choices they make on them. For example:
Rarity, why are you ruining the weather? Find someone who knows what they’re doing!
Sorry, darling, but my cutie marks says I have to do this.
Dash, why can’t you control your animals? Shouldn’t you leave that to somepony who can do the job?
Sorry, but my cutie mark says I have to do this.
Trixie, why are you such a blowhard braggart?
The Great and Powerful Trixie must do what the Great and Powerful Trixie’s cutie mark tells the Great and Powerful Trixie to do!
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, why are you getting so worked up over Trixie’s act? She’s just doing her job.
Cutie mark told me to!
And this isn’t just a lazy excuse. Dash and AJ in particular wouldn’t do that. When I listen to this song, I can’t help but feel like the only ones with free will in this world are creatures without cutie marks, like griffons, donkeys, and changelings, and fillies and colts who don’t have them yet, which puts a rather disturbing undertone on the CMC’s goal. All the others are apparently controlled in some way by the mark on their flanks, either by the inherent nature of the cutie mark or by a society that forces them to play out their roles, no matter how poorly-suited they are to them. No wonder Twilight said the CMC were lucky to not have their cutie marks.
And besides, the song (and the episode) seems to ignore the deeper significance of a pony’s cutie mark as established in previous seasons. It’s not just a symbol of her talents, but also a manifestation of her deeper goals and desires. Think of Cheerilee’s lesson on cutie marks in “Call of the Cutie.” The flowers on her flank don’t just represent her talent for teaching; they represent her desire to bring joy to others and help them grow. Are we now to believe that Cheerilee doesn’t teach because she loves it, but rather because her cutie mark dictates that she do so or because society demands that she play out a role she chose when she was a filly?
How I think it can be fixed: Again, a few lines of dialogue would really help clarify this. Make it clear that their decisions to continue with their mismatched talents stems from a deeper desire than just “Well, that’s what my cutie mark says.” Show that it's their choice, not something forced on them by society or by the mark itself. Even if it is about filling a community need, make it their choice, not something forced on them by a picture on their flanks.
Twilight: Rarity, what are you doing? What happened to your cutie mark?
Rarity: Whatever do you mean, Twilight? I’m simply doing what I’ve done since the day it first appeared.
Twilight: But that’s not your special talent! You love fashion! You love to design dresses and hats and capes!
Rarity: Fashion? Hmm, that does sound interesting… but if I did that, it would leave nopony to manage the weather. And besides, I wouldn’t want Applejack to feel like I was replacing her.
Twilight: Where’s Rainbow Dash? Why isn’t she handling this?
Twilight’s Sad Song (06:04-07:07)
“I can’t believe this small mistake could have caused so much heartache.”
Twilight sings another song, this one expressing her guilt over what she’s done and her fear that she might not be able to fix it.
What works: This is one of my favorite songs of the episode. It does a good job of showing Twilight’s remorse as well as just how bad things are getting for her friends. I’m also a complete sucker for anything with a strong piano part.
What doesn’t work: Though I think the harmonics and instrumentation work well, the lyrics really don’t say much, and the repeated “Oh, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?” is kind of, well, whiny, when the answer is obviously “You cast a spell you knew was incomplete without bothering to find out what it was supposed to do.”
Also, I do have to ask how much time this episode is supposed to cover. During the course of this song, we see Sweet Apple Acres practically die, Carousel Boutique get shut down, and the Ponyville ponies become really grumpy and irritable, yet as near as I can tell, this is supposed to take place in one day. I’m sure there are ways to resolve this, but it seems a bit odd to me.
This is more of a storytelling note than a song note, but they could have done a lot more with the talent swap. As it is, it seems like everyone’s inconvenienced for a day, they mope for a bit, and then Twilight figures out how to fix the problem.
How I think it could be fixed: More substantial lyrics.
True, True, True, True Friend (10:09-13:35)
“A true, true friend helps a friend in need to see the light that shines from a true, true friend.”
After moping a bit, Twilight figures out the only way to fix things is to help her friends remember their true talents by having them help each other. This leads to a song in which Twilight restores her friends’ destinies one by one until everything is back to normal.
What works: Another of my favorite songs. I like the tune and instrumentation, and I like the message it conveys. I also really like the animation during this sequence.
What doesn’t work: It pretty much resolves the conflict.
We can talk about how the lyrics are a bit repetitive, but the real problem is that we still have eight-and-a-half minutes to go, and the conflict is pretty much fixed. Sure, we get Twilight fixing Starswirl’s spell, but really, where can the story go from here? It’s not entirely the song’s fault, but as I mentioned earlier, there was a lot more potential for this thing and it got resolved before it could be explored.
How I think it could be fixed: By not having the first and second verses be the same. As far as pacing goes, that’s more than what this song alone can fix.
Celestia’s Song in the Ether (15:16-16:52)
“I’ve watched from that very first day to see… all the ways you’ve made me proud of you.”
Twilight rewrites the spell, which somehow makes the Elements of Harmony zap her to a mysterious astral space via laser beams. There, she meets Celestia, who sings a song about everything Twilight has done and how she is now ready to “fulfill her destiny.”
What works: The third song on my “favorites” list from this episode. It’s short, but I think that’s to the song’s advantage. Celestia says everything she needs to say and lets the visuals support the words. We haven’t seen Twilight share many moments with her mentor, certainly none this personal, and this songs shows how much Celestia cares about her student and how proud she is of everything Twilight has accomplished.
What doesn’t work: It’s the fifth song in 15 minutes.
Seriously, as I was thinking about how to write this, I could remember literally nothing Celestia said in this song. I remembered she sang it, just not what the song was actually about. And it’s a pity, because this is a really beautiful song, but I wouldn’t have realized it were I not taking the time to listen to each song on its own and write about it.
This episode by far has the highest density of songs, both in number and proportional duration. I think the episode that comes closest is “A Canterlot Wedding” with three songs and two reprises in 40-odd minutes. “Magical Mystery Cure” has six completely different songs and one reprise crammed into 21 minutes, and almost half the episode (10 minutes) is sung. I can’t think of any other one-shot episode with more than one song and a reprise (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong), and the sheer musical density of this episode makes it hard to really appreciate all the songs.
Again, I’m not saying doing something different is bad. As I mentioned earlier, there has to be a first time for everything. But I feel like a lot of the emotional buildup gets smothered in… well, too many songs. As with everything in life, too much of something ruins its appeal and weakens its power, with the possible exception of drugs, and given the fact that this episode is both a season finale and a major change for Twilight, every storytelling device needs to be used as effectively as possible. “Friendship is Magic” has established itself as a series of stories with occasional songs, so it just seems weird that this episode is more like a series of songs with an occasional story.
Also, why is it Celestia never asks Twilight if she wants to be a princess? This seems to be a good episode for destroying free will, doesn’t it?
How I think it could be fixed: Either a longer run-time or fewer songs. Also, some dialogue that goes something like this:
Celestia: (singing)… to fulfill your destiny!
Twilight: My… destiny?
Celestia: You have proven yourself a strong leader and, more importantly, a good friend. You now have the opportunity to bless the lives of every pony in Equestria with the lessons you have learned.
Twilight: How?
Celestia: By joining me, Luna, and Cadance as a ruler of Equestria.
Twilight: M-me? A p-princess?
Celestia: Yes, Twilight. I believe you are capable of being a kind and wise leader of our nation.
Twilight: B-but, what about my friends? What if I’m so busy with royal duties, I can’t find time to spend with them?
Celestia: It is a difficult choice, my faithful student. Being a princess brings a lot of responsibility, and I believe you are capable of handling it. However, this decision must be yours and yours alone. I cannot force it upon you.
Twilight: I don’t know… what if my friends get mad at me? What if we drift apart?
Celestia: My dear Twilight, your friends could never be mad at you. They’ve stuck with you through some of your darkest times, and I believe that no matter what you choose, they will continue to be your friends.
Or something like that. I’m sure a pro script writer could make it shorter. The point is, this is a big moment for Twilight, something that will change her life, and it should be explored and, above all, left to her to decide.
HEY LOOK TWILIGHT’S A PRINCESS NOW! (19:03-19:36)
“The Princes Twilight cometh. Behold, behold!”
Twilight transforms into an alicorn, Celestia tells her she’s a princess, and they hold the coronation. As Twilight enters the room, a choir begins singing a song.
What works: Um… it’s short?
What doesn’t work: Well, like Celestia’s ballad, I forgot what this song had to say. Unlike Celestia’s ballad, I forgot it even existed until just before the choir sang it. Probably because it really has nothing to say to begin with.
How to fix it: Honestly, I don’t think it matters. The song is just meant to be a traditional hymn sung at coronations (hence the old English), and it does that job just fine, even if I don’t remember it a few hours later.
“Good Morning” Reprise (20:49-21:30)
“Everything is certainly fine! It’s fine! Yes, everything is going to be just fine!”
Twilight makes a speech, and we get a reprise of the song from the opening that’s pretty much the same as the first time except with the word “Ponyville” replaced with “Equestria” and a lot shorter.
What works: It’s… short?
What doesn’t work: Well, I didn’t particularly like it the first time, so I guess that’s a point against it. Also, it seems the whole point of the reprise is to say, “Hey, everything’s great!” Like before, I’m just not sure I see the point of this song even existing, unless it’s meant to be a secret message from the writers to fans who might be angry. “Hey, guys, we know a lot of you don’t like alicorn princess Twilight, but trust us, we’ll make it work in season 4. It’ll be fine! Just fine!”
How to fix it: Reprise a song that had a point. I think I’d go with “True, True Friend,” despite its repetitiveness, because I think the message that song conveys could work just as well at the end as it does in the middle. Heck, they play the chorus over the credits, so they obviously thought it was a good way to end, too.
So, those are my thoughts on this episode’s songs. While I don’t think they were all that bad, I do think there were too many, and that really hurt how effective the songs were both individually and collectively. This certainly isn’t the only issue I could talk about, but it’s the one I’ve chosen to address for the time being.
Cheers!
~Scribblestick
P.S. This thing is 3K words long. I think that's a record for a single blog post.
I really, really hate this line of thinking, but I'm not sure whether I possess the wherewithal to go about destroying, decimating, and annihilating it as thoroughly as it deserves. So... myah.
Edit: Damn it, Scribble, the closer I read this, the more things I find to take exception to. I'm supposed to be working on a write-off entry, not crafting rebuttals to blogs about the finale!
Yowza! What a post!
Are you sure you don't want to be a story editor for DHX?
Each one of these completely summed up my thoughts on the subject.
I will have to watch this again, and again before it stops becoming jarring, and I'm not talking about the alicorn thing. This was ambitious and over filled, and I think it suffers quite a bit. Now, we are expecting a lot out of the writing for a carton targeted for younger children, but that can't be used as an excuse after 65 episodes. The reason we are here is because the series was something more than just *boing* noises and animals hitting each other with hammers, or snarky comments on today's issues.
I would like to say preemptively, I'm not trying to be bitchy or throw a tantrum and "leave the fandom". I just want to say I had hoped for more and felt this episode, and others in this season, came up short.
Thanks for your analysis and insight.
840571 Sorry to distract you.
Seriously, though, tear me apart by all means if you want. I'll try to handle it with maturity and grace.
840621 Thanks for your compliments!
And also for not throwing a fit.
I love this. You hit pretty much all the correct points. As I stated in my own blog, if Celestia's song had been the only song in the episode, it would have floored me so hard I might never recover. As it stands, it's not even memorable.
I would just chime in as a trained and practicing musician myself, that the songs on the whole are trite and simplistic, both lyrically and musically, and Daniel is better than that. He got put through the wringer by both the corporate demands and the time constraints, and the episode is significantly weakened for it. Overall, though, I really think this idea of a musical episode could have been saved in two ways: make in a one-hour special episode, and the songs HAVE to link together, topically and musically. What we got was rushed and compacted, and none of the songs are ANYTHING like the rest of them. There's no binding threads like you would get in a proper musical, no reprised themes or motifs, no exploration of an idea, not even a catchy lick that we hear multiple times. It's just leftover songs that were floating around the back of Ingram's head that all got put into an episode because Hasbro demanded a musical. It just hurts me so bad as a musician and a writer to see a series that has been PRAISED for music and writing fall down so badly.
841333 What kind of music do you do? I was in band for four years, and I've been trained as a solo pianist since I was 8-ish (hence my weakness for anything piano), but I've never really looked at how multiple songs are strung together, so that's kind of a new thing for me.
First off, good line of thinking.
Second off, I like to think that since the mane six destinies were forced not through their "cutie marks," but through the elements of harmony, they were being forced to do things they didn't like because they think, "My cutie mark tells me that I am able to do this certain job, so why do I suck at it? This job should be easy because my cutie mark says that I can do this job with ease! Maybe I should just do my job a lot more so that I can remember how to do it properly."
Oh, yeah, not to mention they seemed to have nearly every part of their memories affected by that spell.
841578
Huh, I didn't think of it like that. I much prefer that interpretation to my own.
841617 (ScribbleStick)
Thanks.
You know, my OC that I'm creating to represent myself has the "Monster Energy" M symbol on his flank because he would never give up and take down the enemy no matter what the danger. Should I get a cutie mark for over-analyzing instead?
Or is that the whole "Cutie Mark Switch" crisis all over again?
841710 Well, you know what they say. It just appears when the time is right.
Oh dang. I feel like I just read a new chapter of a fanfic.
As to your point on cutie marks determining ones future:
I kind of see it as a cultural issue rather than a magical compulsion. They want to try and make their cutie marks work, at that point in time (with wiped memories) they obviously don’t understand cutie marks well and, in fact, are just trying to live with a part of themselves.
It’s the equivalent of someone being raised in a religious community, and not understanding that they don’t have to participate in the activities of that religion. They do it because it is expected of them and it never occurs to them to not participate even if they disagree with a lot of what is said.
Now, some people might argue that they could just leave or do something else. But a isolated community with minimal or no outside influence means that there would be no one to spread that idea or influence that person in that way. Thus the idea never occurs to them because only a small percentage of the world ever come up with new ideas. Most ideas (from Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb, to the car, to Wikipedia, and even MLP) Are adaptations of existing ideas. Even philosophers barrow from the world around them.
So in a culture dominated by cutie marks and special talents, where most ponies are happy with what they do, they would likely try their hardest to make it work. And when they don’t; notice how Fluttershy is about to leave.
Culture is a huge influence on people, and since ponies are basically people it stands to reason that they were just trying to deal with their confusion and why it wasn’t working for them.
The thing that gets me is that a cutie mark represents a talent, not a job. Why the hell is a racing/loyalty cutie mark transformed by doing the weather? Technically Rainbow Dash didn’t really do anything related to her cutie mark unless she just cleared the weather really fast. Note that Pinkie’s job is as a baker, but her role in society is to make ponies smile, so that worked out well.
841502
I've been playing piano for 21 years, and I dabble into anything and everything. I play piano, keys, drums, and guitar. I write blues, trance, dubstep, classical, I do improv, play with singers and orchestras, and just generally touch anything that could be called music. Except country. THAT I kill with fire.
In fact, I have a project in my mind where I not only write the story of a character's journey, but every chapter has a different song in a different genre that he plays at each of his stops. It's ambitious, to say the least.
My soundcloud link is on my profile page, but I'll leave you this one because I always like to meet a fellow pianist.
842740 Wow, that sounds great! Sounds like an interesting writing project, too.
I don't have many recordings, but I do have one of "100 Years" I did in 2011 with my family baby grand and the recording capabilities of my laptop (which aren't great, obviously). I've done arrangements of about a dozen songs from the show, but I don't have any recordings of them, so I'll just leave you with "100 Years" and a duet I wrote for Celestia and Luna last August.
843403
Okay. I'm covering that song of yours. No questions asked. I have to, because I can hear it in my head.
843562
Sweet! Send me a link, I'd love to hear what you do with it.
I'd point out, regarding the opening and reprisal, it's nice to bookmark a musical (or episode, whatever) with the same number like that. It shows that things have come back full circle, and we've returned to the status quo of the beginning of the episode. Now, in context of "Ponyville is a happy place," this is kinda... duh? The show is saccharine and episodic, so of course we'll be back at the status quo. I mean, going from happy number to getting poured on does create immediate conflict for the opening but... why wouldn't everything be just fine, alicorn-Twilight-at-the-ending? Especially with her racing toward the camera with that "hugs?" look, it's really hard to not see that as a brony nod. FWIW I really liked the orchestration of the reprise.
Agreed, Celestia's Ballad lost all oomph by being buried. It's neither upbeat (like True True Friend) nor downcast (like I've Got To Find A Way); it's just stately and emphatic and ethereal, which is powerful and is how it should be, yet has nothing to stand out against the other songs aside from its singer, which is a shame.
I too love I've Got To Find A Way, so it's great to see further support for it. That said, I also agree that the lyrics were a touch whiny and defeatist. Further, your point about how some songs would've been significantly helped by spoken lines is spot-on. So, begrudgingly, I'd have advised to turn IGTFAW into an instrumental track, so that it's emotional weight is preserved, yet it gives some extra time to pad the other numbers with spoken lines.
842301 I think this is basically right, but a better example is suddenly you find yourself in a doctors office, everyone is calling you doctor, and you have no recolection of doing anything else despite the fact you can't stand the sight of blood. Cutie marks are ussually a very reliable sign of what you do becasue that's how they work. Nopony would ever even consider that they might be wrong.
846795
You know what. I thought, in the episode, they just had a different past where they got their cutie marks some other way. But you make a very good point. They might not even remember getting the marks.
Just...
Animals. Damn animals everywhere. Huh, I guess I'm in charge.