The DUMP can take Manehatten: where did it go wrong? · 6:36pm Jan 8th, 2014
Something just went seriously wrong with MLP potentially. The reactions to RTM have ranged from meh to I loved it. One of the things that is really bad is the fact this episode seems to be popular. On any given day I wouldn't care, we all have different faves right. However People don't seem to see how wrong this just went So I'd better explain why this is a terrible thing and we should be concerned for the future.
Disclaimer: I have liked every episode of MLP thus far - all 72 of them, including sweet and elite. I usually overlook little flaws. I'm not one of those ERMAHGERD TWERLERCERN SERCKS people. So if I think an episode stinks then I have a damn good reason.
OK
Difficult to condense down so lets get started with some more banal stuff.
Firstly - the musical number. Mediocre is the best thing I can say about it, the repeat is mediocre with added sad.
Before they burst into it RD makes the remark - ponies bursting into song, who does that.
You know, I really hate the meta-humour thats been cropping up this season, I mean most of Daring Dont felt like some sort of strange commentary on the brony fandom, and there's been other things like the overuse of wilhelm, that actually showed up twice in one bend.
Apparently there was some sort of poll where people said they wanted to see more evidence of Rarity's generosity and they have an entire song called generosity, thats not just heavy handed thats ham-fisted.
But yeah RD - ponies bursting into song, who does that?
Well you do for a start - may the best pet win? Shes been around for other group songs as well so the comment just made her look foolish. Kay?
Then we have our lame antagonist kay?
Sort of not likeable and not cool either kay?
Like Gilda but not quite as bad kay?
Right so we meet whoever it is from Rarity's old sewing class or whatever and she's taking a look at the fabric. She asks to take a swatch and I think 'uh oh, shes not going to try and steal it is she? Because that would be predictable and trite and cliche. Seen that one way too many times.'
...
...
...
Yeah she's stolen it. 
There's actually a few storyline holes that seem to riddle this like swiss cheese. The whole rushing for a taxi cab thing. Can Twilight not teleport? Couldn't RD fly her there? Why is a pony pulling a huge weight behind it faster than just running there on hoof?
But you know what who cares? Ponies right? Shrug all that off, nice heartwarming show, nice atmosphere.
Right - all the above I don't care about much Onto why the episode should burn.
This...THIS!
There would be very few fans I think - who would not take a portal to Equestria given the chance in fact I am a member of this group
People who wish to teleport to equestria already cos life is stupid
Brony dies and goes to Equestria are fairly common fanfics as well, putting something as candidate for an afterlife means it must be an incredibly pleasant alternative to current living.
Its not clear wether such things auto-transform you to a pony or not so why would anyone risk the inconvenience of having hooves and dealing with timber wolves and hydras and other nasty things by being sent there. Its because we want to have sex with Rainbow Dash in Equestria they have a peaceful and loving - relaxed society with embedded cultural values of friendship. With very few exceptions (I'm looking at you Diamond T) nopony is a jerk.
Could be one of the reasons DT and SS are such a focus of hate. They are the exceptions to the rule. Ponies as a civilisation and in general are good natured and respectful.
Or so I thought.
You see this is a difference we can get on earth, small villages are friendly because everybody knows each other - and there is a more relaxed pace to things. Big cities - tend to have an attitude problem.
This guy from FOB equestria too notices this and comments on it. He also doesn't like it, says this a few times,
really don't like the city.
So wait if the ponies are going to be exactly like humans i.e serious assholes unless they're in the right setting, there seems little point in bringing pony into the title, apart from the avalanche of horse puns these are oddly shaped humans running around and there would be zero point in going to Equestria except to have sex with Rainbow Dash meet your heroes and see some unicorn magic maybe.
An EQD commenter said Polsky had done a great job making manehatten feel like the ' ''real'' world'
Yes thanks Polsky for ruining one of the things that made FIM unique.
Another thing, most animal characters are anthropomorphic to a degree and it has been standard practice in animation wether its ducks or dogs to just transpose them into a clone of western civilisation. This includes generation 2 MLP - the whole thing, school buses electricity, cars suburbs - television. Police and fire depts etc. All the same just furry critters walking upright in jeans instead of homo sapiens.
The tech level of MLP seems set to stay low, but they start mimicing human society too much - well then it just becomes your average bog standard cartoon with nothing standout.
Also the fact that Manehatten is such a place that someone would remark no wonder Babs was bullied. It does things to my stomach.
And then the slightly more obvious one in my view - or maybe its the other way round as people seem to not be getting this.
Rarity. Not my favourite. I keep trying to like her I really do and the writers keep doing stupid things to make me hate her.
It was going so well. Yes her design has just been stolen so in order to correct the situation she will STEAL from the hotel furnishings. Well I guess she can't hurt the hotels feelings, but slight moral ambiguity there.
Still I know theres supposed to be some theme of her generosity being reversed and THIS would have done it, thats all you need, she's stealing the hotel furnishings - taking rather than giving, point made, you can stop there.
But I can let this slide, she's all fired up, she's got a plan, all her friends are going to support her with enthusiasm, I'm kinda looking forward to see what they create.
Then this happens.
Twilight asks if they can get some food as they haven't eaten for a while.
Stern looking Rarity: It will be here in an hour. Theres not going to be a problem with that is there?
I just think Oh no! Last episode Bats!, she was being mature and reasonable in arguing with fluttershy instead of just whinging about being dirty. Shes going to throw that accomplishment in the trash can, throw away her character development over the last season and just do her bitch thing. Please don't go there Rarity, just do not go there.
Yes it is going to be a problem bitchface because lack of food tends to lower productivity!
Actually considering that there is a sort of crisis situation you'd have thought the mane six would have been intelligent/sensitive enough to just drop the whole we wanna go see a musical thing. Seeing as they weren't though Rarity begins incoherent rant.
Now just where the hell did this come from anyway. They were all fueled up, eager, teamwork that sort of thing. Suddenly shes the angry overseer of a sweatshop who's being restrictive handing out rations.She already crossed the line at this point AFAIC. So she starts in with the ranting and I just lost my shit at this point.
They are working for you willingly and supporting you and you are trying to GUILT TRIP them when they are already bloody working for you! Are you fucking kidding me? - 
are you fucking kidding me!
I think people don't see this, I think there's a part of the brain that says Rarity freakouts are funny (which they are - Lesson Zero) and therefore this is funny.
It isn't.
Theres a difference between freaking out and being a fucking cunt and she was being a fucking cunt.
There are so many things wrong with this scene I don't know where to start. How long has she known Princess Twilight Sparkle? At least three years. The others a lot longer, and didn't they all face epic foes together and do all the bonding and forging of really deep relationships that comes with having adventures like that?
She then proceeds to accuse her best friends and fellow former element bearers that they sadistically want to see her fail. If I hadn't already lost my temper I would have lost it then. The last line - the reproachful Isn't friendship magic?
She has become cynical, bitter and resentful in the space of an hour and title dropping in the middle of the tirade, sounds like the authors think the whole thing is silly as well and are mocking us for watching this.
How do you manage this? How do you take a pony who we have established is prone to outbursts and has no problem making a tiny filly pull her massive luggage while pushing her round on a sun lounger and make her go OUT OF CHARACTER.
She was more pleasant and sociable when she was under the influence of Discord for G-ds sake.
Peoples reactions are really bothering me like I said.
From EQD
Ain't no freakout like a Rarity freakout.
And we got a good one.
There's something inherently funny about seeing the element of generosity...
Nope... nothing funny about it. I'm hoping people are just missing the more hateful undertones here but I'm really worried it might be this.
Schadenfreude
n
1. delight in another's misfortune
German word, original translation loosely comes out as 'malicious joy'. In English, it's thought of 'malicious enjoyment from the suffering of another'.
E.G
Clapping when a waitress falls and drops a tray of glassesWatching figure skaters falling on their asses
Watching people out in the rain
Watching a vegetarian being told she just ate chicken
Lets see what this pony thought of it, just post-incident and summing it up at the end.
at 14:25 and 23:10 timepoints respectively.
I know your designs were stolen but goddamn it thats too much.
Little bit of a horrible moment there
Yes Thankyou Cobaltsky, it was UNPLEASANT. Somebody gets it, this is why you are best commentator.
Obviously my reaction was a little stronger than his. I ragequit the episode and only finished it later after taking some drinks.
Now really - why do we watch this series again?
MLP: Theres a heartwarming show that has adventures and breaks gender stereotypes and has a sound moral base.
MLP: There's a bunch of ponies who keep being freaking jerks to each other and its hilarious.
If its the second one let me know so I can stay faaar away from you.
In short the reaction was unjustified uncalled for over the top and the situation was pointless and contrived.
Rarity had the idiot ball and the Jerk Ball dropped on her to force the plot.
Lazy bad writing amongst other things.
People who are comparing this to flight to the finish are just - insulting episode five really.
I don't want to dislike any of the heroes - joining this group may be a bit far.
http://www.fimfiction.net/group/197578/fk-rarity
But to keep doing these things... I like the concept of Rarity, We need our element of generosity still, and I like the concept of an eccentric fashionista with a large product line. I can't despise the character through and through because otherwise she wouldn't make a show in my fanfics in a positive light.
Canon Rarity pisses me off something fierce.
But the episode doesn't anger me half as much as some of the 'fans' have. I managed to have a civil discussion with two people who liked the episode, can't for the life of me figure out why but you know - a civil disussion - no name calling.
I also don't want to be at odds with people who like Rarity, but some of the people who think she is best pony have been very agressive in their promotion, spiteful even. The ones I've encountered so far at any rate.
I expressed dissapointment with the episode - very mildly on another discussion board and I was attacked, chewed out and insulted - more on that anon.
But yeah by someone who thinks Rarity is best pony.
I do worry quite a lot that the people who like Rarity best, don't like her because of the flamboyance and eccentricity, but only really like her when shes being a bitch and getting away with it. Think that their opinion is somehow the word of god and its okay to treat other people like dirt,and that completely inappropriate and over the top responses are somehow acceptable.
Like just what happened there.
So episode morals.
If you steal from hotels you will be rewarded for it.
If someone steals from you then go and be a cunt to your friends who are totally blameless, then sing a song about how sorry you are and you'll get away with it without so much as a reprimand.
Well except from Applejack. 
Thank goodness for Applejack. 
It should be a feel good show, not giving us angst and certainly not giving us Wangst.
But hay we're not going to go to manehatten again right, and she learned her lesson so we'll never have to see that debacle again right?
I'm concerned though that with the uncritical praise being sent at it so far the MLP team will think they have a winning formula and start doling out the bad stuff from the episode rather than the good things.
I hope not, then the only reason to watch the show would be because we want to have sex with Rainbow Dash admire the artwork.
Wait - what good things?
A lisping receptionist who talks through her nose. That was a good thing we need more of those.
May I ask for your opinion on the following scene, specifically from 17:21 to 18:40
1698692
Sorry Bro I didn't check the threads for a while and the videos been removed by the user, I assume its just the episode in question with no commentary right?
1741952
It was the scene in Ponyville Confidential where the CMC were being shunned by the town.
1742584
Hmmm.
That scene does not give me the problems it has to some other people. The fact that they wrote the gossip column is hot of the press if you'll excuse the pun I find the reactions to be within reasonable parameters, Rainbow Dash is crossing the line just a tad by raining on them. It's heartbreaking to see them in that mess that they got themselves into. But it didn't make me angry, theres no indication that that went on for a huge length of time and they were forgiven - the immediate moment they apologised - because you know they are just kids.
This show certainly pushes its luck with what it can get away with. Remember the almost F-bomb in putting your hoof down? It was definitely pushing its luck really hard with the CMCs fall from grace but - to me it didn't go completely overboard and off the wall, which I thought the scene in RTM did go too far, they kept gambling and eventually they lost.
1743086
And what's your thoughts on Putting Your Hoof Down, where the villagers basically treat Fluttershy like dirt?
1766386
1776153
Are you seeing the point I'm getting at? You're claiming that ponies are being dicks in Rarity takes Manehatten and that this is too close to real life for your liking, when in reality there is multiple examples of ponies being complete dicks.
This episode is nothing new in the "Ponies are cunts" department.
1789079
Well alright I'll quit the fandom then cause that's not what I signed up for!
1791487
Fair enough.
1789079 Yeah, in the badly written, should-be-retconned-out-of-canon episodes, Ponies act like cunts.
1743086 I'm not sure why Ponyville Confidential should get a pass. I mean, part of the issue was that the CMC actually wanted to stop doing the gossip column, and were forced to keep doing it due to BLACKMAIL... a fact which is never taken into consideration by any of the adults, or in fact even the CMC themselves.
This goes into a problem I have with CMC episodes lately. On one hoof they want to show the CMC making mistakes and learning from them, but on the other hand they want the CMC to be perfect little goody four-shoes. That's the only rationale I can think of for the blackmail angle, an angle that totally breaks the moral and causes the entire episode to come off as hateful and mean-spirited.