A review of Pinkie Apple Pie: because they couldn't think of a more obviously ship-related title! · 5:41pm Jan 11th, 2014
I always figured the day I use this cover image for a blog post would be a special day. This is just an ordinary day, but a chance meeting with an SSB author on Miiverse earlier this week had me feeling a little sentimental. I just… I remember old times. Back when I first got into fanfiction, when I was knee deep in the SSB community, when I chatted and interacted with authors from the site. I miss those days. I… I really miss those days. Do you mind if I ask whether this, MLP, was your first fanfiction based fandom? If so, do you miss those fanfiction roots of yours as I do and can't help but look back on old times?
I guess there is one thing I should mention, as to why this picture means a lot to me. In case you did not know, an while it is not how I’d describe myself today, you can see me in the bottom right corner.
Fanfiction Progress
Provided I don’t break something, I should be able to get this darn chapter of The Shy Knight and the Rainbow Princess complete. I made… I guess you could call it good progress, at least compared to my recent track record with writing this thing, and I’ve only a hurdle or two to go. I feel some of the details are a little lacking but this slowly written chapter has otherwise been coming out in top-notch quality. I’m sure Ugugg will able to pull out plenty of faults to it though.
So yeah, I’m not going to keep talking on this subject. It’s not done yet. It should hopefully be done by the end of next week but whether it will be uploaded by then is uncertain. I shall keep working at it and hope you’ll be able to enjoy it soon.
Other Episode Reviews for Rarity Takes Manehattan
I've only got 3 for today. Thinking about it, I really need to expand the amount of reviews I link readers to. I used to link to PaleoSteno's but then he stopped. Strebiskunk is inconsistent for releasing reviews and there was this one promising tumblr but they haven't done reviews for season 4. Well, an average of 3-4 each week should be fine... right? Have you any consistent reviewers you'd suggest for me to link readers to?
James Corck
Thejboy88
NintendoGal55
Episode Review of Pinkie Apple Pie
Are you looking forward to a decent Applejack episode? Then you’re in for a treat. Do you want some spectacular character interactions between the Apple Family members? Then you’re going to love this episode to bits. Are you looking forward to a decent Pinkie Pie episode? Then you’re going to love this episodes humour… but no so much the lack of depth it has on the Pinkie side of things.
As always, starting with whether things were positive from the get go, they were indeed. We see our first and only appearances from Twilight and Spike in this episode but they do well in kicking the episode off. Spike comes across as smart and Pinkie’s surprise to Twilight was hilarious. Pinkie’s humour from the get go of this episode was in top-form. There is also a moment of this opening that you need to see to find funny but I’ll just note that Applejack’s face killed me.
So the plot of the episode goes that Pinkie Pie finds out she is possibly related to Applejack in some far off distinct way (involving a relating two times removed or something along those lines). Pinkie Pie is excited about this but Applejack points out that the name is smudged and they need to verify if this is true or not. Thus Pinkie Pie and the Apple family set off on a road trip to find the one pony who will be able to prove if this is true or not. The side plot to this episode emerges though, one of the Apple Family trying to give Pinkie the best impression of their family rather than a natural impression of it. That side plot proves to be a great thing for the episode and the not so great thing.
Humour wise there is a ton of stuff to laugh like mad at. Pinkie Pie is in top comedy form and each of the Apple family, including straight mare Applejack, prove equally hilarious. Big Mac shines in several moments, there is this one moment where they go through a cave that had me in stitches and this one falcon joke just came out of nowhere. The first time I saw it had me questioning how they got away with it… so they had it happened a second time… I was gasping for air.
Another joke is Big Mac’s attempts to show off character. The episode goes out of its way to tease lines of dialogue, but while he only manages a few lines of said dialogue, his character is on full show in this episode. Not just Big Mac but Granny Smith’s character is presented quite a bit and the dynamic that each member of the Apple family have is on full display. You see them happy, sad and arguing, an much like how I praise Apple Family Reunion for giving off a genuine feeling of family interactions, this episode also succeeds. What comes across as a side-plot ends up being the real core of the episode and a truly amazing one at that.
So of course, there is the problem. The Apple Family side of things is done so well, both funny and in-depth, that the actual basis for the episode and the plot surrounding Pinkie Pie comes across as weak. Pinkie is in full show of humour but not so much in character development. Other than being excited over being related to a friend, there is no deeper meaning to her excitement. Furthermore, her scenes lack an emotional touch. They don’t make you feel and it is not like Pinkie Pie can’t be both funny and in-depth at once. Both Party of One and Too Many Pinkie Pies proved you can balance both with great results.
Some good comparisons for this episode include a reverse Rarity Takes Manehattan. In that episode the emotional touch was strong but the humour weak for the most part. This is the opposite of that, with the stronger emotional part being the Apple Family. It is ironic that for once it is Applejack who steals the spotlight from a character and not the other way around. Another comparison, though one you’re less likely to get, is that of the G3 My Little Pony episode; The Princess Promenade. In it, the side plot involving the Breezies ends up being better presented and concluded than that of the main plot, the very plot that started the episode and formed the basis of it to allow the side-plot to happen. Pinkie’s plotline lacks emotion; it’s cheaply resolved and feels underwhelming.
To conclude, what do I think of this episode? I guess that depends on how you interpret it and go into it. If you go in watching it as an Applejack episode then you’ll be pleased to no end. You go in expecting a more depth filled Pinkie Pie episode and you’re going to have a disappointing time. It doesn’t help that the plot of the episode as well as how it starts sets things up to look and feel more like a Pinkie episode. Its negatives make me unable to truly call it Fantastic however it has so many positives with character interactions and humour, that if it did a little better in the Pinkie Pie department I could see this having been a Fantastic episode. Pinkie Apple Pie just misses out on such a rating as I reward it a 7.5 out of 10, making it a Good ranked episode.
My one regret is that, without an offical decleration of cousins, is that I will not make the t-shirt I promised in my blog.
I haven't seen the episode yet, but I take it that the ApplePie ship is still floating.
I don't understand how anyone can say that about this episode
Pinkie was perfect here I think
Do you mind if I ask whether this, MLP, was your first fanfiction based fandom?
Yes it was.
If so, do you miss those fanfiction roots of yours as I do and can't help but look back on old times?
I don't have an answer. I can't really compare when I started to now, simply because when I started I had more faults and less uniqueness than now, but it was new and exciting. THe best I can say is I still have all the enjoyment, but it comes in a different way.
1706616 It is, and, despite not being an ApplePie shipper, I'm happy about that, simply because sinking it would have felt cruel.
Alright, so a new episode (that I totally didn't forget about)? Just a second.
So, I'd have to agree with Pinkie lacking emotion. She really is just terminally cheerful throughout the entire episode, and while this can just be interpreted as Pinkie being Pinkie as you said before she is more than capable of serious talk. While I get this can be seen as in-character it really seems blown out a bit too much. Besides this I really get the impression that Pinkie is just along for the ride and the Apple family are the ones that learn the important lesson and that Pinkie was just a plot tool for most of it.
I think that this episode could have been more focused on Pinkie instead of giving the Apple family most of the screen-time. Maybe build on how Pinkie acts a lot differently than the down to earth Apples.
I would make an incest joke but it's too easy! Gaaaaaaaaaaah.
So what did I think about it? 8/10.
1706616
I ship one mildly cannon pairing, and another with an OC because I'm a sick and twisted (buy some apples!).
I must admit that this reply is a little late but hey, I'm here to reply now. I'll try to reply to the best of my knowledge even though the episode isn't quite as fresh in my mind.
1706520 Okay... this makes no sense but I am entirely interested in what that shirt thing is about. Do tell my friend, do tell. Thanks for the rather peculiar comment, Alchemystudent.
1706616 The ApplePie ship is still floating, in fact it received a bit more attention thanks to receiving a Pinkie Pie and Applejack focused episode. There are some questioning it now but the attention was a good thing for it. I feel PinkieMac benefited more so from it, with comics like this coming as a result of Pinkie's scrapbook: fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/014/2/0/does_this_shipping_even_have_a_name__by_sammy0295-d726nk8.png
Thanks for the comment Eddy13.
1707688 Welp, I can say that about the episode. Pinkie didn't feel too deep in this episode and her emotional scenes wern't given enough time nor weight. They weren't very effective on their own but particularly weak compared to Party of One and Too Many Pinkie Pies, which did emotional Pinkie scenes much better. I feel this could have been the result of less focus being given to Pinkie and almost all of her moments were humour based. We never had her in a more neutral setting nor thoughtful one as we did with the episode examples I've given.
We seem to disagree on this but I'm glad you were able to feel the emotional expression from Pinkie in this episode. Thanks for commenting, Flutters.
1707896 First off, thank you very much for answering those questions Zyr, I appreciate that. Secondly, I guess with this fandom being your first for fanfiction it doesn't really change much when you look back on it. You are still knee deep in the community you started with and the friends you've made here are unlikely to change due to you still being apart of the fandom you started to make them. Still,very interesting to here as you progress from beginner to veteran in fanfiction writing.
It is nice to know that neither the ApplePie or PinkieMac ships have been sunk (or the PinkieBloom, which is a ship that exists, usually done with Apple Bloom being older at the time of shipping). Anyway, thank you for commenting Zyr.
1714045 Agreed, while it is in character for Pinkie to be hyper and random it is not in character for her to be constantly so. She has times of both calm and reflection, doubts as well, all of which have been presented through episodes which gave Pinkie more emotional depth and as a result greater emotional attachment. The improvements you suggested would have worked wonders, at least in making this more of a Pinkie episode. Thanks for commenting, kiheerSEDMAN.
1734898
Ok, so here's the story...
A few months ago, before this episode title was revealed along with the synopsis. I wrote a fanfic called "A missing Piece of Pie", based on both the book "Pinkie's rocking rock party" and the animatic that had Apples to the core. It was about Pinkie finding out, through means of her sisters, that she was adopted into the Pie family and she went on a journey with her two sisters to find out where she came from. After a while, she finds out that she was actually Applejack's little sister.
Cut to a few weeks ago when we see the premise of this ep, namely "Pinkie finds out that she has a connection to the apple family"...hmmmmm? sounds familar.
So I told my readers that if, in the episode proper, we find out that AppleJack and Pinkie are blood-kin (cousins or long lost sisters) I would print out an image of my fic, paste it onto a shirt that read "FREAKING CALLED IT" and then wear it, go onto youtube and show it off as well as sing Apples to the core in both Pinkie's and AJ's voices.
Sadly, since the episode left it kind of open I can't really print the shirt.