MLP Reviews #6: Baby Cakes · 11:11pm Jan 12th, 2014
Note: I might start posting reviews a little more frequently than twice a week (or updating my stories).
Work has been stressful lately and honestly, doing something MLP-related is a good way to get rid of stress.. such as late on a Tuesday night or something like that.
Here we go, Baby Cakes.
A Pinkie Pie themed episode. This should be fun, since Pinkie is best pony!
MLP Reviews #6 : Baby Cakes
Intro
This episode starts off at the hospital. Cup Cake gave birth. The Mane Six are looking at the nursery excited to see the baby. They see that Cup Cake had given birth to twins. Pinkie is incredibly excited by this, now she has two little ones to play with. The babies are Pound Cake, a pegasus, and Pumpkin Cake, an unicorn. I’m a fraternal twin myself (I have a twin sister) so this episode is already starting on the right track for me. Pinkie goes into the nursery to sing “Happy Birthday” to the twins, but Nurse Redheart shushes her up since the babies are trying to sleep.
Applejack asks Carrot Cake how the Cakes had a unicorn and a pegasus baby. Carrot Cake explains that his great-great-great-great grandfather was a unicorn and Cup Cake’s great aunt something removed was a pegasus. Carrot Cake’s facial expression when he says “Makes sense, right?” makes it clear to me that Carrot Cake wonders if his wife was sleeping with a pegasus/unicorn hybrid. It is something that MLP:FiM will never ever explore. I am assuming Discord is the father. However, it was a funny moment. I swear to God. We also get some caveat from Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Rarity regarding baby pegasi flying and baby unicorns having magic surges.
Pinkie can barely contain her excitement though like usual. She goes back in with a birthday cake with zero candles because it is their 0th birthday! Nurse Redheart returns to shush Pinkie. I can’t decide what is more adorable here: Pinkie Pie’s enthusiasm over the babies or the babies themselves. I will say it’s a tie. Early on, we get the sense this is going to be an “adorable” episode.
Part I
It is the Cake Twins’ monthiversary. Pinkie Pie sings a cute song for the babies and plays with them. She loves playing with the babies but doesn’t get involved when it comes to taking care of them in other ways. The Cakes change the babies’ diapers and feed them their bottles. Pinkie is already to play with the Cake twins again. We can see that Pinkie knows nothing about babies either since she can’t tell that the babies need to be burped but rather she thinks they are making funny faces to be funny, just like Pinkie Pie would. Pinkie here is seen as very childish. Every time is play time in Pinkie’s world.
One thing though, why do ponies have to use their mouths to throw away diapers? I do not understand this.. do not compute. I guess they have to balance out the total adorableness with that. Ugh. I guess dirty diapers are gross no matter what though but ponies use their “hands” for other things. Hell, Carrot Cake used his hands to change the diaper. He just used his mouth to throw it away. At least, we see proper hygiene is important as Carrot Cake washes his hands after.
The Cakes suddenly remember that they need to prepare for an important catering event but need somepony to take care of the babies on short notice. The Cakes clearly don’t want Pinkie Pie to do it and they even take some time out to ask other ponies.
Fluttershy: She can’t do it since she promised to take Angel out on a picnic. However, Fluttershy is very apologetic.
Twilight Sparkle: She can’t do it since she has to write a ton of reports to Princess Celestia and keep using Spike as a paper holder.
Applejack: She can’t do it since she needs to protect her apples from caterpillars.
Rainbow Dash: She can’t do it since there is a Wonderbolts air show starting.
Rarity: She can’t do it since the writers decided to make her a bitch in this episode. Wait.. this was written by Charlotte Fullerton. She’s the same one who wrote “Suited for Success”, which basically showed us Rarity’s generosity. Whatever though…
Desperate, the Cakes finally ask Pinkie Pie if she wants to babysit. Pinkie loves the idea. The Cakes remind her that she needs to be responsible and not just play with them. They seem terrified of leaving the babies along with Pinkie, however, they don’t have a choice at this point. Pinkie is confident that she will be able to take care of them and literally pushes Cup Cake out of the house. The point is made pretty clear throughout the first act. Pinkie Pie taking care of two babies is going to be a challenge.
When the Cakes leave, the babies begin to cry – probably because they miss their parents.
Act II
Pinkie had no idea what she was getting herself into, it seems.
The babies are crying and crying. It seems that none of Pinkie’s playtime tactics are working.
She even tries stand up comedy on the babies.
“I used to have an ant farm but I couldn’t find tractors that small.”
“I accidentally spilled spot remover on my dog and now I can’t find him.”
The babies don’t like her jokes.
I laughed at them though but Pinkie is a comedic genius. She is that kind of character which can do things which would only be funny with her and not with other characters.
Pinkie Pie does a “piggy dance” – oink oink oink. This doesn’t work either. They make unamused faces which go into the “MLP meme” collection.
Pinkie accidentally bumps into some flour which falls onto her. This makes the Cake twins laugh.
Lunch time. Pinkie tries to feed the babies mush. However, Pumpkin Cake is more interested in eating the tablecloth and Pound Cake is the pony equivalent in Bam Bam. Holy shit… what if Pumpkin Cake is a parasprite? She is a parasprite still afflicted by the spell which makes her want to eat things which aren’t food. Pinkie stops Pumpkin from eating the tablecloth which makes her cry. Pound pounds his bowl of mush which lands on his head causing him to cry. Pinkie then throws flour on her which makes the twins laugh.
Wait what? Leaving infants in the bath tub… it’s hard to tell here. Perhaps the bath toys were in the same room. I have seen a lot of reviewers bitch about this scene and I can see why – even those who liked this episode. The toys are all in the bath tub but the babies powerfully throw them off. Pound Cake breaks the faucet too. Pinkie offers to do the flour trick again but tells the babies, “You know what happens when you mix flour and water.” They don’t know because they’re babies.
Next scene. Things seem a little more peaceful but one of the babies has a dirty diaper. The smell is noticeable. Pinkie wants to change the babies’ diapers but they run away from her. They seem to be just having fun with Pinkie at this point of time. Pinkie ends up with a diaper on her head.
Things are just a mess.
Enter Twilight Sparkle, who offers to help Pinkie with the babies.
However, Twilight makes a comment about “babies can be tough- someponies aren’t up to the responsibility.” This makes Pinkie mad and she kicks Twilight out saying that she can take care of the babies on their own. Oh Twilight.. if you only didn’t say that, you could have made this episode five minutes shorter. That interaction was hilarious.
This also encourages Pinkie to be more assertive with the babies. She stops Pound Cake from jumping on the crib and Pumpkin Cake from drooling on a rubber chicken. She gets them to go to sleep – or so she thinks. One second later, they are gone.
Act III
Pinkie has no clue where the babies are. She hears a squeaking noise and we hear creepy music. There is Pumpkin Cake chewing on a rubber chicken. Pinkie retrieves Pumpkin Cake and puts her back in the crib. We don’t know where Pound Cake is at. Oh my gosh! Pound Cake is on the ceiling. He can fly. Things are just a big mess for Pinkie at this point. Pinkie is able to get to Pound Cake by climbing up the wall using suction cups. Wow.. Pinkie is resourceful. She gets both of the Cakes in their crib and locks up the toys using a super lock.
However, wham! Pumpkin Cake uses her magic to get out of the crib and Pound Cake uses his Bam-Bam like strength and flying. Basically, they are making a mess like little assholes. Pinkie then tries to contain them under a laundry basket and tapes the bottom. Pumpkin Cake uses her magic to get out and Pound Cake uses his strength to get out. It is bizarre that Pound Cake learned to fly so well so early and Pumpkin Cake learned to use magic so effectively so early. I think this is a problem a lot of people have with “Baby Cakes”. This doesn’t bother me so much despite the inconsistency [Twilight couldn’t use magic until she was five years old.]. I try to see each episode as standing on its own to an extent. This works, especially with Pinkie Pie as the babysitter. Also, maybe Discord is their father…but why bang Cup Cake when Discord could have banged.. I dunno… not a middle-aged stout mare but one more youthful. However, this is head canon talking and Hasbro/bronies alike have already solidified the Discord/Fluttershy relationship anyway. Fluttershy is real love yo… Cup Cake was just a ho.
Pinkie is at a loss at what to do and cries Pinkie Pie-style. The tears fall out. The Cake twins notice this and stop their chaos. They cheer Pinkie up by doing the flour trick, which is adorable. This cheers Pinkie up. She finally gets them to sleep and cleans up Sugarcube Corner. She realizes that taking care of babies is hard work and not just play. The genius of the moral comes from “our desire to accept responsibility is sometimes greater than our ability to do so”. Yes! Yes! Yes! Taking more than you can handle.
The Cakes come in, prepared to see Sugarcube Corner as a total mess, and see that everything is clean and the babies are asleep.
Carrot Cake asks Pinkie if she should be interested in being their “go-to babysitter”. At first, Pinkie declines given all the trouble. However, when she hears the babies say “Pinkie” and “Pie”. Pinkie gladly takes on the babysitting role.
I liked this episode but I can understand why those who dislike deviations from “MLP canon” would think differently. The episode does have good entertainment value. I have seen some reviews which really trash this episode – these reviewers are “strict canonists”. I don’t like deviations from canon which change the personalities of main characters. However, a deviation from canon that a baby pegasus and a baby unicorn can utilize their powers at one month old – I can buy that, at least in the sense that it doesn't ruin my enjoyment of the episode.
Rating: 8/10 [Baby Cakes was a fairly strong episode. The Cake twins were simultaneously adorable and annoying – perhaps a little too realistic as babies, well except for the whole flying/magic spiel. Pinkie Pie was top notch and you see that she does learn to become more responsible in the end. Pinkie is best pony but at times she can get a tad annoying in episodes. Not a single annoying moment from Pinkie Pie here, she was adorable. That was the Cake Twins’ job to be annoying. The beginning was also gold in terms of humor. It also had a really good moral in the end. There were enough flaws and I still can’t get over the “changing diaper with your mouth” thing that I give it an 8.]
Ranking
The Return of Harmony: 10/10
Secret of My Excess: 9/10
Winter Wrap Up: 9/10
Baby Cakes: 8/10
Putting Your Hoof Down: 7/10
One Bad Apple: 5/10
Next Up: Princess Twilight Sparkle [probably January 18, 2014, but I would love to get this in earlier if possible.]
Good review for an episode that gets a bad rap. I think this fandom just doesn't like anything that messes with established headcanons, and that means they ignore everything else. This episode always holds sentimental value to me because it was the first new episode I saw after joining the fandom.
Also that bit with Rarity, she was just being generous enough not to take on a job she knew she didn't like. It's obvious she's had her fill of looking after Sweetie Belle, and a pony like her is not exactly prime babysitter material. But I personally would've trusted Pinkie Pie more then Rainbow Dash with kids, just because Rainbow Dash is a bit more brash. Oddly enough the fandom seems to think she doesn't know the first thing about foals.
1712273
Glad to hear that you also enjoyed it!
"Baby Cakes" was a fun ride and perhaps one of the most adorable episodes ever with Pinkie and the baby Cakes. It's an underrated episode to me. A lot of people just focus on the "uh..baby unicorns can't do magic like that" and forget about everything else. But I actually liked that part, since it made the episode more entertaining and the twins really that much more overwhelming for Pinkie Pie. That part needed to happen for "Baby Cakes" to be as good as it was, in my opinion.
I guess Rarity being so quickly dismissive was meant to break the pattern when the other four of the Mane Six gave detailed excuses for not being able tot babysit.. it seemed rude but yea.. Rarity and babies,
Rarity would have broke down way before Pinkie did, just Pumpkin Cake putting one of Rarity's dresses in her mouth would have done it.
1719424 Or her having to change the Twins' diapers.
Twilight and Rarity said Baby unicorns can get magical surges. They never said how long they would last and how strong they are. Also, Rainbow Dash stated "Once he gets his going, he'll be all over the place", meaning even Pound Cake's flying is explained