Episode Review: Somepony to Watch Over Me. · 12:47am Mar 14th, 2014
No news, just review after the break.
Usually when doing these reviews, I have no problem establishing my feelings after two or three views, but with this one... Sometimes, I feel we have been spoiled a little bit this season. So far, we have had three new major writers on to the show staff, with more to come in the future. So far, they have all done an adequate or great job with their first episodes. It only stands to reason that one of them would hit a flub with their first one. The only question that remains is if it is Scott Sonneborn or not. Well? Let's get into the story, shall we?
This pie cart reminds me of an Anime character. Hmm... *Ignored avatar while saying this*
Somepony to Watch Over Me begins with Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Schootaloo waiting anxiously outside of a door in the Apple's house. The door opens and Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applejack step outside and say that they have all agreed that the smallest Apple is now old enough to be left alone at home for an afternoon. Remember this, it'll be important later. The girls keep their composure until out of sight and celebrate their friend's new extent of freedom. After the opener, we see the older siblings getting ready to make a dangerous pie delivery (how dangerous can pie be?) as Applebloom helps them. Naturally, Applejack is a little worried about leaving her alone, but she is respectful of their unanimous decision... better remember that too. She gives her sister a list of chores to do while they are out and, for a while, everything goes off without a hitch. But this is ponies and since WHEN does EVERYTHING go off without a hitch?
After about five or ten minutes on the road, Appplejack begins to let her worries get the best of her despite Mac's calm and well expressed silence that she is doing just fine. (Sometimes I wish I can voice over this stuff so you can understand my sarcastic inflection, but alas.) Back on the homestead, Applebloom has accomplished her objectives in record time and is just beginning to enjoy herself when, surprise, surprise, Applejack comes in and startles her, making her fall and cause a mess, thus INSTANTLY justifying AJ's paranoia, which I might add is growing at an alarming rate. For instance, one cold soup spill later, AJ is proclaiming she will NEVER leave Bloom alone EVER AGAIN. -_- *Sigh* I thought we covered this lesson, say, LAST EPISODE!!! Alas, I digress. Dictator Applejack rears her ugly head again as she goes to comical extremes to ensure that everything is baby child Applebloom-proofed, even the poor filly herself with helmets. Yes. Plural helmets. Huzzah, the helmets have been DOUBLED, etc, etc.
Naturally, Bloom runs out of patience and plans to get her sister off of her back by doing the job she abandoned all by herself! With Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo running distraction, she gets out of the house as the other pretend to sleep and actually FOOL her for hours on-end before a sleeping Sweetie and a cheering Scoot give them away and drive the paranoia to 11. Seriously, what's so dangerous about pi- Wait. A fire swamp? o.o A little reminiscent of The Princess Bride but oka- holy halibut! Is that a traditional depiction of a Chimera!? Okay, all that stuff makes sense now... well, the items AJ listed anyway. Turns out the Chimera is only interested in the pie... and pony flesh, but otherwise it has it's own sister issues that parallel Bloom's, but it's never explored. AJ arrives, kicks flank, takes names... and says Applebloom is old enough to be on her own for an afternoon... because she saved... the pies. *Eye twitch* Okay... So they deliver them to their destination and NOTHING is learned that day, the end.
Remember, everypony: safety first! =D
Before the bitching begins, let's talk about the Chimera for a spell. I really liked the design, the voices and the subtle little references to The Jungle Book and another one for Star Wars. Still, I don't like how they pulled a Josh Haber's Star Spiders with the fact that Bloom and Chimera had sisterly woes in common. It probably would not have helped her, but at least it would not have gone completely unmentioned in favour of AJ getting a badass moment. I'd have rather left the disharmony be implied as it was than bring it to the open just to ignore it. nest thing I want to bring up is, you guessed it, Applejack.
To eliminate a massive argument (and probably make another one) I am just going to say that Scott Sonneborn doesn't know Applejack and can't write her. I feel he tried to make her interesting by exaggerating an aspect of her personality, but fell flat because he sacrificed her BRAIN in order to do it. Heck, he doesn't even have her PUNISH Bloom for running away and creating the sub-message that disobeying your elders has no consequence. So... while it does not redeem the episode, it makes it more bearable to think that most of the complaints came from misinterpreting a character. I can forgive the over-protectiveness of AJ, just not to this extreme. I mean, last week, it was established that AJ remembers when her sister was BORN. That means she remembers FOR SURE the day that their parents died.
Next on Animal Planet: We observe the Chimera in it's natural habitat.
Some people might criticize Mac for not stopping AJ, but I can forgive him here since I doubt he thought she would go to such bats*it crazy extremes and only pop in on her without Applebloom noticing. I also liked the fact that the Apples have an ENTIRE closet dedicated to just hats and bows, though it kind of kills my headcanon of AJ's stetson being a relic of her ma/pa's. =/ Oh, and Applebloom was adorable when she licked the soup off of herself. x3 And I can't forget that 'Bloom CALLS OUT AJ like a normal kid her age WOULD when they have been slighted by a sibling. Not to mention AJ being a badass. There was also the best song in the series! Why? Because they stopped it before it could start! (Doh-ho-ho-ho-ho) But seriously, that was a nice little subversion there. Cajun ponies for the win; I think it was supposed to be... New Horseleans? (Or however you try to spell it) Oh and obligatory Chimera and Smarty Pants cameo space here.
Now, what didn't I like? There wasn't a lot to it, but they were big ones, at that. For instance, while Applejack served as a decent antagonist (beside the Chimera, of course) it was done while sacrificing a fair bit of her grounded common sense and intelligence to facilitate the conflict and if you know me, that's one of my buttons. I also did not like how the parallel between the Chimera and Applebloom was brought up, but never expanded upon. Still, all that does not compare to the fact that Applebloom put her life in mortal danger when she knew it was a dangerous job (even if she was not told why, which I disagree with) and got away without so much as a slap on the wrist... er... fetlock? At least it's implied that Granny Smith will ground her. So... I'm not sure what to do with this anymore... let's just move on. Oh, right! I HATED how the phrase "watch/ing over me/you" is used. It's just... irritating to me!
Through the fire and flames, we'll carry on!
So, how does this fare on the old, most dastardly of ranking systems? Well, if you were to dump me in the fire swamps with ten hungry Chimera, I suppose I would have to hand this episode 72/100. Despite a flawed Applejack, everyone else was done right and the humour helped prop up the episode against some of its weaker elements. It also added two new locations and a new species to Equestrian canon, so that helps it out a little bit more. Depending on your tolerance to such things, this is a very hit-or-miss episode. I'd watch it again in a marathon with season 4, but I can't see myself watching it just for what it is.
Next week, Pinkie is excited that her sister is coming to town and wants all of her friends to meet them. But, their expectations are not quite in line with reality as they find she is different than Pinkie has told them. Is there more to Maud Pie than meets the eye? Until then, this is Ciroton saying, "Every move you make, every breath you take, I'll be watching you!"
That's right. Ah'll be watchin' you. Forever and ever an' ever. >=D
*Reads screenshot captions*
Are you referencing Dragonforce?
a.pomf.se/hkbmav.gif
BAD CIROTON! We'll have none of that here!
On topic: I agree with you about AJ in this episode, she came off as just... way too clingy, very OoC in general and just plain not AJ. It was cringe-worthy, it really was. I hope this week's ep shapes up better.
Let's be fair. AJ was over the top here, but aside from how important a family is to a Southern-styled clan, and the fact that AJ lost her parents at a young age and basically took over the family despite being the second youngest in it.
Her little sister set loose a tyrannical god of chaos into the world by getting out of AJ's sights for a few hours.
Now, just my thinking. But if it were me. That little yellow plot wouldn't step hoof off the property without an escort. As much as for her protection (cockatrice...) as everyone else's (Discord).
In all seriousness though, I welcome an AJ who is overprotective of Applebloom. But they did it wrong here. Rather than a pall of fear and anxiety over AJ at the thought of AB getting hurt or worse without having someone there to help her, she's practically happy and manic about it. Like she's just SO happy to be there doing all this extra stuff. I could see if they made note that she was only like that when in front of AB. Like she'd close the door and then adopt a more... appropriate countenance of paranoid panic before immediately rushing back in to check on her. From what we can tell, AJ probably did practically raise AB, along with Granny and Mac.
Basically, I get what the writer was going for. But they missed what makes that kind of theme work. The counterbalance, the unspoken explanation. Essentially, by making AJ's overprotectiveness the core hurdle of the episode, WHILE trying to make it the butt of a self-contained joke and humorous really tanked it.
I don't want to be That Guy but I think we're looking at a problem Jeff Foxworthy noticed. As I recall, he stated that a lot of people shave off about twenty or thirty IQ points off a person when that person has a Southern accent. That's why Colbert did his damnedest to speak like a Yankee when he grew up talking like Andy Griffith.
How typical of Applejack, no?
Still, I have to agree with the negative bits of your review here. It's just sad how Scott portrayed the most dependable, most level-headed, and most grounded (is this the right word?) of the 6.
Sisterly love can go different ways, more so when the older sister has to be a mother for the younger one, but come on! Just a little bit of trust? AB's not a foal anymore. At least I don't think she is, and she said so herself. 
On the other hoof, considering how many moons have passed between Apple Family Reunions (TM) in S1 and S3, she and the rest of the CMC should probably be young-adult mares by now.
yep simialr notes. watching it again i found myself enjoying it more, though aj........... i am a stickler for characterization. also for the narrative to serve its purpose to the characters and the character not serving the narrative. the writer made aj more than a little batshit, twisting her character to work the narrative rather than building the story around her. mlp is normally good at making sure that the narrative acts as it should; characterization's bitch.
however i think it could have been improved if we had a quiet moment or so. we put a grime implicatoin behind her actions, a fear. considering we nearly had a chimera eat applebloom i would say they could.
ponies must be tough sunovabitches to survive in that world without cosntant casualites.
everything else i enjoyed. the chimera, the fire swamp, applejack badassitude. still her beahvior draged it down, thoguh i found it funny.
............ actually no she did not get out of it, applebloom, just was not shown there. she basically told applebloom that the moment Granny learned about it, her ass was grass.