Season Four Episode Review: Leap of Faith · 4:13pm Mar 30th, 2014
Alright, everybody, step right up and see the wonder of the century! That's right, it's another review of a children's cartoon by the most pathetic adult to ever think too much about it! What makes this so amazing? Why, this review is 100% fat free! That's right, free from anything like critical analysis or actual depth! No more cutting your teeth or expanding your gut on thought-provoking analyzes and substance! Only 500mg of lead per serving, so you'll never be able to update a thing again!
That's right, Applejack goes up against snake oil salesponies (again) in “Leap of Faith.”
TECHNICAL SPECS:
Season: 4
Episode: 20*
Written By: Josh Haber
First Aired: March 29, 2014
*This is episode 21 in production order.
SUMMARY:
The Apples are enjoying a nice swim at the pond, save for Granny Smith. Long ago, she was a spry young swimmer, but an incredibly dangerous high jump stunt that went wrong not only busted her body for a good while, but also left her terrified of the water. As they're on their way home, however, they find themselves suddenly in a middle of a procession of old and injured ponies, who are following the tune of a pipe organ. Like all organs, it leads to a circus tent that wasn't there before, meaning either someone put that damn token in the grave again and they need to bust out the shotguns, or there's something mysterious afoot.
Turns out the shotguns might not be a bad idea, because the tent houses the latest product from the Flim Flam Brothers. This time, they're hocking the Flim-Flam Miracle Curative Tonic, an elixir they promise will cure any ailment – which they prove by “curing” a pony on crutches – and even restore your youth. Before we can get into a painfully one-sided diatribe about immortality, however, Granny buys into the presentation and purchases a bottle. The next day, Applejack takes the opportunity to teach Apple Bloom about not believing things that sound too good to be true...until Granny suddenly turns up swimming down the river like it was nothing. And it's all thanks to that wonderful tonic!
Applejack and Apple Bloom head back to the tent that night, intent on just asking what's in the tonic...when they run into that same pony whose legs got cured last time dancing out like he was cured again. As it turns out, the tonic is indeed a sham; it's just apple juice and beet leaves. And the pony, Silver Shill, is in on the con. When she confronts the Flim-Flams, however, they not only “hypothetically” confess, but bring up another wrinkle to Applejack's righteousness: if she reveals the truth, it'll just make Granny miserable again. AJ reluctantly agrees and goes along with the lie, if only to spare Granny's feelings.
The next day, the ponies are out swimming again, and Granny is feeling so spry and confident that she agrees to enter the Ponyville Swim Meet. Applejack is just concerned for Granny's wellbeing, especially as she becomes increasingly overconfident and addicted to the tonic, but is still willing to go along and gives her blessing for Granny to enter. But then they go to buy a whole case of tonic, and the Flim-Flams use the opportunity to make Applejack into their impromptu spokespony. With everypony willing to trust somepony as honest as Applejack, their sales skyrocket.
The Swim Meet starts off fine, with Granny and Apple Bloom winning with a perfectly synchronized number. But Applejack's morals are a-tingling. The Flim-Flam Brothers are using her picture to sell a worthless tonic, and what's worse, Silver Shill is now selling the stuff at the stands. And it's all thanks to Applejack teaching him that it's okay to lie to others in order to make money. AJ finally realizes the enormity of her mistake...right as she sees that Granny, now suicidally overconfident, is ready to do that high dive that messed up her body and confidence in the first place. Fortunately, AJ uses a convenient rope to lasso her just before she makes impact. Because, you know, it worked out so wonderfully with Gwen Stacy.
Applejack angrily confronts Granny, but she continues to shill the wonders of that tonic, and the Flim-Flam Brothers encourage her to try again. But then that rainbow disease finds its latest victim, and Applejack finally fesses up to lying to everypony. Granny's sudden ability is because she regained her confidence as a placebo effect, not because of anything the tonic does. When the Brothers attempt to spin things again, Shill (once again inspired by Applejack's example) quits and reveals the truth about the elixir. He hands Applejack the first bit he ever made as a salespony and heads off to lead an honest life. The Flim-Flam Brothers make a hasty retreat, and Applejack writes in the diary about how it might hurt to tell the truth to somepony you care about, but believing a lie can be even worse.
And the bit starts glowing...
REVIEW:
This is yet another Applejack episode where the Mane 6 don't matter at all; it's all about the Apple Family and their problem. If this episode had aired in place of SSCS6K, I would have had no issue with this; after so many seasons of focusing on Applejack's family, though, it's getting tiring. Yes, Applejack is a straight pony. She needs someone silly or goofy to play off of, but are you telling me the only ponies she can interact with are her family? She's got a natural rivalry with Rainbow Dash; heck, Josh Haber tapped that same thing back in “Castle-Mania.” Perhaps you can give the fans what they apparently want and have Twilight burn Ponyville to the ground over her encyclopedia getting dog eared in the wrong spot, and AJ has to calm her down with common sense. I would say those plots require her to get off the farm, but we don't go to Sweet Apple Acres at all this episode.
AJ has gotten trapped in a box by the writing staff. You could see shades of it back in the second half of Season One, and by now it's taken over completely.
But the episode itself? Well, there's not terribly much to say that didn't also apply to SSCS6K outside of a few alterations. The Flim-Flam Brothers are no-good con artists, and while the original episode cast a bit of greyness (their machine did work, it was just their greed that made it a problem), this one makes it clear that these are legitimately horrible ponies. Once again, it's the Apples they target, only this time they manage to manipulate them into becoming their unwitting/unwilling allies. The town goes along with the obvious ruse, but mostly because Applejack gave them her approval.
I have to say that I loved how the Flim-Flam Brothers thought their scheme through this time. The initial plan is obviously to sell the fake elixir, make a bundle, and run to the next town. When Applejack confronts them (something that would normally be the ending of an episode), they use her love for her family (which they know she has from their last confrontation) to emotionally manipulate her into not only allowing the to continue, but into propagating the con among the ponies. With AJ's entire reputation now tied to the product – not to mention a beloved family member being an active user – they are in a very secure position, even compared to when they had a product that actually worked. At least now they don't have a supply problem.
One thing that wasn't handled as well was Applejack's conflict. The setup is fine, and I like the idea that AJ's stuck between wanting Granny to be happy and feeding a lie to everypony else. The problem is that the resolution is weak. Silver Shill shows up out of the blue to tell her how wonderful it is to lie to everybody, Granny nearly kills herself on a foolish stunt, and Flim and Flam (once again) get overconfident and encourage her to try the dive again. And immediately after, Silver Shill again changes his mind about lying to ponies because of Applejack. (Does the guy just have no will of his own?) I don't know how they could have improved it, but it just felt off.
Also, anyone else notice that Flim and Flam essentially escape with no repercussions? They can't sell their product in Ponyville anymore and lost their stooge, but we never see them dumping the bits they did make (and there were a lot of them) in their haste to flee, nor do we see any authorities come in to take them away. They just up and flee to the next get-rich-quick scheme. (Of course, if you include the comics into your continuity, this could be before Luna's micro, where they were left to the “tender mercies” of the ponies they ripped off.)
The episode's main stumbling point is that there's nothing standout about it. The plot is standard, the humor is there but mostly kind of meh, and the resolution is a bit rushed and kind of weak. And again, much of it is because AJ is only there to play off the family, and that dynamic is honestly getting kind of old. They're only interesting now when they interact with other ponies, like Apple Bloom with the CMC, or the comics with Big Mac wandering through town. “Pinkie Apple Pie” only worked because you A) had the family actually at each other's throats for once, and B) because Pinkie was there to break up the formula and monotony.
Again, break the damn family up.
The placebo effect is at center stage this episode, and...I honestly think it's a load of crap. There's a difference between giving someone encouragement so they'll stay alive and keep living life, and then there's lying to their face just on the off-chance that it might work. Is it real? Yes. Is it criminally misunderstood, used in incorrect ways, and can lead to someone dying because they weren't getting the treatment they actually needed? YES. And don't get me started on homeopathy.
Also – and I'm just going to throw this out there – Granny was probably drunk off her flank the entire episode. A lot of the old “snake oil” medicines were practically booze with other, less wholesome stuff thrown in.
CONCLUSION:
Lyra's appearance is adorable, the song is nice (if a little disturbing with the images), and there are a couple of nice jokes buried in there, but overall I was kind of bored by this episode. Certainly not as frustrating as AJ's instant madness in “Somepony to Watch Over Me,” but still not a particularly noteworthy episode.
Sorry, cowgirl. Guess we'll try again next time.
Next week, Rainbow Dash goes to unconventional extremes to prepare for the Wonderbolts. This will end in tears.
1966556
Fixed. Thanks.
"Only 500mg of lead per serving"
oh god....
eh i should be ok , i got some herbal supplements that help remove heavy metals from the body.....
ugh boring episode boring review -.-' .....
1966559 I do agree that there was nothing stand-out about this episode. It was a 'meh' thing, just not to a point of being... unappealing.
Thing is, I can't help but wonder if AJ is going to accidentally use that special Bit in a purchase. There goes the key! XD
1966570
Sorry I bored you.
I actually LOVED this episode. The conflict here tackled the darkest themes of the show thus far (Morality, Mortality, the pain of aging, et c.). Frankly, it seemed a little out of character for the show to delve so deeply.
I'm glad you also felt a Spider-Man allusion when Applejack lassoed Granny Smith's leg. The very moment that scene happened, all I could hear in my head was *SNAP!*
Good points all around in your review as well. Like you said, it was a "meh" episode, and a standard Applejack/Apple family romp. I also agree that the resolution with Shill felt weak; the same heel-face turn by Coco in "Rarity Takes Manhattan" (by far, the best "Key" episode thus presented IMHO) felt like a more natural progression.
1966645 Not the least thanks to Coco, who was actually a competent pony who had been led astray and made her own decision to quit and do the right thing, unlike Shill who almost seemed like he did it to escape repercussions. The episodes are almost exactly the same, except Rarity's episode is about interacting with her FRIENDS (like the show is usually about, friendship and stuff) whereas AJ's is, once again, family. Also Coco was darn cute.
As a pharmacist myself, this episode had a lot of the problems that I faced in my work as well. People buying drugs for incurable diseases, hoping against hope that this one would be different. What do you really say to them? Is it my job to say anything? Difficult stuff really.
I'm actually glad they finally brought up the whole "being honest can hurt" thing with Applejack. I agree it could've been done better, but at least they did it.
Also, this may sound kind of out of the blue... but what do you think about the idea of Granny Smith actually being killed off and the ponies having to deal with the concept of death? The higher-ups would never allow it, but if they were to handle it the same way Sesame Street handled Mr. Hooper's death, do you think it would work?
1966883 Exactly. Our boss always told us that we should just sell the stuff as fast as we could and make big money. It might seem a bit self-glorifying, but I wasn't down with that. I talked with them about their meds, health, interactions, called their doctor to clarify things, got them welfare or insurance funding, stuff like that. Never lied to them either. Well, except if it was a forged prescription and I told them there was a problem with our computers until the security came to pick them up.
1966883 Actually, I don't know about other countries but here in Malta it is ethical for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to explain the patients' ailments and medicines to said patients.
1967055 Happy to have made you happy.
1967004
...Wait, you're from Malta?
1966922
I think it could definitely work, but yeah, I don't see it happening.
1967150 Yep, in the Mediterranean.
1967103 That's true.
Everyone know each other in most localities, especially the elderly.
In recent news, Flim and flam have been hired by Konami's sales team to help them with the release of MGS5...
That's not true! This was a very well written, detailed, and thought provoking review! See if I believe what I read on the internet again!
Wile I like that in these recent AJ episodes we've been seeing more of the rest of her family outside of Apple Bloom, mostly Granny Smith, I have to agree that it feels as if the writers have painted themselves into a corner with her. By this point in the series it's starting to feel as if AJ barely has a life outside of her family even when we know that's not the case.
I'm with you on this one: we really need some AJ centric episodes that have her interacting more with either secondary characters outside her family and/or more with the main cast.
I've really got mixed feelings here, because yes I really do want to see AJ interacting with the other M6 more often, but on the other hand I do also enjoy that AJ is really the only member of the cast that has a family dynamic to work with. That family angle can really only get showcased in AJ and/or AB episodes, where as AJ's interaction with her friends can be worked into any other episode.
Having said that, the show could try to be more balanced. I'd like to see more of the other cast's family relations get the occasional spotlight. More Twilight with Shining Armor (maybe their parents as well) and/or Cadance. Also, while the show has given us a decent amount of Rarity and Sweetie, I'd be interested to see a bit more from their parents as well. Basically, my thoughts would be that maybe if the family interests stories got spread out more and let everypony get in on the act, well, then maybe AJ could be freed up to have some more variety.
1966645
You seem to have misspelled Pinkie Pride,
1966922
While that's undoubtable one of the best episodes of not just Sesame Street, but arguably all children's media, it was also the result of semi-unique circumstances. Namely that the actual actor portraying the role really did die, which sort of left them with no choice as the character had to be then be written out one way or the other. Conversely killing off Granny Smith would invariably be a conscious premeditated choice, and thus innately far more controversial. So it's not really so much an issue of convincing the execs to green-light such a script, but that the impetus is just not very likely to come up.
MLP being an animated show is less constrained by such issues because voice actors are at least in theory easier to replace without anyone noticing. Not to mention that if the actor did die it would effect a lot more than Granny Smith, seeing as it's Tabitha St. Germain -- a/k/a BEST PONY!
For further comparison consider that when none other than the great Jim Henson himself died, Kermit (as well as numerous other characters he provided the voice for) kept on going.
1967719
plus almost everypony that isn't in the mane six
1969298
She's got a couple other notable roles, like Luna and Mrs.Cake, but not much else save maybe Ditzy (who might never talk again). Anything else is either a one-off character, like Photo Finish and Suri Polomare, or a background pony (which don't necessarily get consistent voices).