I officially have a least favorite episode: "Bloom and Gloom" · 5:27am Apr 20th, 2015
I'm not happy about this. At all.
I feel the need to offer you a full disclosure: I tend to like terrible things. When I first watched the 1998 Godzilla movie, the one with Mathew Broderick, I thought it was "fun" and "enjoyable." Looking back on it, I can see how terrible it is. I've watched a lot of very entertaining reviews of it and I can completely understand its flaws... but if I watched it again right now, I would probably still enjoy it. You know how it is: It's okay to not like things. But don't be a dick about it.
In general, my response to any given episode is one of two things: I either like it a lot, or I don't really have any strong feelings about it either way. My brother has a list of episodes he actively hates, and it's always interesting to hear him discuss his reasoning. In fact, he's generally quicker to realize when something is garbage: we'll go to see a movie together. When we come out, I'll say "Well I liked it!" with a generous, simpleminded arm-pump. My brother will then proceed to go on a big tirade about every little thing that was horribly wrong about the movie we just watched.
An example: My brother and I went to watch James Cameron's Avatar in the theaters when it first came out. For some reason I'll never understand, the theater played the trailer for Avatar directly before showing us the full length movie Avatar. When we left, I asked my brother what he thought of it. He said that the trailer spoiled every single thing that happens in the movie. Have you seen the trailer for Avatar? Congratulations! You know EXACTLY how the full length movie is going to go! That's how cliched and predictable it is! There's no way I can top that. It's the best piece of artistic criticism I've ever heard in my life.
I know know what it feels like to be my brother. I'm usually pretty tolerant of things. But finally, at long last, there is an episode of MLP:FIM that I absolutely despise in every way.
Yesterday, I watched Season 5 Episode 4, "Bloom and Gloom." Gentle readers: It is not okay to like this thing. And I fully intend to be a dick about it.
I'm having trouble articulating exactly why I hate this episode so much. But the ultimate rule of writing is to use your reader's time in such a way that they don't feel it was wasted. This episode was a complete waste of my time. I hated it while I was watching it. I hated it after it was done. And worst of all, I think it's made me hate future episodes that have yet to be made.
I'll do my best to put my hate into words.
Zero Consequences.
Absolutely nothing happens in this episode. It was all a dream. It's one of the most flimsy, hackneyed, overused cliches imaginable, and yet they based an entire episode on this fundamentally flawed premise.
At the very least, they could have executed the dream sequence in a way that builds tension and creates dobut in the viewer. But never... not even for the slightest instant... did I genuinely believe that any of what happened was actually happening. Never for an instant did I believe that Apple Bloom would really end up with a cutie mark she didn't like, that her friends would really expel her from their club, or that her family would really exile their youngest child.
Every single supporting character behaved outrageously out of character, all to hammer home a preachy lesson. Worst of all, I found it utterly outrageous that Apple Bloom herself wouldn't immediately recognize such out-of-character behavior as anything but a dream sequence. It's insulting to her intelligence to think she would dream her best friends behaving in such a cruel manner, regardless of her innermost fears.
Want an episode about bizarre psychic creatures causing characters to turn on each other, and which is depicted almost entirely via backstory that isn't actually happening in the present time? Go watch Hearths Warming Eve, goddammit.
Zero Character Character Growth.
Apple Bloom learns absolutely nothing of consequence. She doesn't grown and evolve as a character. She doesn't confront anything herself. She basically has to be TOLD that everything is perfectly fine and there's nothing to be afraid of. Yet another instance of a popular, interesting, and criminally underused character showing up at the last second to wrap it all up with a shiny bow: Princess Luna shows up and simply tells her not to be afraid. And so Apple Bloom stops being afraid. Not because she actually learned something, or developed as a character, but because she was flat out instructed to.
And by the way. Remember how I earlier complained about the "it was all a dream" cliche? In the hands of a good writer, it can still be done well. Want an episode about Luna showing up in someone's dreams to help them overcome their greatest fears? Go watch Sleepless in Ponyville, goddammit.
Zero Tension.
Perhaps worst of all, this episode has ruined a lot of story ideas I was kind of looking forward to: Plots and themes I was hoping the show would eventually explore. Now, those themes and ideas are pointlessly ruined. Because guess what? No matter what, your cutie mark will be completely, 100% satisfying. You are absolutely guaranteed to get a fairytale ending!
There's tons of fics about ponies getting cutie marks they don't like... or better yet, a mark they THINK they don't like. Maybe they want a piano cutie mark because their parents are pressuring them into it, but they don't really like playing the piano. Maybe you ended up with a cutie mark that society doesn't understand, and your friends and family are intolerant about it. Maybe you have to fight against established norms and struggle to change society for the better.
NOPE! Who cares about all that crap? You're gonna be happy with your mark, goddammit, and so is everypony else! I was under the assumption that Cutie Marks were a brilliant metaphor for puberty and all the emotional conflict that comes with being a teenager. You're confused about a lot of things. You're afraid for the future. You're trapped between childhood and adulthood, and you don't know exactly what you want... and you're not even sure if you'll ever be happy with your life.
Want an episode where characters are struggling with the idea that they won't be popular, for reasons that seem to be completely beyond their control? Go watch Call of the Cutie Mark, goddammit. You know. The very first Crusader episode ever made?
The Cutie Mark Crusaders are officially Dead To Me.
My brother is not a big fan of the CMCs. He says that his least favorite episodes are the ones where they actually try to get their cutie marks. When they're just running around doing regular little girl things like hanging out with their big sisters, or trying to write stories for a newspaper, or dealing with their inner fears, or running into the woods and being attacked by a cockatrice, they're fantastic. The CMC's shine brightest when they're not actually doing CMC stuff. Their stories should be about the journey and not the destination... and now we know the destination is not only inevitable, but guaranteed to be happy and cheerful and painless.
That's why I utterly despise this episode. I hate the clumsy, hamfisted, preachy, simpleminded lesson it's trying to shove down our throats: You are absolutely guaranteed to have a happy ending, no matter what. And there is absolutely zero chance that you will misinterpret your personal feelings. You don't need to discover yourself. You don't need to embrace what makes you special and unique. You don't have to muster the courage to do what you want, instead of what your family or society is pressuring you to do. You will be loved and accepted by all, unconditionally. You have no decisions to make. No risks to take. No inner conflict to confront. Nothing you do will ever matter in the long run.
Congratulations. You're completely irellevant.
Cutie Marks did not need to be explained to us.
For me, this is the final nail in the coffin. It removes any emotional tension, any mystery, and any doubt about how or why Cutie Marks appear. It ruins everything that made them interesting. This episode proves that the official writers of the show do not understand what makes a Cutie Mark interesting and compelling. And as far as I'm concerned, they've ruined it completely.
...Remind you of anything else?
Thank goodness I accidentally watched this episode out of order.
I overlooked Season 5 Episode 3, where we see the inside of Twilight Sparkle's palace. This was a marvelous romp, where we get to see the main six characters just be friends and do friend stuff. I absolutely loved this episode... some of my favorite stories are from season one, and involve watching the characters do everyday regular things like go to the spa, race in a marathon, or throw entertaining parties for each other.
If I hadn't watched this one after Bloom and Gloom, I think I might have quit watching the show entirely. Why can't we have more of this?
You realize anytime you say these phrases, or anything like them, you automatically sound like a drama queen?
Objection. Kind of. Scoot's and Sweetie's Luna episodes were done better, no doubt, but AB's nightmare cycling through her fears wasn't all bad. I'm a sucker for being trapped in one's own mind, though, so call me biased. We had some real world consequences, too. We have the Crusaders joining up at the end and Luna giving a little speech. The flaw here, I think, is in the less than stellar execution/writing rather than the dream medium itself.
It's not really acting out-of-character if the characters aren't actually themselves, is it?
Apple Bloom is a scared kid having a nightmare. That's not the best circumstance for recognizing things that aren't quite right. Maybe if it was just the cake for breakfast thing I could be upset that she wouldn't catch on, but there's a real, visceral reaction people tend to have to their greatest fears coming true. It's not usually composed and rational thought.
I still have hope. What are adults good for if not lying to children about the harshness of growing up?
But yes. Could have been done better, but I'd hardly say it was as bad as all that.
Edit: Also potential fridge-horror.
I'm surprised you hated it this much.
I think I disagree with every thing you just said.
2998997
Personally, I love this theme. But the real horror comes from knowing you're trapped. There were hints of that, but Apple Bloom never really seemed to realize that she was dreaming: Every time she woke up, she seemed to get suckered in by the dream immediately after. If she knew she was trapped in a dream, wouldn't she be a little more suspicious when her friends and family ruthlessly disown her?
You could certainly make the argument that some dreams can feel incredibly real no matter how ridiculous or bizarre they may be (Edit: this is what they do in Sleepless in Ponyville, and it works well). But if you're going to use that as a plot device in a story, you also have to fool the viewer into thinking it's real. Applebloom may be scared, but I'm certainly not. For me, the episode fails utterly on that point. I never believed it for an instant.
Wait. What? Sure it happened in the dream, but Luna's speech didn't affect anything in the real world. That's the opposite of a consequence.
I can understand this completely. I remember having a terrible nightmare as a child, and I remember feeling completely out of control of my own feelings. I didn't understand why I was scared. It was an irrational fear that I couldn't explain.
But the writer's job is to evoke that same feeling in the viewer. Apple Bloom was scared. I, as a viewer, was not.
I dunno... I feel like it's just a really mediocre episode, with one specific element that just happens to drive me crazy.
2999009
So am I! Seriously, Velvet... I don't really know why I hate it so much. And the fact that I loved "Sleepless in Ponyville" and "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils" confuses me even more. There's a lot of striking similarities between all these episodes, but this is the only one I find offensive.
2999027
So you think "Castle Sweet Castle" was a bad episode?
Please, tell me why I'm wrong. I don't want to hate this episode. I don't want to hate any of them. If there's something I'm missing here, something that might change my mind, I'd really like to hear it.
I actually drew the opposite conclusion, especially with AJ's "seriously, go to sleep" in the beginning of the episode. AJ's explanation, Princess Luna's explanation, and even the CMC's wrap-up at the end did not strike me as a midi-chlorian explanation. Rather, it struck me as one of positive thinking. You won't end up with a cutie mark that you hate, because you know what makes you special, and so you, Apple Bloom, will have a cutie mark that you like. But I still left with the vibe that some ponies do end up unhappy with their marks.
Granted, while that interpretation saves the concept of cutie marks, it doesn't save the episode. Since the question is deliberately dodged, and AB simply being told to stay positive, many of your other arguments here still hold.
2999106
...I really hope this is true. I might have to watch the episode again with this in mind.
Sounds like your biggest problem is that you are interpreting authority figures and family reassuring a small child as the one true gospel. I'm not saying it's a great episode, but I didn't anything concrete about cutie marks from this episode. Lemme use a hyperbolic analogy here:
Apple Bloom: I had a nightmare. The future could be horrible, what if things go wrong?!
Applejack: Don't worry little sis, it was just a nightmare. The future won't be horrible and everything will be fine.
You: I hate this episode, it made it clear that no conflict will ever happen again!
...sometimes I use too much hyperbole because I like using exclamation marks too much. I found it to be a bland stay positive moral that almost every CMC episode turns out to be.
2999181
It's... but... she...
Luna. Princess Luna. She is essentially the religious figurehead of dreams and nightmares. What she says on the subject is literally gospel!
What are you suggesting? That Luna was mistaken, or that she deliberately lied? I am so confused.
Okay, let's take this a point at a time.
1. Zero Consequences.
You're viewing this from the perspective of a rational adult whose lived through such experiences and knows that something so small wouldn't destroy your friendships. Ten-year-olds don't have your wisdom. To them, this is a real concern. I can remember a few times in my younger days when I was certain that not having the same 'home room' in school as my friends would mean we wouldn't be friends anymore.
Also, nothing in a dream is questionable until after it is over (or in this case, Luna intervenes)
2. Zero Character Character Growth.
This ties right into the first point. Apple Bloom does have character growth. That's what the entire episode is about. She realizes that her fears are childish and grows a little old and a little wiser. So she wasn't able to figure it out on her own, that's hardly surprising. Not everyone will make the connections on their own, and sometimes it is necessary to intervene and teach them long before they would so as to prevent unnecessary suffering.
3. Zero Tension.
This has always amazed me: how people fail to understand what a cutie mark means and how it is found. (One of the reasons I like this episode.) The entire point of cutie marks is that it appears when you find that one thing that makes you happy. Yes, EVERYONE IS HAPPY WITH THEIR CUTIE MARK. If they weren't, it never would have manifested. It shows up in a moment of pure understanding that 'This is what I want to do with my life.' That's what it has always been. Go watch the old episodes about cutie marks and you'll see what I mean.
4. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are officially Dead To Me.
This seems hopelessly bound up in the other points, so I'm just not going to bother trying to untangle it. Sorry.
5. Cutie Marks did not need to be explained to us.
See point 3.
Your problem isn't the episode, it's that you have failed to grasp what cutie marks have been from the day the show aired. You built up a headcanon completely divergent from what was presented in the show, and now that they have explained things in such plain terms... well, I don't know what to tell you. Either you accept it and shift your beliefs and expectations or... well... you don't, I guess.
For me, the episode went completely as expected. My expectations were met and my views unchallenged, so I enjoyed it. Not my favorite episode, but there have been plenty worse ones.
I don't know what else to say.
I enjoyed reading your review, but I'll need to rewatch the episode before I can decide how much of it I agree with, and I don't feel like doing that at the moment. Seems like everyone else has the debate thing covered anyway, so I'll just mention that I watched your link of the not liking things song once, just ONCE, and that was enough for it to embed itself in my brain and it won't stop repeating itself and its been HOURS$@#!$!@!@3
2999194
Somewhere between a white lie, and a simplification for a child. Continuing 2999181 's analogy, let's say Luna backed up AJ: "The future will not suck." On its own, that statement is baseless conjecture. Luna would not be citing a universal law, nor would she herself be able to guarantee a result, since she's not omnipotent. Does that mean Luna would be lying? No, of course not. She has thousands of years of experience to draw upon. She understands the nature of ponies, and of politics, and apparently of helping young colts and fillies through their woes in dreams. If you asked Princess Luna to explain to you, an awake adult, why you should remain optimistic about the future, she could probably rattle off some geopolitical context, some advice about what true happiness means, some anecdotes for comparison sake, etc in order to persuade you. But that's not what happened; she was explaining to a filly, in a dream, in the conclusion of a 22-minute time block. So my interpretation was an appeal to authority, "Trust me, kiddo. I'm a princess." It certainly wasn't helping AB to reach this conclusion on her own, since the majority of the episode was devoted to AB's fear, with only the tail end being about Luna invalidating that fear.
In fairness, in my own blogpost I'm getting disagreement on the point, effectively tantamount to you and I taking ponies too literally at their word. By their arguments (I remain skeptical :P), a cutie mark is purely a symbol, not a magical manifestation.
So in episodes like MMC, Starswirl's spell is altering the pony themselves and their interests, but not the cutie mark directly since that's not the source of their interests. Rather, the cutie mark updates to reflect the changed essence of the pony. I'm not certain this alternate theory holds up to the S5 opener, but I haven't had enough time to ponder yet :P
2999194
I'm saying that the things you say to reassure a frightened child are different than objectively explaining physics to an interested college student.
Also, even if she's the expert on dreams and nightmares, that doesn't mean her word is the gospel on cutie marks.