Doctor Perseus Reviews: "Slice of Life" *SPOILERS* · 7:37pm Jun 13th, 2015
In this week's 100th episode of MLP, Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda are excited for their wedding. However, due to a few mistakes, the wedding date has been set a day early. Now everypony in town is frantically trying to get ready for the wedding. Meanwhile, the Mane 6 face off against an attacking monster...
Now...what exactly did I think of this episode? Well...let's see...hmm...
Yeah. That pretty much sums it up.
There is just so much to love about this episode. The whole thing felt like a heartfelt tribute to not only the fandom but to the characters the show has given us, the show's quirks, and even the town of Ponyville itself.
The wedding for Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda was the perfect set-up for an episode like this. Plans for a wedding going awry are nothing new in television but, at always, it all comes down to execution. It's a simple premise which gives a believable excuse to show us all of the various background and supporting characters. Besides, it was nice to see the couple after so long. The closest we've got to a reappearance by them in the past was when the human equivalent of Cranky appeared in one of the Rainbow Rocks prequel shorts. It was incredibly satisfying to see them get married in the end after such an eventful day.
But after that...dang...where to start? Well I guess I better start with the obvious thing you guys should know made my head explode: DOCTOR WHOOVES IS CANON!!! Okay, granted, not completely. But what we got was far more than I ever expected the show to delve into. He's called "Doc" (though there is an obvious moment where Derpy was cut off from calling him "Doctor"), he's close friends with Derpy, he has a love for science, he has a catchphrase (Great Wakering Stallions!), he has a lab which has an eerily similar style to a TARDIS console room, and he has a British accent (or would it technically be a Trottingham accent in this world?). Of course, the moment involving him which made my mind up and explode was when he came to the wedding wearing the Fourth Doctor's scarf and went on to shout, "Allons-y!" I never expected the show to reference Doctor Who like that. I thought it would never get any more obvious than when we saw Doctor Whooves wearing 3-D glasses and walking with Roseluck last season but this obviously takes the cake! One curious thing about him was when he mentioned having a traumatic experience when he was younger, which is what led to his love for science. I think it's clear that the writers left this tidbit vague on purpose. Fanfic writers to the ready!
And, of course, it was great to see and hear Derpy again. I was surprised to see how much of a role she played in the episode. She got a lot of moments focused on her and I'm glad she did. Her mistake with the invitations was a believable instigator for the conflict and she was the perfect pony to get this episode's conflict up and running. That probably sounds bad with me complimenting a character on how they can start a conflict. I guess what I'm trying to say is that they used Derpy incredibly well here.
Moving on, it was great seeing Octavia get an official British (Trottingham?) voice. And, of course, it was even greater to see that she and Vinyl are now canon roommates. While I was a bit disappointed that Vinyl didn't get any dialogue in the episode, she still had plenty of awesome and fun moments. From her being completely deaf to Doc's pleas to her Lindsay Stirling session with Octavia to the completely fangasmic scene of her and Octavia riding through Ponyville on her mobile DJ station. I'm assuming that's supposed to be pony Vinyl's equivalent of human Vinyl's car in Rainbow Rocks.
Next up, the Lyra and Bon-Bon shipping was out of control here! Even more so than it was in Rainbow Rocks! Wow, I'm referencing Rainbow Rocks quite a lot in this review. Anyway, it was great seeing Lyra and Bon-Bon get some focus. Of course, the biggest thing to come from this was the reveal that Bon-Bon is really Secret Agent Sweetie Drops from an old monster hunting organization in Canterlot. Thankfully, Lyra and Bon-Bon's/Sweetie Drops's romance friendship was able to move past this reveal. Oh and we got to see Lyra sitting like a human again. Nice! 
The appearance of Steven Magnet (and canon confirmation of his name) was something I definitely didn't see coming and I loved his conversation with Matilda. It's also interesting to know that he's apparently close friends with Cranky. Huh. There's some interesting fanfic potential for ya. I also liked how we got a reference to the premiere with Steven cutting his mustache to give Cranky some hair for the wedding. It was a nice subtle reference showing how he learned from the generosity Rarity showed him.
Wow. There are still a whole bunch of other characters to talk about. I guess I better run through them. I don't want this review to stretch on into eternity because I'm sure it's entirely possible to write an essay examining every aspect of this episode.
The Big Lebowski ponies were a fun addition and it was entertaining to see them interact with Doc. Gummy's inner monologue was also probably one of the most awesome WTF moments in the show period. The whole scene with all of the background ponies riding Vinyl's mobile DJ station was a ton of fun. The writers and animators were clearly having a lot of fun with this episode. The bit with Lily, Roseluck, and Daisy was a nice parody of their past appearances. It was great to see Celestia and Luna bicker and actually act like normal sisters. We've always seen them act so regally in the past. It was a welcome change to see them be like normal ponies. We've slowly seen them start to loosen up in recent episodes and I hope this trend continues. It was also nice seeing Shining Armor and Cadance again. It was funny learning that Shining Armor cries like a baby at weddings. Sparkler being the best organizer in Ponyville before Twilight was also an interesting tidbit. Oh and we learned that Mayor Mare still has a job after Twilight became the Princess of Friendship. That's nice to know.
Obviously, this episode had a ton of references and great moments. The reappearance of Discord's Princess Twilight staff, Sweetie Belle's meta comment about a friendship problem wrapping up in a half hour or so, and pretty much all of the character moments I mentioned previously.
Huh...that reminds me. I haven't talked about the Mane 6 or the Bugbear yet. The Bugbear had an interesting design and a clearly interesting origin story with Bon-Bon/Sweetie Drops. I am a bit disappointed that we didn't see how it was defeated. In regards to the Mane 6, I didn't mind them taking a back seat for the episode. This episode was for the background characters the fandom has celebrated. Heck, the moment where Derpy unknowingly slammed and locked the door in the Mane 6's faces was a pretty resounding remark that this episode wasn't about them. It was about everypony else. Thankfully, they did get a little bit of focus at the very end with Twilight saying how lucky they are to be in Ponyville as well as a funny bit with Twilight accidentally hugging Rainbow Dash in the spot where she was bitten.
I have a feeling that some people may not like how the episode pushed the Mane 6 into the background given how this is the 100th episode of the show, which is meant to celebrate MLP as a whole. For me, it succeeded in that task and surpassed it. Yes, the Mane 6 were in the background but there actually is a celebration of their involvement in this series. It's called the previous 99 episodes. This was an episode made for the fans. Without us, the show would most likely have never been as popular or successful as it is today. Without us, the show may have ended after only one or two seasons. But here we are in Season 5 and at Episode 100. This episode exceeded my expectations with flying colors. It gave focus to a lot of well-loved fandom characters. It added more lore to the world and further developed some select characters. It was a huge thank you to us the fans who helped give these characters personalities and life through our own headcanons and fan tributes. It was a tribute to the quirks and traditions this show has. It even managed to pay tribute to the town of Ponyville itself: the settlement that has been with us and the Mane 6 since Episode 1. In my opinion, this was the perfect celebration of 100 episodes of MLP.
Overall, I obviously adored Slice of Life. Awesome character moments, great meta humor and references, and an overall satisfying and heartfelt tribute to both this crazy show about magical technicolor ponies and the fans who continue to watch and celebrate them. This episode will easily be one of my Season 5 favorites. Hell, it's already one of my favorite episodes of this show period. Favorite episode of all time? Only time and a few more re-watches will tell...
Next week, MLP returns to the status quo with Princess Spike!
When Spike is tasked in making sure nothing disturbs Princess Twilight, the power goes to his head and he begins making important decisions in her name, with disastrous results.
Poor Spike. His first Season 5 episode has to follow in the shadow of this episode. Still looking forward to it!
What did the rest of you think of Slice of Life?
i like it
Oddly enough, one of my fanfics features
SparklerAmethyst Star as just about the exact same character as seen here, even to the point of Twilight leaving her in charge of Atlantis while elsewhere. Go figure.Overall, I loved just about everything about this episode, with a few minor...not so loves. 1) The total all-outness that the "jam session" went to and leading into the whole ride through town on the speakers seemed just a taaaaaad much. 2) I guess you could call me a heartless person, but the only reason I'd understand crying at weddings is after you've been stuck in your seat for an hour of nothing happening. And 3) Not so much a non-love, just a non-understand: who the heck invited the changeling to the wedding? As in, who even knew the changeling in the first place to pass an invitation to him.../her/it?
On a side note, I've finally figured it out. Don't you see? We've been making the wrong assumption about Doctor Whooves all along. He isn't David Tennant's Doctor. Him (seemingly) being a normal pony, being obsessed with science, the crazy inventions and personality, having everything located around the walls of the room instead of in a central console. Doctor Whooves is confirmed for Peter Cushing's Doctor, from the "Doctor Who and the Daleks" movies!
3146349
I can understand how that part of the episode can be a bit much for some people. Obviously, I loved it due to the all out-craziness of it all. The animators were having a lot of fun and were really self-aware of the fan pandering they were creating. Heck, Vinyl and Octavia literally jumped a shark!
4.bp.blogspot.com/-nN1jtb1Qw4s/VXHnL6qjvLI/AAAAAAAAHNY/pLD-l6aWYEs/s1600/jumped%2Bthe%2Bshark.PNG
Some people just get caught up in the emotion of an event like that. It added a bit more meat to Shining's character. It made me think of how he was portrayed in the comic arc Neigh Everything.
That's probably one of those moments you have to turn your brain off for. I saw it as a funny little reference to A Canterlot Wedding. Can't have a wedding in MLP without Changelings! At least that's better than weddings in Game of Thrones.
An interesting deduction. As much of a Whovian I am, I've yet to see the Peter Cushing films. Probably due to the fact that they're non-canon in relation to the official show's canon.
No, it's 'Wakering' as in Great Wakering Stallions. It's a very little used English term for the panic that one feels when they don't know what to take with them to read while in the bathroom
3146349 Obviously either Pinkie or Derpy sent it out. I could readily believe that either one of them went so far as to send one to Chrysalis, who promptly threw it out, only for a random changeling to find it and decide to attend.
3146487
Fixed! Thanks for that tidbit. At first I thought it was "whickering" then someone else said "wiggling". That was one area where the accent threw me off a bit obviously.
3146601 Yeah, English colloquialisms are sometimes worse than American slang terms, and sometimes harder to understand when spoken. All languages are weird.
3146487 That's an actual thing.
My mind is blown!
How did we pretty much write the same review without any prior consultation? See for yourself in my own review blog.
I'm going to need some ice for that burn.
3146601
Heh. I initially thought it was 'Withering'.
--Sollace
You know, some fans have made head canons that the reason for Shining Armor's crying is because of PTSD from his own wedding. If this is true, then I'd say this probably the closest we'll ever get to seeing SA express remorse for the way he dismissed Twilight at the end of A Canterlot Wedding, pt. 1.