What I Thought About "Swarm of the Century" · 7:48am Aug 24th, 2015
Episode Review
I have mixed feelings, going into this one. I can't really remember my initial impressions of the episode, only later thoughts about how flawed and derivative it was. Guess I'll see how I feel about it now.
The first thing I noticed was the background music. Throughout the episode, I think William Anderson did a good job on that.
Hmm. Fluttershy is doing more stuff for a visit from royalty. Does she do that a lot? Why her? I could understand her being needed for the Summer Sun Celebration because she has that bird chorus, but picking flowers? Maybe she just wanted to help out in a way that didn't require her to be around other ponies very much. I can understand that.
This episode has one of the only times I can recall Dash ever showing affection. She really liked that parasprite she picked out. Like, for real. She was even kissing it. Not so enamored when there were a ton of them in her bed, though. I wonder if that says anything about her...
Man, that gag where Spike's eyes are parasprites... that gets me every time. And hey, in Twilight's imagine spot, it really sounds like the parasprites are eating Princess Celestia. Flesh-eating locusts. Pretty horrifying.
"I'll cast a spell to make them stop eating all the food."
Uh, why didn't you do that in the first place? Just didn't think of it, I guess? Either she has a spell for everything and just doesn't remember all the time, or she just happens to have a very particular array of convenient spells at the right times. Either way, this moment always felt cheap to me. At least it didn't just wipe away the problem like it was nothing. She did later seem to use a variation of the spell on the vampire fruit bats, so at least the element stuck around. And I must admit that I always thought that the parasprites eating the words out of books was a neat idea.
But that spell has some weird implications. Like, if a bunch of ponies were starving, could somepony just cast that spell so they could eat stuff that is normally inedible? If so, maybe this spell was developed during some sort of famine, maybe even back during that Wendigo winter. They made the spell so they could digest other stuff, but it wasn't enough because buckets and clothing don't have enough nutritional value. Or something like that.
Okay, we've thrashed about the shrub for long enough. Let's talk about what everyone always likes to point out: the severe lack of communication. Some people say that this episode is broken because Pinkie never tried to explain herself to the others, and then Twi says she should have listened to what Pinkie wasn't saying. For a while, I bought that and moved on. Watching it again, though, I don't think it's that simple.
Pinkie seems to assume that everypony else already knows why she's going around gathering instruments. She treats it like it's obvious. Why is that? Is it her typical obliviousness, or are parasprites just a well-known thing where she's from?
"Pinkie ruined their tornado," people say. Well, yeah, but not on purpose. Besides, who would expect a heavy pair of low-drag cymbals to get sucked in, but not Pinkie? Especially when it was pulling on other ponies? But that's a minor issue. What that leads to, however, I think is more important.
When the others accuse Pinkie of being a ruiner, Pinkie seems genuinely confused. It is at this point that she seems to be coming to a realization: the others have no idea what she's doing. She assumed wrong. This seems to be when she actually does seem to want to explain, but the others leave her behind as she shouts that they should listen to her. Why not run after them and keep trying? Why doesn't she tell them later? The closest she comes is telling Rarity, "I'll save you," right before she grabs a flute-like implement (a weapon against the enemy). So why doesn't she try harder?
Because they treat her like an idiot. They often do. Look at the times they've tried to fool Pinkie. Rarity says she needs to wash her hair, so she dips it in a trash can right in front of Pinkie to make it true. That's from a later episode, but still. Even in this one, Applejack says, "There's no reasonin' with that one. She's a few apples short of a bushel." Perhaps Pinkie didn't bother trying to explain herself because she figured they wouldn't listen anyway, after that.
Then we have Twilight taking a trip to Zecora, who says that it's a parasprite. Strangely, this doesn't trigger anything in Twilight's head, even though she already heard Pinkie use that exact term. Twi even questioned the term when Pinkie said it, but bookpony doesn't remember. I kinda feel like this was a missed opportunity. If she had had a little moment of revelation and remembered, she might have gone back and gotten the others to help Pinkie. I feel like that might have ended up going a little better, along with some tweaks to the final moments. On that note...
"I tried to tell you."
Not much, Pinkie. Not much. You made a tiny, weak attempt and told Rarity you were saving her, and that's it.
So, is this episode broken? Probably, though I think it might not be as bad as many make it out to be. One of the big events in this episode would seem to be the others realizing that Pinkie doesn't just spew nonsense all the time. In context, I think this actually works. They ignore Pinkie and assume she's just nuts, while Pinkie continues her quest and assumes that the others will trust her. But she isn't nuts, and they don't pay her any mind. So yeah, I think I'd plop more blame on the other five over Pinkie, because they made no attempt at all to find out what Pinkie was doing. They just assumed she was being a dummy and ignored her. I don't think we'd seen Pinkie with such single-minded determination before, so it wouldn't have been unreasonable to go, "Hey, what's up with Pinkie? Does she know something we don't?" Even a broken clock is right twice a day (or once if it's a twenty-four-hour clock (or never if it's not analog)).
I'd give it a 6/10. It was okay. Not great, but I don't think it's the atrocity that some claim it to be. More cracked than full-on broken, but I may be totally off the mark, here. Perhaps I'm missing something. It's also totally derivative, but truly original stuff is hard to find, these days.
Plus, I just have to give it some bonus points for the insane amount of awesome expressions packed into the last few minutes alone:
P.S.: Do you like it when I include pictures? I like it when I include pictures. I think I wanna include pictures.
It was okay, though some things could definitely use some clearing.
Say, out of curiosity, what's your least favourite episode?
Include pictures.
3343013
Appleloosa's Most Wanted, for spitting in the face of everything we've ever been told about cutie marks.
What's yours?
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I still want someone to write an AU in which show continues normally from that moment...
3343021 Actually, I have a theory as to how what Appleoosa's Most Wanted works perfectly with what we know about Cutie Marks. Would you like to know what it is?
3343058
I suspect that Skeleton Twilight will have trouble flying after getting her bone wings.
3343133
I would love to hear that, yes.
3343158 All right:
Cutie Marks are representative of what a pony is meant to do in life. However, the design of a pony's mark can sometimes make it hard to tell what that pony's talent really is.
Troubleshoes said that he got his Cutie Mark when he realized that he was meant to entertain ponies.
However, due to the ambiguity of the mark, since the only obvious interpretation of an upside-down horseshoe is, well, playing horseshoes, it wasn't clear how he was supposed to do that.
And since no one else was willing to help him out until the CMC came along, it would make sense that he would be unsure as to what to do.
3343158
Plot twist: Skeleton Twilight is better at flying that regular Twilight. No one knows why. Bonus points for Scootaloo getting angsty over it.
3343186
Excuse me while I pick that apart.
Even if it's something they don't want to do? The dude never showed any interest in being a rodeo clown before. He even said, "I may be dressed like one, but I ain't no rodeo clown." It would certainly appear that he didn't want to be a clown. This directly goes against the messages delivered by Princess Luna herself in Bloom and Gloom just two episodes before. According to that episode, ponies don't get marks for things they don't want because the mark is for who they are. The point of that episode was teaching Apple Bloom not to worry, because she wouldn't get a mark that was for something she didn't like.
No argument there. Some marks are pretty weird.
He got his mark while trying out for rodeo school, and he said he knew "it" was what he was meant to do. Nopony was being entertained while he was doing it. The judges even looked bored. They only started laughing after he got his mark and screwed up. This defies the long-standing idea that you'll get your mark when you know what you're supposed to do. It's a moment of revelation. His moment of revelation was unrelated to his mark. Mixing this with the previous point, he didn't want to be that sort of entertainer until the CMC shoved him into it. Then he was happy. Based on prior information about cutie marks, that was the moment when his mark should have appeared, not when he was doing something that wasn't entertaining anypony. He may enjoy being a clown now, but he didn't when his mark appeared. Having him be an old blank flank would fix all of this, actually.
True. I wouldn't know what that meant, either. But...
The third big thing I can bring up is that he's clumsy. Super clumsy. Anybody in the world of professional stunts, rodeo clowns included, cannot be clumsy. It takes a lot of coordination to pretend to be a klutz without getting yourself hurt. He's not suited to clowning, either. His mark really does seem to be for bad luck, and he got it for no reason. It's like there's some Cutie Mark God who just got tired and slapped it on him.
This is the big one: it defies all the lore we've gotten on marks. According to the lore, getting a mark you don't understand should be impossible, because understanding yourself is the key to getting a mark. It contradicts the core concept of cutie marks itself.
If you think you can convince me, you're welcome to continue to rebut me. I'd be happy to be proven wrong and able to work this episode into my theories on how Equestria works, because right now, it derails a ton of stuff and I can't integrate it.
3343340
Would skeletons have more or less aerodynamic drag? Wow, that's a question I never thought I'd ask.
I'm not sure. Like, would the be more or less surface area than with skin?
3343425
Well, there's still a problem of lack of any wing area. But somehow, I don't think it's the weirdest thing about animated skeletons.
3343417 I have fun debating about episodes, so sure, I'll keep going:
He only said that he wasn't a rodeo clown due to being depressed about his life at the moment. Once he actually tried being one, he started to have fun and enjoy being one. So, I'd say that's a good indicator that at least part of him always wanted to be one.
This might come down to a different way of looking at things, but I always thought that cutie marks appeared when a pony realized what they were meant to do. And his cutie mark appeared during a tryout for a rodeo. Combine that with the ambiguity that some cutie marks can have, and all his mark could have meant was that he was meant to be in a rodeo, and he wasn't sure how until the CMC came along to help him.
As for the clutziness, I think being a rodeo clown was a way to turn a weakness into a strength.
As for the lore of cutie marks: Remember, we still don't know all that much about them. All we know for sure is that they appear when a pony realizes what they're meant to do, and that some cutie marks are very broad while others are very specific
3343021
Either the yak episode for actually making me want to kill a cartoon character or Somepony to Watch Over Me because it made me dislike Applejack a lot more than it should have.
3343600
I wouldn't be so sure. I never wanted jelly donuts. One day, I finally got curious tried them. Now I love them. I'd say he changed his mind rather than always wanting to be a clown. He always wanted to be part of the rodeo in general, though, so that was surely a factor.
I'm just not sure that cutie mark ambiguity works. We've never seen or heard of another example of that which I can recall.
But being a klutz isn't a strength. I mean, what did he do when he clowned? He destroyed their routine. He made the audience laugh, but I'd bet the other clowns weren't pleased with him. If he can't do the routines without screwing up, how can he do his job? And if he almost got fillies crushed by just hanging around, how long will it be until his clumsy clowning gets somepony hurt? It already slammed an audience member with a haybale.
On cutie mark lore, man, I was pretty sure I had it down. We've gotten a fair few details about how they work. Cutie marks are a representation of what makes a pony special, often referred to as their "talent". Most get them at a fairly early age. Each cutie mark arrival comes with a revelation, when the pony realizes what it is they're meant to do. A pony will not get a cutie mark they don't want, because the mark isn't about what they have to do, but who they are. Getting a cutie mark means understanding yourself and what you want to do. At least, that was how I understood it based on all the info we've gotten.
Troubleshoes had one out of all of those: he was a colt when he got his. Being a clutz isn't a talent, and he wasn't making anypony laugh when he got his mark. If his talent is for any sort of entertainment, why did he get it when trying to get into a school where he would be competing? Rodeos are competitions, after all. That's what he wanted. I could go technical about how rodeo clowns are actually mostly for distracting the bull when the rider falls off so it doesn't murder the competitors, but that doesn't seem to be the case in Equestria.
He had a revelation, but it was incredibly vague. He knew he was supposed to do "it". What is "it"? Trying out for rodeo school? Using a lasso? Rodeos in general? If so, then it was like, "Yeah, I'm meant to do rodeos! Oh, but I suck at it and break everything. Well, now what?" I wouldn't blame him for walking off if my destiny was something I wasn't cut out for. The other stuff has already been covered.
If I'm making less sense, it's probably because I'm getting pretty tired. Can probably go full-steam on this discussion after my next sleep cycle.
3343592
No, certainly not the weirdest. I think that might be how they still see.
3343797
Yup. Or how they hold together despite having no connective tissue.
3343795 It's understandable.
The reason I think the ambiguity of the Cutie Marks works in favor of this episode (which, by the way, is actually my least favorite of season 5 so far, but only because it was kind of boring) is that it was shown in the past that even the ponies themselves aren't quite sure what a particular mark means until someone else explains it to them.
His cutie mark said that he belonged in a rodeo, that's all.
And competitions technically are a form of entertainment. Which group being entertained (the audience or the participants) can vary depending on the nature of the competition.
And yes, I think his revelation was that he was meant to be in a rodeo. It's just that it was too vague for him to be sure of what role in the rodeo.
Given that "The Cutie Map" showed that there were ponies that were, at least temporarily convinced that life would be better without their Cutie Marks, I wouldn't be surprised if there were actually ponies who, despite being good at something, felt that what that thing was didn't fit them.
After all, "Magical Mystery Cure" showed that under certain circumstances, a pony could get their cutie mark and still have a miserable life.
It's the repeated trope of a lack of communication to solve a simple problem that annoys me and makes this episode just annoying to watch. Same with Look Before you Sleep, it's just a repeated gag that I found unfunny and/or overdone in other shows, *coughcough* It's not as bad of course, there are at least brain cells in the MLP staff's heads.
3344110
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Yeah, I'm gonna need some examples, because I don't recall that happening.
And when I gotta be very technical about what a cutie mark means, that's a problem. It shouldn't be that confusing that we have to have discussions like this.
Except they didn't get their cutie marks, they got somepony else's cutie marks. And that was due to magical interference, just like with what Starlight did. And on that note, signs point to the ponies in that town not actually wanting to lose their cutie marks and just being indoctrinated, hence the brainwashing house and the ponies that wanted their marks back (even if only for a moment). They were beaten down and mindwarped.
3346111 Well, the only time I can recall that happening was in "The Cutie Pox", and in that case it was Apple Bloom herself who told the others what that first mark meant. But, it's still possible that in other cases it's the other way around: That the pony who got the mark is unsure of what it meant, while others around them can help.
See, the spell that caused the switching did more than just swap the cutie marks. If that's all that had happened, then they'd probably have known something off. Instead, it created a way for the rest of the mane 6 to end up with the cutie mark that they did and still be miserable.
Watch Mr. Enter's review of the episode to see what I mean.
I know all of that. But it still brings up the possibility that there might actually be ponies who, for one reason or another, genuinely wish they didn't have their cutie mark.
3346127
Yeah, that was a mark she didn't earn, and it was a fake mark. It may be possible for a natural mark to be confusing, but we've only ever seen it with Trouble Shoes, which makes it the odd exception.
I had a look at Mr. Enter's review, but there's something that doesn't make sense about that theory. If the spell actually altered history, why were they all still in the same town? It looks more like it just altered their memories, not actual history.
Also, I can't remember who, but some other analyst pointed out that they weren't acting like they were playing out their talents. They were acting like how they perceived the duties of the pony they switched with. Rainbow was living with all the animals and had no idea how to manage them. Fluttershy was trying to be random and goofy, but had no idea what makes for comedy. Pinkie was trying to do farming with only the most basic idea of how farming works. Rarity was just arranging clouds. Applejack was constantly making dresses, and not managing her business at all. None of those fit with a past life of having their switched "talents". It was like they woke up and were brainwashed into believing that they were supposed to do X, but the only things they knew about doing X were the things they'd seen their friends do.
And even if it altered history while still managing to not change the events that led the ponies to the same town (and that's a massive "if"), that's still not normal. Their talents, their "destinies" had absolutely nothing to do with their actual talents and what they were good at. It was still caused by very powerful magic. We've never seen that happen naturally.
It's possible that a pony didn't want their mark, but still, the only example we've ever seen of that happening naturally was Trouble Shoes. His existence defies what we've been told about marks, and that's my whole problem. There's nothing I know of that correlates. One can speculate about all sorts of things, but speculation is all there is. There's no actual evidence I can find to back up Trouble Shoes, and all else would seem to contradict him.
... wait a minute. I think I finally have an explanation for Trouble Shoes. Some unicorn cast a spell on—no, wait, Twilight said that nothing can make a cutie mark appear before its time, not even magic. He had no mark to switch, no mark to lose... It would have to be some really powerful magic that not even Twilight knows about... which we saw from Starlight. I guess somepony cursed the poor dude. Best explanation I got.
3346934 Like you said, he's the only one we've seen so far, but that doesn't mean he can't be the only one.
Heck, we don't even know how Cutie Marks started. So for all we know, early on in pony history ponies like Troubleshoes were the rule and not the exception.
Or, here's another theory: At some point Troubleshoes bumped his head harder than usual between getting his cutie mark and when he accidentally started causing trouble at rodeos, which led to his memories getting scrambled a bit, so he's misremembering that day and has not been able to recall it properly.
And yeah, I'm aware that it's all speculation, but I tend to be a bit more optimistic with these kinds of things.
As for the episode as a whole... It's not really my least favorite episode of the series, but it is my least favorite of season 5 due to being one of the more boring episodes of the show. I like Troubleshoes enough as a character, though, and the whole thing with the cutie mark doesn't bother me regardless of whether it works in the show's universe or not, and that's for two big reasons:
1. The show likes to pull retcons a bit. Heck, I'd argue that seasons 2, 4, and 5 have all had at least one retcon to the overall show's world as a whole.
2. I like to look at each episode as its own story rather than how it affects the lore of Equestria as a whole.
3347002
Aaaaaand you've found it. That would fix everything. It doesn't defy all the cutie mark canon if it never actually happened. He's just an unreliable narrator. That's the simplest and best solution I've heard.
1. Yeah, I don't like it when shows retcon stuff. I can excuse it when it's minor, but cutie marks have been a huge part of the show since the beginning, and it would even retcon the season that it's in.
2. I used to, but I can't do that so much anymore. The series has been getting more continuity. After S4 and everyone complaining about Twi not doing princess things only to realize that it was a season-long plot point and not a mistake, I feel like I need to look more at the big picture. They're doing more with larger-scale stuff, so I gotta expand the scope. In early episodes, not so much, but definitely in these later ones.
3347031 So, with that theory in mind, is the episode still your least favorite, or does it get replaced? I'm just curious about that
3347065
Nah, still my least favorite. Even if I can just rationalize away all the problems from my mind, the problems are still there in the episode. Plus, it wasn't very good in general. If it had been more fun, I'm be more lenient. Only good thing was seeing more Braeburn.
3347213 Fair enough.
I go by the philosophy that if a reasonable explanation can be made for why something happened when it seems that it shouldn't, then it isn't a problem, due to the Fridge Brilliance trope. But I can understand why that might not work for others.
And while it's not my least favorite episode (that still goes to Griffon the Brush Off), I'll admit it IS one of the weaker episodes. But it's out of my personal bottom 5 of the show as a whole due to me liking the characters enough, and the fact that, for me at least, the biggest crime of the episode is that it's boring, at least by FiM standards.