Rarity Investigates! Review · 11:46pm Sep 20th, 2015
So we are now two thirds of the way through the triad of Rarity-centric episodes! With next week being the final of the three! ...Along with the airing of Friendship Games, no less! Well, aren't we going to have quite a field day next week!
...Even though some of us don't have Discovery Family and will have to wait until online streaming or the DVD...
Regardless, let's dive into the episode!
We open in Canterlot, where Rarity is putting together a display at her Canterlot store, with Sassy Saddles assisting her. Rainbow comes crashing in, announcing the great news about being chosen as a backup Wonderbolt in case one needed to step down during an opening performance. Rarity and Rainbow go to a dinner that night, in which they meet Wind Rider, a legend among the Wonderbolts in being the one who holds the fastest record. But then, a problem comes about when Spitfire is strangely absent from a note that wasn't sent by her mother. Because all the evidence points to Rainbow Dash, she ends up accused as the one responsible for the crime.
Okay, all serious folks, I think we all saw it coming. It's not to say this was a bad move on the episode's part, far from it. The real emphasis was on the fun of the journey, how it all comes together, and of course, the glorious parodying of the film noir style. But it's an affectionate parody, a clear love letter to the genre. It's great because it manages to poke fun at the style, but it does so in a tasteful and respectful way that's very entertaining. They even bring in the soft jazz music in the background to further add to the fun!
I would peg Rarity to be a better femme fatale, but she plays the role incredibly well. She's romanticizing it, looking at it from interesting angles, and just having a fun time while also helping her friend. And of course, I think we all know her clothing was inspired by Carmen Sandiego. It was definitely a great example of Rarity at her best from another angle. While I admit that I find it a bit sudden that she's into detective genres, I managed to buy it pretty quickly.
Rainbow and Rarity manage to play off each other pretty well, even making it a bit of a role reversal of sorts. This is because Rarity is usually the one pointing out the absurdities all around them (with her own flair!). But this time, it was her playing up to the theatrical absurdities, but doing it believably well. It was Rainbow who was the one trying to keep things on track and to be more serious about the situation. This balanced them both out nicely, giving their roles within the story equal time.
And of course, we all know by now that the reveal was a bit obvious. But again, it was about the fun and the journey rather than the actual mystery. In all fairness, the Wonderbolts weren't twisted around to be antagonistic. The evidence pointed to Rainbow a little too well, so it seemed like they had genuine reasons to believe that she was responsible. They didn't just point to her at the drop of a hat, and I think that helped the setup pretty well.
This episode is very much in a similar vein to that of season two's MMMystery On The Friendship Express. Whereas with that one, the twist at the end was a bit more unexpected. This time, it's fairly obvious, but isn't any less fun for it.
I'll admit that the last few minutes is a little bit tacked on and feels more like padded filler. Especially since Rainbow fetching Spitfire from the Crystal Mountains is completely incidental to the entire situation and could've been interchanged easily.
Regardless, it was still a fun episode. Maybe not my favourite of the Rarity episodes, but it's certainly a fun little ride!
Agreed! An incredibly rare pairing for an episode, the lesson might not have been all that clear and the twist may have been obvious but oh, the humour was stellar!