Made In Manehattan Review · 3:34am Sep 27th, 2015
For any of you wondering, no I'm also not going to be reviewing Friendship Games. That's simply because I didn't see it yet. XP I'm going to wait to get the DVD, especially since that will be uncut. But don't worry, once I do see it and jot down my review, I'll have it on Tumblr and I'll link you to it. 83
In the meantime, we conclude our trilogy of Rarity episodes with Made In Manehattan!
So our episode begins with poor Twilight feeling quite bored, having had nothing to do for a while now. Poor Twiley! She's especially dejected when it turns out that the Cutie Map is calling for Applejack and Rarity this time! They're off to Manehattan, which we last saw in season four's "Rarity Takes Manehattan" to solve our next friendship issue. So off they go, arriving in the big city, but with no idea where to start.
Fate breezes by in the form of a flyer, advertising the need for volunteers for an event known as the Midsummer's Musical Revival. Returning fan-favourite Coco Pommel is in charge, so she briefs Rarity and Applejack on the history of the event, and how important it is to her and the entire neighbourhood. Unfortunately, she's incredibly short-handed and has other duties to take care of. Leave it to Applejack and Rarity to help out in preparing for the play! Can they do it? Can they manage to fix up the park and get it ready for the big day?
No. No they can't. XP
This was an interesting way to go about the episode, not to mention a neat way of showcasing what can happen when you do take on more than you can chew. I was even expecting Applejack to have it all done and ready, but the episode takes a much more realistic approach. She does her best, she manages to get a lot done, but she can't do it all herself. Who can blame her?
But, she does end up having a good solution. Applejack constructs a modest stage, this time set up along the streets, so that the play can at least go on. Not only is it a great showcasing of making the best of what you have, but it also brought forth the very spirit of what the Midsummer's Musical Revival is all about. Community. Bringing everyone closer together and having a nice time enjoying some entertainment. Even under different circumstances, it still did what it was meant to do all along.
I have to say, I was really impressed. Rarity was fretting about it in despair, but Applejack was a great voice of reason. She reminded Rarity (and all of us) that it does no good to sit there and fret about what you can't do. You just have to focus on what you can do, to make the best of what you DO have. It may not exactly be a new lesson, but it's still a great one to get across. And they did that beautifully. It was a great payoff and worked so well.
I even liked Rarity's little realization about the fact that if Twilight WERE there, she could have fixed everything instantly. It was quite a nice nod to the fact that magical quick-fixes aren't always the answer. Very meta of you, Rarity! But still, it made perfect sense because it did show the reason why Applejack was called to come along.
It was even interesting to see Applejack so nervous and indecisive about being in the big city. Even though she's been there before! XD Last season and for a little while as a child, no less! Oh well, I guess being away from it for so long could do that. Nonetheless, it was still silly and made for a nice addition to her character.
On top of that, it wasn't a singular friendship problem. Like in The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, it was a lot more about a global community issue. I do like this approach, that friendship problems can be widespread rather than just between a few individuals.
Overall, this may not have been an exciting or creative episode, but it was fun and simple, a definitely feel-good kind of episode. Rarity and Applejack definitely shine, on their own and with each other. It was nice seeing them working together again, and their chemistry hasn't changed a bit! It was great to watch, made for a great moral, and was pretty cute.
(Plus, the RariJack moments! Yay! :D Made me a happy little shippy fangirl.)
It's been a pretty long time since we last has a Rarity and Applejack episode and this one certainly disappoint! I love their interactions here, showing they now don't get in each other's nerves and have actually come to respect one another.