Brotherhooves Social Review

I originally posted this on Equestria Daily, so I'm re-posting it here.

That one clip which was shown before this episode aired gave us a good idea as to what to expect, and it delivered rather well what with all of the antics from Big Macintosh all in the name of wanting to make Applebloom happy. Many suspected "Brotherhooves Social" to have taken place during "Made in Manehatten", so it was nice to see the continuity confirm this when Applejack's Cutie Mark began to glow signalling that she was needed on an important mission. At first, I was worried that the continuity wasn't going to happen when we saw Applejack and Applebloom training together for the Sisterhooves Social, but that concern disappeared when the map came calling, and Applejack had to be written out of the episode accordingly which worked really well although we never did see her carry around that stick with the cloth tied around the end of it to hold any belongings in Made in Manehatten unless I somehow missed it.

Big Macintosh was the star of this episode without a doubt, and Peter New probably enjoyed providing two distinct voices on opposite ends of the spectrum in the form of his well known character voice in the show, and Orchard Blossom whose voice made ponies suspect. You've got to give Big Mac tons of credit for doing what he did for Applebloom as most big brothers probably wouldn't go to those extremes unless they really felt such a strong desire to help their siblings, yet his choice of costume which he used to disguise himself with made him look as though he had come out of the 19th century. Not only that, but the voice he goes with makes him sound like he's from the south. He tried his best to maintain the façade of being female, but his actions especially towards the end of the social did end up costing him and Applebloom victory. His desire to win is something I don't think we've ever seen from him before, so it was an interesting addition to his character, and I love the speech he makes at the end beneath the tree.

Big Mac really shows he can provide a heartwarming speech when the need suits him, and Applebloom really did learn something in the process which made her appreciate him more than she had been in the past. Applebloom can be viewed as being slightly antagonistic throughout this episode as she was constantly embarrassed by Big Mac's actions, and she also made him feel unwanted due to the praise she was giving to Applejack during the early scenes. Just because her sister has done amazing things doesn't mean her brother is a nobody who just can't compete on the same level. There were moments during the social where Applebloom was impressed with Big Mac, and even believing they had a chance to win, but the moment he made even a small mistake, she would criticize him even though he was trying his best given he was trying to hide his identity to be able to compete.

Nice to see the sisterly relationship between Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo being used here, for it hasn't been utilized all that much since "Sleepless in Ponyville", and I loved how Dash pretended that she wasn't aware of what Big Mac was up to. A shame though we never did see the two of them receive their medal for winning even though it was due to a disqualification because of Big Mac's antics at the end. Rainbow Dash didn't appear all that much, but this is okay because she wasn't the focus, and the same thing applies to Scootaloo as it was what Applebloom and Big Mac were going through that was deemed more important. Sweetie Belle didn't get to do much either as she wasn't able to take part, but I think she should have by asking someone else to team-up with her that she happened to know. As for Granny Smith....she really needs to store those ribbons somewhere safer as she almost got herself hurt several times.

Oh yes! The Sisterhooves Social returns which reminds us that a year has passed in Equestria since the beginning of the series, yet more events are on display now as opposed to the obstacle course such as singing, and performing acts that require both "sisters" to be in perfect unison with each other. Also, that rule about what constitutes as being a sisterly bond really needs to be explained in greater detail for future Sisterhooves Socials given it could have avoided a lot of problems, but then we wouldn't get the hilarity that came out of it.

Overall, I liked this episode as Big Mac proved how hilarious he can be especially he goes to such great lengths to please Applebloom, and she learnt a valuable lesson about not giving so much praise to one sibling while completely ignoring another all because of the success of the former being an issue. I do wish Sweetie Belle could have competed as she felt left out, and Rainbow Dash along with Scootaloo could have had a ceremony where they claim their prize for winning. I give this episode about a 93%.