Episode Review: Brotherhooves Social

Spoilers in dresses

The Plot

This episode starts just before 'Made in Manehattan.' While Granny Smith is looking for the blue ribbon from the first time the Apples hosted the Sisterhooves Social, with some help from Big Mac, Applejack and Apple Bloom play and practice for their participation in that event -- yet another previous-season callback. It quickly becomes obvious that Mac is jealous of AB's admiration for AJ, both as an older sibling and as one of Equestria's heroes. Mac shows AB a toy they used to play with, but the youngest Apple quickly loses interest and returns to idolizing AJ, who quickly notices Mac's sour attitude.

And then gets the call from the map, so she has to go be in 'Made In Manehattan' for the rest of the episode. But even that ends up rubbing Mac wrong, as AJ's 'awesomeness backfires' on AB. Mac tries to cheer her up, but it all misses until a possibility rears its head and Mac gives a sly (and slightly threatening) look. The idea is brought on by Granny saying she wishes they lived closer to some of their second cousins, so AB could participate with one of them: the Sisterhooves Social has a loose definition of 'sisterhood,' as long as it falls within the spirit of the event.

The following day, we see that while Sweetie Belle doesn't have anyone to compete with, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash are teaming up, and have been practising for only a week. Apple Bloom reveals that she'll be able to compete thanks to the presence of her long-lost cousin, Orchard Blossom -- and nopony but an oddly lecherous old stallion seems to be convinced that this is anyone but 'Big Mac in a dress,' as Sweetie Belle says point-blank. Even Dash is upfront about not taking it easy on him because he's a stallion -- Ha! I do enjoy reversals.

Mac is going all-out in his role as a Southern belle, even down to the voice and vocabulary (this episode must have really given Peter New a workout, similar to his role as Goldie Delicious or as The Doctor). Mac is not only in high heels and a dress, but makeup and a wig. Where he got all of this and how he applied it is never addressed, and I'm not sure I want to know. Especially when, for an instant, the animators seem to have given him sexy eyes -- something no stallion should ever get. Point is, Mac is going to all this trouble so he can win a blue ribbon for Apple Bloom.

Instead, in the singing competition, juggling, cheering, and finally the big obstacle course which we also saw previously, Mac just ends up embarrassing AB. Forcing her forward 'no matter what' certainly does not help (and for whatever reason Mac is unable to jump at all, even when he loses the heels). The judges end up disqualifying Apple Bloom and Mac for use of force and conduct unbecoming of the spirit of the Social. This gives the win to Dash and Scootaloo, who truly displayed the spirit in their teamwork.

Back at the homestead, Apple Bloom finds Mac sitting out by a tree. As he reluctantly explains, he did everything just so AB would see him as a hero, someone to look up to, again. AB decides to apologize for not saying that she still admires Mac, and appreciates his efforts. She decides to hang out with him a little longer, even though Applejack has returned.

Analysis

This episode was interesting, and weird, and touching. Siblings are the people you should be able to count on the most, and family is of utmost importance to most members of the Apple clan, or as I would put it, Herd Apple. As a middle child I can appreciate both Mac's and AB's positions, however I'm not nearly so outgoing as either of them. Although Mac's solution stretches credulity (and indeed, hardly anyone takes Orchard Blossom seriously), it does adequately express the efforts he would go to for family. He could have easily gone to find a cousin to participate with AB, or even just asked Granny to make it okay for him to compete normally with AB, but he went for the secretive path instead. That's why it ended up being somewhat humorous, but definitely strange, and touching. Damn, but season 5 has really been pounding the 'Feels' button!

As a note of interest: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has its fair share of adventure, but even then it is clearly a character-driven show. Usually that character is one or all of the Mane6, or the CMC, the secondary group. All nine of these characters are female. Well-defined, but only of a limited demographic. Mind you, they are all appreciable characters. Such a diverse group as the Bronies would not gravitate to the show if the characters were not well-developed, appreciable, and attractive in their own ways. The high degree of focus on these mares and fillies has, however, left other characters as fairly blank slates, despite the fandom's penchant for taking background characters who are seen for but a moment and giving them entire backstories and quirks. Of particular note among these neglected characters are the stallions and colts -- male characters. At least until 'Slice of Life,' and until now: this is a Big Mac episode.

And what an episode, for his character: we reveal that Big McIntosh thinks so highly of his sisters that he would subject himself to an extremely humiliating and physically uncomfortable situation just so his other sister would think of him in similar terms. On one level this is very selfish of him, but on another it is endearing, because nobody likes to be forgotten or marginalized. Pretty much anyone can appreciate Mac's conundrum. I just wished Mac's solution to the Social hadn't involved... Orchard Blossom. That said, it would have been hilarious to have the two cross the finish line only to have Mac walk across the field in front of them, or inversely to have the dress burst open and someone call 'Big Mac, you owe me a dress!' across the field, implying that there really is an Orchard Blossom, but Mac convinced her to let him compete instead.

I admit that I like Mac as a character. I do appreciate him a great deal, but more in light of the comics, 'Big McIntosh and the Zen of Gazebo Repair.' In it, we get a sense of Mac's thoughts through his inner monologue and the way this informs his spoken "yups" or "nopes." That two-parter also gave us some excellent humour with the way he had to go through the fair, as well as his interactions with the mares he encounters. I think this is a better way of handling Mac's character, but I do appreciate what the writers tried to do with this episode because it focused on an important background character, and gave more characterization to a male character... while he was pretending to be female... you see, this is what makes it weird again. Ugh. But the moral about appreciating family, and celebrating them in an acknowledge-able way gets me, which is why despite the 'weird' I cannot dismiss 'Brotherhooves Social.' I also enjoy seeing Scootaloo and Dash interact, and the fact that they won because of their practice, trust, and effort. AB never trusted Mac's efforts, which is harsh, but that makes the ending touching too.

Writers, 7 out of 10. There, happy?