• Member Since 25th Jan, 2012
  • offline last seen 26 minutes ago

Kkat


More Blog Posts235

Apr
9th
2016

Afterthoughts: The Gift of Maud Pie · 4:24am Apr 9th, 2016

Part of me wonders if they didn't originally want to call this episode "The Gift of Maud" but added "Pie" on the end to avoid protests.

art by Jowybean

This episode was nice.

It wasn't great. It isn't going to be in my favorite episodes of the season, and it probably won't be re-watched except for research or when following a React series. But it wasn't bad either. It was simply nice.

Back at the beginning of the show, the series premiere left us with Twilight Sparkle and her five new friends. It is noteworthy that at that time they were Twilight's friends, but they weren't necessarily friends with each other. After that opening, the show moved into slice-of-life stories. And while many of these stories (as would be expected) focused on individual characters, many of the episodes took two of the characters and focused on how their similarities (ex: "Fall Weather Friends") or differences (ex: "Look Before You Sleep") played off of each other, forging new friendships (ex: "Griffin the Brush-Off") or exploring pre-existing ones (ex: "Green Isn't Your Color"). These episodes focusing on the friendships pairings within the Mane Six build this amazing group of friends that truly embodied the friendship message of the show. (And often inspired a great deal of shipping from the fans.)

Admittedly, the show didn't examine each possible pairing within the Mane Six. (Personally, I felt the friendship dynamic between Applejack and Pinkie Pie had been neglected. Back during Season Two, I told my friends that if I was given the honor of writing an episode, it would focus on Applejack and Pinkie Pie, with the set-up being Applejack visiting the Pie's rock farm. :ajsmug: :pinkiegasp:)

Now, with the show in its sixth season, the characters are fully established, and the rough edges in the Mane Six's friendships have all been polished. These pairing episodes are excellent vehicles to deliver solid friendship morals, but are harder pressed to bring us something new. This episode feels more like a pleasant but routine revisiting of dear friends. Even Manehattan has become a familiar change of scenery. It is nice to see Manehattan again. It is most enjoyable to see more of Maud Pie. And it is nice to see Pinkie Pie and Rarity get an episode together. Granted, none of that is "super-ultra-extreme-awesomazing", but it is all very nice.

A handful of random thoughts about specific elements of the episode below the break.

art by Lumelya

"The Gift of Maud Pie" starts out with the continuing success and expansion of Rarity's business, which I am extremely happy to see. I like this continuing evolution from the status quo. And I cannot help but think that by giving Rarity shops in Canterlot and Manehattan, the writers have established a reason for the ponies to be visiting either city any time the writers want an episode to take place there. This opens the show to more episodes outside of Ponyville without the reason for traveling having to be part of the plot.

As a side note, I find the Pony of Friendship to be a bit weird-looking from the side, but I loved her face later in the episode. I also liked seeing that Cats is still playing in Manehattan.

While I completely understand that they couldn't within the time constraints, I will admit selfish disappointment that we didn't get to see more of Rarity's shop-scouting. I find buildings interesting (I studied architecture for several years), and love that kind of thing.

The focus of the episode was, however, on the giving of gifts... and specifically on Pinkie Pie's drive to get Maud the perfect gift. The fact that she ended up having to give up something that was truly important to her, and she still managed to find joy in the giving and delight in Maud's (oh-so-subtle) excitement over the gift, was well played. I think the writers chose well in making the party cannon the cost. The party cannon is a long-established beloved possession of Pinkie's, so giving it up felt like a real sacrifice.

I am also very happy that the writers didn't choose to make the episode a painfully predictable ponification of "The Gift of the Magi" (by O. Henry). I was expecting Maud to have given up Boulder to get Pinkie's present, and I'm glad they went with something more original and character-driven. Seeing Maud's reaction to Pinkie's sacrifice, and her insistence on getting the cannon back was the best part of the episode, strengthening the sisterly bond we see between the two.

(On that note, I couldn't help but want confirmation that Maud Pie remembered to take Boulder out of the rock pouch before giving it back.)

"She broke me."

The confrontations between Maud and Rarity, then Maud and Pinkie, were beautifully done. I appreciated the animation touches like Pinkie Pie's slight head-tilt as she looked past Maud to Rarity, her expression perfect.

There were a few things that gave me pause. The first was how Pinkie Pie flaunted her desperation when trying to buy the rock pouch. She knows better. Did she forget her attempts to teach Fluttershy how to shop? Also, Rarity's hesitant understanding of Pinkie Pie's sacrifice. Rarity's strength is her generosity. If anypony should immediately and fully understand, it is her.

It also surprised me that the episode didn't have Rarity make a rock pouch for Pinkie to give Maud. In retrospect, I realize she didn't have her supplies on-hoof. But while watching, I was sure that was where the episode would go.

I think Pinkie Pie's scene at the pouch shop was particularly noteworthy -- seeing ponies reacting badly to Pinkie's antics, running away and even getting the police. The reactions of the small child and her mother to having the pink stranger grab her on the sidewalk was as unexpected as it was appropriate. While not really "bad touching", that was definitely not "good touching", and it reminded me of Season One when Pinkie admitted having no idea what "personal space" means.

(Also: moons?? The shop owner went on an unexpected vacation for months?)

(Likewise, I felt bad for the child when Pinkie interrupted that super-cute reference to the movie Big. :fluttershysad: )

On a similar note: I loved seeing Maud Pie skate. It felt like a call-back to "Winter Wrap-Up", where Pinkie Pie tells Twilight that she has been ice skating since she was an "itty-bitty little-wittle Twinkie-Pinkie". It makes sense that this is a skill the Pie sisters would have all had the opportunity to develop. I really enjoy when these episodes connect with or build on bits from previous ones.

Of course, I can't talk about this episode without talking about how amusing and fun it is to see Maud. She may be a very reserved and subdued character, seeming the exact opposite of Pinkie Pie at first glance; but the more we see of them, the more clearly we see that they are sisters. Watching Maud treat Boulder as a pet... and one she can converse with... it struck me that they both share the same weirdness. (And part of me wonders if Maud is simply projecting onto the rock or if she actually can communicate with Boulder on some level though some quirk of Pie-family earth pony magic.)

And of course I loved "Maud Sense"! :heart:

One of the funniest moments in the episode was Maud Pie's reverence to Paul Clifford (by Edward Bulwer-Lytton). I would have loved to hear the whole story. (I think this may replace the ST:TNG episode "The Royale" as my favorite use of that (in)famous opening.)

Also, Maud is educational. Until (shortly after) that episode, I had no idea what nepheline syenite was. I can easily picture that stone making for beautiful bathroom tiles.

And as a final note, it was nice to see Rarity's skill at manipulation come into play again and win the day. (Speech check successful!) And I thoroughly enjoyed Rarity's exasperation at trying to shop for Maud. "Impossible to shop for!" Indeed.

"All of this, and she likes a crack!?!"

All in all, the friendship lesson was a fair one, there were many wonderful moments and a few surprising ones, Maud is as fun as ever, and the episode as a whole was nice.

art by Segraece

Report Kkat · 2,459 views ·
Comments ( 9 )

"Nice," I would agree, is just the right word. Not bad, not incredible, but solid.
Like Maud.

It also surprised me that the episode didn't have Rarity make a rock pouch for Pinkie to give Maud. In retrospect, I realize she didn't have her supplies on-hoof. But while watching, I was sure that was where the episode would go.

I'm kinda surprised Pinkie didn't get Rarity (or Fluttershy) to make one before they went to Manehatten. I know she has an odd thought process, but with as badly as she wanted this to go right even she would have probably thought ahead a bit with this.

I like Maude's comment on Boulder's opinion on those jewels in the jewelry shop. All that is shiny is not necessarily beautiful to the beholder. It seems like Boulder has problems with his shiny cousins.

Edit: I actually like how we have times like these when the group of the main six is broken down to just a few main characters. It it easier to be more focused on the smaller dynamics of friendship between two characters and possibly story elements.

That being said, I'm actually wondering if we might see branching further in interactions with secondary main characters and the more noticeably background characters with members of the main six? (Or is that seven now?) Not like in Slice of Life, but more like the rest of the series. There's a lot of characters to have interesting stories with I would imagine.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the Twilicane being there when Rarity was throwing things at Maud. It's also in the picture you have there with the caption, "All of this and she likes a crack?"

Part of me wonders if they didn't originally want to call this episode "The Gift of Maud" but added "Pie" on the end to avoid protests.

The episode is actually called "The Gift of the Maud Pie" (a direct parallel to "The Gift of the Magi"). So, I suspect it was always "Maud Pie" so that the number of syllables would be the same.

There were a few things that gave me pause. The first was how Pinkie Pie flaunted her desperation when trying to buy the rock pouch. She knows better. Did she forget her attempts to teach Fluttershy how to shop? Also, Rarity's hesitant understanding of Pinkie Pie's sacrifice. Rarity's strength is her generosity. If anypony should immediately and fully understand, it is her.

The bit with Rarity did give me pause, but Pinkie's complete failure to barter actually made sense to me. This was for Maud. No price was too high, no cost too great. She loves her sister that much.

Back during Season Two, I told my friends that if I was given the honor of writing an episode, it would focus on Applejack and Pinkie Pie, with the set-up being Applejack visiting the Pie's rock farm.

How have you not won the lottery yet?

Did she forget her attempts to teach Fluttershy how to shop?

To be fair, forgetting about PYHD isn't that bad a thing to do.

Also, Rarity's hesitant understanding of Pinkie Pie's sacrifice. Rarity's strength is her generosity. If anypony should immediately and fully understand, it is her.

Ah, but here we dive into the nuances in the difference between 'sacrifice' and 'generosity'.:raritywink:

But, I loved the ep, sure it wasn't anything all that ground breakingly amazingly new, but it was just an overall well put together, fun story, which is all it needs to be for me.

Part of me wonders if they didn't originally want to call this episode "The Gift of Maud" but added "Pie" on the end to avoid protests

I wanted to question this, but then I remembered that I had forced myself in a sort of selective dementia where I had blissfully forgotten we lived in an era where oversensitive ninny had gained a misappropiate amount of relevance in this age of info and flipped their respective lids over every single miniscule bit of innocuous minutia that they get their petty respective panties a bunch up over

As for the episode... I liked it. The magi bit you mentioned was good, but... It kind of feels like the series is winding down you know? Which is fine, all stories we love have to end. But still

The episode name being a reference to The Gift of the Magi flew over my head as I am not familiar in that. So I don't get it as well. Nevertheless this episode was a nice slice of life kind of episode. The closed shop scene was pretty great. Where as you said Pinkie's antics captured the attention of even a police pony. Oh boy, next episode is gonna be a doozy then for this blog.

Login or register to comment