Bueller... Bueller... Bueller... [Spoilers] · 10:32pm Jun 2nd, 2016
This episode is... interesting. Aside from the brief bit about Rainbow Dash, which is a glaring continuity error that contradicts Ponyville Confidential, the first two acts here weren't bad at all. The bit with fixing the steam problem was a bit needlessly drawn-out, but it could have been a solid start to a conflict with Applejack continuing to work when she's supposed to be relaxing. I know someone like that in real life, so I could relate to that. Plus, it was just fun to see her common sense and intelligence at work fixing a practical issue, and her stubbornness in refusing to leave the issue alone and take the path of less resistance like Rarity chose. That's why I like Applejack so much - she is the most sensible of the bunch, and keeps the others well-grounded.
Then the third act happened.
What the fuck was that?
The methodical approach works because it's entirely possible some of the chickens could come back in before AJ's done collecting the eggs. Chickens are savage.
I'll give them that opening all the faucets from the start is the better method overall, but I can still see the first being necessary if there's a leak and AJ needs to find where it's at.
This is a much less efficient use of materials.
Oh, and the whole thing with the pigs just made me facepalm. Why do they even have them, again?
But the main thing at play here is... The moral in any other context would be great; writers need editors for a reason, after all, and anybody could probably benefit from a second opinion. But the way its presented here makes Applejack look kind of ridiculous and uncharacteristically dumb, and also carries the slightest hints of... Idunno how to describe it.
Yes, something like that. It just all felt very... questionable to me. Who wrote this one, again?
Neal Duseadau, who wrote Princess Spike (not that bad but still not great) and What About Discord? (Still completely unwatchable)
Michael P. Fox, who wrote The Gift Of Maud Pie. (okay but weird)
And Wil Fox, who also did The Gift Of Maud Pie.
Well then.
Overall, while there was a lot to like about this episode, (Like how the Rarijack was off the charts!) the ending completely subverted that and left a bad taste in my mouth. I definitely have a bad feeling about any other episodes these particular writers are involved in...
(Another note - Frankly, this episode's plot could have worked. Twilight seems the type to overcomplicate things and form inefficient habits, but instead we get a bunch of dead air and Applejack coming across as incompetent at her own job. AJ is not a character for new writers; even those who've been around for a while don't always seem to know what to do with her. That's part of why she's regarded as a background pony by a lot of people. The disappointing thing about the episode, though, is that they were actually handling her great until the last section.)
Two out of Five Sudden New Spa Ponies. (Like seriously, I turn around and there are eight more than before. And we still don't know how to tell Aloe from Lotus...)
1. Gauntlet Of Fire
2. Saddle Row Review
3. No Second Prances
4. A Hearth's Warming Tale
5. Newbie Dash
6. The Gift Of Maud Pie
7. On Your Marks
8. The Crystalling
9. Applejack's Day Off
Sweep Sweep Sweep (Twilight's Dance Remix)
Luna's Future
The Seeds Of The Past
Pinkie's Present
Say Goodbye To The Holiday
Out On My Own
Hearth's Warming Eve Is Here Again
You know, I have been hearing quite a few people say that about Rainbow. Thing is... sometimes, people change their minds, or tell their friends one thing while doing another. I could see Rainbow hating the idea of being pampered, then finding out after a visit that she feels better afterwards, faster even. Once she realized her performance increased when she was more relaxed, you bet she'd hit them up again and again. But having told her friends she wasn't into it, she'd lie, and hide. This is actually in continuity with how she dealt with a newfound love of Daring Do.
3994168 I can see that, I really can, but the way it's presented in this episode comes across kind of forced, in my opinion. I'd probably be more willing to forgive if the episode as a whole was pretty good, but...
3998390 Yes, but that would require better episode writers, and this season is very hit and miss.
3998393 True, on both counts.