Lemurthon: Dragonshy · 10:02pm Feb 13th, 2017
Sorry for the delays. Work stuff... also I did my first DnD Session ever... online... with a bunch of friends. F'naaa. Fun stuff. You can thank a certain mustached mofo for that. Roll20... awesome stuff.
I'm starting to understand why I dig fanficcing way more than reviewing. I feel that a lot of the stuff I'm conveying in these Lemurthons--despite being mere opinion--make me feel a lot more stupid than I need to. Lulz. But it's all good. I really dig the dialogue and conversations it's been generating in the comments section.
So... without further aderp.
Dragonshy
-Fluttercottage!
-Fluttershy feeds fish and worms to other animals. Proof that ponies support the carniverous aspect of the circle of life?
-First time Angel's been name-dropped in the show, eh? Once upon a time I used to think Angel was a she.
-Angel's fourth round of coughing is a bit extreme...
-Notice how the S1 guards flanking Celestia's throne at the entrance have dark coats?
-Background Pony fuel
-SITTING LYRA (and it's not next to Bon Bon)
-After Pinkie Pie bumps into Rainbow Dash and Rainbow is all "Now I have to start over!" the pause between RD and Pinkie is... kinda awkward
-Face it, this entire episode is whisper porn.
-I'm kinda surprised we don't have more dragon world-building in this episode. But I suppose that's not the point. It's all about Fluttershy's character-development, as it should be.
-Celestia's putting an awful lot of faith in Twilight and her otherwise average citizen friends to take on a dragon
-Good "getting pumped" montage is good. I remember laughing out loud at Fluttershy's football helmet part at the end.
-Rarity's bit makes me think of that... Goldie Hawn movie with a name I can't remember
-"The chillier it gets!" Good .gif material
-How do you do "slice of life" and "adventure" at the same time? THIS. THIS IS HOW.
-"Uhm. Uhm. Uhm. Uhm. Uhm. Uhm. Uhm."
-Oh, I forgot they found a good excuse to leave Spike behind.
-RD's a huge, major foil for Fluttershy in this episode. I always took it to mean that she and Fluttershy have a much larger history of friendship together than the rest of the Mane 6. Nothing malicious or personal.
-RD TAIL GRAB—at this point, I think AJ's just looking for excuses. Does she do it much post S2? I don't remember. It was all in my head at that point.
-Rarity is remarkably adventurous in th is episode
-Mountains were drawn remarkably steep in S1
-Fluttershy's ineffectual flying skills have always amused me. People should write about her and Scootaloo more often.
-Applejack—proving yet again that she is best pony
-RD flying upside dowwwwwwwn. It's the subtle things
-This whole bit with the ravine crossing is golden. Good example of slow-paced humor and build-up in S1
-Fluttershy's trembles in "I don't knowwwwwwww" are adorbs
-I like how Twilight and Rainbow Dash are both in the same school of "We don't have time for this" but are going about it with separate personalities
-RD's facehoofs in this are great
-A situation where loud noises could cause avalanches? Sounds like a job for S1 pacing!
-Oh look, real danger
-AJ SAVES THE DAY AGAIN
-Pinkie's inclusion is just at the level it should be
-RD's "I think we've got bigger problems than making sure our hairbows match our horseshoes" almost sounds like a repurposed AJ line. God love Ashleigh.
-I feel like I'm going to think about this episode the next time I roll Hanzo in Overwatch
-The idea of Applejack using apples to ward off a dragon is so... kid's show. Lulz
-Look at quadrupeds doing quadrupedal things
-Pratfall!
-Some good continuity conversation when the girls try to counter Fluttershy's "I'm scared of dragons" confession (Manticore / Spike / Animals in general)
-"All of us are scared of that dragon!"
-"I'm not!"
-"...almost all of us are scared of that dragon!"
-Nice that, even after Fluttershy skedaddles, the rest of the Mane Six try to get the dragon to leave. It shows that pure courage alone isn't always a solution.
-Notice how friggin' broadswords are a part of the dragon's golden, glittery hoarde? They seem too unwieldy for ponies/horses. Does this mean that bipeds live outside of Equestria where the dragons would have stolen such blades?
-When RD goes "So much for (cough) persuading him," she strikes a curiously girly pose... or maybe it's just me
-Yaaaaaaaay Rarity
-Pinkie Pie's segment is blissfully short
-Of course Applejack doesn't have a go at the dragon cuz she's not stupid and she's BEST PONY
-lulz, dat AJ faec when RD flies in
-RD's confrontation with the dragon is referenced only a hundred thousand times in Austraeoh
-Notice how everypony has RD in the center of the scared group hug?
-Andrea Libman pulling out the big guns
-I wonder if Fluttershy could talk sense into the climate control council of Beijing
-Ohhhhhhh the things the Internet has done with the sound clip of Fluttershy saying "Bad dragon"
-So while Twilight is orating the lesson to Celestia, the show cross-fades to flashbacks of Fluttershy's heroism and the trip home. There's a trick you can't use in every episode of S1, but nice to see them diversifying
-Goat noises
THOUGHTS
At the risk of being the only howler monkey inside a giant vacant echo chamber, I'm nevertheless going to say that this is a good episode and I feel that a lot of other Bronies could agree with me. It's an "adventure" episode, but due to the pacing and the focus on characters and character interaction... it doesn't feel like an adventure episode. Granted, something like this couldn't work in S6 or S7 because we already know so much about the horsey-horse cast (we'd be much more obsessed with seeing plot progression). But here? In S1? When things are still soft, squishy, nubile, and virginal? It's a great opportunity for the show to just... take its sweet time in going places.
Because it's so simple, I find this a lot more enjoyable than the series' pilot. Naturally, it couldn't ever replace the pilot, for "Friendship is Magic" had its supreme purpose to fulfill. But what Dragonshy does is expand upon the personalities that we've already been witnessing... but illustrating the characters in subtler, more nuance ways. The focus is on Fluttershy, so the rest of the cast don't have to be themselves in stereo. They can just go through the motions naturally as we see their personalities contrasting with Fluttershy's in a provocative manner.
And while we don't learn much more about dragons in this episode, it's good to know that they exist. It puts the hoof in the door for future revelations of draconian kind. This is especially evident in the fact that Spike—a baby dragon—doesn't freak out or go nuts over the revelation of an adult dragon being nearby. This is just par for the course in Equestria. We—the viewers—are being graduated into it. It's almost as if the makers of MLP:FiM expected to be in it for the long haul. Huh... who'd a thunk it?
I believe it's been argued that Fluttershy has made some of the most significant advancements out of all the characters in terms of development. That seems to be an obvious given, although I think RD more or less reached the pinnacle of her journey in S3—and with flying colors too. The challenge/problem with someone like Fluttershy is that her very friggin' name staples her as being an underwhelming sourpuss. Personally, I don't really put too much stock in it, and I'm totally cool with her being a strong, assertive character—just on a different emotional level than the rest. Some might think differently, but I feel that the Reformation of Discord did wonders for her character. Discord is a master manipulator and a villain at best, and yet someone like Fluttershy is capable of reining him in. Seeing Fluttershy keeping Discord anchored down gives us a whole new look at her. She's even capable of smugness and sass. To that end, I see S3 being sort of a hinge for Fluttershy's character—just like Rainbow Dash. But, unlike Rainbow Dash, I find that Fluttershy continues to be interesting in this new and more assertive phase... whereas Rainbow Dash sorta reached the apex of her struggle and now she's more or less achieved her goals but the reality of those goals kinda sucks and she has yet to deal with the douchebaggery of the Wonderbolts and—
Meh. Off topic ramble is off topic. I'm sure the marsupials will make better discourse in the comments.
Dragonshy was good. It was a treat to watch then, but an even better treat to watch now. And—all things considered—there's more to Fluttershy than I usually give her credit.
Which, I suppose, is the trap. F'naaaa.
-SS&E
I love when Discord r63's himself.
Yes, I loved this. I laughed the first time, too. And the second.
Yes! I can't remember either!
"AH GOT TA GET UR BUTT HAIRS IN MAH MOUF ARR DEE!"
I loved the reveal, that it's like a six-inch gap. And she still doesn't make it.
Even just reading this, I still laughed.
Minotaurs. Griffins. Whatever the fuck Tirek is.
I have not heard of this. But I can imagine what it would involve.
Yes, Dragonshy is one of my favorite episodes.
Was that a goddamn double pun?
Back in the day I was always torn on this episode. I loved it as bits and pieces but as a whole I was kind of on the fence.
Going back it's a wonderful episode to watch just to see how the characters have grown.
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This has always been my biggest problem with this episode. Celestia literally controls the sun. She commands an army of trained guardponies. So who does she send to evict a sleeping dragon from her kingdom? A librarian, a seamstress, a farmer, a baker, a weatherpony, and an animal caretaker. Seriously, what the hell.
Funny you should mention that, I just set up a Fluttershy/Scootaloo chapter for my next chapter of Trinity.
Complete agreement here. Rainbow Dash doesn't really have much else to learn, nowhere else to go. I mean, yeah, she can still mature up, she'll still be a lot of fun from now on, but she's achieved her lifelong goal and dream, so from now on, she's a supporting character. Meanwhile, Fluttershy's growth is only just beginning, and it's a lot of fun to watch her be assertive and even snarky. She'll never be as much of a funtastic BITCH as her human teenager counterpart, but when she has her moments, it's awesome.
"So do we...do we walk UP the slide? Or...or what?"
Dragonshy was also where my daily Out of Context Screenshot Theater blog series originated. It's hard to believe I've been at it for over 640 days without missing a day...
And it all started with this little gem:
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I don't have as much to say about this episode as the last six. I like it. It's a simple, solid episode. Some of the ways Fluttershy holds the others up grate on me, but it's all worth it for the satisfying, cathartic ending. I think it's the most popular episode until Winter Wrap Up. Really though, I like it about average for the series as a whole.
In Austraeoh itself... only twice, actually. Once while showing off in a tavern in Emeraldine, and once while telling stories to Swirls and a bunch of foals in Silvadel. In Eljunbyro, Applejack mentions it during a flashback as well. It's not really talked about that past that; every time Rainbow wants to tell a dragon story she talks about Silvadel instead.
Also, a random interesting quote from Luna I found while looking for that:
I'd love to see me some volcanoes in Austraoeh. Mudtop doesn't count.
Yeah, not gonna lie, this is the episode where I found myself hooked on the show. Mostly because of watching the timid yellow one that was literally scared of her own shadow shout down a damn dragon until it started crying. Insert obligatory Dovahshy memes.
Fluttershy's going Stern Librarian on the big, bad dragon -- and her friends' reaction -- is my favorite part of the episode. Another way the eppy pleased me was it carried the canon of the series opener forward in that Butter Babe didn't fear all dragons -- just the adults.
Pinks also had a number of golden moments in this one. The one that always stands out for me was when Dash asks whether Fluts needs an invitation to go up the mountain, and Miss Pie up and produces one, complete with an explosion of streamers and confetti.
Andrea Libman certainly had a tour de force here.
Fluttershy was the best pony during the first season. Too bad for her that Rarity drilled her way to the top so fast after that, and has stayed there.
This was the episode that officially converted me. I wouldn't be here without it, and it's what cemented my love for Fluttershy. Can't wait to do a video on it!
