MEGA SEASON SEVEN SEVEN EPISODE REVIEW PACK $0

Okay, here we go, episodes 7-3 through 7-9. Spoilers below, let's go:

7-3, Flurry of Emotions:

Flurry's pretty cute in this episode.

...

Yeah, I don't really have much to say about this one. I didn't dislike it. I enjoyed Twilight being Twilight, and Spike being the only sane creature in the world, I even enjoyed Flurry's antics. All-in-all though, because the character interaction is mostly between Twilight and Spike, which we've seen plenty of, which mostly just leaves us to observe the baby, Flurry, and the environment. We haven't seen a lot of that in MLP, but we have seen it in plenty of other media, ESPECIALLY cartoons. The good thing is that it's at least to back up a moral instead of just to fill time, to give undivided attention to your kids, especially during infancy. Last thing to mention, I suppose, is that Cadance and Shining's emotional crisis over Flurry going to college happens seventeen years early, at an eccentric's art exhibit. It's not a great joke, but it's ridiculous enough to get a laugh, I suppose.

7-4, Rock Solid Friendship:

I love Maud. I also love the word "rocktorate." Also this:

"I'm Maud."

- Maud Pie's valedictorian speech

So you can probably tell that I went into the intro songs already loving this episode. Pinkie and Maud work so great off each other, and now with Maud considering moving to Ponyville, Pinkie has gone insanely hyper over that prospect. All throughout the episode, Pinkie just acts diabolical in her attempts to convince Maud to stay, but it's understandable because of how much she loves her sister, so I end up loving it, since Pinkie does end up learning her lesson in the end. Maud just has to be herself, and I will love every second of it, so that's a perfect two out of two, so far. Then Starlight barrels into this episode (Pinkie's words, not mine), and I raise an eyebrow of skepticism. Luckily, Starlight does not end up being obtrusive, and has some nice interactions with Maud. Plus she makes this very beautiful comment about her:

Starlight Glimmer: Yeah. She's weird!

Pinkie Pie: Hey!

Starlight Glimmer: No, in a good way! She sees the world in a totally different way than anypony I've ever met. She accepts me for who I am. She taught me that a rock is never just a rock, and she could make anything funny. We never had to say it, but we got each other.

So in the end, Maud ends up moving NEXT to Ponyville rather than TO it, and also makes a new friend in Starlight. This episode is easily my favorite in the season thus far.

...

Unfortunately, I feel as though I have to rain on my glowing review to address maybe not an elephant-in-the-room, but an issue nonetheless. That beautiful comment Starlight made unfortunately brings back the arguments over whether or not Maudalina Daisy Pie is neurotypical. Does she, or does she not, have a neurological condition? I can not and will not answer this question definitely, but I do want to address it, because I happen to have high-functioning autism, or Asperger's Syndrome as it was called back in the day when I was diagnosed, and maybe it still is. I really don't care what the experts or laypeople say, I consider myself both an Aspie and on the spectrum, so they can think what they want. That was a tangent. Anyways, Autism has been brought up as one of the possible disorders Maud Pie might have. I could go down a list of traits that autistic people have in common that Maud Pie either exhibits or doesn't, but it would be pointless, as not only have many people come before me an done the exact same thing, it has done nothing to end the argument, and has added very little to it. Maud could possibly have one or more of many disorders or affects, because people with these disorders and affects are very diverse and exhibit even the same diagnoses very differently. The creators have, and probably should remain silent on this issue, to avoid accusations of misrepresentation or stereotyping that comes with so many portrayals of neurodiversity. In all likelihood, they had no intention of making Maud to represent a certain group of people, except for what she is, the kind of personality she exhibits. This is obvious when you realize that Maud has been, from the beginning, merely an opposite reflection of Pinkie Pie. Where Pinkie is outgoing, eccentric, and energetic, Maud is reserved, simple, and calm; that's what the creators had in mind when creating her. That said, CAN she have a mental affect? Of course she can. A character can always be more than what we know for sure about them. SHOULD she have one? That's up to opinion. People who are or know others that are aneurotypical will have wildly different opinions about it, and the two most extreme ones are: "Maud is a positive portrayal of this diagnosis, and should be considered to have it, period" or "Maud is a negative or misrepresenting portrayal of this diagnosis, and should not be considered to have it, period." Because of the diversity aspect earlier, especially with Autism, it's hard to distinguish whether someone fits all of the requirements, because these things have waaay more differing characteristics than set requirements. Personally, I'm an Aspie, and would be proud to learn that Maud is a well-adjusted adult pony with Autism, but I won't presume her to be just because I'd like it that way. I may not have a conclusive way to end this ramble, but I hope that I was informative, and that everyone keeps an open mind while they continue the discussion.

7-5, Fluttershy Leans In:

So I guess giraffes and deer can't talk. I suppose some ungulates are more equal than others. Aside from that confusing aspect, we have a bit of an obvious problem that wouldn't have happened with real professionals in real life. Fluttershy decides to build a big animal sanctuary to ease the load off of the local vet (and presumably her, but I don't think they bring that up). Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack each volunteer an "expert" they know to help with the project. However, their expertise is too specific for Fluttershy's vision, so in order to have a plot, the "experts" decide what's best for Fluttershy without her approval and without thinking about the big picture. Everything breaks down and Fluttershy, showing off the character development she's gotten over the years, dismisses them all. She then calls in one of the characters from the feuding families episode to help with the construction, and everything turns out all right in the end. This episode suffers from predictability. Once they start dismissing Fluttershy's ideas, we know that these characters are either going to learn how to do things the right way, or get booted from the project, so there's little variety in that aspect. However, the lesson is a decent one: that if you aren't getting what you want, you should look for something or someone else. In addition, the callback cameo is pleasant enough. This episode isn't too bad, but the predictability of obviously misguided characters drags it down heavily.

7-6, Forever Filly:

When Rarity acts the way she does in this episode, it makes the characters seem so old, even though Sweetie Belle probably wouldn't do any of this stuff in Season One. Also, Zipporwhill is back. I thought she was absolutely adorable in Filli Vanilli, and even though she doesn't recapture the magic of her first appearance, she's still somewhat cute. The sideplot about her dog tries to add complexity to the episode, but it's also made to hammer in the point of the episode to the kids, but also to the adults, as as it's represented, this is more relevant to older kids and them, though kids would do well to pay attention as well, as these situations can happen with older siblings who have grown out of activities that their younger siblings still enjoy. So after that mouthful about being confused about who the point of the episode is supposed to be made to, what's the point of the episode? All individuals grow up, and their preferences and habits change as they do. Simple enough, but we have to go through repetitive scenes in which Rarity is ignorant to the point, and Sweetie Belle is embarrassed by her. They only differ in the activities they are performing; the tone and point is entirely the same each time. Finally, Rarity does get the point, which also teaches Zipporwhill an important lesson about her dog, which unlike most dogs I know, appears to be conscientious about the things he whill* fetch. I suppose he could just have gotten bored of the toy. That seems the most likely reason, and even though it doesn't have to do with age, it at least relates to the passage of time. Rarity's repeated blindness to her sister's maturity is cringe-worthy, but I suppose kids will still like this if they find Sweetie Belle's situation relatable or funny, since repetition tends to bother them much less.

*This was an honest typo, but I left it in because the pun was too cute.

7-7, Parental Glideance:

I came out of this episode thinking I was going to be preaching to the choir when I said what I HAD to say about it. Then after watching a few reviews on YouTube and looking at their comments, I realized that I should have seen the split opinions coming based on how the episode handled its topic and lesson.

Scootaloo slingshots herself to Cloudsdale and meets Rainbow Dash's parents for a school report on her hero. Her fangirlish reaction made me laugh, considering the writers knew just how anticipated unseen Elemental relatives are to the fandom. Then she keeps it up for a bit after the intro, and it gets old fast. Fortunately, it seems from the parents' reactions that they are pretty normal ponies based on how they react to Scootaloo. Then they start gushing about their daughter. And for me, the episode's all downhill from there. I know lots of other fans really like this episode, so I ask you to keep with me as I recount the experience, despite the fact that I despised it. RD's parents show Scootaloo their home, revealing that they go pretty overboard in their admiration of their daughter. I think even the episode's fans, the ones who think this makes them charming, have to agree with this fact. They saved one of her diapers, bronzed an apple she took a bite out of, and blew up ordinary occurrences into fantastic achievements. Scootaloo is blown away by all of the love they heaped on their daughter, which will come back later in the episode, but for now, she has to tell them that their daughter made it in the Wonderbolts. This is where I realize that not only is something wrong, but Rainbow Dash already knows it. So the parents show up at practice and at a show. This is where we get what I think are some insensitive comments from the parents:

Windy Whistles: And these must be your Wonderbolt friends! Hello, team! I'm Windy Whistles, the mom of the best Wonderbolt ever! Yeah! Just kidding. You guys were great, too! Go, team!

---

Windy Whistles: Oh, my, yes! And to think we never bothered to come to a Wonderbolt event!

Bow Hothoof: We said if Rainbow Dash isn't a Wonderbolt, then what's the point? But now, she is!

These comments aren't the worst things you can say in the presence of the Wonderbolts or their fans, but a line is crossed that I think should be noted by all. Rainbow Dash's parents are not just encouraging their daughter. These little asides are, intentionally or not, devaluing others to inflate the pride they feel for their daughter. They may not hurt anyone, here, but if they said those sort of things at the events Rainbow took part in as a child, around children and their parents, I doubt they'd go over so well.

As the day goes on, RD's parents constantly butt into her other activities to loudly cheer her on, which include fan autographs, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and fan photo-ops. Despite the harmlessness of most of their actions, they are clearly outside the realm of normal public behavior. In the locker room, Rainbow Dash has finally had enough:

Windy Whistles: You hung that towel!

[clang!]

Windy Whistles: Yeah!

Bow Hothoof: Greatest towel hanger of all time! [chanting] Towel!

Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles: [chanting] Towel! Towel! Towel! Towel! Towel! Towel! Towel! Tow—

Rainbow Dash: Stop! This is ridiculous! Mom and Dad, you are both too supportive! This is exactly why I didn't tell you I was a Wonderbolt! You're just... too much!

Windy Whistles: Did... Did we do something wrong?

Rainbow Dash: Yes! The fireworks, the cheerleading, and-and how do you even compare who is better or worse at hanging up a towel?!

Bow Hothoof: We're just trying to be supportive.

Rainbow Dash: Well, I'm tired of it! I've had enough of you two being so proud of every little ridiculous, insignificant thing I do! [pants] I think you should leave.

I included the context of Rainbow Dash's speech to show the ridiculous lengths her parents have now gone to in encouraging their daughter. It's become a joke, which the writers obviously did on purpose, but the incredible turn that results from this diatribe made me suspect just how much I would hate this episode at the end:

Windy Whistles: First of all, great job yelling at us, sweetie. No one [sniffs] can make their parents feel more worthless than you!

Bow Hothoof: [through tears] Your words were direct, clear, and... so painful! Is there nothing you can't do?!

Scootaloo: Why?

Rainbow Dash: Scootaloo, you don't understand!

Scootaloo: I met your parents hoping to learn more about you, but I don't like what I found out! I'll find somepony else to do my hero report on.

Obviously, Rainbow runs after Scoot to reassure her, and she immediately says that she shouldn't have said that. Contrarily, I believe she was perfectly justified in what she said. She never crossed a line by saying, for example, that she wished she didn't have them as parents. She never called them names or said anything derogatory. She stated to them exactly what they were doing, and suggested they should leave. Considering both of their disruptive nature in events meant to be enjoyed by the public, I think is a reasonable request in spite of Rainbow Dash's bitter delivery. However, the episode treats this as a very bad thing that she did, and we see in flashback how supportive they were of Rainbow through good times an bad. Even when she didn't succeed, they kept cheering her on. This should be a good trait, but the way its presented, at least to me, suggests otherwise. I'll get back to this in my summation of the episode's worst problem. Scootaloo says that Rainbow is lucky, that she never had parents that encouraged her this way. We now understand her acceptance of the parents' behavior, and this should be a touching moment; where we learn not only that RD's parents aren't so bad, but an important element of Scootaloo's backstory that ties into her relationship with Rainbow Dash. She either didn't have normal parents, or had parents that were neglectful AT BEST. However, Scootaloo's reveal comes in the middle of an episode I'm already heavily disliking, which ruins the moment for me, and it's also made to make Rainbow realize how wrong she was to disparage her parents earlier, when she had good reasons to tell them off. This revelation convinces me that Scootaloo is biased. She never got this much love and attention, so she relishes the excessive amounts that Rainbow's parents give, and can't imagine the negative consequences of receiving too much of it. A word to the wise: "Better" parenting is not necessarily "Good" parenting. Nonetheless, she convinces Rainbow Dash to apologize to her parents in grand style, and finishes her report in class while Rainbow and the parents cheer HER on. This is supposed to be a little bit funny, and I do get Cheerilee's reaction to an adult cheering section for a class report, but Scootaloo also makes a very sensitive smile, that must indicate, especially after that backstory reveal, she's so touched by all this support that she's on the verge of tears of happiness. I know I might get some hate for dismissing such an emotional moment, but it would make a lot of sense if it was slowly dawning on her just how embarrassing and inappropriate this kind of "support" can be.

And so the episode ended. After reading comments and reviews, I realized that this episode did touch a lot of people who were affected by, or even just understood the problem of, parental neglect and abuse. Scootaloo's backstory reveal was presented very nicely, and had a better episode been built around it, I would've loved it. Just thinking about the concept makes me feel for Scootaloo. But for me, I found the overall story execrable, and felt the lesson was botched. I could not get into the humor about the parents' over-enthusiasm because it felt like the same joke repeated throughout the episode, the only difference being whether Rainbow Dash was there to be embarrassed or not. But the worst part of this episode was not the story or the humor, but the parents. Here's where the jimmies of this episode's fans get collectively rustled. I hated the parents as characters, being one note and unfunny, but I hated them even more as parents. They do not understand how to encourage a child. If you encourage a child the same way, with everything they do, they will not know how to value their accomplishments. If you react the same way to them making the honor roll as they do to failing their classes, they will not understand the value of a scholastic achievement, and will be indifferent if they continue to fail. Rainbow's childhood improvement from participant to winner may seem to indicate otherwise, but I don't see the parents having an effect on her performance. Not only did she not seem encouraged by their support, she seemed to be encouraged despite their support, her joy at victory vanishing with the acknowledgement of their cheering. Not only does she fully admit that their cheering embarrassed her, but it might also have reminded her of her past failure, where they were reacting the exact same way. Giving only encouragement to a child, and only one kind of it, is like feeding them only one kind of food. They will not get all of the necessary nutrients they need, and they will not get all of the emotional development they need. If Rainbow's Parents had been consoling, telling their kid to buck up, 'cause she's going to win the next one, that would have been appropriate for her defeat. Instead, they mindlessly repeat the same kind of reaction that she's received for every event of her life, ecstatic jubilation. For me, this is the crowning jewel of bad parenting, and in my view, the episode could not save itself, it could only soften the blow. It didn't. When Rainbow's parents are dragged out blindfolded, they certainly seem to have gotten over their daughter's tirade, almost as if either their daughter had a point, or they simply stopped caring. That may seem like a harsh judgment for a couple that may just be good at bouncing back from that sort of thing, but they at no point apologize to Rainbow Dash for going overboard with their cheering, only joking that when Rainbow thanks them in front of her friends that it is "kind of embarrassing," and "a bit much." This could indicate their realization of their error, but they continue making that error in Scootaloo's class after the fact, so I don't think they learned their lesson at all. In my eyes, these ponies can barely be considered parents. I can barely even consider them cheerleaders. They are more like cheerleading robots, with one programmed response that they even give with tears in their eyes in response to blunt criticism and a request to leave. Next we see them, they are not suffering any grief or regret; they are not suffering at all. I do not see them learn, I do not see them accomplish anything positive with their parenting, and having been fortunate to grow up with exceptionally better parents, I wish that other children and adults would not take them as an example. Even the fans who just think they are cute must understand the wrongs they committed, even if they think Rainbow Dash was also wrong for calling them out. This may be the episode out of all seven seasons that I have liked the least, beating out the awkward and moralistic episodes from Season One like Feeling Pinkie Keen, Boast Busters, and Griffon the Brush Off. I will not disparage the people who enjoy this episode, I only disparage the episode itself, and though the message was botched, it's not a bad message. Especially since I'm writing this between Mother's Day and Father's Day (just a day before the latter, I might add), but even if I wasn't, appreciate what your parents give you, especially the intangibles like love and knowledge, not to mention that very important thing that they SHOULD always give you, but in the right ways for the right times:

Encouragement.

7-8, Hard to Say Anything:

Coming off an episode I despised, this one I just disliked. I didn't find it terrible, but did think it boring and predictable. Big Mac is eager to go to Starlight's old town to deliver apples, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders want to know why. Third straight episode with the CMC, and I'm getting a bit tired of them, to be honest. They haven't featured in a episode I liked this season so far. Turns out we have ANOTHER mare to ship with Mac. This time it's pie girl, AKA Sugar Belle. I may have thought of it before, but I just realized that if you pronounce "Sugar" like it's spelled, it sounds incredibly cool, like the name of a sci-fi character. So while Mac courts Su-Gar, Empress of the known Universe, the Crusaders notice Mac's attraction to her, proclaiming it his first crush, because they are naive young females who don't know all the details of Mac's life, and Applebloom couldn't stop stuffing her face with sweet buns at the rock farm to notice anything. Before Big Mac can confess, a young heartthrob swoops in to sweep Su-Gar off her feet. The Crusaders then convince him to get into shenanigans, rather than be straightforward with his feelings, because that's what they do. Sweetie Belle convinces him to take inspiration from a book of fairy tales, which all fail when the heartthrob upstages him each time. Even when Big Mac is about to embarrass himself by creepily kissing Su-Gar while she was sleeping, the guy comes in with a horse-drawn carriage, revealing that he's not very smart, despite his effort and persistence. Finally, the two stallions have a country vs. pop sing off in Su-Gar's bakery, wrecking the place. Even though Mac's competitor, Feather Bangs, sounds like a male pop idol, he laughs like Pewdiepie, and that's distracting. Su-Gar berates them both for wrecking up the place, and the bro-army retreats, with Big Mac following them dejectedly. Then Big Mac realizes that if he loves Su-Gar for who SHE is, if she should love him it should be for who HE is, making this episode's lesson similar to "Simple Ways," but it at least focuses on a different aspect. Instead of "be yourself," it's, more specifically, "think about what they like instead of showing off." Big Mac then says he can make things right, but he needs the Crusaders' help. After I've gotten over my flashbacks to the previous episode, Su-Gar selects Mac to be her emperor-consort, while heartthrob pulls a "Neigh Anything" in vain. But he's not so bad after all. He's not a love Nazi, just a Feather-friendly Felix. He seeks advice from the Crusaders, who advice him to hit up the Gaston mares that have been following him all episode for a conversation. It just turns out he's scared of talking to them.

...talkin' to a pony? Oh, it scares me almost as much as loneliness.

This may seem an odd thing to say, but keep in mind that he has not talked to any PONY before the Crusaders, only to her Galactic Omnipotence. That leaves all the loose ends tied and Big Mac plus one special somepony? I guess, because none of the other ships have gone anywhere. TwiMac and FlutterMac never existed in canon, CheeriMac went nowhere because it was against their will, and MarbleMac was empty teasing. I was slightly disappointed MarbleMac went nowhere, because I really thought they looked cute together, and I might even ship them in the future. You heard right. I ain't out of fic material yet! Still, I understand that nothing was actually set up by the teasing in Hearthbrakers, and wish the awesomely named ship of SugarMac smooth sailing. Still, this episode was, like the last two, too predictable and embarrassment-focused for my tastes.

7-9, Honest Apple:

4:20 AM as I'm writing this. Thank goodness, it's the last one. I have not yet seen last week's "A Royal Problem" and I hope the promise of Princesses, characters that I enjoy watching, means that my unenjoyed episode funk will be lifted. At least for this one I was occassionally curious what direction it would go, though the title was a big hint, and once Applejack got particularly opinionated, I did not receive many surprises. At least this one has some colorful characters, including old favorite Photo Finish and old occurrence Hoity Toity. Other than them, we've got new characters Goth Girl, who makes goth clothes, Future Dude, who makes future clothes, and Can't Even, who makes bird clothes. The focus is on Rarity, who's hosting the three for a fashion contest, with herself, Photo, and Hoity as Judges. She also asks Applejack, much to hers and Pinkie Pie's surprise. Though she initially refuses, helping Applebloom with a hat problem convinces her to try it out. However, she cannot understand the kind of clothing designed for aesthetic pleasure rather than everyday wearing. She disparages the designers, making her confident and Rarity exasperated. Pinkie lets her blow off some steam with a hard rock solo. The next morning, Applejack, embued with confidence, forces her opinions on the designers, reducing their creations to common duds. At least this episode is clear that she's in the wrong, bringing us to the lesson. Opinions should be respected. They can be challenged, but they cannot be forced. Rarity demonstrates this well with a strawberry loving mare who hates apples. She helped teach a good lesson to kids AND loves strawberries? This mare is after my heart! Applejack has to bring back the designers, thankfully after NOT telling Rarity that she needs her help, and apologize to them while they're forcibly restrained. At least she gets her point across and saves the fashion show, which they all win, because of course they do; respecting all opinions also means treating everyone's accomplishments equally. As much as I joke, that ending really wasn't a problem for the episode. As much as I made fun of the new characters, I did enjoy them for what they were, especially when they spent most of the time being artistic, so I will respect them enough to mention them as Inky Rose, Starstreak, and Lily Lace, even if it means looking it up hours after I saw the episode. But just so you know, Lily Lace did, during the course of the episode, say "I can't even" twice, "literally" six times, and capped off the episode with an entire "I literally can't even." I also appreciated the lesson, one very relevant to our global/internet age, and its presentation, which was smart and straightforward for kids to understand. Now that I really think about it, this episode felt like a breath of fresh air after the last two, and easily tops the two before that. Combined with my problems with the Season Opener, this episode might round out the Top 3, though insights into Celestia's relationship with Twilight and Trixie being adorably ignorant might push it back to the middle. I'd have to rewatch these episodes to be sure, and that won't happen for quite a bit.

That's all of the episodes, and now it's just past 6 AM. Time to add the tags and take a nap. I congratulate those of you who made it to the end of this blog, especially fans of Parental Glideance, whose patience is far stronger than Rainbow Dash's. I said what I wanted to say, and hope that what I said reaches many eyes