MLP Marathon Bonanza S7 E4-6 · 6:30am Dec 4th, 2017
Rock Solid Friendship
I have a feeling this episode was pretty well liked. People seem to always like Maud episodes, and I can hardly fault them for that. Maud is kind of a joke character, and yet she’s really compelling because I think there are a lot of people who can relate to her not fitting in and being really obsessed with one thing in particular to the point that it defines you. Furthermore, she’s just really cute, so it’s always fun to see more of her. This episode does a really good job of taking Maud’s character and expanding on it even more. First we see she’s obviously really intelligent, not just rock obsessed, because she gets a Ph.D and we also get to see that she’s not an emotionless Vulcan, but more emotional than you might expect. Her and Starlight actually end up working pretty well together as friends as well, which surprised me, but when you start to realize that they’re both outcasts in their own way you can start to see where friendship might blossom.
Pony pajamas are pretty cute, I gotta be honest.
So, obviously Maud is the main character of this episode, but Starlight shines as well. Every episode more we get with her, I’m starting to like her more and more. She’s already rocketed to the top of my favorite ponies list (obviously Trixie isn’t on the list because she’s in a separate ‘Top Trixies’ list). I like that she’s cute and kinda awkward, but not quite to the extent that Twilight is, and seems to be more or less comfortable with herself now. There’s a tiny moment in this episode where Starlight says that she thinks jalapeno red velvet cupcakes sound gross, and it’s kinda indicative of her character. Where Twilight would have said something like “That sounds… delicious.” Starlight is a lot more blunt, and I like that a lot. Basically, this is a really strong episode and there’s a lot of good friendshipping in here. Also, there’s a good lesson for Pinkie Pie about leaving your friends to make their own friends and not trying to shove people together. I’m sure we all know someone who’s done that, or had it done to them. God knows I have…
I like that Starlight really likes kites for no reason. I’m sure that got memed to hell.
Fluttershy Leans In
So, the episode is called “Fluttershy Leans In” but it feels like it shoulda been called “Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity’s Friends Are Dicks”. I mean, jesus, they were big assholes in this episode and it felt kinda weird because when Fluttershy gathers her friends to discuss building the sanctuary, you think that it’s gonna be them who help. Instead though, they get some “experts” to try and help, and despite knowing that Fluttershy is in charge, they just totally disregard her and do whatever the fuck they want. It sounds like I hate this episode, but I really don’t. I think it’s fine. It just has a slightly mixed message. Also, unrelated to the actual story, but I couldn’t stop thinking about MSNBC’s “Lean In” campaign from a few years and how dumb it was when I saw the title. I know that’s not what they were trying to invoke, but it was the first thing I thought of. Maybe I watch too much news…
It’s probably obvious to point out, but fisheye lens Fluttershy is pretty cute.
One of the things I do quite like about this episode, despite some of my misgivings, is that like some of the episodes before, we get to see Fluttershy doing something regarding her livelihood. Rarity and Applejack we’ve seen be successful business people, and now we get to see Fluttershy do her whole animal doctor thing, and it’s kinda great. I always like seeing ponies doing more… I really hesitate to say “adult” because of the baggage that word carries, but, I always like seeing ponies do more adult things, liking having a job or working on a career. It’s one of the things that has always appealed to me about the show since even though it’s intended audience is children, by having characters who are adults the adults can relate to them as well. That’s of course not to say that adults can’t relate to children generally, but if you’re in your mid-20s it’s kinda hard relate to a character who’s dealing puberty in middle school. Like, I went through that shit 13 years ago. I’m not doing it again. Um, anyway, got a little off topic there at the end. Final verdict on this episode is that it’s fine. Probably would give it 7/10.
Are we ever gonna talk about which animals can talk and which can’t? Bison can talk, but giraffes can’t? WHAT ARE THE RULES!?
Forever Filly
So who designs all the dresses that Rarity makes in the show? Is it one person, or multiple? I’m always really impressed with how they look. In any case, on to the episode!
It’s been quite a long time since we had an episode dedicated specifically to Rarity and Sweetie Belle, so it’s really nice to seem them together again and learning new lessons. As the oldest sibling in my family, I know exactly how Rarity feels here. My younger brother is not terribly younger than me, only 5 years, but when you’re a kid, especially a teenager, that feels like forever. I went away to college for several years and didn’t really see my brother much during that time, so that when I came back and saw him at his graduation I hadn’t realized how much he’d grown. Just like Rarity has to realize with Sweetie Belle, I had to realize that my brother wasn’t the same kid he was, and actually he had become a lot more fun to hang out with because he picked some similar interests to mine. I hope that the sister dynamic comes up again later in the show and we start to see that getting older isn’t just about saying goodbye to the past, but about getting to become friends all over again with the new person your sibling has grown into. It’s a really sweet message for this episode.
Rarity would totally be the annoying aunt if Sweetie ever had kids.
So, I don’t feel I have too much more to say about this episode. I liked it quite a bit and I think it teaches a good lesson about not letting your memories of someone replace who they are now. Plus, Rarity’s whole breakdown in the beginning of the episode is pretty amusing, as is the little switcheroo they do where Sassy is the one freaking out, and then Rarity does later. That’s kinda clever. Tying it in with the CMC helping out the pony with her dog was also quite clever because then we get to see two ponies learn the same lesson. It’s a fairly common tactic to connect the A plot and the B plot, but I’m fine with that. It works well enough in this episode. And again, like I said in the previous episode’s review. I like seeing ponies doing successful things, like the CMC running their, well, not business, but whatever it is. That’s an interesting dynamic for this show.
This was a really cute shot to end the episode on. I love when they call back to previous episodes through photos, so hopefully this one pops up in the background again at some point.
Glad to see someone also likes Rock Solid Friendship. Maud and Starlight have such great chemistry together, and you make an excellent point regarding how they're both outcasts in a way, albeit with some differences. It's probably my favorite episode to feature Maud, and the episode was really charming as a whole.
As for the other episodes, I found Fluttershy Leans In to be a little slow, but not terrible, and it was nice to see Fluttershy pursue and achieve a goal of hers. I've always liked Fluttershy as a character, and more episodes that explore different parts of her personality and traits are fine by me. In regards to Forever Filly, it was definitely an interesting and enjoyable episode, and I would agree that the way the A and B plots paralleled each other was a neat little touch. Rarity and Sweetie Belle were the perfect characters for such a story given their personalities as well, mainly in how they interacted with each other and grew as characters.
You done goofed on the title. This is episodes 4-6
I remain convinced that that giraffe chose not to speak and just wanted to squat at Dr. Fauna's place.
4741477
Depending on how canon one takes the comics you may well be right. The preview of the next issue, which deals with a UN like gathering, shows a giraffe delegate in attendance in the background. Unless it's a case of sentient and non-sentient versions of the same sort of animal, like with diamond dogs and pets like Winonna.
I don't know if it's the same as what you saw on MSNBC, but Fluttershy Leans In is based around some kind of pop psychology fad from a book called "Leaning In" or something similar. From what I read of it, it's all about discounting 'expert opinions' in favor of your own vision, using dream boards, and yelling and screaming when you don't get your way. There's a kernel of "this is necessary" to it in the world of real-world business, so far as things women need to do to get ahead, but for ponies? Completely poor fit. That episode is so bad, but there's one more this season that's far worse.
She did smile near the end of her introductory episode. "I don't really like candy. But I do love Pinkie Pie." She reminds me of characters like Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh, or Miyabi Oomichi from GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class. They suppress their expressions to some degree, but not always all the way.
I guess it's good that Pinkie still experiments. You do get some failures that way, like her strawberry cinnamon cilantro cupcakes, but there are plenty of tasty things that might sound bad if you just hear about the combination.
The Derpibooru tag here is "that pony sure does love kites", to go with books for Twilight and rocks for Maud. Using that search term alone while not logged in currently yields 89 results. (Also, for you, possibly spoilers for an episode you'll get to for 6 marathon posts from now.
That title made me think it should be a pun of some sort, but if it is, I completely missed the other side of it. But then, I had never heard the expression "to lean in" before, so it was an education on that front. Sort of like running into a word you've never heard of before.
And more Zipporwhill is a welcome sight. Awww!
4741444
Sometimes I wonder how I manage to dress myself in the morning.