Sep
1st
2019
Points of Canon: S9x18 - She Talks to Angel · 9:16am Sep 1st, 2019
Didn’t she always?…
- Chronological markers: The animal shelter from Fluttershy Leans In exists. Fluttershy frequently refers to the School of Friendship, requiring School Daze to have completed. Spike has wings, requiring Molt Down. No other markers, which lets this episode float to wherever it is least annoying. Seeing as how Fluttershy is supposed to be teaching during this period, it’s either spring or autumn.
“Muriel, does it bother you when Antoine tries to eat you?”
- Now, Antoine is a python, while Muriel is a baby elephant. Chances of Antoine succeeding at eating Muriel given their visible relative sizes should be exceptionally low. Nevertheless, it happens by the end of the episode anyway.
- “Predators” present: A python, a wolf, raccoons, a bear. Our bears are omnivores and not all that predatory.
- “Prey” present: Koalas, mice, a giraffe, an elephant. At the very least mice, being rodents, are insectivores.
- “I am listening to you.” Angel actually talks instead of pantomimes. Have we ever seen him do that? If we even did, it’s exceedingly rare.
- “You could teach all these hungry predators the delights of a carrot-based cuisine.” That line cinches it, Fluttershy has snapped, what we’re seeing is a breakdown prompted by stress of trying to feed so many disparate species at once while teaching at the same time. Guess this animal shelter was a bad idea.
- “I’ve never seen geckos breathe smoke though. Have you?” Zecora doesn’t know what a salamander is.
“Between here and teaching at the school, I’m not sure I do.”
- Fluttershy admits teaching at the school actually takes her time. Unexpected.
- Houses in the background during this shot indicate that the animal shelter is actually visible from the edge of town.
“They’re vegan.”
- What, no eggs?
- Notice, that the difference between vegetarianism and veganism is substantial, and veganism – and the word itself – originates in a specific movement dating to 1944 in our world. How exactly would ponies come by this whole idea, let alone the word, is unclear, when they appear to default to vegetarianism.
- “Concentrated carrot extract? That’s for reviving energy-sapped herbivores.” Is that even a thing? Because I’m pretty sure vitamin A poisoning is a thing. Humans have in fact died from it.
- “Of course I know you can’t talk to anypony else.” So far, everyone confirms that Fluttershy’s universal translator ability is unique.
“I suppose we could dust off the old picnic blanket.”
- Lyra and Bon-Bon have rolled out their picnic blanket right up on the damn street. Notice how they’re holding their cups. And clinking them before drinking. Which leads me to think this is probably not tea, which would explain this blatant public display of affection.
- Actually, they’ve just been at Zecora’s, so why are they suddenly in town and not back home?
“Why am I a pony?!”
- Bodyswap potions are possible with Zecora’s magic. Is this one of her discreet embarrassing medical services? Because I’m pretty sure the potion she needed the “Heart’s Desire” for in The Cutie Pox was not just a herbal remedy either, but rather, an equivalent of sildenafil.
- Notice that the bodyswap is not a full brain bodyswap, as Angel is capable of speaking Ponish/Equish/whichever language we’re using this week, which he shouldn’t know, or at least, shouldn’t reflexively use, which is what he does here. He likewise is capable of competently using all six limbs. Even more notably, the Stare ability remains with Fluttershy, but the universal translator does not.
- “Rubber baby buggy bumpers!” More items made from rubber beside tires and rubber chickens.
- “Anypony know where that useless list of Fluttershy’s chores is?” So why exactly is the giraffe drinking through a straw?…
- “I talk to animals, I want to marry Discord—” And I really wonder if this is just Angel shipping Fluttercord or simply an observation.
- “I hope the gem tart stall is still there again.” Why exactly do gem recipes exist in Equestria when Spike is the only known consumer is still an open question.
- “Bad snake! Open your mouth this instant, mister!” Yeah, yeah… Still not big enough.
- “Here goes nothin’.” Need I remind you that after this much time, Muriel should be dead from suffocation?
- “Turns out your friend here doesn’t have a problem at all. He isn’t a gecko. He’s a fire lizard.” Fauna doesn’t know the word “salamander” either.
What is this I don’t even.
Oh right, this is just a hallucination Fluttershy’s having.
Which turns the Fluttercord line into her subconscious trying to tell her something. Namely "I don't want to die of natural causes" and "Twilight doesn't want me to die of natural causes either"
That or Discord's made Optimalverse-style sausage carrots for her, though if that were the case, Sandra the wolf would probably eat hers a lot more eagerly.
Neck strain. She did just come out of the brace.
The whole thing being a shared dream between Fluttershy and Angel actually would explain a lot.
Kind of a dumb episode, but a really fun, cute one too.
I was thinking that myself, and I noticed when Antoine expelled Muriel the camera cut away for second because the animators didn't want to strain our disbelief too much.
Yeah, I think that explains a fair amount of her behavior. I would have accepted the idea that the predators are expected to hunt outside the area only, but her plan was to feed wolves carrots?
In this episode it does, but that contradicts some other stuff we've seen, most recently that Spike speaks Raccoon!
It's getting obnoxious. Like they've become that couple.
Well, we don't see him fly.
Right now Angel is trying to convince Dr. Fauna that he is Fluttershy, and he considers the fact that Fluttershy wants to marry Discord to be as useful a fact to list as the facts that she is shy and talks to animals. So I think we can take away from this that Angel believes Fluttershy wants to marry Discord, and possibly that he thinks she has told Dr. Fauna that fact.
Now, Angel could be wrong of course, but this isn't like when Spike thought Discord was dating Fluttershy. Angel would have a heck of a lot more insight into what Fluttershy wants than Spike would of Discord.
Everyone has gems on hand because they are a form of currency. I think Spike orders regular food, in this case tarts, with gems shoved in. That doesn't make this a gem tart stall at all, but I think he and Twilight kind of act like that a bit so Spike can feel more included.
Now Angel is going to actually help out, interesting twist.
Also interesting: Fluttershy needed to translate for Angel to the other animals. Animals can't just talk to each other.
Fluttershy going insane and wanting to marry Discord seem like they'd go hand-in-hand. Clearly he has corrupted her. She's like his Harley Quinn.
Well, this is a mess from the get-go. Fluttershy has forgotten that carnivores need to eat meat. There go any theories that carnivores ate fish or something.
I'm not sure which is worse for canon, making Fluttershy not know basic animal facts, or making it clear that, in the MLP universe, carnivores eat meat as a choice rather than a dietary requirement.
Did that snake just chew
We need to see Zecora for help. Is this going to be a magic potion that amkes Angel talk, or one that lets anypony talk to animals? Outside chance we're in for a Freaky Friday plot here.
Called it! I'm surprised Angel has fluttershy's voice in her body though, cartoon body swaps usually don't work that way.
Fluttershy sucks at hopping as a bunny.
Zecorah Fluttershy just almost got eaten by an eagle. You're a dick.
So does this mean magic talents go with bodies (well, Fluttershy's cutie mark doesn't end up on Angel's body...)
That poor snake. And elephant. I don't even know what to say about playing animals eating eachother for laughs.
So wait can all animals talk to eachother? But then why is Fluttershy translating? Also if they can talk and they eat eachother oh Celestia cannibalism!
"Can you please never do that again?" Zecora winks like she's saying 'Aint I a stinker?' Has she decided to just do nonsense like this from now on? To be fair she's barely gotten to do anything so I guess that's fair.
Oh right the stare switched but talk to animals didn't. I was going to say something about Fluttershy's body's translator ability making angel's communication attempts into language but uhhhhhhhh fudge, I got nuthin'.
"I want to marry Discord" I assume this indicates Angel is at the maturity level where you go 'If you like him so much why don't you marry him?' and make fun of people for anything romantic. To be fair, he is an animal. Although what kind of processes do Equestrian animals have, anyway?
“I hope the gem tart stall is still there again.” Well-spotted, I didn't hear this line clearly.
Yeah, suffocated and partially digested. Ugh.
So many problems. I think any fanfiction that wants to remain sane, unless it's explicitly exploring the intelligent animal thing, will need to consider this episode noncanon.
I'm going to stop pointing out that you're late after this one, because at least you aren't the Slartibartfast-trying-to-be-threatening kind of late.
5117214
To be fair, that usually involves both characters having voices, which wasn't the case here.
5117857
Well, I got the leaks that start with episode 22, so I can stop being late in a couple weeks?
5117214
The first, at least, is explainable by temporary insanity of one character. I’ll take it over permanent insanity of the universe any day.
There's one thing I feel is fairly notable in this episode: animals cannot talk to each other, or at least cannot talk with other species of animal -- Fluttershy needed to relay the various animals' statements to each other in the meeting at the start, and at the end she had to do a real-time translation for Angel when he wanted to talk to the other animals.
5117993
(Your excuse is the literal definition of the word "can")
5138011
I’ve been finding more enjoyable things to do than watch the show descend into chaos, can you blame me? Your answer would also be the literal definition of the word “can,” wouldn’t it?
5138139
Well, a reminder that there are people who look forward to these, and it's a crying shame that you aren't one of them.