MLP FIM Season 3 Episode 8 Review "Apple Family Reunion"

This was a pretty fun episode, if not extremely memorable or masterfully executed. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have anything to say about it, even if it’s less than usual.

Scale of Ratings

 1 - Disgustingly Bad (the worst of the worst; has absolutely nothing to make up for the huge flaws that riddle the section/episode)

 2 - Awful (still really horrible, but maybe it’s not as bad as it could be, or there are 1 or 2 saving graces that bump the score up a tiny bit)

 3 - Bad (just generally executed poorly. Not offensive or horrible, but bad enough that it stands out for how poor the execution is)

 4 - Mediocre (Not particularly bad, but with more negatives than positives)

 5 - Meh (Not exactly good or bad. It has some negatives and some positives that overall balance out)

 6 - Decent (Generally positive. There’s more good than bad, but the good wasn’t good enough, or maybe the negatives are pretty notable and bring the section/episode down quite a bit.)

 7 - Good (Solid overall. Satisfactory but not incredible. Perhaps there are some flaws that hold it back a bit, but the section/episode is fine overall)

 8 - Great (Very well executed, with pros that far outweigh the cons)

 9 - Amazing (Really exceptional, but perhaps it’s not as good as it could possibly be. Or maybe it’s near perfect with just a few flaws) 

10 - Masterful (Basically perfect. Any problems that exist are negligible and don’t detract from the quality much at all. Only the best of the best get this rating)

Story

It was time for the Apple Family Reunion, which only happens every 100 moons (don’t question from now on how moons work in Equestria, though moon=day is the least weird explanation)! Applejack was allowed to prepare the reunion this time around, which was a lot of pressure since all the Apples were coming this time. After hearing tales of past reunions, she started to focus on the things that should happen at the reunion, and prioritizing the what rather than the who. 

This really showed when the reunion happened. Applejack had everyone working on something at all times, and barely giving them a moment to breathe, sucking all the fun out of the event. Applejack eventually realized the error of her ways when she had the family ride on a cart carried by running ponies. Fruit bats that Applejack had set up attacked Applesauce, and a bunch of chaos ensued, leading to the cart and the bats ramming into the farm, destroying it. 

After this, Applejack had an emotional moment of disappointment in herself, and with help from Granny, she understood what she did wrong, and fixed it by leading the fixing of the barn in time with a really catchy, upbeat song. 

In the end, everyone was happy, and Applejack learned a valuable lesson that she kind of knew already.

Speaking of, that’s a problem I wanna address off the bat. Yeah, technically it’s a character issue, but the fact that it was a contrivance to make the story work also makes it a story problem. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, especially compared to stuff in later seasons, but I do think it’s an issue with the story, and honestly a lot of Applejack episodes. She’s made less competent or stubborn or something of the like to force a certain plot to work without being solved immediately. 

However, I think it is possible to explain it away in this case as Applejack being nervous and therefore not recognizing the flaws with her plans for the reunion. It’s very human-like to not see wrong things as clearly in a situation with yourself than it is with others. But I just don’t think Applejack in-character would be completely unaware. Cause it is pretty obvious, especially once she saw the whole family not having fun. I wouldn’t have much of a problem if she was like this until she tried to take the family photo, but she took it a bit too far with the exciting ride. It doesn’t completely ruin the episode, but it is a mark against it.

Thankfully, there’s a lot of good to balance out the story contrivance. With the plot so simple and straightforward, the runtime is filled with fun interactions and moments and dialogue like the meeting between the three old ponies (don’t tell them I said that), baby Applejack, the Wilhelm scream, and Granny saying things like “I’m more excited than when it rained frogs.”

I also think the pacing was handled fairly well. When looking through the whole episode and seeing how little there actually is to it, I’m surprised the episode doesn’t feel like it drags much if at all. That’s because you’re too constantly engrossed in the very fun executions of all the little things that you’re able to ignore the pretty slow pacing. If you look at all the major events, it’s basically just Applejack being given the job of organizing the reunion, no one likes it, and she realizes this and returns things to how they were. 

Frankly the realization of how simple the plot is is shocking. That sounds like a plot which would be better in an 11 minute episode. But it actually works, because it gives the episode time and breathing room to expand on stuff like past reunions and giving us more memorable moments. This episode is a very good example of how episodes of the show with basic plots can still be engaging and really fun because of how well it’s done.

Beyond that, I don’t think there’s much to the story, and that’s fine. There’s nothing particularly exceptional to the story, but it’s fine and fun, and that’s enough.

7.5/10 - Really Good

Characters

So...I’ve already talked about Applejack a fair amount in the story part of the review, and I don’t wanna repeat myself, so I’ll just note that even if her antics were slightly off putting, the way she went about it was pretty amusing, especially with how she just didn’t see how the obstacle course was too much. It was also pretty sad when Applejack teared up.

Despite her small role, Granny Smith might’ve been my favourite character in the episode. It’s just that her dialogue was really funny and I liked everything she did, like failing at making the quilt and then Granny cursing, or just shaking her head when Apple Rose failed to hear her, or her softly giving advice to Applejack after the barn fell. She was just thoroughly entertaining in every scene she was in.

This would normally be when I would first talk about Apple Bloom then Babs, but their roles in this episode were so intertwined that I may as well discuss them at the same time. This doesn’t mean they weren’t noteworthy enough on their own to talk about, in fact I’d say this was a really good episode for both of them. I’ve made my opinion on Babs in her first appearance pretty clear, but in this episode she’s pretty much been given a character reboot, so I won’t hold that episode against her. Her interactions with Apple Bloom were great, with how hard they tried to get any catching up in, and they just had fun chemistry (unlike last time, grumble grumble). Also I must give them some respect for repeatedly saying “pappy pony picked a pluck of pickly pluffnuggets” after going through that whole obstacle course. Plus, Apple Bloom’s reaction to Applejack explaining the obstacle course, just saying “seriously?” is gold.

So Big Mac existed in the episode. Um...him eating the fritter and running was funny?

Obviously this episode was very oriented around the Apple family, so there’s barely any Mane 6 screen time. In the little bit of time they did have, they managed to steal the show pretty well. Rarity’s attention to detail was relatively entertaining, the way Pinkie drank a bunch of honey then burped out a bee and splashed glitter was funny, I absolutely loved Rainbow whistling after Applejack was accidentally zapped, and using Spike as a lighter was hilarious.

So the story and the characters had the same strengths and weaknesses. Both were simple, and both were marred by Applejack, and both were saved by being very fun. Naturally, that should mean they receive the same score, but I think Applejack’s behaviour is more a story flaw than a character one, and the Mane 6’s little gags boost the score just a little.

8/10 - Great

Themes

The morals about family being your first friends, not needing to do much to make time with your loved ones memorable, and remembering the who long after you forget the what is very fitting for an Apple family episode, and besides being correct, they’re very sweet lessons. The first lesson doesn't have much to it or many practical applications, but I love the latter two morals, because they’re really valuable for just about anyone. 

Doing stuff while hanging out with people isn’t bad, but sometimes just talking is the best way to catch up with people, and it’s easy to forget that. 

Also, not everyone, but lots of people focus on things like school or work too much, and don’t give enough time to their friends or family, when that’s what is truly valuable. Yes, your professional life is important, but only if you have something else in your personal life that makes it worth it. I personally have a close family member that doesn’t really understand this, and I wish he would. 

The themes are strong with this one, as is par for the course, and I’m glad to say it even boosts the overall quality of the episode’s writing. 

8.5/10 - Really Great

Misc.

This was a pretty unexceptional episode when it comes to the visuals. Of course, it has a lot of nice shots, smooth and expressive movement, great use of colors and everything the show always does very well. I especially loved the shot of the fruit bats overhead, but that’s about it. Unless I want to talk about the song’s visuals, but I actually think I’d rather have everything about that song in one section instead of split. Again, still perfectly good animation, just a bit nothing by the high standards the show has set.





I don’t think anyone would be surprised at the kind of BGM this episode had in spades. Country, bouncy, homey feeling music that is relaxing and/or fun. The episode also has really soft and touching music at times, like when Applejack and Apple Bloom were talking about the reunion at night, and when Applejack realized her mistakes near the end of the episode. I’d say those are my two favourite pieces of music from the episode (other than the song), and I strongly recommend you give them a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkOWwQ-R_zk&list=PLM9sv7wkNb95s6kZNZfHO9EET0Bzng3zn&index=4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJIguBeIf9E&list=PLM9sv7wkNb95s6kZNZfHO9EET0Bzng3zn&index=7
The final scene’s track gave a nice feeling of closure and was also a very strong track. On another sound related note, the use of the Wilhelm scream was very funny. Generally great sound in this episode all around.

It seems that a pattern is starting in Season 3. It’s one where the most memorable songs have animation that really goes well in tune with the music, greatly adding to the enjoyment factor. Babs Seed pulled this off masterfully, especially with the seed backgrounds and all that cool stuff, and while Apple Family Reunion doesn’t quite reach that level of visual engagement, the way everything happens in time with the music definitely still helps a lot. This isn’t a rare feature in songs per se, but I just think it’s an excellent method of increasing engagement whenever it’s done. 

But that’s far from everything that makes this song stand out. This is Applejack’s first solo song, and her singing voice is awesome. Her strong, smooth voice goes perfectly with the tempo and instrumentals of the song, and combines to make a wonderful experience.

This song is repetitive, and it has simple lyrics, but that doesn’t matter for a song like this. It’s just a fun and engaging way of speeding through an otherwise tedious activity, both for the viewers and the characters. 

The perfect length of the song helps too. It’s long enough to be a full musical number, and short enough that every second is enjoyable. The constant fast pace helps this. This together with the end where everyone joined, and the slowing down made the song feel very complete and satisfying, both in isolation and in the episode. It’s just really really good in just about every way (I still have no idea why that one pony moved her rear towards the camera but I don't think that counts ). Oh also this is funny. 

I don’t have much to say about the voice acting that I haven’t said in other episodes involving these characters. They were all great, Applejack’s emotional lines were sold very well, and I love Granny’s voice for some reason. The only real highlight (other than Applejack’s singing) I can think of is Babs’ voice. Just the way her lines are delivered (along with her dialogue) is entertaining. Kind of like Rarity, except, well, a different kind of exaggeration. 

So a mostly great showing of animation, voice acting, and music, with one amazing song. It’s another really great misc. section.

8.5/10 - Really Great

Conclusion

Story - 7.5/10
Characters - 8/10
Themes - 8.5/10
Misc. - 8.5/10
Overall - 32.5/40 - Great

This is worse than the past 3 episodes, and is generally a lesser episode of the show, but it still has a lot of merits and though it has flaws that keeps it from being another really solid Friendship is Magic episode, it’s a very fun episode with one of the top tier songs in the show. Judging by its IMDB rating of 7.1, it’s an episode generally considered good but nothing more, and I disagree. Episodes with really simple and ordinary plots tend to be brushed aside, but I don’t think they should be. An episode shouldn’t be judged by the overall idea it covers, but by what it does with that idea, and this is a very solid comedy/slice of life episode. Not exceptionally so, but enough that I think it deserves a lot more recognition than it gets.

Personal Rating - 8/10 - Great
Despite that, I do have to admit this isn’t the kind of episode I’d expect to get such a high rating (in fact, at one point I would’ve given it a 7), but there’s just something about the humour and charm of the episode that makes me like it more than I’d think. I’ve said this about other episodes, but this is really case where it’s right at the border between this tier and the next one. And it’s gonna be one of the closest for a while. Either way I’d love the episode, but it’s probably the song that bumps it up so close to the next tier. Raise This Barn is easily in the top 20 best songs in the show, and that’s far more impressive than it sounds. 

Anyways, next up we have another episode the fandom doesn’t particularly love: Spike At Your Service. This is one of those episodes I don’t really watch outside of rewatches of the whole show or sometimes if I find a reaction of it in my recommended videos, so I don’t really know how much I’ll like it going in, but judging from the show’s track record, and it not having a bad moral, I’m sure it’ll be good/great. But until then (hopefully less than a month XD), feel free to leave a comment about my review/your opinion on the episode. Tootles!

Comments

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

AJ slowly became my favorite after Twilight.