Deconstruction is Magic: A My Little Pony Retrospective (S1E19)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrreetings everypony, and welcome back to Deconstruction is Magic, my Retrospective/Review/Analysis of every episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is magic ever. Today, we're taking a look at one of my all time favourite episodes: A Dog and Pony Show! Without wasting any more time, let's get on with the analysis! I am the Mage of Mind, reminding you, as always, that even a cheeseburger can be deconstructed to its source.

As I've stated before, what sets Rarity apart from other more typically feminine characters is her business ethic. Dress making, for her, is an art form, and because her art is also her livelyhood, she rightfully earns the attention of some highly sought after clients! In this case, Rarity catches the eye of Sapphire Shores, a famous pony pop star. Given how much of pop music is often the spectacle of performance, you couldn't ask for a better setup for Rarity to find more gems! This episode demonstrates how a pony's special talent isn't always as direct as you'd expect.

Rarity's talent is a gem finding spell, which is what she uses to make her dresses with and inspire her. She doesn't need a specific dress-making cutie mark, as her special talent facilitates her passion, enhancing it! This fact also retroactively makes the previous episode, The Show Stoppers, make a little more sense. Sometimes, the skill your best at isn't the be-all-end-all of your special talent. Hypothetically, Scootaloo could have found her talent in extreme sports, or even acrobatics. Should she develop her wings, she could have even been a stunt flyer, like Rainbow Dash!

(This is the gayest thing I've seen all season, and I love it!)

It's impossible to talk about this episode without discussing how it plays with the Damsel in Distress trope. This is one of the oldest tropes in fiction, and has been discussed at length by other, more popular youtube analysis. In recent years, the trope has come under criticism as sexist, because it often places the damsel as a prize for the hero, usually male, to be won at the end. It portrays women as helpless victims, robbing them of personal agency, while the men are the ones to actively take on a hero role. While it is not a bad thing to require aid, the fact that the damsel is almost always a woman says so much about our cultural gender roles. This is portrayed by how the Mane Six and Spike imagine Rarity handling the situation. Spike even pictures himself as a gallant knight, incredibly buff and with a huge lance to rescue the Princess, earning her love in return.

This fantasy is, of course, played for laughs due to the exaggerated nature of it all, but it is emblamatic of how this trope has become a cliche! In fact, it's extra clever when you consider that the Knight usually rides a white horse to save the Princess, often from a dragon. This is flipped, since the Knight is the dragon, while Rarity is the white horse (or in this case, Unicorn). So when Rarity acts in a way that is opposite to this, it's both funny and awesome, seeing her take charge of the situation. She actively weaponizes her own femininity in order to annoy the Diamond Dogs into submission! Tabitha St. Germain goes to town, hamming up every line Rarity pumps out for the Diamond Dogs, creating moments for the show which have become iconic to this day!

(By the power of Battle Thongs!)

Another big point to note is how Rarity not once raises a hoof against her abductees. While the show isn't opposed to mild fantasy violence, on occasion, this is largely to highlight how Rarity's femininity is an asset, not a weakness. Innuendo Studios talked at length on this topic, as part of a series comparing the tropes of Mad Max Fury Road to cinematic contemporaries. Women who are presented as "powerful", or even protagonists in general, are often "one of the guys". They are predominantly masculine tomboys, being much more like men in both physical presentation and personality. It is, of course, not a bad thing to be a woman who prefers to present more masculine. The problems come when the tropes become the norm and, as stated before, start to reflect what we see as gender norms.

With this established, we can better understand how the episode plays with the damsel in distress trope. Rarity's desire for cleanliness and fussiness turns into a case of malicious compliance, The Diamond Dogs want whining? Then that's what they'll get! In a sesne, Rarity is deliberately flanderizes herself in order to give herself the booth. I also like that the episode never frames her friends as wrong for trying to save her. They attempted so, not because she is unable to look after herself, but because she's a friend in need! This is most applicable to Spike, who is the one fantasising about being a traditional masculine hero the most. While it is a silly vision, his heart is in the right place. So, in other words, neither traditionally masculine nor traditionally feminine traits are inherently bad. It's only bad when it's applied to stereotypes. Nothing wrong with indulging in a silly fantasy once in a while, so long as one doesn't treat it as absolute.

("I'd tell you, Twilight, but this is a kids show. Gotta keep it G rated.")

Conclusion

This is one of the best FiM episodes of all time. It has everything, from a unique fantasy setting, subverting expectations, and one of the best morals in an episode, to boot! If I had to nitpick, my one point of contention would be that Twilight never outright stated Rarity was weak or helpless for being feminine. It's implied by their imaginations, but it's never made clear who's imagination it is. In the grand scheme of things, it matters very little, and when Spike gets his moment to shine, it shows how much he cares about Rarity's well being, beyond just a simple aesthetic crush.

When everything is factored in, including the ingenuity of Twilight and Co. in their rescue attempt? Nothing I can say has any significant impact on the quality of this episode. A Dog and Pony Show gets my first ever 10/10 rating! What did you think of this episode? Is there anything I missed? Feel free to let me know in the comments of this blog! Until next time, stay safe all~.