Episode Re-Review: Hearthbreakers · 5:34pm May 6th, 2021
Fun fact about this episode, it originally aired about a week before Halloween due to being bumped around in episode order and that made it a sort of The Nightmare Before Christmas situation, having a Christmas themed episode before Halloween. Yes, that's right, we got our second bite at a holiday episode after "Scare Master" was another attempt at the Halloween episode (which sadly still fell flat). This time around, rather than focus on the entire mane six we were just going to focus on Pinkie Pie and Applejack. And we were finally going to see Pinkie's entire family. Nick Confalone was stepping up to write solo after he'd received help from Jayson Thiesen and Jim Miller for "Party Pooped". So, considering Nick stuck around until the end, he must've done at least a decent job here right? Well, let's find out.
We begin with Twilight and Spike celebrating Hearth's Warming Eve in the castle together, when Pinkie Pie suddenly pops out from the chimney. She reveals that she and Applejack are leaving to spend the holiday with her (Pinkie's) family, and Applejack seems impressed when she's lead to believe that Pinkie's family does things the same way Applejack's family does. In what will be a warning sign for things to come later, Applejack scoffs at the idea of Spike getting to open one present early even though it's a tradition he and Twilight have had since his first Hearth's Warming with the family. Of course, Spike's one present that he gets to open early is a book (even though Twilight overheard him complain about only getting books for presents in "Secret of My Excess").
Pinkie Pie and Applejack briefly get into a sort of jinx showdown when they mention how their families might be related, before Apple Bloom begins getting excited about presents. But Applejack and Granny Smith remind her that it's not about the presents, the holiday is more important than that. And we get a psuedo recap of the play in "Hearth's Warming Eve" told through gingerbread ponies.
When the group reaches the train station out in... wherever it is that the Pie family rock farm is, Maud Pie is there to greet them since she's on holiday break from her studies. Interestingly, she reveals that she knows Applejack went sledding yesterday because of the rock deposits on her hooves.
Maud leads everyone to the rock farm as we meet Pinkie's family, including her parents Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz who talk in the same "Ye Olde Elizabethian English" that Princess Luna spoke in during "Luna Eclipsed".
We also meet Limestone Pie and Marble Pie, both of whom are voiced by Ingrid Nilson who also voices Maud Pie. Though with Limestone Pie it sounds an awful lot like Gilda.
It's also revealed that Limestone and Marble are not twins even though most everyone in the fandom believed them to be, it's in fact Pinkie and Marble who are twins since Pinkie reveals that Marble is her baby sister by a few minutes or so. Marble Pie, however, hides behind bangs and says nothing. Applejack concludes that Pinkie must've always done the talking for Marble. Hard to believe that the comics would go on to flesh her out in such fashion, because here she's just a poor man's Fluttershy even down to a detail that will happen later on. As for Limestone, she's a grouch. But an interesting detail is that she doesn't talk the same way her parents do despite the fact that, as far as we know, Limestone hasn't left the rock farm (maybe she picked up some stuff from Maud and Pinkie?). Limestone is also very protective of a huge rock called Houlder's Boulder. Then, Pinkie leads the Apples upstairs to get settled in before it's time for dinner. Instead of a traditional Hearth's Warming feast though, the Pie family offers only rock soup. And Igneous apparently has strong enough jaw muscles to eat an entire rock (though we saw Maud eat a diamond in "Maud Pie" so maybe that's just a trait all Pies share).
Oddly enough, when Applejack struggles to eat the rock soup (or rather just drink the broth) Limestone shoots her what looks like a sadistic smile. Anyway, once dinner is over it's time for Hearth's Warming dolls. But since the Pies could never afford the traditional dolls, they make their own out of rocks from a mine.
After that, it's time for a competition to see who gets to raise the flag up the highest point on the farm. Instead of a flag pole they have Houlder's Boulder, and Pinkie mentions something about the first Equestrian flag being created by a pony named Nimble Thimble (is that the pony equivalent of Betsy Ross, who is alledgedly said to have crafted the first American flag?). They're looking for an obsidon stone and whoever finds it first gets to raise the flag. Pinkie Pie goes off with Applejack, Apple Bloom goes with Maud Pie, Granny Smith works alongside Igneous and Cloudy and Big Macintosh is paired with Marble Pie. Remember what I said about Marble being a poor man's Fluttershy? Well it rings especially true here since Fluttershy used to be paired up with Big Macintosh all the time in the early fandom. And two episodes after he opened up to Apple Bloom, Big Mac is back to being just an "Eeyup" and "Eenope" character. Interestingly, when Granny Smith is with Cloudy and Igneous she asks how they met. They reveal that they were betrothed via a special stone alternatively called the choosing stone and the pairing stone. And Granny Smith inquires about looking into it.
It turns out, however, that they were looking for a picture of an obsidon stone which frustrates Applejack. She then reacts with shock to learn that presents are apparently hidden, and if they aren't found you don't get any. She then proposes to Pinkie Pie that they maybe do things differently, which Pinkie seems to take into consideration. But then that night, Applejack suggests out of the blue to her family that they need to show the Pies what a traditional Hearth's Warming could be like. Yes, that's right, Applejack has decided that the Pies' way of celebrating the holiday sucks just because she's had a bad experience so far and has decided to just take over, imposing her traditions onto theirs because she thinks hers are better. This is exactly what cultural appropriation looks like, the idea that traditions that aren't yours are bad because you don't understand them, and others should be made to follow your traditions. I'm going to give Nick the benefit of the doubt and assume he didn't mean for that to be the case, but once again it's imperative to think through your implications. Because otherwise you get stuff like this that makes Applejack look really bad.
So the next morning, Pinkie Pie wakes up at the crack of dawn excited for Hearth's Warming. But Applejack reveals that she went and decorated the entire farm overnight, and she's going to make the Pies celebrate Hearth's Warming the way she wants them to. Naturally, the Pies protest and Pinkie resents being put on the spot and having to choose between families. It only gets worse when Maud reveals that Applejack planted her flagpole directly on a fault line, and Houlder's Boulder rolls down a cliff (though it thankfully doesn't shatter). The Apples decide to leave as a result, though not without Applejack crying to herself in the mine about how she messed up. Which is a surprise when Pinkie Pie is also down there and is crying about how she messed up (even though she didn't really do anything wrong, she never told Applejack to change things).
On the train ride back to Ponyville, Granny Smith reveals that apparently Houlder's Boulder was found in a dragon's nest long ago. And the rock farm was built around it. It's never explained how she knows this (Igneous and Cloudy probably told her) but this is the most we really get out of this. Despite the possible implications and despite the very likelihood that the boulder is actually a fossilized dragon egg, we'll never see anything happen with it again. Maybe something was planned for it that got lost during the changing of the guard that was taking place around this time? Or maybe it was never intended to be followed up? Kind of think it would've been interesting if there was an episode where the boulder hatched or some dragon showed up trying to claim it.
Anyway, Applejack now realizes she messed up right before her present from Pinkie Pie tumbles out of an overhead compartment. This sparks a new realization as Applejack orders the train to be stopped (don't see how she plans to do that when her family are not the only passengers aboard). Meanwhile, the entire Pie family is trying to push Houlder's Boulder back up to its original resting place and everyone is straining themselves. Well, everyone except Maud. But considering what we saw her do in "Maud Pie" she probably can't use her full power unless she wanted to reduce Houlder's Boulder to gravel.
Fortunately, the Apples arrive to provide backup and Applejack states what she rightfully should've done from the beginning instead of what she ended up doing. So it's all's well that ends well as the families push Houlder's Boulder back up the hill and then celebrate the rest of Hearth's Warming together, cooking meals, exchanging ways of speaking and even opening presents (Applejack gets a rock).
And that's the story, so what do I think of the episode? Well, I think the biggest plus is that we see that Pinkie is on good terms with her family and that they're not abusive like so many thought. Considering they not only don't mind Pinkie Pie not living on the rock farm with them but also let Maud go away to get her rocktorate, I think it's safe to say that they aren't controlling or overbearing. They don't even seem that strict, they really don't raise their voice to Pinkie aside from one instance. However, all of Pinkie's family is kind of one note, especially Limestone and Marble. Even Maud just seems to be here to play up her stotic nature. The Apple family are handled well, though I am a bit dismayed that Big Macintosh is back to being quiet after we saw him open up two episodes ago. Applejack, though, she spends most of the episode just being a wet blanket. From the beginning she unintentionally comes across as pretentious, as if the idea that anyone could have traditions that aren't exactly like hers is ridiculous. And even when she's the only one who's bothered by the way the Pies do things, she takes it upon herself to take over the holiday and impose her traditions. Granted, she does apologize and realize her mistake, but it really feels like another case of needing to exaggerate her character or make her do things she normally wouldn't do just to have an episode. Hearth's Warming as a holiday does look more like a pony Christmas here, but we also see some elements of Thanksgiving (a family dinner) and even the Fourth of July (flag raising). And what makes this episode work whereas "Hearth's Warming Eve" failed is that we actually see how the holiday is celebrated and what the meaning behind it is. However, I can't be the only one who wonders what this episode might have been like if it had used the Cakes instead of the Apples. I feel like that was an interesting avenue to explore. The episode is still mostly fine without it, earning a borderline B+/A- despite Applejack's problematic behavior and the often one noteness of Pinkie's family.
But Pinkie Pie was going to get a second focus episode in a row, this one giving her the solo spotlight for "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows".
I remember one Youtube commenter said that Marble was so shy, she made Fluttershy look like Discord.
Yeah, despite some problems, this is a pretty fun episode.
Yeah I agree it's a really good and nice, though not phonomenal, episode. But something I just noticed. Why are these reviews for season 5 incredibly out of order? 14 then 21 then 15 16 17 18 and 20?
5514386 I'm going in production order, not air date. This was episode 20 in production order even though it originally aired after the 21st episode in production order "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows".
5514401
Ah I see. Why not just release order?