You know, I try to avoid spoilers on these things, but it's in the episode title. They named this one "Flutter Brutter", and it's obviously about Fluttershy's brother.

In fact, the fact that Fluttershy has a brother leaked last season, and I've been on spoiler alert ever since, since it's actually one of the most commonly spoiled things out there. I'll be glad when we get to the episode after this one, since I won't have to enforce it any more.

This is this weeks discussion thread for this episode, though, and it's mainly the first post I'm trying to keep relatively spoiler-free.

This episode is by David Rapp, who also write... um, Newbie Dash. I'm not sure I find this encouraging. Well, we'll see how this goes. May the speculation and episode discussion begin!

--Sweetie Belle

I really hope this episode isn't going to be what the trolls say it is.

5273589
The writer will be the same as Newbie Dash? I think I might not like this episode.

5273589 N'aawww, so cute! Just let him be good to his sister, that's all I ask

I have to say, I hope there's lots of interaction between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in this one.

5273744
I don't see any retcon here.

5273589
I'll admit it, I didn't think they would actually do this episode. I was releaved when this episode wasn't shown last season, because I thought it was confermation that it was just a joke.

But now... I don't know what to think of it. I guess we'll see.

5273901 Yes, I thought they were supposed to show it a year ago, but it turns out they had other ideas to run S5 instead.

5273589

This episode is by David Rapp, who also write... um, Newbie Dash.

Red flag. Big red flag.

5273801

Remember when it was clearly established that Fluttershy's entire family was eaten by dragons which is why she devoted her life to dragon slaying?

5273589

This episode is by David Rapp, who also write... um, Newbie Dash.

Ooooooooh brutter.
Here we gooooooooooooooooooo

5273983

Are you saying David has a..... bad rapp?

5273975
I tried to think up a clever retort, but I'm just stuck thinking about Twilight and Fluttershy traveling back in time to battle dragons and save her parents.

Less than thirty seconds in and I'm already ready to throw myself off of a cliff.

5273751 Your wish is granted! at least for now.

5273997

But like, the dragons were responsible for her becoming a hardened badass. Each dragon she kills changes the timeline, making her more and more softhearted and timid.

5274004
Her family is more important than herself. She must sacrifice her present to save her past.

I'm assuming that this'll be a lot like the breezie episode. Plus it's feeling somewhat dull. Fitst time I've actually just walked out of an episode.

5274017

I don't think you understand the problem. Fluttershy the warrior, who spent a decade in harsh training she could only overcome through endless determination fueled by her hatred of the dragons who destroyed her life, can easily kill a dragon lord. But can Fluttershy, the soft, shy animal caretaker who's never seen a single battle, kill the dragon lord? Or will she have to settle, choose which dragon she'll let live and what family member, innocent pet or peasant village she'll allow to be sacrificed.

Every time she erases pain from the past she erases some of her determination and skills and each battle grows harder.

5274022 So far it's a lot better then last weeks.

I must be alone in liking it. Maybe it's the slight overtones of FlutterDash.

It's not the usual tone of the show, but... Okay, I'm having trouble being positive, here. This whole thing feels awkward. Fluttershy feels really out of character, too.

Note that Fluttershy being an older sister to someone who apparently has been moving in and out for a while restricts her age upwards.

5273596

Just let him be good to his sister, that's all I ask

Yess! And give him a interesting personally while they're at it!

That song came out of nowhere. Confirmed that ponies will just blend songs into conversations?

Hey, Fluttershy. What do you want to do this weekend?
Starts singing

I loved Rainbow in this episode, and the undertone of FlutterDash. Over all I like the episode.

Well, now we know why Fluttershy started off as such an anti-social recluse. Her parents don't exactly inspire confidence, as we can clearly see from her brother's behavior in this episode, even though the way he's dealt with it is very different from Fluttershy's method.

5274026

Every time she erases pain from the past she erases some of her determination and skills and each battle grows harder.

That's the amazing thing: It's a reversal of the trope where a hero grows stronger with each fight. The last dragon will take every ounce of strength she has left. The tension is real.

If I had to think of one positive thing to say about the episode, it would be Opal painted to look like Rainbow Dash. It is now the duty of the shippers to take this half-baked character and make him worthy of our favorite Wonderbolt.

Fluttershy's parents look like they fell straight out of Portland. Could they be any more post-ironic?

Also, if anyone is looking for somewhere to watch the new episode, here ya go.

Fluttershy cares more about animals than her own brother?

That checks out, and aligns with the prevailing attitudes of the day.

The moral of this episode seems to be that your family will treat you like garbage and that Capitalism is Magic. Be a cog in the machine, or you aren't hay! Work good! Sleep bad!

A little subtlety in your parables about wage slavery would be nice, DHX and/or HASBRO.

Again, it checks out with the prevailing attitudes...I guess there's no hope for America's children with indoctrinating garbage of this sort.

[Sigh]

5274110

Nah, too subtle. You should link to something like THX 1138, or some other awful dystopian movie where people are killed if they don't seek gainful employment.

[Ahem]

Fillies and gentlecolts!

As the Director-General of the Labour Ministry, it is my great pleasure to announce the new legislation authorizing the Royal Guard to shoot anyone not gainfully employed on sight.

Now, before you protest, allow me to bring into focus the nature of my drift. It has come to my attention that there are ponies who are Not Working.

Why, you ask, would they behave in such an Antisocial manner? They have been subverted by Starlight Glimmer and her communist propaganda.

It is our duty as Citizens of the Most Glorious and Honorable Equestrian Nation to stamp out all traces of this subversion.

Now, therefore, I, Alsvid, acting under the aegis of the Princesses, order that anypony found without employment will be executed without delay.

Equestria prevails - today, tomorrow and forever.

5274119
Because someone who lazes around doing nothing with their life should be free to burden the people around them? I'd like to say I'm surprised this is your take on the episode, but that would be a lie.

5274161

Because someone...should be free...?

Yes.

Are you against freedom?

5273589

Okay, at least I warmed up to her brother. He's hilarious!

I haven't watched the episode yet, but I saw this screencap of a Legend of Zelda reference posted in another group and felt like it needed to be posted here, as well:

5273589 Apparently "Peeved" is a very strong word in Equestrian language.

(SPOILERS!)

Flutter Brutter is another episode that feels aimless, despite having such a simple premise. Fluttershy is tired of her brother Zephyr Breeze laziness, not lifting a hoof and causing general disruption. Flutter's parents are a nice couple, so nice that Zephyr easily takes advantage of them. Having failed his course at the Mane Styling Academy, he seeks refuge in mom and dad's house, something he's done time and time again. Though his parents know they need to put their hoof down, they just can't do it.

It is interesting seeing Fluttershy be the one to take initiative. I actually like that her parents are a lot like her, shy and non-confrontational. It makes Flutter's personality outside of home all the more understandable.

What I don't like is this episode. It's bad and bland. Not the worst of the series, perhaps the worst of season 6 to this point. It comes down to Zephyr himself: he's simply too much of an (**&^%&*(. I get that's the point, but they could have toned it down and made him at least a little likable. It's like every stereotype of the moocher/hippie/free lance artist/spoiled child rolled into one, with no shred of realism to keep him down to earth.

There's also the fact that Fluttershy, despite knowing her brother is a doofus, gives him over to her friends to take care of with various jobs. Putting a destructive, messy, and tasteless stallion in charge of dying fabrics at Rarity's will of course turn out totally fine! Flutter's really should have seen that one coming.

At least the other jobs are more sensible. Having him do grueling work at Wonderbolts Headquarters (a place with military-style training, perfect for whipping loafers into shape), and cleaning windows in Twilight's castle. Of course Zephyr succeeds at neither.

After failing each job, Fluttershy has enough and sends Zephyr on his own. With no place to stay, Zephyr spends (presumably) an hour or two in the woods, before his incompetence brings Fluttershy's sympathies back. The two have a heart to heart about the value of hard work, and overcoming the fears of failure, and Zephyr agrees to start lifting his own weight. I will admit, the scene with them and RD in the woods is the closest the episode comes to drawing emotion.

Then it goes to Zephyr's reinvigorated efforts to start a new life. There's a rather bland song number, followed by his sudden ability to cut manes in a professional manner. And he graduates from his Mane Therapy school...training. Rainbow and Fluttershy had just gave him compliments as he headed off to finish school (which he had been doing terrible at.) Next scene is RD and Flutter's parents eating at the table, and Zephyr burst through the door in full graduation cap and gown.

Extras:
-I don't mind extending the family of the Mane cast. Flutter's parents seem nice enough on their own, and their designs are not bad. They are both humble and honest folks, and the bits of history we learn about them are nice (example: Fluttershy's dad works at the cloud factory in Cloudsdale, and has saved pieces of his favorite clouds in jars.) Then there's Zephyr. You already know my feelings on him. It doesn't help that he's callous enough to throw his dad's jars out onto the concrete, either.
-The way Zephyr speaks is also frustrating. It reminds me of Treehugger back in Make Friends but Keep Discord. That episode at least had a lot of funny moments, and wasn't too focused on Treehugger. Flutter Brutter introduces Zephry in the pre-title sequence, and his presence never comes wanted. He speaks with the sort of hipster/free lance artists slang that gets old right from the start. It's probably not as bad as Treehugger's case, but she was at least likable.
-Another episode with a running gag involving RD being embarrassed. Is that a theme this season? Zephyr constantly hits on Rainbow, to her dismay. It's not funny, and I might of been irked by it. But considering everything else the episode does wrong, the gags just sort of fall flat. Even the references are tired at this point (Cast Away, perhaps the Legend of Zelda. The guy streaming the episode said during commercial that there was a brief shot of pony Link. I haven't checked back.)
-I guess the gag about the word peeved being a swear is okay. But it's still not as funny as the jokes about bad language in episodes like Keep Calm and Flutter On and Easy with the Breezies.
-Probably the weakest part of the episode is the song number. The lyrics are hackney, the music is not that interesting, and it feels similar to so many recent tracks the show's done. But it's not bad enough to actually hurt the ears. Which might actually make it even worse.
-The styling academy gives out those mannequin heads to practice hair cutting. Despite Zephyr's mannequin head having its hair in an unsalvageable state, he still somehow manages to cut the hair into a perfectly styled mane...after most of the hair had been stripped off or (presumably) burnt. It's a cartoon, but it still feels a little cheap.
-Even in its failings, Flutter Brutter is mostly just bland. It never goes full on egregious, but quietly meddles away.

5274208

It's a tedious Ant-and-Grasshopper Aesop about working hard and being a good little slave.

Paul Lafargue is spinning so quickly in his grave at this rubbish that we could harness his body and use it as an alternative energy source.

A strange delusion possesses the working classes of the nations where capitalist civilization holds its sway.

This delusion drags in its train the individual and social woes which for two centuries have tortured sad humanity.

This delusion is the love of work, the furious passion for work, pushed even to the exhaustion of the vital force of the individual and his progeny.

5274001 No, throw Zephyr instead!

Wait...

5274208 For once I can agree with all the negativity. Zephyr was such a horrible parody of everything cringe-worthy. It took one line to get me to hate this guy.

I've met people sort of like this, and with 7 billion+ people in the world I can believe that there's a handful as bad as this, but it's just so uncomfortable to watch these people in action. If I never see this guy again it would be too soon.

5274034

You're not the only one who found it enjoyable.

The song felt unnecessary, but Andrea Libman and Ashleigh Ball harmonize so well it's worth it.

If Zephyr realized his potential, he could do a lot of things. He Tom Sawyer-ed Spike into cleaning the windows, for crying out loud.

While Jim Miller denied that this was aimed at Bronies, there is an AEsop in there, ironically considering it's timed around many school graduations. One can't expect to jump into any place of business at the top (nepotism exists, sure, but the average Joe can't expect it to happen to them...), and it does rub folks the wrong way when the newbie steps in and decides to do things "their way." It didn't work for Rainbow Dash in the Wonderbolts, and it didn't work for Zephyr, either. Sometimes, you have to start on the bottom rung and work your way up, because most of us are more like Zephyr than Mark Zuckerberg. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Good Afternoon,

Didn't know there was a specific episode thread, so I've been asked to repost my thread here:

So I, as I suspect many of you, watched the latest episode of MLP today. I thought the plot to be outside the norms of previous episodes (not that I'm complaining nor is that a bad thing). I thought the execution was descent. Her brother may have been a tad bit overdone, but we've never met him before so we didn't know what to expect. I did find the ending to be a little bit of a let down. I thought it would have been interesting if he set up shop in Ponyville. Let me explain:
1. There seem to be very few recurring males in town. Spike's been there since the very beginning. And Big Mac has had some episodes. Other than that, let's think of the other recurring males in town: Mr. Cake, Snails, Snips, Featherweight, Pipsqueak. Oh, and Discord pops in from time to time. Did I miss anypony? It would be nice to have another recurring male who, being family to one of the main 6, would have an excuse of being present for things other than the sake of the plot. Which leads me to....
2. It would be nice to have more family members in town. Sure Applejack has her siblings and grandmother. Rarity has her sister and parents (though we hardly see the latter). But Pinkie's family lives away on the farm. Twilight's live in Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. And who knows much of Rainbow Dash's family? Having another family member in town would make things more interesting. Maybe see Zephyr, Big Mac, and Shining Armor have a guy's weekend?
3. We certainly saw he has feelings for Rainbow Dash. Wouldn't it be fun to see more of their banter?
4. What about his relationship with Fluttershy? Wouldn't that be fun to see that as well? Maybe he could encourage her to not be so scared all the time?
5. And what about Discord?
6. And somepony has to be around to take care of all the animals when Fluttershy is away.
What do you all think? Think it would be a good idea? Would he be an interesting addition to the show?
Keep Writing,
Dreadnought

I'll just leave this here, I'm pretty sure it's relevant. :)

I don't think I've ever felt the urge to murder a character so quickly on seeing them. Good job, writers.

5274162
That is the definition of quoting someone out of context.

5274524

And you endorse slavery and the infringement of human rights. We all have our weaknesses.

5274379

Mark Zuckerberg was a rich, privileged Harvard boy.
Ordinary people don't get into Harvard.

5274550
You're the straw man people use against me when I try to bring up actual problems with capitalism.

5274550

And you endorse slavery and the infringement of human rights. We all have our weaknesses.

That's a pretty serious accusation. Do you any evidence that he actually said that? Because I don't see it.

5274574

The part where he said he is opposed to freedom.

Freedom is dangerous. It may enable people to behave badly, as he said. It's dangerous, being free. It's for confident adults who are unafraid of the unknown.

5274574 Stop replying to this guy. Just stop.