Friendship is Card Games: Father of the Bridlewood · 11:51am Oct 8th, 2023
Curious title here. Alphabittle is more likely to be a groom than father of the bride… which would put Misty and Zipp in the fascinatingly awkward position of being step-sisters. But we’re sadly not getting that. Not yet anyway.
Indeed, I need to highlight something from the episode description: “Misty is over the lunar moon to be reunited with her father.” As opposed to what, exactly? The solar sun? The stellar stars? Words mean things, people.
I’m going to assume this takes place almost immediately after the previous episode ended.
“Nothing beats having daughter, except maybe having two!”
I know Haven is just referring to the foals she already has, but it’s hard not to read this as further flirting/teasing when she says it to Alphabittle.
The fact that the unicorns have an art museum is news… though given how the painting is among Alphabittle’s keepsakes, it may be more accurate to say they had one. That the painting in question is clearly a portrait of Shining Armor, complete with stars of Magic in the background, says a lot. This may support the idea of Bridlewood beginning as a Crystal Imperial colony.
Yeah, the idea of even having a dad is going to be an adjustment for Misty, much less calling him that.
Alphabittle does have a good plan, especially since we’ve seen stimuli help Misty recover lost memories. The question is whether it’ll work for less traumatic events.
Okay, the captions say it’s “over-the-luna-moon,” hyphens included, which makes a bit more sense. I’ll take an idiomatic memory of Luna over a redundant adjectivial noun.
Being better than Bridlewood’s resident card-and-DDR-sharp at coming up with fun things to do is high praise. Heck, a young Misty might have had the initial idea for Alphabittle’s Prance Prance Revolution machine.
… Oh, they confirmed that three seconds after I paused to write it. 
The rest of the main cast watching these two already felt intrusive. Now it’s bordering on the work-safe voyeuristic. (I do like Hitch tearing up at father-child interaction, though.)
There are plenty of games that are built on the idea of world conquest, but those are usually limited to the hypothetical. Also, this may be the first time Alphabittle’s hearing about Opaline.
Yeah, Misty has only begun her recovery. And Alphabittle has only begun his dive through his attic, apparently.
“What are we really doing to protect Equestria?”
That’s a valid question, Zipp. You should have asked it when you thought a flimsy force field would contain the unknowably ancient alicorn for the rest of time. And seriously, this mare has no concept of other people’s inner lives. Not when they can aid her in an investigation, anyway.
Also, the idea that Opaline plans on conquering the world really shouldn’t be news. Misty has already told the others that she plans on claiming all magic as her own. What did Zipp think she was going to do with that power?
I see Pipp got all of the social acumen.
Unicorns focusing on history makes sense. It’s just that for much of the Ebb of Magic, they were focused on what they had lost. (It also explains that art museum.) Also, nice touch with the egg timer on Izzy’s simulated echo.
Okay, the Memory Lane joke got a chuckle out of me. I’m a sucker for literal idioms.
“We carved this together. With the tree’s permission, of course.”
I have several questions. Also concerns, given how much Alphabittle has built up this day in his mind
“Maybe we should let them reconnect in peace?”
“I can’t understand why we should!”
Pipp in a nutshell. Who wouldn’t want such precious memories preserved in the cloud? And (a small amount of) credit to Hitch for eventually realizing that this is kind of creepy.
“Family time! Just the two of us! Like it used to be!”
Okay, I’m definitely getting the impression that Alphabittle put a lot of emotional stock in his daughter after losing his wife. Possibly in childbirth.
Huh. That might be the closest thing to horse noises I’ve heard in this generation.
Double huh. I’d assumed Alphabittle had a loft apartment built into the tearoom. Also, nice touch with the doorknob that doesn’t require turning.
Nice, no suspicious red circles on the pizza; those are clearly tomato slices, along with olives, mushrooms, and basil.
(Just making sure we don’t have a repeat of Applejack's ham sandwich.)
Oh dear. The perfectly preserved childhood room. I knew Alphabittle would need to adjust to a grown daughter, but I didn’t realize just how deep his obsession went. No one did.
Also, recycled plushie models from the Night Market. Hey, if that kind of resource reuse was good enough for G4…
I do wonder what services a dedicated “cleanup pony” provides in Bridlewood.
That isn’t mastery of the fake smile, Misty. That is a cry for help.
I see the Bridlewood playground is still a prime spot for unfathomable ennui, even with the return of magic. I don’t know what that stallion is going through, but I wish him luck.
Assuming Alphabittle used the same amount of force now as he did when Misty was a filly, she’d have gone even faster given her then-lower mass.
Credit to Alphabittle for seeing through Misty’s desperate efforts to make him happy. After all, he wants her to be happy as well… though he’s still blinded by his memories of who she was back then.
I do love Izzy going for five soft knocks, then trying to beat the door down.
Nice touch with the massive pile of gift basket-baskets in Elderflower’s foyer. Also, I think I see one of Izzy’s major influences when growing up.
(And yes, the captions spell her name “Elder Flower,” but elderflower is actually a thing and I’m going with the wordplay.)
“Do they still wear poodle skirts there?”
In the past, I proposed that Opaline is actually an immortal, insane Starlight Glimmer. I may have missed the mark.
… How long has it been since Alphabittle cleaned that special teapot?
Ah. Most of Misty’s life. Good thing Bridlewood doesn’t have any health inspectors.
Oh dear. I hadn’t anticipated Misty getting shoved into the spotlight. Nor had she.
Think, Zipp. If someone asks to go to the big city, they’re probably going to need some tourist time before they’re willing to get interrogated.
Interesting that a unicorn considers Zephyr Heights’s Mane Street “iconic.” Of course, Elderflower probably remembers a time when the city’s airport saw frequent use.
“They’re wearing a vintage Carousel Boutique hat!”
Rarity would no doubt be happy to know her designs outlived her. Knowing that they outlived Twilight’s reign would be more bittersweet.
Oh hey, a Pigasus! And given the color, I’m tempted to say the comic reference was intentional.
Also, it’s not that Elderflower’s stories are nonsense. Zipp’s just missing context for them. (Also, she hasn’t really told any stories, just made allusions. Darmok and Jalad, at Tanagra.) Also, Sunny’s missing prime opportunities to fill in the blanks on her father’s research. You’d think given her experience with Izzy, she’d have some idea of how to wrangle an overstimulated unicorn.
Ah! Good to see them acknowledge the undercity.
Ha! I figured at least one unicorn would appreciate the artistic subtleties of “One Mare Panicking.” I hadn’t expected them to comprehend every anxiety Misty couldn’t put into words. Seriously, Onyx and Dapple are great.
“Wow. Onyx and Dapple were right.”
I love the read of this line. Out of everything, Alphabittle is most surprised by those two having the right read on the situation.
“Whatever filly you used to love isn’t here anymore.”
… Wow. That might be the darkest line that’s come out of G5 thus far.
I admit, I do appreciate Elderflower being a pile of G4 references. And how the cyclical nature of trends have brought Vinyl Scratch’s glasses back in vogue. The idea that she attended Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding, however, raises a lot of questions. (maybe she’s Twilight, not that that answers more questions than it asks in turn.)
Yeah, an allegory was probably the best they were going to get out of Elderflower.
“It really was beautiful, but it held no clues.”
It very much did, just clues you already had… though the identity of the spider is an intriguing question, since separating her from Dawn implies that Twilight got someone else to put the shield over Equestria.
Good to know Zipp has some capacity to recognize other ponies as people and not just dialogue trees.
Oh! The revelation about Together Trees may also be a comic reference, given how much multiple Trees of Harmony factored into Season 10. Either way, it appears that the legacy of the Tree lives on. Fascinating stuff.
“All in a day’s work existing with the knowledge of my unicorn ancestors, especially Great-Great-Great-Great Auntie Moondancer.”
Well, that certainly explains a lot. Elderflower may be in a Giver situation, literally holding the memories of countless unicorns before her. And some of it leaks, leaving her with impressions like actually attending a royal wedding held centuries before she was born. (And, indeed, Moondancer may not be her great-great-great-great aunt. We have a floor on how long it’s been since the Twilit Era, not a ceiling.) Though that end comment may make her more of a medium, communing with the spirits of departed unicorns.
Calling it now, Misty’s made something undrinkable, but Alphabittle’s going to enjoy the time spent with his daughter.
Oh! Well, I’m happy to be wrong.
There’s something deeply amusing about Pipp trying to pressure-carry one of the Misty memory boxes. (Apparently she was into strength training as a filly?)
And yeah, of course she was going to get her own space in the Brighthouse. Still heartwarming to see it. Especially the amount of work that must have gone into that butterfly-shaped mirror. (Also the stained-glass window with Alphabittle’s profile and cutie mark. Lovely touches.)
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
That might be the most self-affirming thing Misty’s ever heard.
“You know, there’s a story about when the North Wind got into a dance-off against the South Wind that turned into a tornado.”
I choose to interpret this as Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust at the Wonderbolt Academy. Or possibly later in their respective careers.
Hmm. And we close on a blossom opening on one of the trees. We’ll see what comes of that.
In all, this was genuinely good. The central conflict not only feels organic, it has legitimately tragic elements. As Misty noted, there’s something like a mourning process here as Alphabittle finally lets go of the idea of the daughter he lost. (Plus, some actual effort to connect the generations, which I appreciated.)
Perfect Preservation 1W
Instant
Target nonland permanent phases out. (Treat it and anything attached to it as though they don’t exist until its controller’s next turn.)
“Everything’s exactly as you left it… with a few more dust bunnicorns.”
—Alphabittle, to Misty
Sanctioned Woodcarver 1W
Creature — Unicorn Druid
Vigilance
2G: Sanctioned Woodcarver gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Activate only once each turn.
All woodwork in the Bridlewood must be done with the tree’s permission.
2/2
Defense of the North 3W
Enchantment — Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
I — Exile target creature until Defense of the North leaves the battlefield.
II — Creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain vigilance until your next turn.
III — Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed.
Emperor-General’s Portrait
(W) Enchantment Creature — Unicorn Soldier
Vigilance
Each creature and enchantment you control has ward 1. (Whenever it becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays 1.)
The Empire broke before the prince.
3/4
Jog Memory 2UU
Sorcery
Shuffle your graveyard into your library, then draw two cards.
The parts of Misty’s past that aren’t gone for good are lost in a maze of triggers and repression. There’s no telling what will bring something to mind.
Temporal Echo 3UU
Sorcery
Exile target nontoken creature and put three time counters on it. If it doesn’t have suspend, it gains suspend.
Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)
Moondancer, Surly Engram 4U
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Spirit
Moondancer’s base power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in your hand.
Moondancer has ward X, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
Whenever Moondancer or another Unicorn enters the battlefield under your control, draw a card.
*/*
Without a Past 1B
Sorcery
Target opponent sacrifices a creature. Exile that player’s graveyard.
“Whoever I am now, I’m not the filly you knew. She’s gone. I’m sorry.”
—Misty, to Alphabittle
Sinister Plotting 2B
Sorcery
Target opponent faces a villainous choice — They lose 5 life and you gain 5 life, or you set a scheme in motion.
Aside from dragonfire, the only things that brings Opaline joy are fantasies of her inevitable triumph.
Stinkweed Gatherer 3B
Creature — Unicorn Warlock
Deathtouch
When Stinkweed Gatherer enters the battlefield, mill five cards. When you do, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
“Haven’t seen imps in these parts for many moons, but that’s what apprentices are for.”
1/2
Tactless Interrogation 1R
Sorcery
Target opponent may have Tactless Interrogation deal 4 damage to them. If they don’t, they reveal their hand. Choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
Zipp learned all the subtle niceties of court, then decided her methods were better.
Bridlewood Fire-Eater 2R
Creature — Unicorn Performer
Trample
Sacrifice an Attraction: Double Bridlewood Fire-Eater’s power until end of turn.
“The town playground was a lot bigger before the Incident.”
—Izzy Moonbow
2/2
Trapped in the Spotlight 2R
Sorcery
Choose target creature an opponent controls. Other creatures that player controls can’t block this turn.
All eyes fell on Misty, crushing her under the burden of expectation.
Together Tree 1G
Creature — Plant
Defender, reach
T: Add G for each creature you control named Together Tree.
Their roots intertwine deep underground, forming a network as strong as the friendships that germinated them.
0/5
Playground Poet 2G
Creature — Pony Employee Bard
When Playground Poet enters the battlefield, choose one or both —
• Destroy target enchantment.
• Open an Attraction. (Put the top card of your Attraction deck onto the battlefield.)
You must be this disillusioned to ride.
1/3
Stored Mementos 2G
Artifact
If a card would be put into your graveyard from your hand, the stack, or the battlefield, exile it instead.
1G, T, Put a card exiled with Stored Mementos into its owner’s graveyard: Draw a card.
4G, T: Return target card exiled with Stored Mementos to its owner’s hand.
Bugged Smoothie 1
Artifact — Food Clue
Whenever an opponent sacrifices a token, that player reveals their hand.
2, T, Sacrifice Bugged Smoothie: You gain 3 life and draw a card.
“Put one more drone in my cups and you’re drinking it!”
—Sunny, to Zipp
Clubbing Shades 2
Artifact
T: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a Song or Bard spell or activate an ability of a Song.
1, T: Add one mana of any color.
They glitter with the strobe lights of a thousand bygone raves.
Filly-Go-Round
Artifact — Attraction
Visit — Tap each creature you don’t control with power less than or equal to the number of Attractions you’ve visited this turn (including this one).
The difference between kiddie rides and adult ones is largely a matter of perspective. And velocity.
(2 lights)
Elderflower, Living Memory BGU
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Cleric
When Elderflower enters the battlefield, surveil X, where X is the amount of mana spent to cast it. (Look at the top X cards of your library, then put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest on top of your library in any order.)
Once during each of your turns, you may cast a Unicorn or Saga spell from your graveyard.
1/3
The Greedy Bat 1BG
Enchantment — Saga
I — Create a 2/1 black Bat creature token with flying and haste.
II — Each opponent sacrifices a creature with flying.
III — Creatures you control gain hexproof, menace, and vigilance until your next turn.
Shared Catharsis 1RW
Sorcery
Each player discards any number of cards, then draws that many cards plus one.
With past expectations forgotten, both were happy to trot into the future together.
Timeless Designer 3WB
Creature — Unicorn Zombie Artificer
When Timeless Designer enters the battlefield, attach target Equipment you control to it. For as long as that Equipment is attached to Timeless Designer, it loses equip and gains “Equipped creature has menace and indestructible.”
Trends are cyclical. Fashion is eternal.
4/3
She is Pipp's sister, with all that that implies.
And furthermore, we have no proof that it's the same Moondancer.
Protection From Editors Alert: Perfect Preservation seems to have preserved something from a previous draft. You'll know it when you see it.
Inside Baseball Alert: Stinkweed Imp could replace any draw you would have done with milling 5 cards and then returning it from your graveyard to your hand. The Gatherer can do this with anything because they haven't yet learned that that's not how it works.
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: If you decide to blow up or sacrifice Stored Mementos, anything still exiled is gone forever (technically not really, but it's easier to access cards "outside the game" than cards in exile). You have time to activate the ability in response to grab one last thing if it and enough mana sources are untapped, but even if it's technically the same physical card it'll be treated as a new object with no connection to the previous stash.
It's a relatively near future that Misty may have to be pulled aside and told "So. You're now third in line for the throne of Zephyr Heights..."
-"Great-Great-Great-Great Auntie Moondancer."
-Attended the Canterlot Wedding.
Glad to see bizarre age contradictions aren't limited to G4!
Although I haven't watched all of MYM, I've gotten into S5 in acknowledgement of them finally finding a plot. Just got done with these first four eps and they've been impressive.
Given that Zipp's been the practical one (who admittedly hasn't developed the skill of working with impractical ponies to achieve practical results), headcanon that she was kicking herself over how S4 ended and is overcompensating. Thus said I *think* we can interpret it as a stalemate the gang was happy enough to escape, hiding behind the convenient Sparklefield 3000 and now with the breathing space to consider long-term implications.
Elder Flower is great. And in addition to the Night Market, I'm glad to see g5 continue the g4 tradition of suspicious huge magic trees.
I'll reserve judgment on the episode until I find out whether any of this setup pays off in a satisfying manner.
One note on a performance, though. Near the beginning of the episode, when Misty says, "I'm so over the Luna moon to be reunited," it comes across really flat. Was Bahia Watson playing up Misty's discomfort with having a new life thrust upon her, but the animators instead animated genuine happiness, creating a weird disconnect? Or was Misty intended to be truly excited during that line, and Bahia failed to sell it? She's well practiced in conveying the more tragic aspects of Misty (see the scene where Misty admitted to Alphabittle that she isn't the filly he remembers anymore), but we haven't had the chance to see range.
There's a not-zero number of probing moments in here (“Whoever I am now, I’m not the filly you knew. She’s gone. I’m sorry.” being a standout, as is the reconciliation with the tea afterward). And the base concept of the reunited parent clinging to who their child once was, and using their joy as a mask to hide their fear at losing them again, is a reliable concept. But for something that should be the "Perfect Pear" of its gen, it's telling how this isn't anywhere close to as affecting as it should be.
It was already a bit hamstrung going in, with the subplot of Misty's dad, never raised as a thing before this chapter (outside one glance in a late Chapter 4 episode, which was probably an addition of Atomic Cartoons and came across just as Alphabittle not recognising this unicorn ever having been in Bridlewood anyway), basically introduced, resolved and dismissed in three consecutive episodes. Mostly, though, it's just the usual array of issues here: a mangled inability to do writing and visual flow well, little synchronisation between the dialogue, performance and visuals (there's a rotating camera for a hug at one point that is so clunky), and the rest. Being that this is firmly in the territory of kids' shows that focus almost exclusively on the kids/young adults (likely for fear of alienating the target audience), there's little handle on Alphabittle beyond the necessities of the stock plot, which would be fine if the writing was all there.
Oh, and the ending never once sells on him relinquishing his long-lost daughter that easily again, no matter how much the dialogue says otherwise. Obviously they would never have Misty not move in with the main crowd, but that's why an episode like this would have been best reserved for the end of the series (well, end of Chapter 6, when the Opaline arc is over, as they didn't know they wouldn't get a renewal then). Huge loss of nerve to do it this soon.
The Elder Flower subplot was amusing enough (though I naturally differ in finding the G4 callbacks the worst kind of gimme moments for adult fan sympathy), and at least did something for the overall lore. Not much, but something. And the moments here that do work, with a borderline halfway-decent sturdy bedrock for the plot, still make it easily one of the show's best episodes. It just had the potential to have the resonation of the "Portrait Day" song for the majority of the runtime, and thus is very disappointing that it never comes within spitting distance of that for all but a few isolated moments.
This reunion would, at least, make for great fanfic material to expand on, except the whole arc is squeezed through here in a compressed form, leaving little room without going AU. No joke, I was thinking going into this chapter "surely something in here will bite for prime one-shot expansion". Alas, no. Not without straining with major flop sweat, anyway, at which point it's not worth the hassle.
That one hits hard because it's actually a IRL trauma thing for parents of missing children to preserve the child's bedroom as is.