No, really, you guys ... BEST PONY FOREVER · 4:38pm Feb 22nd, 2012
Behold: "Smile, Smile, Smile!" on loop.
She is a fluffy pink superhero. Over the course of about three minutes, she works herself to the BONE to make this entire town smile, and she SUCCEEDS. I do not question in the least that the entire town would end up following her in a parade. She is just that amazing.
I think the show's staff agrees with me on that, too. The fact that they wrote and recorded such a magnum opus for Pinkie, and animated it so beautifully, has to mean SOMETHING.
I think my favorite part is when the song reaches the "It's true, some days are dark and lonely ..." lyrics, and we get dual Pinkies, with Happy Pinkie cheering up Sad Pinkie. That's excellent, lovely symbollism. I think Pinkie does so much of what she does because she's a believer in the Golden Rule--do unto others as you would want done onto you. And I also think that's exactly where Pinkie gets into trouble.
Because Pinkie Pie is an extreme extrovert with abandonment fears and boundary blindness. So she basically never wants to be alone, always wants to be surrounded by other ponies. Her heart is in the right place, absolutely, but she has a hard time grasping that other ponies might not feel or react in the same exact ways she would. She assumes that of course everyone she meets doesn't want to be alone, because SHE doesn't want to be alone, and that everyone wants to make friends with the entire world, because SHE wants to make friends with the entire world.
Although I'd thought the lesson in "A Friend In Deed" was going to be "Not everyone will want to be your friend, and that's okay," I'm quite pleased with what the lesson actually was. Pinkie does seem to be learning, slowly perhaps, but still, that introverts exist and are okay, as well as that observing boundaries help keep your friends from getting annoyed to the point of yelling. She still hasn't gotten the knack of putting these realizations into practice, but at least she's now aware of these truths.
I love Pinkie Pie, and I love her partly because of these flaws, not despite them. If she didn't have these shortcomings, she'd be too perfect, too saccharin sweet. She feels so much more real this way. I'm continually impressed with how the show's writers create these characters who are imperfect and growing, but still admirable and very lovable exactly as they are.
I always knew Pinkie was best pony.
I agree with you on almost every point, EXCEPT for the moral part. If they had made the moral of the story Pinkie learning that sure, maybe there are ponies out there that you can't be friends with (like Twilight said), then I would've placed the episode among my top 5 easily. Before that point, the humor was great, the crazy Pinkie antics were there, the song number... holy shit the song... was damn near perfect (the animation glitch with removing Rarity for a few seconds still irks me though), and the continuity references (Rainbow reading Daring Doo, the Cake babies are the two most notable), not to mention Cranky was hilarious, made the first 3/4 of the episode amazing.
And then you get to the last quarter... which damn near was some of the worst MLP I've seen.
First, they took a damn good, and honestly mature, moral, and threw it away like nothing else. Then, they had the chase scene, which while humorous, made me more feel bad for Cranky, and like Pinkie far less (temporally of course). Finally, they had the whole, "uhh... SURPRISE! EVERYTHING IS BETTER!!" ending, with Pinkie learning... well... kinda nothing. I mean, she learned that if someone doesn't like you, and actually finds you annoying, if you pester and beg and plead with that person enough, s/he will eventually like you... which isn't real life after all. The first moral, perfect. Second one, fluffy shit that was unnecessary.
Don't get me wrong, Pinkie is by far, hands down, my favorite character, and most of the episode was amazing. I just didn't like the last quarter. Left a stale taste in my mouth and all.
17941 I felt for Cranky, but to be so embittered by a life of fruitless searching for his one true love... he needed a Pinkie Pie. She in turn needed a Cranky, someone to show her sometimes being a good friend means you leave them to their own devices. The whole apology thing... she needed to at least reach a state of equilibrium. She tried and failed to make him a friend. She came to accept that, but the idea someone hated her... that was too much. I am delving into fanon vs canon here but I can't help but feel the answers to this neediness and fear of rejection come from why she left the rock farm.
17941
It was actually more 'if you accomplish the life goal they couldn't by themselves for them while constantly pestering and pleading with them they'll be your friend. Because friendship is a one way street.'
But that said, I loved the episode - it probably was my favourite. And yes, the song was amazing and Pinkie is amazing - as a character and an individual in her world. The flaws have to be what make her lovable because without them she'd just be one of those boring, perfect characters. You know, the ones who can bend spacetime to their whims?
...I didn't think that through, but my point stands. Pinkie is definitely best pony.
I have to wonder how many people disagree on it being symbolic and decided that it took place in Pinkies head with Pinkamina, though. I'm not one of them, but i'm betting there are some. And I was saddened by the lack of Eeyore references.
Eeyore is best donkey.
And it won't let me edit that. It should be 'I thought it was actually more' sorry. Almost no difference, but I don't want anyone thinking i'm telling them they're wrong.
I was agreeing. Snarkily.
Wow. Philosophical haha~
I think i respect Pinkie pie's personality and mindset far more than any of the mane 6. Or generally anypony. I guess it's her ability to see the best in every thing, and to smile no matter what that makes her one of my favorite characters.