Season 3 Episode Reviews: Just for Sidekicks · 6:36pm Jan 26th, 2013
Blogger: http://blogofpony.blogspot.com/2013/01/episode-reviews-just-for-sidekicks.html
And so we get another Spike episode. Let's prepare for the suck as we get into “Just for Sidekicks.”
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TECHNICAL SPECS:
Season: 3
Episode: 8*
Written By: Corey Powell
First Aired: January 26, 2013
* This was the eighth episode in production order, but the eleventh aired. It also ties into the twelfth, so it doesn't make as much sense if viewed out of that order.
SUMMARY:
Spike decides it's time to bake himself a gemstone cake, while Owlowiscious watches over him and hoots. Unfortunately, the little dragon forgets to not touch the decorations, and ends up eating all the gemstones before he can even finish mixing the batter. Just as this leaves him in despair, Fluttershy and Angel arrive, reminding him that he's once again been uninvited to another important event in Twilight's life – in this case, the Mane 6's trip to the Crystal Empire to set up the Equestria Games. Fluttershy, however, needs somepony to take care of Angel, and is willing to offer Spike a big gem in exchange. This sets off Spike's greed once again, and he accepts the job...but not without thinking about the other pets he could be paid for...
Before long, all of the Mane 6 have entrusted their critters to Spike for safekeeping, despite Twilight's belief that Spike isn't really ready to watch over six critters. Her fears are well-justified, as Spike isn't the least bit interested in actually taking care of the pets; he just wants the gems for his cake. But as soon as the ponies leave, the animals begin to run amok, spreading chaos and disorder across the entire library. Spike tries to restore order, but Angel escapes, forcing Spike to get dragged along by the other pets to find him.
They spot Angel in the CMC Clubhouse, where the fillies were just about to go for their skydiving Cutie Marks. Sensing an opportunity to get rid of the pets, Spike offers to let them take care of the animals and get a petsitting Cutie Mark, and they agree...but they need something to pay for the supplies. And thus, Spike loses a gem.
A few moments later, however, the CMC have already failed, and Spike is forced to pick up the pets to save their lives. On the way back, though, Spike gets tangled up to a tree with their leashes, prompting a visit from a nearby Zecora. She offers to help deal with Spike's bad mojo, in exchange for a gem...which she then donates to a nearby Filly Scout to alleviate his greed. And when he decides to roll them all in a Katamari ball, he runs into Granny Smith, who he has to bribe to keep quiet. Even worse, Angel takes the opportunity to jump onto the train to the Crystal Empire, and Spike needs chaperones and tickets to get on. Fortunately, the CMC are nearby, so he grabs them and pays with another gemstone, leaving only two.
He manages to grab Angel, but not before the train departs. Even worse, the pets escape again during the ride and jump Doughnut Joe's doughnut cart, costing him another gem. He tries to trap them all in the car until the train departs, but the CMC tickle him with a feather and Angel dropkicks Tank through the door. Even worse, the Mane 6 are on the platform to go back to Ponyville, and Angel centers in on Fluttershy. With no way to catch him, Spike sacrifices his last gem to take out the latch holding a giant pile of luggage (probably Rarity's) together, causing an avalanche that blocks the bunny's path. Unfortunately, the Mane 6 decide to sit in the same car Spike, the pets and the CMC are hiding in, forcing them to say under the seats to avoid detection. But again, Angel is a dick, and is ready to expose them all to spite Spike...
But then Spike hears Twilight talking about how good a leader he's be, and he gives up. Spike tells Angel to go ahead and reveal them, since it's his fault for not doing his job. This gets Angel to finally stop being a jerk, and he even runs out to grab the last gemstone to stop Spike's stomach from rumbling. They make it back to Ponyville undetected, and fake a surprise train station reunion. Unfortunately, karma still has one last trick for Spike; just as he gets back to the library, he eats his last gemstone...and lets out a mighty scream to the heavens.
REVIEW:
The episode gets off to a great start by showing that rarest of all FiM things: continuity. Remember Peewee, Spike's little baby phoenix that he kidnapped? The very first thing the episode does is address this little plot point, as a series of photos reveal that Spike gave the little guy back to his parents. While it's a bit sad that the one positive thing from “Dragon Quest” is gone, I can see the two being reunited down the road, perhaps when both of the little guys are grown up. A phoenix would still be a great pet for a dragon like Spike, especially when he's fated to outlive his pony friends.
We also get Owlowiscious here, and...well, he's improved. He actually has a bit of a personality here, unlike in his first episode; he feels like he's emulating Twilight a bit, pointing out Spike's stupidity in eating all the gems he needs for the cake. If you have ever baked anything with a small child, you have been here; always keep a spatula over the chocolate chips to thwack away unwelcome grubby little fingers, and you'll be fine. I also loved Spike's little song as he sinks into total depression over his sweet tooth.
There is one other major bit of continuity that needs to be addressed, however, and it's probably the weakest part of the episode's setup for me. Fluttershy and the others are going to the Crystal Empire to meet with the head of the Equestria Games committee. Guess what the next episode is about. Yep, these two are intertwined, with the two episodes occurring parallel to each other. (I guess we'll talk more about that in two weeks.) Of course, Angel needs no introduction; he's still just as big a jerk to Spike as ever, but then he runs into Owlowiscious. Fun fact: owls eat rabbits, and it's obvious that Owlowiscious is not going to take Angel's crap sitting down. We also get to see the return of Spike's greed, as he begins to think of a way to get new gems to eat before putting them in a cake.
The scene with Rainbow Dash and Rarity reintroduces us to Tank, still flying around with his little propeller harness. Unfortunately, he's not very good with it, crashing into walls, banging his head against the well, and constantly flipping on his back...but not before he can drum up some adorable points by licking Rainbow Dash's face and making her blush. We also already know Opalescence, and Rarity's Twilight-sized list of steps and precautions in taking care of her makes it pretty clear how she got to be as bad as she is. Rarity just can't help but spoil her little devil cat.
Oh, and the pony who represents Generosity? She gives just a tiny shard of a gemstone. Of course, this is Spike, so he's not going to object to his beloved's selfless act. Still, it's balanced by having Spike ignore Opal and Tank going at it, again revealing his true intentions with this whole exercise.
The Pinkie scene is just there to remind me of how awesome Gummy is, which is sad because he doesn't have a whole lot to do in the episode. Still, Pinkie's interactions with him are just perfect here, as Gummy just don't give a buck about what's going on and she's super-hyper-active as always. Unfortunately, we don't get to see his actions with Applejack, but she apparently agreed to let Spike take care of Winona as long as she gets plenty of exercise. Twilight, of course, sees through this charade almost immediately, but agrees to let Spike take care of Owlowiscious anyway. And thus we get a scene of pure adorableness, as our faithful heroes say farewell to their loyal comrades. (The best two for me are Pinkie arguing with Gummy over who loves who more and Rainbow Dash giving Tank a quick nuzzle before quickly turning away.)
Of course, the pets immediately cause chaos and destruction the minute everypony's back is turned, turning the episode into another rendition of “Baby Cakes.” That is, until Spike puts his foot down almost immediately and gets the animals in line...except for Angel. Yes, that stupid little bunny is going to be the cause of the episode's conflict. Why? Well, most of it's because he's just a flankhole, but there's two more reasons we'll get to later. Spike sets out after him immediately, using Winona as a bloodhound and getting dragged around by all the pets and their mass of leashes. Again, if you've ever tried to walk more than one dog at once, you have been here.
The CMC, surprisingly enough, also play a rather large role this episode. Angel instantly fawns over the attention they give him, both because that's what he loves and to spite Spike. Again, though, Spike decides to be lazy and greedy and pawn the pets off on them, using their Cutie Mark Crusading to get them to accept. But unfortunately for him, Apple Bloom was privy to his deal with Applejack, and knows he has gems they could use to buy pet supplies. So we get to the inevitable running gag of Spike losing the gems he had so greedily obtained. Fortunately, he gets a decent moment a bit later, where he freaks when the three start shouting about losing Tank's head. I...have to say I'm impressed with how epically the CMC fail to take care of them all, especially Owlowiscious getting covered in pink...stuff and Winona under the industrial-sized blow dryer. (And all this from the smallest gem in Spike's collection? Speaking of which, that's the one he got from Rarity, so...why did he part with it so quickly? Or is this just a side-effect of his greed?)
Spike thus saves the pets...only to get tied to a tree and run into Zecora. She offers to help deal with his bad mojo for payment...but then just donates the gem to charity. Of course, Zecora is also the most knowledgeable cast member when it comes to dragons, and she was able to identify the cause of his growth in “Secret of My Excess,” so it makes sense that she'd try to cut it off at the pass here. But then Granny Smith spies him going Katamari Damacy on the critters and forces him to pay up to keep her quiet...right as the pets escape anyway.
And so we enter the final act, with Angel boarding a train to the Crystal Empire. Spike and the animals can't board, so they grab the CMC (who were about to go skydiving off a bridge), force them to come along, and lose another gem. Unfortunately, this is also where the animals in general start to lose their importance in the episode, as it shifts to just being about Spike dealing with Angel. The CMC also don't have a huge role in events, but they do help advance some of the humor, such as when Scootaloo lets Apple Bloom pull one of her feathers so they can tickle torture Spike.
Oh, and Doughnut Joe's shop apparently went under, as he's now forced to cart doughnuts for hungry passengers aboard the Friendship Express. So sad to see such an established business fail, but that's what you get when you recycle character models.
This is also where we finally figure out (part) of Angel's problem. When he sees Fluttershy on the train platform, he immediately breaks free and charges towards her. Part of this is obviously just to get Spike in trouble, but at the same time, the dragon hasn't been the least bit interested in taking care of him. As shown with the CMC, if you shower him with affection and do your job, he's actually pretty pleasant, and now that he's stopped slapping Fluttershy so she'd make him fancy dinners, he's also much better behaved with her than anypony else. That, and he just doesn't like Spike. Remember back in “Dragonshy” how Spike utterly failed to take care of him? Yeah, it's kind of like that.
(And the first person to make a “Buffy” reference dies. Painfully.)
Fortunately for Spike, he manages to stop Angel, but now has lost everything he did this for. Even worse, he's forced to hide as the Mane 6 board the train, sitting right on top of him and the pets. And of course, Angel is still a dick...until Spike finally admits to his failing. This somehow convinces that accursed bunny to give the poor dragon a break. He even runs out and grabs the gem so that Spike's stomach won't rumble. So again, Angel actually can be a fairly nice bunny if you treat him properly, which Spike didn't do. He's still a jerk, though.
And so the episode ends with Spike learning his lesson, Sweetie Belle almost giving away the whole enterprise, and Tank spinning Opal around and around and around. But of course, Spike blows it again by eating the last gem, thus ending the episode right back where he started. Poor little guy...
CONCLUSION:
While the story itself isn't anything to scream about, the way it all comes together turns this into a near-perfect episode. Spike is in top form, being greedy but also not being openly antagonistic or evil like a lot of his other episodes. The animals are all given a good amount of personality and their own time to shine, and the way Peewee was written out is at least touching. The CMC were kind of shoehorned in, but they're also a lot of fun, and Apple Bloom shows her dominance here with Spike. There were tons of continuity nods, and I hope the next episode helps tie everything together. And need I even mention that it's funny as heck?
So yes, this is Spike's finest moment. It took five tries, but he finally got a good episode he could call his own.
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Well, we have another week of no ponies until the last two episodes. And yes, there is no Rarity episode this season. But you know what? I don't care. She's had more than her fair share of great episodes, and it's time she shared the pile with other ponies. You know, like a certain princess who tries to rule the land fairly but never gets attention, whose sister got a whole episode devoted to her making friends, who is continuously overlooked by the fandom unless they're turning her into a tyrant, a molester, or a troll?
...I WANT A CELESTIA EPISODE, DAMMIT! IS THAT SO WRONG?!
Imagine Celestia yelling/singing this at/to Luna.
This episode went to my top favorites, along wit ha Canterlot Wedding, Find a Pet, and Sisterhooves Social.
And Celestia DOES deserve an episode.
I thought it was a pretty good episode.
I agree entirely with this review. Spike was in great form(FINALLY), and the use of continuity was much appreciated. I'm still a little sad about PeeWee though. And you're totally right, why haven't we gotten a Celestia episode yet!?
I think that the thing that struck me (it might be the Aesop of this episode) is that Spike lost all the proceeds of his greed because he thought he could get something for nothing. That doesn't happen in the real world and it clearly doesn't happen in Equestria either.
Applebloom is seriously the strongest personality of the CMCs. Even Scootaloo, who you'd expect to be more dominant given her imprinting on Rainbow Dash, doesn't seem to be quite as determined and focussed as her at the moment.
Well, we're on the home stretch now. There's the Pony Games episode next which, it appears, will be parallel to this one (which makes it all the weirder that it was actually produced much earlier in the season, possibly a late rewrite when the team realised that the Mane Six's trip could be linked to the Games episode). Then there will be the big conclusion which, for Hasbro's sake, better not be over-sold.
Corey Powell delivers again! Also, this review was very refreshing considering I was just reading comments saying that SayS was better than this. Don't ask; I don't understand either.
Spike and Angel don't like each other. It's like Buffy all over again.
Oh, I know I'm gonna die, but I regret nothing!
The best
Scootalooepisode this season: Corey Powell.The best Spike episode ever: Corey Powell.
I'm in lurv.
Oh and btw, I'm back.
NO. OF ALL THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN! THIS IS. THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING. spike already got 1 this season, I WANT A DAMN RARITY EPISODE. Hell, I'd settle for some good rarity dialogue at this point.
This episode just tied with Magic Duel as my favourite episode(s) for Season 3. I agree, Spike finally gets a good episode after so many tries and it's great. It's sad to see Peewee go though and guess I need to make a note to address it in my stories.
Also, yes, I want A Day In The Limelight for Celestia too!
I loved the episode in general but then again as far as I can think I have loved all the episodes so I probably got more then a little bit of the "fan boy sickophant" bias working for me, oh well its keeping me happy so I don't see any reason to poke a hole in it at present time.
The main thing I liked is that it looks like it really might be Cadence'c coronation as OFFICIAL princess of the crystal empire and not Twilight's turning into an alicorn. I don't actually have anything against Twi eventually turning into an alicorn but just feels way to soon. I want something long and drawn out, maybe even a hint as to the down side to immortality (perhaps as some others have also concluded that if this is how alicorns are made the loss of her friends may have played a part in turning luna to nightmare moon. )
Also I wish I knew more about the old "buffy" searies but I barly know much about it, heck when I see that one guy I always think of Booth from "Bones" first and foremost. But for any who can I leave you this gif,
the lulz
i.imgur.com/v9wvB.gif
Yes! Finally, a quality Spike episode!
Also, glad I'm not the only one whose mind went to Katamari for that scene.
I was pleasantly entertained this episode. Nothing too outrageous but still slapsticky enough that I got a few good chuckles. Kinda bummed to see PeeWee to go, but I wasn't sure how they would include the little guy in anyways.
I was scratching my head when Spike wasn't invited to the Crystal Empire with the rest. Didn't he, like, help save the whole darn kingdom? I guess the Spike neglect continues...
But yeah, cute episode! One that I wouldn't mind seeing again.
I have a strange idea, but at the same time i am seeing more exidence that it may happen. Rarity is showing more and more greed... Do you think she may be replaced?
I know,she's a main character, and hasbro wont do it, and bronies will flip a massive shit, but it seems that she is being less and less generous after each episode.
It's kind of like that Robcakeran story where the entire cast is replaced by background ponies and the Princess is Mr. Potato head.
Also, I do agree with your point on a Celestia episode, Luna has practically gotten 2 episodes and of course my obvious animosity towards what most of the fandom has done with her and the character she has become, but also, with Celestia, we only see her as an adult, only as a mentor, not who she really is.
In general, sticking with the show's morals, we could have a great episode of how the Princess forgives and cares for Luna after all the shit that she has done. Anyone who is an older sibling would agree that you have to put up with your younger brothers and sister most of the time, and it would be a great episode, but it could also show the opposite side of that coin, of how I, bieng the youngest sibbling of my family, WANT to be like our older kin, that we, for the msot part, idolize you.
Like seriously, my sister is useless and can't do anything unless its for herself, but my brother is the biggest dick ever. Since he's a lawyer, he can be an asshole and get away with it, and he turmps me in every single way imaginable, (except halo). but somewhere, maybe its because some hidden feeling since childhood, I want to be as successful as him. and its just .. uhh..ermm.....AHH FUCK IT
lolwithme.org/wp-content/uploads/WellDoItLive.jpg
How did I miss that?! That's hilarious! I'd never have noticed it without you pointing it out!
Great thing about this episode is the small details. Opal smacks tank for what he did in May the Best Pet WIn and then forgives him with a nuzzle. And when spike is dragged through town you can see the nurse turn around to look at screwball when winona barks.
754429
Remember which enemy species occasionally becomes imperfect copies of other ponies? Maybe that was changeling!Rarity!
You know what we need? An episode that shows a day in the life of Celestia and Luna. They both get an episode at the same time and it would do some serious world building. Who's with me?
754429
Greed in how? The gem she gave spike bought a giant blow dryer! I think that is overpaying for an afternoon of pet watching if you ask me.
I really liked this episode. I loved seeing some of the pets again, especially Tank. I agree that the continuity is great. All though it is not exactly a huge part of the episode, I liked that they finally made something clear. The worth of gems in Equestia. With how common they seemed in past episodes, and how most characters did not seem to make a big deal of them, except Rarity, it would have been easy to believe that gems were relatively worthless in Equestria. This made it clear that gems do have value, and quite a bit considering what the CMC could buy with one relatively small gem. So this raises one big question for me, how bucking rich are Rarity and Twilight/Spike? Rarity has tons of gems that she uses for her dresses. How much are those dresses worth, and how much does she spend to make them? Spike always seems to have gems to eat, so either Twilight is secretly rich or she gets a very large amount of money from Celestia to take care of Spike. Either way, these characters must have a lot of money to throw around.
Glutton. Don't forget a glutton.
As a frequent baker, I totally sympathized with Spike. Got all these awesome ingredients... aaaaaand they're gone.
Celestia episode? That's not going to happen. Probably 'cause she's been painted as this infinitely patient, wonderful princess that has to sit on a throne all day long. There's not much to make an episode from.
I loved seeing Screw Loose in this episode. Looks like she got out of the hospital and a nurse is helping her settle into her own home (more likely returning the poor deranged pony to her family, but either way I love seeing her again. And suprisingly in role as her character, not just a background pony. Would work well for a fanfic, the whole settling in to society thing)
Anyone else notice Cheerily and
together at the end of the episode?
I was thinking for some reason, even though it has nothing to little to do with the episode.
) and she has to take one of their powers to defeat him?
remember how much of a pathetic villan Sombra was in Chrystal empire?
Well, i was thinking, what if with the hole Twilight is an alicorn at the end of season 3, what if they decide to make it as if she was forced to do so, rather than just the option to chose it.
What if they decide to bring back King Sombra, and Celestia and luna are defeated, (of course
plausable?
I never thought I'd see the day IAH liked a Spike episode.
I agree with this 100%.
It's funny, I thought of you the minute the episode ended, wondering if you liked it. I'm pretty sure Just for Sidekicks gave me more laughs than any episode since Party of One. Rainbow's nervous quick-nuzzle was possibly the best moment in the whole ep for me.
755086
It's kind of more in the middle than end. In the same scene, just before it pans across Mac and Cheerilee, did you catch the gag where Screw Loose (the barking pony from Read Them and Weep) was being released to home, only for the nurse to give her a shocked look when Winona ran past barking? Now THAT'S continuity!
ezrahub.com/board/img/1356922838875.jpg
Did anyone else notice Carrot Top nuzzling Written Script?
The one thing I'm curious about is why Spike wasn't invited in the first place?
I mean, wasn't he like the savior or something of the Crystal Empire?
755599
Hey, I'm perfectly capable of liking any character's episode. I only pick on Spike because I've found the ones up to this point to be lackluster. Here, all the faults he had were ones already established in previous episodes (his lack of self-control from "A Dog and Pony Show," his greed from "Secret of My Excess," and his terminal laziness from "Winter Wrap-Up"), and he was treated with a decent amount of respect by the episode. This was the episode he needed all along, which is more than I can say for Applejack this season.
755086
Yep. Seems they weren't joking around with the CMC back in "Hearts and Hooves Day." Time to amend that review...
755703
I caught the Screw Loose gag, too. Seems she's gotten the help she needs between seasons, and will hopefully be able to adjust herself back into society. So much continuity in this episode...it's overwhelming...
757293
MFW the crystal snow globes are key to solving the next episode...
I joke, but it does almost seem like this is a weird sort of season-end two-parter in spite of the non-epic story line and the stories running concurrently rather than sequentially. And then there's this coda episode, kind of like Season 1 had.
Let's hope the next ep has the same writer, or at least the same level of quality. I'm actually excited to see it, though less for the story than for the chance to see more of the Crystal Empire and crystal ponies, and to see Shining and Cadence's fate for the foreseeable future. Those two have grown on me to a surprising degree.
>But you know what? I don't care. She's had more than her fair share of great episodes, and it's time she shared the pile with other ponies. You know, like a certain princess who tries to rule the land fairly but never gets attention
>thinks you're talking about luna
>yeah i agree i want moar luna
>whose sister got a whole episode devoted to her making friends, who is continuously overlooked by the fandom unless they're turning her into a tyrant, a molester, or a troll?
>realizes you weren't talking about luna
>...I WANT A CELESTIA EPISODE, DAMMIT! IS THAT SO WRONG?!
uh yeah good point , idk maybe it is so wrong and that's why they haven't done it yet , but most of this season has been pretty 'wrong' so to speak hasn't it? well what better time to try new things i guess?.....
It's great to see Spike finally getting a really good episode. This one almost seems more like a Season 1 episode - which is a good thing I think. It's simple, pleasant, and and easy to watch; that's the show we fell in love with.
And Spike isn't a complete idiot all the time, it's painful to see him being so annoyingly dumb.
He's kind of lazy, greedy, and not so nice, but that's consistent with the way he's been since the beginning. A perfect character can't learn anything, can't grow or improve, and we can relate to someone who shirks responsibility for easy rewards - nobody's perfect.
757293
They could still just be friends still. You never know though, god forbid a cartoon has a guy and a girl without other love interests that are purely platonic -_- And if there is such a miracle, a large fandom is destined to put them together anyway. Granted, for ponies I can think of few mane pairings I have not seen anyway.
Yeah, I thought this was a pretty good episode, I only had one mane problem with it. I thought it was kinda weird that Spike saved the Crystal Empire, but wasn't invited to the event...
That was strange. Other than that it was fine though.
... Angel was just a little bastard in this episode. Sure, he was giving Spike some comeuppance, but still, there's only so far one can push it.
As for Spike not being invited... yeah, kinda sucks.