Episode Analysis - Season 4, Episode 5 - Flight to the Finish · 1:13pm Dec 15th, 2013
WARNING: The following blog post contains spoilers. If you have not yet watched this episode, you might want to do so before you read this post.
Flight to the Finish is something of a mixed bag; it is an episode that made me smile, but simultaneously left me feeling dissatisfied; it should have been more than it was.
What is the episode about? I think, to some extent, this is the heart of the problem - the episode is ultimately about Scootaloo's struggle with her inability to fly, but that particular issue is not even brought up until after the halfway point of the episode. The episode feels very unfocused up to that point - we have the flagbearer competition set up, we have Rainbow Dash get lectured on being unprofessional by Miss Harshwhinny, and it is only quite late in the episode that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoons' attack on Scootaloo. Given that the "Scootaloo can't fly" plot point gets wrapped up by the 19:30 mark, the actual "plot" of the episode lasts all of 8 minutes and 15 seconds out of a 22 minute long episode, with the professionalism bit that eats up the first four and a half minutes of the episode (and which was the funniest part of the episode) never getting any real follow-through at all save for a weak gag at the end.
It is understandable that the whole thing had to be set up - we had to know the context for Scootaloo's doubt to creep in, and we had to actually have their performance work so we know that Scootaloo's fears are baseless, as well as giving her friends a reason to be frustrated with her. Indeed, I don't think that the pacing is even all that bad. The problem lies in the fact that with only eight minutes or so to actually deliver on the main plot, we have to build up and resolve a problem in a very short period of time. Given that this was supposed to be an emotional moment, this was a pretty big challenge - a challenge that the episode failed. The core part of the episode should be the BEST part of the episode, but in this case, it was actually the weakest, lacking in both humor and feels. Worse still, the whole "Coach Dash/Professional Dash" bit is dropped entirely, failing to really deliver on something that they spent a huge chunk of the start of the episode doing - in fact, had I not known beforehand that this episode was a CMC episode, I would have thought from the start of the episode it was going to be a Rainbow Dash/CMC episode, and it really wasn't.
The episode opens strongly - we have Cheerilee introducing Miss Harshwhinny, and Rainbow Dash bursting in and being extremely enthusiastic and amping up the class about being the flag bearers for, and thus representatives of, Ponyville. Miss Harshwhinny is very much about serious business, while Rainbow Dash is adorable in her enthusiasm in acting as the coach for the class and helping them find the perfect routine, and having to subdue herself in front of the kids to satisfy Miss Harshwhinny's desire for professionalism is funny and indeed the best part of the episode and is referenced throughout much of it. Indeed, the time spent with Rainbow Dash and Miss Harshwhinny is the best part of the episode, because both characters are being funny and Rainbow Dash is having a tough time keeping a lid on her enthusiasm, not always very successfully, and also having trouble knowing when she IS supposed to show her enthusiasm, later leaving the Cutie Mark Crusaders unsure of how much she liked their (apparently) amazing routine. The middle name gag comes back, with Rainbow Dash noting her middle name is "Professionalism", a really lost opportunity, as it would have been much funnier if she had noted her name was "Rainbow Danger Professionalism Dash" in a call back to her previous "Danger is my middle name" as well. There never is really much payoff for this, though - while Dash struggles to keep a lid on it, the character development never really goes anywhere and the payoff is a bit too obvious in the form of a gag in the end which, while amusing, is much less amusing because of its predictabilty.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders decide that their theme will be that Ponyville has all kinds of ponies in it, and that they will make their performance about the theme of friendship between the different kinds of Ponyville, as that is what makes Ponyville so special. They then burst into a song as they have a silly training montage, which has a bunch of funny visual gags in it which work pretty well and keep the audience smiling. Unfortunately, the song itself isn't the best, and it centers around the pun that their hearts are as "strong as horses", which, while amusing as a one-off horse pun, doesn't actually work very well as the refrain for their song at all. There is another funny moment as at the end of the song the Crusaders, who sprung up into the air and froze there at the end of the song, have the song end and they all plummet back to Earth as the montage ends, and everyone's favorite bullies show up.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are total jerks to them, and call them blank flanks again, but instead of being intimidated the Cutie Mark Crusaders stand up for themselves and tell them off - indeed, it seems to only encourage them to greater efforts. We cut to the Crusaders putting on their show for Rainbow Dash, and while the props are definitely better than their first effort in Show Stoppers, it still leaves something to be desired. The routine ends with Scootaloo riding through a hoop on her Scooter with the flag, then making two hard turns and springing out to allow her friends to leap up onto her hooves and shoulders for an inverted pony pyramid while the scooter floats by in the background, the existing momentum making the flag ripple in the air as it passes behind the fillies. Rainbow Dash finds this amazing, but it really isn't anything that special; I could see it being the best that any of the fillies did, but it really isn't worthy of her overenthusiastic reaction, which she has to moderate, leaving the Crusaders confused as to whether or not she actually liked it. Rainbow Dash rushes off after saying that it was "alright", presumably to go cheer somewhere, but unfortunately it is never really addressed and it feels a little flat that we don't hear her cheering off in the distance or see her in the background celebrating or something.
Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara ALSO saw the routine, and are worried. They try to figure out how they should destroy the Cutie Mark Crusaders' confidence, and Silver Spoon complains that they already tried calling them blank flanks and it didn't work at all. Diamond Tiara decides that picking on Scootaloo's inability to fly is the best tactic, so the pair go off to mock her.
It is only at the 11:15 mark that they finally point out that Scootaloo is a pegasus who can't fly, and therefore can't really represent the pegasi of Ponyville at all, and this upsets Scootaloo. Now we've had the real conflict in the episode revealed... but unfortunately, the segment doesn't really sell it to us.
The problem is a fewfold. First off, their mockery just isn't good enough - it is simultaneously awkward in its attempt to be subtle and too blatant, and it doesn't really feel like high quality teasing. The segment would have been far more effective if it had gone one way or the other - at first, they came up and seemed to be talking about how brave the Crusaders were, and this could have totally worked to undermine Scootaloo's confidence. Had they talked about how impressive it was that a pegasus who couldn't even fly was trying to represent a race whose notable ability IS their ability to fly and control the weather, and how it was really gutsy to go with something that might offend the pegasi because Scootaloo wasn't showing off her ability to fly but rather her scooting abilities, something anypony could do with enough practice, or otherwise attacking along such lines, it could have really worked to hurt Scootaloo and make her feel inadequate and maybe even like she is screwing things up or acting pretentious in trying to represent ponies that she "doesn't have much in common with" or what have you. It could have really set up her angst a lot better by making her worry about how being a flightless pegasus kind of means she isn't really one at all, or that she's a letdown to her kind/Ponyville, or at least given her a strong reason to feel like she HAS to be able to fly so she doesn't let down her friends.
Had the mockery been meaner, calling Scootaloo names (dodo, chicken, ect.) and otherwise pointing out that she can't fly more directly and in a more mocking and hurtful manner, it also would have worked better. While there were some nice jabs in there with various puns about how their act wouldn't take off, the whole thing just wasn't nasty enough to really sell it. If it was meaner, it would have also sold things more by hurting Scootaloo more, and it could have bothered the other Crusaders more as well.
Second off, Scootaloo doesn't really seem like she's all that hurt by it. While she does get upset, she doesn't get upset enough; it is only quite a bit later in the episode, when she rips posters off her wall, that we really get the impression that she is all that torn up. While she is clearly not happy with it and obsessing over it a bit, it just isn't sold to the audience well enough to really get us on board with her being upset and needing to be comforted. This greatly weakens the impact later on when the problem is resolved. There's a reason hurt/comfort stories are so successful, and the reason why hurt/comfort stories work better than pure fluff stories is because of the contrast between the pain and the payoff of making the character feel better.
The third problem lies in the dearth of comedy - Rainbow Dash struggling to keep herself contained is pretty much the funniest part for most of the rest of the episode, and we don't get another good joke until the very end of the episode, ten minutes later, after the whole plot arc gets resolved. While I do understand the idea of lessening the levity to increase the feels, the problem is that due to the feels not being really sold to us very well, this makes the actual plot arc of the episode the most bland piece of the whole thing. This is bad, because this is the heart of the episode, and yet, it is the least entertaining part!
Scootaloo decides on the basis of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoons' mockery that she has to be able to fly to do their act properly, and thus redoes the act and spends the next two days practicing ceaselessly trying to be able to fly. And of course, she fails, and their act goes to pot, with all three Crusaders too tired to play their parts properly in their act, and Rainbow Dash noting that their new version sucks and their original version was better, a remark which goes utterly unheeded. Most aggravatingly, however, Rainbow Dash, despite being really happy that she was their coach AND having agreed to take Scootaloo under her wing last season, doesn't actually do any coaching here - she basically keeps running off to deal with other ponies and doesn't focus on the Crusaders at all, which is a major lost opportunity for further character development. It might have been nice for her to at least give Scootaloo a few pointers or tried mentoring her on flying a bit or something, not really realizing why Scootaloo was obsessing over it so much, or not realizing just how far behind/inept Scootaloo really is at flying. Her dismissing Scootaloo might also have worked well in deepening her angst, saying something about how she'd love to help her once her wings grew in or something that made Scootaloo more angry at herself for not being able to fly, as well as making her feel more isolated; as-is, the next scene feels weak.
At the train station, as they prepare to go to the Crystal Empire, Scootaloo decides that she isn't going, and despite their act being a team act (which requires three ponies, one of each type), Applebloom agrees to this. Sweetie Belle is well-played in this scene, trying to be the more neutral person who just wants everyone to be happy, and ends up without being able to resolve her friends' conflict. Unfortunately, again, it just isn't sold from Scootaloo's point of view here; she just doesn't come off as being upset enough, and seems more petulant than anything, and in a rather weak way at that. We're supposed to be getting some feels here for Scootaloo, but we just don't - she gets a bit upset, but honestly it feels more like a petulant temper tantrum rather than something which was actually affecting her deeply.
On the train, Rainbow Dash wonders where Scootaloo is, and the pair admit that Scootaloo isn't coming because she gave up on them, and they didn't force her to come along. Rainbow Dash gives a little spiel over how you should never abandon your friends and teammates (a lesson she should have remembered in the premier, and which sticks out only all the more when you hear her talk about it here), and the trio jump off the train (accompanied by some mockery from Diamond Tiara, prompting Sweetie Belle to remark rather amusingly that she doesn't like that pony at all, another good line from everyone's favorite unicorn filly) and rush back to Ponyville to convince Scootaloo to go with them.
In her room, Scootaloo is tearing down posters off her wall and throws her scooter into the trash (a rather strange move, considering - why is she throwing the scooter away when her anger is over being unable to FLY?), only to be interrupted by the appearance of Rainbow Dash and her friends. Scootaloo doesn't want to talk to them, but Rainbow Dash gives her a pep talk about how she's awesome, flying or not. Scootaloo then angsts a bit about how she's worried her wings will never get bigger and that maybe she'll NEVER be able to fly, and Rainbow Dash tells her that either way, she'll still be her and thus be great.
This scene is meant to be very emotional, but it just falls flat. The problem lies on several fronts; first off, it just isn't set up well enough. The hurt to Scootaloo just isn't big enough to really justify it all that much, and while her ripping down her posters is effective (if cliche), the problem is that we only get her acting properly emotional NOW, rather than, say, eight minutes ago. We needed Scootaloo to spend more time in the Abyss, the time when the hero is feeling at his lowest, and we needed to have Scootaloo be more hurt, so that when she perks up, the lift is that much greater and we are that much more satisfied.
Secondly, we have the problem that Scootaloo angsting about her wings literally comes up and is addressed within 30 seconds. This is actually a really big thing, and it totally should have come up earlier in the episode so she had more time to worry about it. Being brought up and addressed within 30 seconds, it doesn't have nearly enough impact; had we been worrying about it for six to eight minutes, it would have worked MUCH better when Rainbow Dash explained that it doesn't matter if she can fly, as flying isn't what makes a pony special, and Scootaloo is awesome anyway, and even if she never flies, she'll still be awesome. The wishy-washy approach here just doesn't work very well as far as feels go, but the real problem is we just didn't have the build up to make us really care and for it to really hit us.
Thirdly, we had pretty much no jokes for a large chunk of the episode so that we COULD get feels here, but instead the feels fall flat so we're just left with a big chunk of the episode not really doing ANYTHING.
We then have the reversal, Scootaloo perking up, and Scootaloo dragging her friends along behind her in her scooter, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle wearing skis as the trio set off for the Crystal Empire, lead by Rainbow Dash, and we have a nicely animated sequence of them heading off north, segueing into them finishing their routine (which, bizarrely, is different from the way we saw it earlier in the episode). They are officially made the flag carriers for Ponyville, and Miss Harshwhinny is overenthusiastic about their performance, which, quite frankly, wasn't that cool earlier and thus, again, feels too over the top in her reaction. It does set up the gag of Rainbow Dash correcting Miss Harshwhinny on being too unprofessional, and the episode ends with the joke of Scootaloo deciding that this totally means that the Cutie Mark Crusaders are going to get cutie marks in flag carrying, much to the exasperation of Rainbow Dash (and amusement of the audience, as they yet again miss the point).
The episode on the whole made me smile, but unfortunately the actual core of the episode - Scootaloo's struggle with not being able to fly - just doesn't work. We don't get enough emotionality out of her, she doesn't feel hurt enough for the uplift at the end to feel as uplifting as it should, and the portion of the episode which centers on the plot arc is lacking in humor, meaning that the worst part of the episode is the central part of the episode. Moreover, Rainbow Dash coaching Scootaloo is something I (and many others) have wanted to see, and the episode completely fails to have Rainbow Dash do any actual coaching of Scootaloo at all, which was very disappointing. They didn't even resolve the Scootaloo flight issue that people have been dying to see a resolution to, or address the professionalism issue that they raised with Rainbow Dash this episode. The net effect is that while Rainbow Dash and Miss Harshwhinny's antics, along with the training montage, manage to carry the episode and make the audience smile, the episode just doesn't deliver on what it set itself up to be.
I would rate it as a fairly average episode, trending towards mediocre, at a low 3/5. It was good to see another new writer - in this case, Mr. Valentine - deliver on the characters and have them behave well in-character, and indeed both the new writers this season have done better than the veterans, but it is also a bit worrisome, as there haven't really been any golden moments for me this season, no moments where I just felt like they really nailed it. Rainbow Dash this episode has been the high point of the season so far, and while her enthusiasm is infectious, it isn't enough to really make the episode great or even good - it was entertaining, but I guess I just want to see characters shine, and I didn't feel like the episode really went far enough in doing so.
I'm a little unclear about the whole non-feels, non-comedy part. Could you mention it a fourth time (or is it fifth by now, I lost count).
I do agree that it was a fairly hollow centerpiece to the episode.
I actually didn't really like the dynamic between Dash and Mrs.Harshwhinney. In addition to the predictability she displayed this episode, if we think back to the near-end of last season, she basically repeated her MO. Stick in the mud, end lighthearted.
I also had a hard time really accepting Mrs. H's authority in the dynamic. Sure she's the games inspector, but what is she going to do, ban Ponyville from bearing a flag? Tell the Element of Loyalty and noteworthy athlete that she can't coach, just because she was... coaching? I mean sure, it's feasible, but it doesn't feel... solid.
The song seemed... ok at first. but then it got really repetitive to me. I understand it's themed after a cadence/marching theme, but still.
Ultimately the real conflict/friendship lesson was one of loyalty. Friends sticking together, which the CMC certainly failed on. Scootaloo's handicap was used as part of the buildup to that, it was not itself the main driving point I feel. That was more of a sub-lesson of "don't forget, you're awesome too."
I'm noticing a tendancy this season toward Dash/Loyalty-centric moral lessons. Callin' Dash's Ascension for the finale at this point.
I probably should have commented on your Castlemaneia blog, but I didn't, so I'm gonna throw this out here;
For me, Castlemaneia was nothing short of brilliant, and one of my favorite episodes of the entire series. In that blog, it seemed you didn't like it as much because it didn't really develop the characters at all, but for me, if an episode displays a lot of great character moments and gets me to laugh out loud several times, that's what I'm looking for. After all, character development is what we have fan fiction for!
Anyway, I mention it because it contrasts with this episode in that, I really felt like this episode was a waste, and I'm kinda shocked you'd give it the same rating as Castlemaneia. Admittedly, you said a "low" same rating, but still. I dunno. Maybe you should go to an /10 scale?
I agree with basically all of your analysis (Except I didn't really think Dash's enthusiasm-struggle was very entertaining either, and I really disliked Mrs. Harshwhinny's whole schtick). The only time I laughed this episode was when Silver Spoon said "But how do we stop them? We already called them blank flanks!" That was one of the better jokes the show has ever had, I think.
But yeah. That was the only line I really liked this episode.
...
There's really no point to this comment. Just some rambling.
Castlemaneia was way better than this episode though.
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Well you see, the episode wasn't funny enough, but didn't replace it with feels...
I think we've just had two random Dash episodes in a row; I doubt anyone is going to ascend this season. Dash is the most likely pony to ascend other than Twilight, with Applejack coming in third in my mind.
I do agree that the song was reptitive, but I didn't think that was the real problem with it; I just didn't find it strong enough musically. Very repetitive songs can work just fine; Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger is ridiculously repetitive and yet is an amazing song.
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Oh, I understand why people would like Castle Mane-ia more than I did. I am a little surprised you think it was one of the best, but well, at least the episode isn't a BAD one - if you thought Daring Don't was the best, I might have to stop being friends with you.
These two episodes are right next to each other on my ratings list, but they're kind of both there for different reasons. 3/5 episodes are quite decent in my book; they're average episodes, episodes that don't really wow me, but they're fun enough and I like rewatching them. 2s are weaker, generally having more glaring issues but are still fun; 1s are down in my "I don't really like these episodes" tier, though in reality there's something of a split there, even, as there are outright "bad" episodes and there are the episodes which just aren't "good", really. I don't use a 10-point scale because I don't feel like the divisions are meaningful enough; for me, the five point scale is enough, as it is specific enough to separate out episodes while not being so specific that episodes which are fairly close together end up with different numbers arbitrarily. My scale is more or less fifths - the top fifth are 5/5s, the next 4/5s, ect. though in reality there's something more to it, as the 5/5s are the "greats", the 4/5s are the "goods", the 3/5s the "averages", the 2/5s the "mediocres", and the 1/5s "weak/bad".
Castle Mane-ia had fun stuff in it, but the stuff with Applejack and Rainbow Dash, as I noted in my review there, felt like a bit of a rehash. The episode as a whole was cute enough, but didn't really go anywhere, and while that is acceptable, it doesn't make for what I really think of as a great episode, and it is hard for it to even be a good one (Though of course, Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 had a wonderful moral (I didn't learn anything is a great lesson, and very funny), and the episode was fun enough that I didn't care). Castle Mane-ia was fun, but it wasn't really the sort of ride I get from the episodes I really love.
This episode I got higher highs out of - I really enjoyed the beginning of the episode with Rainbow Dash's excessive exuberance - but it had lower lows, too. Castle Mane-ia was fairly steady in keeping interest throughout, if for no other reason than to see what trap they set off next, while this episode had a fairly weak core and felt unfocused. Both end up 3/5s. Over a Barrel is perhaps the most extreme example of an episode that I felt was dichotomous and ended up with a fairly average ranking - the start of that episode is one of the best parts of the series, with Bloomburg, the Fluttertree conversation, and the serial horse puns, but the end of the episode was very, very weak to me. Thus it ended up with a 3/5 for having a 5/5 start and a 1/5 ending.
I can see why not liking the Miss Harshwhinny and Rainbow Dash stuff would hurt this episode severely in your eyes - if you don't like that, there isn't a whole lot else TO like. It has other things, but not that much of it, and the core of the episode really is devoid of anything really enthralling. I do also understand why Miss Harshwhinny was a bit of a repeat joke here, though it was predictable anyway.
I agree that Silver Spoon's line was good, and it was definitely her best line in the entire series, though I'm not sure about it being one of the best jokes in the whole series.
I dunno what my favorite line joke is, though I think that the conversation outside of Rarity's bedroom in Suited For Success is probably my favorite.
I DO know what my favorite visual gag in the entire series is, despite it being from a fairly poor episode.
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You... liked Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000?
...
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Better, not best. :P In a show where there are a lot of "kid funny" jokes, I like to appreciate it whenever we get a "real" joke.
Yes! I have long maintained that "Give her time," is the best (actually said best this time) punchline FIM has yet had.
Care to take a guess at what my favorite visual gag is?
Daring Don't was awful. I hated everything about it. Daring Do being real completely killed all my enthusiasm for the character, and like you said in your blog about it, why the hell is she writing about these super secret missions? That's probably what bothers me the most about that episode. "I can't trust anypony, which is why I share these dangerous secrets with anyone who walks into a Barnes and Noble!"
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As far as the best visual gag goes... honestly I have no clue, so I'm going to guess "Twilight standing on a soapbox to give a lecture".
1612303 That's probably my second favorite, actually.
Maybe it's less obvious than I thought it would be >_> My favorite is Rarity randomly being inside the party cannon in SAYS.
Because... It's Rarity. Doing something silly for no adequately explained reason. It makes no sense for her character, which is why I've spent hours upon hours postulating about why she was in the cannon.
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Clearly Pinkie Pie stuffed her in there for demonstration purposes.