Flight to the Finish review *spoilers* (duh) · 1:36pm Dec 15th, 2013
First song of the season and it was great. Only the CMC could make a training montage that cute.
A really low blow on behalf of Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. That is a new level of bad that they've sunk to. Is there no redeeming feature on those bullies?
Things I liked about the episode:
- A CMC episode, so cuteness galore.
- Rainbow carried the flag for Cloudsdale, showing she got over the disappointment of Cloudsdale not getting the games a lot more than she originally hinted in Games Ponies Play (S3E12)
- That adorable training montage and great song.
- Seeing Snowflake freak out at that butterfly. Just hilarious.
- We saw Scootaloo's room! She has a house, and probably parents. Although I can see the fandom coming up with something like; that's her room at the orphanage.
-The CMC's awesome routine, showing that when they really try not everything has to go wrong for them.
-Miss Harshwhinney being unprofessional.
Things I didn't like:
-Scootaloo didn't fly.
-Where are the families? this is a big, important, moment in the fillies lives and we didn't see one family member smiling, encouraging or cheering them on. they didn't even show up in the background. I checked the crowd at the stadium, not one of the mane six were there (except Rainbow, obviously)
-Scootaloo didn't fly.
- No payback for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They were beyond their usual level of mean and they got no comeuppance. What kind of lesson is that? Bullies can get away with it?
- Scootaloo. Didn't. Fly!
I guessed it was coming. I knew that the writers would just put in a life-lesson about how we're all different, growing a different speeds and some of us can do some things and may never be able to do others, but that's okay because it makes you who you are. It's an important lesson for little ones to learn but C'MON! WE ALL WANTED TO SEE SCOOTALOO FLY! even just a little at the end. You could have made it a life lesson about how hard work and practise pays off, or something like; keep trying and there's nothing you can't do.
Apple Bloom dismissing Scootaloo so readily struck a nerve with me. Seemed against character. When Apple Bloom did it my first thought was "is she trying reverse psychology?" but it turns out NO. She really was just saying "Fine, we don't need you!"
The CMC, who are together in all things, argue but make up quickly, are really splitting over this? It was such an obvious tool that allowed Rainbow Dash to be the one to bring the three of them back together and pass the life-lesson on the Scootaloo. Because why learn a lesson from your friends when it can be passed along by your hero?
Sooner or later the writers are going to have to realise that the CMC are going to have to grow up. Cutie marks, magic, flying, the whole nine yards. Kids are the audience and kids grow learn and change all the time and the CMC are going to have to reflect that.
The little filly is strong enough to drag her friends from one end of Equestria to the other but she's not able to keep herself off the ground for more than a few seconds? Did they ride the whole way? The train couldn't have been that far ahead, surely they just had to catch up. Would have led to a great chase seen if the episode wasn't so short and they had to cut to the finale. 20 minutes just isn't enough time for all the amazingness of the ponies. Would 30 minutes be too long? even 25 might do. You just get the feel that some details get left out.
I wonder what kind of routine Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon came up with. I wanted to see what those two self-obsessed ponies thought would work. I wanted to see them fail so hard.
Rainbow Dash said to Scootaloo that it would be okay if she never learned to fly. You think that means there could be some pegasus ponies out there who can't fly? There's some OC's to write about; pegasus ponies who can't fly.
Overall rating: A strong 8 out of 10
What dragged it down was that obvious going-against-character of the CMC, and that SCOOTALOO DIDN'T FLY!
Which would have been total bullshit.
The issue that this episode set out to tackle is a complicated one, and I think they handled it just about perfectly.
Hard work is important, but there are certain things that you can't reach no matter how hard you try.
This episode doesn't tell us scoots should just accept her lack of ability, it doesn't portrait her as foolish for wanting and trying to fly, but it does point out that sometimes certain things are beyond your reach, and you have to accept that.
It is a realistic lesson, the type of lesson few cartoons will teach and that kids (and grown-ups need).
Furthermore it also teaches a more subtle but also important lesson. That weakness can be turned into strength. Scoots probably developed her scooter ability because she can't fly.
No. Scoots obsession frustrated the other too (especially Apple Bloom) and that caused them to lash out on her. That much is obvious by how easy it was for RD to get them back together. Eventually they would have made up.
They already have.
Haven't you noticed the parallels with "Show Stoppers"? Almost the same premises. The CMC putting up a show. In the fist they failed spectacularly. Here they succeeded spectacularly.
What changed? The fact that they are growing out of their cutie mark obsession. Whenever they do something trying to earn their cutie marks they always fail spectacularly. When they do something trying to get something done they always succeed (remember the parade float from Bad Seed?). The difference is that when they are trying to earn their cutie marks they force themselves to do things they aren't good at. When they try to do something they focus on their strengths and how best to accomplish their goal. Which is exactly the right path to find their cutie marks.
This emotional growth was further demonstrated by how Tiara's blank flanks comments barely affected them.
So you want them to LIE is what you're saying. Because that's not true. At all.
...actually I was kinda happy that Scoots didn't fly. I think it would have weakened the moral of the episode. Scoots doesn't need to fly to be awesome.
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It's the usual BS that people writing kids shows like to push down kids throats.
And at least it would have let Scoots fly.
I was pretty impressed with this episode considering how well they handled the whole handicapped thing. It was delivered pretty gracefully, not hamfisted and shoved down out throats like I expected,