Rarity Takes Manehattan AND MY HEART · 4:21pm Jan 4th, 2014
Smiling right now. Actually, seriously welling up right now. Not at all kidding. There are tears in my eyes. I was getting so scared that we were losing the heart of the show, and Rarity just brought it back for us.
Sometimes, I forget just what this show means to me. Then something like this happens, and emotions come back out and so do the tears.
Gosh, I loved this episode and I love Rarity.
Was it perfect? No. I'd say 9/10. Maybe 9.5/10 (will need to rewatch to confirm). I think they could've used another emotional beat of Rarity switching over to anti-generosity before taking it all out on her friends. Regardless of that, though, clearly that moment had to be done for the lesson to shine through.
AND IT DID SHINE THROUGH. LITERALLY.
And McCarthy's tweet confirms it. The shimmering thread is a clue. Possibly the first of all these crazy cliffhanger endings that actually means something for the season-long arc. Rarity learned her lesson. She had an entire episode about what it really means to be generous. And now we have a Special Object that she gained from that experience.
GUYS. I LOVED THIS EPISODE. RARITY MY BABY. *HUGS*
Once you spend enough hours writing from a certain pony's perspective, they stop being a character in a show and become your character. Your friend. I feel like I know Rarity as well as I know some people in real life, because of all the hours I've logged writing her. Anyone who writes in any serious way knows what I'm talking about. And anyone who doesn't can feel free to think I'm crazy. Us authors know it's a fine line. ;)
I was so excited for a Rarity episode, but so terrified about what they'd do to her. I don't think I could've handled it if they messed her up. But instead, they gave her one of the most poignant episodes of the season and the first confirmed Special Object reveal. AND A SONG. AND A REPRISE.
It's just nice to know that the show runners love her as much as I do.
Thank you, MLP staff. It wasn't perfect, but it was dang-near close to perfect. You've just revitalized my enthusiasm and commitment to this season. Thank you.
So the shimmering RAINBOW thread is a special object, wow. That was nice. And also, a big thumbs up that despite her originals were pilfered, she still won the Fashion week.
The scene when Rarity was simply going through Manehattan alone was definitely a wake-up call.
Frankly, I was kinda hoping for a key, a literal key, but of course the key is a symbol in itself.
Overall, I truly did love it. This could easily, in my opinion, was the equal to Secret of My Excess, but for Rarity instead of Spike. Listen to me for a moment. It took turning into a brute for Spike to truly understand what it took to be a good friend, regardless of whatever is throwing your way. This episode today says that to to the letter. Generosity is not just about giving things away because you can, it's because you give on behalf of others. Rairty did all those things for all her friends to be with her while in Manehattan, and then reacted to them horribly. And she didn't do those compassionate things just for fame....it was the right thing to do. And it was complete karma that Sumi apparently admitted to lying and intellectual theft, as did her assistant, but I'm glad that it all came out in the end.
Though at the end, before the string, I was on edge, when we found out that Rarity was given an opportunity to make new dresses and costumes and actually stay in Manehattan. Seriously, I was vexed. I thought she would stay, but she didn't. I wonder if this means that in future episodes, Rarity's gonna be absent, but we will know why now.
well no thing can be perfect
but like you said it almost was!
I honestly felt the middle part with Rarity going full blown 'bitch mode' was a little sloppy. Now, the beginning was solid, and the ending was phenomenal. The moral was a personal favorite of mine, and one I try to teach in real life too.
Do not let the misdeeds of others keep you from doing the right thing.
I was a little annoyed with the Spike Abuse, as usual, but at least Rarity tried to be sweet to him. Not her fault the show has it out for him. To quote 'Cinemare Sins'
"Sometimes I feel like the whole show is one big villain origin story for Spike."
This was a great episode, and it went right back to what we loved about MLP without trying to be something it isn't. It's about the ponies, their growth and their personal struggles. Rarity, having the most real-life problems, is the queen of that.
I'm a little annoyed that everything just seemed to work out for Rarity in the end, but I can cut the writers some slack. They only have 22 minutes to work magic, so a little leeway is ok.
Overall, a fantastic episode, and I am really glad I had the chance to watch it. We love you, Rarity!
-Lumino
PS: Also, my GOD that singing voice. <3
1681621 Oh man, yeah, the ending. I was really scared for a brief moment. It was like...I knew they couldn't write her out for several episodes. I knew they couldn't. But they certainly lead us on for a bit there. And the faces of the others! *heartbreaking*. Spike's droopy expression was the saddest of them all.
I literally laughed out loud when she shoved off her responsibility onto the intern. Laughed. Out loud. Because seriously, Rarity is the best at taking advantage of others and making them think it's what they want (and maybe even thinking herself that it's for the best for them). It's one of her skills and one of her flaws all wrapped up into one. I'm convinced the writers gave us that for laughs there at the end.
1681639 Yeah, the anti-generosity part was the only thing holding it back for me from being a 10/10 episode. I really think a moment or two (it wouldn't have even needed to be much) of seeing her transformation from generous to "everypony for herself" would've helped. I mean, it's clear why she's got that new message in her head, but still. Just a line or two, or even a facial expression change-scene could've helped that along.
And the Spike abuse I was more okay with this time around. Rarity clearly counted him among her dearest friends, which warmed my heart. And I get the feeling Spike is the one to offer to carry stuff for her first, and by now should know full well that she will take advantage of that until his little back breaks.
In fact, I think in many ways, she does it to give him something to do for her, since she knows how much he likes to help. It's the way the others treat Spike that I'm generally less okay with, since they definitely all jumped on the bandwagon of "Spike can carry it" this episode.
What I'd like to do is watch the bit at the end again with the spools of thread and check to see how many there are. For the key/box thing, I would expect 6 spools (and now the rainbow 7th), but it'd be nice to see if there were 7 that Rarity kept on that shelf. Not keeping my hopes up, but still. Going to look for it on the next watch-through.
And yes. Her singing voice.
I need that song right now.
1681673
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frj10g08n1Q
Also, just something funny I noticed while watching the episode.
https://derpiboo.ru/514894
Tee Hee;
-Lumino
1681678 Excellent.
Also, just found the episode. And no 7th spool. Alas.
Baby steps. She got 7 tickets for them.
Baby steps.
I liked this episode a lot as well, compared to the other episodes this seasons, san the premier, it feels like the one that takes itself the most seriously. It is not an exposition on incredible animated expression, or parodying a contrived idea like Power Ponies and Daring Don't, it is a god honest idea, that there are people that take advantage of you, but that should not mean you should stop being generous.
The setting of Manehattattan was a perfect setting for this setting, a "city big and cold" as Rarity puts it.
Now some critiques. Rarity obviously has a moon sized blindspot in her generosity when it comes to Spike. He carries the luggage all over town and gets a carrot dog (which is promptly stolen reaffirming his status as being nothing more than comic relief in this show), but a random stallion carries it on a dolly to their room, and he gets a gem.......
WTF!!!!!!
It seems like the Writers are trying to give Spike his due since Power Ponies, putting him in Bats!! and this episode, but then completely forgetting he exists, making me think he was put in after the episode was already drafted as pandering to the bruised Spike fans' idea of his worth.....
Honestly, I'd rather they leave him out altogether then put him there with no purpose, at all, and just throw in a few comic relief moments at him to prove he even exists.
A correct episode for Rarity.
1681685
I actually really liked the idea of Rarity staying in Manehatten. With the plot threads they were introducing for the season, I initially thought they were going to do something big, like separating the whole gang, with each of them spreading and teaching their element of friendship at different places.
For example, Rarity teaching the goodness of generosity to a big, cold metropolitan city like Manehatten
; Rainbow Dash teaching the virtue of loyalty to a team of Wonderbolt hopefuls 
. Fluttershy teaching kindness to a band of thieving, nasty Diamond Dogs or raccoons or something 
. Heck, while we're at it, let Spike find a group of mustache gentlemen who accept him into the gentlemen's club and not use him as laugh track material 
.
And as the season goes on, by the end, the Mane 6 will be scattered to the four winds, only to reunite when Twilight needs all her friends the most, their respective shiny special items combining in creative, rainbowy ways into a "key" that unlocks the mysterious box, revealing the ultimate super deus ex machina powers of friendship that will atomize the bad guy into dead, lifeless bits, thus imparting onto us the tenacity and power of friendship once again.
Except for Spike, who will be used as a "I think we're forgetting something" joke. Tell me I'm wrong.
1682475
Best season.
I was really disappointed that Spike wasn't helping with the new line. I mean, he works assisting her in her shop more than anyone else, he should of been one of the most useful when it came down to the wire.
'Once you spend enough hours writing from a certain pony's perspective, they stop being a character in a show and become your character. Your friend.' ... I want that!
'Anyone who writes in any serious way knows what I'm talking about' Guess I'm not serious enough. :(
'Us authors know it's a fine line. ;)' Oh, now THAT I know!