Rarity is, once again, Best Pony · 8:33pm Jan 4th, 2014
Whew, for a couple weeks there, I thought Rainbow Dash was going to be my new best pony. Good thing Rarity Takes Manehatten blew all the other season 4 episodes before it out of the fabulous water.
The episode really showcased why Rarity is such an enjoyable, fun character all around. For all the momentary screen time Rarity gets only to be portrayed as melodramatic or callous for laughs, this episode really got back to basics, both for Rarity and for the show. It was about characters coming to grips with their mistakes and learning life and friendship lessons instead of gimmicks and oddball adventures like in Bats! and Daring Don't, which while undoubtedly fun, isn't exactly what the show is about. Leave it to Rarity to bring that all back with a stylish vengeance and a kickass singing voice.
It was really nice seeing Rarity's element operate on a larger scale here, how her generosity helps out when she's in a pickle, but also how that generosity can actually be manipulated by others and hinder her instead. This is a very poignant lesson to teach. How being benevolent to others is also being kind to yourself. You never know when someone you helped in the past will be the one lending you a timely hand in the future. At the same time, be cautious about who and how you help someone, especially because you never know who the swindlers and thieves are. I would have liked to see a little more of a Pay it Forward vibe, but the episode did wonderfully regardless.
I actually expected the episode to be a little deeper, to fit in with the whole purpose of the Friendship Diary introduced early on. I thought Rarity was going to sort of pass on her propensity for generosity to the intern who will become something like a Student of Generosity thing, and that each of the Mane 6 will do something similar later in the season. That each of them will start to become teachers of elements of friendship as well instead of just students, very much like Twilight in the end of season 3.
The little tidbits and references throughout were all pretty good, too. Such as AJ and RD's role reversal, as RD is usually the blunt one and AJ is more methodical in her choice of words. Guess the writers finally decided to respond to fan criticism. Good show, chaps.
Loved how Rarity took a lesson from He-Man's ability to reattach a broken metal chain and glued that defiant wheel back with 80's magic.
Spike is once again relegated to thralldom. Can't say I'm surprised, but the callousness definitely seems kicked up a notch this time around. It's okay, everyone, just let the small dragon carry all your luggage, which was arguably 20 times his body mass. Hey, Applejack, I used to remember you being a tough pony who likes doing things for herself. Not this time, huh? Just gonna ride it out and get your mane done at the salon, huh? You go with that priority and emotional sensitivity, girls.
The other thing that's making me fume is that the episode totally used the whole Broadway musical and twirling around a lamppost angle before I could post the Sparity story I'm still writing in which a scene references all of that. Sighs, I knew I should have worked harder. What was the ponified version of Broadway anyway? I used Broadhay, but I think it's said to be Breadway in the episode. Retconning time.
All in all, awesome episode, as no doubt many of you would agree. Now let's all start to speculate about the spool of rainbow thread and how it will tie in with the mysterious chest like the rabid bronies we are.
Funny how now that they no longer have the Elements of Harmony, they're suddenly remembering that, oh yeah, Rarity is generous and honesty is supposed to be Applejack's "thing." Somehow, I had a feeling that your Manehattan scene would play out in Rarity Takes Manehattan, though. I didn't hear the ponified Broadway, but if it was really Breadway... bleagh. I did wonder about that spool. It looked like the other spools were all the colors of the Mane6's coats, so... Rainbow coated pony? Or it could be a Rainbow Power reference. And you know that won't even be their final form.
I heard "BridleWay" but that may just be me :)
Also, I had to stop the show for a moment just to count the tickets, and there were seven.
I also think that the spools at the end were representitive of the ponies' colors + Spike.
One again I may have being seing things.
--Spade