Episode review: Pinkie Apple Pie

Before we start off I'd like to take a moment of silence, if you haven't heard an 11 year old boy was bullied relentlessly for being a Brony to the point where he attempted suicide. The boy survived his attempt though is still in the hospital and according to doctors certain things may never heal. So as humans let's take a moment to remember that bullying hurts a lot personally I could go on and on about the hundreds of teens and children who were bullied and chose to end their own lives, in my opinion they didn't kill themselves, they were murdered! Murdered by every fowl word and act done to them! Now as Bronies and Pegasisters let us remember to band together when things like this happen and remind our fellow fandom members that they are far from alone!

Now then the episode:

We begin at Twilight's library where the Alicorn is doing some Genealogical research when she finds Pinkie Pie on her bookshelf, Pinke joins in and discovers and old link between her family and....

The Apple Family! The Apples though surprised are ready to welcome Pinkie into their happy family however when Pinkie presents her proof to Applejack she points out that the writing is smudged, Granny Smith Points out that they have a relative named Goldie Delicious who specializes in Apple family history, the Apples and Pinkie decide to visit her by taking a little trip to see if Pinkie's theory is true. Now pop quiz, what can turn a happy, sunshine family into a "pull out your hair" "Don't make me turn this around" "at your neck" family?

Road Trip! Apparently Big Mac has similar packing skills to Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Granny Smith is having trouble finding her traveling bonnet...

(Shhhhh don't tell her) Apple Bloom points out that it's on her head but Granny Smith insists that it isn't and when Apple Bloom points out it "looks an awful lot like it" Granny Smith insists that "it ain't and that's final!" (guess we know where AJ got her stubbornness from). The Apples all agree to be on their best behavior and show Pinkie how awesome a family they are! Pinkie shows up and puts her bag in the wagon and Applejack begins to question Big Mac as to whether they need all the stuff he's bringing, whether he's strong enough to pull it, and whether the wagon is strong enough to hold it all to which Big Mac (getting more annoyed with each question) responds "yep!" The Apples and Pinkie head out and pretty soon the beat of the road give us a new song "Apples to the Core" which is all about the Apples sticking together and being a happy family but the mood is broken when the gang has a little wagon trouble...

Ok a lot of wagon trouble! Applejack begins to blame her brother for taking everything but the kitchen sink...

And yet! But stops to show Pinkie that "we don't blame in this family" Pinkie comes up with the idea to sail to Goldie Delicious AJ points out that they have no boat "about the only thing he didn't pack..."

Granny Smith comes up with the idea to make a raft out of the wagon and holding it together with special tree sap, the gang decides to give it a shot. The boat is built and Pinkie takes a shot...

For the scrapbook...

Applejack asks when she made the scrapbook (seriously AJ have you MET Pinkie) to which Pinkie responds "with family you make the time." The gang heads of and as they do Pinkie tell them to "Say Soaked..."

The gang continues to float smothly, AJ navigates, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom play checkers, and Big Mac give Pinkie some of his wisdom. Applejack asks for the map and Apple Bloom finds it but after some horseplay (no pun intended) it gets thrown overboard. Applejack and Big Mac scold Apple Bloom by whisper while Pinkie takes another picture. Granny Smith insists that she knows the river like the back of her hoof and gets them on a route, the group comes to a cave but Granny Smith tells them not to worry as "the scariest cave in Equestria is down that other way" she goes onto explain that "Oh, it's a fright all right! Filled with creatures that'll eat ya soon as look at ya! Ponies go in... but they never come out!" Applejack asks her if she sure that they are not headed into The Scariest Cave in Equestria. Granny begins to scold Applejack and stops when she remembers their guest. So the family goes in and lots of screaming, roaring, and more screaming later they come out...

Granny Smith realizes her mistake but insists that she meant to take them through the cave for a side trip. Applejack and Granny Smith begin to fiight over the wheel which leads to the Apples blaming each other and Applejack states that from now on she "should be in charge of everything" an all out war begins over the wheel which is thrown overboard. Pinkie Pie tells the Apples that she'll always remember this trip and the waterfall they went down...

(It's just one of those days isn't it?)
The gang survives and somehow makes it to Goldie Delicious's house all feeling ashamed of themselves. Pinkie finds a note and finds out Goldie's is out doing errands and will be home soon, Pinkie heads of for scrapbook paper and the family starts to blame themselves for the disaster the trips been Applejack believes that they should tell Pinkie that even if she is an Apple she didn't have to join the family. At that moment Pinkie returns and tells the family that she's as eggar to be an Apple because they were still together and still loved each other. At that moment Golden Delicious arrives...

and she's more then happy to help clear up the mystery....

(call it a hunch but I think she's and old maid)
Goldie looks at her records but finds that they too are smudged so they can't know for sure, Pinkie is sad but the family assures her that she can consider herself an Apple apple after all she'd been through...

In the epilogue the family decides to write about the experience in the journal about how being a family is about getting through rough times and not being perfect and really good friends can be like family, unfortunately the Apples get into a fight over who should actually write the entry and this time Pinkie joins in...

Now the review! First off I love to see that the Apples are painted as an ordinary family where as in other episodes (such as Sisterhooves Social) their painted as the perfect family where everybody smiles and no pony argues with no pony but now we know they have fights like any family. The writers got Pinkie's character 100% in this episode as well as the Apples, the song was a real toe-tapper, and now there's a chance Pinkie could be a forth cousin of the Apples (that might put a damper on ApplePie shipping's though) over all a well deserved A.