The support means the world to me, and thanks to your kind contributions I was able to go and visit my boy in Britain. I'll try and mock up a proper recap blog—though I am notoriously terrible at doing those, I don't think I've ever managed a proper recap blog for any of the various conventions I've gone to over the years. I guess there wasTanks Fr Th Mmrs (Even If They Weren't So Great) [spoilers] · 7:04pm Apr 25th, 2015
Pinkie Pie: I'm upset because you're NOT upset!
Twilight: I have seen things you ponies wouldn't believe, Pinkie. Attack zeppelins on fire off the border of the Crystal Empire. I watched mana-beams glitter in the dark near the Tartarus Gate.
Rainbow: *stops crying, staring at Twilight* Tw-Twilight? Wha...
Twilight: All those… moments… will be lost in time...
Pinkie: Uh...
Twilight: Like tears… in… rain.
*entire mane cast staring at her*
Twilight: Time… to die…
*unearthly wailing rises in the background*
This episode was really a mixed bag for me. On one hand, it had some great humor moments, and some really cute shots, and a whole new roster of amazing faces... but on the other hand the plot was a bit TOO far out there for it to be realistically a "good" episode.
I could handle Rainbow being a top cunt. I could handle her being overly emotional and forgoing her friends' advice. That was believable. I could... kind of believe her becoming The Grinch Who Tried To Delay Winter, although my suspension of disbelief was being stretched like a vagina in childbirth. But when she became a full on domestic terrorist, I just sort of gave up and shut my mind off. I really wish I didn't have to do that (not a lot of episodes in this series require that for it to be enjoyable, part of which makes this show so entertaining), but it really just seemed absolutely ridiculous that Dash would be that immature and shortsighted, ESCPECIALLY after 5 seasons of apparent character growth. Hell, even season one Dashie wouldn't have done this!
The song annoyed me too. Not because it was a bad song (I actually think it's one of my favorites so far), but because it didn't synch up with the shots of Dash singing all the time. It seemed like the animators were really lazy during those scenes, and that irks me.
Oh, and that forced Game Of Thrones meme that Twilight made actually caused me to physically cringe.
The episode did have its moments, though. Spike dealing with RD's racist bullshit was hilarious, the Manehattan-accented pegasi bit was funny. Applejack crying on the inside was absolutely hilarious, and I think if they tap into tat kind of humor more often, episodes will be improved dramatically. That's good stuff. And the ending... the ending was actually solid. I wish they'd show RD doing something to make up for trashing the winter lab, though. Even just something as simple as community service/fixing the damage she did in the lab. The punishment doesn't have to be severe—just enough to let people know that RD does in fact have repercussions for destroying a vital part of the Equestrian weather/season cycle.
Oh, that thing with Cloudsdale as a moving city and the addition to how pegasi work with the seasons and such is pretty neat too.
Crying Dash is absolutely adorable, though. And those matching tank/rd slippers were cute as hell.
A last complaint, one that's more nitpicky than anything else, is that they aired this episode at the end of April. This would have been way better as an end of November episode, something that fits the real-world seasons a bit better.
Unless this episode does in fact confirm that Equestria is in Australia...
The Cutie Map (Parts 1 and 2)
Castle, Sweet Castle
Tanks For The Memories
Bloom and Gloom
I agree that Game of Thrones bit was way too forced, and did find the amount effort Dash was putting in to stop winter a bit over the top. But I took a look at the episode from a broader perspective as I say in my blog, on a more personal level. A friend of mine had to recently put his cat to sleep and I was there for him, and he told me this episode was a lot like how he was feeling.
I dunno. Good and bad bits aside, I think most of us can identify with not wanting to give up someone or something you love, even if it's for the greater good.
3015763 Yup. The message of this episode was strong. And I have the same complaint about this for Bloom and Gloom: it's a good message with an episode that doesn't represent it as well as it could have.
3015786 Eh, you win some you lose some.
But I'll say this: if somepony in the episode has said "Tank's not gone, he's just not here right now" I would have absolutely lost my shit. That would have been a much better (and more subtle) reference than that forced Game of Thrones meme
3015795 I'm not sure if Red vs Blue has the same reach as Game of Thrones, to be honest. Red vs Blue is a very... internet-based fandom. People who are into internet culture heavily generally watch Rooster Teeth. Game of Thrones is a feasible and further reaching entertainment piece. Adults who aren't into the whole webseries scene watch Game of Thrones (my parents, for instance). It's less involved than RvB as well. So it makes sense that a writer for the show would be a Game of Thrones fan as opposed to a RvB fan.
In addition, Game of Thrones is far more mainstream, so more people would get the joke. Hell, even some of the target demography might have seen the "winter is coming" meme.
3015810 I know, I know. I just thought it would have been a good line. But I absolutely see your point.
First of all... you earn a cookie for that Blade Runner reference.
Second of all, this episode was horrible. I'm sorry, but it just did not go well for me, though many of the episode's issues have to do with Dash and her astounding levels of immaturity and stupidity demonstrated here.
What made it worse was that she ended up getting away with it all. There was not even the slightest implication that she got punished, not even a hint that she got found out or confessed to doing some pretty villainous stuff during the episode. She didn't even apologize for being so mean to everyone!
I feel like we let Dash as a character get away with a lot of nasty things because, hey, that's in her character sodon'tthinksohardaboutit, but I feel like this is the episode the broke the camel's back.
As for the message of this episode... a lot of people have speculated that it was about dealing with impending loss of a loved one, and the episode itself seems to support this, and that would make sense... if Tank was actually dying and not just going into hibernation. Really, Dash, calm the fuck down. As it is, the "message" is a load of crap.
Well, I'm done now!
"Winter is Coming" was Larson's idea, wasn't it?
No wonder he apologized.
I do agree that the slippers were incredibly adorable.
You've always had a way with simile, Regi.
I only got one thing from this episode.
I really, really miss my pet dog.
3015763 I bet that was what M.A. Larson was speaking about when he tweeted that something as his fault and that he would take the blame for it.
Okay so I'm not the only one who saw the title as a Fall Out Boy reference, lol. And I also mentioned to a friend yesterday, when I saw the preview, that Equestria must run on Australia's timetable for seasons.
Twinsies?
Also I think even very developed people can have their moments when they're short-sighted and stupid, I've seen it happen. It doesn't mean they're devolving into someone lesser, but just that everyone can crack sometimes, or show weaknesses (in their own way). It's just another lesson to be learned in the long run.
Edit: I think another message of the episode is that you can't stop nature, what's going to happen will inevitably happen no matter what you try to do to stop it. (She tries to stop winter by destroying the lab, but she only succeeded in making it happen anyway. She tries to stop Tank from hibernating, but she can't.)
3016232 Oh god, Zaid
the opening paragraph was the best thing ever, along with blog title. Just saying
In this episode:
Dash solidifies her place as the tippiest of top cunts
And also goes full ALLAHU ACKBAR on the Rainbow Factory
Pinkie Kool-Aid mans through a wall OOOOH YEAH
Fluttershy makes the most tsundere of characters cry like a widdle babby
Twilight becomes
M. A. Larson's meme dispenserJon SnowAnd we finally get a winter episode after four seasons
I bet five bucks that the next episode will take place at the peak of spring.
Nice Blade Runner reference.
Twilight Starkle.
That's all I got.
Also, was watching this at a hotel with on and off Wi-Fi, and I paused to fix the quality, and this bit of magic happened.
i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o595/moviemaster8510/0E1CA4F1-CE13-4197-AC79-B039588B0423_zpsowajgglx.png
derpicdn.net/img/2015/4/25/882811/large.jpg
Fair enough, but I love the episode. I can't really explain WHY, but I just can't help the smile forming on my face as I watch the episode from both the humor, references, and as someone who has lost several pets over my life, the way RD tries to reject facts like a person with a dying pet, without actually having a character die. The most I can do to talk about it is just kind of ramble, like in my first impressions blog. So, 9.5/10.
3015795 Um... maybe I'm an idiot, but I've watched the first 4 or 5 seasons of Red Vs. Blue, and I don't ever recall a line like that. Then again, I saw them over a year ago, so I might be completely wrong.
3191754 Baroque is making a reference to the little epitaph they had for one of the RoosterTeeth members who passed away recently, not any direct quote from the series.
3191921 Wait, a member of Rooster Teeth died?! Who was it?
3191931 I do not remember... I'm not a huge fan, it's just that the internet made such an uproar that I ended up finding out.
3191931
3191978 It was Monty Oum who died. And that actually was a quote, or maybe a paraphrase of a quote, that was said at the very end of Season 10 of Red vs Blue.
3192636 I only watched to s6, so that would explain my lack of knowledge.