I'm Not Dead: May Include Episode Review · 2:49pm May 27th, 2015
Blog Number 18: After the Hiatus Edition
Last blog entry: August 7th, 2013. This next one: May 27th, 2015. The story updates and other things tell pretty much the same story. So basically, the last major bit of activity I had on here occurred well before season four even started.
A summary: after the finale of season three and the rise of Equestria Girls, I lost interest for a bit and went off elsewhere. Among other things, I discovered and got hooked on the Avatar: The Last Airbender series and its sequel. I'm surely not the first to point this out, but Starlight Glimmer is so much like Amon that I wonder if he reincarnated. Does that mean the season five finale will include the pony versions of the Red Lotus? Because that would be terrifyingly awesome.
I did end up watching the fourth season online, though long after they had actually been broadcast in the USA. While I can't say it was as wholly enjoyable as the first two seasons were, I was interested in the season-wide story arc and how they mostly just shrug and ignore Twilight's princess status, and overall I found it fun and delightful. As far as I was concerned, it was still basically the same show, just with a few tweaks and details changed.
I did start treating season five the same way: ignoring the episodes with the intention of watching them all at a later date. Then, as I was lurking on FIMF.net, I stumbled across the latest World-Building Alliance writing contest, and completely out of the blue wrote an entry for it (actually two entries, but one of them isn't technically published yet, and won't be until I've completed the story details). I've jumped into a few more groups and blogs, kick-started some writing behind the scenes, and finally got around to watching the latest season until I was up to speed on all eight episodes so far released, because darn if I wasn't intrigued at what I was hearing.
Why? I honestly couldn't say. It just sorta happened. Life is chaotic like that.
Anywho, I think I'll take the time to do what I don't usually do, and give an episode review. Today, it'll be on The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone. Spoilers ahead, obviously.
Firstly, I'm kind of off about the map telling ponies where to go. It's nothing specific to the episode itself, nor even to the series in general. This sort of mystic force plot device just bugs me in general. These seemingly inanimate objects show some degree of autonomy and sapience, which suggests they have a mind that "wants" you to do stuff as well as the powers to communicate their "desires", but I'm left wondering why, in that case, their contribution is just to point and stay mum. If a sapient being acted like that - pointing you somewhere without really telling you why - it would come across as a bit brusque and unhelpful, even pompous.
OK, granted; the power behind the map always turns out to be interested in spreading friendship across Equestria, so its intentions, if it has any, are good, but then you're just left with another issue: things like the tree of harmony and its chest are also supposed to be wielding a lot of power. If it's supposed to be subtly steering the characters into doing good things, then why also portray it as having near-godlike powers? It's not a deal-breaker for me, because it's obviously a plot device that ties into the eponymous metaphor, but it does lead to similarly weird fridge logic moments afterwards.
It's important to keep this in mind, because it was kind of weird when Twilight felt sore about being left behind because the map didn't want her to go. Granted, she wasn't supposed to go this one time, and it was great how she responded to it (by basically sending herself in book form, LOL!). But couldn't she just go some other time? Duh. Fortunately, the end result of writing Twilight out of the plot physically is that it leads to Rainbow and Pinkie being handed the tourist guide, and the walking narration up to Griffonstone was an excellent way to build up to the big event. Plus, Rainbow's Twilight impression was hilarious. She even got the mane right!
What I really like about the episode is the griffon history. I've gone over it in greater detail on the World-Building Alliance forum, and I won't pretend I don't have problems with bits of it - like how a griffon kingdom is in a Princess-run nation in the first place - but it was basically the Hobbit backstory, and I was really pleased to discover that the griffon's attitude to gold actually was a feature of their real-world mythology, complete with the Arimaspi conflict. Also, the art style was gorgeous. I rewatched that part so many times, drinking in the detail.
Something else I really liked was how they treated Gilda. At first, I was suspicious they'd botch her return. With the exception of Flim and Flam - who I felt upped their villain street cred nicely - I've been less than thrilled with the way returning bad guys have been handled. However much I like jerkass friend Discord and chaotic monster Discord, I still wish they'd been two different characters, and I still think Keep Calm and Flutter On was an awful episode that was doomed from the premise onwards. And Trixie's return episode has possibly the worst ending of any FiM episode, including the season three finale. So I was pretty impressed with how they handled Gilda in this one.
Oh don't get me wrong; it was still pretty rushed. I'm still reeling at the implications of Gilda turning from bitter jerk to solo friendship missionary. And part of me still wishes the show had the guts to not turn a former antagonist into yet another friend (this is part of the reason I kinda find Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon fascinating; they're so nasty and unrepentant that it's actually kind of refreshing). Even them actually showing her try and befriend Greta doesn't quite satisfy me. But for what we got, this one was still good. I think it works because:
1. They let Gilda continue where she left off. Instead of graduating to serious villain threat (Trixie) or downgrading to overpowered imp (Discord), Gilda is basically the same "cool" jerk who stormed off the set back in season one, which means she can naturally be passive-aggressive and bitter rather than flat-out vicious. The hostility also feels - if not excusable - comprehensible, because as far as she's concerned, Rainbow Dash rejected her, not the other way around. She's also a welcome presence as she snarks, strikes back at, and basically pokes a stick at the usual tropes of the show (that "pony hero complex" line was a real zinger).
2. They establish plausible grounds for her switch and make her character make sense. We already know she was at flight camp with Rainbow Dash once, though her first appearance would have you believe she hung out with her mostly because she was "cool" to hang out with. Actually emphasizing that, yes, it was a sincere friendship at one point - and having Pinkie coax it out of her - does make you understand where Gilda's coming from when she dives into the gorge after Rainbow. Heck, in hindsight, it makes her first appearance go from "possessive jackass" to "tragically drifting apart friendship, at least partly because Gilda was a possessive jackass", so there's also that. It feels less like a leap as a result.
3. Gilda is a more fascinating character to begin with. Granted, part of this follows on from point 2, since you don't learn more about her until this episode. For instance, I don't think there was a single hint that she bakes for a living in Griffon the Brush Off. However, I think there was a genuine ambiguity over her attitude and actions in her first appearance that makes writing her more sympathetically feel less awkward and more natural, and you could make the case before even watching this episode that Gilda's hostility towards Pinkie wasn't just because she was a bullying jerk who was used to getting her own way. She's still a jerkass - it's hard to come back from stealing apples, scaring old ladies, and roaring at someone until they fly off crying - but her history and relationship with Rainbow at least made her an interesting jerkass.
4. We get to see Gilda's origins - a run-down griffon land long past its glory days - and can piece together an answer to the question of why she was such a jealous jerk. Friendship is practically alien to griffon culture, so it makes sense - when we learn about Rainbow being her first friend - that Gilda secretly treasures it so much and becomes jealous over it. I think this unusual relationship also vastly improves our understanding of her in her first appearance, including her obsession with being "cool" rather than "lame". After all, if you came from a society of selfish mercenaries and befriended the most awesome pegasus ever, wouldn't you fixate on your image too? (Not to mention stealing and acting vicious is probably a survival response in a society where everyone's in it for themselves). Lastly, when you see the griffons moving others aside or demanding bits every time someone wants a service, you can at least put down part of Gilda's nasty behaviour to her having to live and survive in such a milieu.
Finally, I have to admit Rainbow and Pinkie were on great form here. I rarely enjoy Pinkie's antics, as I find the bizarre misunderstandings, silly pettinesses, and exasperated bad luck of the other characters way more natural, and a lot funnier as a result. I think what makes Pinkie humour work for me is when it seems to be a result of some foible of hers rather than her sounding like she's trying too hard to be dim-witted or clownish. For instance, I laughed at the bit when, right after Rainbow reads about how they should share the wealth, Pinkie dumps a bag of it on the sweet trolley. And I swear Pinkie is flirting with herself when she fiddles with the King Grover statue, the adorable young narcissist. Also, you can't go wrong with Gummy. I confess I forgot all about him right up until the end!
And Rainbow was good, of course. No real complaints there.
OK, spoilers over. Is it one of my favourite episodes? Probably not. Was it fun to watch and a delightful entry to the series? Definitely yes. As much as it suffers from a few pitfalls, I think it's still good and entertaining, and I was pretty impressed at times. And what more could you ask for than that?*
*Don't go there.
I think that should be enough for now. Enjoying the show, and highly interested in the next episode, which looks to me like they're throwing the fandom a big, juicy bone to sink our canines into. Prepare your headcanons for the background ponies!
Also, I'm glad we're seeing Cranky again. He and the "Smile, Smile, Smile" song were the saving graces of A Friend In Deed.
Impossible Numbers, over and out.
Statistics
Yeah, I'm still doing these. It's tradition.
New Stories?: An Old Tale in a New World. For the aforementioned contest, the theme was "fairy tales", so I wrote about a Diamond Dog interested in such tales who meets an actual living legend, the Enchantress, only to discover she's not all she seems to be. It was also a bit of world-building concerning Ahuizotl's race, how Tirek and Scorpan came to conquer Equestria (and with their particular magic), and... well, I don't want to give away spoilers, but it concerns the origin of a particular species.
New Updates: One chapter added to The Campaign for Extra Trixie. It was (I thought) a decent enough skit that had been knocking about in the unpublished pile, so I tweaked the ending and thought I might as well not let it go to waste.
Story Count: 21
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Age: 1,261 days, or 180 weeks and 1 day
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