Slice of Life (100th Episode Review)

So... Slice of Life... Huh?

What exactly did I think about this episode? Was it to my expectations? Did I enjoy it? Did I love it? Did I hate it? Was it pandering?
Well, here's what I thought about this episode.
And now you know.
HOLY F***ING SH*T! THIS EPISODE WAS INCREDIBLE!

So Slice of Life is the 100th episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. So, to celebrate this milestone, the team at DHX and the writing staff decided to have this episode focused on the background characters that lay in the shadows of the Mane Six. This is surprising. Who'd thought that a show aimed at young girls made to sell toys to the market would go so far as to dedicate an episode to the majority of the Brony Community. This is literally FANSERVICE: The Episode. I cannot stress to tell you all how freaked out and giddy I was when they made so many nods to everything the fandom has done to support the show. Doctor Whooves, Derpy with Muffins, Lyra and Bon Bon, Octavia and Vinyl. Oh my god! My heart was racing! I am being fanboyish, I know but I didn't choose that name for nothing.

Story WARNING!: Spoilers Ahead! Don't read unless you've seen the episode.
Cranky Doodle Donkey and his reunited partner Matilda are getting married. However after realizing that the date of their upcoming wedding was switched around from tomorrow to today, the two must hurry and get ready before it starts. However, instead of focusing on their situation we instead get treated to a series of compelling stories from our background characters. Derpy (her name is Muffins now but I'm calling her Derpy anyway) was responsible for the date change and tries to consort with Doctor Whooves to go back in time and sort the date out. However, the Doctor abandons all of that as he needs to get his suit tailored by Rarity, sadly, she isn't around and we'll get to that in a moment.

The Doctor is then lead by Vinyl Scratch to the bowling alley (thinking she knows where Rarity is) and meets Jeff "The Dude" Letrotski, and his bowling team. The Doctor is fascinated with their suits and asks if they can help tailor his, however they will only accept if he acts as the fourth bowler for the Dude's team. The Doctor accepts despite having a struggle understanding the game and we move on outside the bowling alley. The Mane Six seem to be having a discrete conversation while everypony watches. Apple Bloom guesses it might either be a monster attack of a friendship problem. Turns out it's a monster attack and the threat is a six armed bee bear or simply known as the Bugbear. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy engage an intense battle with the Bugbear but our focus is shifted away to Derpy asking for flowers from Lily Valley and her friends. They pull off the same fainting horror gag from Applebuck Season and tell her they don't have the flowers in yet.

We then see Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings setting up and decorating Town Hall for the wedding. Bon Bon then discovers that the Bugbear has found her, confusing Lyra. She tells Lyra that her name is "Special Agent Sweetie Drops" (Oh, Hasbro ) and says that she works for an Anti-Monster agency in Canterlot. She goes on to say that she once captured the Bugbear (the same one the Mane Six are still fighting off) but didn't knew it would track her down once it escaped from Tartarus. Lyra then feels heartbroken that her whole friendship with Bon Bon was a hoax but becomes assured by Bon Bon that she is still her best friend. Bon Bon then grapples off of Town Hall sporting sunglasses and blends in with the crowd to get close to the Bugbear.

However we shift back to Doctor Whooves who was about to bowl but Derpy interrupts him and tells him that she will use the Flameless Fireworks as flowers for the wedding and despite the Doctor's warning that they are volatile, he chases after her. Oh and the Mane Six are still fighting the Bugbear in case you forgot. We shift over to Matilda in the spa having a conversation with Steven Magnet (The sea monster from the very first episode of FiM? Whoa, have we come so far.) Steven tells Matilda that he and Cranky have been friends ever since Cranky saved him from Flash Freeze Lake and ever since they've known each other he tells her that Cranky always thought about Matilda. That warms her heart and hopes the wedding will be important despite Steven telling her that the Wedding is everything.

We cut to Vinyl Scratch returning home and her house appears to be shared with Octavia. Octavia practices her wedding recital but thinks of the song to be as she calls it 'standard'. Vinyl decides to amp it up a bit and the musical duo of Dub-step and Orchestra kick in as the two ponies rock out with their new wedding song. Octavia then realizes that they are late. And out of the house is Vinyl Scratch's big boom box mobile with Octavia rocking out with her violin. They bump into many ponies in their way (including Button Mash and other familiar faces) and trip over the Twilight Scepter. They send themselves hurling into Town Hall and land in perfectly positioned seats while Octavia tells Vinyl that their song might work. We then see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna acting like sisters and bickering about forgetting to bring a gift for the wedding and after that Princess Cadance is there with Shining Armor and he seems to cry before weddings (dramatic much). Derpy has brought the Flameless Fireworks to the wedding after all. Sweetie Drops returns to tell everypony that the Mane Six have defeated the Bugbear and the wedding can go on. Sweetie Drops/Bon Bon walks up to Lyra and apologizes for keeping her secret identity a secret to her friend but then Lyra goes on to tell her own secret to Bon Bon. The two then make up for their own mistakes and hug.

Dr. Whooves finally attends the wedding while donning a somewhat trademark scarf and enters Town Hall while Derpy greets him. Cranky however is nervous because his mullet got whisked away, thanks to Vinyl and Octavia earlier, thankfully Steven Magnet's mustache comes to the rescue and uses it to replace his old mullet. Great! The wedding is all set, but first we've gotta wait for our six heroines to join in and- (Derpy shuts out the Mane Six) okay, fine, whatever.

Mayor Mare greets Cranky and Matilda in holy mare-trimony but then goes on to say a heartwarming message. I'll jump on that part later but after that heartfelt speech, Cranky and Matilda are officially wedded (or jack and jenny in this case.) and the Flameless Fireworks go off, much to the Doctor's delight.

The Main Six are watching the wedding from outside the window and Twilight tells her friends how lucky she is to be living in this town. The six then share a loving hug and the episode ends.

Presentation
Talk about Fanservice to the max. This episode is a love letter to the Brony Community. It was highly anticipated that this milestone of an episode would mean something to the show and it definitely shows. The writers really knew how to cater to their audiences and found out that the fans have more of a liking to the background characters than the main characters themselves. Not saying that's a bad thing to shy away from the Mane Six, but if it was done right. And it was done right. The episode was penned down by none other than M.A. Larson, the meme king of the Brony Community. It's funny, this guy really knows his shtick. It makes even more sense... since he made a surprise appearance on Bronies React to the Season 5 Premiere and knew about the fandom's obsession.

Writing and Quality
This was a tricky question to answer. How do you write an episode solely focused on background characters? It's not that hard even when you consider other episodes that seem to pander to fans but end up being disappointments (like Ball of Revenge from Courage the Cowardly Dog). But this episode happily averts that. Despite the story being all over the place, the characters have been given their own unique personalities and backstories, which makes it for more fanfic fuel than usual. I laughed when I saw Derpy giving muffins out and her character didn't seem so degrading than before. Remember that outrage from Soccor Moms and parents about their protest about Derpy having a voice that insulted disabled people, and that outrage from bronies about Derpy's voice change... good times, right. This was more balanced than her first portrayal in "The Last Roundup." Doctor Whooves' character is so much cool as well along with Bon Bon being an undercover agent. That was a clever nod to her toy name "Sweetie Drops" which people refused to adopt.

Now, about the Bugbear Battle. I loosely paid close attention to that, frankly because I enjoyed the little action this show has. Seeing the Mane Six going up against the Bugbear with brave faces. That has got to be the most heroic moment of the Mane Six I have ever seen. Pinkie is bringing out her fisty-hooves and Twilight firing her laser at the beast, those were really cool. I wish I could see more of that in the show as it showed the Mane Six's dedication to protecting Ponyville. Whatever happened to the Bugbear after the battle, I do not know.

The part where Vinyl and Octavia rock out with their two different brands of music was undoubtedly my highlight of the episode. And to point something out, if you look closely, they literately just jumped over a shark (or least a plush shark) and that was the funniest visual joke I have seen on TV. And the music of that scene is freaking awesome. And it is surprising seeing Steven Magnet again. It's been a hundred episodes and I kinda forgotten about him. Not really sure about his characterization though, he sounds like a male fashion artist. Not gonna say that's bad, but... does anyone remember the Silver Spooner from Dexter's Lab? Yeah...

It was also nice to see Celestia and Luna act like sisters. Most of the other episodes that featured them had them acting all princessy and attending to their duties. I guess Celestia needed to give herself more time after she saw the return of her sister. First she banished her, then the two barely saw each other eye-to-eye, now they're acting like sisters usually do.

And the icing on the cake is this one mention from the Show Staff.
"Cranky searched all across this great land of ours to find Matilda, and no matter what obstacles kept them apart, love would finally bring them together, just as it has brought all of us together now. It's remarkable to me how a story like Cranky's search for Matilda could fill this room with such a unique collection of ponies! It makes you realize that everypony is the star of their own story. And it's not just the main characters in our stories that make life so rich! It's everypony – those who play big parts and those who play small. If it weren't for everypony in this room and many more who couldn't be here today, Cranky and Matilda's lives wouldn't be as full and vibrant as they are."
That message was towards the fans. The fans who have supported this show, interacted with the cast and crew and provided tributes to the good work that they have created. That message could have made any fan shed a tear and it shows that the writers and cast care about the support they have been given. They totally have mine.

Verdict
This episode was more than just fanservice. And even though my brain exploded throughout the shenanigans that went on, I was smiling in appreciation to know that this show has become something more than just a show for kids. Kids may not recognize these background characters and the references that were shout out, but kids will now know what these characters are capable of. This is diversity at its finest. It makes me proud to be a fan of such a great show that is being worked on by people who care so much about a community that has shown appreciation and sheer devotion. If it wasn't for Lauren Faust's vision for this show's premise and the world and characters she has created, then the brony fandom would never have existed. What started off as an internet fad on 4chan that became so infamously popular, grew into a dedicated fandom of such sheer talent and while they are still detractors and curious people who will see this fandom as creepy and weird, there's no doubt that the fandom has changed so much in a franchise we never thought could make it up so far.

My Little Pony has become more than just a franchise marketed towards little girls, it's become life changing. Everything that Friendship is Magic has accomplished from great storyline, great characters and clever references, to a show that has evolved so much in the long run. One-hundred episodes. 100 episodes of My Little Pony. That is a freaking accomplishment. When you know you have created something that will attract a dedicated following, you've got a dedicated following. I love this show so freaking much and it will forever hold a special place inside my heart. That being said, enough gushing around, time for the final score.

Final Score: 9.8/10
+Background Characters having Personalities
+Solid Story
+Vinyl and Octavia's Moment
+The 'Thank You' Message at the End
+Bugbear Battle
-Too much mind blowing

Know that I meant every word I said in the verdict. I cannot be more thankful to be in a fandom that appreciates a show I never thought I could be a part of. Even if the fandom does go crazy all the time and become self-obsessed with the show, know that I will never forget about this show and even if I do somewhat leave the fandom I will still remain a fan.

I also just want to say one thing, but I'm ashamed of saying since it has become so overused and annoying. And I know this is going to sound so ironic after two years so...
Thanks, M.A. Larson.
Thanks for the contribution you have given to writing this episode. Thanks for everything you have put into making this episode possible. Thanks for turning this show into one of my all time favorites. I freaking salute you.

Thank you for reading this review and to show you my sincere emotion, have a listen to this.

Stay tune for more on my page as I continue to write my story. SEE YA!