Rarity Investigates Review · 5:51pm Sep 19th, 2015
It's time for another Rarity episode, this time a RariDash episode. One that we haven't had at all (the closest thing we got to it, was "Sonic Rainboom" back in Season 1). And it's a real mystery to boot.
This episode was written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco, but for the story they were helped out by Meghan McCarthy and M. A. Larson. Joanna and Kristine were behind the less than impressive "Castle, Sweet Castle". So, were Meghan and Larson able to help them out, or are Joanna and Kristine better off elsewhere?
Well, let's find out. Better whip out your attorney badges folks, and brush up on your investigation skills. Because it's time to investigate.
We begin with Rarity at Canterlot Carousel, putting the finishing touches on her latest work. A series of dresses moddled after those old crime sopa operas from the 40's. Then, Rainbow Dash bursts through the door to reveal that she's been called up as a reserve for The Wonderbolts show at Celestia's royal garden. That way, if a Wondebolt can't perform, Rainbow Dash can take their place. So, it looks like we're seeing both Rarity and Rainbow Dash make strides towards accomplishing their goals. I wonder if this means anything for Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, or Applejack in future episodes?
After a pointless scene of Rarity using her charm on a delivery pony that accidentally gives her the wrong order, Rarity arrives at the dinner with Rainbow Dash, and runs into retired Wonderbolt, Wind Rider. He's coming out of retirement to take center stage at the show tomorrow, and Rainbow Dash is close to breaking his record.
The next day, Soarin shows up to tell Rainbow Dash that Spitfire won't be able to perform, since she has to take care of her sick mother. Rainbow Dash is delighted to get a chance to fly with her idols, but suddenly, Spitfire's mother, Stormy Flare shows up, and all suspicion is cast on Rainbow Dash for sending a fake letter.
Soarin sends Blaze and Misty Fly to find Spitfire, then informs Rainbow Dash that if she can prove she was framed, she can still fly in the show. If not, her days as a Wonderbolt are over. And then, Rarity struts into the room, announcing her intent to prove Rainbow Dash's innocence, since the obvious canidet is unavialable.
Taking a page from all great fictional crime investigation stories, Rarity leads Rainbow Dash to the scene of the crime, Spitfire's bedroom. At first, it seems like the evidence indicates Rainbow Dash is indeed guilty, but Rarity is unconvinced. She interrogates some of the castle guards, and learns that they briefly left their post to eat some cake given to them by an unknown source. Probing a little deeper, Rarity learns where the cake came from, and sets off to the store.
Rarity learns from the store owner that the orderer of the cake was a pony shrouded in a trench coat, a hat, and an ivory scarf, and that they got chocolate stains on said scarf. Rainbow Dash is furious, convinced that she really did committ the crime. And I have to ask, does Equestria really not believe in the concept of "Innocent until proven guility"? Because Rainbow Dash should have an obvious alibe for the time the letter was recieved, and if the cake was ordered prior to then, and Rainbow Dash was nowhere near the store it came from, that should prove she didn't send the letter.
Rarity and Rainbow Dash return to The Wonderbolts, and Rarity presents her evidence, arguing that Rainbow Dash was framed. And it wasn't by the butler, it was by none other than Wind Rider.
The decisive piece of evidence, is Wind Rider's scarf, and when cornored, he finally admits to the crime. He claims he did what he had to do, but the other Wonderbolts are furious, and Soarin demands to know the location of Spitfire. It turns out, she's unharmed, but was sent on a wild goose chase to the crystal mountains in search of a flower that is hardly in bloom. With that information presented, Rainbow Dash takes off, and manages to bring back Spitfire in the nick of time. And to think that Wind Rider would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for that meddling Rarity.
Spitfire, furious with Wind Rider, strips him of his Wonderbolt badge, and offers his place to Rainbow Dash. But I personally feel like him getting kicked out feels a bit excessive. He deserved to have his spot taken, and probably even demoted. But nopony actually got hurt by his actions, Spitfire was exhausted, but unharmed. At least with Lightning Dust, it made some sense.
So, Rainbow Dash is proven "Not Guilty!", gets to fly with The Wonderbolts, and it's all well that ends well, as Rarity reveals she was able to show off her new outfits while solving the case.
And that's the story, so what do I think of the episode? Well, for our first Raridash episode, it was pretty good. Soarin got a chance to really shine, though I do wish they could've showed he was a bit more reluctant to believe Rainbow Dash was innocent. The scene with the delivery pony was pointless, and should've been cut, seeing as it wasn't even a red heiring. And it took a while to get to the main plot. The humor was rather hit and miss, some jokes were funny, others not so much. And as I said before, it really should've been innocent until proven guilty, instead of the other way around. In the end, I give this episode a borderline A/A+, putting it between "Party Pooped" and "Amending Fences". Joanna and Kristine aren't bad, but I think they need a little more time colabing with veteran writers in order to truly shine.
Next week, we've got our third straight Rarity episode, a RariJack episode entitled "Made in Manehattan" and it is said to feature the return of fan favorite Coco Pommel from Season 4. And if that's not enough for you, next week will also see "Friendship Games" air on Discovery Family. Rest assured, that I will review both the episode, and the movie. So make sure to stay tuned next week, because it's going to be a busy day for us all!
There is a new thread on DeviantArt showing one man's opinion on the current standing of Pinkie Pie, who will see two weeks from this morning. I invite you to check it out and present your take on it (as we all know you really, REALLY like Pinkie Pie and have concerns about how Hasbro, Inc. handles her!)
As for the episode as whole, I think that it totally wasted its true potential as a new Levinson/Link-style mystery programme pilot. The delivery pony, of course, was absolutely unnecessary and appears to have been there because the writers didn't think the episode was fresh enough. They must've thought "Geez! Nobody's really paying attention to this thing, so let's add something that'll make them do so!*"There are some sights of humour in this; unfortunately all of them are the occasional clever nods to such comedies as The Pink Panther (a detective, similarly clumsy) and The Naked Gun (with the narration style and the cute Ducks sight gag). Otherwise, it's just a wasted opportunity. Detective Rarity would've made a really great TV show, and my mom, who likes mysteries in the style many thought it was supposed to be in (ever read an Agatha Christie novel?) would've come back to watch a new episode of it every single week.
*It doesn't.
You spelled 'cornered' wrong.
3403950 I think we've already established that show Rarity is a skilled flirter in previous episodes.
Honestly, I actually liked the scene where Rarity flirted with the delivery pony. Mainly because I found it oddly hilarious.
And I personally found the humor to be the episode to be spot on. My favorite moments were when Rainbow pointed out how quickly Rarity kept changing her outfits.
I also found Rainbow's little victory dances to be both adorable and hilarious. She needs to do those kinds of things more often.
The animation looked odd when the guards were being interrogated, but in a fascinating way. I think it was due to how the shading was done in that scene.
Haven't seen it yet but wind rider sounds like a cool pony.
I'm looking forward to episode 20 and the CMC episode which will bring a lot of new ships....I hope.
I enjoyed this episode, it was great to see Soarin back, but you are right, he could've been a little more gentle towards Rainbow.
So next episode and I'm already looking forward to seeing Coco again.
HEY! How long has it been since I was here?
Anyway, this episode is a 7.6 for me. I feel as if the story was rushed out and the mystery plot felt predictable with no occurring twist happening. I was expecting Lightning Dust to appear but I guess they didn't plan for that. And the fact that this episode was written by FOOOOOOUR WRITERS seems overbearing to me. I do however love the Noir aspect and thought that was the best part of the episode along with Rarity's flirtatious moments and Rainbow Dash's hysterical moments.
Not a bad episode, I just expected better.