My Thoughts on "Rarity Investigates!" · 6:45pm Sep 19th, 2015
I was looking forward to a Rarity episode. I had high expectations for a Rarity episode. A Rarity episode reached said high expectations. I don't know what to do with myself anymore. Well, I know that I'm going to share my thoughts on the episode, so that's what I'm gonna do. So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on this week's episode, Rarity Changes Costumes... I mean... Rarity Investigates!
Spoilers. You've been warned.
Oh geez. I really wanted to dislike this episode. And, all things considered, I don't really know why I don't. This episode didn't really have any of the things that last week did: No song, no particularly interesting antagonist, no deep insight of why Rarity is Rarity. In fact, this episode showcased some of Rarity's worst qualities. In this episode she was easily-distracted, had her priorities out of order for a bit, and was being the classic Rarity attention-whore she's known to be. Yet, for whatever reason, it all worked fairly well in this episode.
I knew from the start that this was a very different Rarity than last week. She does that thing I hate, when she uses her looks to get what she wants. I find it obnoxious, and it's a terrible thing to teach the kiddies. It also makes her way less attractive in my eyes, to just throw yourself on someone just to get your way. The mystery of this episode, while pretty transparent, was also fairly interesting, and it did have an air of... well, mystery. I was genuinely wondering how Rarity was going to clear RD's name. And, while I knew Wind Rider was the culprit from the very beginning, I didn't quite know how, or how Rares would prove it.
Speaking of Night Rider, he was an okay character, I suppose. Though, he likely would've been better if he had more lines than none. Seriously, this guy makes King Sombra look like a professional linguist. Mild exaggerations aside, this guy kinda just showed up and disappeared, which kind of made the attempts to hide the identity of the culprit rather futile. Still, I enjoyed it enough. I've always loved a good mystery story, which makes me similar to Rarity in that respect, so even if the mystery is easy to unwrap, I enjoy it enough. Unless, of course, the mystery of the story lies to you, like Heavy effing Rain. That said, I would've hoped that between Larson and Ms. McCarthy, there'd be a better story, or at least, one with a twist. You guys have no idea how much respect I'd have for those two if it turned out RD was actually just guilty.
Frankly, one of my favorite parts of this episode were in Rarity's costume changes. They must've set out to break a record or something, because Rarity has about four or five different costumes, for no particular reason. They were all really good, particularly the one when she was interrogating the guards and the one immediately after, when she was talking to the bakery lady. I've always have a weakness for tight pony tails. The hairstyle, I mean. Get your minds our of the gutter.
Overall, I'd rate this episode at a solid, respectable 8 out of 10. It had some interesting components and implications, but overall didn't have me floored or dying with laughter. In other words, it's no Canterlot Boutique, but it damn sure isn't Sweet and Elite, either. What an awful episode that was!
Anyway, those are my thoughts on this week's episode. If you have some of your own, drop em down below, and be back here next week for my thoughts on the episode Made in Manehattan.
Wanted to weigh in on the "Rarity using her looks" thing... it would be a terrible thing to teach kids - but I feel like it might subvert it unconsciously because in the show it's played for laughs... so it could teach kids how ridiculous that kind of behavior really is. And to not do it. Hopefully.