"Rarity Investigates" Follow-Up

Last night, I posted a review for Rarity Investigates. For those of you who haven't read it, I'll give you a quick summary: I criticized the episode for lacking substantial unique substance; it was a typical frame-up episode. While I still believe that, I think I was a little too harsh and unclear over what I found "enjoyable".

The only things that were remotely enjoyable about this episode were the costume changes, the invoked jazz music, Rarity's inner monologues, and the black-and-white screen. Although I found these elements to be funny, they do not compensate for the stale, unpleasant experience I got watching everything else. This is easily my least favorite episode of the season so far.

The positives of this episode are exclusively concentrated in the investigation process, but I think there's more good in that section than what I outlined in my review. In addition to what I mentioned, I do realize that the episode played with Rarity a bit; making it seem like she isn't looking for clues when she actually is. I also realize that the episode has Rainbow Dash start to believe that she is responsible even though she isn't. Both of these elements are unique and they both deviate from the typical frame-up. I will also admit that the soundtrack for this episode is pretty good.

These factors do bring the episode up from what my original review suggested, but my stance is unchanged. I still don't like the episode because most of it does follow the formula.

I have several suggestions that I feel would have strengthened the episode:

-- The entire crime aspect could have taken up only half the episode. The second half could have been Rainbow Dash coming to terms with the fact that one of her heroes tried to destroy her dream.

-- Wind Rider could have started to regret sending the falsified letter, eventually leading him to confess off his own free will.

-- Spitfire could have gone home, found out the letter wasn't true, and returned.

-- The episode could have had more than one reserve, thus expanding the suspect pool.

-- The episode could have had more than one Wonderbolt worried about their record(s).

As low as my expectations were for the episode, there really was a tiny part of me that wanted at least one of these plot points to come true. I honestly feel like any one of these suggestions could have been used to create a more interesting experience.

Comments

[Scootareader]

I hadn't really considered the unoriginal aspect of the episode until you mentioned it. I thought it was deliberately paralleled with the common tropes of any detective series; that you could see the culprit coming from a mile away is, I think, a small throwback to the target audience being patronized because they obviously wouldn't be able to see the culprit right in front of their very eyes. It could have also been one of the numerous problems with 22-minute episodes. Many of your checkboxes could have been checked in a 2-part episode, but rushing the investigation to 11 minutes long would have been pretty unfulfilling--even less so than the episode turned out to be.

So, yes, you're right: It unapologetically draws off of the cliche and oft-used detective trope and offers only token changes to the formula. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is dependent on how you view re-use of the trope and whether they squandered or made the most of their 22 minutes.