TheBrianJ Reviews - Brotherhooves Social · 4:00am Oct 9th, 2015
Ah, Big Macintosh. He’s that large horse (™)
Yeah, he doesn’t talk a lot, but I always got the sense that Big Macintosh was one of those “I don’t talk unless something needs saying,” which has made any time he’s talked all the more special. So in the leadup to this episode, specifically seeing the preview, I was pretty excited for an episode like this, one where Big Mac not only is the center of attention, but is going for a humor factor above everything else. And I pretty much got that, except for, well… head on below the Orchard Blossom for the full review.
My god she’s beautiful.
One thing I really like about the show is that episodes aren’t always self-contained. Obviously MLP is a show where you can catch any episode at any point and it will make sense, as most cartoons are designed. But occasionally we will have a brother/sister episode, like Games Ponies Play/Just For Sidekicks, or in this case Made in Manehattan/Brotherhooves Social, where the two episodes are happening concurrently. It always adds a nice touch, even when there isn’t a whole lot of overlap other than the beginning and end of the episodes.
Big Macintosh has always been overlooked on the show, but that’s by design: he’s just a normal, albeit big, farm pony while his sister is off saving the world. We also have spent way more time looking at sisterly relationships than brotherly ones, mostly because the cast of MLP is almost exclusively female. So this episode turned out to be a breath of fresh, very comedic air.
WAIT IT WAS BIG MAC THE WHOLE TIME WHAT?
“Male character dresses up as female and goes extremely over the top” is a standard of comedy, and they did what they could with it (apparently some people on Tumblr were offended, which is absolutely absurd btw). It has to be said that Peter New clearly had a ton of fun throughout the episode with the absurd falsetto voice, especially since the guy barely gets any lines for Big Macintosh.
But through all the comedy, there was something really heartwarming about how hard Big Mac was trying. It was the kind of thing that they didn’t need to talk about (although when they did, it turned out great, more on that later), but instead just let his actions speak for him. Just the way his attempts gradually ramped up as the episode went on, only to fail in more spectacular ways, was really enjoyable. As I said, it was a staple of comedy that MLP hasn’t really touched on before (Unless you count, like, ponies dressing up as dragons?) and they did a good job with it.
Wonderhoof Powers, activate!
I also love that the relationship between Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash was kept so strong. For as big of a character as she is on the show, Scootaloo really remains somewhat of an enigma in the grand scheme of the show. It’s nice seeing her get closer with Rainbow Dash, especially in a real sister role like this.
But overall, I was ready to call this a fun little episode, a little comedic break in the middle of the season.
Then… the last 2 minutes.
Written by Darren Aronofsky
Season 5 has been all about shocking emotional depth (I refuse to use the phrase “feels” to describe it, because let’s be honest it’s way more than that), but in all those episodes, we sorta knew what we were in for. Amending Fences showed us through the whole episode how bad Twilight felt, Tanks for the Memories was, start to finish, a “coping with loss” episode.
But this? This was an emotional climax that I really, really wasn’t seeing coming. We get this humorous look at Big Mac wearing a dress and acting fancy, and then the show hits us with one of the best monologues it’s ever had, spoken by a character who very rarely even speaks. It was a heartbreaking speech with a happy, uplifting ending. It was a beautifully done speech, one that highlights something that has never really been talked about on the show: while the Mane 6 are out saving all of Equestria, what about the ponies who are left behind? Sure, Slice of Life had a comedic look at it, but this was a realistic look, almost unbelievably so.
And it highlights just how surprisingly emotional that this show has gotten in Season 5, and I think it’s made MLP all the better. These moments have come together to turn MLP into so much more than it was even as recently as last season, and it actually keeps me wondering what it has in store next.
So yeah, this was a good episode that, thanks to an excellently written ending, was pushed into great episode territory. A fun romp of a comedic episode, with one of the best-written scenes in MLP history. Quality, quality stuff.
See ya next time! Maybe sooner than you think.
I really liked this episode, I thought it was fun. Definitely one of my favorites.
Tumblr didn't seem to think so though... Dumb asses.
Anyway mint review, Brian.
I do love how this is the season of the background pony. The show is really widening its scope, and it's a joy to watch.
I would like to say that while the words themselves where good, it was Peter New's delivery that truly made the speech beautiful.
Also, I agree that, with the exception of two meh episodes and one extreme outlier, number 5 is looking to be the best season yet. Mostly do to the emotional punches, but also for these other things...
- More well placed nods to continuity than ever
- A larger than usual step-up in animation (especially facial expressions)
- A great increase to the verity of background pony designs after the mid-season break