Hearthbreakers Review · 4:24pm Oct 24th, 2015
This episode... it was okay. Remember all the weird awkwardness of Maud's debut? Imagine that, but with the rest of the Pie family.
Pinkie's family was memorable. We have the birth of a new ship with MarbleMac, since she's the shy and quiet one. Limestone is suitable angry and growly, and the Olde English talk of the parents is sure to spark some sort of Luna fic here somewhere. Maud is in top form as herself. There's good moments, good laughs, good feels at the end, lots of awkward humor.
The reason I say this episode is only okay... the morals are entirely skewed. Here's the thing. I do not know the Amish. I know nothing of their lifestyle, I have not knowingly met anyone raised in the faith, and so forth. I am ignorant, I admit that. But speaking just for the Pie Family... their lifestyle sucks. And that's where the episode falls apart. It's hard to appreciate reconciling cultural values and tradition when one is rather objectively bad.
Pinkie's family eats rock soup, carves their own dolls from rocks, raise a flag of a rock (on top of another rock), and then have to search for presents hidden around the farm. And if they don't find presents, they don't get any. I'm sorry, but this is all wrong. Hearthswarming is Equestria's equivalent of Christmas, and I don't mind others celebrating their own religious holidays that take place at the same time. But with the Pies, it's explained clearly their traditions are not borne of religious or cultural upbringing, but of family tradition. Their entire lives center around rocks. And it's funny for a joke about Maud, but the whole family is like that.
The Pies don't seem particularly happy with their lifestyle, it isn't until the end where they socialize with the Apples that we see them actually smile. They make little effort to explain their traditions to the Apples, and I include Pinkie in that group. The Apples are pretty much undergoing culture shock, and the Pies don't notice or care. Their Hearthswarming seems to be very unfulfilling and drab, as do their lives in general. They don't seem to enjoy their own damn traditions,but stand by them just because they're traditions around for generations.
By the way, for all the talk of reconciling clashing cultures and traditions, the Pies show no interest in the Apple way of life. Okay, you could argue the Apples came to their farm, next year when the Pies visit Sweet Apple Acres it's the Apple turn to do things (and there's another fanfic I'm sure someone will get on shortly). But it still adds to the overall feel of their lifestyle; the Pies don't care about making the Apples welcome, don't show any interest in their traditions, don't explain their own traditions, and aren't enjoying themselves until they begin to socialize with the Apples.
This all leaves me to conclude that Applejack is right - the Pies could do with a dose of old-fashioned real Christmas Hearthswarming, with nice decorations, good food, real gifts. We saw Pinkie got her cutie mark throwing a party for her family, and while it was a huge departure from their normal lives, they enjoyed it. If the Pies opened up a bit and let the Apples bring some of their traditions to the farm, they might like it. I see why Pinkie Pie left the farm, it sucks there. I question how the Pies can enjoy this lifestyle. I can only presume it's out of ignorance of the rest of Equestria; they don't realize what they're missing, and how much more joyful and lively their lives could be. I again restate I do not mean to offend the Amish or imply their choice of lifestyle and religious practice is wrong. But with the Pies, it's not religion, it's just family tradition. They have no reason to live this way except "it's how our family has always lived."
The episode saves itself a bit at the end when we learn the history of Holder's Boulder, and why the Pie family going back generations are obsessed with rocks. But it's Granny Smith who delivers that lesson. Again, the Pies made such a poor effort to welcome the Apples, they didn't even explain the history of the giant rock in the middle of the farm that their entire family legacy centers around.
Overall, the episode was good in concept, but lacking in execution. It's difficult to empathize with the Pies, it's overly easy to sympathize with Applejack, and with that the episode's whole argument of reconciling differences between families comes apart.
I don't care for Limestone myself. To me it feels like they made her TOO arrogant and angry.
3493418 I didn't mind her. She's the main caretaker of the farm, so I thought of her as Applejack, but now a family of outsiders are coming around and making a mess of all her work. Imagine how AJ might respond if Fluttershy stayed overnight and brought all her critters to hang out in the orchards.
3493420 Doesn't change the fact that she seemed more OCD than Twilight.
I’ve noticed that the story telling has the tendency to really flop when the writers portray cultures that aren’t Equestrian or non-main stream equestrian in this case. The Buffalo were like how children who didn’t know better portrayed Indians. The Diamond Dogs and and the Griffons are barely functioning. The Yaks would have worked if they weren’t so comically/scarily violent. It is just the strangest thread of bad writing no one seems to have brought up with the writers.
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Limestone is Pony Gilda k
3493440 Yet unlike Gilda Limestone went from glaring and uncaring about ponies to 'I like you now!' in an instant where as Gilda had a whole episode dedicated to showing her changing.
I agree 100% with every word of this review.
Honestly, just because the traditions were a bit out of the norm doesn't mean they were bad. Not understanding other cultures and dismissing them as bad because we don't get the logic behind them is how wars start.
And if you're going to point the finger for the arguement of tradition even when it sucks, point it at "Winter Wrap Up" and "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000". Those episodes are hurt more by claiming tradition is better than doing things right.
3493438 I do agree that the Pie family was a bit one note for the most part. I guess that's to be expected with a Johnny Test writer. You've got good comedy, and the established characters can work well with it, but it seems he's not all that good at handling new characters without making them one note. You can only repeat a joke so many times before it gets old.
3493745 Hasn't stopped people from shipping ApplePie.
I got the feeling that the Pies don't socialize very much. They probably don't know the proper etiquette of entertaining guests.
Anyway, I liked them, even if their lifestyle is odd.
I actually didn't sympathize much with Applejack. She came across as a little pushy with her own ways. Kinda like how she acted in the Apple reunion episode.
3493678 I *do* point it at them.
Especially Cider Squeezy, where a good talking out of things would have made everyone happy.
Also:
But here's the thing - this episode was all about exploring the culture and lifestyle of the Pie family. So either the episode did a bad job of it, or there was little to their lifestyle to explore. Either way, the episode fails.
Christmas is not merely a Christian belief. It's a time of year for happiness and good cheer, for spending time with good friends and good family and exchanging gifts not out of materialism, but out of love for each other. The Pies don't have the first, didn't make much effort to the second, and the third was glossed over.
3493824 Exactly. Let's face it, this episode wouldn't have been an episode if either Applejack or Pinkie Pie had said something about the conflict before it came up.
Don't forget that Hearth's Warming eve is also their equivalent of Independence Day. Every family has their own Xmas tradition, but not hanging the flag of the two sisters from a proper flag pole? This is 'Questria! Love it or get out!
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Indeed, I don't agree w/ the thought process of "their practices are too reserved/different and thus are automatically bad" either. You have to realize that groups such as the Pennsylvania Dutch/Amish/etc, are constantly on the lookout for trying to avoid having big egos or being too prideful. Thus they live reserved lifestyles where they limit the luxuries (ie: "vanities") they are exposed to. In many ways, it's not that different from the lifestyle of a Catholic Monk or a Buddhist Monk. Can living a relatively isolated/hermetic life affect your ability to socialize? Yep. Does it automatically make them bad? No. Absolutely not. They are trying to avoid frivolous things to think upon higher matters.