063 Frenemies Talk: Scare Master feat. DrakeyC and Miss Spectrum · 9:45pm Nov 3rd, 2015
Flutterbat wasn't the only eagerly anticipated return this Nightmare Night. Check out the discussion below the break!
I'm sure there's a cheap "ponies learn about the fandom" joke here, but I'd like to salute the effort put into their expressions instead!
Prane: We don’t really celebrate Halloween where I come from. There’s no bobbing for apples, no dressing up in scary and/or otherwise provocative costumes, no carved pumpkins watching over the neighborhood, and if you can handle even more terror, no candy whatsoever! Boo-whooo-huuuuh! Now that’s a terrifyingly terrifying vision, but a true one nonetheless. I guess it’ll take a decade more for the last remaining people claiming that such a celebration is all about disrespecting the dead to join them themselves. Maybe then I’ll get enough social incentive to finally try myself at pumpkin carving! I mean, I could go to grocers and get myself a pumpkin, keep stabbing it until I’d have a hole resembling a pony, and then put a source of light inside, but it would feel more like art class rather than participating in the event itself.
Oh well, at least I’m getting a ponified version called Nightmare Night, conveniently delivered on this spooky night, and by the powers of none other than Natasha Levinger. If you go a couple reviews back to Make New Friends But Keep Discord (which we did with Miss Spectrum also present today, I mean, what a eerie coincidence… or is it?), you’ll notice that I really enjoyed her style of creating the narrative, and much like the last time it is my pleasure to say that her episodes are still 100% pure satisfaction. Give her a raise, people with money! She’s scary good!
I especially loved the moral of the story. First Fluttershy was afraid, but she rose above her own concerns and tried to have fun with her friends to the best of her skills. She failed once, but then she tried once more, and she succeeded. That could very well be the end of the episode, with everypony happy that Fluttershy has discovered her way to actively participate in Nightmare Night. But no! The ending represented the quintessence of assertiveness: ‘Your ways are okay, and I respect that, but I like my way better, and I expect you to respect that as well’. That’s when the good turned great for me.
Time for general discussion! Feel free to share your thoughts about the episode. Oh, and the costumes! Weren’t they overall amazing? But who got the best one, in your opinion? Also, since Rarity pointed out you don’t have to dress up scary, what would you wear if you were to participate in Nightmare Night in Equestria?
Gulheru: I’ve enjoyed the episode a lot and I think I would easily grant it a solid “A”, if I were to grade it. The premise was good enough and the execution went beyond what I expected. The costumes, the sounds (obligatory Wilhelm scream), the animation. Oh, it was a feast for the viewer. I gobbled it up quicker than Nightmare Moon does devour fillies.
And that says a lot, I mean, have you ever had a child? It’s hard to stop yourself from eating but one and you swallow them faster than salted peanuts.
Uh, yes, back to the topic. Of course, the episode had a couple of flaws (which one doesn’t?), but even those nitpicks like Fluttershy’s inexplicable (even by her standards) paranoia, or Rainbow being just mean did not ruin the experience for me. I’ve had my share of laughs, for example at Pinkie’s interpretations of her friends, so gleefully placed on the candy bags. Twilight looked adorkable, indeed. Then came the mummy of Big’mac’hamun and Granny Smith’s extraordinary ocular flexibility.
To be honest, it’s too easy to compare this episode with “Luna Eclipsed” and nobody can deny… We have seen massive improvement in storytelling, execution of ideas and animation. I wish to express my gratitude for Natasha Levinger. She delivered a Nightmare Night celebration and a half for us.
As for the costume for the night… I am fond a vampires, to be fair. Or maybe I would just dress myself as a shaman who would summon dead spirits for these paganistic festivities.
DrakeyC: I don’t celebrate Halloween much myself, though it’s more circumstance than choice. I live in an apartment, so giving out candy and decorating aren’t an option. As a kid though, living in a house, I loved doing both. But it’s still given me lots of good memories now that I’m older.
For the episode, I liked Rainbow Dash’s costume, if only for the vague Buzz Lightyear reference. But it also raises questions of it Equestrians know what astronauts are, and how their space program works if they have astronauts. I also appreciated the slight audio distortion she had to her voice from her helmet, a small touch that other shows wouldn’t bother to include. Pinkie’s costume was also great for the running joke of her crashing into thinks, and I could totally see Pinkie taking part in a roller derby.
For my own costume, I dunno. For fanboyism I’d go as a member of the Night Guard. Though I worship Sunset Shimmer, so maybe I’d cobble together a hypothetical Solar Guard armor instead.
Miss Spectrum: I’m with you Prane, pretty much here in Brazil we only do parties that more like a costume party than nothing (and it’s nothing that a child could go to :p). There’s no pumpkins, and almost no decoration. It’s really optional, I personally like to put some skeletons here and there and some bats hanging in places. Oh well, maybe I just really wanna live in USA.
Applejack. Applejack was the best. Really, the cuteness levels in her costume was so freaking high it gave me a heart attack. Now I’m a ghost, boo! Anyways, if I was in Equestria I would probably go as Timberwolf. Pretty cliche, huh? Yeah, but as you may know, I love Timberwolves with all my heart so dressing as one would be awesome. Pinkie’s costume was also amazing, it just goes with her. Also Rarity was simply fabulous! Because, I’m totally not a sucker for mermaids *Liarjack face*
"As a pony, I'm flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I can be destroyed, but as a symbol... I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting."
Gulheru: So, we have already, not once nor twice, found out that not only Fluttershy is fond of animals, but that they are creating a real entourage for her. From birds, arachnids, even a bear. A bear. She has a bear helping her!
Yes, that would be considered “epic” by most.
At any rate, I have an inquiry concerning those little (or not) furry helpers of hers. Perhaps considering an obvious for some topic, but I think intriguing nonetheless. I am really wondering how far the critters are willing to help Fluttershy out. Considering that we have just witnessed them aiding her by dressing up and setting up a “Scare of the Century” scenario, just how loyal are they to her? It goes far beyond “affinity”, this is getting into “servitude” territory. Can you imagine the bear doing grocery shopping for her? I can and that’s a peculiar sight in my mind.
A second avenue of approach to the topic: How irreplaceable are those animals for her? Of course, she has the Magic of Friendship in her already, but would she be fine even without it? I personally think it possible. She seems to be content one way or the other, even if her companionship tends to be less “pony”.
So, what’s your opinion? Just how important are animals in Fluttershy’s life?
DrakeyC: I think she’d miss her friends, but she’d adjust. The Mane Six are inseparable, but they each have friends outside just the other five. Twilight has her Canterlot friends, Pinkie has, well, all of Ponyville. Fluttershy has her animal friends. I think it’d be hilarious for her to be out grocery shopping with Beary, having her birds get things for her from the high shelves.
Miss Spectrum: Like Gulheru said, I think that Flutters would be totally okay without her friends. Maybe not Rainbow Dash because, you know, back at the Speed Juniors Flying Camp she protected her a lot and still does (even if sometimes, like in this episode, she can be a pain in the ass) sometimes. Still animals are a big part on her life, after all butterflies saved her from dying! (as seen on ‘The Cutie Chronicles’) I would totally be grateful for that. But I don’t know if other ponies wouldn’t find this weird if she acted like that. I mean… Just like Twilight, she would only be friends with animals and not give a single care about other ponies. Well at least they are animals, not books, right?
Prane: It goes without saying that Fluttershy is a max level Druid with unique Kind Caretaker skill tree (see, see what I did here? She has a tree, because—oh, forget it), and that she, in theory, would be capable of taking over Ponyville if she called for every living creature from the Everfree Forest to do her bidding. Go forth, minions!
Whoops, I may have taken it a bit too far, but I can see how various animals could help in her everyday routines. She probably doesn’t have to pay for sending mail, because she’s just asking some birds to do it for her. I suppose Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth could do her laundry, but fish in general are still useless, though. How about smaller animals going into places where Ponyville ponies can’t fit and retrieving lost items for them, for a charge? At the same time, big animals like Harry could lend their strength to whoever needs it at the moment. At the end of the day they all return with sacks full of bits, and since to them such currency is worthless, they give all it to Fluttershy who buys food and other necessities for them and the others. It’s a flawless business model!
And there’s that hot pink flamingo. I’m sure they’d find something for him to do. He’d be a great neon light at one of Ponyville’s hotter and pinker clubs in which I totally not have a VIP platinum membership.
When it comes to caring for her friends, Pinkie Pie is the Leslie Knope of Equestria. I wonder if she makes scrapbooks and calendars for them, too?
DrakeyC: I’ll start with the confession I watched this episode back when it was leaked, heh. Overall I enjoyed it, there were continuity references to old episodes, there was a lot of fun and humor, and the ending was pretty intense and scary. It was creepy that you couldn’t be quite sure what was Fluttershy plotting something, what was part of the maze, and what was something else, perhaps. The return of Flutterbat again was old, with the comics and episode 13 both featuring her already, and it’s a shame because it felt more appropriate for this episode than either of those appearances. Two specific jokes I liked, the running joke of Pinkie skating around, and one of my favorite Derpy cameos.
What I really liked was the ending. It would be easy to go the predictable route of Fluttershy getting into it and enjoying herself, but it really isn’t in her nature to purposefully scare people, even if that’s just part of the fun of the season. She proved she can get into the spirit, but it’s just not her thing.
What was a bit distracting though, were some of the characterization choices. Rainbow Dash seemed way too meanspirited and angry with Fluttershy here, especially after all the character development she’s gone through and the adventures they two specifically have been on. It reminded me of Dragonshy. Fluttershy seemed a bit too meek and frightened. Okay, it’s the time of the year to be cautious of people purposefully trying to scare you. But afraid of eating candy because it makes it harder to scream for help, or wearing a mask because you can’t see out of it properly? Really? Was anyone else thinking that some of these character choices seemed more appropriate for Season 1 or 2?
Miss Spectrum: I’ll admit too: I watched this like three days after it was leaked, I mean… I can’t handle myself! Even if it’s leaked, if it’s true then I go ahead and see it! It’s pony after all! Anyways… Yep, I must say, it looked like all character development we had during these seasons was for nothing! The episode was great, okay, but this was a problem. Rainbow Dash was a kind of idiot back in ‘Rainbow Rocks’, but that’s Human World Dash, not ‘our’ real Rainbow (besides that was like a year ago). And here we have Rainbow acting like that towards Fluttershy, who she learned to be friends with and enjoy? Oh c’mon! But about Fluttershy… I liked to see that, how she spends her Nightmare Nights, I mean we can’t lose this shy part of her. Not every of it. After all it’s Fluttershy! So I don’t think this one was a bad thing, this is pretty much how she acts every year despite the fact of all adventures she have been into and we just didn’t saw it before (unless you count ‘Luna Eclipsed’).
For reals now, Fluttershy… The candy thing was too extreme. Holy cow! I mean dang, it’s just some candy, you won’t be killed by some axe murderer while you eat it for Celestia’s sake. But if she don’t wanna some chocolate, okay, give me it because I accept it all!
Prane: I wouldn’t say that the return of Flutterbat was old, but that’s because I’m actively tricking myself into thinking that the shared dream sequence from the Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? was just a really bad dream. Her appearance back there was unnecessary, but here it felt spot on, and it was even somewhat foreshadowed by Rarity as she was choosing the costume. I didn’t like Bats! much, but seeing Fluttershy embrace her predatory nature, even if only through disguise and deception was a great treat.
As for her acting all anxious around candy and masks, I was wondering myself whether it was just another ‘I’m a timid pegasus so that’s what I would do/say here’ type of thing, or maybe she was just making excuses, and only the way they were delivered made her sound paranoid. After all, she was torn between wanting to participate and not, so such a touch of irrationality could be justified. The one with candy was when I raised my eyebrow and uttered a quick, ‘Really?’, but since it was the last one of her antics for that scene I let it slide.
Gulheru: Seems I’ve been in the minority of the fandom that actually can contain the dark urges and wait for the appropriate moment to watch the episode. Remember kids, self-control is crucial, especially when you have an abundance of personal daemons.
Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the characters.
I have to admit, Fluttershy in this episode was… silly. Fine, fine, caring for one’s life is a natural thing, in any species, even ponies. But her worries concerning parts of Nightmare Night celebration were nothing short of paranoia. I thought she would have a lot more confidence in herself after all that she has gone through alongside her friends. Yes, one might say that participating in this (quite silly) celebration is a big step for her, but… she talked down a dragon once, right? Does that not count for something already…? Hello, it was not that long ago… :checks the dates: Oh, no wait… it has been five years…
Still, that does not absolve forgetting about it!
As for Rainbow Dash, since she was mentioned… Well, my hopes are never high with RD. But she could have stopped herself, really. Someone needs to constantly remind the writer’s that time does flow in the Friendship Universe...
"Read what my medal says: "Courage". Ain't it the truth? Ain't it the truth?"
Miss Spectrum: Fluttershy trying to scare the Mane Six was hilarious! She was just confirmed to be a otaku with those cut-out pictures of anime characters. This is one of the reasons I love this show, I mean the references on it are so damn good! Still, as you may know, anime characters don’t scare people (unless it’s Rem from ‘Death Note’, that guy is creepy) and her mission was failed. BUT there is always the little devil to help her: Angel. Dude I always said Angel’s name is just a disguise to his true-self. Later on the girls see this little devil’s true powers of scaring, and then that’s where things get true spooky!
Basically the comedy here was awesome, like Rainbow Dash honesty about the things on the corn maze (uh… Sometimes I think that RD and AJ should trade their Elements, damn) and all the references for horror movies (like that stallion wearing Jason’s mask) or even a show reference (our loved Derpy wearing a Twilight costume. Best Princess!). But then Angel’s plan to help Fluttershy got on action… And it was pretty awesome. I mean Granny Smith’s skull falling on the ground? That thing was actually pretty scary. Harry the Bear dressed like a monster that looked like it came from Scooby Doo AND the best: Flutterbat returns! Once again, I mean. And once again it wasn’t really true. Still, Flutterbat!
So what you think about Flutterbat? Was this plan scary? In overall was this a good or great episode for you? For me it was a 8/10 episode with great references, little weird characterization choices, full with awesome costumes and Fluttershy greatness. Next week we got Discord and Twilight shenanigans so I’m excited :3 Are you excited? For now I shall go. *jumps in a witch broom and flies away*
Prane: The scheme was amazingly planned out and well-executed. It hit all the right notes! A hole in the ground to kickstart the horror may not be much, but someone slowly closing the exit over your head, now that’s unsettling! I immediately thought of the scene with Trixie doing the same thing in Rainbow Rocks, only that in that case the girls at least knew where they landed and who was responsible for their imprisonment. The cave was a great unknown, and deep inside we are all scared of what we don’t know or don’t understand.
Then it only got better, with the temporary and false relief of ‘Granny Smith’, and then, bang! A bear-sized murlock! Chase sequence! Excitement! Spider web! Just then, when the crescendo of terror was fast approaching, the group got isolated, cut off from any help, and the mastermind beyond their nightmares appeared to complete the act. Pretty much the only trick Fluttershy and Angel didn’t employ was separating the group and preparing something special to take them down one by one, but there wouldn’t be enough minutes in the episode to pull that off.
For me, that was an A-grade performance. I hope it didn’t scare you, but even if it did, don’t bother leaving the lights on, because what good is a lamp if THERE’S A VAMPONY RIGHT BEHIND YOU!
Huh. Jump scares don’t work that well in written form. Who knew?
Gulheru: Allow me to be brief. If Miss Spectrum left on a broom, that means that she is a witch, so I have to move quickly if I want to burn her at the stake.
The amount of references in the episode was refreshing. I’ve lost it at the anime cut-outs. To be fair, I would not mind such “unexpected guests” appearing at a party in our MLP setting. I mean, we have crossed the borders of reason some time ago, what’s stopping us?
Flutterbat was not the scariest part of the scheme, but, goodness, the skeleton of Granny Smith? That’s something. Reminded me of a particular scene from a movie by the stellar Alfred Hitchcock. Those of you knowing the classics will know what I mean. If not, get yourself a bottle of Bosco Chocolate Syrup and rethink your life.
I am considering whether I would be scared by this particular scenario that Fluttershy came up with (with Angel taking the part of the crafty adviser… he gets points for that, you know well I adore those archetypes)... Yes, I think encountering a gigantic, drooling monstrosity would cause me to panic.
Just for a moment though. I swear it. Like, really… yeah...
DrakeyC: The plan was awesome. I like how it kept raising the stakes to make the group ever more anxious and frightened. First just some weird shadows and noises, then ghosts, then a whole, a chase sequence with a monster, and finally Flutterbat’s arrival. I also loved how all of Fluttershy’s animal friends participated in it and had their own parts to play.
I’d agree with the 8/10 rating. Some odd characterization aside, the costumes and references are great, Fluttershy got good development, the moral was unique and well-executed, and there was a lot of spookiness that a good Halloween episode should have.
Funny thing about your first picture. Rainbow Dash surprisingly ISN'T scared. She's just hiding the fact that this turns her on VERY much but has to look disappointed.