On Your Marks

It took over two weeks, but I finally figured out something interesting to say about this episode. The overall bronalysis reaction to this episode (well, the half dozen or so that I've seen anyway) all appear to agree: this episode is a good follow-up to "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" but otherwise is a bit forgettable.

It begins with the Crusaders admiring their cutie marks. I think it's interesting that Apple Bloom appears to be the only one of the three who isn't out of touch with reality. After all, while they were searching for their cutie marks, she was the one who was - unsufferably at times - the only one concerned about it, even grasping at straws sometimes to find something cutie-mark related to what they were doing. Season 5 showed Sweetie Belle being the most mature of the three (in "Appleloosa's Most Wanted", she's the only one not enthused about wandering about in a forest during a storm looking for a fugitive), and some might expect her to have brought up the main concern of the episode. I think Apple Bloom is actually the best choice for this moment, however; she's always been the first to come up with most of the ideas, she was the one who was most concerned about getting her cutie mark, and she's also the one who switches from task to task the easiest. I like to think that one of two things happened. First, perhaps one of her family (probably Granny Smith) pointed out what she's going to do now. Second, perhaps she realized she'd just spent days, maybe weeks, just staring at her own flank, and realized she needed to actually do something. This fits with how she pulled herself away so quickly after finding herself doing it again. When Apple Bloom forgets that they already have their cutie marks, I think this is also very in character for her. After all, she only just got her cutie mark after what seemed like years of searching for one. It makes sense that a child would revert to what she's used to. Heck, most adults do. At one of my jobs, whenever the supervisors start enforcing some safety measures like keeping the equipment room locked that actually turn out to be highly inefficient, less than a week later they decide not to be as strict and leave it open for the morning crew.

Funniest part of the episode: Scootaloo being cut off mid-sentence when she bumps into the podium.

This is an episode where the main conflict is introduced immediately: What is life? Is it nothing more than the endless search for a cutie mark? Scootaloo is right; there is a lot of stuff they did that didn't revolve around their cutie marks. For many of the things we've seen them do together, getting their cutie mark in it was an afterthought from Apple Bloom. "Appleloosa's Most Wanted," helping Braeburn and Applejack at the rodeo, and later helping Troubleshoes become more comfortable with his own cutie mark. "Crusaders of the Lost Mark," helping Pipsqueak become class president. "Return of Harmony, Part 1," going on a class field trip.

In response, the Crusaders try to solve their problem very realistically: first by going to their family, then by going to the ponies they knew for sure didn't have cutie marks (a cute moment for the twins, by the way), and then by trying to find anypony who might fit the bill. It's a common fundraising tactic as well. If your family and friends don't give you enough money, you gotta break that social anxiety barrier and talk to strangers.

That... sounds very bad when read a certain way, especially with kids involved.

Anyway, they happen across Bulk Biceps, whose cutie mark problem is having lifted all the dumbbells. While a humorous moment, it's somewhat out of character for Bulk. After all, he works at the spa giving deep tissue massages ("Castle Sweet Castle") and is a Wonderbolt ("Princess Twilight Sparkle"). Because he has to know where in the body to massage (though it's questionable if he actually does, if Spike's appearance afterward is any idication) and has to have passed some sort of intelligence test to become a Wonderbolt (if the reserves have to as seen in "Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3", so do the actual Wonderbolts), I'm not sure he wouldn't eventually think of lifting other things than dumbbells. He began as a joke character, and although he remains a joke character, the variety of jokes he's the butt of is what makes him a good character. His strength is both a blessing, using it to help other ponies in his two jobs, and a curse, being subjected to the kind of joke that he is in this episode. I'll give Dave Polsky and Josh Haber the benefit of the doubt on this one, due to how little screentime overall he's had and the good track record they have.

My favorite Bulk Bicep joke is still that Steven Magnet used him like a cuddle toy in "Slice of Life." A squeaky toy, nonetheless.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo decide that since they can't figure out what to do as a group, they should try things that one of them likes that the other's haven't tried yet. Yes, this is good! We get to see what the CMC do when they're not in a group! Stunts and potions we've seen before, and crocheting is one facet of following in Rarity's hoofsteps. When that doesn't work out, they decide to do things together as individuals. This is a very important thing to learn that even most adults don't know. We all know some people who go from relationship to relationship so quickly that it feels like they're spending so much time identifying themselves as part of a couple that they don't figure out who they are as an individual. It's an unfortunate byproduct of movies and shows showing romance so often as something to be expected by a certain age.

Apple Bloom overreacts, thinking that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo don't want to be friends anymore, and sings "Out On My Own". It's also rather in character for Apple Bloom to overreact the way she did. Like I mentioned before, most of the times the Crusaders did anything, she quickly decided it could be how they got their cutie marks. Heck, the whole premise of "Bloom and Gloom" hinges on the fact that she tends to overreact. Both she and Applejack overreacted in "Somepony to Watch Over Me", Applejack as the overprotective older sister and Apple Bloom in how she chose to make the delivery AJ was supposed to. She's got the stubbornness that all Apples have, after all. I still think "Somepony to Watch Over Me" isn't as bad an episode as most people think it is, as long as we assume that it was written from the perspective of an exasperated younger sibling when an older sibling won't leave them alone.

There are several things I like about the song itself. I like that Apple Bloom is trying things by herself, usually starting off happy and then getting discouraged partway through. Examples of this include falling out of the grape tub, seeing the painting talent the other ponies have compared to her lineart, baking a pie but having no one to share it with. I like that I don't like that Apple Bloom, a beginner at painting, gets discoruaged when she sees that her art doesn't compare to Andy Warhol's, Salvador Dali's, and Pablo Picasso's skill. Hang in there, Apple Bloom. They've got years of experience ahead of you, and I'm sure Treehugger would love your painting just as much as the others. Part of it is sung on a bridge, which I realized was a common trope for songs as I watched this episode ("The Pony I Want to Be" from "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", "The Failure Song" from "The Crystal Empire", "Til There Was You" from The Music Man, "Gotta Go My Own Way" from High School Musical 2, just to name a few). It's an emotional song, and you can hear it in Michelle Creber's voice. In fact, if it were spun into a positive song, it would have a lot of similarities to "Gotta Go My Own Way".

Apparently HSM2 is what you get when you search "musicals bridge scene" on youtube. Who knew?

Apple Bloom finds her way to a dance hall. I'm going to agree with the brony reviewers I watch: mentioning Tender Taps's name only once wasn't a good decision. I didn't know he'd be important for the rest of the episode, and didn't know his name until I read the credits. I didn't notice it my first viewing, but I love how the other student "nope" out of the way when Apple Bloom starts leading during her partner dance with Patrick Swayze before proceeding to get hit by them anyway. Tender Taps offers his help, but by this point Apple Bloom is so discouraged that she doesn't realize the obvious plot point. To her credit, she admits her mistake to him later on.

Anyone else getting an "Unleash the Magic" vibe with this shot?

There's little doubt that Tender Taps has performance anxiety, and it seems somewhat contradictory for somepony with performance anxiety to have a cutie mark in performing as he was sure he would. As soon as he said that, I pretty much knew what the rest of the plot was going to be. That's not really a bad thing, as some seem to imply that it is. Figuring out the plot in a non-mystery story is a good way to analyze/enjoy it on the first viewing.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo return to the clubhouse and find Apple Bloom sulking. Thankfully the misunderstanding it taken care of quickly, and to be honest I didn't even know that losing her friends was what Apple Bloom was worried about when I first watched the episode. I thought it was just about not doing something as a group, which is what the song and many of her lines in this episode focused on. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo help her realize that she'd inadvertently found the cutie mark problem they were looking for. That night, the CMC go to town hall where the dance recital is to meet up with Tender Taps and help him out. I like that Apple Bloom is aware of her own shortcomings that she is able to say that even if he messes up, he'll still look good compared to her. Paired with her decision to take up dancing because she'll only get better and because it was fun, this shows one way Apple Bloom has matured since her introduction. And not just her; Sweetie Belle is also mature enough to know that her initial attempt at crochet was horrible, but wasn't discouraged because she knew she could get better.

Aww, look at Tender Taps. So excited about getting a cool cutie mark he can't help but show it to all the mares. Nickering mares.