Season 6, Episode 10 Thoughts and Review · 12:29am May 31st, 2016
So, this was an episode. Not too spectacular, but I didn't hate it. I enjoyed seeing AJ and her being herself, but I can't say this episode spoke to me. The lesson was a good one, but I dunno, I feel like they could have done... more with it. Anyway, let's get down to the episode.
The episode opens at the Ponyville Day Spa, with Rarity enjoying some time in the steam room. Aloe, one of the spa employees, enters and warns Rarity not to stay in for too long or else she might get pruney. Rarity explains that she is waiting for Applejack to arrive, as it has been some time since their last spa day together. Unfortunately, Applejack has spent so much time on her chores that, by the time she finally arrives, the spa is about to close up for the day, and Rarity's face has pruned beyond recognition.
SWEET LORD.
Some time later, Rarity meets up with Twilight Sparkle and Spike on their way to Sweet Apple Acres to pick up some fresh pies. She explains to the two about her troubles bringing Applejack out on a spa day and how extra busy Applejack is lately with her chores. They meet Applejack at the farm, and Applejack expresses how sorry she is about her chores taking up all of her time. She even adds that Apple Bloom, Big McIntosh, and Granny Smith are unable to lighten her workload due to having chores of their own.
Same, AJ, same.
With this in mind, Twilight offers to help on the farm with Spike so Applejack and Rarity can have their spa day. Applejack is reluctant at first, but she soon gives in and grants Twilight and Spike one hour to complete one chore: feeding the pigs. She gives them a detailed step-by-step checklist on how to carry out the task.
While glad to see Spike in this episode, I don't know if these two help or hurt this episode...
As Applejack and Rarity make their way to the spa, Applejack worries a little about Twilight and Spike's ability to handle farm work, but Rarity assures her that they can handle a hour's worth.
Upon arriving at the spa, the two discover Rainbow Dash about to have her own spa treatment—though Rainbow desperately tries to play it off. Unfortunately for all three ponies, service at the spa is backed up. Despite Applejack's excitement for having a relaxing steam, the wait line for the steam room is considerably long. Aloe explains this is because the steam room has been taking longer to fill with steam lately, causing the spa to start providing customers with hot towels.
Quick shout out to this cutie pie.
Using her labor expertise, Applejack traces the low steam problem to a pipe leak. The leak causes low steam pressure, leading to a longer wait time for the steam room, and providing customers with hot towels uses up the spa's hot water that would normally be used to create steam, thus forming a never-ending cycle.
Petition for AJ to be the next Sherlock (jk, but can you imagine)
Unwilling to leave things as they are, Applejack steps in to fix the dilemma, despite only the hour of time she and Rarity have before returning to the farm.
I freaking love AJ.
Thanks to Applejack's efforts, the spa is once again at quality efficiency, and the employees even have less loads of laundry to do. However, Applejack and Rarity have no more time left for their spa day. Rarity briefly chastises Aloe for failing to check for leaks, and Aloe confesses that they had gotten so used to the way things were, they were unable to see any problems.
Still concerned about Twilight and Spike's progress, Applejack and Rarity stop by the farm to check in on them before resuming their spa day. They arrive to the sight of Twilight and Spike dangling corn over the pigpen, as was stipulated in the checklist Applejack provided them with.
Poor Twi tries so hard...
Applejack takes over for the two and admits that a list doesn't always convey the proper method of doing something. As Rarity voices her disappointment in the spa day she and Applejack had, Applejack does a series of bizarre steps in order to feed the pigs, such as opening and closing the pen gate, babbling crazily at the pigs, and clucking like a chicken. While doing this, she expresses the sentiment of one getting stuck in a routine that puts extra, unnecessary work on oneself.
Same, AJ, same.
When Applejack's friends question her method for feeding the pigs, she explains that each step serves a purpose in addressing a possible problem. However, as Applejack herself points out, she had solved these problems long ago and therefore fell into her own unbreakable routine. With her friends' help, Applejack manages to streamline her chores and cut out the unnecessary steps through which she does them, thus giving her more free time.
With the extra free time given to her, Applejack decides to have a real spa day with Rarity, and she very much looks forward to an afternoon of relaxation. At the spa, the two encounter Rainbow Dash once again after she has had a session of pampering. After a bit of playful teasing, Applejack and Rarity invite Rainbow to join them, and she "reluctantly" accepts.
Alright, let's talk about a couple things regarding this episode... First things first, Rarity and AJ, since this is about them. They were paired up because of their differences, and because the big problem in this episode is how they handle things differently from each other. Rarity just wanted to relax, and while AJ wanted to do the same, she couldn't do that when there was a problem that wasn't fixed. Which, I can relate to, but I'll get to that in a sec.
I guess my problem with this is because these two are always paired together when it comes to exploring the differences between friends. Like, I get AJ and Rarity are different from each other in a lot of ways, but they are not the only ponies who have differing traits from each other. Twilight and Applejack are different from each other in both background and work ethic; this episode could have worked with them just as well, perhaps even better. It would give us a chance to really explore the relationship between Twilight and AJ, which is something we don't get to do often.
Which, brings me to the next point... Twilight and Spike. I feel like they didn't really serve that much of a purpose this episode. We didn't even get to see them do much outside of one or two cutbacks that showed them struggling with AJ's chores. I dunno, I just feel like we didn't really get to see much of Twilight and Spike, in the character respect; they were just there.
When my dragon get another episode?
And then, there's the lesson. It's a good lesson, but the execution... Seems lacking. I like the idea and I like where they were going with it, but it just kinda felt forced and fell flat. It really sucks, too, because the lesson is something that kids could take from and apply to their lives. I mean, the kids today are going to be our tomorrow; we cannot expect for them to come up with anything new when they keep being drilled into doing things that we've been doing for the past forever.
'The most dangerous phrase in the language is ‘we’ve always done it this way.’
Like, this is such a good lesson for kids to learn, and we get an episode like this to convey it. The episode wasn't entirely bad, of course, since AJ was in good character and was written quite well, but I just feel like they could have done more...
Anyway, let's see what we got for next week's episode:
Season 6, Episode 11: Flutter Brutter
When Fluttershy’s self-absorbed brother starts freeloading off their parents, she encourages him to move out. Unfortunately, he moves in with her instead, forcing Fluttershy to stand up to her brother and help him get over his fear of failure.
Yeeeeeeees, I cannot wait for this episode! We'll finally get to see Shy's brother (and her parents, possibly)! I wonder how this is gonna go...
Feel like I missed anything or just wanna talk about this episode? Let's discuss down below!
When I saw rarities prune face:
Honestly, I feel that if it were Twilight and AJ, at the spa, the episode wouldn't have worked as well, since I doubt Twilight would have been willing to relax until the problem there was fixed. It's just that the two of them would have gone about fixing it in different ways.
For me, I consider this to be both AJ's best episode and the weakest of the season so far.
And the scenes with RD are easily my favorite.
3985022
IT doesn't HAVE to be them at the spa. They could have easily been having a sleepover. Like Twilight trying to experience a real one, since the last time she did this, it went kind of flat.
OR even have them go on a mission together. Dynamics is key here, not the location.
Honestly, one of my most favorite parts of the episode was when the Mission Impossible chords played during Twilight's pig-feeding attempt.
3985142 Eh, with the lesson from the episode, I'd argue that it had to be at the spa.
Though I admit it would be interesting to have an AJ and Twilight episode.
3985142 I think they could also just have some sort of event that needs planning, since Twilight and Applejack have shown a tendency to use checklists and enjoy organizing things. There could probably be an episode where they learn what ways of organizing they have in common, and what ways of organizing they do differently (how Twilight sorts books or organizes summits may differ from how Applejack organizes things around the farm).
3985304
Exactly.
3985269
Also, it really doesn't. There's really no such thing a sa lesson that can ONLY happen at one location.
Lessons are meant to carry through LIFe. If I had to only learn a lesson that was applicable to one place, then it's a sucky lesson.
3985385 True.
I'm just saying that, from a story perspective, it was best to tell this lesson using the spa, even though it's also applicable in other places as well.
I found it kind of funny that Twilight struggled with a step-by-step list, like the one she gave Starlight in the season opener. I suppose that drove a point home?
I honestly agree with you, this episode felt kind of meh. It was really lacking. I honestly don't see how it was necessary? They could have done differently.
I thought Rares walked back in time from a distant future when I saw that face. Also, I loved the moral. Trying to get AJ to relax while she keeps trying to sneak out of the spa would've been a good plot.
Rarity and Twilight's solution to the watering problem didn't even help. Applejack is an earth pony, and doesn't have magic. This episode has to be the most lacking of the season so far. The message was a good one, sure, but this was like a fanfic where you have it centered around two ponies but you awkwardly write in another pony? This reminded me of it, but it was nice with the Mission Impossible chords playing when Twilight and Spike were trying to feed the pigs.