SPOILERS? Mariusioannesp Reviews: "Spice Up Your Life"

WARNING!!! The following contains SPOILERS for the latest MLP episode “Spice Up Your Life”.

Now, without further a-Spice-Girls-song-reference-do, here is my review of “Spice Up Your Life”.

Twilight Sparkle manages to get Cutie Map working again. I didn’t even know it was broken. Anyhow, it choses Rarity and Pinkie Pie and sends them to Canterlot. There, they find a pair of father-daughter restauranteurs struggling to keep their restaurant in business. Pinkie and Rarity soon enough recognize that this is the friendship problem they’re meant to solve. However, they have two very decidedly different ways of going about solving the problem. Will Pinkie and Rarity realize what really needs to be done to help this father and daughter and get their restaurant on track?

So what’s the verdict?

Colours of Equestria
Spice up your life
Every colt and every filly
Spice up your life
Ponies of the world
Spice up your life
Aaaahhhh….

Enough! We mustn’t ride too long on the nostalgia train lest we be derailed.

But what of this episode? This was a really fun episode.

So yeah, I liked it.

Let us begin where these things tend to begin at the beginning. The Mane 6 are once again in the throne/Cutie Map room of the Castle of Friendship. Twilight Sparkle acknowledges the decided lack of missions from the Cutie Map, and she reveals the reason why. It turns out that all this time the Cutie Map was broken because of the time-travel spell Starlight Glimmer used on it that turned it into a paradox machine.

Look at how proud she looks for having broken the Cutie Map.

However, as part of her studies, Starlight has been working on a spell to get the Cutie Map up and running again. With that, Starlight and Twilight unleash a torrent of magic upon the Cutie Map.

The Cutie Map boots up for the first time this season. After cycling through a number of the Mane 6’s cutie marks, it settles on Rarity and Pinkie Pie circling Canterlot.

Of course, Rarity is very excited to once again get the chance to visit Canterlot, which Pinkie Pie finds rather silly. Soon enough, they arrive in Canterlot. Rarity wants to immediately begin searching out this friendship problem, but Pinkie objects. She insists that friendship problems aren’t found; they find you if you just go with the flow. Rarity accedes to Pinkie’s requests and asks where they should go. Since Rarity knows Canterlot, Pinkie has Rarity decide what to do. Rarity gives them the options of culture, couture, or cuisine.

Pinkie’s stomach answers for her, and they decide to go get some lunch. Rarity suggests they go to Restaurant Row, the place where Canterlot’s premiere restaurants are located. Rarity assures Pinkie that no matter where they go the food will be guaranteed to be excellent as long as it has a Three Hoof Rating. This rating is given out by Canterlot’s premiere food critic Zesty Gourmand. As the ultimate authority on food given that she grew up around fine dining, a restaurant simply cannot survive without her approval. Pinkie figures that means the food at such rated restaurants must be good. That is until she actually tries it. Rarity finds the food pretty good, but Pinkie can’t stand it! They end up trying three different restaurants that are identical down to the waiter, except for coloration.

The result for Pinkie remains the same though. She finds this supposedly highly-rated food terrible.

Since Pinkie was unsatisfied by Rarity’s choices in cuisine, Rarity let’s Pinkie pick where they’re going to try next. Pinkie literally follows her nose, and they come across a small restaurant hidden away in a corner called The Tasty Treat that hasn’t even been rated.

Ooh, how ethnic!

Once inside, they meet the restaurant’s chef Saffron Massala.

From what I can tell on the Derpibooru, Saffron Massala has already developed a certain admiration from some in the fandom.

Hellfire!
Hellfire!
Confound these ponies,
Tempting me to sin!

Here, Pinkie finds food that’s more to her liking, though Rarity is reticent because of the restaurant’s utter lack of a Three Hoof Rating, even though she seems to like what Pinkie forces her to try.

They also meet Coriander Cumin, the restaurant’s host and father of chef Saffron Masala. He actually starts stacking the chairs whilst Pinkie is enjoying her meal. He thinks as no pony else is going to come in after Pinkie’s done, he might as well.

I found his constant pessimism to be rather amusing. He is apparently in disagreement with his daughter over the continued viability of their restaurant, given that no pony will come in without Zesty Gourmand’s stamp of approval and she didn’t bother to rate it because there was no pony there. Quite the Catch-22 isn’t it? Pinkie realizes that this must be their friendship problem, and though Rarity is initially hesitant, she realizes what she can do. Rarity can use her influence in Canterlot circles to get Zesty Gourmand to try their restaurant. Pinkie on the other hand can get the restaurant packed with ponies. Later on, Rarity returns after her meeting with Zesty Gourmand. She managed to convince Zesty to give The Tasty Treat another try, however, she can only come tonight. They only have the rest of the day to pack the restaurant with ponies and make sure everything is to Zesty’s liking. So with that, Pinkie goes off with Saffron to drum up customers for the restaurant while Rarity stays with Coriander to make the restaurant more cosmopolitan and in line with Zesty Gourmand’s tastes. Rarity intends to do that by making The Tasty Treat more like all the other restaurants in Canterlot. Pinkie on the other hand tells Saffron that the key to their success is to be unique and unlike all of the other restaurants in Canterlot. Clearly Rarity and Pinkie are not on the same wavelength.

And with that, we get a song! It’s a delightful little ditty called “It’s Gonna Work” that seems to be infused with a certain Bollywood flavor. I admit, I know pretty much nothing about Bollywood except for that one episode of Psych that was Bollywood-themed and guest starred the guy who was Mohinder on Heroes. One of the things I’ve always lamented about MLP is that for the most part Daniel Ingram only does certain genres of music for some reason. However, on Littlest Pet Shop, Ingram has full range to do pretty much any genre or style and has proven over and over again that he can do pretty much anything. In fact, the episode “Lights, Camera, Mongoose” featured a much more elaborate Bollywood-inspired song and dance sequence. It’s pretty refreshing hearing Ingram get the chance to do something a bit broader on MLP. Perhaps it's because Littlest Pet Shop just ended.

Anyway, the song perfectly highlights Rarity and Pinkie’s opposing intentions when it comes to improving upon the restaurant. Rarity wishes to follow the prevailing trends and make The Tasty Treat more like every other Three Hoof Rated restaurant in Canterlot.

Well, to be fair, the issue in “Canterlot Boutique” last season was that Rarity eventually grew frustrated having to make the same exact dress over and over again. There was no indication whether the Princess Dress’ popularity was due to it being the same as every other dress sold in every other dress store in Canterlot. In fact, it’s indicated in that episode that the Princess Dress was popular due to its association with Princess Twilight Sparkle.

I found it rather interesting that Rarity’s plan for the restaurant was the exact opposite of what Jerry Seinfeld did in the Seinfeld episode “The Cafe”. There, Jerry convinces a Pakistani restauranteur to change his rather cosmopolitan cafe to all Pakistani, and the result is an utter failure.

I would have given anything to see Coriander Cumin just scream out “THERE ARE NO PONIES HERE!” He came close, but no cigar.

I like to think that somewhere in Canterlot, there’s a Soup Nazi pony screaming “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”

Seinfeld. That’s a show I have seen. Quite a lot.

Moving on, Pinkie seems to feel the best way to drum up customers is by spinning signs and handing out flyers.

And to your left is a bouncing pig.

Interestingly enough, the song sequence seems to be influenced by the “Battle” song sequence from Rainbow Rocks.

Anywho, Pinkie and Saffron have had quite a difficult time finding ponies interested in trying out the restaurant due to its current lack of a hoof rating. The only luck they have is with these two ponies. They’re a couple on vacation from Whinnyapolis looking to try something more adventurous than the fair they’ve encountered in Canterlot so far. So all they got are two customers.

For some reason, these ponies actually get named in the credits despite their relatively minor role in the episode. You have the mare named Orange Slice and the colt very oddly named Chargrill Breadwinner…. What the flying frak is a Chargrill Breadwinner?!

Saffron and Pinkie return to The Tasty Treat and are shocked to discover that Rarity has decorated and redesigned everything to look like every other restaurant in Canterlot. Pinkie is aghast, especially at the food. She thought Rarity was going to make sure The Tasty Treat was the most beautiful and unique restaurant in Canterlot, not make it like every other restaurant. Rarity retorts that if they are to get the Three Hoof Rating, they have to be like every other restaurant. Rarity is equally shocked when she discovers that Pinkie was only able to get two ponies to come to the restaurant. She thought Pinkie knew how to bring in a crowd. Clearly, neither of them knew what they were doing.

And with that, Zesty Gourmand arrives.

She’s another pony with a pretty interesting design. She kind of reminds me of that Anton Ego from Ratatouille.

.... Swallow....

Clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks that.

Ratatouille. That’s another movie I’ve never seen.

Saffron Masala tries to salvage the situation by modifying the Zesty-approved style of food to be a little more flavorful. Rarity insists Zesty will hate it, but Pinkie insists on taking it out to her anyway. In their fight over the dish, they end up sending it flying, and it lands right on Zesty’s face.

With that, she’s had enough. Rarity tries to explain, but Zesty will have none of it. She says that when it comes to fashion, she considers Rarity adequate, but she is in no place to recommend restaurants. Adequate?! ADEQUATE! What do you know about fashion Zesty?! You’re a food critic! By your own logic, you can’t comment on Rarity’s skillset! Zesty chides Rarity that recommending such a disreputable restaurant could seriously damage her social standing in Canterlot. Pinkie questions how disreputable a restaurant that actually serves good tasting food could be. In Zesty’s mind, anyone can throw ingredients in a pot and produce food with obvious tastes for unrefined palates, but only a true culinary artist can produce the most subtle of tastes with the barest hint of sensation. And with that, she storms off.

Pinkie and Rarity are so sorry over what transpired. Coriander Cumin is also rather upset that his pessimistic instincts proved to be true. Saffron Masala then brings them all out some spicy flat-noodle soup, like the kind her father made her to cheer her up when she was young. Pinkie finds this food the best ever, and Rarity even finds it delightful. That’s all Saffron wanted to do; she wanted to cook the kinds of foods she and her dad cooked when she was young for the ponies of Canterlot. Suddenly, Rarity has a realization. It doesn’t matter what Zesty Gourmand thinks. They just need to convince ponies to give The Tasty Treat a chance, and they’ll go on to tell every pony in Canterlot that The Tasty Treat has the best food in the city. The question remains though how are they going to do that. Rarity realizes that though Pinkie and Rarity are the best team for the job, but they’ve been doing the wrong jobs. Rarity will go out and bring the ponies to the restaurant, and Pinkie will do everything to get the restaurant back to being as unique and beautiful as it was when they first arrived. Meanwhile, Coriander and Saffron will cook whatever they want together.

So, Rarity goes out and using her own reputation as the owner of Canterlot’s premiere boutique to get ponies interested in The Tasty Treat. Once everything is ready but before they open for the third time, Saffron Masala wishes to offer her thanks to Rarity and Pinkie for everything they’ve done. They helped her and her father realize how much loved cooking together which was why they started the restaurant in the first place.

Rarity and Pinkie have helped them reconcile.

After a group hug, it’s time to get this party started.

Ponies immediately flood The Tasty Treat, and they take quite a liking to the food there. Soon enough Zesty Gourmand notices the sudden activity at The Tasty Treat and decides to make an appearance.

Zesty is pretty offended that all these ponies are here in this restaurant because she hasn’t approved them to be here with her hooves. Zesty balks at the notion that Rarity and Pinkie can recommend a restaurant because she doesn’t think they’re qualified for that. They can’t tell anypony what food they can eat. Rarity agrees that they can’t do that, but neither can Zesty. Zesty has her own opinion, and she’s entitled to that. However, she can’t impose that opinion on everypony else. No one though has the right to tell another what to think. That’s a lesson I can stand behind! It turns out the restaurant also happens to be filled with other restaurant owners from Restaurant Row. They’re apparently tired of making food that caters to Zesty’s tastes and have been inspired by the food at The Tasty Treat to make food more to their liking. Rarity suggests that Zesty should try the food because ignoring a fresh new restaurant like this could be bad for her social standing, but Zesty leaves in a huff. With that, Pinkie and Rarity’s cutie marks go off signalling that their mission is complete. Nothing can stop the dynamic duo of Pinkie and Rarity!

And now for another installment of amusing background pony moments!

Yes, that is indeed what it looks like.

It’s a pony version of Gordon Ramsay.

Interestingly enough, a pony version of Gordon Ramsay appeared in one of the Friends Forever comics.

It’s even set in Canterlot like this episode was! However, this pony does look a bit different though.

But that’s not the only thing though. Pony versions of a lot of famous chefs show up at the end at The Tasty Treat.

I didn’t really recognize them though because I’m not that thoroughly familiar with celebrity chef culture.

Hey look! It’s those background ponies from “Canterlot Boutique” last season.

This episode was written by Mike Vogel. It’s his second episode this season since “A Hearth’s Warming Tail” a few weeks ago, and his second episode pretty much ever. There’s not much in common between this episode and “A Hearth’s Warming Tail” that can be used to discern Vogel’s unique style or anything like that. Starlight Glimmer appears in both though she was at the center of “A Hearth’s Warming Tail”, and she doesn’t even speak here. They both have songs though “A Hearth’s Warming Tail” was a proper musical episode. “A Hearth’s Warming Tail” was somewhat heavy on the fanservice, and the only thing like that here was a second appearance by those background ponies that first appeared in “Canterlot Boutique” last season. Pinkie Pie plays a prominent role in both. That’s pretty much it.

The first thing I liked about this episode is that it actually addressed why we haven’t seen anything of the Cutie Map this season. All this time, I’ve been wondering why we haven’t had another Cutie Map episode. After the role it played last season, it seems odd that it sort of just stopped being a thing. Turns out, we haven’t seen much of the Cutie Map because Starlight Glimmer broke it. Also, it seems I called it once again in regards to this being a Cutie Map episode. Either way, I’m just glad they’ve addressed its absence and hopefully mean to utilize it further in the future of this season and future seasons if they indeed come to fruition.

This episode marks Pinkie and Rarity’s first Cutie Map adventure. Unsurprisingly, Pinkie and Rarity showcase a similarity in approaches to finding the friendship problem as they did in their last respective Cutie Map episodes. In “The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone”, Pinkie pretty much went with the flow in order to find the friendship problem while Rainbow Dash sought the Golden Idol of Boreas. In “Made in Manehattan”, Applejack followed Rarity’s lead when it came to searching out the friendship problem. In the end, that friendship problem ended up smacking Rarity right in the face. Kind of makes you think that Pinkie seems to have the best instincts when it comes to finding and identifying friendship problems.

Also, this episode has the distinction of being Rarity and Pinkie’s second episode of the entire series. The first of course was “The Gift of the Maud Pie” a few months ago. After five seasons with no episode dedicated to just Rarity and Pinkie, we get one half of a season with two Rarity and Pinkie episodes. It makes me wonder though why after all this time they’ve chose now to do episodes focused on Pinkie and Rarity.

This episode also manages to get in just a little worldbuilding by introducing us to Indian ponies. Though all we actually get to see is their cuisine. We don’t learn anything about the land they come from or anything like that, except that they apparently have elephants. Coriander Cumin does mention moving halfway across Equestria to start this restaurant in Canterlot. That could just mean they lived previously in a different part of Equestria. Though in the past, “Equestria” was sometimes used to refer to the world at large rather than just the nation of Equestria. Still, it’s nice to at least see the variety of ponies that seem to exist within Equestria.

As for what I didn’t like…. I got nothing. This was another very well put together episode.

I will say though that there are some who have questioned Rarity taking the position at the end that Zesty Gourmand has no right telling other ponies what to think about food. Does not the fashion industry to which Rarity belongs run in the manner with critics and tastemakers telling others what to think about fashion? Does Rarity think this can apply to fashion but not food? Plus, it isn’t Zesty’s fault ponies follow her opinions on food so seriously. Here’s the thing though. The critical establishment for pretty much everything, usually and should have more than one voice in it. Sometimes they reach a consensus; sometimes there’s significant disagreement over the quality and artistic merit of whatever. For some reason that goes pretty much unexplained, Zesty seems to have monopolized the Canterlot food critical establishment. One person or pony should not get to determine what’s good and what isn’t.

Overall, “Spice Up Your Life” was a fun episode. Truly, nothing can stop the dynamic duo that is Pinkie and Rarity, now and in any other episodes they end up being in.

What did ya’ll think of “Spice Up Your Life”?

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And so, we begin once again another intra-seasonal hiatus. I don’t imagine it’ll last too long. Equestria Daily revealed the other day another DVD from Shout Factory with a previously unknown episode called “The Fault In Our Cutie Marks”. That DVD comes out in August. The last time that happened with “Flutter Brutter”, the DVD came out days after the episode aired. So rest assured, we will be seeing episodes again in August. In the meantime though, I will continue to blog when news appears. There’s already a number of things I’d like to discuss. However, I will also be doing other non-pony related stuff elsewhere. One does prefer a change in subject matter every once in awhile. I may or may not be making a triumphant return to YouTube. So be on the lookout for that.

God bless you all. God bless America. And God bless Equestria.