SPOILERS? Mariusioannesp Reviews: "The Cart Before the Ponies"

WARNING!!! The following contains SPOILERS for the latest MLP episode “The Cart Before the Ponies”.

Now, without further a-CMCs-behind-the-wheels-do, here is my review of “The Carts Before the Ponies”.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders are excited that they’ll be participating in the Applewood Derby! They all have their own unique ideas for their derby carts. However, when they bring in the assistance of their sisters and surrogate sister, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, the CMC find that they have their own rather different ideas for the derby. In fact, they pretty much take over the cart-making process in an effort to relive or reclaim their cart-racing glory from their fillyhood. Will the CMC realize what to do when their sisters and reasonable facsimile thereof don’t have their best interests at heart?

So, what’s the verdict?

This one was all over the place, but it was still a fun episode.

So yeah, I liked it.... Kind of. It’s a weak like, but nonetheless, it’s still a like.

We begin as always at the beginning. Cheerilee is teaching her students about physics, specifically using mechanical work to convert potential energy into kinetic energy.

I took Physics Honors in high school, but I barely remember any of it. So, I can’t tell you what’s going on here.

Sweetie Belle points out that this may be a little bit over their heads. Cheerilee insists they need to know this stuff if they’re going to participate in the Applewood Derby tomorrow! So everypony’s excited. Apple Bloom has waited her whole life to participate as it’s an Apple Family tradition. Cheerilee explains how each participant gets a block of apple wood to carve into a race-ready cart, they’ll be allowed the assistance of an older pony, and there will be prizes given for fastest cart, the most creative cart, and the most traditional cart. The CMC already know what ponies they’re going to ask, and after class, they start thinking about what prizes they want to get. Sweetie Belle shows an interest in having the most traditional cart even though that most likely will be Apple Bloom and Applejack’s strong suit. Apple Bloom however shows an interest in having the fastest cart, though she admits that’s probably where Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash will excell. Scootaloo, on the other hand, is interested in having the most creative cart. They’ve independently decided to each do something a little bit different, and they can’t wait to find their partners to get started.

First up, Scootaloo goes to see Rainbow Dash at her cloud home. Rainbow Dash is more than accommodating to Scootaloo’s request for her assistance. She’s excited herself because she used to race in a derby in Cloudsdale when she was a filly. (Apparently, every town in Equestria has a derby.) Rainbow won for the fastest. Rainbow then starts looking for the blueprints for her old cart, intending to modify it for use on the ground, because she wants Scootaloo to have the fastest cart too. Scootaloo tries to clearly make it known that she has her own ideas to be creative with the cart, but Rainbow kind of ignores her. Still, Scootaloo is confident that nothing could go wrong with Rainbow on her side.

Next up, Apple Bloom goes Applejack for help with her derby cart. Applejack is also eager to help Apple Bloom, especially when it comes to winning for the most traditional cart. Apple Bloom though makes it known that she’s interested in the prize for the fastest cart, but Applejack rebukes her. Applejack insists that the Apples have won most traditional cart since they started the Applewood Derby in the first place. Here’s a question. How would you win the prize for most traditional cart in the very first Applewood Derby? There is no tradition if it just started! Either way, Apple Bloom feels obligated by Applejack to uphold this family tradition.

Here’s a question. Why didn’t Apple Bloom consider asking Big Mac for help with her cart once she ran into this problem? I’m sure Big Mac would have been much more accommodating.

“Hey, Big Mac, you want to help me with my cart for the Applewood Derby?”
“Eyup.”
“Can we win the prize for the fastest?”
“Eyup.”

Lastly, Sweetie Belle turns to Rarity for help with her cart, and she is equally as excited as her peers. Rarity regales her with the tale of how when she participated in the Applewood Derby as a filly, she tried to win the prize for most creative cart, but only came in second. Guess who won the prize for most creative?

Eyup. Rarity lost the prize for most creative to a young Derpy.

Rarity is determined use this opportunity to relive her fillyhood ambition of finally winning most creative cart in the Applewood Derby. Sweetie Belle though makes it known that she’d like to do something more traditional with the cart, but Rarity will have none of it.

The next day at the crack of dawn, the CMC arrive at Sweet Apple Acres with their sisters and surrogate sister. Apple Bloom starts getting the sense that Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow think of their respective carts as their own rather than a shared effort. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo however assure her and themselves that their sisters and surrogate surely see this as a team effort and have the experience to know what they’re doing. With that, they’re all off to work on their carts. Rainbow is hard at work making sure her and Scootaloo’s cart wins the fastest, though Scootaloo still makes an effort to try to go for the creative prize. Meanwhile, Applejack and Apple Bloom are working on their cart, which ends up being this old rickety thing. Apple Bloom also makes a concerted effort to convince Applejack to make something that’ll win the prize for fastest. She takes off a fringe that causes the whole thing to fall apart.

Still, despite having to do the whole thing practically over again, Applejack doesn’t budge on a redesign. Meanwhile meanwhile, Sweetie Belle is trying to convince Rarity to add some more traditional accoutrements to their cart, like a yellow fringe. Rarity won’t budge either, insisting the cart be big and bold. She even stakes her reputation as a designer on this cart winning most creative. Right, Rarity. Everypony wants to buy dresses from the winner of the prize for the most creative derby cart. What follows is a montage set to music where the CMC desperately try to put their own personal touches to their derby carts. Apple Bloom tries adding a spoiler, but Applejack knocks it off.

She tries adding flame decals, but Applejack paints right over it.

Sweetie Belle tries replacing her cart’s steering levers with one of them old-timey horseshoe wheels, but Rarity makes her change it back.

Scootaloo tries adding chicken decorations to her cart, but Rainbow is not pleased with it.



Seems the Powers-That-Be behind MLP haven’t forgotten that whole Scootaloo is a chicken thing.

So, the CMC end up on a hill overlooking where their carts are being made, lamenting their situation. Even though none of them got what they wanted, they seem to agree that their older sisters and surrogate must know what they’re doing. One thing they can all agree on is that they’ll at least have fun driving the carts. That is until Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack roll up to the starting line driving the carts themselves.

The CMC won’t even get to drive the carts they didn’t want in the first place!

Down at the starting line, Cheerilee is dressed as a cheerleader.

Her enthusiasm is appreciated, but I fear she might end up confusing her more pubescent colt students.

At least she’s wearing a top, unlike Pinkie Pie in Season 4’s “Rainbow Falls”.

So, the racers assemble at the starting line…

Who is that sitting with Derpy in their cart? That’s not Dinky. It’s some colt we’ve never seen before. Do you ever get the feeling that the Powers-That-Be behind MLP might be trying to disavow the fandom’s notion that Dinky is Derpy’s daughter? Now, we got this colt, who Derpibooru seems to have already christened Crackle Pop, sitting in a derby cart alongside Derpy as if he were her child instead of Dinky. Still, he does happen to have a similar color scheme to Dinky. Perhaps even Dinky has a sibling we’ve never heard about until now.

At least, that’s what I think the fandom will headcanon now.

Anywho, Cheerilee notices that Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity have taken the driver’s seats of their carts as they wait for the CMC to arrive. Cheerilee informs them that they usually have the younger ponies drive the carts, and Rarity responds by commenting that theirs are not the usual carts. For that, she gets an eyeroll.

And with that the race is on! The CMC are having loads of fun in the passenger seats of their own carts.

Just loads of fun.

At least Bulk Biceps is excited.

We also get a song during this racing sequence called “Derby Racers”. It pretty much just describes the how great Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack are feeling about his whole thing and how disappointed the CMC themselves are. Interestingly enough, the instrumentals for this song scored an earlier montage in this episode before the song was even heard. Usually, it’s the other way around.

Moving on, one of the wheels falls off Rainbow’s cart causing her too loose control of the vehicle.

She ends up crashing into Rarity and Applejack’s carts, which in turns causes a whole pile-up with every other participant’s cart.

Though it’s not like that wasn’t to be expected.

Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow are lamenting the demise of their carts, not even bothering to check if the CMC are okay. With that, the CMC have had it!

They're not your carts!

The CMC chew their sisters and surrogate out for making the Derby about them and ruining it for everypony. They admit that perhaps they let their own enthusiasm get the best of them, but they wonder though why the CMC didn’t say anything. The CMC confess that they thought their sisters and surrogate knew best because they’ve raced in derbies before, and sometimes it’s difficult trying to speak up to older ponies. Rarity assures them that they understand, but they shouldn’t just assume older ponies know best. Rainbow admits that they all should have done a better job listening to them. That’s a lesson I can stand behind… I guess. I kind of feel that the lesson about not assuming your seniors are always right was kind of wedged in there. They didn’t really address it that much in the episode. Anyway, Applejack admits that they owe them an apology.

They’re able to convince Cheerilee to allow them to have the derby over again, but this time the adults have to sit it out. Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity help the CMC build carts more to their liking.



I see Scootaloo instead went for an eagle motif instead of a chicken.

With that, the race is on again! With nothing better to do since they can no longer participate, Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity watch the race from the sidelines relaxing on folding chairs while sipping cocktails.

Yeah, I know it’s probably not alcohol they’re drinking, but it could be.

And… that’s pretty much it. It just cuts out before the derby ends. The episode ends without revealing if the CMC won the prizes they were going for. I guess it’s supposed to be assumed that they did or something.

This episode was written by Ed Valentine. Now, that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. A long time. So far, he’s only written two episodes and those were way back in Season 4, “Flight to the Finish” and “Three’s A Crowd”. It kind of makes sense this is a CMC episode given one of the episodes he’s written before was also a CMC one as well. I didn’t like “Flight to the Finish” as much as most people did, so I imagine that’s the reason I wasn’t so enthused over this episode. Though I did like “Three’s A Crowd” so I don’t know how that makes me feel about Ed Valentine’s writing. He’s apparently written another episode for this season, and I imagine I’ll be equally as ambivalent about it. Interestingly enough though, the Discord/CMC micro series comic had a short stint where the CMC rode in go carts. Perhaps, Mr. Valentine read the comic because it had Discord in it as well and let it influence him here.

Now, I had a feeling this episode would be a bit derivative. It’s a common plot in some shows where some kid asks for help on a project and their parents, older siblings, or older whatever ends up taking it over. Sometimes the older people have some stakes in it, like reclaiming former glory. In some instances, the older person is competing with another and the kid or kids they’re supposed to be helping get caught in the middle. This is what I expected to happen in this episode, but it didn’t. Rather than competing with each other, Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack just end up taking over the CMC's carts. This is still one of the many versions of this rather derivative plotline, but at least it wasn’t what I expected. We’ve just seen this so many times. (There’s even an episode of Transformers: Prime where this happens. That was Season 1’s “Masters and Students”.)

The best thing about this episode though is that we see the CMC try something different. Initially, we’ve gotten the sense that the CMC prefer to follow in the footsteps of their respective sisters and surrogate sister. Here though, they decided to go for prizes in the derby that are decidedly against that grain, leading to the episode’s main conflict. Outgrowing wanting to be like your older siblings or reasonable facsimiles thereof is a part of growing up. That’s just another sign that our beloved CMC are growing up.

As for what I didn’t like, all the grown-up ponies were punished though only Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity were the problem. That just seemed unfair. The only other possible problem I saw is that Diamond Tiara was apparently assisted by her family’s butler. That’s probably not a good sign about her family life. However, in Rarity’s flashback to when she participated in the Applewood Derby, she didn’t seem to be accompanied by an adult. Neither was Derpy in said flashback. In Rainbow’s flashback to when she participated in Cloudsdale’s derby, she’s also not accompanied by an adult, though how Cloudsdale runs it’s derbies probably has no bearing here. It’s possible adults haven’t always participated in the derby, but there’s no reason given as to why they are participating now if not before. It’s just not clear.

Overall, “The Cart Before the Ponies” was a fun little episode. It was a bit off at times but not enough to ruin it completely.

What did ya’ll think of “The Cart Before the Ponies”?

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

Comments

[LtMajorDude]

For some reason, I wanted a Speed Racer reference. Bleh.