Forever Filly Review · 4:58pm May 13th, 2017
It may be a bit unnecessary to tag this with "spoilers!" considering most people have probably already seen the Canadian airing of this episode, but there are still some who are waiting to watch it when it airs in the U.S. so I think it's still merited. Anyway, we have our first CMC episode of the season (albeit one focused more heavily on Sweetie Belle rather than the group as a whole), and our writers for this episode are the Fox Brothers Michael P. and Wil. Last season their track record wasn't all that good, "Gift of the Maud Pie" was hurt by Josh Haber's instance on shoving Rarity into a story she didn't belong in, as well as not really justifying the Manehattan setting or Maud Pie's inclusion (they could've swapped her out for Limestone or Marble and the episode would've worked just as well or even better, and if any other character had to be with Pinkie Pie, it should've been Starlight Glimmer so as to show how she could work in an episode not focused on her). "Applejack's 'Day' Off" paired them up with Neal Dusedau, and the end result was a lackluster episode padded beyond all belief. Last but not least they had "P.P.O.V (Pony Point Of View)" where they were paired up with Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt, who were not up to the task of helping two struggling authors after only working with Michael Vogel twice. But all three of their episodes did have something in common, the Fox Brothers had Rarity in all three of the episodes they wrote last season. So, with them going it alone this time around, were they able to do a good job, or did they only show that they're just not cut out for the show and need help? Well, let's find out.
We begin with Sassy Saddles stressing herself out over managing Canterlot Boutique during the upcoming start of the Spring season, while Rarity is unconcerned and has everything under control, for the most part. It isn't until Sassy leaves to check on something that Rarity notices a picture of her and Sweetie Belle when they were younger, and she finds herself unable to recall the last time she truly did something fun with her sister, thus causing her to tear up.
Sassy tries her best to comfort Rarity, offering her tissues to blow her nose. But Rarity doesn't cheer up, until Sassy assures Rarity she can manage the boutique on her own, and encourages Rarity to go spend the day with her sister. We then cut to the CMC helping a random colt get his cutie mark in sculpting. It isn't really bad per say, but unlike with Tender Taps and Petuania, we don't really have time to get invested in this colt's struggle and it probably could've been cut.
As it turns out, the Crusaders have more or less turned their skill at helping others into a business, albeit an unofficial one. They hang up pictures of their satisfied clients (including Cheerilee and Big Macintosh, which they'll probably have to take down in a couple of episodes), and even offer mints to new clients. Sweetie Belle apparently steals the script, as she predicts Zipporwhill's arrival for the B-plot of the episode. As it turns out, she's gotten her cutie mark (three paw prints). It can be easy to forget considering the controversy over Pinkie Pie, but "Filli Vanilli" was about more than just that and a reference to one of the biggest recording industry scandals of all time, and that's where Zipporwhill made her debut. That puppy she picked up is how she got her cutie mark, but now he doesn't seem interested in doing anything with her anymore. The CMC offer to help Zippor, just as Rarity shows up and insists on spending the whole day with Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle is quite reluctant at first, until Apple Bloom and Scootaloo assure her they have everything under control. Then we get to perhaps the biggest thing you can fault this episode, the A and B plots don't get an even amount of focus, and while it's not a written rule, you usually have the B plot in an episode be lighter so as not to get too brooding or depressing, and while there are some good moments, the B plot is just as sad in tone as the A plot. Also, Rarity and Sweetie Belle's parents don't appear at all in this episode, in case you were wondering.
Rarity takes Sweetie Belle to go see a puppet show (which may or may not be hosted by the same unicorn she designed the puppet theater for back in "Inspiration Manifestation", the theater and puppets look the same but it's possible that puppeteer doesn't own them or has retired and passed his craft on to someone else) and eat popcorn, marking the return of the once a season gag (Season 1's was "Over A Barrel", Season 2's was "The Return of Harmony, Part 2", I forget what Season 3's was but I know it existed, Season 4's was "Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 2", Season 5's was "The Cutie Re-Mark, Part 2", and Season 6's was "The Crystalling, Part 1", and apparently it's been the same popcorn box everytime). Then she takes Sweetie Belle to an ice cream parlor, where she has somehow managed to convince the original store owner to come out of retirement to serve Sweetie Belle's favorite little (and I mean really little) ice cream from when she was a filly. And I swear, it looks similar in face to Pinkie's vacuum.
Rarity can't seem to comprehend that Sweetie Belle isn't a little filly anymore, despite the fact that Sweetie Belle is clearly not amused. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are having a hard time getting Zipporwhill's puppy (now a big dog) to play with toys. They even try a bit of role playing to set an example, with Scootaloo serving as the dog (hey, at least it's not the overdone chicken joke), but nothing works. Sweetie slips away for a bit to try and help, making the solution obvious (the toys are from when Zipporwhill's dog was just a puppy and he isn't a puppy anymore, so the toys don't interest him) at least for the viewers. But she's called away before she can explain to her friends. As it turns out, Rarity has a special balloonmaker make a balloon bouquet for Sweetie, but she should've just asked Pinkie Pie to do it.
This gives Rarity the idea to do some costume photo shoots, but for many of them she makes Sweetie Belle dress up in the most ridiculous costumes (Rarity dresses up as a chicken and Sweetie Belle as an egg, then in another she dresses up as a butterfly and Sweetie Belle as a catapillar), which ends with her noticing Sweetie failed to love the camera in any of the shots. Sweetie Belle finally tells Rarity off, meanwhile Zipporwhill decides to give up on getting her dog to like her. Rarity doesn't seem to get what the problem is, thinking Sweetie Belle is being ungrateful, and decides to go find her sister and give her a piece of her mind.
Fortunately, Sweetie Belle fixes the problem for Zipporwhill (after a bit of Apple Bloom acting like a dog to try and get Zippor's dog to track her), delivering the moral about how the dog has grown up and playing with the same toys he used to play with as a puppy won't turn him back into one. Rarity takes this as realization of the ephipany she ignored earlier, and apologizes to Sweetie for not being able to realize her sister was no longer a little filly (she's pretty much a teenager now). The episode ends with Rarity and Sweetie Belle spending the rest of the day at the ice cream parlor, trying to finish two giant sundaes, and having a picture taken for Rarity to put up in Canterlot Carousel (but no word on if she has anything for her Manehattan shop Rarity For You).
And that's the story, so what do I think of the episode? Well, it's not quite flawless, there are some pacing issues and the resolution feels a bit rushed. A little too much time is spent on that random colt we don't really get to get invested in, and the B plot with Zipporwhill doesn't really manage to lift the overall mood of this very somber episode. The part where Rarity ignores the epiphany feels like it was done solely to pad out the episode, but I think they could've cut it and just had Rarity silently reflect, especially since in "Sisterhooves Social" Rarity learned her lesson by the midway point of the episode, but had to prove to Sweetie Belle that was so. I will say that compared to "Somepony to Watch Over Me" which had something of a similar premise (Applejack treating Apple Bloom like she was younger than she was) it's a more believeable conflict with a stronger and well thought out message. And after "The Cart Before The Ponies" really tainted their sibling relationship, this episode was the remedy needed to restore it. In the end, I'm willing to give a very high A, but not an A+. I think this episode could've benefitted from at least a little bit more fine tuning to iron out the flaws, but it's without a doubt the best episode of the season so far and it looks like the Fox Brothers proved they can tell a good story with Rarity, at least when they're on their own.
Next week is gonna be the make or break point for this season for the time being, we have "Parental Glidance" which introduces Rainbow Dash's parents of Bow Hot Hoof and Windy Whistles, and it looks like not only the Wonderbolts, but also Scootaloo will be playing a big role in the episode. The writer is a new one, but one that has previously written for "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "Avatar: Legend of Korra", both of which are very good shows. I've been hearing mixed messages from the fandom on it, so we'll have to see if "Parental Glidance" can succeed where "Newbie Dash" failed last season. And just so we're clear, my policy for that episode is:
This is honestly one of the weaker episodes of the season for me, but it's still great.
I got some things to say about Parental guidance in my blog. once it airs, I'm acutely quite annoyed with the fandom, no matter how much evidence we get of her not being an orphan they still assume she is one, but I won't spoil what she said that caused people to assume.
4531288 I know that basically it was a comment how her parents compared to Rainbow Dash's parents, but they didn't say who her parents were or what they were like. Basically it just leaves the door open for more speculation but doesn't really confirm or deny anything.
Well, it could've been worse, but I would agree and say that this episode was one of the better ones compared to the previous ones. But oh god, an episode with The Wonderbolts in it? I pray the new writer does a much better job with them, but I'm very doubtful.