Doctor Perseus Reviews: MLP S7E9 "Honest Apple" · 10:41pm Jun 5th, 2017
I’d say that, overall, Season 7 has maintained a consistent level of quality. Not really any bad episodes so far and a steady stream of pretty good episodes. There have been some AMAZING episodes this season too (which we’ll get to next time). But, for now, let’s talk about another good entry. So, basically, I liked this one too.
Applejack and Rarity have always been one of the more interesting pairings among the Mane 6 due to how seemingly polar opposites they are. And it’s because of that fact that the growth of their friendship has been incredibly satisfying and interesting to see. From their bickering in the early days of Season 1 to their acceptance of each other’s quirks today, they (much like Fluttershy) have really come a long way since their debut in 2010. Though you could say, for the most part, there is a sort of pattern when it comes to Applejack-Rarity episodes. They usually tend to involve how the differences between the two clash against each other. Whether it’s the two of them butting heads or being thrown into the opposite of their respective elements. In a way, this episode is a showcase of that pattern but with the character development we’ve seen from the two added into the mix. Season 1 Rarity would laugh at the idea of having Applejack be a judge at a fashion contest. But Season 7 Rarity sees it as a good idea due to her respect of Applejack’s honesty and practicality. This episode is also a good showcase of how Applejack has come to view Rarity’s passion. While Applejack clearly doesn’t understand the idea of fashion, she at least respects Rarity enough to see the appeal in it. At the very least, she understands the appeal of it more after the events of this episode. If something isn’t your cup of tea, then it’s not your cup of tea. But, still, one can appreciate the amount of work and effort that goes into something that they may not quite understand to the fullest extent. I’d say that both Applejack and Rarity were in top form this episode. We could also probably call this episode “Savage AJ” but Honest Apple is okay.
Moving on to the other characters. Spike gets a pretty funny scene at the beginning and it’s nice to see Photo Finish and Hoity Toity again. It’s especially interesting to see how the fashion elites interact with the practical, cowgirl Applejack. The three contestants; Lily Lace, Starstreak, and Inky Rose; were alright. Pretty much take-them-or-leave-them type of characters. They had some nice designs though. But Lily Lace did get on my nerves a bit with her Valley girl persona. But that was probably the point.
Overall, Honest Apple was yet another fine entry for Season 7.
What did the rest of you think of Honest Apple?
From what I've heard, this episode wasn't exactly well received due to Applejack's characterization rubbing some fans the wrong way. Not to mention it felt a little contrived having Rarity volunteer Applejack to judge a fashion show. I mean, that would be like if Pinkie Pie volunteered Fluttershy to do stand-up for a talent show. Some things just don't go well together.
Onto the writer for this episode. For the third time in a row, we got another newcomer in the form of Kevin Lappin. Now unlike the last two writers who previously wrote for Nickelodeon shows, Mr. Lappin originally wrote for adult shows such as Mike & Molly and Gary Unmarried.
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I get that. I mean, I’m not saying this is the greatest episode of all time or anything like that. But I get the criticisms.
“Inky Rose”’s name is also similar to “Ink Rose”, the name of a YouTube pegasister who is famous for her elaborate and memorable headcanons, such as Rainbow and AJ’s parents and a Princesses/Discord child backstory.
I don't know if you read my review of this episode, but I found it to be the weakest episode of the season so far. It's just another example of the writing staff not knowing what to do with Applejack. It's also another example of a new writer (Kevin Lappin in this case) getting saddled with an Applejack episode. I think this is done in hopes a new writer can bring something new to the table, but the end result is they mess up Applejack's character. I'll admit though that I liked seeing Hoity Toity and Photo Finish again, and I enjoyed the contestant ponies and their rather unique designs.
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I've kept up with your reviews. We seem to agree a lot with many of the episodes so far this season. Sorry if I haven't been leaving my thoughts on them as often as I used to. I'll try to start a discussion more often from here. You deserve a lot more attention given the amount of effort you put into your reviews. Do you hear from Bad Seed anymore. I think I remember her giving you a shout out in a blog post a few years back.
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I appreciate that nonetheless. No, I don't hear from Bad Seed. It honestly seems like she just dropped off the face of the earth. I do sometimes check her page and see she does still log in every so often. At least that was the case the last time I checked.