I'm done with contest reviews! Also minor spoilers for the new episode, The Perfect Pear. · 11:06am Jun 21st, 2017
The Twiluna contest from back in March, to be specific. I've sent my reviews and ranking to the group admin that'll be posting the news for the winner. So keep an eye out about that.
Spoilers ahead.
I typed that bit above the break about 30ish minutes ago, and I was originally intending to post a picture and make a joke about getting back to actual story writing. I swung by the derpi to grab said pic and saw a few screen grabs from today's early show from Australia's Boomerang channel. Now, I haven't been keeping up with title or synopsis reveals, so this took me by surprise when I realized the show was finally going to give us Applejack's parents, via a series of flashbacks. I mean, I knew that was supposed to happen, but I honestly thought it was the tiny thing we saw in the dream bubble from a couple episode's back with the princesses that was going to be all we got.
Eeenope. We got a lot more than that, and as I sit here typing this, I'm still wiping away tears. I don't even know exactly why this episode made me cry. I suspect it was the whole part of reconnecting with family members that were tore apart before you were even born that touched a nerve.
I have more aunts and uncles than I know. I can't even give you a number, that's how 'we-don't-speak-of-them' torn apart my family has been. And these days? I tend to only find out about them when news comes down the grapevine about one more of them passing away. In my generation, it's happening again. I haven't seen one of my sisters in years (her choice, not mine) and frankly, at any point I might get a notification that my brother has died in prison. If my health wasn't so suspect, I'd feel confident to wait things out.
But enough of that crud, let's talk ponies.
The basics are we learn that Gran Pear(?), who is voiced by William Shatner of all people, has moved back to Ponyville from Vanhoover and is selling his pear jam. This sparks a quest by all three of the Apple kids to go talk to a bunch of older ponies to find out about the Apple/Pear feud. They talk to old family historian/crazy cat lady, Mrs. Cake, some guy named Burnt Oak, and Mayor Mare, piecing together a very sweet love story between their parents amid the business based war between Apples and Pears.
The show does a really neat thing by never addressing what happened to their parents afterward, but the implication is strong that Bright Mac and Pear Butter are gone in a never-coming-back way. There is a lot of tearing up in this episode. Really, I think it was the moment when Big Mac turns around to ask Burnt Oak, a childhood friend of his father, if they can come back to hear more stories that got my waterworks going. The VA for Burnt Oak did an amazing job. The little touches of expressions where a kick in the feels.
I think one little detail that I really liked is when they do talk to Mrs. Cake (who had a different name before she got married, which just makes the whole how do ponies reconcile naming conventions MORE confusing) is that in her flashback, she is noticeably thicker than Pear Butter. Like she's always been chunky. I can totally see what her husband saw in her.
Other cute details where things like Mayor Mare's hair used to be pink, Granny Smith was a major qt well into her middle years, and this is an all Earth Pony episode. I'm sure there is more, but I was gross sobbing all through the third act.
The moral of the story here, kids, is feuds are dumb and tragic, plus life is too short to hold onto grudges.
Stay classy. I'm gonna go blow my nose and try to write something not sad.
-Fuzz
Dude I haven't teared up thus much since crusaders of the lost mark and damn im still wiping away tears. This is why I love this freaking show and this season has been top notch.
I liked seeing Granny Smith's various hair styles throughout the ages, yet I really, really missed the pigtails. :B I have to assume she shortened them after getting married or becoming a mother.
4578041
Pigtails is a young mare's game.
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Welp. Just seen the episode and... I choked up. That was a beautiful episode.
4580730
Heck yeah it was. Just goes to show that the folks at DHX can hit it out of the park. The writing, the animation, and the voice acting was all excellent in this episode. Plus it has so much to digest from a world and character building perspective too.
I usually only get this torn up by Pixar.
As far as the name thing ponies seem to like having appropriate names, or for some reason don't bother to change them, so the simplest solution is cheap easy name changes. Maybe at certain milestones, like maraige, cutie mark, not being an idiot teenager anymore, and possibly more. It's just something the government does.
4581591
I wish it was that easy here. I'd be legally named Megatron by now!