My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Season 7 Episode 14: "Fame and Misfortune" (SPOILERS) · 4:02pm Aug 12th, 2017
In which Twilight Sparkle accidentally ignites a flame war.
This may be the most meta episode of the series to date.
The episode begins with Twilight mediating a friendship dispute between two fillies (Toola-Roola and Coconut Cream) throwing ice cream at each other. The incident reminds her of the Friendship Journal, which she rushes back to the castle to dig out of the library shelves.
It's seen better days. It's falling apart and has a foul odor. Fortunately, Starlight has an instant printing press/Xerox spell and can fart copies of the book out of her horn. Twilight suggests to the others that they should make the Friendship Journal available for ponies across Equestria to read. Everypony agrees, and the Friendship Journal soon becomes Equestria's #1 bestseller.
She...really didn't think this one through.
The CMCs are using the journal as marketing for their Cutie Mark Summer Camp, collectors are putting it mint-in-bag after getting autographs, and ponies are openly discussing, critiquing, and scoffing at entries in the journal. Things really start to go awry when one snooty pony decrees that Rarity's entry (from "Simple Ways") should have been edited out because she gave herself undue credit for the Ponyville Days festivities (or something like that). Rarity overhears and runs off in tears.
Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, is enjoying widespread fame as "the funny one"--but it starts creeping her out when ponies laugh at things she says that aren't even funny.
Pegasus foals are pestering Rainbow Dash to listen to her talk for hours--and even Rainbow is getting sick of all the attention. Angry ponies mob Fluttershy to ask her why she keeps learning the same lesson over and over again. When she demonstrates her newfound assertiveness and chews them out, they're dissatisfied that Fluttershy has actually grown and learned and isn't a timid doormat anymore.
It keeps getting worse. Rarity's losing business and her sanity. Sweet Apple Acres is swarmed with tourists and it's driving Applejack crazy.
As Twilight agonizes over how she screwed up and the rest of the Mane Six lose their shit, Starlight decides she has a way to fix all this.
Twilight tries to reason with the crowd of ponies outside the castle, but...they're all just completely cuckoo crazy assholes. Finally, Twilight snaps...and sings a song about not being perfect, which the Mane Six join in on.
It fails miserably.
But just as the Mane Six are at the end of their rope, Starlight walks in with Toola-Roola and Coconut Cream, who thank them for publishing the journal which helped them understand that friendship is worth holding onto. The Mane Six feel reinvigorated by having helped just two fillies with their problems, and have a big group hug.
The episode ends with the angry mob still fighting outside the castle and Applejack wondering if they should maybe do something about it, to which Twilight replies: "Stay in the friendship moment, Applejack. They can wait a little longer."
All I can say about this episode is that it took a big shit on a lot of the worst things about this fandom and it takes balls to do that. I'm giving it an 8/10.
I can just feel the writers staring pointedly at the fandom.
4631500
Well M.A. Larson wrote this episode, so...yeah.
I'm sorry, I didn't like this fandom call out episode. Yes, the fandom has some things to answer for, as any fandom does. But part of what made the show so popular was its fan base and the show's willingness to listen to our complaints. This felt like a "Don't listen to the haters" moral that is being done so poorly in today's media. TTG and Norm of the North, what have you done to animation?! And Larson, you're better than this, you wrote "Slice of Life", you know how to make jabs at the fandom without insulting them!
4631506
It's not actually clear if he wrote it, in a podcast he claimed it was just one of his old ideas and he had nothing to do with writing it but because of some rule with the Writer's Guild the show has to give him credit for it whether he likes it or not.
4631508
I wouldn't view the episode as a jab solely at the fandom, but instead a jab at everyone. I personally don't see how someone would find this offensive.
I agree wholeheartedly. It takes ALOT to point out all the worst aspect of ANY fandom (Not just this one but to all nasty aspect that linger in the fandom shadow) and call them out on it. (The only other series that did that was Sonic Boom with Mark the tapir, but they never did it at that scale.) definitely one of there best ep (Though i imagine it will quickly turn into a base-breaker one).
Slice of Life was a love letter to the fandom.
This episode was a restraining order.
4631508
From what I heard it was just an old idea of his and he only really wrote the song.
TTG has done this premise a lot worse than this episode ever could.
I personally found some of the fandom call-outs funny though.
And cue the fan rage. I can only imagine how BronyCon is going down by now.
Bet the show writers blamed Larson just so we wouldn't turn the angry mobs on them.
I give it a 7/10 just because Twilight's speeches and songs didn't do, as Granny would say, "Diddly-Boo"
Well this was a good episode with fun reminders of the past and a nice song.
Larson writing sure came out with that old mare's line about Twilight being better before having her wing.
But whoa. I know those ponies can be dumb sometimes, but outside of the nobility I didn't thought they could be such d*cks.
How could they think this was fiction, especially when some of them are from Ponyville?
So they pulled a Sonic Boom this episode. I gotta check it out when I get the chance.
Damn, this episode had big shows to fill considering that it came just after two of the greatest episodes of the season, if not the whole show. But damn, M.A. Larson really knew his shit here but giving jabs at the fandom. I thought the Jaks episode was meta, but this one is WAY more blatant. It's funny because it takes back to many of the fandoms freak-outs and calling outs, the only that was missing was Flashy
. 
"Twilight was better without wings!" Damn, I've lost my shit there
4631508
If you feel insulted by this episode, you were most likely one of the fans behaving like the ponies in this episode.
It was a fun episode that poked fun at the fans, calling them out for being stupid, which is deserved fully.
It isn't a 'don't listen to the haters' as much as 'don't listen to whiny brats not knowing what the hell they are whining about in the first place'
My question about this episode? When does Daring Do show up to kick their butts for outing her as real? Especially if they didn't edit out the fact that she's AK Yearling.
I'm disappointed the episode didn't call out the sexualization by the fandom.
4631531
The "nobles are all jerks" thing is a fanon creation.
4631637
No no, not entirely. We can see it during the episode of the first Grand Galoping Gala and also during the episode of Rarity in Canterlot during Twilight's birthday.
4631659
Actually, no. That's the thing, they weren't that bad and other towns have also had bad times shown (Ponyville, Manehattan) several times, the Hooffields and the McColts lay waste to a beautiful valley for generations... A large portion of the fandom has simply latched on "Nobles=Bad".
Incidentally, discussing it this way may make us the episode's target, but the other lesson discussed was Death of the Author. Just because Twilight intended for the journal to do one thing doesn't mean everyone's going to focus on the same thing. She can't control how people think and what's important to them.
4631680
Well I said not entirely, I do recognise that some of the nobles are good ponies like Fancy Pants. The Hooffields and the McColts episode was just a retold of the real-life feud between the Hatfiel and the McCoy and it end better here.
Otherwise I do agree with what you said on the second part.
at first I was annoyed at the whole fuck the fans vibe of the episode but then the lesson at the end about not letting these people bother you and honestly that is a lesson some fucking adults need to hear. after parsing over the episode I honestly find my opinion of it going up and up. and that journalist showing up in the last bit was a funny joke. but by far the the biggest thing I found interesting was a throwaway line by starlight "I wrote a manifesto once" it's as if the show writers are admitting that she is a reformed marxist and honestly that makes me like her more.
4631508
Considering I haven't seen this episode...
But from what I can tell, it's Letters From A Disgruntled Friendship Student as an episode but instead it overemphasizes on the flaws of the fandom so far and puts a comedic spin on it.
Why you love or hate it depends on how much you can tolerate a jab at you, yourself or the fandom.
I've heard critisms of the show that was taken too seriously. I have heard of how many bronies argue to death who is best pony or which character has not developed the right way.
Slice of Life was a fanletter to the show to remind us the showcreators love the fandom they made.
This episode is a reminder that while we should felt entitled from Slice of Life, but do not let it get to our heads. This may be what the writers put up with with the worst in the fandom. The writers overall are trying to be better for us just as the Mane 6 are developing in character at verying degrees.
From what I heard of the ending of the Mane 6 meeting 2 fillies thanking them for helping with a friendship problem is probably an anology back to the fandom.
Where despite the worst of the fandom, those that really count are what shines the best in any fandom
Overall I'm saddened you did not enjoy this episode but I hope the next one brightens your day.
I give it a 10/10 myself, and i think it's among the best of the series
4631595
Well, TV guides says that won't be an issue.
Well, this certainly weeded out the weak
In all seriousness definitely a hallmark episode. Even better when we can acknowledge we've been these a-holes in the past and laugh at ourselves.
4631523
Eeyup.
I do like this episode for calling out the fandom on some stuff. Too bad the ponies didn't really get the lessons. And I found some stuff pretty decent in the episode. Too bad Spike wasn't in it; I think it would've been neat to see him in it.
At some point, they have to plagiarize the one where the Titans get shoved into television. All we need to do now is to figure out which one of them says that the whole thing was absolutely meaningless.