It's Not Your Brain, It's Just the Flame [episode spoilers!] · 4:50pm Aug 12th, 2017
Everyone's at Bronycon and there's new episodes airing. Could this day get any worse? D: The answer is yes, but thankfully, it wasn't the fault of today's episode.
Thanks, M. A. Larson.
But wait! Today's episode review also comes with a review of last night's EQG short, Shake Things Up! It's…
Oh god, I hate it. D:
I mean, as the shorts have gone so far, the music videos are far and away the best ones, but as music videos go, this is the absolute pits. It's nice that AJ gets a song and all, but this kind of music just does not fit her at all. So that's strike one.
Strike two… well, maybe the fact that I have no idea what she's doing. Like, she's working at a smoothie shop in the mall? Because farming isn't a thing? Is this what they do in Humania instead of taking their produce to market? Does this mean the Apple family grows pineapples? (No, don't be silly, they're totally fruit-racist.) It just doesn't make a lot of sense, but whatever, it's just meant as a vehicle for flashing lights, etc. and her boots are cool.
But strike three is definitely… Okay, so it starts out with her cutting apples at a finger-curling rate, and then grabbing some beets instead of the next apple. She gets an idea to do stuff, I dunno, I'm not into smoothie culture. But when she sings "drop the beat now", you guessed it, she drops the cut-up beets into a blender.
And I just had to sit and think about my life choices for a while.
You are two and a half minutes long, you do not get to break me. D:<
Anyway, episode.
Boy, do I have a lot to say about this one. I'm not sure I can keep it all straight in my head. If you take away anything from this review, though, let it be that Toola Roola (and Coconut Creme!) is finally in G4, and I could not be happier, especially since she has the right color scheme. :D
Okay, so. I'm gonna start this off with a criticism that, while I don't agree with it -- doing so takes a certain amount of cynicism I try to avoid -- needs to be said: All M. A. Larson is good for these days is reminiscing about the past and stroking the fandom's collective dick. I mean, compare this to Slice of Life, and you'll see the two aren't too far apart in that regard. Amending Fences takes us back to S1E1. Fame and Misfortune is all about reacting to the characters of the show and the journey they've been on. It does nothing to advance the overall story or character development, and it's pandery as fuck.
Are we finished? Good. With that out of the way, I gotta say, I loved the hell out of this one, for a number of reasons.
First of all, you can bet a large part of this episode was influenced by the experiences of Larson and other show staff, most especially his still-recent original novel. I mean, the whole thing's about fame and how you can't predict how a piece of art will affect people. And the message isn't "fame's not for everyone", it's "you've got no idea what fame is really like". It's another episode of show staff telling us about their lives, and I think it might be the best one. (Better at it than Daring Don't, anyway.)
I can't get over all the fandom jokes, though. I wasn't mad at a single one. XD Literally asking "Why does Fluttershy keep learning the same lesson"? That shit takes balls. And I'm so glad she gave the right answer to that argument, too.
Man, everyone was great in this. I'm surprised they were able to fit at least one bit with each of the mane cast into the thing! Pinkie's problems were unexpected. I feel like we're starting to see a far more matured Rainbow Dash. I mean, she still said she was awesome, but it was a far less Jenkins-and-the-bees moment than most of the others this season. I loved how AJ, almost in the same breath, both despaired of and accepted the Sweet Apple Admirers. That was just cute.
And then there's Rarity. She doesn't get a lot of good freak-out moments, and most of them are relegated to just crying and being dramatic. But stress-sewing? "My emotions, darling" is the single funniest thing she's ever said. Man. Man.
Let's not forget Starlight. I praised Discordant Harmony for finally convincing me that Discord and Fluttershy are actually friends, and this episode shows us, if not the place for Starlight in the main cast, then at least a place for her. When she went to have a talk with the ponies who were mocking Rarity, I was like, oh shit, she's gonna go full pony Gestapo on their asses, and I loved it. And when she was like, "I have a solution, brb" and teleported out? I literally went, "Is it mind control? I hope it's mind control!" And this after mocking Twilight for letting her cast magic in that first scene with the book. I have never before wanted Starlight to save the day as much as I did then, and though her actual solution was far less dramatic than I'd hoped for, placing her as an outside force on the mane six's problems gives her a purpose. I mean, they've embroiled themselves in a whole lot of shit over the years -- that's kind of what this episode is about -- they could really use a neutral seventh party, and Spike is often both too entangled in their bullshit and too young to really effectively deal with them.
Speaking of which, where was Spike during all of this? Oh well, guess it doesn't matter.
With all that said, I do have one big criticism: what's with that song? D: Actually, what's with songs and S7 in general? We're only supposed to be getting around a half-dozen, and four songs in, we've had a solid one that wasn't either bland or just plain bad. I mean, I thought "Best Friends Until the End of Time" was a low point; it's got nothing on "We're Not Flawless". And that minor key sure didn't help any.
But more than just the song itself... why was it a thing? In the scene where Twilight starts the big number, the problems are thus:
- Literally no one taking the journal as a self-help book, to the point of some thinking it's fiction.
- Ponies thinking that reading the book entitles them to invade and critique the lives of the mane six.
- Ponies arguing about who's best pony.
- Questions about realism, consistency, you name it.
"We're not flawless" isn't exactly an answer to any of that. I mean, the ponies weren't listening to the real explanations anyway, but... Maybe it'll make more sense on a second watch, but right now, I feel like there's just this big disconnect between the major conflict and the solution-by-song.
Also, we're left with something of an odd cliffhanger. The message is "writing/creating art is worth it, even if you only touch one life with your work", but then we're explicitly reminded that there's a whole square of squabbling ponies outside, which is never resolved. It's just strange, is all.
Still, I think this one was a ton of fun, and I can't wait to see all the ways everyone hated it, since that's how these things go. :V Boy, I sure didn't miss doing this every week, though!
The Perfect Pear
A Royal Problem
Parental Glideance
Fame and Misfortune
Honest Apple
All Bottled Up
Rock Solid Friendship
Forever Filly
A Flurry of Emotion
Discordant Harmony
Hard to Say Anything
Celestial Advice
Not Asking for Trouble
Fluttershy Leans In
You're in My Head Like a Catchy Song
Best Friends Until the End of Time
We're Not Flawless
Battle for Sugar Belle
I know I migt get raised brows from this, but I had to judge this as an episode and not as a mockumentary, and episode-wise, it's bad. Like, REALLY bad...
4631576
Yeah, honestly, it felt like a author mouthpiece towards the people who hate the show's various problems and it's various perceived flaws. And that's... never a good thing. Stranger than Fanfiction was polite in it's poking fun towards the idiots, but this was just a slap in the face.
It's like Larson read one of those shitty Rainbow Dash fixfics and said, "Call Hasbro at home, I need one more episode."
Rainbow shunning fans? So she can get back to work!!? (and napping)
4631614
Pretty much sums it up for me, although I guess I can sympathize. Strawmen though they were, the ponies shitting on Fluttershy, worshiping Dash, etc. do reflect some iffy aspects of our fandom. Watching Fluttershy mansplain self improvement to them was good, and I did like the "ARE PINKIE AND APPLEJACK REALLY RELATED!?" gag.
But what do we take away from this? "Don't criticize their plots and characters?" "Don't get opinionated on things you're passionate about?"
Slice of Life annoyed me for being Kissass: The Episode. This had the opposite problem. I don't mind throwback episodes at all (continuity is beautiful), but it felt mean and bitter. A writer complaining their (fictional) characters would be offended if they heard what the fans said.
For what it's worth, the episode did make me feel a little bad for endlessly criticizing Starlight, even if it still failed to convince me her role wasn't utterly redundant. She pretty much spent the ep as Twilight 2.0.
Maybe it was a, "Don't over-analyze the story or get pissy at other fans when they like different things, just enjoy the ride." But Quibble Pants already covered that, so... yeah.
4631614
I don't know, I feel like this episode wasn't aimed just at the Brony fandom specifically - just at the generalized experience of fame / wide exposure of a work in general. It's pretty much inevitable that death-of-the-author will occur and people will take their own interpretations and readings of almost anything, and this can be frustrating. I have plenty of experience with fans who just didn't take away what I'd intended to write, so I get exactly where this episode is coming from.
And it if it does feel like a slap against fans, well, honestly... it shouldn't, unless you're being "that fan" yourself. Don't be "that fan."
4631730
Personally, my take off it is that it was a lesson that all fandoms need to learn, and to remind people what the show was really all about in the first place, just ponies getting along and learning life lessons. Some people have forgotten that, and needed a reminder. Mind you, a little less heavy handedness should have been in order.
M.A. Larson complained about this episode a few months ago, saying that he would be getting writing credit for an episode he didn't really write. I wonder what the original script was like since the episode felt pretty Larson-y to me.
This was a fun episode, I really enjoyed it.
I agree wholeheartedly except that I really liked the song and think if nothing else it was excellently written. They even have pinkie off sync with everyone one time when saying "we're not flawless".
It's pretty funny to see people complain about their criticisms, when, from an in-universe perspective, they're real. It reminds me of the criticisms after every game of thrones episode nowadays, whenever they show a battle people are outraged that the soldiers tactics aren't perfect. Sometimes life is unrealistic!
Unlike slice of life, none of the jokes were shout outs. Asking "are aj and pp related?" and "twilight was better without wings" are not illegitimate or dumb remarks, they're just silly from the perspective of the characters themselves, and seeing that was funny! Don't take things too personally.
Throughout their reaction, I kept coming back to the "death of the author" principle: that a story (or autobiographical collection / self help book in this case) has to stand on its own, without the author stepping in to explain, defend, correct or justify it.
The song was nice, but as others have commented, kind of non sequitur for the situation.
4631730
This guy gets it! And no one else seems to...
4631736
That's right, I'd forgotten about that! I was just thinking he'd said his involvement was over after this was written but before it aired, but I recall hearing that now.
4632182
Everyone's perception is colored by their own experiences. Even if you really think you know someone, it's just impossible to predict how they'll react to certain things. And since you have no idea who will actually become a fan of your work... well, even that low level of predicability goes right out the window.
I think lots of people want fame without realizing the
horrorsjoysconsequences it brings. I think about how I'd react to fame... and I'd prolly be very bad at it.I think ther point of the Flawless song, which I loved was because the folks outside were basically arguing about who was best pony and by pointing up their flaws they were basically saying none of them were best pony and that's not the point of friendship anyway
This was a cute episode, though extremely meta. I mean, episode 100 was meta, but this was very, very meta.
I actually enjoyed it, though. M. A. Larson did a good job with it and it was actually funny.
I actually think that the ending was appropriate and amusing - just because you did have a positive impact doesn't mean you don't have to deal with all the fallout, too.
If I had a complaint, it would be that yeah, what happened to Spike?
I was amused by Cutie Mark Crusaders profiteers, though.
4632182
4631730
How delightfully meta!
"You've known me for years!!"
In an episode full of laughs, that line got me the most.
4632347
The CMC bit was like Twilight Time II Electric Scootaloo.
I think the metaness works because it's given a reason to exist in-universe. Ponies around Equestria can now critique the exploits of the mane six as we, the audience, have. It's not "here's Twilicane lol" or "hey kids, it's Vinyl Scratch!" Not cameos of fanon being inserted willy-nilly into a gleeful fuckfest of an episode, for all that the specific things the ponies are saying are torn straight from the EQD comments section. :B
4632389
Of course, none of that justifies Rarity lying on top of Applejack as if Applejack were her fainting couch.
That was just for the fans. :V
I actually really like the idea of the CMCs trying to profiteer off of their "cutie mark services" with the assistance of Diamond Tiara, who thinks she's doing them a favor. I've had a story idea about that for a while (since I wrote Thanks, Mother really), but I have never gotten around to writing it.
4632347
Starlight is the new Spike, TD.
Man, I'm in another fandom as well and if it's one thing fandoms are suffering from, it's that they expect the artists they're following to be perfect top to bottom, while being unaware that these artists are real.
4632438
So everyone is going to forget about her five minutes after she goes off-screen?
4632641 I did. She was just playing Spike s understudy.
Starlight killed him and threw his body to Timberwolves, and then flawlessly assumed his identity using her mind control powers.
It's really the only entertaining alternative to "She's just there to replace Spike sometimes now."
Isn't... the point of the whole song that it wasn't actually a very good solution at all, and ended up failing anyway? And the minor key to underscore the idea that it is, on purpose, not actually a terribly excellent song? Like, Daniel Ingram writing a flawed song about being flawed? Meta layers of meta. I don't take any piece of this episode at face value, because they knew exactly what they were doing.
This is like the False Cadance of Season 2, a musical nod of the head to a smart idea.
4632401
...Wait, what? O.o It's a good thing I watch these episodes more than once...
4632860
"This is bad, I don't like it!"
"But it's supposed to be bad!"
"...Okay, but I still don't like it, because it's bad."
:B
I don't know if it was so much of a solution by song as a 'we're not perfect so screw you guys, it is what it is'. I actually liked that the problem didn't magically go away; the ponies outside just no longer mattered, and the elements are going to keep on being themselves. Maybe that's what the show staff was going for? A sort of 'well, we'll keep making these cartoons even if you guys are a little out of control.'
I rather liked it as an episode. Especially since fandoms in general seem to be so damn toxic now that we have the internet and everyone can work one another up. You should see the Steven Universe fandom, it's.. Good lord, absolutely hateful.
I imagine Spike was left out because a lot of the fandom does exactly that -- though it would have been much funnier if someone in the episode had had a real go at why Spike wasn't in every single scene.
4633114
I'm not sure they are, really, SU included. (That one's second-hand info as I'm only a casual fan.) You just have to know where to go and where to avoid. Most fandoms are fine if you avoid large swathes of social media. :P
Also, most (not all, but most) of us weren't in fandoms (in that sense) at all before we had the internet, so there isn't some golden memory for us to hark back to. You do sometimes get "Oh, things were better in furry (or whatever) when there were only 50 of us and we all went round to each other's houses and..." etc etc but I find that attitude pretty tiresome. It pointlessly excludes new people, for one thing.
4632928
It happens during the song:
derpicdn.net/img/view/2017/8/12/1509147__safe_screencap_applejack_rarity_fame+and+misfortune_spoiler-colon-s07e14_animated_flawless_gif_pony_unicorn.gif
derpicdn.net/img/view/2017/8/12/1508923__safe_screencap_applejack_rarity_fame+and+misfortune_spoiler-colon-s07e14_flawless_out+of+context_shipping+fuel.png
4633289
oh my~
4632928
I mean, that's fair, lol. You are allowed to not like it! I was just under the impression that was the whole point of the thing, which made me have some appreciation for the idea and execution.
4633639
I mean, I've liked things because they're good at being bad before. See Spike's rendition of the Cloudsdale anthem in Equestria Games. Just didn't work for me this time. :B
On the whole for me, not great, not terrible. The Rarity freakout was fun, but I'd frankly have preferred her telling them where they could stick it. Song was... there? Not especially relevant, not particularly enjoyable or memorable.
4632347
Very much this. Starlight was not actively detracting from anything, but she very much felt like a space filler, and in retrospect the space she was filling was Spike's, and I have to think I would have enjoyed him more there, since among other things he'd be wrapped up in it a bit too. Also would probably have some more personality than she did. And could be a counterpoint to the CMC, reacting perhaps differently than he did in the Crystal Empire.
Which is pretty cool, because while reading a lot of negative comments, I keep thinking of the Rorschach test.
It might be subliminal something from having seen Mirror Magic recently, but it has never seemed more awkward to me that Starlight Glimmer still just kind of lives in Twilight's house. Is she ever planning to leave? Does she pay rent, or does Twilight pay her? Does she have a key to the front door, or can she only come and go when Twilight is around? What does she do when Twilight isn't nearby?
4635329
I figure Twilight's supporting her, live-in student and all.
Though, since she bitched out on a chance to get rid of Starlight in the season premiere, there might be some co-dependency issues at play...
The song was based on a pentatonic scale (in D). The C# in the chorus was a passing note, I'd argue. I don't think you could call it major or minor.
4646211
well goddammit, then what's the point? D:
4646417
There was no point, it was pretty bland and boring :V