Help! My Heart is Full of Pony! - The Negative and the Positive · 4:56am Aug 23rd, 2017
When I first heard that the newest generation of My Little Pony was gathering an adult fan base, I presumed that it would be because the show had some kind of edgy self awareness to it - that it would deliver the sort of sardonic humor that pushed the boundaries of children's television back in the 90's and early 00's.
I gave pony a shot thinking I might end up liking it somewhat ironically.
What I found was something unapologetically genuine - something wholesome and pure, and optimistic. I had no idea I needed pony in my life until it actually came along. The first time I saw the pilot, I could scarcely believe my ears when Applejack said, "soup's on, everypony." The entire first season was like that - silly, and charming, and whimsical. It won my heart. It made me believe that friendship was magic.
As time went by, the show expanded as, of course, it needed to. In so doing, it left behind some of its simplicity - not its optimism, of course - but in the natural progression of trying bigger things, it, by default, had to pop it's own bubble in order to grow. The show did many wonderful things that moved me deeply, and it did a few things along the way that I also disagreed with. A lesson here that didn't quite sit right, a villain's reformation there that felt forced.
I debated these points privately amongst friends, but never really wrote about them here, because what would be the point?
As author of the Heart Full of Pony essays, I have always emphasized the positive.
Then Fame and Misfortune happened.
It rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not going to freak out and think that the staff hates us. They don't. I'm not going to get into the finer points or analyze the arguments within the episode, and determine where it succeeded or failed. It doesn't matter.
I will say this: Fame and Misfortune had a cynical streak that, frankly, I find beneath the dignity of the show. If I get in the mood for edgy meta humor, there are a million other places to get it. Personally, this episode took me out of the universe more than I care for.
Equestria, for me, is a pocket dimension to recharge my positivity, and my hope.
So why, after six years of straight positivity have I broken my pattern and given a negative review for this one episode? Ironically, because it was effective at making its point, and I have to talk about the negative to highlight the positive.
The show isn't perfect. Let's take a moment to celebrate that. This episode left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths - but in the end, what does that really mean? Nothing really. There are folks who loved Fame and Misfortune, and those of us who were put off by it simply had to wait an extra week to get an episode that made us feel happy again. (Triple Threat, again, may not have been perfect, but watching Thorax and Ember interact - that was pure gold).
In a world that seems to be falling apart more and more every day, it simply isn't worth getting all that upset over an episode of My Little Pony. In the end, we haven't lost anything. If we are looking for a positivity recharge, I am reasonably certain that the show has plenty of that to give us still.
I would also like to point out that the resolution with the two fillies at the end of the episode are actually a coded message. It's not that the show is only meant for the younger demographic - an insult some folks are reading into it. It's that, sometimes, you have to approach a lesson with the simplicity of a child's heart in order to really be moved by it.
What made me fall in love with the show during its first season wasn't that I thought it was perfect. In fact, there was several lessons that I thought at the time were handled clumsily, and several episodes that didn't really engage me. However, the act of watching the season as a whole woke something up in me. That glee I mentioned upon hearing the term "everypony" - that wonder I felt when I got sucked into the mythos of the pilot - the vicarious victory I felt when Fluttershy stood up to the dragon - what was really happening was that some of my walls were coming down.
Pony is best enjoyed with an open heart. When the term "everypony" becomes common everyday parlance instead of a gitty novelty, it's easy to forget that.
-Sprocket
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I kind of find that pink pony to be really adorable, despite her design looking like something from Pony Creator.
Oddly if you look in the group of aruging ponies alot of them are kids to. I think how it's set is that some of the people kid and adult's get something from it. Meaning they get the lesson. Alot of other shows have had episodes like this. This was kind. Others i have seen not so kind.]
Also wow people are getting the messege of the episode. Sometimes you need to have the heart of a child to enjoy most things. But most lessons to learn that heart. I am not even a brony and I got that...Then read how it's an attack and so forth.
I just facepalmed most of the time after this episode was released.
You said you've een this before, so I want to ask...do you think that the reason why this is mor negativly recieved than say...Comic Book Guy representing the fans is because we are so much more connected now and open to our feelings?
4645312 They're both actually G3 ponies n_n
I have mixed feelings about the episode as well. The episode's meta narrative addressed a real-world problem, but was so cynical and pessimistic that it was out-of-place for the show and felt like an ugly stain. Although I must say, regardless of anything else, that I really enjoyed the song. It is something I have listened to several times since.
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Comic Book Guy was based on animator Ralph Bakshi, and a spoof on fan culture in general. He also predates the fan culture built around the Simpsons, so he wasn't a swipe at Simpsons fans. Even if he were, the Simpsons is built on really sardonic humor, so that would be fitting.
Pony is not.
I think the episode hit the wrong tone. I could appreciate the joke they were going for, but when they started refuting specific points fans make on message boards, to me, it felt defensive. Overall, I think the message is an important one.
This is exactly what I felt when watching the episode. I was shocked and it even made me afraid at first, until I forced myself heavily to rewatch it.
The ponies of Equestria obviously would never act like this (I like to point out how even Quibble Pants was more down to earth and respectful than the mess we saw in this episode) and they especially can't know what bronies say, so they are unable to repeat it.
Yet that's what we saw and heard and in conclusion, we got a 100% complete meta episode. I am glad that, as such a meta episode, it is not canon (= what is possible to happen in-universe; addressing things outside of the universe isn't possible for its inhabitants since they don't know what's outside), but at the same time, this is also my problem. What we saw there just isn't anything that actually happened in Equestria.
Still, even with that, I'm glad they made this episode like this. It's exactly what the fandom needs and I really hope for it that the fandom betters itself again now, cause in the last years it has gotten more and more nuts.
4645499 Pretty much sums up my thoughts. It was a great message, but was very very muddled and relied to much on meta-jokes and allegory to work. While being way to cynical about it.
You could tell this was exactly what it was, a work made by several different writers trying to all work on different things, and then stapling it all roughly together.
But damn was that song amazing, even if it makes no real sense in context.
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I makes me think of what Larson had planned originally and how he was working on it. Because, judging from My Gym partner's a monkey, he does know a few things about making a good parody without being too cynical.
4645793 Agreed, you could tell the Larson tone they were trying to take, and see bits of him in the ideas, but, like you said, Larson knows how to do this stuff right. They tried to write a Larson style story, without his skill at that type of writing. Because yeah, Larson knows how to do Meta, RIGHT.
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Yeah. To me, it felt like a Rick and Morty episode.
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I have no idea about Rick and Morty, I don't watch this show. But it's what the fandom needs to stop its ridiculous complaining about episodes, so I'm good with one meta commentary episode.
This <333
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