Once Upon a Zeppelin

Friendship is Magic first impressions review: Once Upon a Zeppelin (s07e22)
by Obake

(SPOILERS!)

I think I just watched an episode where the writers pine for vacation. Not kidding.

This episode is odd. It has hints of Fame and Misfortune, with so called “fans” behaving in leery and unnatural ways towards the characters. This time it is set on a princess-themed zeppelin cruise, captained by Iron Will. Despite having promised passengers that Cadence and Twilight would be aboard, he did not tell either princess they were part of the attraction. Lucky for him, Twilight's mom is simpleminded enough not to read the fine print of the vacation offer, and takes the whole family, Twilight barely joining.

Everything Iron Will does in this episode is so dumb. Remember him back in Putting Your Hoof Down? He was abrasive and aggressive, sure, but he was also a slick businessman and showman. Here, his cruise relies on two characters being there when they had no knowledge of his intent. Then he wants them to do menial “princess” tasks, which Twilight only agrees to do because she does not want to disappoint the other passengers. His whole plan is based on luck.

Why not simply have Twilight (or even Cadence) agree to the deal beforehand? Oh right, because that would give nuance to Iron Will, who here is nothing more than a buffoonish villain.

I said in my Fame and Misfortune review that I wish the staff had taken shots at Hasbro. I believe that is what they are doing here with Iron Will, but it just does not work. The so called “fans” he tells her to do tasks for are themselves weird and unpleasant, so why should we care if Twilight makes them happy?

Speaking of which, we get to Startracker...he's a young stallion who wins a raffle, and thus becomes an 'honorary member' of Twilight's family for a day (kind of pointless aboard such a small vessel.) Anyways, he is incredibly awkward, shakes all the time, and invades Twilight's personal space by sneaking up behind her more than once.

This eventually leads to a worst moment of the episode. Having lost out on fun events with her family because of the menial work, Twilight snaps. She accidentally stomps on Startracker's hoof, then yells at him while he cries. Given the allegory of Twilight representing the writers, this could almost be interpreted as them assaulting a fan. I really wish I could say that Twilight was justified, but no matter how creepy and poorly behaved Startracker is, when it can be interpreted that he represents a real fan, possibly even a young fan, it paints every side in an unpleasant light.

Twilight learns that she should have told the other passengers that she wanted some family time, which to their credit, they agree is fair. It at least ends on a somewhat good note. Though the bit about Twilight's family dressing up as stars should not have made her overjoyed. It is yet another ending where ponies are far more elated than the situation demands, trying too hard to be “feel good.” Kind of hard to do after such a poor experience.

Extra notes:

• Twilight's mom and dad have speaking parts! And...they're kind of watered down versions of Rainbow's parents. I'm not going to say that the writers stepped over headcanon or anything, but I assumed Twi's parents would be a little more reserved. Willing to go on a vacation? Yes. But more to simply relax, than participate. As they are here, they're just kind of dopey, which feels redundant.
• Did I say kind of dopey? How about this line from Twilight's mom: “When somepony offers a free vacation, you just sign the paperwork and don't ask questions.” That would be a good line for Homer Simpson. For Twilight Sparkle's mom, I give a big N-O.
• To be clear, the fan ponies in this episode are not as abrasive as those from Fame, with the exception of Startracker. Though the filly wearing the Cadence mask is creepy as sin.
• Even creepier? One of the fans aboard is dressed like a ponified Christian Weston Chandler. It's not just me who sees this, right?
• I do like the subtlety of the old mare playing bingo taking longer to press down the stamp. That, and a joke about Iron Will's abs, are the only funny bits I recall.
• Again the episode is an obvious allegory, even mentioning that Twilight receives fanmail. I would like to see at least one fan represented positively. As dumb as Hasb- I mean, Iron Will can be sometimes, it does not exempt the poor behavior of the staff.