My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Season 8 Episode 5: "Grannies Gone Wild" (SPOILERS) · 4:01pm Apr 14th, 2018
In which whoever decided on that episode title is an ASSHOLE.
Rainbow Dash learns about a rollercoaster the Wonderbolts all love riding--something of a Wonderbolts rite of passage--and gets super-excited about it. Unfortunately, the ride closes forever this week, and she can't go to Las Pegasus to ride it because she has classes to teach. She begs AJ to cover her classes for her, and AJ agrees, on one condition: Rainbow Dash chaperone Granny Smith and the "Golden Horseshoe Gals" (Thank you for being a frieeeeeeeeeend...) on their annual grandmares' trip to Las Pegasus.
AJ has a list of care instructions for the old girls, who are going to Las Pegasus by hot air balloon. Rainbow despairs of even making it there before the roller coaster closes, because of the slow mode of transit and because Old People Are Slow.
Yes, it's your stereotypical Young Person Is Impatient With Old People plot.
When they get to Las Pegasus, Rainbow wants to convince the old girls to take a nap in their rooms so she can ride the Wild Blue Yonder, but the grannies all have their own plans. Also, Applejack's ominous warnings are freaking her out about letting the grannies get overexcited and blowing the whole trip.
The grannies trick Rainbow into thinking they're going to take naps so they can get rid of her. Rainbow heads off to ride her coaster, but discovers the line is insanely long. In an unusual display of responsible and mature behavior for Rainbow, she abandons her quest to ride the Wild Blue Yonder to return to the room and monitor the old broads...
...who all snuck out the second her back was turned.
Rainbow runs all over the hotel looking for the old gals, in the process photobombing Lyra and Bon Bon in a photo booth and somehow ending up INSIDE a crane game (and being grabbed by the claw--that was totally meta). She finds the Golden Horseshoe Gals pitching horseshoes, but AJ's warning about letting them get too excited makes her spaz out and break their streak when they're pitching an awesome game. She also stops them from eating nachos (because AJ said only soft foods) and tries to wet-blanket their dancing fun at the club. Also, she interacts with the ghostly spooky warning AJ head following her around--Pinkie Pie has officially infected the entire Mane 6 with medium awareness.
Granny LITERALLY let her hair down. O_o;;
So anyway, Rainbow is freaking out over the old ponies (and getting grossed out by their flirting with the magicians performing at the hotel), when she finds out she's missed her window to ride the Wild Blue Yonder.
I get the feeling one of those magicians might just be Trixie's grandfather.
Everything comes to a head when the grannies volunteer to assist in a water tank escape trick. Rainbow freaks out and ruins it for them and the audience, and the grannies finally flip and call Rainbow out for being a wet blanket. Rainbow fesses up: AJ put her up to it and all she wanted to do was ride her coaster. Once it's all out in the open, the Golden Horseshoe Gals reveal that they have VIP passes to everything, and can get Rainbow onto the Wild Blue Yonder without waiting in line. She rides the roller coaster with the grannies and has a great time despite everything that went wrong. Then they make her a member of the Golden Horseshoe Gang and invite her to be part of their annual trip to Las Pegasus.
I'm gonna be honest: I just wasn't feeling this episode. I mean, it had its moments, and there's certainly nothing WRONG with it (much), it's just that it didn't really do it for me. So my personal score for this one is only a 6/10, but that's very much a YMMV.
And now...
BONUS FEATURE: Equestria Girls Minisodes Reviews!
I finally got around to watching the latest batch of EG minisodes. It's time to review the ones I haven't reviewed yet.
Blue Crushed
Applejack and Rainbow Dash are surfing, and try to cajole Fluttershy into joining them. She's not up for it, but someone else is--Zephyr Breeze! When Zephyr shows up, Fluttershy is a bit confused, and tries to override Zephyr's self-aggrandizing gushing over his board with a dose of reality, but he isn't having it. The trio go out on the waves, and it's immediately obvious Zephyr has never been on a surfboard in his life and is only doing this to try to pick up Rainbow Dash. A big wave comes, he wipes out (while Rainbow and AJ look awesome AND hot riding it), and he admits to his pride having taken a beating. Still, he sort of wins in the end--he cons Rainbow into giving him surfing lessons, so he got what he really wanted after all: making time with a skimpily-dressed Rainbow Dash.
Turf War
Applejack is pumped for volunteer lifeguard duty, but Timber Spruce is determined to prove he's the best lifeguard on the beach. They end up getting into a bit of a competition over who can be the best lifeguard, until Bulk Biceps makes them realize they're being stupid.
Things I didn't need to see in this one: AJ's hair in a lady's ice cream, Bulk Biceps in a speedo
Things to look out for: The green MILF whose kid Timber saved. Woof.
Friendship Math
A silly novelty friendship quiz in a magazine leads Twilight to freak out and try to mathematically quantify her friendship with Pinkie Pie.
I'll be 100% honest: The most interesting thing in this short is Pinkie's legs, especially given some of the [url=https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/3/30/1694262.pngposes she's seen sitting in while all this is going on. (And also Twilight's legs in the beach chair scene.)
The Last Day of School
It's the last day of school. Rainbow Dash is excited because summer. Twilight is bummed because she only has a few hours to squeeze in some last-minute extra credit assignments and to write thank-you cards to all her teachers.
This one's a total fail for me because it's super boring and Twilight plays up the same kind of school-addicted nerd stereotypes that make me LOATHE Baljeet on Phineas and Ferb.
Outtakes
Fluttershy is trying to make a promo video for the animal shelter to kick off a wave of pet adoptions. The problem is, she's painfully camera-shy, so her attempt to record the video goes horribly. Then she gets it in her head to just film the pets being themselves...which goes hilariously off the rails. When her friends arrive to find the laughable aftermath, Fluttershy is despondent and the shelter is wrecked. The girls look at the video on the camera and laugh, then assure Fluttershy that she captured everything she really needs, and with some editing, she'll have the perfect promo.
Fluttershy wins the day with two hilarious lines:
"Is your house furry?"
"They heard the call of the wild..."
Pinkie Pie: Snack Psychic
While working her job at the 50s diner, Pinkie Pie uses her Pinkieness to suss out the needs of distressed and depressed customers--not just what'll best cheer them up off the menu, but what they really need to brighten their day. A girl whose dress is ruined? Pinkie sends Rarity over to help. Flash Sentry having trouble studying for a test? Pinkie plops Sci-Twi down at his table to help tutor him (and sneakily try to sink the Timberlight ship in the process, methinks). The Crystal Prep swim team lost a meet, so Pinkie loans them Rainbow Dash for some pep talk and pointers.
Just Pinkie being Pinkie in a positive, awesome way instead of an annoying, obnoxious way, which is always fun to see.
Five to Nine
Applejack sings a song about doing her morning chores. I nearly fell asleep.
So Much More to Me
Fluttershy belts out a song about how she loves to sing--but only when nobody is around to see and hear. Perfectly fits her character, and her little "music video" with her animals is fun and well-animated.
"You cheap bastards wanna keep pirating the show instead of paying for it? Have fun searching for this episode on the internet!
"
Definitely one of the dirtier episodes. Those old ladies were flirting the house down
I blame Aj for this entire debacle.
Also don't underestimate old folks.
And yeah we may have found a parent to Trixie, tough I saw a lot calling him her father rather her Grandfather.
Season 8, Episode 5: Again with the lesson of COMMUNICATE? How many ways is MLP going to hit us with that until they realize we get it already?
4839953
XD shouldn't be too hard, especially for those who can't actually watch it on tv.
I don't want to look for a stream of this episode because I'm afraid of what'll come up.
Said MILF also being the mother of Lily Pad. (The girl from Pinkie Sitting.)
Also, the idea of Rainbow Dash wanting to be on a roller coaster is stupid because she can FLY. She can probably go faster than the thing and exert more G-forces on herself just by going to pick up a sandwich than paying too much to get on a roller coaster.
4839959
(We probably don't get it already, though.)
This episode was okay, the ghostly image of Applejack's head was a great gag that really made me laugh.
I admit I didn't care for this song the first time I heard it but after listening to it a couple of more times it has become one of my favourite Applejack songs.
Fluttershy's song however I loved the first time. Easily the best Fluttershy song in the series.
Also Timber is getting some character development beyond just being Twilight's boyfriend which is great. I would really like to see more of that even if this short might give rise to a new ship (which I'm gonna go ahead and call TimberJack).
4839958 It seems like Applejack doesn't really understand her family, which is weird considering she takes such great pride in her family and her heritage.
There's never going to be an answer that makes sense about just which year of high school our heroines are in, is there?
I haven't watched/listened to these yet, but given the last batch of EG minisode songs we got, one out of two being good is a welcome surprise.
What I don't understand is how Rainbow apparently has to skip out on teaching classes to go to Las Pegasus...but still has time to be a Wonderbolt? How exactly does her schedule work these days? Or any of the girls?
Of the shorts, I love Outtakes, Snack Psychic the most; and I personally liked both song shorts. AJ looks good with her Rosie the Riveter bandana!
4839958
yah tfw you realize that this was entirely ajs fault
maybe a fic where aj gets a stern talking to by dash and granny would be nice
Applejack is like early seasons Homer Simpson: Uses her “simple mare” act to conceal the fact that she’s a massive troll.
4839984
They're in the year when high school girls become super fuckable. That's all any of us really needs to know.
the only impression I got from this is that AJ is a killjoy and the grannies have been duping her for years.
4839953
honestly I think DM has signed their death warrant with this proactive approach. censorship begets censorship and we all know how that ends *glares at youtube*
4839983
I'm sure she understand them well enough. I think it's just some misguided sense of pride and a will to repay their kindness and devotion for taking care of her and her brother and sister after their parents were no more, but she has a false image of old people being brittle and a nothing can break them. Thus her being overprotective of them.
4839972
I thought that too, but then I read a comment pointing out that a difference is control. For a while I took flying lessons but gave it up - didn't really have the nerves for it. But at one point I was talking with the instructor and he mentioned he didn't like roller coasters because he didn't like giving up control. When flying he's controlling the plane and that made it more comfortable for him. For some people that lack of control makes the coaster more thrilling. I could see that being the case with RD and the other 'bolts.
4839959
TBH if there's a lesson that needs to be hammered into human heads more than any other, it's that one. Soooo many IRL problems would go away if we'd just learn it.
4840055
I find it odd that they all are adults in pony land but high school students in human land. Also why the hell are the cmc in the high school too? They should be elementary school students.
4840089
Because magic.
4840089
I always assumed how it works is that ponies are legally independent during their teenage years but in the human world that isn't the case.
Lesson for the week: Never listen to Applejack!
Are we just not going to address the fact that the builder pony stallion (Hard Hat?) is an Alicorn now? Like we are just going to watch that and not ask questions?
Have only one thing to say: Rick and Morty finally on MLP
bout time they appeared in the show
I have gone back to that music video a few times, and.....I mean wow. Probably the one thing better than the song is what happens right after; it's very likely Sunset knew Flutters was lying but since it was Flutters she didn't press.
That Rick and Morty cameo though...
4840272
Better than the song? I don't know about thaaaat...
So the moral of the story is that AJ can still be a big stick in the mud.
4840325
Well.....maybe more like a nice finishing touch.
4839953
Now to be fair, some of us don't have a way of legitimately watching the show and have no way of seeing it other than the Internet.
4839979
Timber and Applejack definitely seems like a better fit.
4840089
Anais from The Amazing World of Gumball is one year above her brothers despite being younger than them. Cartoons in general have a pretty flexible school system.
4839972
I think it was more like Rainbow Dash wanted to ride the roller coaster because the rest of the Wonderbolts had also been on said roller coaster, as if it was a type of tradition.
4840775
And then there's my case, where the local dub is off by a whole season so I have to watch the show illegally just to catch up, the alternative being waiting for the local dub to catch up so I can watch it legally which sometimes takes half a year.
And we still got the movie in a reasonable amount of time.
BTW, the magician (Jackpot) is officially Trixie's father, and- if Big Jim is to be believed- she's the product of a one night stand. he doesn't know she exists. there's a story in there that i kinda wanna write.
Old people like having fun. Auntie Applesauce was a flirt. I liked how Granny let her hair down. Definite resemblance to Trixie with that magician. To be honest, Friendship math and Turf War were probably my two favorite shorts. My least favorite was Blue Crushed, because of Zephyr. Just saying.