Grannies Gone Wild

Friendship is Magic first impressions review: Grannies Gone Wild (s08e05)
by Obake

(SPOILERS!)

Dash wants to ride the “Wild Blue Yonder”, a roller coaster in Las Pegasus, before it closes forever. As a pegasus who has flown at lightning speeds, a roller coaster probably would not be too exciting, but I'll buy that she wants to try it out. Perhaps she wants to go fast outside of her own volition.

She gives her teaching shift to Applejack in order to make it to Las Pegasus, but has to take Granny Smith and her old-timer friends with her. The episode seems to take inspiration from Applejack's Day Off, with Applejack giving poor instructions, only this time on how to take care of the elderly. They are applicable to some folks (“don't let them get too excited”, “make sure they only eat soft foods”, etc.) The problem with the episode is that Granny and her friends are capable of being on their own, yet we have to watch Dash sabotage their fun time and again. With episodes like this and Somepony to Watch Over Me, I get a sense that Applejack is really not a good guardian.

Unlike Somepony, however, Grannies Gone Wild is not bad, just average. I enjoy seeing Las Pegasus again, with its family friendly versions of casino games. Granny and her friends Goldie Delicious, Applesauce, and Applerose, together called the “Gold Horseshoe Gals”, are an enjoyable bunch. They are full of vigor, willing to paint the town red. I almost wish the episode were just about them.

Or, the episode could go like this: Dash is apprehensive of taking Granny's crew to Las Pegasus, thinking they will impede her fun. However, after riding the “Wild Blue Yonder”, Dash realizes the most fun she's had on the trip is with her elderly friends, and not the coaster. Simple, yet applicable. More often than not, the people you are with on vacation are more important than the trip itself.

Dash eventually does get to ride the coaster, alongside the Horseshoe Gals. As is, the episode is fine. Though Dash's unwillingness to tell her elders why she is being so overprotective grows old (no pun intended). It would be more fun if Dash and AJ were not so clueless.

Extras:

• Grannies Gone Wild is an absolutely terrible title. Perhaps the worst in the series.
• Apparently the Flim Flam brothers have taken over since Viva Las Pegasus, as their portraits are emblazoned on the doors to the hotel, and there are statues of them in the lobby.
• Granny has a line asking where the “cranky flank cream” is. It is obviously a reference to hemorrhoid cream, and so audacious that I laughed.
• Dash tries over and over to convince the gals to take a nap (so she can sneak off and ride the coaster.) When Dash checks in on their room and finds that they have all left, she exclaims “They're gone!” No, duh.
• The Gordon Ramsay pony makes a background appearance, as does the critic couple that cornered Fluttershy in Fame and Misfortune, as well as...sigh, the Chris Chan pony.
• Granny's friends like to flirt with bellhops, and make small talk with their favorite magicians, Jackpot and Big Bucks. I am sure a lot of Vegas entertainers go through similar deals and take it all in good fun.
• During the magic act, there is a seapony statue with a shell bra. A similar joke was made all the way back in Swarm of the Century.
• More interesting exclamations from the old folks: “sugar booger” and “fish-flavored kitten kibble.”
• Dash is made a member of the Golden Horsesoe Club. She will gladly join them in Las Pegasus every year...given she can find a substitute.