Frantic Flurry and Hard Breaks · 2:59am Jul 27th, 2018
So I've finally gotten off my rear and started properly catching up with the show. Let's see what we've got from the third and fourth episodes of Season 7!
A Flurry Of Emotions
What I Thought It Would Be About: Flurry Heart prematurely enters puberty and accidentally destroys the entire Crystal Empire during a particularly hormonal mood swing.
What It Was Actually About: Despite having a busy schedule, Twilight agrees to babysit Flurry Heart for the day. Trying to watch her niece and still run her errands, predictably, proves to be rather difficult, and shenanigans ensue.
How The Premises Compare: Well, I successfully predicted Flurry's involvement, and she had some mood swings, but the broader context was less fantastical, for better or for worse.
What I Thought Of It: Eh, it was alright. The A-plot with Twilight and Flurry initially had me cringing, but thankfully got better near the end, and I felt for Spike trying to keep everything on track. (One thing I will say the newer seasons have over the old is a distinct and refreshing lack of unwarranted Spike abuse.) The B-plot with Cadence and Shining Armor at the art gallery was a great deal more fun, but unfortunately brief. All in all, not as painful as the early moments made it seem, but not one I'd ever go out of my way to revisit. During the visit to the toy store, I expected the 'whammie' to get lost among all the other stuffed animals, so it took me a few moments to recalibrate when it showed up during the reading session. Also, Cheerilee! I've missed her.
2/5 Dragon Heroes
Rock Solid Friendship
What I Thought It Would Be About: The Diamond Dogs and the Cockatrice return from Season 1, plotting their revenge!
What It Was Actually About: Maud Pie has finished her Rocktorate, and is considering moving either to Ponyville or Ghastly Gorge. In a bid to make her choose Ponyville, Pinkie tries to force a bond between her sister and Starlight Glimmer, undermining her own efforts in the process.
How The Premises Compare: Completely different, but that's not a bad thing.
What I Thought Of It: You know we're living in strange times when I'm legitimately enjoying seeing Starlight Glimmer onscreen and begrudging that screentime going to one of the original Mane Six ponies I've been following for so many years. I mean, it is Pinkie Pie, my least favorite of the six and one who's historically veered back and forth between 'genuinely entertaining' and 'shrill harpie' for a long time before now, so I don't need to have a full-on existential crisis just yet, but it still does speak to how comfortable I've become with Starlight's presence, for better or for worse. And I have to admit it - this episode was able to sell me on Maud and Starlight bonding, just like All Bottled Up sold me on Starlight and Trixie. Pinkie's obnoxiousness, intentional as it may have been from a writing perspective, still made the early parts of the episode difficult to sit through until Starlight entered the picture, and continued to grate during the middle act, but overall, I really can't hate what turned out to be a surprisingly relaxing, funny, and generally just fun piece. Watching Starlight and Maud's more natural interactions when a certain meddler was absent really reminded me of what I loved about the initial seasons, seeing six strangers brought together by unusual circumstances grow closer together.
4/5 Box Kites
Oh yeah, and the whole bit about Starlight liking kites. That moment, and the earlier scene discussing how they originally met during the Our Town days, were what sold me on the episode. Again, how the times have changed...
Season 7 Episode Ranking:
All Bottled Up
Celestial Advice
Rock Solid Friendship
A Flurry Of Emotions
Yeah, that was more or less exactly my reaction to Rock Solid Friendship. I still don't like it, but they really sell you on both Starlight and her sudden friendship with Maud.
Also, that Derpy! :D
4908586
Indeed!
I felt bad for Derpy there, but knowing Pinkie she likely made an actual pizza and stuck it in that box, so at least she's probably getting something out of it.
I also wanted to note that the Grogar book from A Flurry Of Emotions gives me a terrible thirst for G1. I may have some rewatching of a certain other pony-based show to do sometime in the near future...