Episode Review: "Going to Seed" - Season 9 Episode 10

Ah, it's that time of year again. It's Halloween night, Linus is waiting in the local pumpkin patch to catch the Great Pumpkin, which supposedly flies through the air delivering presents to children the world over that time of year. Only it turns out to be Snoopy doing it by pure accident...
...What do you mean this isn't 'It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown'?
...you're saying this is the latest MLP episode?
...Huh. Well, that's one inspiration for sure.

Titled 'Going to Seed', today's episode is written by Dave Rapp, who has four prior episodes to his name. Generally speaking, his episodes have tended to be realistic, grounded affairs, sporting little of the fantasy that often permeates MLP episode to good effect, and often problematic ones at that. None of them are bad, but almost all either feature an especially troublesome element, or have lots of disparate chunks that never quite gel together, with a tendency for random tangents that don't seem to do much for the episode - even 'The Parent Map', arguably the best of those four, had that weird dip into gentrification that ceases to be relevant once the episode's second half rolls around.
As for 'Going to Seed', I'd compare it to 'The Parent Map' - that too was an episode I enjoyed somewhat more then I feel I should, given its jumbled plodding approach, and the same applies to 'Going to Seed'. As our (probably) last Apple-centric episode, it was a decent sendoff, managing to pay fair due to what endears this family of Earth Ponies into our hearts this much.

A lengthy pre-title sequence gets us up to speed on what's going on here; its the Confluence, a once-every-100-moons big harvest for the Apples, and Granny Smith has called in Goldie Delicious for additional help. When she reminds them of the mysterious Great Seedling (hello Xerneas, when did you wander in from Kalos?), a creature that spreads plentiful harvests especially if you can catch it, Apple Bloom is juiced up to try catching it again, to the mild irritation of Applejack, feeling the harvest is more important.

For about six or so further minutes, the episode follows that setup without much deviation, outside of reminders of Big Mac being especially tired. There was a point where Applejack's stubborn approach to the matter and her butting heads with Goldie on the plausibility of the Seedling started reminding me of 'Somepony to Watch Over Me', not an episode that paints Applejack in a especially favourable light. Now, it's worth mentioning this fares much better then that in one key aspect: the way Applejack treats Apple Bloom. My favourite pony straight up tells her little sister that she's old enough to do her fair share on the harvest, and while some statements on her being too old for 'an old mare's tale' came across a bit abrasively, there is a sense that Applejack no longer treats her little sister like she's so little. We've seen this in places before, but it's in focus here.

After Applejack reacts with even more skepticism to an Apple Crop circle and accuses Goldie of doing it to keep Apple Bloom entertained (probably the episode's low point), she and Apple Bloom have a little heart-to-heart that treats them both well and ends with Applejack agreeing to help Apple Bloom set up more traps later if she helps her family with that day's harvest first. After that mild curveball, the episode fares a decent sight better then before, even more once it's revealed that Applejack's skepticism developed from her own failure to catch it and missing out on the last Confluence when she was round Apple Bloom's age (hi Bright Mac and Pear Butter!). This thread could have been better implemented in Applejack's attitude and dialogue early on, but it was still appreciated. Mild whiplash there may be, but it still felt like a natural and organic progression. Just one that could have used a bit more smoothening over.

Frankly, the episode after that was very enjoyable, even if you're still aware it's no less messy. I guess I just really enjoy watching Applejack and Apple Bloom get on really well, and that continues even through Applejack digging up her old excitement for catching the Great Seedling. The reveal that the evidence and sprung traps were the work of an insomnia-heavy Big Mac did feel kind of arbitrary, whether you see it coming or not (as did the weird dive into spooky scary territory for a minute, the Apple siblings weren't the least bit scared before that).

Anyway, the episode is at its best when its portraying Applejack well and enjoying its time with her and Apple Bloom. Much of the rest is kind of disposable - Goldie doesn't do much except spout off exposition, despite getting more screentime then either previous Apple-centric episode (no, Grannies Gone Wild doesn't count), and as you might expect, any episode tackling the whole "Is the Santa analogue real?", even if this one stays far enough field of being a Santa analogue, cannot end truthfully, and this one vaguely teases it might be, rather then outright confirming it to the audience. Given its MLP, that wouldn't have felt far-fetched at all, though in some ways, perhaps that's the best way for it to end.

And yet... there's very little wrong with this episode either. No character assassination at all to speak of, with all that was really needed there being some mild dialogue smoothening over for Applejack, and she still fares leagues better then many past episodes of hers. When you think about it, everything every character does fits for them, and for Applejack, that counts as a decent achievement (it makes me sad to say that, favourite pony and all, but such is the hurdle making the 'wise friend' character the central lead who needs to have an arc and learn something).

Basically, the episode's a bit of an apple itself: simple and largely unremarkable, but healthy and good for you, and with its sell-by-date well in the future to boot. Despite the aforementioned weaknesses and lack of direction and peculiar tangents courtesy of Rapp once again, it provided ample goods for me, mostly by virtue of having not one rotten apple on its basket. Just some mushy ones is all. But a low-key, easygoing episode that doesn't make any big mistakes is more then fine, and even if my enjoyment decreased enough on the second watch that I don't feel compelled to really watch this one again for a good long while, I feel satisfied enough with 'Going to Seed'.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS
- The phrase 'The Great Seedling' is mentioned in dialogue 37 times throughout the episode, and 4 more if you count cases that lack 'the' as a prefix, with a further 5 if you omit 'Great'. I was partway through counting that myself when I realised I could just check the episode's dialogue transcript. Meep. But either way, I don't know if a character has even been mentioned by name THAT much in a single episode. It kind of got to be a bit too much, there was plenty of cases where a pronoun would have done the trick.
- It's been pointed out that the episode's plot is remarkably similar to the first Apples comic from several years back, fantastical creature that turns out to be an Apple and everything. Just an observation, not much of a problem, it's clearly a basic enough premise they went for of their own accord.
- A lengthy pre-title sequence of over 2 and a half minutes meant a shorter-then-usual first segment (only four and a half minutes). Man, network requirements on Discovery Family are really, really weird, at least to the eyes of this humble ghost from the vicinity of the British Isles.
- 'I swear, sometimes I think she's part mule.' Ignoring the ramifications of that statement in Equestria, this was quite a probing statement for the writers to make regarding Applejack. At least they know she's often unnecessarily stubborn. And yet right after this statement is made, she's written much better.
- A sleepwalking Big Mac can apparently spring dozens of traps but avoid being caught in all of them, despite his awake self getting caught in every one he accidentally sprung. Who knew? Could've fooled me.
- The 'reveal' with Big Mac may have been less obviously if the episode hadn't spend 30+ seconds on his increasing fatigue about 6 minutes before the end. It was okay when it was just a side thing, I reckon, we could buy it as just a bit of side business at that point. Once they focused on it, nope, it became transparent what was going to happen.
- There was quite the surplus of meme faces in this one, weren't there? Mostly on Apple Bloom and Applejack. The latter especially feels weird for such things, she's usually so facially level-headed.
- Apparently a 100-moons-ago picture in 'Apple Family Reunion' doesn't show the Apples any younger-looking then they were during that episode's present. Which would make this episode's flashback's choice to show them all substantially younger not match up in terms of timelines. I'll have to check that for myself and see if that is the case. EDIT: Others have posted deconstructions outlining how the timelines of the Apple's history is thrown way outta whack by this episode's flashback. Search them out, they're a good read.