"Do you want me to turn this around!?" I really do.

Rainbow Roadtrip, mid-Season 9 special
Remember Student Counsel, and how Trixie was flipping out at Starlight? How Trixie was talking about the difference between buying a cake and making one, and we were all impressed at how funny they made it? Rainbow Roadtrip was like that, except if they were unable to make the mundane funny. For half and hour. I just stopped watching. Around the time RD meets her fanclub.

There was just NOTHING to this. The writer of this was Kim Beyer-Johnson. She recently gave us Sweet and Smokey, which was nice, but didn't rise to much of the heights this final season was delivering. But it felt like a bullet dodged at the time, since the only other episode under her belt was "Non-Compete Clause." But as much as that one made me angry, I never felt like standing up and going to do something else. It kept my attention, with physical shenanigans, getting to know the Student 6 more, and at least a conflict over being outdone by Fluttershy. It also gave us exotic killer fish at the end, but since I don't know what comes at the end of Rainbow Roadtrip, I can't in good faith compare the sections.

Besides actually being fun, what is even the point trying to be made with this town? With Our Town, the story was all about trying to penetrate a cult mindset. In the Crystal Empire, everyone was in a daze over the cruelty of a sorcerer king. The Hippogriffs/Seaponies had closed themselves off from the rest of the world for fear of their own lives. The Kirin hobbled communication and joy to avoid interpersonal conflict. Sire's Hollow had pointless tradition versus gentrification, and that became a highlight of the season! What is even going on with End of the Rainbow Town (or whatever the name is)? They all stopped caring about each other for... reasons. There's doesn't even seem to be physiological effects of having the color drained. They're just all boring pricks who for some reason don't care about anypony from the outside world.

The only highlight was the mayor. He seemed like a sweet guy, who tried so hard in the face of an unmoved community to bring joy to uninterested people around him, despite lacking confidence himself to meet with the person he was smitten with. Not only was he written well, that voice actor threw a whole ton behind this role. It's kind of sad he cared so much for this location, when I sure couldn't.

I opened another window to watch some EGQ shorts while looking for the new special with the Dazzlings. Even with the contempt I feel for the modernity of humanized Equestria, just the amount of ENERGY that comes from the characters lifts me up.