A Horse Shoe-In Review (Spoilers for American Fans!) · 6:07pm Jul 28th, 2019
Well, the early airings have come to an end (temporarily it would seem), China was supposed to air Episodes 21 and 22 this weekend but aired "Rainbow Roadtrip" instead. Apparently this is just a one off thing and the early airings will resume as scheduled next weekend, but until I know for sure I'm not holding my breath. It is possible that Hasbro finally decided to stop the early airings, even though they've decided to pull the plug on Equestria Girls prematurely. Anyway, this episode is written by a brand new writer (why we're debuting a new writer so close to the end of the show, I have no idea) Ariel Shepherd-Oppenheim, who has written only for a few preschool shows (such as "Vamperina" which aired and may still air on Disney Junior, the successor to Playhouse Disney). That's not exactly a good omen, because this show is a major step up from that. And I really don't know why any show would bring in a new writer in its final season unless the old writers just quit (which maybe that's the case?). But maybe that's being too negative? Maybe this will all work out? Well, let's find out.
We begin with Starlight tending to a potted plant in her office when Twilight shows up, officially handing over the reigns of headmare to Starlight and announcing her intention to be in Canterlot (I kind of thought Twilight would only be there to be crowned, and then move the capital to Ponyville). That gives Starlight the idea to appoint a vice headmare, something that the school has lacked up to this point. So we've got yet another strike against the school! The vice principal is a key position within any school's hierachy of staff, the vice principal is specifically there to ease the workload on the principal so the school can operate smoothly! Why wouldn't there be one, even just on a temporary basis? And no, appointing Starlight to lead the school in Twilight's absence doesn't count, that just makes her acting headmare. I'm sorry, but just because Chancellor Neighsay was a bigot doesn't mean his complaints about unqualified teachers wasn't justified! Anyone in his position would've had similar complaints and they shouldn't be dismissed just because of who he turned out to be!
Trixie immediately assumes she'll get the position because she's Starlight's friend, just as Twilight appointed all of her friends to be teachers (and look how well that turned out). But Starlight insists that Trixie won't just get it, she has to actually go through a process that will be used to screen a series of applicants. And yet Trixie acts oblivious, assuming that Starlight is just saying that to disguise her planned hiring of Trixie. And if you think Trixie is bad now, well she's only gonna get worse from here on out. So much for the Trixie who could keep her promises and actually try to make a commitment.
The applicants Starlight considers are Octavia, Time Turner (a.k.a Doctor Whooves), Big Macintosh, and for some reason Spoiled Rich. And Spoiled Rich actually speaks, so any justification for the lack of speaking roles for Diamond Tiara are now null and void since Spoiled and Diamond share the same voice actress! If they could bring back Spoiled Rich and make her as unrepentant and ignorant as possible, there should be zero reason why Diamond Tiara isn't allowed to speak considering she became more popular after her reformation!
The application process involves a three tiered challenge, the first tier is substituting for the teachers (not sure how that helps you pick out a vice principal, a principal doesn't usually serve as substitute teacher). Big Macintosh impresses everyone with his sewing abilities, having learned it from repairing apple sacks on the farm (and likely the occasional fashion emergency for his sisters on the few occasions they did wear dresses), Octavia is able to work even with Pinkie playing the yovidaphone (and to be fair she sounds better at it now), and Time Turner runs a science lab that involves a Rube Goldberg contraption. However, Spoiled Rich teaches about how loyalty can be bought (as if you expected anything else, though I'm surprised that given they were in the gym no one pelted her with balls), and Trixie basically sleeps through the class because she finds history boring. But Starlight foolishly decides to keep Trixie onboard for the second tier, convinced that Trixie just needs a little nudging in the right direction (even though Trixie continues to act oblivious).
The second tier is parent/teacher conferences, which Big Macintosh doesn't do well in since he's not that great of a speaker (though honestly I think that would make him a great guidance counselor, he wouldn't say anything he'd just listen and then gently nudge students in the right direction) and it doesn't help that he gets paired up with Silverstream, the student whose family is the least caught up to modern events and customs. Octavia and Time Turner do fine with Ocellus and Yona's families (though nothing for Sandbar and Ember doesn't show up to check on Smolder). But Trixie gets into a shouting match with Grandpa Gruff, though in this particular instance she chews him out for not being more supportive of Gallus and suggests that maybe he should let someone else be Gallus' guardian. And I suggest, why not Gabby? Now that she's staying in Ponyville to check on Gallus, why not make her his guardian full time? Her mail carrier job should be able to provide for him.
However, this causes Starlight to reconsider Trixie, even though she lets her stay on for the third tier with Octavia and Time Turner. which involves taking the students on a field trip (I don't think you can actually just do that, you need to schedule the field trips ahead of time to arrange for transportation and send out the permission slips, though maybe boarding schools do that differently?). Octavia takes the students to a concert hall, which is where she teams up with Vinyl Scratch to perform an incredible concert. Time Turner takes everyone to his lab to show off time travel, which is actually just troll logic and not actual time travel. And Trixie decides that instead of going on a field trip, she'll bring the field trip to the students. But maybe she should've gotten the magic school bus to do it instead.
Trixie teleports in a bog, which contains a hive of flash bees. Starlight has to get the students to safety and then take down the flash bees herself. This causes her to blow up at Trixie, chewing her out for her irresponsibility. And Trixie argues about how Twilight got all of her friends to teach at the school, which Starlight retorts is because they were competent and know what they're doing. Except every episode that focused on the mane six teaching at the school only showed that they had no idea what they were doing, and in fact were anything but competent. So this reeks of "Show, don't tell". And because this episode wants to rehash "All Bottled Up" Trixie sulks away and Starlight is made to feel guilty for blowing up at her. I'm getting sick of this, how many times does Trixie have to screw up and make Starlight's life worse before Starlight realizes that Trixie is not a good friend?! Is it any wonder why I don't ship them?! This might just be the worst mistake of the show, letting these two remain friends even though every time we see them one is getting the other into trouble and only rarely does the one doing so try to atone!
Twilight walks in and basically repairs the entire classroom with ease, then tells Starlight that sometimes hiring the best means having to pass up a friend for the job they wanted. Except that Twilight didn't even bother to screen better candidates for her school, she appointed her friends to be teachers and glossed over their concerns completely, she didn't even really ask them if that's what they wanted. So again this is a case of "Tell, don't show" and it seems like they really would've been better off just dumping the school all together since it just seems to bring out the worst of every character in focus (except the new ones).
Starlight is then forced to apologize to Trixie because the episode wants her to be in the wrong for yelling at someone for making her life worse and not actually trying to help, even though Starlight is the one owed an apology. Only then does Trixie actually seem to realize the gravity of her situation, and she suggests to Starlight that she should hire Sunburst to be vice headmare, meaning the whole moral about not hiring friends for positions gets thrown right out the window! To be fair, Sunburst is actually qualified for it, and it turns out that he has almost nothing to do with Flurry Heart now that she's older (basically he doesn't want to be her foalsitter). But then Starlight decides to appoint Trixie to be the new guidance counselor because she had one good idea, and Trixie proceeds to just discard Starlight's potted plant right in front of Starlight! So that means Trixie is even less qualified to be a guidance counselor than she is a vice headmare! And no, Trixie does not apologize or even realize what she did!
Whew, and that's the story, so what do I think of the episode? Well it's basically a rehash of "All Bottled Up" and "A Matter of Principals", a bad mix that sees Trixie sink to a new low she is unlikely to recover from! Even Discord has now recovered and appears to have changed for the better, Trixie seems stuck in the past and unable to move on! And the moral is completely destroyed by including Sunburst, a friend of Starlight's, not to mention appointing Trixie to a position she is even less qualified for than the one she was hoping to get! There are a few good details, such as Octavia Melody's presence, and even some hidden depths from Big Macintosh. But then there are really questionable things like bringing back Spoiled Rich for no real reason, and tests that I'm not one hundred percent sure would actually help you pick a vice principal. Twilight isn't really bad here, but her advice falls flat because it flies directly in the face of what we actually saw when she opened the school last season. This entire episode basically wants you to forget all of that and insist that it never had a problem, like Trixie it wants to just ignore the obvious mistakes and seems unaware of why they happened, which only dooms it to repeating them. So in the end, this episode gets an E, putting it only above "A Trivial Pursuit" since that episode was a complete waste that everyone unlikeable. Sadly though, unlike that episode, this one can't be ignored, it's actually relevant to the main plot of the final season. And if this is the last we ever see of the school until then, it's not a good end note at all! It's a shame, but alas the school got a second chance and only proved all the naysayers right, it was a concept that never should've existed despite the promises it held.
Now, the next episode is "Daring Doubt" in which another author releases their own take on the events of the Daring Do books, which Rainbow finds suspicious but Fluttershy is interested in hearing out. I'm kind of glad we're getting one last Daring Do episode out all of this, but I'm not one hundred percent sure why Fluttershy is going to be involved in this one. Though that does mean "2, 4, 6, Great" won't be the last Rainbow Dash focus episode, which is hopefully going to be a good thing.
I actually found this episode to be a lot of fun the first time I saw it, despite some of the more questionable decisions.
Though it did make Spoiled Rich my most hated pony again
Plus, the ending gives the episode bonus points for giving more StarBurst shipping fuel.
Despite some humorous moments, with everything that has happened in this episode, it is right up there with All Bottled Up, and like you said, it's basically a rehash. I understand they can't completely change Trixie's character in one episode, but you would think that they'd give her some development, where she abandons much of her narcissistic, self absorbed tendencies.
I'm sorry, but every time there is an episode where Trixie is a top focus, it just feels like the writers are just making a fill in episode. Her antics, I'll admit now, would be a little more bearable if she was part of the villain team, and just hassled their plans instead.
Right now. I feel she needs to be banished to the realm of silence, or be gobbled up by Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon: Hey now. You know I'm on a strict Snotty Nobles diet. Besides, boasters give me gas. BUUUUURRRRP!!! Excuse me. Gotta lay off that sarsaparilla.
5095634 The sad thing is, she was getting better. "A Matter of Principals" had her trying to teach a class and getting interrupted by Discord even though she hadn't done anything to him or Starlight. "Road to Friendship" had her actually apologize for snapping at Starlight, and Starlight was the one who got put in the wrong by trading away Trixie's wagon and acting like she was entitled to thanks for doing so behind Trixie's back. And even "Student Counsel" had Trixie at least join the search party and try to keep her earlier commitments. Here though, that all gets thrown away and she's right back to how she was in Season 7.
5095873
Season 7? It's how she was in Boast Busters, in my opinion that is. All talk, and no brain. But everyone has their point of view. And the fact the Starlight seems to be her only friend, aside from Discord, on his good days, seems to say something from my point of view. Sun Burst is more of a acquaintance. Twilight Sparkle. Let's just say, she's more of a sparring partner in terms of friendship things. The two don't really seem to hang out with each other. If they made an episode where those two got to know each other better, Hasbro would catch my interest in that aspect. But I doubt that will happen, seeing as we are nearing the end soon.
Also, something I took to notice in another light. Starlight addresses her plant as if it was a person. Only two other characters I know do that. Applejack and Chrysalis.
So, two theories come to mind. Either Applejack has rubbed off on Starlight in matters of treating plants like poines or........ The Starlight we see right now got replaced with Queen Chrysalis and none of us know it.
I vote the former, since I'm very sure Chrysalis is still with that trio of villains.
5095881 You know, come to think of it, I don't think we ever saw Twilight and Trixie interact after "No Second Prances". I feel like it could've been an interesting episode if they agreed to one more magic duel to finally settle their rivalry. Or even just an episode where they agreed to let bygones be bygones.
5095926
That was supposed to be Magic Duel. And while I was interested in Trixie making a return, I thought it would be more, well, reformed with Trixie. But she's the same as she has been before. Granted, she's made some improvments. But she acts as if the whole world revolves around her. Yeesh, thinking of her and Prince Blueblood as the main focus in an episode together, that would be too much chaos, even for Discord. You'd almost think they were siblings.
........ MAKE THE EPISODE HASBRO!!!!
I've heard a lot of people complaining about Trixie in this episode, and while she wasn't great, I think the rest of the episode was fun enough to make up for that, even if it was fairly predictable.
5095941
It's not so much her actions in this episode that I have a problem with. It's the fact that since her introduction with "Every" episode where she was the main focus, she seems to have progressed very little in areas where she needs major work. It's not just this episode alone.
5096304
Perhaps, but she's no worse than pre-Season 5 Fluttershy. And Trixie is usually at least fun when she's the focus. Which is what matters most to me.
5096306
I will admit she has her moments, but it gets hard to enjoy her when she acts like the center of attention, and no one is there to challenge her attention. One reason I would love to see her and Prince Blueblood in an episode where they are at each others throats. I'd make sure that Discord brought the popcorn.
Even to this day, I still don't get why these two are friends, Trixie for most part acts like a bad influence and always makes things worse without apologizing it. All I have to say is, Starlight you need a better friend...
5097772 After this episode, I agree. Trixie is the kind of "friend" who only hangs around because she sees a benefit. When you really need her she's never there to help.
5097804
Also, wouldn’t it be more better if Starlight asked someone else that knows how to do this stuff right, instead of going to her “friend”? But no, she has to rely on her “only friend” but then she makes everything worse, like relying on some kid that doesn’t know what to do.
Trixie was great in this. She showed that she really does care about the students and has their best interest at heart. Her telling off Grandpa Gruff was awesome. This character has grown and matured so much over the past three years that it's almost impossible to believe that this is the same pony we met back in season one. Sure, she's still arrogant and full of herself, but it's toned down a lot. And I loved Starlight chewing her out, because I think Trixie needed to hear that.
My only problem with this episode, really, was the fact that Octavia didn't get picked, as she seemed to be the most obvious choice, as was outright stated by Starlight. She seemed to get along great with the kids, seemed to really enjoy being a teacher, but I can understand why she declined the offer.
5095634
They've been doing that since season six.
5095881
As "Student Council" showed, Trixie has other friends besides Starlight.
At the very least they seem to be on friendlier terms than they were back in season three.
5095926 We saw them having a friendly conversation back in "Road to Friendship." Clearly, they've put their differences aside and are on much friendlier terms with each other.
5095933
No, she doesn't. That's Discord you're thinking of, not Trixie.
5096304
What areas? And the same can be said for characters like Discord and Starlight.
5097804 Hih? Whwre did that come from?
5097805 It's the school of friendship. And Starlight didn't immediately give the role to Trixie. She had others try out for the part. Likewise, the decision was not an easy one for Starlight. Yes, Trixie messed up, but at the very least she can make room for improvement.
5097772 Except Trixie is never shown as being a bad influence on Starlight. At the most, she gets on Starlight's nerves. These two are friends due to their less than stellar pasts and how they're both in the process of becoming better ponies by learning about friendship.
5097897
Really? Cause she seems to have masked her progression pretty well from what I've seen. I still see her being Narcissistic, Self absorbed, and thinking she's done no wrong, and even if she knows she's done wrong, she claims she's not at fault. Seems to be the same Trixie we knew way back when, just a few, "very minor" personality adjustments, nothing major that would gather her more fans in the positive spotlight.
Sorry if I am rambling on. I want to like Trixie, I really do, but it's hard to like her character when she seems to be more of a thorn in the side for the Mane Herd, rather than an awesome villain, or really helpful friend, with maybe a few hiccups of what we see now, from time to time. But we don't see that at all. It's the same old Trixie, just new settings. That's just my point of view, and I don't expect you to agree.
5097895 That Octavia bit was an ass-pull because the writer decided to disregard his moral about nepotism because someone told him the School of Friendship was all about nepotism.
The key word here is "headmare", otherwise known as headmistress, the principal of a private school. Private schools do not have vice principals.
Uh, several people have been asking to see the Mane Six as teachers for years now. Considering the fact that the school is all about friendship and as such, the Mane Six would be employed there as teachers since they represent the Elements of Harmony (you know, the foundations for friendship), I'd say that makes them more than qualified. No, they do not have teaching degrees. No, that does automatically mean that they are not qualified to be teachers. Celestia isn't qualified to be a teacher either, but I don't see anyone complaining about that.
As anybody reasonably would. Remember that Rainbow Dash assumed that she would immediately be asked to coach the school's buckball team because she was friends with Twilight.
Considering the fact that their students went on to save Equestria because they embody the Elements of Harmony, I'd say it turned it out evry well. The only reason why things went south is because they were trying to run the school by the standards set by the EEA. Once they started running the school their own way, things chilled out and got better.
This shows just how much Trixie cares about the students and their well-being, as we saw in "Student Council." She's eager to get the job because she knows how stressful it can be running a school, so she wants to be there to help her friend out. Not only that, bur she wants the job so she can help the students as well.
Where did that line come from?
Trixie is obviously committed to the well-being of the students, which is why she wants the job.
Serving as a substitute teacher enables Starlight to see if the applicants truly do care about the students, or if they're just doing this for bragging rights with their friends. Who wouldn't want to brag to their friends that they work at a school that was formerly run by the Princess of Friendship? Besides that, it's to see if the applicants can get along with the students.
They wouldn't be able to get away with that. Besides which, she doesn't deserve that.
That's understandable. Not everyone finds the same subjects as fascinating as everyone else.
Given that Twilight gave Starlight multiple second chances, it only makes sense that Trixie would extend the same kindness to Trixie. Yes, Trixie did need a little help in the right direction, and that's completely fine.
How does not being able to talk to your students one on one automatically make you qualified to be a student counselor?
If anything, that should mean you wouldn't be qualified for the job.
What makes you say that? I don't recall that from this scene.
Again, no one ever said anything about Gabby moving to Ponyville. She is stationed in Griffonstone as its official mail carrier. Besides which, she's a kid and thus, isn't mature enough to take part in something like this.
It's highly likely that none of this is taking place over the course of just one day, more like over the course of several days. Starlight probably told the parents what was up before they left to go home after the conference and got their permission then.
The only time that was true was in "Non-compete Clause" where Applejack and Rainbow Dash let their competitiveness get the best of them. Given that this is their first time teaching, of course they're going to have to take some time to get their bearings at first. I imagine that it was that way with Celestia when she first started teaching as well.
In what way was this a rehash of "All Bottled Up?" I certainly didn't get that impression. And of course Starlight is going to feel guilty for losing her temper at Trixie. That's true of anyone, doubly so if you say some things you don't mean when you're angry.
Uh, excuse me? When has Trixie ever made Starlight's life worse? I don't recall any instances of that, nor do I recollect these rwo ever getting in trouble and having to atone for it. They came close in "All Bottled Up", but that's about it. At the most they get on each other's nerves, but we've seen other friends like that. (For example, Twilight and Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, or Rarity and Applejack.) These two are completely new to this whole friendship thing, so of course they're going to have some bumps along the way. I enjoy seeing these two together.
When was the last time you watched "School Daze?" Obviously it's been a while. Twilight didn't need to screen other candidates because her friends were the perfect ones. As she said, "I can't run a school of friendship without my best friends." Not a single one of her friends had any objections to the idea. They were all for it, as was Celestia. If they had to lay their lives on the line for Twilight, they would do it in a heartbeat. They only started having problems when Twilight insisted that the school be run by the standards set by the EEA. Furthermore, she apologized for not taking their concerns seriously and promised that they would run the school as a team from now on, like friends should.
Once more, several people wanted to see the Mane Six as teachers. Furthermore, name me one instance where that's true. Again, the only time I can recall this even being remotely true is "Non-compete Clause." The school was nothing more than a logical.progression of the main characters' development. Why wouldn't they want to pass on their knowledge of friendship to a new generation?
Uh, NO! Starlight wasn't "forced" to do anything. When you blow your top at a friend and bite her head off and end up deeply hurting her in the process, you need to apologize, because it's the right thing to do. It's called being a decent person. Yes, Trixie made a mistake, but it was a mistake that could easily be fixed. You act like Trixie did this deliberately just to screw with Starlight. Hell, you act like Trixie sets out to deliberately make things worse for Starlight and that's not the case. How could Trixie have known that a mob of flash bees would swarm in? It's clear that Trixie felt bad for what she did because she immediately tried getting the students to safety before trying to take care of the flash bees. You make her out to be this unremorseful monster when she isn't. Yes, I agree that Trixie needed a stern talking to, but Starlight could have done it in a calmer, more respectful, polite manner rather than biting her friend's head off like she did.
The Trixie that you're describing as this remorseless monster who delights in making a pony's life harder does not exist in the show. If you want to see that kind of Trixie where she's at her worst, at her most despicable, go rewatch Turnabout Storm.
Not really seeing as how it's not very urgent that Starlight fill this position right now.
Uh, that wasn't the lesson. Yes, Twilight did say that sometimes you have to pass up hiring a friend for a job if they're not qualified for it and pick the best candidate, and that was clear when Starlight decided to give the job to Sunburst, the best candidate for the job. The fact that he so happened to be her friend makes little to no difference.
Can't say I blame him there.
Did you not pay attention to the epusodes? Trixie was shown to be able to give good advice. That is why she was appointed as guidance counselor. She has shown in rhe past to care about the students and only wants their best interests.
As far as Trixie is concerned, this is her office now. She can do what she wants. If she wants to redecorate, she can. If that means she doesn't want some tacky plant on her desk, then she doesn't have to have it there. Besides which, this is where the episode ends. Trixie very well could have realized her mistake afterward and apologized. Besides which, the plant was not damaged in any way. Starlight could easily pick it up, dust it off, and move it to her new office. The fact that you deliberately went out of your way to complain about this and used it as an argument against the episode is just incredibly stupid.
Really? I don't recall Trixie throwing a hissy fit for not getting her way and taking it out on Starlight by deliberately going out of her way to ruin Starlight's day, make it hard for Starlight to do her job, and sic a freaking bugbear on a group of youngsters, thereby putting them in mortal danger where there was a very real possibility of them getting seriously hurt or even killed. She made one mistake, one mistake that was solved in no less than a few seconds. That's all ahe did. The only other things she did was chew out a parent, which she was right to do so, and bore her class because she was teaching a subject that she wasn't interested in. Yeah, that really sounds like Trixie sinking to a new low to me right there.
Give me a freaking break.
*threw a hissy fit for not getting his way
*took out his frustration on Starlight
*deliberately went out of his way to ruin Starlight's day
*made it hard for Starlight to do her job
*sicced a freaking bugbear on a group of youngsters, thereby putting them in mortal danger where there was a very real possibility of them getting seriously hurt or even killed
Not only are these all the things that Discord did in that episode, it's all he did in that episode. If you want to see a character sinking to a new low, go rewatch that episode. Or you could always go rewatch "Make New Friends But Keep Discord" or "Twilight's Kingdom." Don't cite "A Horse Shoe-In" as your example of a character sinking to a new low all because said character made one mistake.
What are you even talking about here?
Like, I am honest to God, genuinely confused here. If you were talking about Starlight before her reformation, I could agree with you. If what you were saying was true, she would still be hating Twilight for showing her up, but she's moved past that to the point where she's on friendly terms with Twilight. She even told Pharynx, "I used to hate her. She made me unsure about my place in the world, which led me to act out against her."
No, it doesn't, for the reasons that I gave above.
Yeah, that's according to you and you alone. As I said, this character has grown and matured a lot since season one.
Since when do they need a reason to bring back a character? They've done this with other characters before, such as Donut Joe, Trixie, Discord, the Flim Flam Brothers, and even Moondancer earlier this season. They didn't need a reason to bring back any of these characters, but it was still a treat to get to see them all again, and Spoiled Rich is no exception.
A majority of these tests were to test how well the applicants got along with the students and their parents. That's an important quality to have in a vice principal, last time I checked.
No, it didn't. Twilight had every bit of confidence in her friends. Had she gone through the trouble of looking through applicants without even bothering to ask her friends if they'd be interested in teaching at the school, it would've hurt her friends' feelings. That would have been the writers spitting in the face of Lauren Faust and the core message of this show.
Except the school itself was not a mistake. As I've said, a majority of the fans of this show, myself included, wanted to see Twilight and her friends in the roles of mentors/teachers, passing on all that they'd learned about friendship onto a new generation. Nobody but you seems to have a problem with it. Yes, it could have been handled better and more focus should have been put on it, especially this season, but, really, those are the only problems I had with this idea.
The only unlikable character in that episode was Twilight.
Why not? Starlight is shown to be a compefent headmare, Sunburst gets to finally do something, and Trixie gets to help out the students. How is any of this ending this arc on a bad note? It unifies all of the characters we've come to know and love and gives them a purpose and a bright future.
Yes, how dare these writers bring the arc of the main characters to a satisfactory conclusion by having them be teachers as a means of carrying on their teachings and sharing the magic of friendship with others! Seriously, though, I don't recall anyone having a problem with the school idea. I admit that I was skeptical at first, but the writers proved me wrong.
5097981 Everytime we've focused on the school it's always been either the student six are competent and the mane six are incompetent, or the student six are the only ones of focus. Not once have we seen an episode focused on the school where the mane six haven't suffered. Episodes like "Non-Compete Clause", "Marks for Effort", "A Matter of Principals", "The End in Friend", "A Rockhoof and a Hard Place", and even "2, 4, 6, Great" have focused on that concept. And other episodes have had the mane six unavailable because they're too busy teaching. And this is after they ditch the EEA rules.
As for Trixie, getting one good argument in with Grandpa Gruff doesn't make up for her trying to hog Starlight for herself, thinking she deserves the position just because of who she's friends with despite being told that's not going to be the case, and endangering the students lives yet again! And yet not once does she even seem to consider what she did was wrong. By episode's end she is still doing it and getting off scott free! This is what an actual abusive relationship/friendship looks like, the abused always lets the abuser off the hook no matter how much they suffer, because they foolishly believe the abuser will change if they give it time.
5097899 Lord, no, I don't agree with you, because none of what you said is true, because there's no evidence of such in the show itself. We've seen this character grow and change over the past three years. The only part of your statement that wss remotely true was that she is still full of herself.
5097977 Hardly. Starlight stated herself that Octavia declined her offer because Octavia was afraid that it would get in the way of her music, and that's a completely legitimate reason. Totally understandable . Octavia is a musician. As such, her career comes first above all else.
5098002
Funny, as I don't recall any of the Mane Six "suffering" or being portrayed as "incompetent" in any of those episodes, nor do I recall any instances where the Mane Six were "unavailable" due to them being busy teaching. Again, the only episode that can be used as an argument is "Non-compete Clause", and that was more due to Applejack and Rainbow Dash letting their rivalry get the best of them.
First off, it makes sense that Trixie would assume that she'd get the job giben that the school is all about friendship. She clearly wanted the job because she wanted to help the students. Secondly, she wasn't trying to hog Starlight all to herself. What evidence is there of that in the episode? All she wa trying to do was apply for a job because she wanted to help the students. And third of all, what do you mean she once again endangered the lives of the students? She's never done that. That was Discord who sicced a bugbear on the students, not Trixie, who couldn't have possibly have known that a swarm of flash bees was going to invade the school.
Because she didn't do anything wrong. She made one mistake. Big whoop. Said mistake was cleared up in an instant. No need to make a big deal over spilled milk.
As someone who's witnessed what abusive relationships are like, i can tell you from firsthand experience that this is nothing like an abusive relationship. As soon as Trixie throws Starlight across the room in a rage, or throws her down on the floor and kicks the shit out of her, or snacks her across rhe face and calls her a "bitchy cunt", or beats the tar out of her because she didn't have dinner on the table when she got home, then we'll talk. Until then, the notion that these two are in an abusive relationahip is nothing short of laughable.
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Okay. This is just a point of view. And I state that she is narcissistic, self absorbed, and feeling she's done no wrong, or feeling she isn't the one at fault for wrong doings, because of certain reasons. Plenty of examples in this episode.
1. She claims that it was unnecessary to bring in all of the other candidates Starlight selected to be a possible Vice Headmare. She sees herself as perfect for the job. That's Self-absorbed right there from what I can see.
2. She tells a very, non-educational take of Obraxius the Bold. (Not sure if that's spelled right.) Claiming he did a lot of boring stuff. From her composure, it's easy to see from my perspective that she see's her actions as more impressive. That's narcissism from what I can see.
3. She transported a part of a bog without considering the possibility Flash Bees nested there, and she claims that was giving a great field trip within the school, and not claiming that she was in the wrong to do so. This is an instant where she's trying to claim she's not at fault for the wrong doing from my point of view.
These are areas she needs major development on. Starlight wouldn't have snapped at her in the first place if these aspects of Trixie were not so dominant in her personality. And again, this is from my point of view.
I have seen many people with the same traits as Trixie, and it took real world experiences to humble those people. But Trixie doesn't seem to have used her experiences to humble herself, as much as I would have liked her to.
Yes, she and Twilight have made amends, and Trixie won't boast she's above Twilight anymore, but that doesn't mean she's changed her ways. The only reason Starlight and Trixie connected at first, was because Starlight was still new to the concept of friendship. Starlight's character improved greatly. Granted, she made her fumbles, but she learned from them. Trixie on the other hand, continues to make fumbles, and learns very little from her experiences, from my point of view.
Yes, Trixie may have changed a lot in other fan's eyes, but I still see the much of the same Trixie I have seen before and not the good qualities of her character. You can have your own point of view of what you think about Trixie, but trying to claim someone is wrong about her altogether because she may be a favorite character of yours, it isn't going to convince them to change their perspective of Trixie.
I've used Trixie in some of my fanfics, so, it's not like I don't give Trixie any attention. The reason some people are actually giving Trixie's character a hard time is "because" they want to like her. They see so much potential for improvement, but are given a very unsatisfied performance of a character they want to like.
Look how often some bring Sweetie Belle's parents up. Or bring Zephyr Breeze up. Or even Garble. Most actually avoid talking about those characters, and on the rare occasion they do, it's not to state how great they're characters were, it's more of a negative opinion about them, and feeling they add little to the story, and are better off not being talked about.
Many people bring up Trixie because there are things to like about her, and they "want" to like her more, but can't. But yes, there are those who hate Trixie, just for the sake for wanting to hate her. I'm not one of those haters. She's had her shining moments among the community, but those moments are very overshadowed by all of her mishaps that bring her back to the Trixie we all were introduced to, from what I have seen. These outcries for Trixie are outcries to tell the writers to wake up and make major improvements to Trixie. Humble her more than she already is, so more fans can say positive things about her. I'll admit, from what I got to see of Equestira Girls realm's version of Trixie in "Forgotten Friendship," I actually liked her a lot better than the Pony Realm version of Trixie. She got far more character development than Trixie of the pony realm did.
Again, and I can't stress this enough, this is my opinion, based on what I have seen of Trixie's character, from my perspective. I don't claim false things about Trixie. I claim what I am seeing of Trixie, from my point of view.
You have your own point of view and that is your right.
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Personally, I've never seen any evidence of that in the show.
I saw it as her eager to get rhe job so that she could help the students. While spending time with Starlight may havw been an ulterior motive for her, it's understandable why. She and Starlight have barely gotten to spend any time together since Starlight was appointed at the school and this has led to Trixie feeling frustrated.
To me, it came off as her being bored by the subject matter, as there are lots of people who find history endlessly boring.
Honestly, I don't think Trixie nor anyone else was expected there to be flash bees within Froggy Bottom Bog. There certainly weren't any the last time we were there ("Feeling Pinkie Keen"). The only times we've seen flash bees was in Hayseed Swamp. And in truth, I don't think Trixie did anything abhorrently wrong here. What happened was nothing more than a slight accident in which no one was in any immediate danger. It was an accident that could easily be rectified. If we were talking about Ms. Frizzle, I'd be totally on board with you saying that said person was in the wrong for the way ahe handled the field trip.
Yes, but don't forget first and foremost, Trixie is a performer. These areas are all part of her act to make her show better. Therefore, it's probably hard for her to separate herself from her stage persona, to the point where she often addresses herself in the third-person and rarely does she address herself in the first-person. This is why her being friends with Starlight is a good thing. Starlight reigns her in and helps hee to drop that part of herself.
While I agree that Trixie needed a stern talking to, I don't agree with the way Starlight did it. I understand why she blew her stack, but she should've ushered Trixie to safety, cleaned up the mess, taken some time to calm down, then talk to Trixie.
I feel like this assertion is coming from this line from Trixie from "To Where and back Again":
And i wholeheartedly agree that this completely gives this assertion credence. However, I think she's gone to great lengths to improve herself as a pony. When we first met her, she was calling others names and claiming that she was better than them at anything and everything. Since then, she's stopped doing that, has adopted Starlight's friends as her own, and has even admitted that her animosity towards Twilight was nore out of jealousy than anything else.
I like that Trixie didn't immediately change, just as I'm glad Starlight didn't immediately change. For the same reasons why i loved "Every Little Thing She Does", it shows that there's plenty of room for improvement and that she still has areas that she needs to work on. Yes, she continues to nake mistakes, but so do the Mane Six, Starlight, Discord, Luna, Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and several other characters. In a way, Trixie and Starlight are reflections on the human condition, about how nobody does a complete 180, how it takes time for them to change, about how you're going to make mistakes on your recovery to become a better person. I do believe that Trixie has had a change of heart. For example, when she first learned that the Changelings had returned, her immediate thought was to inform Twilight. She even agreed to lead a rescue mission to get Twilight and the others back. Hsd this been the old Trixie, she wouldn't have cared, but even that's not completely true since she did try to ward off the Ursa Minor back in "Boast Busters,", so she's not a completely heartless monster.
Oh, no, Trixie isn't one of my favorite characters. I just see fault with your reasoning due to not seeing it in the sbow itself. Yes, Trixie is still arrogant and boastful and full of herself, and, yes, those are definitely areas that she needs to work on, but on the whole she has made long strides in improving herself to the point where she barely resembles the same pony she was back in "Boast Busters."
Well, you have to understand that Trixie isn't a main character; therefore, she doesn't get as much character development as the Mane Six, Spike, Starlight, or the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She is a recurring character in every sense of the word and the writers can't drop everything to devote an entire episode to fixing all of Trixie's flaws, which is funny, as you would think they'd be all for doing that since she's a fan favorite. Unfortunately, we will have to rely on fanfiction for that, and that's just sad.
I personally love Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles and honestly wish they were in more episodes. I don't get why people have a negative opinion on them. (Though, if we're talking about parents, I completely understand why people have a negative opinion on Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood.) As for Zephyr and Garble, I can see why people have a negative opinion about them. Zephyr Breeze is a sex offender waiting to happen and Garble is just a jerk.
Sadly, it doesn't look like we're ever going to get that. And, honestly, Trixie was the best part about "Forgotten Friendship."
Well, that's to be expected. People are going to interpret characters and their actions completely differently from someone else and given this fandom, that's to be expected. You see Trixie as a character who didn't change at all from the pompous, arrogant, self-absorbed pony that she was when we first met her and, if she did change, it was very minimal, to the point where her negative traits remained intact, whereas I believe that Trixie has made great leaps into changing for the better.
As do you.
Needless to say, if you were in Starlight's horseshoes, you wouldn't give Trixie so much as the position of janitor.
5110748 No I wouldn't. Even Spoiled Rich has more qualifications up front than Trixie does, at least Spoiled has a child of her own and served on a school board. If she could learn not to be nasty and self centered, she probably could've been a finalist.
This episode wasn't too bad; it had its fun moments with Starlight and Trixie.