Friendship is Card Games: The Last Laugh · 1:05pm Aug 5th, 2019
And so we return to Equestria for the final stretch. And, as with the first half of this season, they feel the need to remind us of that in the episode title. Good thing this is a Pinkie episode; between this and the last Bronycon, it’s enough to make anyone feel a little melancholy. Going for a liveblog-esque approach, since I was only able to see the episode a few hours ago:
Pinkie, the “I was behind you the whole time” thing doesn’t work when both Dash and the cameraman were facing you.
I see Pinkie’s already mastered “show, don’t tell.” Now I find myself wanting to read her fanfics.
… On second thought, maybe I don’t.
I see we’re going with the Dr. Weird intro. “Gentlemares… BEHOLD! I have married this cupcake!” (Me shipping Cheesepie never stopped being a thing. It just hasn’t come up lately.)
Obviously, a factory made by Cheese Sandwich would also make spatulas, Spam, aluminum foil…
Oh my goodness, they’re actually addressing the fact that Pinkie is the one member of the main cast who’s just kind of there in terms of career achievements. Everyone else has either fulfilled their greatest ambitions, had even greater ambitions thrust upon them, or are Applejack. (She did already go through this entire journey when she was a preteen, after all. It helps when your cutie mark acts as a capstone to the upbringing and training you’ve already gotten.) But Pinkie? She just has the same day job and freelance party planning she’s had since the day Twilight first set hoof in Ponyville. She may not have wanted more until now, but when everyone else in your peer group is moving on with their lives, you can’t but feel like you’re doing it wrong. Also, I appreciate the symmetry of Pinkie seeking guidance from Cheese after giving it to him all those years ago.
That said, this does highlight what a terrible idea the School of Friendship was, what with uprooting all of them from those higher purposes… But we’re not here to discuss that particular issue.
I’m glad Spike said something about the invitation’s edibility, because I was going to otherwise.
… Those posters are uncomfortably familiar. It’s like a blend of Starlight’s village and the ponified Mandatory Fun album art.
Oh boy. Cheese has gone full Wonka. And Industrial Era, apparently. We knew ponies had these capabilities from the Crystal War timeline, but it’s rare to see the technology in use in the main timeline.
Oh dear. That is not Cheese Sandwich. That is not Cheese Sandwich at all. Aside from the body type.
Oh dear. They’re analyzing comedy. Which is to say dissecting it. Which is to say tearing apart a corpse.
Oh dear. He’s gone even further beyond Clint Eastwood. He’s hit full Ben Affleck Batman. And a general lack of humor.
… Hmm. Cheese losing his comedic mojo after prolonged Pinkie withdrawal. I’ve heard this one before.
They should’ve sent Rarity. Not only has she likely dealt with creative burnout herself, she’s definitely dealt with toxic employees.
Okay, I laughed at the Jacob’s ladder bit.
Is anyone else concerned about Pinkie’s ability to cause physical harm with gag combos?
I only just noticed that Sans Smirk’s cutie mark is literally a wet blanket. I imagine he’d get along famously with Mudbriar. Perhaps they’re related. And credit to him, he does at least give the impression of caring about both Cheese and the advancement of comedy. He’s just going about it in an inadvisable way.
I’m pretty sure solving the Grand Unified Gag Theory (a.k.a the Gag Theory of Everything) could earn Pinkie her horn and wings.
Huh. They’re tropers… and they’ve ruined at least one life. I’m with Pinkie, this checks out.
Montage! A very good one. The doormat fountain got another genuine laugh out of me.
Oh good, Pinkie’s staying out of the corporate sinkhole.
And there’s the key. A party pony exists for and at the pleasure of others. What good is a performer without an audience?
And sudden song. Well, it would’ve been a waste of Weird Al to not have one.
Of course Sans loves puns. It’s in his bones. 
For all that I rambled about them addressing Pinkie not finding a higher calling, I’m actually perfectly okay with her staying where she is. Just because others move on doesn’t mean you need to, especially if your situation is comfortable, fulfilling, and sustainable. And Pinkie’s checks all three of those boxes. (Plus, she’s got a free-range horsebando to call on when she decides to move on to the next chapter of her life, so there’s that.)
I definitely misread the issue with the comedy analysts. I really didn’t see the “lack of feedback” issue coming. It’s always nice when I can’t see the ending coming.
In any case, let’s see what fun we can have while filling this overdue production quota:
Hatbearer 1W
Creature — Pony Soldier
Hatbearer has first strike as long as it’s enchanted, vigilance as long as it’s equipped, and lifelink as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
“Never underestimate the power of a good accessory.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
2/1
Droll Observer 1WW
Creature — Pony Advisor
If a source would deal damage to Droll Observer, prevent all but 1 of that damage.
“Well struck, sir. Thoroughly devastating technique.”
2/2
Thaliologist 2W
Creature — Pony Scientist
Whenever you gain life for the first time each turn, Thaliologist assembles a Contraption. (Put the top card of your deck face up onto one of your sprockets.)
5W: You gain 3 life.
Discovering the jokes of tomorrow today.
2/2
Corporate Drudgery 2WW
Enchantment
All spells cost 1 more to cast.
Whenever a player casts a spell, you gain 1 life.
From the workers to the conveyor belts, they’re all just cogs in the machine.
Factory Guards 3W
Creature — Pony Soldier Rigger
Vigilance
When Factory Guards enters the battlefield, it assembles a Contraption.
Everypony’s expected to pull a few shifts on the assembly line.
1/4
Shake Perception 1U
Sorcery
Target player puts the top five cards of their library into their graveyard. You shuffle up to five cards from your graveyard into your library.
Pinkie’s friends quickly grow accustomed to questioning their sanity.
Curse of the Straight Man 3UU
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
Spells enchanted player casts that target you or permanents you control cost 2 more to cast.
Silver-bordered permanents you control have hexproof from enchanted player. (They can’t be the target of spells or abilities that player controls.)
Creative Burnout 2B
Sorcery
Target player discards two cards. Then, if that player has no cards in hand, they lose 3 life.
“I don’t even know where the turtleneck came from. It just showed up the day I lost my laugh.”
—Cheese Sandwich
Magus of the Laugh 2BB
Creature — Pony Wizard
Whenever a permanent other than Magus of the Laugh is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, Magus of the Laugh deals 1 damage to each other creature and each player.
When no creatures not named Magus of the Laugh are on the battlefield, sacrifice Magus of the Laugh.
3/3
Commedia Archetype 3BB
Enchantment Creature — Rogue
Creatures you control have lifelink.
Creatures your opponents control lose lifelink and can’t have or gain lifelink.
Humor is best left to the professionals.
4/3
Electrifolly 2R
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact.
Electrifolly deals 3 damage to each creature and planeswalker.
“Toys were made to be played with, even if it’s a little rough.”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Industrial Desolation 3RR
Sorcery
Target player sacrifices a basic land and a nonbasic land.
“Officially speaking, there was nothing of note here before the amusement factory was built.”
—Sans Smirk, factory manager
Confetti Burst 1G
Instant
Proliferate X times, where X is one plus the number of cards named Confetti Burst in all graveyards. (To proliferate, choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
Cottage Industrialist 3G
Creature — Pony Artificer
Graft 2 (This creature enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature onto it.)
Fabricate 2 (When this creature enters the battlefield, put two +1/+1 counters on it or create two 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature tokens.)
0/0
Joy Spreader
Artifact — Contraption
Whenever you crank Joy Spreader, the next time you cast an instant or sorcery spell this turn, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Seeker Peel
Artifact — Contraption
Whenever you crank Seeker Peel, tap up to two target permanents.
“The Last Laugh” R(wu)
Tribal Enchantment — Rigger Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on “The Last Laugh”.
R(wu), Sacrifice “The Last Laugh”: “The Last Laugh” assembles X Contraptions, where X is the number of verse counters on it.
Ventriloquoopie 1(ur)(ur)
Instant
You may choose new targets for target spell or ability with a single target.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn. You may choose new targets for the copy.)
Coax a Snicker 4UR
Sorcery
Cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.)
Target opponent reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a nonland card with converted mana cost 5 or less. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then that player shuffles their library.
Prop Comedy XXUR
Instant
Assemble a Contraption, then crank up to X Contraptions you control.
“We’re going to throw funny at the wall and see what sticks.”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Cheese’s Workshop
Land
T: Add C.
T: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast an artifact spell, a Rigger spell, or a spell that would cause you to assemble a Contraption.
Every great business venture starts in somepony’s shed.
Ack, the release of this episode really crept up on me. And the Weird Al episode, no less! Gonna have to dig that up somewhere hopefully not too disreputable...
Droll Observer is a heck of a chump blocker, stopping even tramplers cold. Insurance against damage-based board wipes is also nice.
For those less knowledgeable about the rules: yes, you can stack Cottage Industrialist in such a way as to get a pair of 2/2s and a death trigger. That's probably the default mode, especially if you also have +1/+1 counter synergies.
Ventriloquoopie is another example of an anti-Storm card with Storm. In that regard, the opponent's Grapeshot and Brain Freeze will backfire spectacularly, their Tendrils of Agony will at least be negated, and their Empty the Warrens goes off without a hitch because goblins don't have a problem with farting.
Note that "would cause you to X" is iffy in black border, but the card in question is silver border anyway so it doesn't really matter. Silver border is allowed to rely on common sense.
I kept mishearing his name as Sands Smirk. Sans Smirk makes a lot more sense.
I quite liked this episode. At first I thought the song was a little too similar to the Super Dooper Party Pony song, but I found myself singing it after I watched the episode. So it was a great way to kick off the second half of the season.
I felt that this would have been stronger as an 11-minute episode. Once Cheese's flashback ended, I thought the solution was evident. But then we had to get through a montage of Pinkie attempting the science of comedy and a padded-out conversation about Pinkie not wanting to work at the factory before we reached said conclusion.
This plot came with a high degree of difficulty -- if the story is about making others laugh, then the gags have to be legitimately funny in order for the story to feel satisfying. While acknowledging that comedy is fairly subjective, I thought that the script usually did a good job with that. Granted, everything fell into the category of "take a well-known gag and then have the opposite happen," but that's a good path to take when you have the freedom of animation to sell the jokes. (Although that well started to run dry by the time they reached the "ink stains appearing on somebody else's clothes" bit.)
Speaking of difficult: I know there'd be a lot of complaints if Weird Al guest-starred in an episode and there wasn't a song, but the song we got felt more obligatory than anything. For Cheese Sandwich to begin to get his laugh back because of an unfunny spoonerism was not the best way to begin the resolution. But the writers missed the mark in the ending with Sans Smirk.
Sans Smirk (correctly) hadn't been set up as any kind of villain or boss character to overcome -- he was simply someone with a sense of humor who didn't express it with laughter. That kind of person does exist in real life -- a person who will hear a joke and respond by matter-of-factly stating, "that's funny." They legitimately think that the joke is funny; they just aren't prone to actually laughing.
Granted, there's no better feeling of accomplishment than coming up with something so funny that they do laugh. But making that the crux of Cheese's return to laughter was to set the story up for failure (see "high degree of difficulty" above -- a pun from an elementary-school joke book would not believably make someone like Sans Smirk laugh out loud). The resolution was that Cheese needed to be present in order to share in the laughter of his "customers," and making the factory workers laugh would have been enough to accomplish that. Instead, the writers undercut their own ending by going too far.
I'm not saying this was a bad episode. The basic premise was solid and there were some good jokes ("Are you sure this is edible?" "I am not!"). There just wasn't enough for a half hour, and the filler brought the rest of the episode down a peg.
You fool! There is not a vessel on the high seas that can possibly compete with the HMS TwiDashPie!
My crew and cannon stand ready for boarding action, whenever you wish to duel, brigand!
(it's always been amusing to me that the word for a single cannon is cannon, a group is cannons, but an emplacement/battery is cannon.)
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I have my methods if you'd like me to share. Usually same-day as well.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of It Bombed in Seaddle! In fact, I noticed that his office is filled with junk that looks as though it used to be in his hammerspace...including a Pinkie Pie plushie.
i.ytimg.com/vi/QbllGJMzG9w/hqdefault.jpg
Tumblr link
I expected the Undertale joke, but 'horsebando' threw me for a second
You evil genius you
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I share a lot of your opinions on the episode's resolution. Cheese needing to see ponies laugh makes sense, but making Sans laugh was neither necessary nor believable.
My wife and I were particularly disappointed in the song because it seemed like it was being set up to be a comedy song full of wordplay or Spoonerisms, which would have been fantastic. Instead the two Spoonerisms in it don't work at all because they don't make English words with either half of the swap, and the song wasn't even funny at all. Its visuals were, to be fair, but that's not as good. It feels like such a waste to have Weird Al start a song taking about Spoonerisms but then have the rest of the song be so, well, straight.
But the rest of the episode had some good jokes, and I'm with FOME in appreciating both that it raised the question of whether Pinkie's satisfied in her life, and answered it in the affirmative. And plenty of the visual gags made me laugh too.
Though once we saw the factory I was sortof expecting more Willy Wonka allusions.
Considering where she came from, I think that Pinkie kind of does think that she's reached the commanding heights. She's got a happy life, loads of friends and she gets to do what she loves best: TALK. If she'd stayed back at the rock farm, she'd still be a sad little mute wondering if she'll notice it when she dies.
Oh. The whole time, I thought it was a rock leaking rain somehow. >.< This makes far more sense.
Since I use this blog series to drop bizarre MtG rules minutiae in a place where they might conceivably be appreciated: the new Chainer card, due to several different weird interactions, can use its first ability, then be sacrificed to some thing or another (you're in Rakdos with a general that recurs creatures but makes you pay list price for them, you're either an Aristocrats deck or an idiot), and bring him back by casting him with said ability. And then his second ability will trigger to give him haste.
Gaaaaah missed this, sorry
In any case, I wasn't fully on board, and a bit nervous about them suddenly having Pinkie get all worried about her lack of life goals after all this time, when she never really needed one, but it handled it really well. As you said, it's just natural to feel you might be missing something if everyone around you is moving on, advancing their careers and lives, and you are just doing the same thing as always. But, at the same time and what I love the Ep for saying, was it doesn't really matter. So long as you are happy where you are and doing what you are doing, there is nothing wrong with being happy staying right where you are.
Yeeeeaaaaahhhh... I still go with the Mane 6 other then Twilight are just part time teacher, only holding 2-3 lectures a week.
This is assuming she doesn't actually have them, just tucked away somewhere in case she ever needs them.
And, was I alone in getting an 'Ankh-Morpork Guild of Fools and Joculators' vibe from the factory?