Ranking the Fluttershy Episodes (From Worst to Best), Version 2 · 3:37pm Sep 22nd, 2019
Since there's still the finale to consider for possible Twilight episodes (the very last one looks like it could count as one for her) this is going to the last mane six ranking that gets updated before the finale. Season 9 gave Fluttershy three new episodes, bumping her total up to 22, but she is still the mane six member with the least amount of focus episodes. As always, we're considering how the episodes count as an outing in the spotlight for the character of focus. So far it seems that Season 9 hasn't given any main characters a new low but at the same time it hasn't given them a new high (except for Starlight), but did that trend continue with Fluttershy? Well, let's find out. Here's the first version, from February.
22. Scare Master (Season 5, Episode 15 in production order/21 in airdate)
Why it stayed on the bottom: This is the last time Fluttershy ever backpedaled from her character growth of learning how to stand up for herself. As we'll soon see they would find a different flaw to give her, at least for one episode. Anyway, this episode basically has Fluttershy acting like a little kid and a wet blanket, ruining the fun for everyone because she doesn't want to face her fears. And the return of Flutterbat is blatent fanservice, it is done solely to cash in on her popularity and nothing else. What was wrong with the synopsis' statement of Fluttershy facing her fears and joining in on the fun of Nightmare Night? Why couldn't we have gotten that as an episode instead?
21. Filli Vanilli (Season 4, Episode 14)
Why it stayed above the bottom: When the episode's working title was "The Return of Flutterguy" it's painfully obvious what this episode was about. It was all about fanservice and a plot tailor made to bring it about. You mean to tell me that the same Fluttershy who is competing in the Equestria Games is afraid to get up on stage and sing alongside her friends? And the whole "baby steps" moral just feels like an excuse to justify her backsliding and backpedaling. Yet all anyone remembers this episode for is its insulting Pinkie Pie portrayal.
20. Fake It 'Til You Make It (Season 8, Episode 4)
Why it stayed in the bottom three: This episode tries to fool you into thinking it's something else, but it really just becomes yet another "Fluttershy learns to stand up for herself" episode. Then on a whim, she gets too into character and starts becoming mean and snobby. But it's all okay, she didn't mean to say or do any of the things she did. Nevermind the fact that she probably aliennated a great deal of customers. This was also the first time we saw the School of Friendship serve as a plot inhibitor instead of a plot initiator, all potential candidates who were better were blocked off by the school.
19. Bats! (Season 4, Episode 7)
Why it stayed above the bottom three: The problem with this episode is that Fluttershy is in the wrong, yet we're supposed to sympathize with her. She outright admits she can't control the vampire fruit bats or talk to them, and she also makes no effort at all to stand up for herself and gives in to peer pressure. But the episode wants her to be indisupitably in the right, so Applejack's solution is made to backfire and create Flutterbat. Fluttershy's entire argument hinges on the "Broken Window Philosophy" which has been disputed and refuted quite often (it's like "Trickle Down Economics" in theory it sounds good but in practice it never works).
18. Green Isn't Your Color (Season 1, Episode 20)
Why it stayed in the bottom five: While it makes sense for Fluttershy not to have enough of a backbone to stand up for herself yet, if she really hates modelling as much as the episode wants us to believe, then why is she forcing herself to go through with it for Rarity's sake? This whole episode is basically Fluttershy letting others push her around and control her even when it makes her miserable. Heck, how come she never talks to her other friends about using her likeness and fueling her career when she wants out so badly?
17. Daring Doubt (Season 9, Episode 21)
Why it's low: Fluttershy is unbelievably naive and stupid here, she acts like some brainwashed PETA agent instead of Fluttershy. It's like someone looked at "Keep Calm and Flutter On" and "Viva Las Pegasus", and didn't bother to figure out what made those cases work. Only once does Fluttershy even remotely become suspicious of Caballeron, and on a whim she decides to ask Ahuizotl why he's a bad guy. Considering how easily she was duped by Caballeron, and how she seems ignorant of Discord's antagonistic behavior toward Twilight even when it happens directly in front of her, I'm starting to think Fluttershy is a pretty poor judge of character. She does get a couple of moments to shine, such as when she tames the jungle cats and lures the flyders away from a henchpony with a flute, as well as showing that her act of kindness did get through to Caballeron. It's just easy to overlook those moments when Fluttershy is acting so dumb for believing an obvious sob story.
16. Stare Master (Season 1, Episode 17)
Why it moved down: The CMC attract most of the spotlight here, and only in a couple of moments does Fluttershy get to do much of anything. Heck, what we're told about "The Stare" here ends up being contradicted in future appearances when we see Fluttershy can in fact control it (maybe she mastered it as a result of this episode but there's nothing to convey that, a line or two of dialogue probably would've helped). Probably the best thing about this episode was seeing Fluttershy stare down and intimidate a cockatrice as it was trying to turn her to stone. But it's only because of her incredible stare that the CMC even want to listen to her, if not for that they would've kept on misbehaving and running circles around her. A shame too, because Fluttershy never really interacted with the CMC again after this, at least not to the extent of this episode.
15. A Bird in the Hoof (Season 1, Episode 22)
Why it moved down: All Fluttershy really does here is basically kidnap Philomena to try and nurse her back to health, and then the episode just tries to do gross out humor (but plays it too safe) as we witness Fluttershy's attempts to do so fail. It's in character for her, but after she brings Philomena home the episode just sort of hits the brakes and slows to a halt. Then when it finally gets moving again, Twilight shows up and basically takes over the whole episode, even when Fluttershy cradles Philomena's ashes and starts crying.
14. Sounds of Silence (Season 8, Episode 23)
Why it moved down: Poor Fluttershy really gets the short end of the stick here. After a brief bit of her being a scaredy cat, the episode just sort of forgets about her and turns it into the Autumn Blaze and Applejack show. By the time Fluttershy is at all focused on again, she's already sided with the kirin and against Applejack, something we were denied the chance to see because of the focus. And even then, Fluttershy doesn't do much of anything, because Autumn Blaze shows up and takes over the spotlight again. The best we get for Fluttershy is her shouting at Applejack for not listening to her.
13. Fluttershy Leans In (Season 7, Episode 5)
Why it moved down: It's nice that they actually remembered Fluttershy's character growth here. She has no trouble standing up for herself even against her friends. Heck, the episode itself acknowledges this by having Pinkie Pie joke about calling her "Flutterbold". It's just that not much else really happens in this episode, and the moral feels kind of questionable. At least unlike Rarity's boutiques and Rainbow's Wonderbolt career, Fluttershy's sanctuary wouldn't be forgotten after it was established.
12. Sweet and Smoky (Season 9, Episode 9)
Why it's not in the top half: There are some good things to like about Fluttershy's character here, such as her being willing to go to the dragon lands with Smolder and Spike. They don't say for sure that she's overcome her fear of dragons but it's nice to see her willing to face her fears and not let them control her. And there's her put down of Garble for treating Spike so poorly when Spike was just trying to befriend Garble, though it reeks of "Show, don't tell" when she argues Spike is helpful even though the whole episode has been spent beating him up. However, there's a rather dumb moment when Fluttershy sees the eggs shaking and thinks they're afraid. Considering Fluttershy has cared for lots of animals, she should be able to tell the nesting grounds are cold and that's why the eggs aren't hatching.
11. The Hooffields and McColts (Season 5, Episode 23)
Why it moved down: This is more of a Twilight episode that Fluttershy gets a big role in towards the end. It's understandable in this case why Fluttershy isn't being listened to, it's not like she isn't trying. And Twilight's ideas aren't necessarily wrong either. As I've said before it's a case of idealistic approach to realistic approach. One believes you can identify the problem and solve it with tried and true theory, the other believes you need hard facts and a real time approach that matches the situation on the ground. One isn't necessarily better than the other, some theories work in practice and others don't. Plus, Fluttershy is a good pep talker here, even if Twilight's doubts are a little bit sudden.
10. Buckball Season (Season 6, Episode 19 in production order/18 in airdate)
Why it moved down: Not only is Fluttershy sharing the spotlight with Pinkie Pie, but she's also sharing it with Applejack and Rainbow Dash, as well as Snails. She gets some good moments though, particularly when she and Pinkie get into a bit of a role reversal. It's still kind of sad that this is the best we got for a FlutterPie episode (alongside their subplot for "Rainbow Roadtrip"). And hey, give Fluttershy credit, she's managed to get into buckball pretty well from what we've seen. She's not a scaredy cat anymore (aside from when an episode wants to try and bring it back).
9. Dragonshy (Season 1, Episode 7)
Why it moved down: Chalk this up to a case of "Early Installment Weirdness" here, since Applejack is the one being so patient with Fluttershy while Rainbow Dash is the one always getting on Fluttershy's case and painting her as "The Load" (which Fluttershy does kind of end up being for the team for much of the episode). Of course, Fluttershy's big moment to shine comes during the climax after all her other friends are incapicitated. It was the first example that Fluttershy isn't just a scaredy cat, and one of the earliest examples of character growth and continuity within the show (when they explain how Fluttershy isn't afraid of Spike).
8. Viva Las Pegasus (Season 6, Episode 20)
Why it moved down: There's really nothing that sinks this episode, aside from how conveinetly Fluttershy finds out about Gladmane's deception through the animals. It feels like a bit of a cop-out, an easy way for her to be able to learn what the problem is and thus tell Applejack. They could've easily had it so that her talks with Flim and Flam were how she learned of Gladmane's deception, especially with how she was basically trying to play family therapist and counselor to them. She is still understanding of Applejack's reluctance to help Flim and Flam, the episode doesn't treat her as completely in the right or pretentious, or even naive. Though we have no idea if Impossibly Rich really looks (or looked depending on whether she's still alive) like Fluttershy or if she was even the same species (I kind of think Impossibly Rich would be an earth pony, but maybe Diamond's family has some pegasi and/or unicorn blood in it).
7. She Talks to Angel (Season 9, Episode 18)
Why it's so high: Even if this episode is basically a body swap episode with Angel in Fluttershy's body and Fluttershy in Angel's body, it does a good job of showing off Fluttershy's character growth. At times it does feel like she's acting like Twilight (frazzled mane, long list of responsibilities, growing frustrated) but it doesn't feel like her character has been replaced by Twilight's character. What's most surprising is that Fluttershy, even in Angel's body, is still assertive and able to make Angel do what she wants. Though I don't think she ever assumed it was easy being a bunny, and it wasn't exactly right for Zecora to punish Fluttershy for a problem that was largely Angel being unreasonably demanding and clingy (in case you're wondering why I haven't done a Zecora episodes ranking, it's because outside of her debut episode and perhaps "Magic Duel" and "A Health of Information" Zecora's never really had the spotlight shone on her, she's felt like more of a plot device since she mostly shows up with a potion needed to kick start whatever the plot of an episode is). This is another case though of Season 9 not knowing when to leave well enough alone, because this was a much better final outing for Fluttershy than "Daring Doubt".
6. A Health of Information (Season 7, Episode 18 in production order/19 in airdate)
Why it stayed the same: From here on the list is the same, so go ahead and skip to the end if you saw the original version. This episode introduced a new flaw for Fluttershy that it seems Seasons 8 and 9 didn't bother to consider, her assertiveness now making her prone to overexhertion and trying to prove herself. Though all things considered, Fluttershy is the one who seems to do most of the heavy lifting in this episode and the only one who seems to be at all concerned about Zecora's condition. And that can make things kind of jarring, especially when Fluttershy blacks out and we later learn that she's been asleep for three days.
5. Flutter Brutter (Season 6, Episode 12 in production order/11 in airdate)
Why it stayed the same: Fluttershy standing up to Zephyr Breeze repeatedly was great, she never let him get away with anything at all. It really is saying something when she seems to be the most assertive member of her family. And it's obvious that she is annoyed at how Zephyr keeps doing what he does here. Still, she knows where to draw the line on tough love, when Zephyr's at his lowest she's willing to reach out to him and help him get back on his hooves.
4. It Ain't Easy Being Breezies (Season 4, Episode 16)
Why it stayed the same: In the original list I claimed it wasn't in the top five, but I meant to say not in the top three. So it stays the same in the top four. Though not as strong from a story perspective compared to "Rarity Takes Manehattan" and "Pinkie Pride", from a character perspective this was probably the best key episode. That's because it showed how Fluttershy's Element of Harmony and defining nature could become a bad thing in the right circumstances. That sometimes being kind to others is actually doing them a disservice, and sometimes we must be cruel to be kind.
3. Keep Calm and Flutter On (Season 3, Episode 10)
Why it stayed the same: You know what made this redemption work for Fluttershy? They showed that she was aware of Discord's behavior and wasn't ignorant of what he was doing. What she wanted was to earn his trust so that when the time came he would listen to her. And ultimately it worked, even if subsequent episodes have undermined this concept (it seems like Discord often does bad things behind Fluttershy's back or when he thinks she isn't looking). Plus, given what we know of her past, why is it surprising that she would want a friendship or relationship where she is the one in charge?
2. Putting Your Hoof Down (Season 2, Episode 19)
Why it stayed the same: At least Season 9 Fluttershy didn't forget the lesson she learned here, which is nice I suppose since this was (alongside Twilight not freaking out) the lesson that seemed to be forgotten the most often by the writers whenever they needed to write an episode. I still don't think it was right to blame Iron Will for what Fluttershy ended up doing here, he never outright encouraged her to be a bully or to insult her friends. Sure, his methods may have been questionable, but Fluttershy willingly chose to use her new found assertiveness to go after others for the slightest offense. Even then, Fluttershy realized her mistake, and even when Iron Will was well within his rights to demand payment for his services he kept his word and went away when Fluttershy told him she wasn't 100% satisfied.
1. Hurricane Fluttershy (Season 2, Episode 22)
Why it stayed on the top: There really isn't much to say about this episode that hasn't already been said. It's the ultimate example of a character knowing they have a problem and making a huge commitment to overcoming it. Fluttershy pushes her beyond her limits twice, turning her fear into a motivator to do better. It's a powerful, uplifting message that really showed what this character was capable of besides just being the cute one and the animal lover. There was also a clever little call back to Fluttershy saying she wanted to be a tree, which is a detail we really didn't see too often in the show. Think of that as a little cherry on top of this incredible sundae.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll update the rankings for the Daring Do Episodes.
Here's how I rank them:
Sounds of Silence
Flutter Brutter
Buckball Season
Daring Doubt
She Talks to Angel
Filli Vanilli
Sweet and Smokey
Hurricane Fluttershy
Dragonshy
Bats
Green Isn’t Your Color
A Health of Information
Hooffields and McColts
Keep Calm and Flutter On
Scare Master
Fake It Til You Make It
Stare Master
Fluttershy Leans In
It Ain't Easy Being Breezies
Putting Your Hoof Down
Viva Las Pegasus
A Bird in the Hoof
I'm gonna stop you there, Let's not forget that ponies know next to nothing about dragons, and I don't know if its been established that Twilight asked Celestia for info on dragons when she hatched Spike. Also when Fluttershy first met Spike, she didn't know that dragons could talk. So, it wouldn't be surprising that she misinterpreted the dragon eggs being cold, for them being scared
Ah, the one I've been waiting for!
Now, let's see...
I can believe it. I think with Fluttershy here it's more about the audience than who she's on stage with. In Ponyville, the audience will probably be people she knows to some extent but who aren't her close friends. In the Equestria Games, the crowd will be a long way away and mostly complete strangers. I have social anxiety myself, and I have absolutely been in positions where I've found performing in front of acquaintances more intimidating than doing so in front of people I've never met.
Tell me about it. It's not the only time a team-up episode with Fluttershy does this -- "Daring Doubt" does it, as it happens -- but it's among the most irritating. "Viva Las Pegasus" was a generally pretty good look at AJ and FS working together. I was hoping for more of that. It may be why I'm not as obsessed with the kirin episode as half the fandom seems to be...
Woohoo! Someone else who actually likes this episode! I suspect a lot of people decide that they dislike it because they dislike Zephyr Breeze, but I think it's very good for basically the same reasons you give.
No argument there. This is actually my favourite episode of the entire show, largely because I think Cindy Morrow nailed the nature of the friendship between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. That bit when Dash starts off "Suck it up, Fluttershy!" and then catches herself mid-sentence is one of the finest pieces of writing in the show's history, if you ask me.