Season 3 Episode Reviews: One Bad Apple · 7:37pm Nov 24th, 2012
Tonight, on a very special episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, the Cutie Mark Crusaders deal with that hottest of topics: bullying. Oh, and Pinkie probably gets diabetes or something. Anything to win an Emmy.
Let's take a look at "One Bad Apple."
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TECHNCIAL SPECS:
Season: 3
Episode: 4
Written By: Cindy Morrow
First Aired: November 24, 2012
SUMMARY:
Apple Bloom's cousin from Manehatten, Babs Seed, is coming for a week-long visit, exciting the little filly to no end. Even better, Babs is a blank flank herself, and thus a candidate for joining the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are similarly excited at the prospect of having a new friend, going so far as to join them at the train station to pick her up. Unfortunately, Babs is not particularly impressed with the CMC Clubhouse, and when they try to show her their float for the Summer Harvest Parade, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon show up to begin another round of bullying.
Unfortunately for the CMC, Babs takes the bully's side, smashing the float (although she only intended to kick off the front wheel) and threatening the CMC if they tell. Realizing that their new "friend" was a bully all along, the three decide to just avoid her, but she's one step ahead of them at all times. The straw that breaks the camel's back, however, is when Babs, DT and SS take over the Clubhouse and kick the Crusaders out. Sweetie Belle advocates just telling an adult about what's going on, but Apple Boom and Scootaloo are so terrified that they refuse to become snitches. Instead, revenge is a much better plan...
Fortunately, the CMC took a summer correspondence course with the A-Team, and use the skills they learned to bring about the end of Babs Seed's reign of terror. The night before the Summer Harvest Parade, they build a new float, this time resembling a golden apple, and rig a timer to the controls. During the parade itself, Babs and her new cohorts arrive to look at the floats, and sure enough are entranced by the shiny CMC entry. A little bit of taunting and provoking is all it takes for Babs to punt the Crusaders aside and take control herself, never realizing the timer's ticking down.
The CMC are pleased with their revenge...until Applejack arrives to thank them for being so nice to Babs, considering all the bullying she's gotten back in Manehatten over her blank flank. The three finally realize why Babs was being so mean to them – she didn't want to be a target, so she joined the bullies – and resolve to get her out of there before the timer goes off. Applejack can't hear them over the band, so they commander Pinkie Pie's float. Unfortunately, Babs doesn't want to listen, and just runs them off the road. Right then, however, the timer goes off, causing the controls to seize up and sending the float careening down a cliff towards a muddy embankment. The CMC barely manage to get to the float and push Babs out before the vehicle crashes into the sludge and grime.
Babs is at first surprised that they bothered to save her, but after the CMC explain what happened, they all apologize to each other for becoming bullies. And so Babs Seed becomes the newest member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, as well as the future founder of their Manehatten branch. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon arrive for another round, but Babs puts them in their place by threatening to tell their mothers about their activities. And so she returns home, a little more confident and a lot wiser...
REVIEW:
I had zero hope for this episode when it was announced, if only because of the nature of the problem it addresses and how many shows have screwed it up. Bullying is a complex problem, and is far too difficult for any thirty minute show to address. A lot of us have had to deal with a bully at least once in our lives, from the sheer dread of them popping out from nowhere to beat the crap out of us to the helplessness we feel when we can't find a way out of the situation. While the physical scars are obvious and easy to showcase, it's the psychological trauma that truly makes bullying a terrible thing to suffer through. Even worse, our society is programmed to side with the bullies, with many viewing such activities as a part of growing up and never realizing how much it can screw someone up for the rest of their lives.
But this soapbox is not very comfortable, so I'll jump down and get to the actual episode.
The opening scene with Apple Bloom trying on clothes...kind of feels a bit odd. I thought the ponies went naked almost all the time; why do they even have this many outfits? Is there really a time when AB has to dress up like a sailor? I do like the outfit she made out of the remains of her beloved beach ball, which was so cruelly torn apart by an insane Twilight. Most of the scene, however, is about setting up Babs Seed for us, from her being from Manehatten to her also being a blank flank. The last bit of news is especially important, since it serves as the impetus of the entire story.
The train station scene has a lot of little bits that I love. Applejack's bemused expression as the CMC bounce and screech all around her is hilarious. Sweetie Belle gives her horn a good shake, but it only fizzles and dies. (If you get this joke, you are old.) Also, cows apparently ride trains now. Good to know. And then we get Babs' introduction, complete with a burst of steam. For all the exposition we've been getting about her to this point, we actually learn a whole lot more about her character simply from her expressions and actions. She's obviously nervous and put-off by the CMC practically glomping her right from the train, she hides her blank flank whenever it's mentioned or comes up, and she just seems to stammer about and watch everything around her. When you consider what we learn about her at the end, her behavior makes a whole lot more sense.
One thing that doesn't work, however, is her voice. It seems they were going for a New York or Joisey accent, but in the end kept sliding from one extreme to the other. As for her design, while I didn't like it when I first saw it, it's grown on me a lot.
The scene at the CMC Clubhouse is pretty funny, especially the whole bullseye on the ground where the three can huddle for new ideas. I also liked the design on the pumpkin float for the Summer Harvest Festival, and its few moments of life are well-spent. Unfortunately, this is when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon show up, unleashing their incredibly lame standards of bullying on their usual targets. And then Babs, enticed by the cookies, joins the dark side and destroys the float. So, she was evil all along, right?
Actually, no. Even before the reveal, there's a lot of little glimpses of her underlying character. She's a massive jerkass throughout the episode, but the early scene gives us a pretty clear indication why she goes that far. I'll discuss that more once we get to the appropriate scene.
This leads to the episode's song, which I have decidedly mixed feelings about. On the one hand, making a bubblegummy pop song about how much of a bully Babs is ranks as one of the oddest musical choices in the series so far. We also get proof that movies exist, as do movie lobbies where you can get sweet, delicious plungers! The song itself is catchy and memorable, but what really lets it down are the visuals. The exact same scene is repeated for the chorus every time, and that shot of the CMC running towards the camera while a seed is peeled in the background just looks really off. Also, I hereby decree that any songs with "Yeah Yeah Yeah!" in their lyrics are to be purged from the planet.
And so we get to the point of no return. With their new, more intimidating ally in tow, DT and SS take over the CMC Clubhouse, even smashing the ramp so they can't get in. Of course, that means they can't get out either unless they jump, and gravity is a harsh mistress. The trauma finally becomes more than Sweetie Belle can take, and she lets out a piercing whine and gushes more tears than Niagara Falls. Rarity has taught you well, little ham.
This episode also gives us our first glimpse of Sweetie Belle's house, complete with Magnum fishing. Yes, fishing. All you people who complained about the CMC going fishing in "Keeping Your Hooves on the Ground" can now shut up. Sweetie actually serves as the voice of reason, telling the others they need to rat out Babs to somepony, but the girls are so afraid of being labeled snitches (and thus libel for a major beatdown) that they refuse to do anything. This is actually a really key issue when discussing bullying in any way, shape and form; bullying can only happen if the system in charge allows it to. Unfortunately, kids are conditioned from an early age to never tell when something's going on. Even worse, this behavior is carried into adulthood, where everybody blames the one who tells over the one who actually did the misdeed.
So with doing the smart thing out of the question (what a surprise for a CMC episode), the Crusaders decide to get some revenge, and thus cross the line into becoming bullies themselves. The scene with the three building the float is amusing enough, but what makes it really work is the music. It's basically a MLP version of the A-Team theme, complete with a montage that closely resembles the ones from that show. My favorite part was Scootaloo seemingly getting a wrench Cutie Mark, only for it to turn out to be oil. Also, golden Sweetie looks awesome. New toy line, perhaps?
The actual Summer Harvest Parade is basically your usual collection of parade-related hijinks. I loved Spike's reaction to the carrot crisps, even when Pinkie hijacks the scene trail and floats off after it. But the real highlight is the CMC's attempts to trick Babs onto their golden apple float. Sweetie Belle reverts to being the less intelligent member of the group, constantly saying the wrong thing and not quite being on the ball with the plan. Apple Bloom actually shows some forethought by dragging out a mattress for Babs to knock them onto, and Scootaloo is just disturbingly perfect as an in-your-face loudmouth. I see Rainbow Dash has been giving you lessons.
Of course, Babs falls for the plot hook, line and sinker, driving off to meet her maker. Unfortunately for the CMC, this is when karma comes to bite them in the flank. Applejack, being the queen of guilt slinging, shows up with some balloons to thank the Crusaders for being so nice to Babs, considering how bullied she is back in Manehatten. The balloons turn out to be filled with irony, as they deflate the moment the three realize just what they've done. While Babs was pretty rotten throughout (I'm sure quite a few of you aren't happy that she didn't get a major comeuppance), her behavior is the result of being a target of bullies herself. And as the CMC have just demonstrated, it's distressingly simple for those who have been the target of bullies to become just as bad as their tormentors, if not worse. Bullying is more than just one person being an irredeemable douche; it's a cycle that keeps repeating itself, creating more and more victims until everypony suffers.
Of course, this means it's time for more wacky escapades, only this time to save the pony they were trying to torment. The joke with AJ and the band is...kind of eh, but then you get Pinkie Pie's lettuce float and the previous gag becomes a whole lot funnier. Basically, everything Pinkie does for the next thirty seconds is a pun on lettuce, to the point where I'm looking back fondly on "Over a Barrel" and its own cavalcade of terrible Wild West puns. Babs pulling a Ben Hur and running them off the road was funny enough, I guess, and the three pushing her out of the float before falling victim to their own scheme was a deserved enough punishment for their actions. Still, the climax isn't quite as fulfilling as it should be.
And so we get to the moral: You should tell adults when bullying is going on, rather than run the risk of becoming a bully yourself. It's...okay. Granted, letting an authority figure know should be the first thing you do; fighting back really needs to be a last resort. But at the same time, they've let plenty of adults know about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and that hasn't solved anything. As for Babs apologizing and becoming friends with them... Well, a lot of people have said that would never, ever happen in real life. I disagree, not out of some sort of naive idealism, but because I've actually befriended people who've bullied me in the past, and they've actually turned out to be pretty decent once they stopped being jerks all the time. Babs did some pretty awful things (kicking AB out of her own bed is pretty wretched), but it's also understandable.
The ceremony at the clubhouse was an amusing capstone, especially with Scootaloo's drumming and the incredibly long list Sweetie Belle has to read (which Scoots wrote). And so the CMC begin to turn themselves into a franchise, with Babs becoming the founder of their Manehatten branch. Of course, this is when DT and SS show up to get their comeuppance...which amounts to Babs telling them that their mothers would love to know what their daughters have been up to. While this might not seem to be much of a threat, remember that Filthy Rich was none too pleased with Tiara teasing Granny, so it stands to reason that the other half of their parents won't be satisfied, either. Heck, it's such a good threat that Diamond Tiara apparently turns into a pig.
Of course, this raises the question of why these two don't get any sort of development. After all, we know from fanfiction that Silver Spoon hates being Diamond Tiara's cohort, and Tiara is secretly in love with Scootaloo and wants to do that icky thing adults do with her. Well, here's the thing. You know how Babs became a bully after getting bullied herself? Where do you think that started? Not all bullies are tragic figures; some are just sociopathic jerks. That's what makes the problem such a complex thing to address; there are just so many different angles you have to attack it from.
Also, that "Bad Seed" discussion? Not a good way to end.
CONCLUSION:
I'm not completely sure where I would rank this one. It was certainly a whole lot better than it had any right to be, and does approach the topic with some degree of intelligence and maturity. A lot of the humor works as well, even with Pinkie's horrible puns. On the other hand, the episode lays it on pretty thick at times, and Babs really should have gotten a bit more severe punishment for the crap she pulled. Overall, this was a decently good episode, but it's still a message one, and unfortunately doesn't pull far enough away from the genre's trappings to make itself stand out.
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Next week, Trixie. Bring your marshmallows.
it reminded me of that Madeline episode "the bad hat" on another note remember when what I said when you reviewed the clip for this episode about bullying spreading because no one wants to be a snitch? Was I dead on or what?
Not really a fan of this one. Babs was mean enough that there should have been some sort of comeuppance, especially after the CMCs were put through the ringer for their prank on her. AJ also seemed like a complete idiot; she really didn't notice that Apple Bloom was sleeping on the floor, or any of the other things? Also, I'm rather tired of the 'bullies are only bullies because of their own tragic circumstances -- and that excuses all the stuff they do' shtick. There are many victims of bullying who don't actually become bullies, after all.
Wasn't a big fan of the song either. It was very 'meh' for me.
But next week, we get Trixie shenanigans, which ought to be fun.
Scootaloo is a thesaurus now!
Well it's possible that AJ just thought Apple Bloom was being nice. And yes not all bullies start out as victims but some do and some bully so they wont be bullied without having ever been bullied for those intresestead in bullying and how its spreading see my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/CyberbullyingAndBullyingMemorial
534813: Don't the CMCs have sleeping bags, though? If nothing else, AJ should have noticed that there was one bed and two foals and that couldn't be working out well.
534800
Welcome to the biggest problem of any CMC episode.
Admittedly, it felt like there needed to be some sort of comeuppance, but that wasn't a game breaker for me. It wasn't a great episode, but was certainly better than I thought it would be.
Hmm, might be easier to just kill off U2 rather than just purge each song they write these days...
...whatever happened to that Evil U2 from the "Elevation" music video? I want them to come back!
Another key point is that Babs is only in town for a few weeks, I think. She can be considerably more malicious than she might otherwise be because she knows that in just a few weeks she'll be going back to Manehattan where, yes, she has her own problems, but it also means that any consequences for what she does in Ponyville will be limited.
And pinecones!
- no wait it was just a joke put down those scissors ahhhhhh!!!!
534826: Pinecones, and a hug from Fluttershy! :
And a scheming noble bent on her destruction!
And apocalyptic dark powers beyond man's ken!
And socks!
:-)
If I may offer a counterpoint.
I really like that song and the "Yeah Yeah Yeah" parts are the best parts.
Drum solo! Chum of chums! Home-girl!
That clubhouse scene may be my favorite sequence in the entire show.
534820
Sleeping bags? I have never seen that with the CMC and what was AJ supposed to do about that buy a new bed?
534854: Spare mattress? Sleeping bag? Let one of them use her bed while she takes the couch?
I will say one thing about this episode, it's my least favourite of S3.
Also I agree 100% about Babs design. First glace I hated it, after rewatching the ep I actually liked it... The accent was overdoing it though.
534857
Well maybe..... Hey wait I just thought of something what are they going to do for the Apple reunion?
I wasn't sure what to expect out of this one. I was apprehensive myself about it. But, I came away feeling pretty good, even if the ending kind of laid it out rather thick with the whole, "bad seed" shtick.
I liked the song, repeating animation be darned!
Also, I don't believe in having every antagonist having to get their comeuppance all the time. Life doesn't work that way and I felt the resolution was handled well. Also also, I second the statement that bullies can become friends. Myself, I had some incidents with bullies (nothing too terrible) and it's surprisingly easy to work things out if you keep a level head and just talk it out.
Yeah, big shocker.
Now, that was during my time in high school, dating back to the 90's, so things might not be the same as it is now for children and young adults. But, I'd like to think that the solution is the same as it was then and pride and "rep" are the only things keeping people from working things out.
Anyway, nice analysis!
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Apple Family Approved
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i liked the song, it had kind of an old school scooby doo feel to it i thought.
The only thing I have to add is Sweetie acting stupid in that situation is in character. Twilight panics in obvious ways under stress, Sweetie loses the ability to reason. Seriously, every stupid thing she's ever said she's been under a lot of pressure and it's obvious in her case her brain just shuts down entirely.
Also one funny thing about the oil cutie mark thing is I wrote that same gag almost exactly sometime during early season 2. I only got around to finishing the editing on it a few months ago, but that isn't the point. Also it's a mark that makes even less sense as acidently appearing, but whatever.
All adults are idiots -Check
The only way to solve a problem is the stupidest one possible -Check
DDT and SS are one dimensional plot devices -Check.
Kids can do engineering stuff normal adults cannot. -Check
Seems I'm in another CMC episode.
I HATED the song when I first saw it in the spoiler. Then I saw the episode, and suddenly it clicked. This WHOLE episode was a homage to the 80's. The wacky bubblepop-song (Scoobydoobydoo!), the A-team montage, the chase scene, the bully becoming the friend, even the "bad" joke in the end (the powerglove... it's so bad), everything REEKED of the 80's. All we missed were some Generation X hijinx with skateboards and ghettoblasters, but can't have it all it seems. That was something brave from the team indeed.
About Babs Seed. She was cute. I think her accent was perfect, because it seemed like she was actually doing it to impress the bully duo. Just wish she'd dropped it in the end. About her not getting her karmic retribution? Meh. I think she's suffered enough already. And Equestria IS a positive and happy place, so why not just roll with it. Although the story might have hammered the point in a bit better with them actually failing their rescue and Babs breaking down and only THEN AJ telling them what was up. But if AJ had told that already like any sane person would do, none of this would've happened. And it's nice to have an antagonist that has her own reasons to be a douche without having the fandom invent her some. (Trixie go eat your pinecones and cry about your long lost twin sister Twilight. Also it's not HER fault you failed the magic school exam.).
Now if only I could get "bad seed" out of my head.
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Pretty cool episode. I loved the song, but I agree that the reused animation was kind of lazy.
Also, Sweetie was extra adorable.
I never saw the preview, but people had been telling me that they thought Babs had a Bronx accent. She most definitely does not!
If anything, she sounds like she's from Queens. I'm not very familiar with Jersey accents, so I can't quite say if she has one. It would have been the coolest thing ever if they had actually brought a New Yorker in to teach them some slang. Hearing Babs yell "You tight!" everytime one of the CMC messed up would just make the season for me.
Also: SNITCHES GET STITCHES
I was under the impression that Babs "stealing" Applebloom's bed was more that it was already planned to be that way before she even arrived. Hospitality and all that. Maybe I missed something while watching it?
Hm... I, too, enjoyed this episode, faults and all...
... What in Tartarus is wrong with me?
You know how I said last week I needed an episode I could unambiguously enjoy the very first time around; this was that episode, and my faith in the show is riding high once again.
It's not that it's flawless by any means. Notably as you pointed out bullying is such a complex issue that handling it in just a little over 20 minutes is basically impossible, but overall I really do think the production team did an admirable job of selling the lesson without ever getting overly preachy.
I'll also say this, nothing about Babs visual design bugged me; her mane color is a bit bold, but not overly garish, and I simply adored the way she would blow her bangs out of her face. I really can't see what the big complaint about her accent was either; yeah it was pretty noticeable, but still subtle enough not to get grating. Mostly though I just really appreciated the way her body language was used to constantly convey a sense of deeper emotion than the dialogue alone could possibly manage.
The closest thing I find to disappointing is the borderline flanderization of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. I mean sure they have always been arrogantly shallow self-centered bullies, but I think this is the first time they've been shown being so maliciously aggressive. In previous episodes there bullying has usually been more of the opportunistic variety, taking advantage of otherwise incidental situations to tease the CMC, but here they actually first show up at Sweet Apple Acres for seemingly no reason other than to be jerks, as though they had nothing better to do with their time and making them seem far more pathetically petty than any other appearance. It's hardly a breaking point though, and neither bully has received enough on-screen development time to make it blatantly OOC.
535242
I'd not though about it when watching the episode, but being a child of the 80s myself might have been a contributing factor to why I enjoyed this episode so much.
534800
I'd agree with you, *IF* Babs had been a bully from scene one, but she's clearly a pretty ordinary a pretty ordinary little filly with obvious confidence issues relating to her blank flank. Sure she makes the wrong choice in siding with the bullies, but even before AJ explains about the issues back in Manhattan it's pretty easy to figure out Babs' motivations. This to me is a clear case where the production crew managed to show us that she had a 'tragic' backstory without having to simply tell us.
Plus, we still have DT and SS as our principle foalish antagonists to just be rotten to the core, so I don't see anything wrong with letting Babs be a otherwise good girl who just got carried away.
Also this.
A snitch getting a beatdown in the gradeschool I was in never happen. I was my class snitch. The only thing I got bullied for was that my name was Kim. Been bullied for it ever sens the Kim Possible show started to air in Sweden. They bullied me with saying I had ADHD, it was before I knew I had it, it started to get annoying. But when I did get to know I had it, I let them continue with it, it did not hurt me anymore for it was true. And I was pretty sure the ones bulling me did not even know what ADHD was. I think I only got off lucky.
In High School it was getting pices of erasers thrown at my backhead for fun under the history, geographic and mathematical classes. But I was still a snitch.
Now I have not got more then a death threat for that I speak to much. Still a snitch.
That is practically my social school time.
I can take being called a snitch, and erasers, even being bullied for my name. But I don't think I could survive long with physical bulling.
Nevar enuff puns. EVAR. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Pinkie_Pie_lolface.png
Pinkie's puns are just too good, they make me green with envy. And they were just the tip of the iceberg. I had better just leaf it be.
Also, I think Babs' accent was a Boston one. Though I could be wrong. Regardless, I personally thought it was adorable. Actually, most of her mannerisms were, at least when she wasn't being a jerkass.
Did no one else notice Scootaloo was flying all over the place. Well, fluttering anyway.
534837
More supporting evidence for "Yeah Yeah Yeah" songs.
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They were doing it before it was cool. th00.deviantart.net/fs70/200H/i/2012/065/f/0/hipster_berry_punch_by_draikjack-d4rzg0k.png
Oh...I thought that was Scootaloo's house.
537912
Yeah I caught that.
I really think the whole notion that supposedly Scootaloo can't fly only exists in fannon
Do we ever see any younger ponies flying?
Rainbow Dash and the rest looked older than the CMC in the flying competition.
And the babies in "Baby Cakes" are an exception
Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks like they're never shown flying until they are older.
Scootaloo can fly a little bit, she'll get stronger as she gets older.
541220
It may have been fanon, but the fanon existed for a reason. Ponyville Confidential even seemed to support it. And AJ's comment in The Cutie Mark Chronicles would indicate that the mane 6 (save, perhaps, Fluttershy) were possibly a bit younger than the CMC. (Then again, who knowsdl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Rainbow_Dash.png ) I would say this episode josses that bit of fanon though, especially when combined with the Gameloft app.
I guess my only major problem with this one (other than the lengthy dissertation I could write on the improper and inadequate responses to bullying by the public at large)
the only major problem I have is just her name - Babs Seed.
Really, that's a pretty lame pun even for this show where everything is a pun of some kind.
It doesn't roll off the tongue very well, usually any fictional character is given a name that is easy to say and pleasant to hear.
Even some (more than a few) real actors and TV personalities go by a stage name because their real name is difficult to read, pronounce, and hear.
But with a fictional character you get to choose their name, and they kind of chose a lame one.
Couldn't her name have been something else?
I guess she is supposed to be from Applejack's extended family in Manehattan, the Orange family.
Couldn't she have been something like Orange Seed?
Or . . . I don't know . . . something else
Let me ask you this: why had the life to be so ironic?
621789 Because your bad grammar should be sent back to Science and Outter Space!
625463 love you to!
627212 I wasn't trying to be a jerk, I was just poking a bit of fun at your post. Sorry if I made you angry (presumably enough to get you to downvote my comment.).
627223 well, it was not funny. What will you feal if a random man/woman just said: I hate your type of speaking and you know it?