Deconstruction is Magic: A My Little Pony Retrospective (S1E5)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrreetings everypony, and welcome back to Deconstruction is Magic, my retrospective/review/analysis of every FiM episode ever. Today, it's one of my favourite episodes of all time, Griffon the Brushoff! Without wasting any more time, let's get into it. I am the Mage of Mind, reminding you, as always, that even a cheeseburger can be deconstructed to its source.

Griffon the Brushoof is the debut episode of Gilda Griffon (And yes, I will be using this spelling for consistencies sake), and while we won't get an exploration of griffon culture for some seasons yet, we still get a glimpse into the anti-social nature of griffons, in addition to some extra worldbuilding about Jr. Flight Camp. Pony society, as we've seen so far, is not opposed to non-ponies getting involved, albeit on a minority basis. This is one of many pieces of a puzzle that completes Equestria as a living, breathing world, far outside the bounds of Ponyville!

(YOU WILL BE LIKE US.)

I mentioned in my previous analysis that season 1 often demonstrates some pacing issues. This episode also has a slower pacing, but it makes much better use of the time to tell the story as a whole. While I didn't mark the time exactly, roughly half the episode is dedicated to Pinkie and Rainbow Dash pulling pranks together, and none of that time feels wasted. It builds on the relationship between Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, showing them to have a mutual interest for practical jokes.

And on that subject, this episode addresses something that I wish more people on the internet would learn. It's not enough for something to be "just a joke". We need to consider how this joke may harm others. All of Pinkie and Dash's pranks are done to confuse, but not abuse. We see their friends getting a little annoyed, but they always laugh at the end of it, showing that they are in on the joke, and that it's not meant to do harm. However, Rainbow Dash insists that they do not prank Fluttershy, because she's very sensitive, to which Pinkie wholeheartedly agrees!

(Doesn't Rainbow look distinguished and, I dare say, dashing with a monocle? :P

This shows how much depth there is to these characters, even at this early stage. Pinkie Pie especially may be socially oblivious at times, but she gets genuinely worried if she accidentally hurts someone, and is always considerate of those who may be more sensitive. Gilda, by contrast, has no such restraints. She doesn't care who she steps on, and Rainbow Dash doesn't know this since she doesn't directly behave like that in front of her.

Pinkie Pie, however, does notice, but at first it's only her who is subjected to Gilda's bullying. And as such, Twilight just thinks she's jealous. While this isn't entirely without merit, it brings me to one of my few problems with this episode. Even if she learns the error of her ways, by the end, it doesn't sit right with me that Twilight would just dismiss Pinkie being bullied out of hoof as "jealousy".

(And still she's double the caring level of real school teachers!)

This is, admittedly, a nitpick, and doesn't do much to detract from the best aspect of this episode: The comedy! This episode has visual gags in spades, from the looney tunes reference of Pinkie Pie's bouncing, to the many strange and random methods she uses to reach Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie is just out in full force this time around, and they are all perfectly timed! In addition, we get a brilliant misdirect with all the party pranks Gilda stumbles in. We have every reason to suspect Pinkie Pie was the culprit and is just playing dumb, but it also makes equal sense that the pranks were Rainbow Dash's idea.

This is where the early-episode setup comes in to place. Because Rainbow Dash loves pranking as much as Pinkie does, and the fact that Gilda is arrogant enough to demand first go on everything, everything fits into place without any character bending needed. Not to mention we get a nice window into the mind of Pinkie Pie, and why she loves parties so much. The party in general was the attempt to reform Gilda, and what we (and Gilda) assumed was playing dumb, is Pinkie's blissful, ignorant, literal thinking.

(I'm sure she'll catch the pigeon, this time!)

Conclusion

Griffon the Brushoff is a near perfect example of everything season 1 gets right. It is one of the episodes that kept me invested in the show going forward, portraying multi-layered, flawed characters who are always considerate of others' limitations. It sets up Gilda as a low-key antagonist, showing what Rainbow Dash could become were she not the element of loyalty. Add to this some brilliant cartoon antics from Pinkie Pie, this is an episode that demonstrates Friendship is Magic at its best!

Griffon the Brush Off gets 9/10. What did you think of this episode? Is it as good as I suggest it is? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! Until next time, take care~.