Episode Re-Review: Sonic Rainboom · 6:19pm Feb 4th, 2021
Now we're coming to another instant classic or so it seems to be. Rainbow Dash focus episodes have come and gone but this one remains a top contender. And it's written by M. A. Larson, and I bet it was this episode that saw him be crowned a fan favorite. "Suited For Success" lived up to the hype surrounding it, but how about this episode, especially considering Rainbow's uneven development and focus episodes in later seasons? Well, let's find out.
We begin with perhaps the most famous opening sequence in the entire show's history as Rainbow Dash is instructing Fluttershy on something. Out of context it sounds radically different when they mention loss of control, screaming and hollering and passion in that order. But in context it's the elements of a good cheer. Fluttershy is far too soft despite Rainbow's demands to be louder. And this leads to Fluttershy's iconic yay (fun fact, the inhaling she does is just Pinkie Pie's gasp recycled. But it works since they share the same VA) which is still too soft. All this cheering is so Rainbow Dash can feel motivated while working on a routine. All goes as planned until she gets to stage three: The Sonic Rainboom.
Rainbow isn't able to build up enough momentum and gets flung backwards through the sky. Meanwhile, across town, Twilight has just gotten done cleaning up the library with her friends after she went through "a crazy weekend of studying". But just then Rainbow comes crashing in and all the books fall down again. Fluttershy gets a pretty funny joke in when she cheers for Rainbow without realizing the library's a mess and then wonders if her cheering caused it. Rainbow complains that Fluttershy's cheering is inadequate and then exposits about The Best Young Flyers Competition taking place in Cloudsdale. The winner gets a day out with the Wonderbolts. And Rainbow also reveals that she intends to pull off a sonic rainboom in order to win, as Pinkie Pie explains what that is despite claiming to have never seen it before in her life. Of course we'll later find out that's not true but even then Pinkie doesn't know that that's what she saw (not yet anyway).
Rainbow leaves and tells Fluttershy to work on her cheering while wishing the rest of her friends could come and cheer her on. Fluttershy then confides that Rainbow hasn't come close to pulling off the rainboom despite her constant practicing. After she leaves Twilight states it's time to clean up again, but Rarity shoves Twilight and tells her to find a spell that will let non-pegasi ponies get into Cloudsdale. She reveals that since she knows stage fright, she can tell that that's what Rainbow is suffering from despite her best efforts to mask it. It's something that really should've been brought up more often, how Rarity and Rainbow Dash both like to project confidence in their work despite being very self-conscious about their image.
Pinkie Pie conviently finds a spell and claims it landed on her face when Rainbow Dash crash landed and made all the books fall down. Rarity volunteers to be the test subject, and Twilight performs the spell as Rarity appears to undergo a transformation.
We cut to the day of the competition as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy head to Cloudsdale, and Rainbow tells Fluttershy to be more assertive. Not long afterward they run into a trio of bullies, two of which are named Hoops and Dumbbell. They appear to have a history with Rainbow since they claim she got kicked out of flight school for being lazy, and insist that there's no such thing as a sonic rainboom (we'll later learn that as kids they witnessed it for themselves in a race against Rainbow Dash, but even with that knowledge we can assume that they're lying and are in denial about it because they don't want to admit they lost). Fluttershy sticks up for Rainbow, becoming assertive at the worst possible moment by insisting that Rainbow will do it and that the bullies should show up and see for themselves. She then tries to reassure Rainbow Dash that she can pull off the sonic rainboom but ends up making comments about all the pressure. What makes this scene work compared to when Pinkie Pie does it to Fluttershy in "Filli Vanilli" is that Fluttershy is legitimately trying to help and doesn't realize that she's doing the opposite. Plus, it's not the first thing we see her do and it lasts very briefly whereas Pinkie Pie does it twice in the same episode for no reason at all despite knowing about Fluttershy's anxieties.
Fortunately, at that moment Rarity shows up with butterfly wings. And then Pinkie Pie jumps from the hot air balloon we see in the show's opening and lands on the clouds. Twilight reveals that she couldn't duplicate the butterfly wing spell because it was too taxing, but she found an easier spell that let non-pegasi walk on clouds (no word on if it's permanent or if it has to be recast). Rainbow claims to be feeling better and offers to show her friends the sights since there's time before the competition. But during the tour Rarity becomes fixated on her wings and loses track of the fact that she's supposed to be offering moral support. I assume Twilight is too drained to revoke the wings and cast another cloud walking spell, but they really should explain that since otherwise Twilight complains about Rarity's behavior but doesn't do anything to fix the problem. We then get a tour of the weather factory as we see how snowflakes and even rainbows are made (and Pinkie Pie tastes liquid rainbow and finds it to be too spicy. And no, we're not talking about the other infamous grimdark fic launched by this episode). And Rarity becomes an antagonist as her scream from the pilot is turned into a wicked laugh. At the suggestion of some of the factory workers (who are all male), she decides to enter the competition as well (I guess there's no real against spells that grant wings or flight since they never thought anyone would try to do such a thing?). This becomes the episode's one big mistake. Rarity just became the show's breakout character two episodes ago, and this episode now had her at her absolute worst.
The competition gets underway with Princess Celestia in attendance (for some reason) even though the Wonderbolts are said to be the celebrity judges (though we never actually see them do any kind of judging). Rainbow Dash keeps swapping numbers with other contestants to avoid having to perform, and Rarity keeps getting delayed because she's putting on make up. Eventually, there's only time for one more contestant unless two go on at once, so Rarity and Rainbow Dash go out together with Rarity being highly glamorized. She even went so far as to change the music for the routine to suit her even though she went on after Rainbow Dash (I was not aware you could do that). Rarity keeps showing off, which only serves to make Rainbow distracted and make costly mistakes, including sending a cloud towards Princess Celestia.
So it all comes down to the finale, the only way for Rainbow to turn it all around is to pull off the sonic rainboom. And meanwhile, Rarity decides to fly right up to the sun and use her wings to reflect the sunlight, bathing the stadium in its rays. In a nod to the classic story of Icarus, she flies too close and her wings burn up. She plummets towards the ground as the Wonderbolts leap into action to save her, but Rarity's kicks knock them unconscious. Rainbow Dash, without hesitation, turns around and dives down to save Rarity, pulling off the sonic rainboom in order to close the gap in time.
Rarity is helped to safety as Rainbow is crowned the winner of the competition. The bullies apologize as Rarity gives the lesson to Princess Celestia about not letting your ego take control of you (in other words: Pride goes before a fall). Rainbow Dash is then approached by the Wonderbolts who offer her a chance to hang out with her (the only one who speaks though is Spitfire, voiced by Nicole Oliver whereas for all subsequent appearances Kelly Metzeger would take up the role). Rainbow agrees and tells the bullies "I've got plans" as she takes off with two Wonderbolts in uniform (supposedly they're both male. One of the judges was Soarin even though he hadn't been named on-screen yet).
And that's the story, so what do I think of the episode? It's just as much of a classic as "Suited For Success" and did wonders for Rainbow Dash's character. It showed us the mare behind the mask. That deep down Rainbow is very insecure and uses bravado to mask it. We also got some hints of worldbuilding as we got to explore a location that wasn't Ponyville or Canterlot and not just for a few minutes either. Really, the only flaw is how Rarity is made the antagonist here. If you simply wrote her out of that role and had one of the bullies take over it instead this episode wouldn't lose anything. There is probably a point to be made about the pointlessness of Princess Celestia in the plot (she could just as easily show up at the very end for the friendship report and we wouldn't miss anything), but aside from that there really isn't anything that doesn't devolve into nitpicking. So this episode also gets an A+.
Well, now we're entering into another dry patch and one from which the season won't exactly recover fully from. So come back tomorrow as we get the first CMC episode since the pilot for their spin-off that never materialized with "Stare Master".
How interesting is that arguably the best episode of the season is immediately followed by arguably the worst episode of the entire season.
This is definitely one of the best episodes of the season, though it does start a weird trend for me of Dash, despite being my favorite character of the mane 6, only ever managing to get the third best episode of a season at best.
Next up is an episode that I feel gets a bit too much flack, but I'll get into that next time.
It would also explain why Rarity uses the hot air balloon to stay airborne at the end.
A dry patch it won't recover from? Well I really like all the episodes incoming, but I know some of them aren't that popular. However, I thought A Dog and Pony Show, Green Isn't Your Colour, The Cutie Mark Chronicles, Party of One, and The Best Night Ever (and even to an extent A Bird in The Hoof) were pretty loved? They're certainly all great episodes, especially A Dog and Pony Show and Party of One.