Episode Re-Review: Sleepless in Ponyville · 5:10pm Mar 15th, 2021
Imagine the surprise of everyone when a brand new writer debuted for this episode in the form of Corey Powell. Corey was a pretty obscure writer all things considered, so her being tapped to write for a show like this was unexpected to say the least. It was also the long overdue Scootaloo focus episode (no word if it had ever been planned for Seasons 1 or 2 before being scrapped or pushed back). Up to this point Scootaloo was basically just a mini-Rainbow Dash, and how much you enjoyed her depended in part on how much you enjoyed Rainbow Dash. But was this the episode Scootaloo needed to become her own character, or, in light of other episodes shining light on different parts of her character, is this episode now just a waste of time? Well, let's find out.
The episode begins kind of similar to Scootaloo's big scene from "The Show Stoppers", except now she seems to be a bit more skillful at dodging and ponies seem not to be as bothered. It all culminates with her riding her scooter off a ramp and catching some big air. While in mid flight Rainbow Dash compliments her, which causes Scootaloo to crash in a bale of hay.
Scootaloo is enthusiastic and won't stop talking about the compliment, and Apple Bloom suggests Scootaloo make use of an upcoming camp out to draw closer to Rainbow Dash since Applejack is taking Apple Bloom. Scootaloo immediately accepts, no mention of parents or any legal guardians (who I'm sure would have to sign off on such a thing). And Sweetie Belle decides that if her friends are going she'll go too, and even convince Rarity to come along. She does this by basically guilt tripping Rarity. Perhaps in retaliation, Rarity makes Sweetie Belle a glorified pack mule to haul a huge wagon full of "necessities". As for Rainbow Dash, well she's going to meet them at the camp site. Fortunately, she's doing her part to help by using her karate moves to chop down trees (don't ask me how she never gets splinters from doing it). And this isn't the first time she's used martial arts in everyday work, she really does take a shine to destruction.
Rarity ends up pulling out a massive tent and Rainbow Dash can't resist mocking Rarity's overpreparedness, while also imitating Rarity a little.
Then, that night, Rainbow Dash tells a scary ghost story around a campfire (because where else do you tell ghost stories?) involving this olden pony. I suppose it's meant to be the pony equivalent of the boogeyman or something. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are both frightened by this but fortunately have their big sisters to lean on for comfort. Scootaloo doesn't have that and tries to play it cool, but it's clear that she's scared. Then, that night she has a nightmare where she encounters the olden pony. Also, in a blink and you'll miss it moment, Princess Luna appears. But this isn't a glorified cameo even if at first glance it seems like it will be. Anyway, Scootaloo wakes up in fright and is unable to sleep for the rest of the night.
Rainbow is naturally quite oblivious to this despite the bags under Scootaloo's eyes, and then it's on to the next camp site where Rainbow will again meet the rest of the group at the location. Scootaloo is so sleep deprived that she falls asleep and drives her scooter right off the path, barely avoiding several obstacles along the way before getting back on the path.
Yet only Applejack seems to notice anything wrong, but Scootaloo is quick to play it off. Then, that night, Scootaloo is sent to fetch the firewood (because I guess no one else wants to do it) and her fears make this a really difficult task to complete. Fortunately, she retrieves enough for a fire and Rainbow Dash tries to tell another scary story. Scootaloo, determined to avoid this, tries to tell a story about how everything was sunshine and rainbows. So basically she's telling an unintentional horror story about the worst of G3.
When the story fails to impress, Rainbow Dash takes over and tells the story of The Headless Horse. And since Applejack and Rarity heard it before they're not afraid of it. Scootaloo then tries to keep everypony awake by having Sweetie Belle sing a song, a ponyfied version of "Ninety Nine Bottles of Bear on The Wall" and you know it was done by Claire Corlett since the singing is high pitched and really bad. Still, Sweetie goes through the whole ninety nine (in this case buckets of oats) before falling asleep. And apparently, everyone is okay with sleeping in a cave that they just came across, never mind the fact that there could be bears or bats in there. There is also a bit of an animation mix-up when Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom aren't going off with their respective sisters initially. Anyway, Scootaloo doesn't want to go to sleep and tries to make up excuses about why that it is. But eventually she falls asleep and has a nightmare where she's chased by the headless horse.
Fortunately, it's dispelled by Princess Luna who emerges and is accompanied by a musical track that would more or less become her theme song of sorts (it would be remixed for her next two dream episodes, perhaps to better fit the atmosphere of each). Scootaloo is pleased to see her but wonders what Princess Luna is doing here in the first place. Princess Luna mentions that as princess of the night it's her duty to come into dreams, apparently whenever the pony is suffering from a nightmare. But it's a bit on the clunky side because we don't know how it works or if she always had this power (if so, wouldn't she have seen through dreams that ponies appreciated her?). Even with the later establishment of the dream realm as an apparently sovereign domain it's still kind of confusing. We do see that Princess Luna isn't like her sister, she opts for the direct approach of telling others what they're doing wrong and what must be done to correct the problem. She truly embodies the idea of tough love. And her next dream episode would make that very clear.
Suddenly, after touching a hoof to Scootaloo, Princess Luna is dispelled from the dream as Scootaloo wakes up. We're never given a reason for this outside of the plot dictates it. Anyway, wide awake, Scootaloo is startled and frightened when she hears what she thinks is the whiny of the headless horse (though it's actually Rainbow Dash who is a very loud snorer). She runs off on her scooter and eventually crashes it, getting thrown onto a branch (no word on what happened to her scooter but it was most likely badly damaged). The branch gives way and plunges her into a raging river that leads to a waterfall.
Fortunately, Rainbow Dash catches Scootaloo right as she goes over the edge and carries her to safety. Rainbow immediately shows her concern for Scootaloo and upon seeing Princess Luna on the face of the moon (I guess that implies she woke up Rainbow Dash to go and save Scootaloo, and if so she has impeccable timing) she come clean. Scootaloo confesses to being afraid of the ghost stories, and Rainbow reveals willingly that she was scared too. She embraces Scootaloo in a hug and agrees to more or less mentor the filly so long as she doesn't go plunging into more waterfalls at night. It's a very sweet development for both, giving both a chance to grow and open up to each other about their insecurities.
But the story isn't quite done yet, the next day the camping trip happens to pass by some rainbow colored waterfalls and apparently this is a good place for a swim. Rainbow even lifts Scootaloo up and lets her experience true flight for the first time. Then, at night, Scootaloo has another dream about the olden pony. But this time Rainbow Dash is either brought into her dream or a dream image of Rainbow Dash is conjured up to send the olden pony away, and I think it's supposed to be implied that Princess Luna had a role in this too since she gives a wink.
And that's the story, so what do I think of the episode? It's definitely deserving of its title of best Season 3 episode, especially considering it was from a newcomer so it had no business being as good as it was. Even if we learn relatively little about Scootaloo here compared to other focus episodes of hers, we do get our first hints and our first chance at seeing her as her own character and not just Rainbow Dash's mini-me. Speaking of Rainbow Dash, she gets to show off a softer side of herself by opening up to Scootaloo and agreeing to take her under her wing, showing that even she can get scared sometimes. Applejack, Rarity and the other Crusaders don't feel tacked on, they have their own contributions to the episode by showing what Scootaloo could have and hopes to have with Rainbow Dash. It being a dream episode means the animators have an excuse to include some crazy visuals, including a full 360 rotation of Scootaloo's head while in a forest. About the only thing that really holds back the episode (and it doesn't hold it back too much) is Princess Luna. Her role is fine but it's very confusing about how it works and whether she had this power before or not. Even subsequent dream episodes wouldn't fully flesh out this concept. And while normally that wouldn't be so bad since we could interpret it however we want, for something so crucial to Luna's character it needed an explanation or else it risked opening up some contradictions with the lore. Aside from that this episode is pretty good, easily earning an A+.
So Season 3 looked to be quickly bouncing back from "One Bad Apple" and seem poised to finally take off, and up next is the only other episode of Season 3 that seems to get anywhere close to universal praise, "Wonderbolts Academy".
Yeah, not really anything I can say here that you didn't already
My second favorite episode of the season.
A minor detail, but this is the only episode of Season 3 in which Pinkie Pie is completely absent, and one of two not to have Twilight and Fluttershy (the other being Apple Family Reunion). As for the other Mane Six, while they are present for every episode this season, only Applejack has a speaking role in all of them (Rainbow Dash and Rarity merely get non-speaking cameos in One Bad Apple (alongside Twilight and Fluttershy) and Apple Family Reunion).
5476197 Considering Season 3 had a problem with Pinkie Pie, perhaps that's another big positive for this episode in that it didn't needlessly shoe horn her into an episode she had no purpose being in.
I'm pretty sure it can be inferred Luna had this power before. Also is it just me, or do you use the term 'pretty good' to describe just about any episode with a rating over B? A+ I feel warrants something more than that.
5476589 Inferred but not confirmed. And if she did have it before, how could she come to believe her subjects didn't appreciate her night if she could visit them in dreams and help them with nightmares? Plus, we still don't know how exactly it's supposed to work. Can she appear in dreams at any time if she chooses, or does she have to wait for it to become a nightmare?
From what I hear, Claire Corlett improved, singing wise, later on
Also, as for Luna getting yeeted out, I always figured it was Scoots was just waking up