Episode Re-Review: Where The Apple Lies · 5:48pm Jun 3rd, 2021
This episode was originally going to air in the U.K. early, but due to the show changing networks there it had to make changes owing to regional differences: In the U.K. cider is seen as an alcoholic beverage, whereas in the U.S. it is not (at least not by default). That's arguably what this episode ended up being remembered for far more than what it was initially hoped it would be known for. But I'm getting ahead of myself. David Rapp was once again in the writer's seat, and this time the story was credited to him as well as Meghan McCarthy. Most people tend to either forget about this episode or really despise it, though considering this is in the same season that's given us bad stuff like "Newbie Dash", "The Cart Before The Ponies", "28 Pranks Later" and "P.P.O.V (Pony Point of View)" that's kind of a tall order (and that's not even covering Starlight's two focus episodes that were and are still hotly contested). Has this episode deserved that reputation? Well, let's find out.
The episode begins with Filthy Rich picking up some barrels of what is presumably meant to be Zap Apple Jam. Apple Bloom is helping out, and Applejack asks her if she made sure to provide the right barrels. Apple Bloom claims that she did, before it's revealed that she didn't and accidentally gave Filthy Rich barrels of cider by mistake. Filthy has realized this too and has come back to return the barrels, not wanting to get on Granny Smith's bad side (proof that he's not as bad as his wife, or as bad as his daughter used to be). Then, because of a mix-up that was caught and corrected with no harm, no foul, Applejack blows up at Apple Bloom for telling a lie. I mean, Applejack could've been paying more attention to Apple Bloom or even double checked the barrels before they were loaded onto Filthy's wagon if this was so important. I'm sure Apple Bloom already feels bad about her mistake, there's no need to blow up at her over it. It's stuff like this that really makes me believe Applejack is not a good mother figure, and why it is that she most certainly did not raise Apple Bloom all on her own after her parents died. This is not good parenting behavior, yelling at a child over a tiny mistake that harmed no one. Yes, I know honesty is important to Applejack and is a key theme of this episode, but there had to be a better way to start things off than this.
Apple Bloom, naturally feeling upset as a result of being berated over her mistake, yells back at Applejack about how she probably never lied once. But that prompts Granny Smith and Big Macintosh to laugh as Granny Smith claims Applejack wasn't always honest, and there was a time when her lies got the whole family in trouble. The rest of the episode is more or less conveyed through flashback, but at no point do we see or hear anything about the Apples' parents. According to the show staff (after the fact), the parents were on vacation during this time. Given that Season 7 was ordered while Season 6 was still in production (marking the beginning of faster turnaround rates for the seasons, arguably resulting in the last three seasons being unable to truly learn from the mistakes of their predecessors), it's possible they knew the Apples' parents were on their way in the next season. But even so not even mentioning them here is a cop-out that destroyed the only reason anyone might have had to want to see this episode. And it just creates confusion in regard to the timeline.
So apparently, while their parents are away, Big Macintosh and Applejack are having an argument over who will run the farm someday (which, you know, wouldn't that go to their parents unless their parents were dead?). They do seem to be teenaged in appearance, particularly given Applejack's filly model featuring the same body to leg proporations as filly Fluttershy.
Big Macintosh also used to be a chatterbox, defined mostly by his opposition to "big ideas" because "ya can't plow a field with 'em". So I guess he solves practical problems, then?
Sometime later, the Apple siblings meet Filthy Rich who introduces them to his "fiance" Spoiled Milk. So, unless Spoiled is already pregnant (or has given birth in secret), Diamond Tiara can't have been born yet. And since Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom are roughly the same age (at least, it would seem to be that way) that means Apple Bloom can't have been born yet. Anyway, Spoiled at least here is able to somewhat "pretend" to be nice, though I think it's still safe to ask what Filthy ever saw in her given the way she acts. Filthy then claims he's in charge of Barnyard Bargains and is eager to make a deal to try to get the store to expand. He wants to sell some of the Apples' cider in his store like he does zap apple jam. Big Macintosh points out that this is nothing new, Filthy's grandfather Stinkin' Rich had been asking this of Granny Smith for years and she told him no. But Filthy suggests that maybe it's time for the new generation to make a new deal, so Applejack offers to let him have some cider and if sells well he can make a deal for the rest. Big Mac rightfully berates Applejack for making such a deal without consulting Granny Smith, especially since it's revealed that the objection has nothing to do with profits. Unlike Zap Apple Jam, cider can't be stored. It ages as soon as it comes out of the press.
Granny Smith then orders Applejack to tell Filthy that the deal is off (why she can't do it herself, I have no idea). Filthy doesn't take it very well though because he already went and set up a display stand for the cider. Rather than tell the truth, though, Applejack lies and claims Granny Smith is sick. Big Mac berates Applejack again for this, mostly just repeating what we already saw. And then we get a whole bunch of filler comedic antics as Filthy shows up with Spoiled to wish Granny well, and Applejack tries to keep Granny Smith from coming out and spoiling the whole thing. Meanwhile, we get a cutaway gag as Big Macintosh mentions how he got his name. It doesn't work the same as Pinkie Pie's ending gag at the end of her cutie mark story, because we got to hear the whole thing.
So Applejack tells more lies, ultimately claiming Granny Smith is so sick she had to go to the hospital and then gets Granny to go to the hospital by claiming there's an outbreak of blight and they need her help. All of it just culminates in Applejack telling more lies to keep the whole thing up, playing the liar revealed trope as straight and predictably as it possibly can. Interesting, there is a background cameo of Derpy with bandages over her eyes. This could imply that her wall-eyed condition was the result of botched laser surgery, or an accident. I mean, that certainly seems more interesting than what we have to follow. Big Macintosh continues to rightfully argue that Applejack is going too far with all of this. But Applejack's response is to tell him to just shut up so she can throw a bedsheet over him and have him pretend to be Granny Smith (even though throwing the sheet over someone means they're dead). This is supposed to be implied to be part of the reason why Big Mac never really speaks anymore, but this is wrong! He shouldn't be silenced for not wanting to play along with his sister's lies! If someone is doing something wrong and they won't listen to you, you're under no obligation to go along with them. Again, if someone is doing something you think you shouldn't, speak up and walk away. If you choose to be silent and go along with it, you're just as much responsible for whatever happens as the one who chose to do the dangerous thing in the first place.
Then it all goes wrong when Big Macintosh is rolled into the operating room, and even the doctors think Granny Smith is there for something they should know doesn't exist. It's only when Big Mac is about to have one of his hooves cut off that Applejack finally speaks up and tells the whole truth. Big Mac tries to claim that it's partially his fault because he should've listened more, but again it's not his fault because he was under no obligation to listen to Applejack's stupidity. This is entirely Applejack's fault for making a deal without consulting her granny and then lying to try to cover it up instead of just telling the truth. And of course, Granny Smith insists that she's not going anywhere, and makes sure to tell Filthy Rich that if he acts up she'll tell Stinkin' Rich.
And the episode ends by confirming Apple Bloom didn't know this story, right before she's offered some cider (which is why the episode was not allowed to air in the U.K. as planned, the network insisted on changing it to juice which is what was used for the Netflix version).
And that's the story, so what do I think of the episode? Well, this episode just seems to have existed to be a ratings' trap. They made it solely so they could try to drum it up under false pretenses, particularly with the detail of "Applejack's lies send the whole Apple family to the hospital". They knew fans wanted to see the Apples' parents, and they knew they weren't going to show them here, but they went ahead and marketed it as such anyway. The saddest thing is, this episode's story was originally going to be a whole lot different. It hasn't been confirmed for sure, but the leaks revealed there were plans for an episode involving filly Applejack and filly Rarity, and Applejack would mention her time in Manehttan. Rarity would think that would make Applejack a fashion expert, and Applejack would lie to make her friend happy until it got to the point where Rarity was inviting major fashion ponies to come and see her wears. They didn't say for sure that got rejected in favor of this episode, but I can't think of any other reason why they would can it other than because they wanted to do something else. But that original version, even if it was going to follow the liar revealed story, would've been at least more entertaining and less annoying than what we got here. Applejack in the past has no reason to lie the way she does, and no reason to keep up the lies. I get what they were going for: No one's born perfect and we all have to begin somewhere. But even the set up for this story doesn't feel very good, Applejack had no reason to be mad with Apple Bloom for something that was definitely nowhere near as harmful as Applejack's own lies in the past. All this episode really did was confuse the timeline and unfortunately lend credence to the idea that Apple Bloom was actually Applejack's daughter that she'd had with Filthy Rich (and I can never buy Filthy doing that, if only because Granny Smith would have his head for even considering the possibility). This episode thus gets a borderline D+/C-, ironic that an episode meant to encourage telling the truth was sold under the pretense of lies.
So now it's on to the penultimate Season 6 episode and the third map mission of the season (as well as the last traditional one) in "Top Bolt".
If you recall, this episode was tied with No Second Prances for Thespio's choice in the "Lost in Translation" category of his and Voice of Reason's Worst Episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic video. Among other things, his biggest problem with the episode is that he felt it gave off a secondary message that comes off as "Don't bother protesting or speaking up, because what you say doesn't matter." Though I'm willing to bet if you were to ask him which of the two episodes he considers worse, he'd probably go with No Second Prances. Not only because of his negative opinions of Starlight and Trixie, but also for the same reason I said Dragon Quest and Rainbow Falls are worse than The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well and Somepony to Watch Over Me respectively; it's unskippable.
I honestly enjoy this episode a fair amount.