MLP Reviews

After another adventure with the mane 6, it’s nice to go back to the slice of life stories of the show. And with Look Before you Sleep, it was what we needed to relax after last episode. Keep in mind that season 1 was how we see how our girls act around each other, so we should expect that one wouldn’t get along with the other at first, then become friends later, and this episode is proof of that.

The story? A downpour comes to Ponyville and Applejack and Rarity are stuck at Twilight’s for the night. Twilight is happy about this as she suggests a sleepover, but her two friends are not so keen since the two of them are polar opposites; one being a fashionista and the other being a farm girl. They try to work with it to please Twilight, as it is her first one, but it proved problematic as they keep butting heads with each other to a point where a mess occurs in the bedroom that they caused because of it.

Anyone can relate to the characters here because while they are friends, there are times where they don’t’ see eye-to-eye, even when they have different outlooks on the problem at hoof.

And we all know how the thing ends, the girls realize it was their fault for the mess they made and work together to fix-it while understanding each other at the same time. We’ve seen it many times before, but it works here because even though we know in later episodes they will be at ends with each other again, it’s their differences that help them figure things out.

I also like how they handle the sleepover, since it is something girls do. Make-overs, ghost stories, truth or dare, you name it, they might’ve did it. Though, it might be the weakest part of the episode, mainly due to Applejack and Rarity being at ends to where the activities are not fun at all. But they did try to have fun for Twilight, so it counts for something.

While many fans might not put this on their best list for Season 1, many can look at it as good, not great, just good. As for me, I like slice of life stories, and this is one of them. It’s a good episode to watch at a sleepover, but also when you get ready for bed. Take a look and have sweet dreams.

Final Rating: 8/10

After this we get several friendshipping moments between Rarity and Applejack. I wish Rarity could've gone through the same thing with Rainbow Dash. I mean, the "establishing a friendship" they did in Season 8 but we never got any friendshipping moments with them afterwards like we did with Rarity and Applejack.

Here we have yet another episode where the moral is being taught to the wrong characters. It’s no wonder this episode is on so many fans’ “worst of” lists. I can see why.

Like I said, one of the major problems with this episode is the fact that it is Rarity and Applejack who are learning the lesson, that being despite having differences, two people can still become good friends. This lesson sounds like something that would be geared more towards someone like Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Or Apple Bloom and Scootaloo since they seem to be the most diverse in terms of personality. But instead, we’re forced to watch two grown mares acting like a couple of five-year-old children.

Not helping is the fact that Twilight is in this episode as well. Now, I love Twilight. She’s my favorite character. However, she acts so stupid in this episode that it’s hard to see her as being the smartest of the bunch among her friends. For one thing, she wants to throw a slumber party, saying that she’s always wanted one. Why is Twilight throwing a slumber party? Isn’t throwing parties Pinkie Pie’s thing? And again, this setup makes it seem as if it would be more fitting for a Cutie Mark Crusaders episode rather than an episode with the Mane Six. In fact, they had the opportunity to do this in “Scare Master”, but they went with a different idea for that one.

After Applejack and Rarity start fighting over a blanket (no, I’m not kidding), Twilight decides that she’s had enough. Before she can do anything, however, lightning strikes a tree outside. Instead of steering the tree away from the house, Applejack ropes it into the bedroom. Twilight decides to start looking through her book on slumber parties instead of actually doing anything, leaving Rarity and Applejack to handle the situation, all while she looks up anything about having tress in your bedroom at your slumber party. Why that entry would be in a book on slumber parties is beyond me. Once the situation is fixed, Twilight obliviously asks where the figurines came from, stating that they aren’t in the book either.

The story and characters weren’t very good in this episode. Again, the setup and characterization makes this episode seem like it’s better suited for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or maybe Diamond Tiara. Have Diamond Tiara throw a slumber party, inviting the Cutie Mark Crusaders along, only to have the Cutie Mark Crusaders fighting because they do things differently. The writers had the opportunity to do this in “Stare Master.” Why they didn’t, I don’t know.

After another adventure with the mane 6, it’s nice to go back to the slice of life stories of the show.

When it comes to the fandom for MLP FIM, most fans remember the show for all the worldbuilding adventures or dealing with the occasional monster attacks in their pursuit of learning one friendship lesson after another. But under some circumstances, some of the most memorable episodes the show can offer is its simplistic episodes... the stories that deal with the regular lives of the ponies whether it involves family, hanging out with friends, or dealing with their employment. In which case, we not only face an episode where Twilight and her friends deal with a regular everyday activity, but this would be one of the first of many episodes dealing with 'two' particular members of the Mane Six: Applejack and Rarity.

The story?

When dealing with polar opposites amidst the Mane Six, Applejack and Rarity can hardly be any different. On one side, we have the hard-working farm pony who's all about honesty and the type of girl not afraid to get dirty (Or at least doesn't make a big fuss about mud). On the other side, we have the prim and proper Canterlot wannabe fashionista who often times gets a bit overdramatic. As for the story in general, these two ponies really butt heads over how to deal with preparing for a major storm and suddenly they find themselves taking shelter at Twilight's house, the latter of whom decides they should have a slumber party until the storm passes. But as we can expect... it's one of those circumstances where things start to go entirely wrong despite one mare's effort to keep the peace.

Anyone can relate to the characters here

Even though the back-and-forth argument between Applejack and Rarity gets rather repetitive really fast during the whole episode, like watching an old married couple fighting, the relatability between these ponies are there. Because like a married couple, fans often ship these two ponies together through this whole 'RariJack' ordeal which I will confess I found more believable than the 'AppleDash' shipping (But I'll get into more details on this one later). The whole 'Farmer and the Fashionista' pairing is rather popular.

Back on the relatability factor, when it comes to two individuals with very different viewpoints, it's difficult to see things eye to eye. We both face the same problem, only to find two separate solutions (Both of which two parties can't agree on). And yet the fact that this argument between the two, however way we look at it, nearly spoils Twilight's first slumber party given this is but another effort from her to partake in events she never had time for before. Then again, one can argue the episode was not entirely clear whether Twilight 'actually' knew these two were having a problem and she was trying to be casual... or she was that completely oblivious to what is occurring in front of her. Either way, it's like having to sit back and watch your parents yell at each other even when they insist they are just 'talking'.

And we all know how the thing ends

The predictability of the story is rather simple to catch given that there have been stories dealing with slumber parties that go wrong (Not all of them during a storm, but the theme of which is familiar). Friends trying to come together to do all the casual activities of a slumber party, yet the one drawback is that the bickering between two ponies makes these moments unenjoyable. Like these ponies are not even making the effort to 'try' and enjoy it without something to argue over. But like any story, soon as they realized they completed bucked up, naturally they put their differences aside to clean up their mess (By actually combining their own methods into one). And at least in doing so, they are able to help each other.

While many fans might not put this on their best list for Season 1, many can look at it as good

In a way, there's no better way to describe an episode like this one. It's not on the lines of 'OHMIGOD, THIS IS THE GREATEST SEASON 1 EPISODE I'VE SEEN IN MY LIFE!!!' but neither is it in my opinion the worst episode I've ever seen. For me, I agree that it's an episode that fits along the lines of 'It's okay' kind of episode like the 'This just happened' kind of route. As a slice of life story, it's an harmless enough story about three girls and a sleepover. Could the episode have been better? Absolutely. But as it is... compared to other sleepover stories before and after this episode, I've seen my share of better stories.