MLP Reviews

So, we go from a good episode to one that fans are split on. Bridle Gossip seems be to hated by some fans who thought everything in it was a waste of time. What do I think? Well, let’s take a look.

The gang hears of a zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest named Zecora, who nopony in town talks to and hides from thinking she’s an evil enchantress. The mane 6 think she is too and while ‘saving’ Apple Bloom and ignoring the zebra’s warnings, they failed to notice that they walked into Poison Joke, a flower that plays jokes on whoever walks into them. These include Twilight’s horn flopping, Rainbow’s wings are upside-down, Rarity’s coat is a mess, Pinkie’s tongue is sticking out, making her unable to talk, Applejack is the size of a human hand and Fluttershy sound like guy. Heck, Spike even thought up nicknames for this.

We got: Hairity, Rainbow Crash, Spitty Pie, Apple Teeny, Flutterguy, and... uh... I got nothin'... Twilight Sparkle. I mean seriously, I can't even work with that.

After getting themselves together, they head to Zecora’s to put her straight, only to find out that she wasn’t what they thought she was.

So, yeah, we know what this plot is. It’s the ‘Don’t Judge a Book by it’s Cover’ story. We’ve heard of this story so many times that we know what’s going to happen from beginning to end. And while I can get what others don’t like what happens here, I like this idea of storytelling. I like the idea of the heroes thinking someone they don’t know is one thing, only to find out they assumed wrong and became friends in the end.

Also, the effects of the Poison Joke really fits in this pony world, for anyone just touching the stuff can do something wrong to you, depending on how you think and act. My favorite is Fluttershy as Flutterguy, and her version of Pinkie’s song from earlier in the episode was so entertaining that I had to go back and watch it again, it’s just that good.

I should also talk about Zecora, as she is the main focus of the episode. She’s cool. A zebra is a horse so seeing one in the show does make sense, and the fact she talks in rhyme must be a challenge to do, but brings something new to the table. I also like how she does magic even when she’s a earth pony, she’s not magical, but she has a lot of knowledge on many type of magic and potions that can be helpful for everyone.

While I can see why some fan don’t like the way they told this story, I found some charm in it that no one else can see. I’m glad I saw it and I know it’s the kind of gossip I can’t wait to see again.

Final Rating: 8/10

Once again, I am left thoroughly disgusted at the behavior of the Mane Six. One of the things that makes this group so endearing and lovable is the fact that they’re so diverse, yet get along like family. Given that, you would think that maybe they would be more than willing to show friendship and kindness to a zebra that comes into town, and maybe help her out with her shopping. But do they? No.

The message of racism was subtle in this episode. Adding to the racism message is the fact that Zecora is a zebra, which are native to Africa. Like I said, instead of showing loving-kindness to her, the Mane Six avoid her at all costs. They backbite her, even going as far as outright calling her “evil.” And then when they fall under the effects of the poison joke, their first instinct is to jump to the conclusion that it was Zecora who placed a hex on them. ‘Cause, you know, that’s really logical.

Like “Look Before You Sleep,” the setup here sounds like it would be geared more towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They could know about Zecora from school, but avoid her because there have been rumors flying around at school that she’s evil and will “gobble you up in a big tasty stew.” The Mane Six, fed up with the way they’re behaving, then decide to take them to meet Zecora. They then learn that they shouldn’t be judging somepony before they get to know them. It doesn’t even have to be Zecora who’s the victim of racism; it could be a skunk or a raccoon or any other species of animal that the CMC aren’t familiar with.

Needless to say, Zecora gets rightfully pissed off when the group demands that she change them back, and their case isn’t helped when they accuse her of kidnapping Apple Bloom and doing something with her. However, it turns out that Apple Bloom is just fine and was merely gathering ingredients for Zecora so that she could make the remedy for the poison joke.

While the Mane Six were all equally terrible in this episode, I had a very big problem with Applejack. She came off as being extremely overprotective. Unfortunately, as “Somepony to Watch Over Me” showed us, this character trait is one of those that wasn’t forgotten about. To be fair, Apple Bloom wasn’t much better. She decides to leave Applejack hanging on a branch without a second thought, smugly telling Applejack that she’s the big sister now. Did Apple Bloom suddenly forget that they’re in the middle of the Everfree Forest, where all manner of terrifying monsters and creatures could potentially kill Applejack, or eat her? Does Apple Bloom even care? It’s just a good thing that Rainbow Dash ran into her, quite literally, when she did. No doubt Applejack riding on top of her gave the AppDash shippers some fuel for their fanfics.

The best character this episode, in my opinion, was Zecora, who unfortunately has been reduced to a few appearances throughout the seasons, which is really a bummer because I find this character really fascinating. Like Gilda, this character could have been used to expand the universe of Equestria and give us a chance to learn more about a new character. Just another character they went and wasted.

So, we go from a good episode to one that fans are split on.

To set the record straight, I do want to make one thing 'perfectly' clear: I don't 'hate' this episode by any means, I don't even 'dislike' it. While I do admit some elements of the episode were 'questionable' at best at the same time there were a few things I did enjoy. That if it weren't for this episode, we wouldn't have this one character that has been considered a fan favorite to some fans over the years.

The gang hears of a zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest named Zecora

This is where the heart of the episode truly lies. Now back when we usually introduce a new character who becomes the subject of an episode, it can go one of two ways: They're either going to be one-up characters who don't get brought up again or depending on crowd reception this is the character who will be coming back for more episodes. In which case, when we first meet Zecora, she is the subject of senseless gossip that she's 'evil' just because she's a Zebra. That she lives in the Everfree Forest, comes into town once in a while, and her presence scare ponies so much they always lock all their stores. It's not often we hear of a Zebra in the MLP series, especially with the way that what makes her a favorite is her ability to say nearly everything in a rhyme (Although turns out the words meant to be 'African' near the end are not really African terms at all... according to one source). Now of course the whole 'gossip causing trouble' plot is not entirely new and we've seen and heard this done before... but we'll get to that much later.

We got: Hairity, Rainbow Crash, Spitty Pie, Apple Teeny, Flutterguy, and... uh... I got nothin'... Twilight Sparkle.

Although Spike had been set up in this episode just to really make jokes and wisecracks about his friends predicament... I will admit some of those terms are 'slightly' funny. And as it turns out, two of which would be repeated again in several episodes after this one... but I don't want to get into too many details.

So, yeah, we know what this plot is.

As predictable as the whole 'Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover' is, does this 'really' take away the enjoyment of the episode? Really it all depends on the perspective of the viewers (Though some could make the effort to TRY to go easier on their opinions). This is pretty much the problem I see when it comes to the ponies. Twilight Sparkle comes to a town where they thrive on the benefits of friendship, so much the town consists of a variety of ponies. But it's only when they encounter members of different species (From Dragons to Griffons and in this case Zebras) where we see that early stage of fear and paranoia of those different from them. They judge Zecora for reasons with very little evidence (Something even Twilight falls victim to), one pony's the 'only' one willing to give Zecora the benefit of a doubt (But is completely ignored by her own sister), and they end up eating crow when it turns out Zecora had nothing to do with their 'curse' (More like a 'joke') and instead was concocting a remedy. Some bits of the episode were fun for sure, though some of the ponies did irk me with their behavior (Rainbow Dash is one thing, but Applejack... yeah this is not going to be the last time either). Could the episode have been handled better? Absolutely... though fans will find they can actually 'relate' to the events of this episode in some degree.

I should also talk about Zecora, as she is the main focus of the episode.

Between all the new characters we've seen come into the show at this stage of the game, Zecora was my favorite at the time after the appearance of Gilda and Trixie. As aforementioned prior, it's not often we get a pony like Zecora into the series. We barely know anything about this pony and any origins we do get of her wouldn't even pop up till much later (Though mostly in the comics as opposed to the show itself). While at this point we don't see her in many episodes as often (Not even on 'Equestria Girls') there's a reason why many fans find her so fascinating. She's a pony who doesn't need magical abilities, rather making natural remedies out of herbs and plants, but in a way that's what makes her unique. Taking all that we deem scary about the unknown and turning things into something that benefit for the community. We may not have known this at the time, but we would come to see that the reception of Zecora was so warmly received that eventually we'd see more of her for years to come.

While I can see why some fan don’t like the way they told this story, I found some charm in it that no one else can see.

This is one of those episodes where fans may not agree with the actions and behavior from the cast, but that doesn't mean there aren't some elements that are so memorable in a way they come off as forgivable. Some of the humor is admittedly funny, several of which would inspire memes for a great many years. There is a strong lesson to learn even though the tone of the episode is absolutely familiar to many fans. Do I see myself rewatching this episode? Probably. It's still an episode that retains the charm of FIM's early seasons and despite the questionable decisions in the episode itself it's still fun to watch.

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Thanks for checking out my reviews. It's nice to hear what other people have to say about them.