After everything we got into for april fools, now it's time for our next episode discussion. As usual, all the various discussion about the new episode in the group should happen here.

This one is called "The Gift of the Maud Pie". That almost sounds like "The Gift of the Magi", but that doesn't necessarily mean that's how the plot is gonna go. I wonder if it's about giving something to Maud, Maud giving something to somepony else, or actually giving Maud to somepony?

It should be interesting to see where it goes. Think Marble or Limestone'll make an appearance?

--Sweetie Belle

5148967 Anyone else think the BigMarble ship might be coming into port?

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Uh...

...yeah, it is "Gift of the Magi" based.

This is actually a picture from Derpibooru, not modified text.

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I usually think it's more fun to read the title but not the synopsis before posting these. It also makes the first post a little less spoily, and that's what'll be seen in the feed...

Besides, it lets me make wild guesses that may or may not be accurate! (Tho' sometimes I do hear more about 'em ahead of time.)

--Sweetie Belle

5148967 So existed for this episode After that epic premier, I'm so optimistic!

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I'm existing for this episode, too!

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Now why would they both be giving gifts? Birthday, perhaps? (Crossing hooves for confirmation that they're quadruplets )

Sweetie Belle, can you give me a Maud?

Pleeeeeease? I promise I'll be good.

*looks as adorable as possible*

It's canon: Pinkie is a public menace.
Also, police officer.

So.

Maud Sense.

She also appears capable of Pinkie's patented off-screen teleportation.

As for the episode itself, I wouldn't call it bad, but it definitely isn't one of my favorites. Pinkie's obnoxiousness was being played-up, yet she never gets in trouble for it. There's a way to write Pinkie as absurd without making her rude, but this isn't it.

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This episode only strengthened my resolve that Pinkie desperately needs to turn to a life of crime.
There would be no better cat burglar.

She would be uncatchable.
Except by Maud.

It writes itself!

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Only if Boulder is out of the picture.
The love could never be, so long as Boulder keeps poisoning her against gemstones.

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It appears the book summary is either inaccurate, or describes a more conventional ‘Gift of the Magi’ story book that just so happens to use clips from this episode.

All my comments come in twos.

…I couldn't resist. I just don't know. I need a break.

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Do you have rocks?

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It was all right. Kinda didn't really stand out to me, somehow...

--Sweetie Belle

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Episode was alright. Nothing too special but had cute moments. Unfortunately you had basic problems such as:

-Pinkie being a bit too obnoxious. It wasn't as bad as how she got during season 4 though.
-Why the fuck didn't Pinkie prepare for Maud's gift ahead of time? She already knew what to get her so it shouldn't have been an issue. This is a mare who will plans parties in advance, why can't she do the same for a single gift?
-Rarity occasionally being bitchy to Maud. She should know all Maud talks about is rocks.

Still, some sweet character building and it got much better towards the end. First half was meh but second half was great.

As for Pie lore...

Pinkie Sense: the ability to predict vague and immediate events. (Depending on how you use it, is pretty much invincibility to a lot of specific circumstances.)

Maud Sense: the ability to track cherished items close to Maud? (Maybe? Explains how she never loses boulder and how she found the cannon; it was close to her because Pinkie loved it so much.)

Marble Sense: the ability to hide in plain sight...?

Limestone Sense: the ability to—RULES OF NATURE!!!

This was was very meh. Rarity was great as always, Maud was well written, but dear god why would they use this cliche storyline? I saw kids' cartoons using this back in the early 90s and even then it was considered cliche. The best part was probably Rarity talking up Maud's rage at the end to scare the guy.

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-Why the fuck didn't Pinkie prepare for Maud's gift ahead of time? She already knew what to get her so it shouldn't have been an issue. This is a mare who will plans parties in advance, why can't she do the same for a single gift?

Yeah, I thought the same. She could have had a pouch made for Maud; she knows at least two ponies capable of making one (Rarity and Fluttershy).

More importantly, Rarity seems to be taking Equestria by storm. She's gotta be pretty rich these days.

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I have a feeling we'll get a lot of that this season. I'm sorta wondering how many returning writers we actually have, really.

And, you know, Maud already gave the same lesson in the episode she was introduced in, at the end. It's a little repetitive, and I'm not really sure why confetti's supposed to be a great gift...

--Sweetie Belle

Was hoping for Marble and Limestone to show up, though that didn't materialize. Maybe they'll appear again later on.

As for the episode itself, I found Rarity and Maud to be quite enjoyable, particularly in the episode's conclusion, though Pinkie's behavior and the premise being rather straightforward hurt the episode more than helped in my opinion. It wasn't anything particularly special, but it wasn't anything awful as well. It's just middle of the road with some enjoyable parts that helped define the episode.

Probably the only part of the episode that rankled me a little was that Maud ended up with nothing, while Pinkie still got her party cannon back plus the confetti.

Couldn't Rarity have made Maud a pouch?

Oh, and Suri Polomare fans rejoice:

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Couldn't Rarity have made Maud a pouch?

Sadly for the sake of drama many writers will throw common sense out the window.

5148967 I thought this was a great episode. Very heartwarming!

5148994 And indeed it was, although the "solution" to the problem (which, in the book, sends a powerful message) was rather ... dumb and unimaginative in the episode.

I got slightly distracted near the beginning by that Planes, Trains and Automobiles reference. I'm not sure if the first couple Pinkie scared was yet another reference, but I definitely got that PTA one.

In fact, I've got to say this episode really distracted me:

1. If the restaurant they were at wasn't the type of restaurant to have colouring in mats, why was the logo so reminiscent of one that does have colouring in mats?
2. It took that unicorn an awfully long time to remove that crayon from his soup/stew.
3. Hiding behind a menu/sundae does not prevent the pony sitting at your table from hearing you, especially if you don't bother whispering.

I liked it, even though it was rather tame. I don't think it felt really mind-boggling in what it was trying to do and what moral it was trying to convey, but I liked Maud near the end of the episode (the rest of it felt more like build-up for Maud going to sort things out) and I didn't think Pinkie was insufferable.

Pinkie's humour has never worked on me, and is why she was the character that took the longest for me to like. I enjoyed the bits of her character that aren't loud and bubbly, and I was quite happy to see a lot of them here. Fretting over something as trivial as getting a gift strikes me as a nice way to make her very eccentric without really forcing it too much (at least, not for Pinkie). It reminded me a fair bit of earlier episodes, which I confess I find less memorable on the whole, but I do think that characters and setting aside, this is probably something that would fit quite nicely a few years back, which isn't a bad thing.

I suspect I'd have enjoyed this one a lot more if I liked Pinkie and Maud more than I do. As it is, I thought it was nice. I liked Pinkie and I liked seeing the characters play off one another, which is the main reason I enjoy the show. I prefer some of the episodes with higher stakes, personally, but I've not got much against this one. Even the resolution, which was admittedly pretty quick and not all that novel, was more about Maud returning the pouch anyhow (which is a sentiment I liked), so I'm not beefed about it.

One thing that always interested me, though, is how different the show looks with Manehattan's greyer backgrounds toning everything down. They look very different to the usual greens and bright colours of Ponyville which I find a bit more comfortable. I wish they'd use Manehattan for episodes where the characters get taken out of their comfort zone more: I reckon the art would work great in that regard towards making it feel less 'homely'.

While the episode certainly could have been better, I feel like it's a step up from the season opening. While the episode was rather simple and I'll admit fairly cliche, it had a clear story and it was interesting seeing the characters work off of one another. Some have complained about the humor being over the top and trying too hard, but that was never really a factor in my liking of it because frankly I don't find most MLP all that terribly funny: I much prefer a dry, sarcastic wit which MLP is sadly lacking in. Most of the laughs I got were from Maud's comments here and there. Still, this kept to the heart of MLP in my opinion with a nice, heartwarming story. Was it a bit cliche? Oh lord yes, but the innocence and overall theme portrayed here warmed my heart.

Honestly, I'm glad this episode came along. After the opening, I started getting afraid that all the following episodes would be as...questionable, but it looks like it might be picking up. Probably new writers getting used to the characters and trying too hard.

Still, I hope we get some more serious episodes soon: they're where MLP shines, in my personal opinion.

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Honestly, I'm glad this episode came along. After the opening, I started getting afraid that all the following episodes would be as...questionable, but it looks like it might be picking up. Probably new writers getting used to the characters and trying too hard.

Actually, the funny thing is the opening was by Josh Haber, who isn't really a new writer any more, since he's been doing episodes since season four. (Castle Mane-ia, Simple Ways, Leap of Faith, Bloom and Gloom, The Cutie Re-Mark). I think he's head writer and story editor now.

This episode, however, was by Michael P. Fox and Wil Fox, who are new writers to the series...

--Sweetie Belle

5150355 Don't forget about Friendship Games, Haber wrote that too.

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YaAY! My very own Maud Pie! I will love her and cherish her as if she was my own child. Thank you.

I have a rock collection, actually - in real life. I enjoy rocks almost as much as she does, except I prefer volcanoes, personally, when it comes to geological items.

A step up from the opening. I like my MLP clever and punchy. That weird throwaway bit about swan boats vs. riding actual swans? That's what we need more of.

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This episode, however, was by Michael P. Fox and Wil Fox, who are new writers to the series...

I will give them credit. While I wasn't a fan of the storyline itself, the characters were fairly well written. Not just anyone can write Rarity or Pinkie well.

5148967 I liked the episode. I swear that the shady pony who traded the rock pouch for Pinkie Pie's Party Cannon is a drug dealer. What if there were certain rocks in that pouch and it got empty when it was given to Maud because Pinkie used them up to get high? Oh well Pinkie Pie already made a PSA about these "rocks"

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getting high in Equestria

I like the cut of your jib, young fellow m'laddo.

Please, elaborate more about how one gets riggedy-riggedy-wrecked in Equestria.

5151056 Pinkie Pie also seems to get high on helium which would explain her high pitched voice. Pinkie Pie is MLP FIM's version of Frank Booth from David Lynch's Blue Velvet. There are more drug PSAs from Equestria

5148967 An alright slice of life story, but at times it seemed to pad scenes out. And considering the episode title, it seems really weird that they only followed the story plot halfway through. Makes it seem like they didn't do their research.

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Pinkie: I know the perfect gift for Maud! A rock pouch that she can use to carry her pet rock around!

Rarity: Great idea! Let's plan our whole day around aquiring one!

Me: Couldn't Rarity just make one of those?

Pinkie: Oh no! The rock pouch shop is closed and now I don't have a perfect gift for Maud!

Rarity: This is a disaster! Now we must run around town in a panic looking for a replacement gift!

Me: Seriously, Rarity. You are an expert seamstress and a genius designer. That is literally the focus of your entire life. Just make a pouch.

Rarity: Well, we didn't find anything. But look! For some reason that really shady looking guy has a pouch exactly like the one you planned on giving Maud.

Pinkie: You're right! Maybe if I explain to him that I am totally desperate, he will give it to me in return for something outrageous, like my party cannon, or my young nubile body.

Me: Rarity, go to Coco's place, ask her if you can borrow some sewing supplies, and make a goddamned rock pouch for Pinkie Pie!

Pinkie: Well, I got the pouch. But at what cost?

Maud: You fools. What have you done?

Me: Stupid, stupid ponies!

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You know, if you think about it, wanting to carry a rock around with you is common enough that not only can a business be dedicated to nothing but selling but pouches for it, the owner can afford to take long vacations and not leave anypony running it. And the Pie family have a whole rock farm that sells everypony rocks they can carry around in pouches.

I guess everypony in the big city is hooked on rock(s)?

--Sweetie Belle

5154195 Really on the rocks? I like this girl.

Rocks provide extra friction.

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They built that city of rock and soil.