Okay, due to the early episodes, time to do an episode post for the Sunday episode over there, "Parental Glideance", which is the episode after "Forever Filly".

No known writers on this one either. For my usual prediction, lets try this. Rainbow Dash is trying to teach Scootaloo to fly, with no success, when her parents unexpectedly stop by and try to help. By the end, Scootaloo still isn't able to fly, but has been able to spread her wings and glide a bit, and Rainbow Dash knows a bit more about teaching.

Though, honestly, I'm probably expecting too much for it to be a Scootaloo episode, let alone a Scootaloo flying episode.

Still, this is the official discussion thread both for the early Canadian release and for the eventual us release. If you want to chat about it on discord, there's always the Writer's Group discord server as well (or the main fimfiction one).

--Sweetie Belle

5937485 I am hoping she flies. That and a reveal of hers and Dash's parents.

Wouldn't mind if Scoots was someone we already met but didn't know they had a connection.

As for Dash... come on...it's too perfect not to be true!

5937485 Wait... I thought the episode was about them finding out about her being in the Wonderbults and she didn't want them to know.

5937501 I wish they had stayed with them... I'm really interested to see how they'll turn up.

I feel like they dropped the ball at the end with the moral. Her parents were being legitimately obnoxious; they even endangered the team. They shot fireworks at them, for crying out loud! Yet the parents never learn their lesson; instead, Rainbow Dash learns a ‘lesson’ about not telling off her parents, even though they nearly killed her twice. Great moral, episode!

On the lore side:
Those flashbacks Dash has near the end must be from competitive meets where the different teams didn't have time to speak to each other; otherwise it would be very hard to reconcile Dash's first onscreen meetings with Spitfire, Soarin, and Lightning Dust.
Scootaloo admits that her fanfillying over Rainbow Dash is because she never had anyone to support her. This implies that her home life is really crappy; return of the Orphan Scootaloo meme?

Darn first world problems. Got the time zones mixed up and only caught the last 5 minutes...

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A lot of times, I don't read or deliberately go against the summary a bit. My predictions are meant to be more fun then accurate. If they were really accurate, I'd be using spoiler text. I'm just happy this was actually a Scootaloo episode!

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That speech she gave really was pretty much either unsupportive parents or no parents, and probably will add more to the orphan scootaloo trend. I was certainly thinking it. In faqct, there'll probably be a bunch of stories about Scootaloo being adopted by Rainbow Dash's parents now.

--Sweetie Belle

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Join me in the revolution! Away with the time-zones and in with the universal clock!

5937814 I see, that's a fun idea and stays away from spoilers

5937814 Oh wow, watching the episode now and it's also about Scotts as well!

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Yep! This episode, I knew Rainbow Dash's parents would be in it, but had no idea Scootaloo would be. But that's where I would have gone with it based on the episode name and her parent's involvement. The fact that this turned out to be as much a Scootaloo episode as a Rainbow Dash episode was a bonus!

--Sweetie Belle

Unfortunate implications of the episode: at one time, Derpy was the best flyer for her age class... better than Spitfire, Soarin, Fleetfoot, and Lightning Dust. If you look closely, her eyes aren't crossed. New headcanon: Scenes from a Bitalian Restaurant, starring Derpy as Brenda, the Prom Queen.

5937827 It sure was! This episode was way better than I thought and Hasbro did amazing job creating the Dash family that might actually be my favorite M6 parents in the series. This was also one of the best Scoot and Dash episode as well... I would love to see them back!

5937485 half what I wanted. It's okay.

5937485 Hah even when you try to be wrong you are still right! That just means you'll have even crazier predictions!

Was fun episode, but a bit "too much" at some point. Still was satisfying combination of sweet, feels and funny for me. And in case of Derpy a dash of tragedy.

5937485 My new favorite quote: "When the going gets tough, the tough don't notice because they have hard shells."

I like how the CMC are growing up, but Scootaloo is still adorable.

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While training to be faster, little Derpy had a small disagreement with a 20-foot iron pole. That's where her trouble began. Though it seems that she tried to fix it later in life:

To me, I think they pushed the obnoxiousness of Rainbow's parents a bit too hard. It ended up making me agree with Rainbow's decision to keep them out of the loop. A far better ending would have been to have Rainbow talk to them, get them to tone it down a bit in exchange for keeping them in the loop and inviting them to her performances.

Also, not a fan that the episode very clearly took her parents side rather than just saying both were at fault to a degree for the situation.

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I was thinking about that scene, too...

This episode touched me on so many levels:

I am a victim of child abuse and when Scootaloo said what she said to Rainbow Dash as to having wished she had parents who supported her. I wish my parents supported me. But they cast me aside beat me and told me I was worthless. I believe them and I almost took my own life on sveral occasions. The only reason I kept living is because I wanted to prove them wrong. Now im full of anixiety and uncertainty aboit everything with little self-confidence. Seeing how Rainbow Dash treated her parents pissed me off. People dont know how lucky they are if they have good loving parents and I saw exactlly what scootaloo saw. We both envy that, more then anything in the world. Even if they were obnoxious at least they cared about their child. At least they gave Rainbow Dash support and love.

I

This episode bugged the crap out of me... basically, all through the scenes of Dash's childhood, I kept thinking about everything I'd heard about that kind of parenting, about how showering someone with praise as a kid is actually quite harmful. As I recall, it's been shown that giving someone praise no matter what produces egotism and senses of entitlement, and is more or less responsible for the stereotypical behavior of millennials that people like to complain about.

I mean, it doesn't surprise me that Rainbow Dash's parents of all ponies are like that, given her arrogance in earlier seasons, although it seemed even Rainbow Dash, as a kid, disliked all the praise. I enjoyed her going off on her parents, although I was somewhat surprised by how vitriolic she was. And her parents' praising of RD's ability to hurt them really seemed like a subtle jab at her. Still, the one thing I wanted her to say to them that I didn't hear was something along the lines of, "What does it matter if you think I'm the best at something? If I wasn't, how would you know?"

That's my problem with them, and the whole situation... praise that's guaranteed is meaningless, and harmful, because it's not actually dependent on your ability or, really, anything you do. With that kind of upbringing, either you get a sense of entitlement and think you deserve praise for, basically, existing... or you do what I did and becoming untrusting of praise from family, because you can't help but wonder if they're only saying that because you're their family.

It's not hard to see how Dash became the way she was, with parents like them and I can't really take any kind of positive moral from this episode. I mean, the episode seems to portray RD's parents as being obnoxious, but then they don't learn anything and at the end they're still doing it.

The flashbacks with RD's foalhood are worth discussion in themselves but I can't focus on them in this post, I'll try later...

(SPOILERS!)

I'm torn on this one. There are a lot of admirable things about the episode, and I had fun watching it. But some portions were overplayed and the last third felt bungled, save for the very end.

But first things first, this is another landmark episode in terms of Mane 6 characterization: Rainbow's parents have roles! They are also far different than I was expecting. I envisioned they would be rough-and-tumble; not unloving, but very competitive. Instead, Bow Hothoof (Rainbow's father) and Windy Whistle (her mother) are extremely supportive of everything their daughter does, to a sometimes creepy degree. Rainbow is embarrassed by their enthusiasm, to the point she does not even tell them she's a Wonderbolt. Its a dynamic that works really well, and does not clash with the series prior.

Trouble blooms when Scootaloo interviews Dash's parents for a report, and in turn spills the beans on Dash's position as a Wonderbolt. They show up to the Wonderbolts practice and make a spectacle, cheering so loud they cause turbulence. Dash is mortified, her teammates taking the situation with good humor, and Scootaloo oblivious. Scoot's feelings come into play later.

Bow and Windy continue causing havoc at every turn, cheering Dash on during a hoof signing, sending fireworks into the air at a flying event, and even telling her how well she hangs her towel on a locker (one understands why Dash would refrain from telling them stuff.) Its this last event that pushes Dash over the brink into a fit of rage. She publicly berates them for being too supportive, causing them to run off in tears (but not before complimenting her on how well she did at being hurtful.)

Scootaloo is also mortified, not understanding why Rainbow behaved the way she did. Its here that Dash and Scootaloo have a heart-to-heart, and we learn (in flashback) more about Rainbow's past. Turns out, she was not always a winner, yet her parents cheered her on at everything (even when she only got a participation award.) Even as Dash grew better in competition, her parents never changed. She grew up not appreciating their support. This is in contrast to Scootaloo, who we learn has grown up wishing she had people who supported her. Its a moment that is both heartfelt and yet fails to convey an important aspect of the scene prior: Dash was justified in confronting her parents, just not in how she did it.

But I feel the episode's ending fixes that, with Dash inviting her mom and dad to a private Wonderbolt's show as an apology. The performance is even dedicated to them, causing them to feel a little embarrassed. They realize they can tone down their cheering and still be supportive. Overall, while not perfect, this is still a nice episode, and a breath of levity after last week's outing.

5939705 Keep in mind, it's Scootaloo who's trying to spin this kind of parenting as a positive thing. She's never had much support in her life, so the enthusiasm of Rainbow Dash's parents is really appealing to her. I think it's a little too dark to just assume that her parents are evil or non-existent. I think she's young and doesn't know better.

My own parents are very reserved and serious working-class people. I can totally understand why Scootaloo's parents never appear in the show; if I had appeared in a TV show about someone else at that point in my life, you'd never see my parents in that show either. Heck, most of my teachers had never seen them. In high school I dragged them to a parent teacher night just so they'd do it once. When it came to my activities they didn't intervene if nothing went wrong, and despite my efforts I was just really bad at causing trouble. They'd drive me to music competitions and concerts and science fairs, but they never stayed to watch or showed much interest or understanding of the things I did. It's nothing malicious, they just felt that it wasn't their business. Those were my projects, not theirs. They had no background in any of the things I was involved in, and in our situation moral support wasn't worth a parking pass. With hindsight it was a great thing for me, but it was really only last year when I fully came to terms with how our relationship worked. I was a little upset that they showed up 5 minutes before my undergraduate convocation and barely said goodbye on the way out, but then I realized that they drove 3 hours one-way just for that 2-hour event in the middle of the week. They wouldn't have done that for anyone else in the world, and that's every bit as meaningful as the parents who flew in from foreign places and took their children on a road trip afterward. But my thirteen year old self would have a much harder time accepting that.

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They realize they can tone down their cheering and still be supportive.

Are you sure? Because I was waiting for the parents to acknowledge their share of the guilt, but I didn't notice it happen.

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You know, I rewatched the ending, and during the special apology show, they weren't doing their usual over the top routine and were actually acting they way an audience should be, and then at the end said:
"Oh, honey, thank you. But you didn't have to do all this. It's kind of embarrassing."
"It is a bit much."

I'd personally tend to read that as acknowledgment of their side of things, and while we do see them doing over the top cheering in the next scene, it wasn't for Rainbow Dash, but for Scootaloo, who actually wanted it, and wasn't getting it from her own family!

I wouldn't be surprised if they actually talked things over more between those last two scenes, honestly.

--Sweetie Belle

5940565 I did notice that, come to think of it. And even when they and RD were cheering for Scootaloo, a part of me chuckled at the possibility that the three basically decided, "Let's see how she likes this!" And it turns out she does like it, so all is well... except as far as Cheerilee is concerned, anyway. XD

It's a very subtle sort of improvement though. I mean, sometimes subtle lessons are better than over-the-top ones... when it comes to adults, anyway. I dunno about kids, and it still doesn't feel like they resolved everything that had gone on. And... while I'm willing to read between the lines and adjust a few things so that in my head(canon) it forms a more coherent story and moral (like with A Canterlot Wedding and Chrysalis' apparent stupidity, but that's another topic), I don't like doing it because it feels like I'm picking up the pieces from botched writing.

I did sort of have a conversation in my head between RD and her parents, and her parents basically wanted to make RD feel that she had potential and that she should never give up... but they apparently went about it the wrong way. And RD's little show for them is her telling them they succeeded, basically.

5940538 Wrong reply button? I never addressed Scootaloo's parents.

5940659
One thing I'll note is that Rainbow Dash's parents like Scootaloo. And they like her more and more as the episode goes on. On the way to the private showing, there was that whole bit about how great she was at tying knots on their blindfolds. It's also pretty obvious Scootaloo was in on setting that up. (Keep in mind I was watching this more as a Scootaloo episode than a Rainbow Dash episode!)

The whole episode also has to have taken a few days. For one thing, the sandwich she half ate at the beginning is moldy at the end. And two air shows in a day seem unlikely, not to mention I doubt either were the same day as the presentation, or Scootaloo wouldn't have been there. The transition to Scootaloo giving the presentation does pretty much give you that that's as much as she's telling the class about, not necessarily everything that happened.

It seems reasonable to me that Rainbow and her parents talked for a while. And Rainbow Dash hadn't told her parents about her being a Wonderbolt. I'd think this would be the moment that she cleared the air about other things she hadn't mentioned to them.

And they didn't know who Scootaloo was at the beginning. Rainbow Dash telling them about how Scootaloo was like a sister to her would make sense, and she was right there with them in the cheering. I think that might have been her idea.

Of course, I'm sure part of it is I enjoyed the episode myself enough that I'm willing to adjust a little for minor issues.

You know, it's funny. Looking at Scootaloo being held up in the air with a big wacky smile on her face, I can't help but notice Silver Spoon sitting there watching and enjoying it...

--Sweetie Belle

5940659 Half of a wrong reply button.

I think it's only Scootaloo's subjective interpretation that makes Rainbow Dash's parents seem better than they are. The truth is somewhere in the middle.

5937485

Huh. So, apparently Scootaloo - a girl who has to be near her early teens by now - has no real concept of embarrassing parents?

That's interesting. I mean, it doesn't really imply she doesn't have parents, but...

"You know, some ponies would dream of having parents like that."
"Yeah, right! Name one."
"Me. Growing up, I never thought I'd be the best at anything... because nopony ever told me."

...Okay. That is actually slightly dark.

So, this episode reinforced Rainbow Dash being lazy, egotistical, and overly-entitled. However, the writers have now given reason as to why she's like that. As much as I don't like Rainbow Dash, this episode legitimately changed the way I look at her character. Though the episode itself did make me cringe, I think it's officially my favourite episode of this season so far. It offered character depth of not only Rainbow Dash, but of Scootaloo too.

To be perfectly honest, I've had my own thoughts about the show's direction. After season six, as much as I love Glim-Glam, it really struck me as going downhill - fast. I was not impressed with the finale of season six and it altered my attitude of the show. However, this episode alone has completely changed that. The writing was on top, the characters acted in ways that normal people would act, and it felt vibrant.

Not once did the Wonderbolts act rude toward Rainbow Dash for the way her parents acted, because normal people would see that and understand how Rainbow Dash feels. Scootaloo's reaction to Rainbow Dash getting mad was perfect as well. I expected the show to side with Rainbow Dash and it didn't. Scootaloo's feelings were justified by her own mentor, and that mentor learned something. In the past, I would have expected the writers to have Rainbow Dash be right and have Scootaloo learn something instead, creating a flaccid ending.

In short, I'm impressed with this episode and I really hope the rest of this season continues on this path, instead of what the first three episodes presented. GO MLP FIM WRITERS GO! YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN WIN! YOU. CAN. DO. THIS!

Scootabump!

This should be the next US episode now, and discussion of it goes over here!

--Sweetie Belle

5937799 Glad to see I'm not the only one who noticed what the episode apparently didn't want to address. The conflict was VERY one sided in Rainbow Dash's favor, and if it were me I'd have probably not bothered to reconnect with my parents until they learned to shut up and think for a few seconds. I mean really, someone should've chewed them out for being reckless with their cheering and shooting fireworks (which I'm pretty sure is illegal if you're not a licensed pyrotechnician).

5937799
5937814
Having just watched it, I certainly felt the writers went as far as they could in admitting Scootaloo is an orphan. Just like with Apple Family Reunion and Crusaders of the Lost Mark when they pseudo-confirmed Applejack's parents were dead.

Dreadnought

Rewatching some of this episode just reminded me of how much I disliked it. It was an okay idea executed horribly. Just changing the ending so that Rainbow agrees to keep them in the loop but they also have to agree to tone it down would have drastically improved it. Instead they said they older, pushy relatives were right (completely opposite of what we got from the Sweetie Belle and Maud episodes). This is probably worst of the season for me. Fluttershy's episode was just meh. I actively dislike this one.

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5937814

The other thing that struck me is that Rainbow Dash is an only child. It's nice to see that one of the main six is an only child. We all knew that Applejack had an older brother and younger sister, from the very first episode. We also learned in the first season that Rarity had a younger sister and Pinkie Pie had sisters. Season Two brought Shining Armor out of nowhere. And then last season, we saw Fluttershy has a younger brother. It's nice to see that a type of family not featured (Two parents and a single child) is finally highlighted.

That being said, if they were to introduce a sibling, it would be nice if they were a younger brother, around the age of the CMC. That would give a new dynamic to the CMC.

Dreadnought

Did anybody else realise that the show writers basically confirmed that pegasus ponies can give the middle feather?

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As some who dislikes, cant stand hates, loathes this episode, it's nice to learn I'm not the only one who does. I could explain why but like my favorite internet reviewer Bobsheaux, instead of pointing why it's bad, I have to make suggestions of how it have been better.

If I could rewrite Parental Glideance, have Scootalo meet Rainbow Dash's parents during a Pegasi festival in Canterlot. Then after she tells about she RD is a Wonderbolt now, they go to find here. Scootaloo convinces Rainbow Dash to give her parents a chance. Rainbow Dash reluctantly invites to a Wonderbolts show but states firmly that their usual behavior will NOT be tolerated. At the show where Discord is in role of announcer. RD's parents still act like obnoxious twats, ruining everypony's fun, and evening launching fireworks at cause a fire.

After that RD's parents are still cheering Rainbow Dash (for throwing a bottle into a recycle bin) and she's had enough. She, the Wonderbolt and some audience gives the scolding they deserves and Rainbow Dash tells them that they are banned from all future Wonderbolts show and no longer welcome in her live until they prove they can behave themselves. Scootaloo acts like how she did in the original epsiode. Rainbow Dash explains how destructive her parent's behavior is but Scootaloo refuses to listen. Then Rainbow Dash's parents show up, saying if their own daughter won't accept their praise then they'll give it to Scootaloo.

At first Scootaloo is delighted but over the course of a montage slowly realize how annoying and over the top Rainbow Dash 's parents really are. The final straw is when Scootaloo is in talent show but Rainbow Dash 's parents cause her to loose as well as make a laughing stock of her. Scootaloo is so sick of that she finally snaps and begs them to stop. They don't listen, causing her to run away with them chasing after her. Scootaloo find Rainbow Dash and asks for her help, Rainbow Dash calls Scootaloo out on her hypocrisy and flies away. Rainbow Dash's parents catch up which leads to falling off of a cliff, Scootaloo shouts that Rainbow Dash was right all along.

Then she's saved by Discord shows up to reveal that the Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistle that were cheering for her as well as the Rainbow Dash she met were clones created by him in order to teach her a lesson. (And don't tell me that Discord wouldn't do something like this). Scootaloo goes the Wonderbolts and apologizes for earlier. Even the real Rainbow Dash's parents show up and apologize as well, you see Discord was giving them a dose of their own medicine. After a little heart to heart with Scootaloo, RD gives her parents one last chance but except this time she lays down the law.

Moral of the story: Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing!

So what do you think? Would you love this episode or think it's just as bad as the original? Tell me your thoughts.