So, this week, the rewatch hits The Ticket Master, by Lauren Faust and Amy Keating Rogers. Funny how we get the "The Ticket Master" here, and then "Stare Master" later.

This was never really a favorite, and one I tend to think of as a bit weaker. It is the oldest episode written, though. Lauren originally wrote it when pitching the show. She wrote it as an 11 minute episode, and when it turned out the show was going to be 22 minutes, she had Amy pad it out. So if the pacing feels like it’s full of filler, it is.

But, onto the episode!

Applejack and Twilight have been spending the morning picking apples while Spike lounges on her back. Applejack also apparently had a bet with Big Macintosh involving him going down Stirrup Street in one of Granny’s girdles. I guess Big Macintosh possible crossdressing was actually introduced surprisingly early.

Seriously, Spike, don’t toss out all the apples.

We get a cordial invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest. That was meant to be for Spike, wasn’t it? Celestia knows Twlight has five friends, so it seems more likely to me she forgot all of them and just gave her a ticket for Spike then that she was trolling Twilight with “you know all those friends you saved Equestria with? You can only bring one.”

That or maybe she thought Twilight would bring a date, but, well, she knows Twilight, right? What are the odds of Twilight having a date for the Gala?

Spike, of course, immediately denies wanting to go to the Gala, and Twilight starts to try to convince him that it would be nice, so maybe she figured it was Spike’s ticket too, until Applejack cuts in.

Applejack wants to make money off the Gala, and seems to think getting a ticket to attend is the same as a permit to set up a stand in front of it for some reason. (Though, to be fair, it did seem to work out that way.)

And Rainbow Dash crashes on in. Is it me or is she a better flier later on then in earlier episodes?

Rainbow wants to impress the Wonderbolts and mesmerise them with her “fantastic filly flash”. I’m not sure she should be doing that in public.

The animation’s come a long way from this episode over the years. The generic crowd scenes, and the Wonderbolts appearance seems more detailed in later seasons to me, though it could be my imagination. Though there’s a certain charm to the way the earlier episodes were too...

Applejack goes straight for Rainbow Dash’s tail again. It seems like a favorite move of her. It’s kind of nice seeing the early antagonism between Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Bats! Bats on my face! Help!” Got to love Pinkie Pie. She continues with lots of alliteration and singing, and assuming the ticket is hers, of course.

Rarity comes by, and wants to go to the Gala to go on a date with Duke Prince Blueblood and convince him to marry her. Honestly, Rarity, check out what guys are like before trying to go out with them. That wedding dress could’ve used work, too. And if she makes all these dresses for the Gala, why hasn’t she asked any of her clients for an invitation?

At least with Fluttershy, it’s Angel that grabs the tickets, and she asks, where a lot of the others assumed. She’s so cute with all the animals she wants to be friends with. This is actually showing Angel being the one that pushes her to do things, be more social, and pursue things she wants. It’s nice to see Angel being more than that evil bunny Fluttershy hangs out with.

All Twilight's friends start arguing, and this is about the point where I’m kinda thinking Twilight shouldn’t be taking any of them, though Fluttershy was the one I was most inclined towards. She should’ve just announced it was Spike’s ticket. Looking at Twilight in that scene and she absolutely does not want to be there, and her friends aren’t exactly being good friends right then. Time for a teleport away… but telling them all to buzz off works.

The lunch scene gives you daffodil and daisy sandwiches and hayfries, as a bit of a reminder of how pony-like they were trying to make everything early on, which I liked. They are sitting on hay bales, too.

“Rainbow, I’m not comfortable accepting unwanted favors, so I’d appreciate it if you closed up that raincloud right now.” Well, she’s thinking straight at least, though she should have gone under cover first, Rainbow with the sun halo in the background is cute.

Rarity is so obvious, though I suppose giving someone a makeover until they do what you want is original.

Spike is cute in that little outfit. Twilight’s puffy cheeks as Rarity squeezes her is great. They had some good visual gags back then.

Now I’m wondering if they recycled the whole list of apple products they used in the first episode for what Applejack offers Twilight…

“I never thought being showered with favors would be so aggravating!”

And Fluttershy is singing (the theme song, though not the words) while cleaning the library with cute animals. And it was Angels idea. And Angel’s being a cute bunny enthusiastically making salad and being cute.

“Oh, no, I’m doing this because you’re my *very best friend*. Right, Angel?” *scowl* “Oh. Yes. We are just doing this for the ticket.” Great dialogue there.

More bunny cuteness and salad.

And Pinkie tells the whole town Twilight has an extra ticket. Great. Cue the Benny Hill music and an extended chase scene.

And Twilight teleports with Spike. And Spike is covered with soot, and she says she didn’t even know it was going to happen. She cast the spell on impulse, then? Or was it just her magic acting up under stress? (Probably overthinking this.)

At least all of her friends except for Rainbow Dash seem to realise at this point that they are being bad friends.

And Twilight sends both tickets back, which she should have done way earlier.

And Celestia sends back six tickets. Spike asks the obvious question of why he doesn’t get one, and Celestia confirms that she’s spying on Twilight by immediately sending one for him, too. Nice to see how happy he is about having it when he thinks no one is looking, though.

You know, I did have fun watching it, and there were lots of little moments and scenes I liked, but conversely, it really was dragged out, and I didn't like the way a lot of ponies were behaving here. Mixed feelings, but it was fun to revisit. And next week we get Apple Bucking Season, which was silly...

--Sweetie Belle

Are we really doing this? Going back and re-watching and discussing every episode again each week?

7034032 In retrospect I had interpreted this episode as kind of being like when the six great heroes who won the battle through friendship sat down and realized they actually sort of didn't like each other, and that this was going to be harder than they thought. I kind of like the interpretation that early on they would struggle hard to just get along, since it's often framed sometimes like they just naturally 'clicked', and it makes the whole earlier seasons feel a bit more of a struggle...

At the time, though, I just straight up didn't like the ep much...

Fluttershy was pretty cool in early eps compared to the others. I remember liking Flutters and Twilight way more before I kind of cemented which of the ponies resonated with me.

7034032
I haven't watched this episode in years, but I remember liking it a lot more than most people did.

Also, did Twilight get more purple as the series went on? Her color is definitely more faded in the early seasons.

7034032
I believe Fluttershy is actually singing the G1 theme tune.

7034032

And Twilight teleports with Spike. And Spike is covered with soot, and she says she didn’t even know it was going to happen. She cast the spell on impulse, then? Or was it just her magic acting up under stress? (Probably overthinking this.)

No way! I picked up on all this too. Like... Is it a demonstration of her skills with magic that she did a teleport spell reflexively (which I think the show comes to suggest isn't easy for all unicorns to do--)? Or is it an example of her lack of skill early on that she let's her magic get away from her in response to intense emotions?

Anyway, going back and rewatching early eps sounds fun. I'm down.

7034032

It is the oldest episode written, though. Lauren originally wrote it when pitching the show. She wrote it as an 11 minute episode, and when it turned out the show was going to be 22 minutes, she had Amy pad it out.

I did not know that. I wonder if it had any connection to that demo reel from 2008 we saw recently.

7034093
Well, I might have others fill in occasionally, but so far, yes, this'll be a thing.

7034105
Yeah, thing to keep in mind is that they theoretically knew each other before Twilight came along, but weren't mostly friends. Though Pinkie is friends with everyone, I suppose, and Rainbow and Fluttershy were friends. Rainbow and Applejack were clearly at odds, though, and Applejack didn't exactly get along with Rarity either.

Fluttershy was pretty great early on, and I did like early Twilight.

7034115
You know, she might have...

7034117
That is more the G1 version then G4, isn't it? It was a nice touch.

7034124
It occurs to me after the fact that it also could have been a nod to G1 Twilight, who would go "I wish... I wish... I wish..." and then teleport. It could be an example of her having a lot of magic but not having it totally under her control, I suppose. Or maybe she is just that good that she can reflexively cast a teleport...

This rewatch has been fun so far!

7034134
Haven't really seen anything on the demo reel. I can understand them expecting the show to be 11 minutes early on, though, because that was actually how long G1 episodes were.

--Sweetie Belle

I loved that bit at the end where everypony else bows out of wanting the ticket, and Dash does her victory dance about getting the ticket.

Oh yes, I was a big time Dash-Fag back in the day. For me, the big appeal for her character was that Dash was always a Dashhole, and over nine years her character never really changed. She's always been a good pony at her heart, but that heart is surrounded by a borderline-narcissistic arrogant ass with nearly non-existent social tact. She just really resonates with me for some strange, mysterious reason...

7034134

demo reel from 2008 we saw recently.

link?

7034143

7034146
How have I never seen this before?
Thank you!

7034163 It was news to me when I first saw it.

7034032
I never had a problem with this one - heck, I think it's arguably a better pilot than the actual opener, if only because it's not burdened with being an adventure or origin story. It's said that the key to drama is having your characters want things, after all.

We get a cordial invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest. That was meant to be for Spike, wasn’t it?

Yeah, this seems likely - and nothing says it was by act of Celestia rather than by act of committee. Especially since it's become clearer over time that Spike's fire is more flexible than say, Sunset's journal.

“Oh, no, I’m doing this because you’re my *very best friend*. Right, Angel?” *scowl* “Oh. Yes. We are just doing this for the ticket.” Great dialogue there.

I've seen this read in a couple of ways - is he upset because she isn't being honest, or because she's wimping out?

7034164
Looked into it a little, and the leaks had a development section for season one that listed three scripts: 01_Test, 02_Ticket_Master, and 03_Magic_of_Friendship. 01_Test was the script for that demo reel...

7034179

I never had a problem with this one - heck, I think it's arguably a better pilot than the actual opener, if only because it's not burdened with being an adventure or origin story. It's said that the key to drama is having your characters want things, after all.

Having character motivations is pretty important...

Yeah, this seems likely - and nothing says it was by act of Celestia rather than by act of committee. Especially since it's become clearer over time that Spike's fire is more flexible than say, Sunset's journal.

It does, admittedly say the invitation is from Celestia, but isn't addressed as if it was actually written by her. It could easily have been written by someone else that was tasked with sending out all her invitations. It could even be that everyone that got an invitation had +1 guest on there.

I've seen this read in a couple of ways - is he upset because she isn't being honest, or because she's wimping out?

I'd interpret it as that Angel's upset because he considers himself to be Fluttershy's very best friend, not Twilight.

--Sweetie Belle

7034202

It does, admittedly say the invitation is from Celestia, but isn't addressed as if it was actually written by her.

Everypony who comes to the Gala is officially invited by Celestia. That's why she has to greet every last one of them in person. And knowing how enthusiastic she gets about that, I'm guessing she delegates the parts she can.

It could even be that everyone that got an invitation had +1 guest on there.

They did in Make New Friends and Keep Discord, but here we get two seperate tickets and nopony takes anyone, so... rule revision?

I'd interpret it as that Angel's upset because he considers himself to be Fluttershy's very best friend, not Twilight.

See - lots of reads on it.

7034142 I found Dash insufferable back in the day, along with Rarity. It was only until we actually got to see more of the cracks in Rainbow's showboating that I decided she was my favourite. I'd have dropped the show after S1 if Sonic Rainboom hadn't turned up to drop that specific microphone.

I find it ironic that my opinions about all the main cast got flipped over time. Rainbow Dash is the best, and I find Rarity to be also be awesome.

7034249
Good, you may live for now...

I mean, kinda felt same. Dash grew over time for me. Though Rarity well I am unsure at what point I started adoring her. I blame her voice.

7034323 Tabitha's awesome to be fair.

I think it was somewhere in the middle or after season 2 that I kinda looked at Rarity and went, hey there, so, we've had some rough times but you're not some prissy princess wanabe anymore, and I'm willing to say I was wrong, so, will you take me back?

At one point she stopped being just about pretty things and became an artiste, and I liked that. Early on she was superficial and stuff, but then she sort of let the stress get to her way more and that was endearing as balls. Stress is something I think we all empathise with, and she carries it well.

Like, we can even see this in Ticket Master. She's obsessed with superficial aspects of it and wants to conform to that. Later on she kinda goes to do her own thing a lot more. It's a similar growth that you can see in Dash (who becomes, if not nice, then somewhat more mellow in how abrasive and antisocial she can be) in that they gradually tweaked the details of how they behaved.

703411 Yes, it looks that way. I went and checked by comparing images from s9 and one of the ones in this thread from Ticket Master.

I wonder if that's because they changed Twilight's palette, or because lighting and environment stuff improved over time...

7034363
Tabitha is a saint

And yeah I suppose she didn't leave best first impression. Besides kicking manticore and drawing the first blood. Think she kinda just stopped being generic girly character and became way more hammy and larger than life. Or an artist, which ever you prefer to call her.

And early Dash was almost like a friendly antagonist. Till she became essentially a bro. And also helped a lot to see what is under her ego.

Sadly though wish Applejack and Fluttershy had a progress too but can't say that those two improved over time. Actually I am unsure if show ever really knew what to do with Applejack.

7034409 Fluttershy evolved into a sort of almost Hulk-y character. I picked up on loads more instances of the show hinting at some mad repressed rage over time, but I can't say I counted. They leaned into the 'Fluttershy is secretly a bit mean' aspect of her character which is pretty fun, and I like it, but I hesitate to call it 'growth'.

Applejack by contrast is much more interesting, since she functioned as a straight-man in the show, even when the show had Twilight as a sort of de-facto main character (this is one of my biggest gripes with the show, to be honest). In that regard, Applejack is functioning the way her character ought to when she's not being noticed.

I think this strategy fell apart a bit as Twilight became more 'straight' (I hesitate to use that term on a fanfic forum tho) over time, and Applejack's normalcy became a bit of a weakness rather than a strength. I'd have to go back and analyse both their characters thoroughly, but it's true I can't point to much I'd describe as change in her character, and whilst the concept of a static point in the show is interesting in and of itself, it does feel a tad weak compared to the stronger characters of the show.

7034449
Think Fluttershy was always like that, as we will see with the dragon episode. And it kinda became her only thing as the main focus became her bitchiness assertiveness. Heck even animal thing kinda went nowhere till she remembered that she likes animals and made a shelter.

And when it comes to Applejack we will see now her starting as kinda second in command, the practical character. And then she'll not get to do in her own episodes much as her family takes the focus or the show introduces something about her that never gets used again. Like her not liking crowds in Manehatten or crazy over protectiveness of Applebloom. Heck, she'll also lose the sane man status when she kinda starts getting a bit dumber. Actually one thing I think she does develop is mistrust and grudge towards Flim and Flam.

But well that's why we have this rewatch now. Maybe I am wrong and can now follow progress more closely without yearly gaps. Time to get a notepad!

7034494 Back whilst S4-5 was airing the argument went that Applejack's 'neurotic quirk' (which all of the characters have; Rainbow has some serious insecurity problems I've yammered about constantly, Rarity has that whole stressed-out overachieving artist thing deal going on, Fluttershy is repressed as balls, and so on...), Applejack's was her family.

From that perspective any episode featuring Applejack's family was the glimpse into her character. Since Applejack was effectively the head of her house, stuff like overprotectiveness and being the straight-man isn't just who she is, it's also how she deals with the grimmest social situation any of the main characters have. When we see the antics Applebloom and the rest of the Apples get up to, we're almost seeing second-hand examples of what Applejack has to deal with, and has had to deal with, pretty much all on her own and at such a young age. By seeing the environment Applejack lives in, we're informed of how she works as a character, and it's pretty interesting to look at her as simultaneously trying to be a role model she might not have wanted to be as well as forced to become responsible and authoritative when it's possible (and probable, if her cutie mark backstory is of any indication) that this is something she didn't want to be.

It's an argument that at the time I found very persuasive, and it's a shame that the show didn't want to lean on 'dead parents' too heavily due to kids show issues. Or maybe it's best left vague...

One could interpret Applejack loosening up as her gradually losing that stress and responsibility, but I confess I'm not fully sold since I've not had the opportunity to view many of the episodes featuring Applejack past where I had stopped watching, which is when most people seem to think her character suffered as far as I can tell at a glance. It would be an interesting way to grow as a character, however. Unlike characters like Rainbow Dash and Twilight who rein in their worse tendencies, Applejack gets to learn how to be comfortable with her own irrational side as the characters around her become more responsible and wiser, in effect letting her relax the whole sensible role model thing and instead re-learn how to be irrational and even stupid. In theory, regression is her progression, which is a very wacky trajectory for any character and if true I kinda like it.

But again, I'm not sold on this, since I'd need more viewing to confirm my opinions.

The pilot showed the Mane Six forming what amounts to a sisterly bond over the course of one evening. That certainly was not reflected in this episode. In this episode’s defense, this plot isn’t exactly new. A lot of cartoons have used this plot, even an episode from one of the previous My Little Pony generations. That still doesn’t make this episode any good.

What makes this episode particularly annoying is how selfish the Mane Six come off as. Instead of giving Twilight some peace and quiet to think about her decision, they decide to constantly bother her, never giving her a moment’s peace. She can’t even eat lunch without them bothering her about the stupid ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala. What makes this worse is the fact that they’re trying to one-up each other at every turn. Applejack uses food to bribe Twilight into giving her the ticket. Fluttershy cleans Twilight’s house from top to bottom. Rarity makes her a dress for the Gala. And Pinkie Pie outright demands that Twilight give her the extra ticket.

In the end, though, the Mane Six end up apologizing. If this wasn’t a family-oriented show, I’m guessing Rainbow Dash would have said something along the lines of, “I got the ticket. I got the ticket, and you all can suck it. You all can suck it.” Twilight decides to not even bother going to the Gala, sending her two tickets back. Celestia sends her six tickets so that she and all of her friends can go. I think this is the episode where Celestia got her nickname: “Trollestia.” She should have known that sending two tickets would have resulted in the Mane Six attempting to kill each other over the other ticket, so why didn’t she bother to send Twilight six tickets to begin with? Furthermore, how does Celestia have a nephew? Does she have a brother that we don’t know about? Plot holes like this really annoy the crap out of me.

Like the pilot, this episode had a severe problem with its story, but, aside from that, this episode was okay.

7155204

A lot of cartoons have used this plot, even an episode from one of the previous My Little Pony generations. That still doesn’t make this episode any good.

Nor does it make it bad - originality isn't everything, and classic plots are often such for a good reason.

What makes this episode particularly annoying is how selfish the Mane Six come off as.

One thing to bear in mind is that while from Twilight's perspective it's an endless cavalcade, each of them only knew about their own attempt at buttering her up.

In the end, though, the Mane Six end up apologizing. If this wasn’t a family-oriented show, I’m guessing Rainbow Dash would have said something along the lines of, “I got the ticket. I got the ticket, and you all can suck it. You all can suck it.”

Maybe, but how well would that work in real life?

I think this is the episode where Celestia got her nickname: “Trollestia.” She should have known that sending two tickets would have resulted in the Mane Six attempting to kill each other over the other ticket, so why didn’t she bother to send Twilight six tickets to begin with?

As i mentioned above, I think Celestia's personal involvement in this whole affair began no sooner than when she got Twilight's letter. As for the nephew... maybe he's adopted?

7155279

One thing to bear in mind is that while from Twilight's perspective it's an endless cavalcade, each of them only knew about their own attempt at buttering her up.

Even so, they should've given her the time she needed to make a decision. It doesn't help that she's attempting to do this on an empty stomach, which makes Applejack bribing her with food all the more despicable.

As i mentioned above, I think Celestia's personal involvement in this whole affair began no sooner than when she got Twilight's letter.

Regardless, I see no reason why Twilight wouldn't stop to think as to send Celestia a letter asking why she sent two tickets. It makes sense, sure, as Celestia probably assumed that Twilight and Spike would go together, as Twilight's Ponyville friends, except for maybe Rarity, wouldn't be interested in going, as it's a high-society event. Despite that, Celestia should have known that sending just two tickets would cause a rift between Twilight and her friends. It's like the episode goes out of its way to ignore this plot just so it can have a conflict.

7155362
So it makes sense for Celestia to assume Twilight wouldn't need more than one extra ticket, but all the same she should have predicted a conflict between mares she barely knew? And as i said, that's if you assume she sent the tickets herself at all. (Heck, maybe the others were always meant to be invited, but their's were sent by the regular mail because Spike isn't their dragon?)

7155381

So it makes sense for Celestia to assume Twilight wouldn't need more than one extra ticket, but all the same she should have predicted a conflict between mares she barely knew?

Episodes such as "A Bird in the Hoof" and "Celestial Advice" imply that she knows these ponies fairly well. This is helped by the fact that Celestia is shown to visit Ponyville quite regularly, especially throughout season one.

And as i said, that's if you assume she sent the tickets herself at all. (Heck, maybe the others were always meant to be invited, but their's were sent by the regular mail because Spike isn't their dragon?)

Given the formal manner in which the letter was written in, it's heavily implied that she didn't. And, as I said before, it's likely that Celestia didn't think the others would be interested in going to the Gala.

7155406
It's still only the third episode, though. And anwa, what she knew or not is pointless if we agree she didn't send the two tickets.

7155418 Yes, it's only the third episode, but U find it hard to believe that Celestia wouldn't know them. Again, in "A Bird in the Hoof" she goes to Ponyville specifically to mingle with the townsfolk in order to get to know them better.

7155418
7155574
Third episode in airing order. This was actually the first full episode written, though.

I do tend towards that there's somepony that sends out all the invitations every year in Princess Celestia's name according to a list, and as it happens, at the point it was sent out, Princess Celestia hadn't updated the list to include Twilight's friends. It's not the first thing you'd think of, and she just got her sister back after a thousand years, so she was probably busy spending some quality time with her. (And revamping everything in Canterlot to take into account two princesses...)

--Sweetie Belle

7155574
I really doubt she did that before Twilight moved there - her coming in Swarm of the Century was seen as a Big Event. She can't know everypony.

7155583 Right you are! This is probably exactly what happened. But I imagine that Celestia wouldn't get to spend much quality time with Luna, as the latter was still recovering from her ordeal and wasn't back at full strength until a year later when she made her reappearance in "Luna Eclipsed", hence why everypony was scared stiff of her.. It doesn't help that Luna is a night owl, whereas Celestia is awake during the day. This explains her absence in "A Canterlot Wedding." Luna must sleep like a rock.

7155588 Sure, but as we saw throughout the series, Celestia gets dreadfully bored being a princess. I can't imagine her never visiting Ponyville to mingle with her subjects. Why else would she bother trying to protect them if she didn't care about them? If she didn't get to know them, she wouldn't care about them.

7155599
She can mingle with her subjects in many more places than Ponyville, you know - when she's not doing the hard work that bores her in the first place. It doesn't really seem like many ponies have met her in person.

7155604 Oh, sure, there's other places besides Ponyville she could visit. And I think that's why ponies revere her so much, because few of them have the experience with her that Twilight has.

7155610
indeed - which suggests she has little time to mingle with the common pony, as much as she'd prefer otherwise. Now the new Element Bearers, she'll make time for - when she has any.

7155615 Considering she's retired, that shouldn't be a problem.

7155625
Well not now, no.