So here we are with “The Show Stoppers”, and at the moment, I’m highly caffeinated.

The two aren’t really related, but it’s Friday, and I was working on some projects, and sort of drank an entire 2 liter bottle of Doctor Pepper during the course of it while listening to music and trying to keep the momentum going.

Not really a usual thing for me, and it’ll probably be well past my bedtime when I get to sleep. Got a lot done, though.

Anyways, “The Show Stoppers” is by Cindy Morrow, which I somehow knew without looking. It was actually called “No Talent Show” while it was being written, and “Drama Queens” at some point. This one, along with the last, provides the foundation of the Cutie Mark Crusaders for seasons to come.

So let’s watch it, shall we?

We start right off with Applejack leading the Cutie Mark Crusaders through some remote section of the farm. Apple Bloom accidentally whacks Scootaloo in the face with a leaf, which brings to mind all the arguing the two of them were doing last episode.

It makes a lot of sense for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to be better friends then Scoots and Apple Bloom, in any case, since Apple Bloom is really the new one in the group at this point.

Scootaloo saying “Are we there yet?” leads to Sweetie Belle saying “There? Where? What? I don’t even know what we are doing?”, words that have haunted her ever since. Not knowing what’s going on at the moment doesn’t equal low intelligence, guys…

Of course, not knowing what the clubhouse was when first looking at it doesn’t help, but none of the CMC did.

Something that tends to get overlooked here: Applejack says the clubhouse was hers when she was their age. Not sure if I’ve ever seen anything with young Applejack hanging out in the clubhouse…

It’s in terrible condition and is falling apart enough that, to be honest, Applejack’s really being pretty negligent in handing it over without fixing it up enough that they won’t hurt themselves in there.

“TLC as in Tender Loving Care or Totally Lost Cause?” This is one of these lines that does really help establish Scoots character.

Break for credits, and we come back to Scootaloo drawing a map of the town, one we’ll see for a long time to come. Give her credit, it actually looks pretty good.

And, of course, she zooms around on her scooter, something that seems very natural now, but this is the first time we see it! She’s quite the daredevil!

You’ll note that one reason she can zoom around so fast is while her wings are tiny, she can buzz them around really fast like a hummingbird. It does make me wonder if she can do that because they are that small, and if she’d lose some of her ability on her scooter if her wings had grown to the size of most pegasi.

Her scooting is pretty awesome, anyways.

So now we get to the clubhouse where Apple Bloom is painting the steps leading up. Scoots is able to break on a dime, too. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom has apparently fixed up the entire clubhouse to pretty much new condition from being a total wreck. She’s really good at construction. That table last episode was totally not her fault.

And what’s Sweetie Belle up to? Composing and singing her own songs, of course! This takes some talent, and she has a great voice.

Sweetie Belle is also apparently good at sweeping with her tail. I seem to remember Sweepy Belle as a name for a gender swapped Sweetie Belle in at least one story.

Note that she’s not really comfortable with singing in front of others…

So, back to the clubhouse, and Applejack is checking in on them to see if the clubhouse has collapsed and crushed them to death or anything yet. Instead, though, we first hear Sweetie Belle singing, then she smiles when Apple Bloom is singing, then winces at Scootaloo, who is totally off key.

And the CMC declare their intentions to discover their talents. I note that Sweetie Belle’s line here is “No meal uncooked!”. Oh dear.

So now we go into the tune I can only think of as the Cutie Mark Crusader theme, though not the one they were singing. It has been used elsewhere, like in Pinkie Pie’s parties as the record playing, but it was pretty prominent in this cutie mark montage.

It’s quite a montage of doing things then looking at their rear ends, too. Whatever it might imply, this was not one afternoon.

I’m having trouble commenting on the individual things that happen, but I’ve always loved this montage. It’s the essence of Cutie Mark Crusading, all distilled into a few minutes.

I do have to wonder why adult ponies were willing to even try having the cmc style their manes…

Again, it’s hard to convey how much I love that scene. We all end up over at Twilight’s Library, though. Twilight’s invited Cheerilee over for probably the first and only time. Shame, that. Was this a date?

The books are all over the place, of course, but that’s not that uncommon for the library. Cheerilee lets them know about the talent show, though, which gets them motivated to enter and see if they can find their talents that way.

Hmm. Interesting camera work and audio signals here, similar to the first episode, when the mane 6 were discussing the elements. It seems to be indicating Apple Bloom as best drama act, Scootaloo as best comedy act, and Sweetie Belle as best magic act. Not sure that really corresponds…

And here we go again: “Juggling!” “Acting!” “Magic Tricks!” “Square Dancing!” “Tightrope Walking!” “Tiger Taming.” I think tiger taming is my favorite. (And seriously, can I get more then one emote per CMC member?)

Switch to where the cmc have just, um, stolen Rarity’s supplies for the talent show. Bringing back fabric after you’ve made costumes out of it doesn’t seem very likely…

And they borrow a fan from Mister Breezy, who we next see in… er, season 8, “It Isn't the Mane Thing About You”? He didn’t get much screen time.

Scootaloo goes over the carpentry supplies they’ve gotten, while her helmet magically levitates on her scooter. Nice trick, that.

They are also borrowing “Ghosts, Goblins, and Other Ghoulish Figures” from Twilight. Though for this one, I suppose they are really checking out a library book.

In one quick scene, we establish that Sweetie Belle should be singing, Scootaloo should be doing the choreography, and Apple Bloom should be doing the set design, but instead, Scoots will sing, Sweetie Belle will design, and Apple Bloom will do the choreography.

We also learn that Scootaloo likes wicked rock ballads, and Apple Bloom likes Kung Fu. Maybe Scoots has been listening to not particularly on key rock ballads, and thinks that’s how you are supposed to sing.

Next, Apple Bloom is trying to dance, and Scootaloo tries to help her. She does seem to give a good tip or two, but it clearly takes practice Apple Bloom doesn’t have. “Ah’m Okay!”

Then Scootaloo’s having trouble coming up with music, and starts banging her head on the piano, Don Music style, which is classic. Sweetie Belle chases a roll of fabric over, with the immortal line “Dumb Fabric!”.

“Hey, Scoots! How’s the song coming?” *Pbbbt.* “*Pbbbt.*? Oh my. Sounds serious.” Love this exchange.

“With our cutie marks we'll rock Equestria. We use our stomachs to... digestia?” Oh dear.

Sweetie Belle, naturally, is still awesome at singing.

But the fabric gets soaked, and has to dry out.

Here comes the costumes. Stitching is pretty good, and Sweetie Belle clearly knows how to use a sewing machine, but it has five legs. And, wait, the stitching attaching the legs sucks.

My main issue here is that Sweetie Belle made them all capes last episode, and those are pretty good! … You know, they haven’t been wearing those this episode. Was this episode intended to be before the last one? It’d make more sense before the last one, too...

And Apple Bloom gives her advice. I do like how all of them are helping each other out. This actually feels like pretty good bonding as friends to me here, even if they all obviously should be doing what they are good at.

And really, shouldn’t everyone try to do things they aren’t good at occasionally? How else will you know what you like doing? You also only get better at something by actually practicing at it. The episode might be homing in on a moral about recognising what you are good at, but there’s a lot to be said for trying new things, even if you aren’t good at them, and teaching things and learning them is a good way of getting closer.

Applejack happens to see them perform.

“Speechless! See, girls? I told you that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna leave them speechless.” Snerk.

So, it’s the night of the performance, and Snips and Snails make their return, putting on a magic act with hawthornbunny. This makes perfect sense. Maybe this is why they were so into Trixie’s act?

We also have Sunny Days and Peachy Pie reciting their favorite poem on roller skates?

“Break a leg!” Obviously Sweetie Belle knows something about theatre.

“Why does everypony think I’m going to sing?” Why indeed?

And now it’s time for the big number! You know, I actually really do like this song. Most of the original takes of it were actually done on-key, too, just doing off key versions for the final take. Want to hear the Rebecca Shoichet version?

Honestly, the props may not be great, but Sweetie Belle did an awesome job on the costumes. Very David Bowie. And Apple Bloom’s moves are entertaining, at least.

The props are ultimately the downfall, of course, and they get laughed off stage. Apple Bloom should have done those, at least, even if I’m satisfied by the costumes, personally.

They aren’t happy about this, of course, and have to be prodded by Cheerilee into going back on stage. It appears that Twist, Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara performed in the talent show, too. I would’ve liked to have seen that! I wonder what they did?

Here we have the crowd stomping hooves instead of clapping, in another one of these ponyisms that gets lost later on in the show.

It turns out that the CMC won an award for best comedy act. I do have to wonder about awards being handed out to all but three of the performers on the stage. Shouldn’t Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon be throwing a fit around now?

Naturally, they all take their costumes off really quickly backstage to look at their butts. No cutie marks.

They talk to Twilight, deliver the ‘moral’, and Sweetie Belle’s sister Rarity is there, Apple Bloom’s sister Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, who I don’t believe has ever been seen in the same place as Scootaloo before this.

Back to the moral:

Sweetie Belle: Well, maybe we were trying too hard.
Twilight Sparkle: Yes? And?
Scootaloo: And instead of forcing ourselves to do something that's not meant for us...
Twilight Sparkle: Yes? Yes?
Apple Bloom: We each should be embracing our true talent!
Twilight Sparkle: And that is...?
Cutie Mark Crusaders: Comedy!

You know, I’m okay with “Recognize what you’re good at”, but this is kinda slipping towards “Only do things you are good at”, which is not really a great idea. Little mixed on the moral.

It’s still an episode I enjoy a bunch, though. Of course, your mileage may vary!

So that’s this week, and I think the caffeine's mostly worn off. What’s next?

“A Dog and Pony Show”. Oh. Well, I did say I liked David Bowie. Time for some Diamond Dogs…

--Sweetie Belle

7140532 This episode is just painful to watch. This is why early CMC episodes weren't usually received very well and why as early as Season 2 they started moving away from the "Gotta Find Our Cutie Marks" plot line. No kid is this stupid.

7140578

No kid is this stupid.

7140532
4 hours till first reply? Guess this isn't the most memorable ep - what I do remember is people saying almost right out of the gate that CMC eps were boring. i wouldn't come to agree until Season 2, though - we have some interesting stuff here.

It makes a lot of sense for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to be better friends then Scoots and Apple Bloom, in any case, since Apple Bloom is really the new one in the group at this point.

And it's likely a new group, too - I mentioned last time how this felt like the first real CMC story. (Although I dunno how long the others knew each other first - probably not long, is my guess, just like the Manes weren't exactly friends before the show.)

Something that tends to get overlooked here: Applejack says the clubhouse was hers when she was their age. Not sure if I’ve ever seen anything with young Applejack hanging out in the clubhouse…

Well the first question which leaps to mind is - hanging out with who? Not much of a clubhouse without a club... And did her parents build it for her, or was it used by other, earlier Apples?

Break for credits, and we come back to Scootaloo drawing a map of the town, one we’ll see for a long time to come. Give her credit, it actually looks pretty good.

I really need to launch that locations/geography group I've had on the back burner...

And, of course, she zooms around on her scooter, something that seems very natural now, but this is the first time we see it! She’s quite the daredevil!

You’ll note that one reason she can zoom around so fast is while her wings are tiny, she can buzz them around really fast like a hummingbird. It does make me wonder if she can do that because they are that small, and if she’d lose some of her ability on her scooter if her wings had grown to the size of most pegasi.

Her scooting is pretty awesome, anyways.

Seconded - the sky may not belong to her like it does to her idol, but we humans can admire a groundbound talent even better.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom has apparently fixed up the entire clubhouse to pretty much new condition from being a total wreck. She’s really good at construction. That table last episode was totally not her fault.

Anyone remember when she last did anything like that?

And what’s Sweetie Belle up to? Composing and singing her own songs, of course! This takes some talent, and she has a great voice.

Sweetie Belle is also apparently good at sweeping with her tail. I seem to remember Sweepy Belle as a name for a gender swapped Sweetie Belle in at least one story.

Pony tail skills sadly seemed to decline throught the show, much like clever uses of their mouths, as less and less effort was put into avoiding hoof-hands.

I’m having trouble commenting on the individual things that happen, but I’ve always loved this montage. It’s the essence of Cutie Mark Crusading, all distilled into a few minutes.

Of course, the downside of that is that viewers are then expected to watch more, slower crusading for not just the rest of this episode, but several others too.

I do have to wonder why adult ponies were willing to even try having the cmc style their manes…

I expect most adult ponies hear "we want to see if our cutie marks are in this" as meaning they already have some idea their talent lies in that area - like Twist and candy-making. Blind experimentation on this scale is new.

Twilight’s invited Cheerilee over for probably the first and only time. Shame, that. Was this a date?

Maybe, but probably just a blatant plot device. I did hope at the time, though, that it showed our heroine continuing to make new friends in Ponyville rather than just settling for the starter pack - she and Cheeriliee seem like natural comrades-in-education. Ah, what might have been....

Scootaloo goes over the carpentry supplies they’ve gotten, while her helmet magically levitates on her scooter. Nice trick, that.

Not exactly first-class composition, but it's hung on the pushbar. I think.

Was this episode intended to be before the last one? It’d make more sense before the last one, too...

So you think so too?

Not that much to say about the preparation or the show itself - it's predictable but fun enough, even if some fans were less patient. Some interesting possible morals, too, especially since the moral givers are so obviously wrong it's left open they've missed the point in other ways too. (And it might have been nice to ever really see Sunny Days or Peachy Pie again - maybe in Fame and Misfortune?)

As a whole, it's hardly the most exciting Season 1 episode or the Crusaders' best ever, but together with last week's it give this conjoined spinoff of sorts a decent enough launch.

7140578
Do you know many kids? (Or many adults as stupid as the Mane 6 can be?)

7140578

No kid is this stupid.

As a kid I:

• I jumped off the second floor of a building under construction like other kids did, with the intention of making the landing on a huge pile of sand. I didn't check where the pile of sand was before I jumped. I landed on the pavement.
• I made a trip trap with old rusty nails pointing upwards for whoever fell on that on the abandoned lot we played as kids; I didn't inform the other kids about it. This wasn't the stupid part. The stupid part was that I was the one to trip on it.
• I pushed a nail inside a live wall plug.
• I poked a beehive with what I thought was a long stick. It wasn't a long stick enough, and I wasn't fast enough to run away from a swarm of angry bees. I counted about 35 bee stings at my front. Couldn't count those on my back.
• Crossed a road checking only one direction and got hit by a car. Proceeded to do this three more times.
• I lit a mattress on fire while I was under it.
• I tied a rock on me so it would keep me underwater and be able to walk underwater. I almost drowned.
• Took an air-blown small raft to watch a herd of jellyfish. The raft was leaking. I knew it. Did it anyway. It didn't end well.
• Took my bike with no breaks up a very steep hill and down a road with many corners and blind spots. I didn't hit any walls. I hit an incoming van.
• Broke nails and cracked fingers when I failed to remember to not put heavy rocks down with your hands are beneath them

I'd add way more, but this list isn't the point of the thread. But kids ARE way more stupid. If they didn't do this crap it's because they had adults hovering over them. I know tons of more people who can tell these kinds of stories.

Kids are dumb as fuck.

7140578

Depends on what kind of kid you mean. Do you mean a more mature kid that already knows better, or a "kid" kid that's still learning?

7140842
Bwuh - you're alive and in one piece?

About how old were you when you tried all that stuff anyway?

7140850
It ranges from eight years old to twelve or thirteen, so about CMC age. And there is plenty more, enough that even if I made a complete list I'd probably forget to put some stuff in. But yes, kids are stupid. The reason most people think that not-stupid kids are the norm is: A) because those kids when grown are not going to admit how fantastically dumb their ass was, and B) the dumbest don't get the chance to grow up unless they're consistently 'lucky'.

I was lucky and have no shame.

7140865
Well I start the CMC on the high end there, but then ponies aren't the most mature sorts even in adulthood.

And there's lucky, and then there's Crusader lucky.

7140832

4 hours till first reply? Guess this isn't the most memorable ep - what I do remember is people saying almost right out of the gate that CMC eps were boring. i wouldn't come to agree until Season 2, though - we have some interesting stuff here.

I was starting to wonder if anybody but me actually liked the episode.

Well the first question which leaps to mind is - hanging out with who? Not much of a clubhouse without a club... And did her parents build it for her, or was it used by other, earlier Apples?

Big Mac, maybe? I'm not sure. We don't really know that much about Applejack as a filly.

I really need to launch that locations/geography group I've had on the back burner...

Well, the pictures looked good, anyways. It wasn't really much of a map, exactly.

Anyone remember when she last did anything like that?

They mostly dropped that thread, didn't they? There was the cart in One Bad Seed, but that was all the CMC building it.

Pony tail skills sadly seemed to decline throught the show, much like clever uses of their mouths, as less and less effort was put into avoiding hoof-hands.

Yeah, and it sort of takes away from the uniqueness of the setting...

Maybe, but probably just a blatant plot device. I did hope at the time, though, that it showed our heroine continuing to make new friends in Ponyville rather than just settling for the starter pack - she and Cheeriliee seem like natural comrades-in-education. Ah, what might have been...

It would've been nice. A lot of less major characters got fairly neglected, probably partially because the writers aren't necessarily familiar with any episodes they didn't write. The head writer/story editor would be, but that position changed several times...

Not exactly first-class composition, but it's hung on the pushbar. I think.

Yeah, that might be a handlebar, there. The color is so similar to the ground color, I'm having trouble telling.

So you think so too?

Watching both of them back to back like this, yeah, it makes sense for them to have originally been written in reverse order.

Not that much to say about the preparation or the show itself - it's predictable but fun enough, even if some fans were less patient. Some interesting possible morals, too, especially since the moral givers are so obviously wrong it's left open they've missed the point in other ways too. (And it might have been nice to ever really see Sunny Days or Peachy Pie again - maybe in Fame and Misfortune?)

Don't mind it being predictable if I'm having fun, generally. Sometimes the fun's not so much in the ideas and plot as the execution.

As I said, mixed feelings on the moral, as I think that going out and trying out lots of things is a good thing! It's kinda subverted in that if they had gone for what they were good at and gotten their cutie marks in it, they wouldn't have gotten those special group cutie marks later. It's actually good that they failed this time!

According to the wiki, Sunny Days and Peachy Pie showed up in The Cutie Pox, Pinkie Pride, and The Fault in Our Cutie Marks as background characters, basically.

As a whole, it's hardly the most exciting Season 1 episode or the Crusaders' best ever, but together with last week's it give this conjoined spinoff of sorts a decent enough launch.

It was a fun episode, and we do have one more cmc episode to go this season, The Cutie Mark Chronicles...

--Sweetie Belle

7140880
I was starting to wonder if anybody but me actually liked the episode.

I like every Season 1 episode.

We don't really know that much about Applejack as a filly.

So many stones left unturned...

They mostly dropped that thread, didn't they?

Yeah, and it sort of takes away from the uniqueness of the setting...

A lot of less major characters got fairly neglected, probably partially because the writers aren't necessarily familiar with any episodes they didn't write. The head writer/story editor would be, but that position changed several times...

...and unfortunate twists in the path.

7140880

Don't mind it being predictable if I'm having fun, generally. Sometimes the fun's not so much in the ideas and plot as the execution.

A lot of good early pony is like this - although that doesn't mean it entirely lacks surprises.

we do have one more cmc episode to go this season, The Cutie Mark Chronicles...

i'm not sure if I'd call that a CMC ep exactly, even if they're the ones who tie it all together.

It’s in this episode where we get introduced to the clubhouse of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, which would become a setting of sorts for future episodes featuring these three. Despite having no prior training in the ways of carpentry, Apple Bloom manages to fix the clubhouse up to where it looks brand new. We also learn that Scootaloo is quite agile on that scooter of hers, and Sweetie Belle gets to showcase her beautiful singing voice, as well as talent for songwriting. So, with all of these talents, you would expect them to use them in the talent show at school, right? Well, because these are kids, they don’t think that way.

Instead of singing, Sweetie Belle designs the sets, costumes, and handles the props. Instead of doing the choreography for the dance that the Cutie Mark Crusaders are going to perform, Scootaloo decides to sing instead. Finally, Apple Bloom decides to do the choreography instead of designing the sets, costumes, and handling the props. It goes about as well as you’d expect. Mishap after mishap takes place, but the dedication of the Cutie Mark Crusaders is one to be admired.

What makes this episode frustrating for some is knowing what the special talents of the Cutie Mark Crusaders are and wondering how long it will take them to realize that their special talents are right in front of them. Regarding as to where they get these special talents from, I’m guessing Sweetie’s talent for singing/songwriting comes from her upbringing. As “Filli Vanilli” showed us, Rarity has a talent for singing, and maybe playing music as well. Their mother seems to be the type to enjoy singing as well, so that could be where her daughters got their mutual love of music. Apple Bloom’s talent for carpentry could have either come from any one of her siblings or her father. Scootaloo’s talent for pulling off awesome tricks on her scooter simply comes from years of practice and hard work.

I like the little montage in the middle of this episode where the Cutie Mark Crusaders go about Ponyville trying to earn their cutie marks. According to William Anderson, the piece of music that plays throughout this montage is one that he hates, for some odd reason. I don’t know why. It’s bouncy. It’s catchy. It’s certainly something that’s pleasing to listen to. Anyway, I’m actually surprised that the Cakes and Rarity don’t have an issue with letting the Cutie Mark Crusaders going into their stores and trying to get their cutie marks that way. Wouldn’t having them there be damaging for their businesses? Knowing these three little rascals, I’m guessing they sneaked into Twilight’s library while nopony was there and attempted to get their cutie marks that way, leading to Spike walking in on the mess they made, prompting him to reassure Twilight that he had nothing to do with it.

Mishaps with their performance aside, the Cutie Mark Crusaders performing their theme song for all of Ponyville was so funny that I couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that they were still going despite all of the misfortune that was going on. Halfway through the song, Apple Bloom gets her foot stuck in one of the props and spends the rest of the performance hopping around trying to get her foot out. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle is falling all over herself trying to manage the props, and Scootaloo is practically screaming the lyrics to the song at the top of her lungs. Like Sweetie’s performance in “Stare Master”, how bad this performance was might have been a joke on the side of the production staff. The song was clearly written to be so bad, it’s good, while Scootaloo’s singing was meant to be so bad, it’s funny. In fact, the whole performance can be summed up that way: it’s so bad that it’s funny. The fact that some people were hoping that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were killed as all of that debris fell on them utterly horrifies me. How anyone can hate these three adorable little fillies is beyond me. As far as Cutie Mark Crusaders episodes go, this is still one of my favorites, special talents given away at the beginning of the episode aside.

If I did have anything to complain about, it would be that the moral was a little weak. The moral seems to be, “Don't ever try new things and don’t work to improve yourself. If something doesn’t come easily at first, you aren’t meant to do it.” And to me, that’s a sickening moral. Of course, I could be wrong, though.