S03 E11 - "Just For Sidekicks"

[rjhoney]

Personally my favorite spike episode! Corey powell is becoming my favorite mlp writer besides M.A. Larson.

0:10 - I'm sad there will no more peewee, but at least he is with his real family i guess

0:15 - BEST SONG THIS SEASON xP

2:47 - Fluttershy being adorable, as always! I want her to nuzzle me like that

3:02 - I'm pretty sure owlowiscious is gonna kill angel..

3:35 - YES! TANK

4:35 - Rainbow dash blushing is the best thing ever

5:02 - More rarispike :3

5:35 - THE ARRIVAL OF BEST PONY AND BEST PET!

6:25 - "You only want to get hit in the head by a flying turtle..once" sorry rainbow, but with the property damage tank was doing, i don't think you EVER want to be hit in the head by a flying turtle...

7:00 - More adorable fluttershy :3

7:20 - Whoa pinkie, calm down 0_0

7:25 - Rainbow dash being adorable ^_^

8:15 - Real subtle, spike...

9:27 - KILL BILL

9:40 - Finally taking rainbows advice and got a helmet?

9:55 - CMC

10:30 - Letting CMC take care of the pets? Nothing could possibly go wrong!

10:40 - Skydiving? And i thought the zip lining was bad...

10:50 - Cutie mark for pet sitting? spike, you evil evil dragon...

11:30 - SWEETIE BELLE SQUEEK

12:55 - Industrial sized pet hairdryers are canon?

13:00 - Yay! Crazy barking pony!

13:10 - ZECORA!

13:45 - Never thought this was mean, just tough love.

14:35 - Paying protection money to Granny Smith?

14:45 - Angel, you evil bunny...

14:47 - MORE KILL BILL

15:35 - HHNNNNGGGGGG

18:35 - Ooh AJ, you silly pony

All in all, an awesome episode! Very much enjoyed it. It had a nice message, some great humor, and great continuity! Also very nice that this episode is taking place during the next episode. I give it a 9.5/10. deducted .5 points because no peewee

[Ponyboy]

I really enjoyed this episode. Even though the basic plot structure was pretty much based on two classic scenarios that are older than time itself (taking on too many responsibilities single-handedly and the ever classic get rich quick scenario) the writers have managed to present it in such a way that the story still seems fresh and engaging.

For me personally, I think one of the major highlights of this episode was how the pets interacted with one another. For a while I though that it couldn't get better than Owlicious giving Angle-Bunny his own version of 'the stare', reminding both the ill-humored bunny and the audience of that little thing called the 'food chain'. At least that was until I saw the slap-and-snuggle scene between Tank and Opal, demonstrating once again that Rarity's fluffy little companion is My Little Pony's equivalent to Batman's Two-Face.

And of course one cannot ignore the brilliantly random inclusion of the industrial strength hair dryer!

Seriously folks, where do those three fillies get those wonderful toys?

[stonecutter]

Great episode!

[Cadabra]

While I liked the episode, I think the ending could have been better. Perhaps if Spike was caught in the train with the pets he could have had a chance to reflect upon the greed that Zacora talked to him about.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

That has to be your biggest wall of text yet, GingerMint.

Excuse me for initiating Pet Peeve time, but...

A "wall of text" is a long body of text that is not separated by line breaks. In other words, an absurdly long paragraph, like an H.P. Lovecraft story taken to extremes. "Wall of Text" DOES NOT mean "a very long post." The term for that is "a very long post."

Now, about the episode itself.

Apple Bloom tickling Spike = BEST EPISODE EVER!

I was honestly surprised I enjoyed this episode as much as I did. I normally feel like I'm not gonna like any episode that focuses on something other than the ponies, but there was enough Pony Cuteness, and the animals and Spike were genuinely entertaining and adorable.

Also, Granny Smith accepting a bribe. I'm not sure if that's awesome or weird.

I only had one real issue. Spike payed for everything with gems. I always got the idea previously that gems were valueless in Equestria because they're literally as common as dirt, but here they seem quite valuable, and to people other than Spike. Some of the dialogue (Twilight's line at the end, for example) makes it sound like Spike isn't the only creature who eats gems. So now, I'm confused.

Better not get a Chaos Emerald anywhere near Spike...

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Actually, I'm pretty sure I've written longer posts before and I'm also... *oof* Noes! I am not a changeling! Look, I'll prove it, I'll write a big long post about it. Starting with... uh oh... um. Look over there!

As for Granny Smith, I don't think she was ever planning on telling anyone in the first place. I mean, who is she going to tell that has more authority than herself anyways? It seems to me that she simply wanted Spike to stop, because it wasn't until the ball of pets fell apart that she smiled and walked away.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

Speaking of the "ball of pets," was anyone else singing "na nah nah nah nah Katamari Damacy"?

[tacobob]

Bit of a shame that they had to remove Peewee, but it was a good episode, nonetheless.

I know more than a few people on this site, along with a few others were rather disappointed at the end of "Dragon Quest" on how Spike basically kidnapped this kid and tried to keep him as a pet. This episode did a rather fine job at quickly fixing that little problem. I could see Spike and Twilight going on a little side journey. Trying to find Peewee's folks and such.

We also had some great scenes..Background stuff. Big Mac and Cheerlie hanging out...Screwloose hanging with the nurse (Was that her or Barking Mad?) We get to see more of Zecora which is never a bad thing, and it looks like Equestria has its own form of the Girl Scouts. (The Very Merry Marey Marching Society?) We get a VERY hung over Berry Punch...(She's on the train near the end.) And we get to see Carrot Top with a new stallion in her life. I'm guessing this was probably the first public visit to the Crystal Empire.

And Gummy actually had a different expression on his face .Usually he just stands there with his eyes puffed out...But we see a happy Gummy...This could have been an animation error, but it's really cute.

I enjoyed it. It was a filler episode, but a ton of fun.

[Stonetribe]

Couldn't help but notice Screwloose. I know I'm just thinking about background characters more then I should, but I smiled at the thought of her not only not in a mental institution, but also conversing with one of the nurse ponies who supposedly worked with her. I wonder what her story is and what kind of bright future she has ahead of her.

[tacobob]

Couldn't help but notice Screwloose. I know I'm just thinking about background characters more then I should, but I smiled at the thought of her not only not in a mental institution, but also conversing with one of the nurse ponies who supposedly worked with her. I wonder what her story is and what kind of bright future she has ahead of her.

Aha! MadMax has answers for your questions!

http://csimadmax.deviantart.com/gallery/27895270#/d5sxrq6

[Dessa]

Ginger...liked an episode and would watch it again with no reservations?

Everypony, we have a Changeling! *tackles Ginger*

Hey, me too! I'm probably a bigger hater than even she is, and I loved this ep. Pay attention to me! Me!

[colour=#000000]Speaking of Spike though, he has come a along way since his debut in the first season and has really evolved from a background character that the fans hated with a passion at the start to a all round fan favourite in the last two seasons[/colour]

i don't remeber fans ever hating Spike though...

[Hippo]

i don't remeber fans ever hating Spike though...

It was mostly a Friendship is Witchcraft thing, lol.

[SteelEagle]

Great episode. It had a lot of fast, quick fire jokes, nice pacing and characterization, and some awfully adorable moments. Filler? Yeah, and perfect filler at that.

[tacobob]

It was mostly a Friendship is Witchcraft thing, lol.

Yeah. I mean. Seriously. How can you hate this guy?

[ZephyrBurst]

Another 'meh' for me. This season is the worst. It started bad, the middle was great, but these last few have been atrocious. Potentially killing your friend through illogical means, treating others like mere objects, reform spells. [colour=#b22222]CONTENT REMOVED[/colour], we're going down immoral road here.

The episode was actually good, the pacing and moral were handled well, and it was nifty to see background characters come forth more. What bothers me is how out of character Spike was. In season 1, he was the voice of reason, but now the writers just don't care about him. He has an episodic amnesia and doesn't remember anything he's learned from previous episodes. Corey Powell needs to get fired.

Edited January 29, 2013 by Autumn
Your use of profanity (censored of not) has been complained about by members of this community.

[Rosewind]

Another 'meh' for me. This season is the worst. It started bad, the middle was great, but these last few have been atrocious. Potentially killing your friend through illogical means, treating others like mere objects, reform spells. Holy Celestia, we're going down immoral road here.

The episode was actually good, the pacing and moral were handled well, and it was nifty to see background characters come forth more. What bothers me is how out of character Spike was. In season 1, he was the voice of reason, but now the writers just don't care about him. He has an episodic amnesia and doesn't remember anything he's learned from previous episodes. Corey Powell needs to get fired.

Are you able to be more specific? What makes this season the "worst" compared to the first two? I think as it's a cartoon, we're forced to accept that morality is sometimes ignored because the story has a bigger point to make -- and it's often not as important as the take-home message. This functions the same way as the "suspension of disbelief" so we can enjoy material for what it is rather than saying "oh my, that would never realistically happen!" For example, the story would never allow Twilight to "kill" her friend, even if the moral risk is there.

I do agree that this season and its presentation have caused a lot of head scratching and confusion -- not because of its quality, but because it feels like there's a reason the story and episodes have taken a darker tone, and we aren't sure why yet. Are the writers creating bridges for future continuity? Is the cartoon we love changing on a fundamental level and becoming less desirable to watch, or worse, relate to? Also, how long will we have to wait for S4 to kick off, and will it be something amazing because of all this foreshadowing and subplotting, or just more confusing?

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

I don't really understand why people are calling this episode filler. Its an episodic, slice of life show. There are no gaps to place filler into, because there is no continuum to have gaps in the first place.

Vague hints that something might happen, maybe, do not constitute an overarching plot. If anything, the Grand Galloping Gala was a better plot line than, whatever it is that we still don't know about. From the very first moment we heard about the Gala, we knew how each character felt about it and why it was important to them. Whatever nonsense they're doing with Celestia and Luna, or whatever, nobody has any reason to care because none of the characters care or even know about the plot's existence, and therefore it has no consequence on any of their actions thus far.

Spike has historically been both the voice of reason and the devil's advocate, often times simultaneously in the same episode. In Episode 3, The Ticket Master, he simultaneously disregards Twilight's feelings and worries himself with his own desires, while telling her to relax and dispensing the occasional bit of good advice. In Episode 6, Boast Busters, he simultaneously pushes Twilight to stand up for herself and also sink to Trixie's level, along with his misconceptions about wooing Rarity. In Winter Wrap Up, one of the archetypal episodes of Season 1, he is full of bad advice for Twilight, pushing her to use magic when it is inappropriate. In Just for Sidekicks, he continues this tradition by both providing and solving problems.

Ignoring morality or logical paradoxes is not at all how "suspension of disbelief," works. Suspension of disbelief is a function of empathy and/or abstract reasoning that allows us to step out of our own shoes and into someone else's. "Realism," is a word that probably has no rightful place in a discussion about a fantasy world involving ponies, but "plausibility," and "internal consistency," definitely are. By writing a story that does not contradict itself, the audience is able to grant the author the unrealism, because it functions according to its own rules. (Similarly, if I were to tell you that 2 > 5, and 2 < 1, then anyone can agree that 1 > 5, under the rules of this thought experiment. Or if the story takes place in a world where everything falls up, the audience will have a hard time suspending disbelief should a character trip and fall down.)

Twilight's solution to the problem in Too Many Pinkie Pies is a logical paradox in and of itself.

• The problem is that the Pinkie Pies are out of control and causing a mess.

• The solution is to get them into a controlled environment, and banish them if they go out of control.

If the problem is that you cannot control them in the first place, how can controlling them be a part of any rational solution? (To say nothing of the one Pinkie Pie that is already controlled before the test even starts.)

These paradoxes and moral failings not only lessen the message of the episode itself, but they also create an overarching message that is built on a faulty premise. In psychology terms, this is called inoculation, and by presenting an audience with a weak/faulty argument, you make them more likely to believe that the opposite is true.

I suppose that maybe these moral quandaries are a incredibly clever plan by the writers to make a flawed case for bad behavior, so that kids will find fault within the message and believe otherwise. As a historical rule though, I've found that as effective as it might be, this type of counter-cinema is generally unpleasant to watch for its target audience.

[weesh]

I am on vacation with my family, and this is the first episode that I got to see with my sister since we binged the first two seasons this summer. I was watching this with an unfairly harsh eye, because she just got engaged, and her fiance was watching this as his first ever episode!

This shouldn't be the first episode since it has so many callbacks and barely shows the primary characters, but it wasn't really bad for it either. Even with predictable turns in the early part of the episode, it was full of cute critters, interesting scenes, funny antics, had a good ending AND there were not awkward/weird/painful moments.

It is the best spike episode, which makes me happy because the little boy that I show this to is always asking for a spike episode.

Other fun moments:

*Angel shows that he is still mischievous, but most importantly, he did not kick the chair when he realized that Spike was taking his duties seriously! That shows care and respect.

*Rainbow shows love for tank, which was wonderful to see after his rather short amount of non-shallow interaction with Tank in "best pet win".

*CMCs were not annoying, most because: Scoots was willing to try pet sitting?!, Applebloom showed business savvy and took spike to the bank, and they were willing participants rather than stooges.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

I do agree that this season and its presentation have caused a lot of head scratching and confusion -- not because of its quality, but because it feels like there's a reason the story and episodes have taken a darker tone, and we aren't sure why yet. Are the writers creating bridges for future continuity? Is the cartoon we love changing on a fundamental level and becoming less desirable to watch, or worse, relate to? Also, how long will we have to wait for S4 to kick off, and will it be something amazing because of all this foreshadowing and subplotting, or just more confusing?

No offense but... I get the feeling you're reading too much into it.

I've seen no "foreshadowing" and "subplotting." None of these episodes could be taken as anything more than what the show has always been--a series of cute one-off adventures. Okay, Discord becoming good MAY have meant to lead up to something, but I think it's more likely someone just thought that would be cool.

I mean, think about how TV writing works. They can't think too far ahead. Too much plotting can be a straightjacket, and the show is meant for little girls, after all.

[TotalEcplise]

Just to lighten up the conversation.

I'm halfway sure that Fluttershy isn't as shy as she claims to be. Playing coy is powerful.

Look at that face, she was in control of that entire conversation with Spike.

[Dessa]

I mean, think about how TV writing works. They can't think too far ahead. Too much plotting can be a straightjacket, and the show is meant for little girls, after all.

What, and little girls can't follow plots?

[weesh]

What, and little girls can't follow plots?

I teach sunday school at a small church, and have to make lessons relevant for kids all the way from 1st through 6th grade. The 6th graders are DOUBLE the age of the 1st graders!

The MLP folks are trying to make a show that appeals to kids from 3 years old to 30 years old. Can we really be hard on them for making some plots simplistic so the young boys and girls can follow the show from time to time?

Since I watch this show with kids from 3-6 years old, I try to help them understand what is happening. For a complicated episode, that means helping them follow the plot. For a simple episode, I get to dig a little deeper, like into emotions and motivations. And that is the key. It is not enough to just understand what is happening. It is also important to take it to a higher level, just like we do on this forum.

[NoGiantRobots1983]

What, and little girls can't follow plots?

What I was getting at was, its unlikely they're planning any big story arc because the whole idea of the show is that anything can happen at any time. If there's a story arc, then lines have to be drawn somewhere, and potential storylines might have to be rethought or scrapped entirely.

Then again, the recent announcement probably blows all that out of the water, but who knows.

[Rosewind]

No offense but... I get the feeling you're reading too much into it.

The point of any discussion is to read into something and discuss what it means, This is especially true with any discussion about episodes. Reference Ginger's opinions and posts in any episode discussion thread and you'll see a lot of this, which is good, as it promotes thought and dialogue. If we all agreed on something, we wouldn't have anything to discuss!

I've seen no "foreshadowing" and "subplotting." None of these episodes could be taken as anything more than what the show has always been--a series of cute one-off adventures. Okay, Discord becoming good MAY have meant to lead up to something, but I think it's more likely someone just thought that would be cool.

Are we watching the same cartoon? Twilight's entire role is built on the subplot that she is studying under Celestia and reporting her findings back to her. Do you think she's doing this for fun? What purpose does it serve? There is a definite method to how this show is written, and I think the writers are tasked with writing a show that can be enjoyed on many different levels. For the adult fans, we have parody and little callbacks of continuity and character growth (Rainbow Dash reading Daring Do, characters handling problems differently because they've grown in some way), as well as subplot building. A good example of this is the Gala arc. It was introduced early in S1 with Ticket Master, explored again in Suited for Success, then finally resolved in The Best Night Ever.

I mean, think about how TV writing works. They can't think too far ahead. Too much plotting can be a straightjacket, and the show is meant for little girls, after all.

Most series are written several seasons in advance. The author usually has a plan for where the characters and story are going. As for the "show meant for little girls" comment, you should try reading some of the things Lauren Faust has said about her design of FiM and the attitude taken toward girl-targeted entertainment:

I didn't create this show for little girls, I created it for little girls and their parents--including male parents. It only stands to reason that adult animation fans without children may like it, too.

The belief that boys shouldn't be interested in girl things is the main reason there's hardly anything decent for girls in animation--- or almost any media, for that matter. It's a backwards, sexist, outdated attitude.

You might also read this article, written early in FiM's debut by Ms. Faust herself in rebuttal to comments made about the cartoon, that gives insight to her design process and how it attempts to revive a stale paradigm of girls' entertainment.

I think you should take a hard look at what Friendship is Magic represents -- and why you personally enjoy it -- before making comments such as the one above. Girls deserve far more than we've been getting in a market that's heavily male dominated, and this cartoon is an example for others to follow. Don't confuse this with emulate; I'm speaking strictly in terms of quality, presentation, and message.

[tacobob]

I didn't create this show for little girls, I created it for little girls and their parents--including male parents. It only stands to reason that adult animation fans without children may like it, too.

The belief that boys shouldn't be interested in girl things is the main reason there's hardly anything decent for girls in animation--- or almost any media, for that matter. It's a backwards, sexist, outdated attitude.

Thanks for posting that bit! That's why I CRINGE when people post that this is a "little girl's show" or "kid's show.". It's an fun bit of family entertainment, like aka anything Pixar or Dreamworks does. It's a show really anyone can enjoy. Adults, teenagers, kids, fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks. Even tough kids, sissy kids, even kids with chicken pox...Those types of peeps love pony, MLP. I have plenty of friends who are young parents who usually watch the 'kid's shows' with their kids..And usually it's a painful experience. Cause if you've seen other kids's shows...accck.