Ginger Mint

hi hi

Personally, I find the notion that people should necessarily be irredeemable to be kinda cynical and entirely contrary to the root premise of the show in general, which is that Friendship is Magic. The very first villain on the show was redeemed, and went on to become one of the most popular characters. (Luna) The main six and the cutie mark crusaders have messed things up dozens of times and still have been worth redemption.

According to the Center For Creative Justice, which handles a lot of first time offender cases around where I live, when given a second chance (ie probation, supervision and deferred judgement rather than prison), 86% of people do not re-offend.

I could go and cite specific examples of various characters in various shows, but children's television is full of perpetual villains and villains that become good for no reason. In Friendship is Magic, the villains have motivations, and the problem with Trixie is that we never got a chance to understand her motivation one way or another because she was out of her mind when she was terrorizing ponyville for the whole episode, and they didn't have enough time to establish her as a character after the fact. That doesn't, however, negate the message of the episode or devalue her apology at the end. If she had vowed revenge instead of apologizing, it would have seemed just as baseless.

hi hi

I guess it depends on what your definition of major is. If I recall correctly, there was a rather sizable controversy right off the bat, where after the first episode, the show was accused of being racist, smart-shaming and homophobic. As for fans, the way Rainbow Dash dismissed Gilda at the end of Griffon the Brush-Off caused some controversy as well, prior to Feeling Pinkie Keen. I joined after Feeling Pinkie Keen as well, but if I'd been there at the time, I would have set the record straight.

((As for Feeling Pinkie Keen, I'll just say this. Science, noun: Systematic knowledge gained through observation, and forming testable predictions. Little kids especially don't need to build their own particle collider or understand the calculus behind weather forecasting simulations, they can judge the validity of a prediction by its accuracy.))

As for Wonderbolt Academy, I don't think this episode should count as controversial at all. The message is rock solid. If someone doesn't like the episode, that's fine, I didn't like Applebuck season for example, but that had nothing to do with controversy. Some things are just personal preference, and some things are more relatable to different people than others. In my opinion, the part when Rainbow Dash quits and says without hesitation or regret, "Not anymore," is one of the most powerful moments in the whole series. Ashleigh Ball's delivery of those lines was truly epic, and timed perfectly with the music and subtle facial expressions by the animation team. If I had one complaint, it was that the moment got cut a little bit too short by Spitfire.

hi hi

I still remember my first Friendship is Magic controversy. When A Dog and Pony Show first came out, people accused the writers of stereotyping women as manipulative, an accusation that I strongly disagree with. But I digress... I don't think its fair to categorize and label me like that. I try to be as fair as humanly possible, and the fact that season 1 is my favorite has nothing to do with it.

hi hi

It depends on what you consider pandering. Some people are saying that simple having Trixie or Spitfire in the episodes at all is pandering to fans, and that is in my opinion incredibly silly. These characters were made for the show, by the people who are making the show, and it would be silly for them to not use the characters they already put work into making. Furthermore, the writers aren't allowed to read fan-fiction and such anyways.

Stuff that gets added into the background and squeezed in during the storyboarding process however, is done by a different group of people who don't have quite the same kinds of restrictions as the writers. Shoutouts and pop culture references can distract from the actual story if they become too much, and there's a lesson in there that you don't need to fill the screen with as much junk as you possibly can. (and you probably shouldn't) Most of the stuff that looks like pandering to me seems more like writers or animators satisfying their own whims rather than anything targeted at fans specifically.

Endings have always been a problem in Friendship is Magic, and a lot of other shows as well. A rushed ending is nothing new, and season 1 and 2 sure had their fair share. Trixie's redemption was set up from the very beginning with Twilight's foreshadowing about her learning her lesson, and indeed the script for that episode was started incredibly early in the production cycle. (It was originally supposed to be an episode in Season 2) If it fails for any reason, it is because the ending was rushed, just like Over a Barrel, A Bird in the Hoof, Best Night Ever, Secret of my Excess, or Mmmmystery on the Friendship Express; not because of pandering to fans.

Each season has had some episodes that were worse than others, and in my opinion, Season 3 didn't start off very strong at all. However, I think some of that might be on account of having to appease corporate executives rather than trying to please fans. (Crystal crystal crystal crystal crystal, ad nauseam.) Magic Duel was certainly a silly episode, and it could have used some polish to make it stand on its own two feet rather than relying on Boast Busters so much, but they really haven't done direct sequels like that before. I suspect if it had aired immediately after Boast Busters, it might have been received differently.

If you're not convinced that pandering can be a bad thing though, just go watch Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

hi hi

Spitfire may not have observed most of Lightning Dust's reckless actions, but that doesn't really matter as far as Spitfire's responsibility is concerned. Because she was the main authority figure, instructor, and conduct/performance evaluator for the teams, her job requires her to observe them from a standpoint of making correct placements; and as an authority figure she was negligent in establishing and enforcing a proper code of conduct for her subordinates, whether directly or through a chain of command. She did correct her mistake by the end though, so it works out. (Seriously, they can't win. People get mad when ponies get punished, and mad when they don't.)

The episode had a lot to do with being the best you can possibly be, which includes having a good sense of moral direction. (And for the Wonderbolts, a good sense of physical direction too, a la dizzytron. An excellent metaphor if you ask me.) But it was also about leadership and responsibility. Lightning Dust was irresponsible, she didn't listen to or care what her subordinates had to say, but there was more going on than just that. A leader has to make good decisions on their own, regardless of what anyone else says. If someone tells a leader to do something that is wrong, it is the leader's responsibility as the decision maker to make the correct one. Lightning Dust's focus on pleasing Spitfire at the expense of all else makes her a better follower than a leader, and part of that mistake lands at Spitfire's hooves for not being clear from the beginning. That mistake made Rainbow Dash rather justified, if you ask me, in chewing Spitfire out at the end, since she was encouraging that behavior.

hi hi

If it is true that the original ending involved Rainbow Dash leaving the academy for real, then Spitfire's actions make a little bit more sense. I feel like she could have taken some responsibility for what happened, since she was in charge. Not that it ruins the episode by any means.

hi hi

So, according to Meghan McCarthy, Wonderbolt Academy originally had a different ending, but it got changed somewhere along the lines. I heard from someone else that the original ending had Rainbow Dash not getting back into the academy after she quit, but I can't find a confirmation of that anywhere. I think that might have assuaged a lot of people's concerns with how the ending played out, but would have also made more than a few kids sad.

hi hi

People do not act the same at all times, in all situations. Spitfire seems like she has different roles that she needs to play. I don't know if it makes sense to expect a police officer to act the same when they are at a holiday party as they would when they're on duty. I wouldn't expect my boss to sit in a room by herself and occasionally bark orders at people when she is just hanging out with her friends, and when I'm on assignment, I keep my opinions to myself.

If they had her acting like a jerk while she was off duty, then I might be a little bit concerned, but in this episode, she's got a job to do.

hi hi

Military training? I dunno about that. I thought the Wonderbolt's uniforms looked kind of reminiscent of this.

and that Spitfire's outfit looked kind of like a commercial pilot's uniform:

At any rate, the Wonderbolt Academy reminded me heavily of football camp, either at the college or professional level, especially all the drills they did.

Also, drill sergeants aren't the only people who yell a lot.

hi hi

Well, there are some things I didn't like about the episode, like how some of the participants in the flight school didn't seem like they would make it from the very beginning, and the whole "new record," thing that kept happening. (how easy is it to break an academy record anyway?) But I guess those were just minor things for me. I suspect people who aren't into competition as much wont relate as well to the episode.

Anything in particular you didn't like?

hi hi

Yay! Another enjoyable episode. It may not have gone out of its way to be the best episode ever made, but it had a simple charm that I wouldn't have expected coming from Williams. Perhaps they learned their lesson after the disaster that was MMDW? The animators and storyboarders did a phenomenal job with the action sequences. And not just making the cool tricks look cool, but making the action scenes mesh in with the story. I never felt like a scene was dragging on too long or was cut too short.

If this season feels like they're going through a brony checklist, I suspect its because some of the people on the team are simply thinking the same things we are, for the same reasons we are. I've been waiting for an episode where Rainbow Dash gets a chance to shine like this for a while. In season 2, it seemed like every Rainbow Dash episode was kind of reinforcing the notion that athletics means being mean and arrogant, but with the right attitude, competition can help you learn about yourself and what you are capable of. (I don't think Rainbow Dash realized that she would have been capable of quitting the Wonderbolts until after she closed the door behind her.)

I'd agree that Pinkie Pie did seem a little bit over the top at times, although I don't think there was anything inherently wrong with her little arc. The whole assuming Rainbow Dash has forgotten about them thing made me laugh out loud, but they could have mixed it up a little bit and had Pinkie Pie trying lots of different zany things to make sure she got the mail as soon as it came, instead of just opening and closing the door over and over for three days.

I think perhaps the most memorable part of the episode was when Rainbow Dash clipped her wing on the log. There was so much going on and it was done in such a simple and elegant way, showcasing Rainbow Dash's humility, determination, as well as her limits all in one short moment.

I think the funniest moment was definitely at the very beginning, when Rainbow Dash trolls everyone by saying she didn't get in.

hi hi

Hey, this episode has Applejack in it, and in an almost main role too. Her efforts to expose the truth behind Rainbow Dash's horror story for Scootaloo's sake, is an element of her honesty.

There are several definitive moments where Applejack outright gets into trouble because of her honesty.

• Look Before You Sleep. Applejack tells Rarity honestly what she thinks of Rarity's fussiness, and gets an episode of trouble for her honesty. While Twilight, even though she realizes that something is going on, doesn't address the issue until it is almost too late.

• Fall Weather Friends. During the Iron Pony Competition, she competes honestly and loses because of it.

• Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000. Applejack honestly states her confidence in her family's ability to win, and because of that, when she is challenged she risks losing everything (and very nearly does) in the process of proving her statement true.

In The Last Roundup, Applejack honestly says she will return to Ponyville with lots of money to fix the town hall, and it gets her into trouble when her friends try to get her to return before she has a lot of money to fix town hall. She cannot allow herself to be put in a position where her friends will make a liar out of her, which turns into a Catch-22 before the end.

The problem with Applejack's honesty is that when she lies, it is a positive-positive case of Illusory Association Between Events, because we simply do not notice negative cases, especially as negative cases become more rare. It is especially compounded because Applejack is so infrequently the center of attention.

Rainbow Dash's moment of failure was in the much maligned episode The Mysterious Mare Do Well, when she marginalizes her friends and ignores a falling pony to sign autographs until the last second. Its a pity the episode was so bad, because it could have been a defining moment for Dash, rather than a moment most people go out of their way to forget. Then, in May the Best Pet Win, she leaves her potential pets behind, and if it weren't for a loyal turtle who ended up reminding her about loyalty, she'd have been left behind in turn. Then there was Over A Barrel, where she goes head to head with her friend Applejack and ends up inflaming the conflict further.

Pinkie Pie's moment of failure came in A Friend In Deed where in trying to force herself on a newcomer, she only succeeded in making him miserable and angry, and it wasn't until the end of the episode that she realized she needed to consider what he wanted.

Fluttershy gets to be unkind in Best Night Ever, when she makes unreasonable demands of the local fauna, and her moment of Failure is crystal clear in Putting Your Hoof Down.

The point about the Elements of Harmony is not that they get you into trouble though. The point is that they are the most powerful magic in Equestria, and that following them is in your best interests. They are at their best when they are not getting ponies into trouble, and so it is almost an unfair comparison between ponies like Pinkie Pie and Applejack, because there are significantly fewer circumstances where Laughter is going to get you in trouble. The fact is that most of the time, Applejack is unconcerned with the consequences of telling the truth because of her honesty, and so it does not become a problem for her even when it might be a problem for others.

(Rarity is afraid of saying something that might make her unpopular, in Sweet and Elite when she claims that Rainbow Dash is the Wonderbolt's trainer, but Applejack has no trouble saying things that are unpopular, like when she explains why there's not enough cider to go around, or any time she acts uncouth around others without concern. She is who she is and makes being herself look easy.)

She has no problem expressing her fears to others, claiming without second thought that she is afraid of dragons in Dragonshy, in contrast to Fluttershy who does not admit her weaknesses to others, and Rainbow Dash who has significant problems telling others if she is afraid of something, or was afraid of something in her youth, or admitting to others that she likes doing uncool things like reading. She doesn't hesitate to explain her farm's financial state to her competitors. And it is this willingness to expose her vulnerabilities that helps define her honesty, along with her willingness to work to make her views a reality.

Honesty is not about being a robot that answers all questions literally, it is about understanding and comprehension. Literal answers can be twisted all around to get misleading statements if you try.

hi hi

Just for comparison, enjoy a fun list of over 150 end of the world prophecies that have failed to come true.

hi hi

Personally, I disagree with the notion that the elements are what the characters hold in the highest regard, rather than what they personify. The fact is that none of the elements is perfect in and of itself, and its only through friendship and working together that they're able to produce harmony. (Their elements do make a good lens with which to view their circumstances though, especially when trying to avoid the correspondence bias.)

Applejack tells the truth when it would be advantageous to lie all the time, you just don't notice it because you're not thinking about lies when she's acting normally. Her honesty is reflected not only in her words, but in her actions. When she doesn't like the truth, she doesn't turn and hide from it, she goes out and changes it without concern for how hard the challenge might be.

The list of times she could have lied to her benefit is endless, but here are a few:

• Applejack could have lied to Twilight Sparkle to get the ticket to the Gala in The Ticket Master.

• She could have lied in Look Before you Sleep to get Rarity out of her mane numerous times, even before the slumber party started.

• She could have lied about Zecora to get Twilight to turn against her at the very start.

• She could have lied and made up a task that didn't actually need to be done in Winter Wrap Up to keep Twilight from messing things up.

• At any point in time, she could have lied to Applebloom about her cutie mark to get her to stop fussing. (bonus points for implying that doing more work around the farm would cause it to appear faster.)

• She could have lied during Over a Barrel in any number of ways in order to get Bloomberg back or turn Rainbow Dash against the buffalo.

• The entire episode of The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000.

Last Roundup in particular was a brilliant example of Applejack's honesty hard at work, and the ways it was incomplete without her friends. She was put in that spot because of her honesty, having made a promise she couldn't keep, and all of her struggles stemmed from trying to turn her original promise into the truth, having failed at her first attempt. She could have lied and made up any story she wanted and gotten out of the mess without any repercussions but to her sense of honesty. But Applejack is not just about the immediate, plain truth, she is about the whole truth.

She may have resorted to a deceptive literal truth in The Last Roundup, by promising to tell them at a breakfast when they didn't end up eating breakfast at all, but that was Applejack's moment of failure when she allowed fear of the consequences to prevent her from being honest. In Suited for Success, she tells Rarity "You're not a laughing stock," even though Rainbow Dash confirms that, "She kinda is." In this case she is denying the literal truth for the whole truth. Rarity claimed she was a laughing stock, but the subtext of her remark was not what other ponies thought of her, but rather it was about who and what she inherently was, as in the quality of her character. And to that Applejack was absolutely correct in pointing out the truth, that Rarity's inherent character was worthwhile, and that what the other ponies thought didn't matter one bit.

Honesty in a subjective universe isn't about a black and white set of rules that you must follow or else, it is about furthering understanding, even in the face of people who will use or hold that understanding against you.

(How uncomfortable must it have been to Applejack when trying to throw the surprise party for Pinkie Pie and suddenly being grilled, by a pony who she knows enjoys surprise parties, who she's helped throw surprise parties with in the past? What is Pinkie Pie thinking? How would Pinkie Pie respond? Its not like she can ask at that moment. But the truth of the matter as far as Applejack had any way of knowing is that Pinkie Pie should have appreciated the surprise, and would have understood how much her friendship meant to them in part because of it.)

Speaking of Suited for Success, Rarity often displays the distinction between generosity and waste. You can give and give, but if all you are doing is throwing your time and effort into a hole in the ground, then its a waste. Such generosity involves appreciating things that are greater than yourself, and as an exceptional quality, it also means appreciating things that others don't, even when those things are other people themselves or traits that other people don't appreciate within themselves. (Like Fluttershy in Green Isn't Your Col[colour=#111111]or.[/colour])

And like The Last Roundup, Rarity's moment of failure in Season 2 came in Sweet and Elite, when she couldn't come to terms with the fact that couldn't give more than she had, no matter how hard she tried. But in the end, she knew that her friendship was something that was greater than herself, while her position in high society was not.

Also, Rarity and Sweetie Belle both likely understood the value of what they were giving each other. You think pulling a huge cart is tough? Well, sitting around all day won't give you the ability to do THIS!

hi hi

People who are used to discomfort in the pursuit of their goals tend to enjoy that more. When you are running a marathon, it is anything but comfortable, but you know there is going to be a payoff at the end, and for some people it is worth it. So being caused discomfort can be a positive thing when it is reminiscent of someone's experiences overcoming challenges, as there is some satisfaction to be had from the ordeal.

hi hi

While I was at work, I was pondering why I didn't find Scootaloo's nervousness particularly uncomfortable while I have in the past found things like that to be unnerving. The difference for me, I think is in the rest of the cast.

I was able to empathize with Scootaloo, partly on account of my terrible trouble with nightmares as a child, but more than that, I was able to empathize with her friends. The setup was also a classic trust building kind of scenario, out in the woods, away from strangers and any chance of public humiliation, and surrounded by friends that you could count on to catch you when you fall, both figuratively and as it turned out, literally.

Every time I saw one of Applejack's knowing smiles, or Sweetie Belle and Applebloom's encouragements, I knew the only thing Scootaloo had to fear was fear itself.

hi hi

I wouldn't say that nobody else feels Scootaloo's discomfort. While the experience as a whole might be different, that feeling of discomfort is one of the things about this episode that makes it so moving. Its the same reason why people watch tragedies or horror movies, sometimes its just really fun to be scared. And sometimes it is nice to that someone out there feels the same way we do, that we're not alone in feeling awkward, scared, nervous or sad.

hi hi

I'm going to say something that is relevant to this discussion, but is a spoiler for the next episode. So if you haven't seen Sleepless in Ponyville yet, don't click below.

The Old Mare's Rusty Horseshoes! Dun dun dunnnn!

hi hi

Rainbow Dash being good with kids? Yeah right. Rainbow Dash is not a lean, mean, moral explaining machine.

Did no one else think that Rainbow Dash was really stretching for something, anything, to tell Scootaloo? I think it fit with Rainbow Dash's character excellently, since she's not the kind of pony who dwells on fears like that and is kind of oblivious to things that aren't right in front of her, she would have to reach for the thing that was most salient at the time. (Headstrong mare who charges in without a second thought.) She knows she's gotta say something, but its like those times when someone asks you what your favorite movies are, and suddenly you can't think of anything but maybe one or two that you saw recently. (I know I'm not the only one that happens to.)

This is mirrored somewhat in the relationship between Sweetie Belle and Rarity, that they both do things for each other that they maybe don't like to do, because they know its worth it. So even though Rainbow Dash is kind of a loner who doesn't like to be bothered when she's trying to take a nap, she knows its something she needs to do. I think its a great touch of realism that their friendship isn't instantly super deep and perfect. Instead, something entirely mundane brought them together. (Like people becoming friends cause they happened to watch the same television show or something.)

I look forward to seeing more of Rainbow Dash trying to be a good example, but not being very good at it, at least not at first.

hi hi

After thinking about it, I'm pretty sure that final dream sequence at the end -the one feels kind of extraneous- is there to disarm little kid's fright about the scary old mare with the rusty horseshoes. They don't want little kids to actually have nightmares about this character, so they probably felt they had to reveal her as being harmless before the end.

Also, now that Luna has had a couple of episodes involving her playing a significant role, I suspect that we may be seeing an episode where Celestia gets to take center stage for a bit, rather than just saying a few lines and then having to go off and do princessy stuff.

hi hi

I can only really speak for myself, but I think part of it was that they didn't try to do as much with the episode. They picked something and stuck with it, and focused on it. Most of the scenes related to that theme in some way (or were played as a counterpoint), and because of that focus, they didn't leave as many gaps in the narrative. And it had a happy, positive ending, rather than a "well it could have been worse," ending.

hi hi

I think what they were trying to do when they had Rainbow Dash of all ponies go to fetch Twilight, was to show just how dire the circumstances were. Rainbow Dash is typically headstrong, charging right in without a second thought, so when she's running to Twilight for help, that tells me that they already tried everything they could and were at the point where they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they needed help. But that was just my impression, nothing concrete...

(To be fair, the ponies in Ponyville faint at the sight of rampaging bunny rabbits, and the royal guards get fooled by a nearly featherless bird in a mustache. )

hi hi

This is now officially my favorite episode of Season 3. I was smiling like a big goof the entire way through it, even though I got a bit teary eyed in a few places. I might be a little bit biased because I was absolutely terrified of the dark as a kid, like seriously beyond words. (also, Luna's dreamwalking was a personal hypothesis of mine ever since Friendship is Magic part 2, but I'm not counting that for points.)

An excellent episode where we got to see some real interaction between ponies, and they really took some time setting things up, which made the payoff at the end so much better. Sweetie Belle and Rarity were great comedy relief considering how intense some of those scenes got. (I think Sweetie Belle knew what she was getting herself into when she pressured her sister into going.)

Also, they had my all time favorite background pony in there too! I was so thrilled when Applejack got a few lines.

I'm sure something controversial will crop up though and I'll have to explain in depth why I think this episode is excellent, but for now, there are no more words.

hi hi

I also choose to believe that the alicorn amulet is thus named because of its effect on the material of a unicorn's horn, or because it is made out of a unicorn's horn. Now, other people are certainly free to call them whatever they like, but there are other things that I don't call by the generally accepting name too. Some people call it soda, some call it pop, but its the same thing in the end.

Applejack being a total pushover bugged me too, but on the other hoof, Fluttershy's woodland creatures never yielded. Also, Twilight Sparkle did tell her friends to "keep an eye on Trixie." I figured that they were selflessly trying to put themselves through hardship to spare the townsfolk and to try to see if they could find out something that might help them win.

hi hi

This makes me sad, I can think of some alternatives, but none of them are any better.