S03 E09 - "Spike At Your Service"

[AstroTrain]

Decent, but it didn't have as many feels as Too Many Pinkie Pies did. I liked what they did with AJ though, and Pinkie was actually amusing, so 7.4/10.

[Whitehawke]

At first, I was disappointed to see how weak the Timber Wolves were. Then I saw this.

[Th3WiseAssassin]

At first, I was disappointed to see how weak the Timber Wolves were. Then I saw this.

lol

[Rosewind]

I thought you were a Mare Do Well apologist, Ginger? Maybe that was somepony else, like the green rat bunny thing..

I love how polarizing Season 3 has been so far. What fun would it be if everyone agreed that it was all awesome, 100% of the time?

It will be interesting to see what the last leg of this season will bring, and what the finale will invoke in the fandom and beyond.

[shadowblaze417]

so many timberwolves died in this episode *shakes head* those poor timberwolves, never stood a chance against those rocks.

by the way, why was spike so clumsy in this episode, he has never been so clumsy ever in the series.

all in all this was a decent episode for me, excluding the fact that this was a typical scenario shared by many-a cartoon series.

[TotalEcplise]

To the Timber wolves credit, they were smashed by rocks that were easily the size of large dogs.

[Sparkleheart]

To the Timber wolves credit, they were smashed by rocks that were easily the size of large dogs.

And then they reassembled themselves a minute later.

Anyway, I thought of a pretty easy solution to the whole thing like a minute into it. "Your wish is my command!" "My wish is for you to go back to your regular life with Twilight instant of being my servant. That's what'd make me happy."

But of course they had to try ****py roundabout solutions and end it with Spike saving Applejack's life, which wasn't even necessary for the story since she just convinced him to bugger off anyway.

Overall I'd say this was one of the weaker episodes, but at least we got some new timberwolf lore to play around with in fanfics.

[tacobob]

Ha! Mad Max is best pony.

I ENJOYED the episode..to me it was one of the weaker episodes of this season, but a weak pony episode is still awesome in my book. And I loved the interactions....Spike giving AJ a back and flank-massage was cute (Oh dear, I better stay away from Tumblr for a few days)...I can only assume Spike was clumsy because he was so nervous to be a 'perfect helper' and while he was a pro with Twilight and her books, this was a whole new world for him...I'd give to 3 out of 5 tacos..Mmmmm.

[starswirlthebearded]

And yet again I'm underwhelmed with a Spike episode. It had some great moments, I'll give it that.

I'd give it a 6.7/10. It is definitely the weakest episode of the season so far for me.

[brianblackberry]

Truth is there hasn't been a Spike episode I cared for; not that I dislike Spike, just the episodes centered on him have always felt second rate. This is no exception although I found it to be mediocre and not awful (like Mare Do Well). The biggest mark against the story is that it felt trite and cliche; must like a typical kid's cartoon story. As Whitehawke stated earlier, this episode depended on the idiot ball being passed around, which weakened it. I didn't care for Spike being so utterly useless as an assistant in anything other than what he does for Twilight; the different isn't that great.

That all being said, the episode did have moments of great humor and character: Rarity being so generous as to eat the dirt pie of Spikes; Dash's hilarious self-inset fanfic; the fact that AJ used Twilight's OCD to get her attention; all great moments.

The Timberwolves were a little off in their animation but I liked the concept that they are constructed of some kind of malevolent or at least mysterious magical force, it adds to the concept the Everfree is much more than just a forest.

2.5 out of five stars.

[WillowWisp]

Truth is there hasn't been a Spike episode I cared for; not that I dislike Spike, just the episodes centered on him have always felt second rate. This is no exception although I found it to be mediocre and not awful (like Mare Do Well). The biggest mark against the story is that it felt trite and cliche; must like a typical kid's cartoon story. As Whitehawke stated earlier, this episode depended on the idiot ball being passed around, which weakened it. I didn't care for Spike being so utterly useless as an assistant in anything other than what he does for Twilight; the different isn't that great.

That all being said, the episode did have moments of great humor and character: Rarity being so generous as to eat the dirt pie of Spikes; Dash's hilarious self-inset fanfic; the fact that AJ used Twilight's OCD to get her attention; all great moments.

The Timberwolves were a little off in their animation but I liked the concept that they are constructed of some kind of malevolent or at least mysterious magical force, it adds to the concept the Everfree is much more than just a forest.

2.5 out of five stars.

The more I think about the timberwolves, the energy that powered them seemed almost remnisent of the "spirit" energy that brought the Spirit Lanterns to life in our old adventure rp. haha.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

If Friendship is Magic was all awesome 100% of the time, that would be awesome if you ask me. I for one love awesome things, like flying in airplanes, typing on fantastic nigh magical boxes that perform automatic computations, and being able to produce light with the flip of a switch. (I particularly appreciate it when the airplanes that I'm flying in work 100% of the time.)

At least as far as I've seen in season 3, some episodes are really awesome and some are really not very awesome, but there's not many that are middle of the road. Why that might be the case, though, I can't even begin to fathom.

You won't find any apologies for Mysterious Mare Do Well here, as far as morals go, MMDW is the only episode that I think was truly bad. As in, kids shouldn't watch this, bad. I may have thought that Owlowiscious was an unbearable mary sue in Owls Well That Ends Well, that Twilight Sparkle killing all those Pinkie Pie clones in Too Many Pinkies was horrifying, and in this episode, that Twilight betrayed Applejack and Spike didn't learn anything as evidenced by his clinging to Twilight at the end; but there's always at least some kind of redeeming quality to the episodes that manages to pull them back from the edge.

When Spike asked "How will I know that I'm a noble dragon?" what he needed was a real answer so that he could determine that for himself. But a lack of an answer is not as bad as a positively wrong answer, so in this case I suppose I can call the moral of the story rather neutral. (As children, many dependent people are encouraged to rely solely on authority figures for direction and approval, and on reaching adulthood, are unable to rely on their own beliefs and actions to function independently. Generally speaking, I think if a kid is old enough to be worrying about it, they're old enough to be learning about it.)

Up until they dropped the ball on the moral of the story though, I was enjoying the episode. (And I can admit that its partly personal preference for me, on account of my interest in philosophy.) Rainbow Dash was excellent this time around too, her confidence and then utter bewilderment when her plan failed was very well played. I liked the consistency of Applejack's discomfort, and was really looking forward to a real resolution. I was actually rather unnerved when Applejack apparently killed the timberwolves at the start, and was glad that it wasn't the case. Applebloom, Spike and the giant pig was a great little bit too.

Also: I noticed that no pegasi went after the runaway balloon, is perhaps the Everfree Forest scary enough that ponies don't even fly over it?

[Thoth]

Do you suppose Applejack is really writing a novel of her own? She sure seemed to respond when Rainbow Dash brought it up. (And if so, what do you suppose its about?)

I personally thought of a certain scene from Family Guy when "Applejack's novel" was brought up...

[Dessa]

Over all the episode was kind of boring to me, and very cliche. A typical you saved me I owe story. But what bothered me the most was the 3D Timberwolves. We already saw them during Granny Smith's flashback, so why try to one up it with animation? Especially when it was choppy and doesn't fit the rest of the show. It was jarring to watch.

Jarring, but the animation on the original timberwolves was rightly awful.

As for the episode: What Ginger said. I was expecting the moral to have to do with being flexible in ones values, and giving your friends the space they need, but nope. Polsky/Merriweather care more about the laughs. Oh well, at least said laughs were good enough.

In summary: The BEST Spike EPISODE EVER.

Now then, when are we going to see a Rarity episode?

[Whitehawke]

Seems this wasn't the first time we actually got 3D in the show.

The Dizzitron blended perfectly, considering no one noticed. Then again, a still object is almost assuredly going to blend in better than a moving character.

And turns out the big Timberwolf was 2D.

[Rosewind]

I found the CG to look really bad. I hope they don't make it a trend to continue using it for moving objects rather than stationary ones.

[Lux]

I have to say that while this wasn;'t the worst episode I watched, it wasn't the best either.

Things I liked: Spike trying to do everything he could for Applejack, Pinkie's Stache (does Steve Magnet know?), the Timberwolves being able to regenerate, and the fact that applejack had to be saved for real in the end.

Things I didn't like: The show seemed kind of weak story wise, the beginning was meh, CGI on the Timberwolves was a bad choice since it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Overall, I'd give it a 2/5. Not bad but not the best of the season so far.

[Whitehawke]

I found the CG to look really bad. I hope they don't make it a trend to continue using it for moving objects rather than stationary ones.

Assuming they use it again, they should make it so the outlines fit better with the show's style instead of being thin black. It would help a bit at least. Alternately, removing the outlines completely might help as well.

[Bellosh]

About the CGI, personally I'll forgive the animators for how choppy it was. If this is the first time they've ever tried it with MLP, of course it ain't going to be pretty at first. It'll probably get better in time, assuming the animators practice more with it.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

While any individual element might be awesome, the art of compositing is required to make them all fit together seamlessly. That seemed to have broken down a little bit here with the Timberwolves, though it might not have been so bad if they weren't shown so very close up. And as Whitehawke points out, the thin black outlines were out of place. Honestly, I think they could have stood to make the timberwolves' animations more stiff and wooden. (pun intended.)

Still, I can't help but like them in concept at least. (Image spoilered for size.)

[HopeFox]

Then again, story was by Dave Polsky and it was written by Merriwether, so I wasn't expecting much anyway.

Hopefully the next episode won't be as weak, despite the fact it's also written by Polsky.

So nobody else is going to call this sort of disgusting behaviour out? Alright, then, I will. Or, at least, I'll get our good friends at Equestria Daily to do so.

Please try to be respectful. The people at Studio B/Topdraw do us a huge service already. They read comments on EQD, and a few have been a bit put off my the brony community lately. Working on a show of Friendship is Magic's caliber, especially now that the pressure is on, isn't an easy task. They set the bar high, and so far have done a great job of hitting it, and even exceeding it.

This isn't EQD, and I doubt anyony from the show actually reads this forum, but this is still a disgusting attitude. Not only are the writers human, they work exceptionally hard to provide all of us with a show we seem to take for granted. That's to say nothing of just how many people are actually involved in creating each episode. But no, go ahead and put all of your hatred on two people. That's fine.

I was really, really hoping that somebody else would speak out against this attitude, but nobody did. I'm very disappointed in you, Canterlot, and I won't be returning. Farewell.

[Cadabra]

I liked what they did with the timberwolves, which makes me wonder if zap apple season is coming or if they are around all year long. Maybe zap apples cause some kind of reaction? Zap apple trees are magic after all, so who knows for sure.

[Stainless Steel Fox]

With all respect to what Hope Fox said, and I agree that ad hominum attacks against the writers are not the sort of thing I'd expect to see here, I did not enjoy this episode for much the same reasons that other people had put down. FiM _has_ set the bar high, and after two episodes where they hit the gold, this one comes as more than a bit of a let down.

Spike feeling he owed Applejack for saving his life? Wonderful idea for a story, nicely set up. We get to see Timberwolves again? Excellent. They are really made of pieces of wood held together by magic? Cool. They regenerate? Awesome!

Then it all starts to go to pieces. What's this 'noble dragon code' he's suddenly spouting off on? We've seen dragons and their culture in Dragon Quest, and noble is the last thing I'd call them. Then, Spike, who basically cares for Twilight, is suddenly a clutz at any kind of housework?

And boy do they hammer it home that he's more hinderance than help. It would have been enough to have him do everything well, and have Applejack feel guilty simply because he's doing so much to repay her, but this plot isn't too different to Mysterious Mare Do Well and Feeling Pinkie Keen. You can't have humour without humiliating the main character (After all they're practically next to each other in the dictionary). Except you can. 'Spike goes above and beyond the call of duty' could have been made just as funny. Look at Apple Family Reunion.

Twilight's inattention I can forgive, as I've done exactly the same thing myself. I can even, wincing a little cope with her running away from the large Timber Wolf despite the fact that she was ready to duke it out with a Cerberus. She thought the others were all escaping too, and wasn't going to get into a fight just to show he could.

And then the climax. The timber wolf/ves, having shown they can reassemble from being pretty much smashed to pieces, die from choking on a small stone? They're constructs, you already showed us, they don't have an anatomy! Oh, they breathe out noxious gasses, but that's simple decomposition, they're made of dead decaying wood.

Alternate suggestion, that would have been so much more Spike, and far more heroic. Dive in under the big timber wolf or even leap onto it's back from the rock and then set it on fire. It is made of wood, and dragon fire would destroy it to ashes, making it impossible for it to reconstitute.

I am not insulting the writers, but I am making what I think are valid and honest criticisms. This episode had the potential to be so much better than it was. As it is, it felt like a cookie cutter kid's carton episode. The animation, music and voice acting was everything I've come to expect from MLP, i.e. brilliant, but it couldn't save the actual story.

It's down at the bottom of my least favourite episodes, right there with Mysterious Mare Do Well and Feeling Pinkie Keen. I guess we were due, after an unbroken run of excellence all the way from the season premiere.

(Except for One bad Apple, and that's more of a personal thing. I'm far more willing to accept children not doing the obvious thing and bringing in an adult to handle it, even if I wanted their reaction to be that or fight back right away. It's more of a personal thing than anything else as anyone who's been bullied will tell you. Thankfully Apple Family Reunion allows me to rewrite my head canon and ignore it.)

[Dessa]

With all respect to what Hope Fox said, and I agree that ad hominum attacks against the writers are not the sort of thing I'd expect to see her...

Then it all starts to go to pieces. What's this 'noble dragon code' he's suddenly spouting off on? We've seen dragons and their culture in Dragon Quest, and noble is the last thing I'd call them. Then, Spike, who basically cares for Twilight, is suddenly a clutz at any kind of housework?

So we're not to speak ill of the writers' writing, yet then you speak ill of their writing?

Nobody here has said anything about any of the writers that you haven't said yourself; we have just named names alongside our criticisms. Dave Polsky and Merriweather Williams might be wonderful people, they might be smart, they might be handsome or pretty, and they might even turn out good scripts, but based on the observations of myself and others (yourself included), they tend not to produce good writing for this show. There's nothing vile or dishonorable in pointing this out.

[TotalEcplise]

1. Then it all starts to go to pieces. What's this 'noble dragon code' he's suddenly spouting off on? We've seen dragons and their culture in Dragon Quest, and noble is the last thing I'd call them.
   
2. Then, Spike, who basically cares for Twilight, is suddenly a clutz at any kind of housework?
   
3. Twilight's inattention I can forgive, as I've done exactly the same thing myself. I can even, wincing a little cope with her running away from the large Timber Wolf despite the fact that she was ready to duke it out with a Cerberus. She thought the others were all escaping too, and wasn't going to get into a fight just to show he could.
   
4. And then the climax. The timber wolf/ves, having shown they can reassemble from being pretty much smashed to pieces, die from choking on a small stone? They're constructs, you already showed us, they don't have an anatomy! Oh, they breathe out noxious gasses, but that's simple decomposition, they're made of dead decaying wood.
   

1. I wondered about that as well, perhaps it has something to do with how Spike saw himself as a knight back in dog and pony show. That's what I'd like to think, perhaps he and Twilight talked about this and combined with natural dragon traits...im going to stop because I can't justify it. It actually would've made more sense if Twilight was clueless when AJ mentioned it.
   
2. This was my biggest issue with the episode.
   
3. Dat herd mentality. Twilight may be OP, but she's still a pony and ponies are prey species.
   
4. I kinda thought that was funny.