Official Discussion Thread - S05E5 Tanks for the Memories

[RarityDash]

I've watched it a few more times now... and yeah...

 

Rainbow Dash in this episode is definitely overreacting, and really the whole death metaphor kind of doesn't entirely work as there's no permanence to the loss involved and we're being regularly reminded of the fact. It's hard for me to see Rainbow's reaction as anything besides silly pony being silly when she's acting like someone's dying but Tank's going to be back and fine in a few months and everyone knows it, including her. It really keeps the episode from having much of any serious emotional impact with me.

 

That whole depression stage scene especially didn't work for me. It went on a little too long and is actually kind of uncomfortable. I get what they were going for with her, but Fluttershy's behavior was also pretty inappropriately harsh and didn't come across right to me.

 

Eh, the first two thirds of the episode were really enjoyable though, so I still do enjoy the episode to an extent.

[LostSanity]

This one... was... quite interesting.

I didn't expect to see this side of Rainbow Dash. I really didn't. It's made me like her more as a character. I didn't think she could cry like that. I kind of felt sorry for her. I felt sorry for Rainbow Dash. Yeah... I never thought I'd say that either.

Also, I quite liked the song. Probably the first MLP:FiM song I've enjoyed in quite awhile now.

All in all... yet another AMAZING episode.

 

[Shadowking58]

Pretty much what everyone said about the episode. I thought it was amazing

[YourLittleBrony]

So...is Rainbow Dash just going to get off completely scott free despite causing huge amounts of damage to the weather factory and potentially disrupting the flow of the seasons? 

 

Mmmmkay. 

 

With that out of the way, this was a pretty good RD episode.  Im going to admit I didnt have some sort of personal attachment to the episode, so Dash's depression at the end didnt really hit me terrible hard.  I mean it was necessary since it was a stage of grief, (which I honestly didnt put together until I was roaming around My Little Brony the other day) but I personally didnt have my feels tugged.  Strong episode though.  +1 for Fluttershy bluntness at the end.  She said what had to be said.

[TheColtofPersonality]

I have been where Rainbow Dash was, my old cat Stink was my best buddy in the whole wide world.

I miss him dearly

[Ashton]

I have to start off saying that ever since "Testing Testing 1 2 3" I've kind been losing touch with dash, Scootaloo was just inches from replacing her as "Best Pony" in my book (or Twiley if I had to stay in the M6)

 

But with this I fell in love with Dash all over again       

 

This (to me) confirmed *everything* that I had always believed about Dash, including her high intelligence (Yes it was a desperate, impossible plan, but she pulled off all of it (prior to tank's accidental interference) with such skill and grace that I could only be impressed --- even if she was the episode's villain), her insecurity, and her 'soft side' that many believed didn't even exist since she'd never shown it at great length. I actually think it was her faults that really hooked me in the beginning and brought me back in the end. Her skewed view of "loyalty" here (insecurity), her willingness to be less-than-good ("I know it's wrong but what does it matter? Nothings going to stop me now!"), her desperation and impulsiveness, it all made her feel so much more relatable and connected than the others imo. I can almost forget the trainwreck that was Testing 1-2-3 after this.

 

oh and this delicious excerpt from TVTropes:

Soundtrack Dissonance: An upbeat anthem worthy of Disney when Rainbow Dash is committing eco-terrorism.

 

One of the absolute best episodes of the series! 

[Bramble Rose]

I'm not sure why you didn't like Dash's role in Testing 1 2 3.  I mean, it more than anything confirmed her high intelligence.

[Ashton]

I'm not sure why you didn't like Dash's role in Testing 1 2 3.  I mean, it more than anything confirmed her high intelligence.

 

Several things seemed... off... to me... mostly:

 

1. Dash is ALWAYS crashing into things - she has more than earned her nickname of Crash and even her memory she shared in Castle Sweet Castle was about "That time I crashed into the library!" More than once she's crashed into trees or even MOUNTAINS (not to mention countless clouds). So if she really had a super-perceptive Sherlock Scan when flying, she would never have done any of this...

 

2. Saying dash has a mental disability is the opposite of saying she's smart, or competent... (and honestly more than once she's showed herself to be highly intelligent, not just in TFTM but many times before)

 

3. How flippantly she makes a life-altering decision of joining the military... (but that's at least in part a completely different rant - especially since MLP seems to be treating the military like a almost gym membership...-_-)

 

So... yeah... the whole episode felt... out of character to me... (well minus her ADD/ADHD)

 

(and Steel, yes, you and I already talked about it, please dont go over your views on it again.... please dont...)

[Bramble Rose]

1:  Yes, she's always crashing ... when she's pushing her limits and trying new stunts.  NOT when she's just casually flying.  She crashes so much because she's constantly practicing to go beyond her actual ability.

 

2:  Since ... when does Dash have a mental disability?  What?  Huh?

 

3:  Flippantly?  She's ... been working towards this for YEARS.  How is this flippant?

[Corsair]

The episode never even hinted that Dash had a mental disability. A LEARNING disability, maybe. That's totally different thing. Many of the most brilliant people on the planet learn differently than others.

Also, Dash doesn't just crash randomly. That's just fan-fic nonsense, like Pinkie constantly breaking the 4th wall. If Dash was not a skillful flier, she never would be considered for the Wondebolts.

[SunsetSombra]

Ashton, Dash isn't pictured as having a learning difficulty - she just has a different style of learning...big hint: WE ALL DO! 

There is absolutely NOTHING implying her having any disability, since learning styles are a part of who we are and how we take in information from the world around us...it's NATURAL.

[Ashton]

1:  Yes, she's always crashing ... when she's pushing her limits and trying new stunts.  NOT when she's just casually flying.  She crashes so much because she's constantly practicing to go beyond her actual ability.

 

2:  Since ... when does Dash have a mental disability?  What?  Huh?

 

3:  Flippantly?  She's ... been working towards this for YEARS.  How is this flippant?

 

 

1. I sure hope she wasnt trying stunts when flying away from pinkie in GTBO, or when casually chasing after the buffalow in OAB (i'm sure there are more, but those are jsut the main two off the top of my head) --- and yes, I realize that it *could* be "show evolution" since the first was more "gimmic-y" and less serious than the more recent ones. I just dont like when a show creates and archtype and then changes it...

 

2. She cant lean from any method twilight taught (which are the normal methods) or even the irrational methods the others used. 

 

3. I guess it's a matter of what you expect. I would have liked to see Dash actually take a few minutes to think how this would change her life - months away from her friends/family/pet (since they put such emphasis on tank) and not being there for important events (such as when scoots gets her cutiemark or learns to fly --- REALLY doubt she'll make sure to time that during one of Dash's visits), being deployed possibly overseas, possibly getting hurt, maybe not even comming home. No more sleeping in, having almost no time for goofing off and having fun anymore... 

 

I mean, yeah, she might have done it off-screen, andor she might have though about these all along, but it would have been a nice touch to show her caring enough to think about them before commiting to something to life-changing...

 

 

The episode never even hinted that Dash had a mental disability. A LEARNING disability, maybe. That's totally different thing. Many of the most brilliant people on the planet learn differently than others.

Also, Dash doesn't just crash randomly. That's just fan-fic nonsense, like Pinkie constantly breaking the 4th wall. If Dash was not a skillful flier, she never would be considered for the Wondebolts.

 

(see above)

 

Ashton, Dash isn't pictured as having a learning difficulty - she just has a different style of learning...big hint: WE ALL DO! 

There is absolutely NOTHING implying her having any disability, since learning styles are a part of who we are and how we take in information from the world around us...it's NATURAL.

 

The way I was taught If you cant learn by the normal methods, then you have a dissability. (and yes, I know there is a LOT more to it - I've seen reports since then, but it's kidna hard to get past what I grew up with... >.<)

[starswirlthebearded]

1. I sure hope she wasnt trying stunts when flying away from pinkie in GTBO, or when casually chasing after the buffalow in OAB (i'm sure there are more, but those are jsut the main two off the top of my head) --- and yes, I realize that it *could* be "show evolution" since the first was more "gimmic-y" and less serious than the more recent ones. I just dont like when a show creates and archtype and then changes it...

 

2. She cant lean from any method twilight taught (which are the normal methods) or even the irrational methods the others used. 

 

3. I guess it's a matter of what you expect. I would have liked to see Dash actually take a few minutes to think how this would change her life - months away from her friends/family/pet (since they put such emphasis on tank) and not being there for important events (such as when scoots gets her cutiemark or learns to fly --- REALLY doubt she'll make sure to time that during one of Dash's visits), being deployed possibly overseas, possibly getting hurt, maybe not even comming home. No more sleeping in, having almost no time for goofing off and having fun anymore... 

 

I mean, yeah, she might have done it off-screen, andor she might have though about these all along, but it would have been a nice touch to show her caring enough to think about them before commiting to something to life-changing...

 

 

 

(see above)

 

 

The way I was taught If you cant learn by the normal methods, then you have a dissability. (and yes, I know there is a LOT more to it - I've seen reports since then, but it's kidna hard to get past what I grew up with... >.<)

This is going to be fun!

1) Crashing when distracted? Well I suppose that never happens in real life with... well basically anything... be it bike, car, running, walking, skating. Obviously you've never got called out to or got distracted by a noise and just rammed into something. You know like how Dash did when she was chasing buffalo. Or when she was so focused on Pinkie behind her that she didn't notice she was approaching a mountain (Which, by the way, is why fighter pilots are not allowed to become pilots if they have any sort of allergy, because if you sneeze while you are going mach 2, the chances are good that you'll crash into something) Yup! She totally crashes all the time when she's not distracted or pushing herself...

 

2) Really...? That's your definition of a learning disability? Not being able to learn via conventional methods? Uh... I don't think that means what you think it means. Learning disability means you cannot learn to the same capacity of those of similar age. That is it. Who cares about normal methods? I mean really? So long as you learn and retain the information. RD in this respect was able to learn exactly what she needed in her own way. Unconventional or not, she was able to learn it easily in her method. That is literally all learning disability means, inability to learn to the same capacity to those of similar age level. I suppose a case can be made that she has ADD.... But you can't really diagnose fictional characters, even professionals can't. It is fun to discuss, and as stated it is entirely possible she has ADD (again, this at most can be supposition). But that does not mean she is unintelligent or has an inability to learn. As others have stated, if anything, they have shown her to be capable of high intelligence, and high learning capacity. 

But regardless, in the context of the show... She has no learning or mental disability. She is a character who is easily distracted and gets bored easily, hence she has issues learning conventionally. However when she was taught in the way that worked for her, she not only learned but learned remarkably well and easily.

3) Huh... you know it occurs to me that there seems to be a misunderstanding here.... So I'm just going to lay this out there.... This is a kids show. She has a goal, and is working towards it... that is really all there is to it. If anything, this episode has already addressed the whole "without a pet" thing for months on end. As for everything else... THIS IS A KIDS SHOW! (not to mention she probably already experienced the time schedule during what was essentially WonderBolt bootcamp). Everything else is so far outside the scope of the show it is not even funny. I can't even be sarcastic with it. I just can't. 

And yes, almost all of that probably was dealt with before hand, since this has been her goal and dream forever. The reality of it all was probably addressed in her mind when she put in her application for the reserves and went to boot camp! It was her friends that had issues adjusting, NOT HER. 

[Ashton]

This is going to be fun!

1) Crashing when distracted? Well I suppose that never happens in real life with... well basically anything... be it bike, car, running, walking, skating. Obviously you've never got called out to or got distracted by a noise and just rammed into something. You know like how Dash did when she was chasing buffalo. Or when she was so focused on Pinkie behind her that she didn't notice she was approaching a mountain (Which, by the way, is why fighter pilots are not allowed to become pilots if they have any sort of allergy, because if you sneeze while you are going mach 2, the chances are good that you'll crash into something) Yup! She totally crashes all the time when she's not distracted or pushing herself...

 

2) Really...? That's your definition of a learning disability? Not being able to learn via conventional methods? Uh... I don't think that means what you think it means. Learning disability means you cannot learn to the same capacity of those of similar age. That is it. Who cares about normal methods? I mean really? So long as you learn and retain the information. RD in this respect was able to learn exactly what she needed in her own way. Unconventional or not, she was able to learn it easily in her method. That is literally all learning disability means, inability to learn to the same capacity to those of similar age level. I suppose a case can be made that she has ADD.... But you can't really diagnose fictional characters, even professionals can't. It is fun to discuss, and as stated it is entirely possible she has ADD (again, this at most can be supposition). But that does not mean she is unintelligent or has an inability to learn. As others have stated, if anything, they have shown her to be capable of high intelligence, and high learning capacity. 

But regardless, in the context of the show... She has no learning or mental disability. She is a character who is easily distracted and gets bored easily, hence she has issues learning conventionally. However when she was taught in the way that worked for her, she not only learned but learned remarkably well and easily.

3) Huh... you know it occurs to me that there seems to be a misunderstanding here.... So I'm just going to lay this out there.... This is a kids show. She has a goal, and is working towards it... that is really all there is to it. If anything, this episode has already addressed the whole "without a pet" thing for months on end. As for everything else... THIS IS A KIDS SHOW! (not to mention she probably already experienced the time schedule during what was essentially WonderBolt bootcamp). Everything else is so far outside the scope of the show it is not even funny. I can't even be sarcastic with it. I just can't. 

And yes, almost all of that probably was dealt with before hand, since this has been her goal and dream forever. The reality of it all was probably addressed in her mind when she put in her application for the reserves and went to boot camp! It was her friends that had issues adjusting, NOT HER. 

 

 

Geeze you guys can get vicious, I think I better stay out of this forum...

 

1. Yes, that occured to me (though it seems kinda... crazy... that she could miss a MOUNTAIN...) I was honestly hoping for an agreement that she crashed a lot or else some other answer becides her "obvious" ADD/ADHD...

 

2. This is a case of misscommunication or else simple change of deffinition. I appologize for that (though I still feel it's kinda... I dont want to say "dissabling" but... awkward... she can only learn when flying...)

 

3. Kinda wrong order for "Boot camp" the way I see it (normally one signs up/joins THEN goes to boot camp) and my understanding was that the "training camp" was more a "fun thing" rather than genuine military training, but I digress... even for a kids show I am unhappy that they made it look like joining the military is like joining a gym with no major life changes... (honestly, I would rather they 1. have waited till the end of the series and have dash "fly off into the sunset" to join the WB (along with each of the M6 achieving their dreams --- call me a hopeless romantic, but I think that would have been the single best way to end the series) or else 2. have her join then be written out of the series for a season or two, possibly comming back with some minor but noticable changes in appearance (if nothing else having her wear some form of cammo clothing, jsut to signify that the military changed her, more radical would be better, but this is a kids series) It just really bothers me that a life-changing decision gets glossed over as "no big deal" --- even if, yes, she probably thought about this a long time (off-screen) and decided it WAS more important than everything else. Just... SOMETHING that indicates joining the military is a MAJOR thing and not something to be taken lightly...

[starswirlthebearded]

Geeze you guys can get vicious, I think I better stay out of this forum...

 

1. Yes, that occured to me (though it seems kinda... crazy... that she could miss a MOUNTAIN...) I was honestly hoping for an agreement that she crashed a lot or else some other answer becides her "obvious" ADD/ADHD...

 

2. This is a case of misscommunication or else simple change of deffinition. I appologize for that (though I still feel it's kinda... I dont want to say "dissabling" but... awkward... she can only learn when flying...)

 

3. Kinda wrong order for "Boot camp" the way I see it (normally one signs up/joins THEN goes to boot camp) and my understanding was that the "training camp" was more a "fun thing" rather than genuine military training, but I digress... even for a kids show I am unhappy that they made it look like joining the military is like joining a gym with no major life changes... (honestly, I would rather they 1. have waited till the end of the series and have dash "fly off into the sunset" to join the WB (along with each of the M6 achieving their dreams --- call me a hopeless romantic, but I think that would have been the single best way to end the series) or else 2. have her join then be written out of the series for a season or two, possibly comming back with some minor but noticable changes in appearance (if nothing else having her wear some form of cammo clothing, jsut to signify that the military changed her, more radical would be better, but this is a kids series) It just really bothers me that a life-changing decision gets glossed over as "no big deal" --- even if, yes, she probably thought about this a long time (off-screen) and decided it WAS more important than everything else. Just... SOMETHING that indicates joining the military is a MAJOR thing and not something to be taken lightly...

 

I'm a rather avid debater. However since this is now becoming dangerously off topic, this will be the last reply, and if you would like to continue discussing please PM me.

1) It has nothing to do with her ADD (which again she does not actually have... Arguments can be made, but ficitional characters cannot have any mental issues unless explicitly stated by the creator of the character) It has everything to do with being distracted while going at high speeds. There have been several instances of planes crashing into mountains, because again, all it takes is a second. Same with car accidents really... which is why texting is illegal, as is talking on the phone conventionally. Accidents happen quickly, and any distraction can cause them. So whether or not she crashes a lot because she is easily distracted while flying casually is a moot point because she really hasn't shown to crash in that situation as I can recall. 

2) Awkward or not, it is effective

 

3) There is no proof that the Wonderbolts are entirely military. Even if they are part of the military it may be a joint civilian/military service much like NCIS. You can apply to be in the Wonderbolts with applicable skill. Or maybe only the reserves don't need to be military. The full time Wonderbolts may need to join the Equestrian military. They may not even be military at all, they may be paramilitary. In the end we don't know. And that was certainly boot camp.The voice actress for Soitfire was told to make Spitfire sound more like a drill instructor than how she spoke previously.

 

And it isn't being taken lightly, every character's major goal/change has been glossed over. Rarity wants to become a major fashion designer in Canterlot. Twilight becoming a princess. Dash becoming a Wonderbolt. Pinkie setting up her own business as a baker/party planner... All of these are life changing, and none of them were ever addressed as anything that could rock the foundation. What they have done is state that their friendships will connect them forever. That is the extent of their addressing potential separation. But again, this is a kids show and that is outside the scope of what they want the show to be about. They won't write out any character until the end and do a spin off. 

[brianblackberry]

Geeze you guys can get vicious, I think I better stay out of this forum...

 

 

You need to not take disagreement so personally dude.  This is extremely civilized and mild compared to much of the Internet.

[DulsetTarn]

I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I really don't think this episode is a metaphor for coping with death or loss. The best evidence toward that interpretation is the presence of the five stages of grief, which I think we can agree felt quite unnatural given the circumstances, as well as the "burial" scene, which is... just what tortoises do when they hibernate.

But aside from that it doesn't make sense, given the scenario, that the episode is pointing toward death or loss. In an episode about that, the focus character needs to learn to move on and cope with something that either has already happened, or will inevitably happen soon. There's no stopping it, and the reason they need to get over it is purely internal. Now, the episode does feature Dash learning to cope with her own loneliness without Tank, but there are other factors that make the "death" analogy impossible. See, Tank's hibernation is not inevitable. The episode shows multiple times that Dash can keep him awake. If she chose it, she could have prevented him from hibernating indefinitely. Her letting him hibernate shows that she's ready to accept it, but we must remember the reason she must accept it is purely for Tank. Hibernation is healthy for him, and it's not good for him for Dash to keep him awake. In what story of death could the metaphorical "death" be a direct choice to make out of concern for the health of the "dead"?

But I'm not saying the symbolism isn't there, I believe we're just misinterpreting it. When I saw the episode, I thought in fact that it was a great allegory not for death, but for coping with a friend who has just suffered a disability. Imagine that you're like Dash, and you have a friend you love to do extreme activities with. Sports, hiking, doesn't really matter what. But one day your friend is injured and has to stay in a wheelchair for a couple months. At first, you might be determined not to let it get in the way of the relationship you shared doing all these fun things, try to keep going like nothing's changed. When that doesn't work, you might try to blame the world around you and try to change the rules so that your wheelchair-bound friend can still play sports. But in the end, it's not healthy for the injured to be too active. They need to rest and recuperate, for their own sake. Tank was sad alongside Dash that he had to hibernate, he didn't want to leave her alone, but that's how it was.

You're still friends, even if you can't do everything together. And that I think is my final point to make for my interpretation. A lesson about coping with death would not be a bad moral, but it is certainly not a "friendship lesson" which this show is about. Accepting your friends' limits and knowing when you need to let them recover is a very good lesson to learn, and definitely about friendship.

Does anyone agree?