Funniest Episode

[Chonico]

Okay, so here's the why of this...

My co-workers are, well, your typical male guy. For the past week, they have been deathly confused as to why I am a Brony. How this came about? Simple, I've been wearing Applejack on my keychain and have refused no one, customer or co-worker, a straight answer as to why I have her. They ask, I answer. They become confused, I explain, their brains go into a gridlock.

Last week, after 3 months of them giving me odd looks, one of them finally worked up the courage to ask.

My boss looked oddly mortified to find out that I have been a Brony since March of last year, seeing as I have been working for him for almost two years now. He, above everypony else, is trying his hardest to figure out why I'm a Brony. I actually find it kind of endearing.

The thing is though, no matter how much I have suggested they watch an episode and find out for themselves, they immediately shoot it down under the assumption that "men don't watch this" which in turn restarts the vicious cycle of questions as to WHY I am a Brony. I am assuming that this stems from typical gender roles and ideals about typical male behavior being too far ingrained into their psyche to allow such as thing as, well, us to exist. Its the only logical explanation I could find to their constant queries. Plus, I am getting tired of repeating myself if they are not open to the idea of exploring the answer for themselves.

So I aim to fix this.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast going Trollestia on them now that they know where the terms are coming from. So much freedom. But, I'm starting to think that their inability to "shame" me for being a Brony, yet alone find an acceptable explanation as to why, has begun to render them innate as typical "male" guys. If males cannot "shame" each other by effemination, and as such belittling that individual's role as "male", they themselves fall victim to that effect. This can lead to passive aggressiveness between the individuals.

I do not want that, and as such have propositioned them with a challenge. It involves a 12 pack of their favorite beer if they succeed.

I never bet unless I know its a certain win. And their Achilles heel? I know them.

As such, I have bet them that, if they can watch one entire episode, ONE, without laughing once... I will buy them a 12 pack of beer.

Now for the "WHAT" I am trying to get out of this poll...

I am simply looking for the funniest episode.

The conditions for this are not so simple though. What I need is an episode that is funny but it must meet 3 conditions...

1) It cannot be too overly cute.

2) It must stand by itself. i.e. It cannot rely too heavily on already established character developmental plots.

3) No songs, not yet. I have given them the option to skip the intro because I know they won't bear it. I didn't the first time.

Now, you might be saying, "Well, that just takes everything away that makes MLP so awesome!" Trust me, I know this and I regret it. But what I'm trying to do hear is appeal to their main weakness as per my observations. Humor. I have to do this in baby steps so as to not send their systems into shock. Kind of like introducing a new species into a new ecosystem.

Now, the first candidate for this bet, as luck would have it, used to "secretly" watch Powerpuff Girls. I learned this from his wife. She likes to gossip. Her and Rarity would probably get along swimmingly. Point is, he's the easiest target out of all my co-workers. If I can get one to understand, and maybe convert, then the rest should be easy pickings.

So, what do you say fellow Bronies? Care to help me avoid having to buy a 12 pack of beer? Oh, and maybe help me convert my entire workplace, one individual at a time?

TL:DR

I'm trying to figure out which episode is the funniest so that I can convert my workplace and they can finally stop asking me why I'm a Brony. Seriously, I can't make my answers any simpler and the gears in their heads still seize up like a badly maintained county carnival ride.

[RarityDash]

For humor, I had to go with Lesson Zero. It's just so big with its humor and Twilight's expressions are just hilarious.

My second choice would be Swarm of the Century, which is just an all around solid, enjoyable episode. Applebuck Season isn't a bad choice either though.

[Angie Cakes]

dragon quest might be a good one :3

even though there's not a lot of pony, there is a lot of spike getting injured in funny ways. plus, it's hard to not laugh at crackle ;P

[DrMaxwell]

It's a tough tossup between party of one and lesson zero, but Im gonna go with party of one, lesson zero might be a bit much for a first time viewer. I'm surprised that 'its about time' isnt a choice, its got a large dose of humor, lots of trolling, and you dont need to know everything about twilight, the ep defines it all for you. Twilight+Pinkie+Spike going metal gear? Sure to make someone crack a smile.

[Lux]

I'd go with Lesson Zero as it's funny to see Twilight get so wrapped up with a simple error like not sending a Friendship Report.

[Rosewind]

I have to disagree with Lesson Zero. The humor and appreciation for it comes from the expectation we have of an established character in our minds and hearts. Someone watching it fresh has no idea how Twilight is supposed to normally act, which I think would remove some of the charm and humor.

I'd recommend my conversion episode of choice: Applebuck Season. It's entertaining, it features a character your coworkers are already familiar with, it has plenty of humorous moments, and it stands on its own quite nicely.

Other picks: Feeling Pinkie Keen and Party of One.

[elsporko]

I gotta agree Lesson Zero won't be the best choice. Without knowing how the ponies act its hard to appreciate it.

I say buy the 12 pack first, then drink it while watching. That should help

[shreddedpegasus]

You could try Dragon Quest.. I don't know about anyone else but I laughed pretty hard and rewatched the part with Crackle a few times. But that might just be me though..

Also out of the list of picked episodes I'd have to say Party of One would fit the criteria well.

[Ashton]

My favorite is Lesson Zero, but it's a much darker and more psychological humor, so I dont think it would really work in this case (and as everyone else has pointed out, you have to kidna *know* Twilight to understand what's going on...

Before I even looked at the options, I said "Applebuck Season" because it's a laugh-a-minute, you really cant go wrong, and there is very little you have to understand about the canon (the only part that might confuse a few people is Dash's obsession with stunts, but that can be explained in 1 sentence "she dreams of joining a team of daredevil arial acrobats kinda like the blue angels")

So, while I think LZ is the BEST episode (I dont count "A Canterlot wedding" because to me that's the G4 movie) I dont think it works in this situation... (then again, if they're more into psychological black humor and dont mind you explaining some of the overall plot, they might like it better... not expecting it, but then again...)

So that's my $0.02, Doc.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

That was a tough one. I think out of all of them, Swarm of the Century might have the best opportunity for laughs, especially for typical dude bros or tough guys. The part where Ponyville is being destroyed would be an especially big hit. They strike me as the kind of people who might laugh at ponies being terrorized by cute little insects. (ironic perhaps that they are terrorized by cute little ponies?)

If I were to pick any single episode as the most likely to get a laugh, I would pick Bridle Gossip because as soon as everyone has been afflicted by poison joke, its hilarious. Especially Flutterguy.

(Also, if you're trying to keep songs out of it, remember that Party of One has the singing telegram at the start.)

[starswirlthebearded]

I would have voted Lesson Zero.... but then I realized this is for people completely new to it....

That is tough... Lesson Zero uses what you know about the characters to make jokes... So it wouldn't be good for first time watchers. That would be the one I would show people to show them that appearances can be deceiving and MLP:FiM is not the same sugary nonsense it used to be...

For laughs...? Honestly it's between Applebuck season and Swarm of the Century and Feeling Pinkie Keen... It would depend on the person... If I knew that the person was a Star Trek fan, I'd show them Swarm of the Century because of the Trouble with Tribbles... If they like more slap stick and Looney Toons-esque comedy, Feeling Pinkie Keen is the way to go. Twilight Sparkle basically is hit with all the pain and jokes of classic Looney Toons. General comedy I'd go with Applebuck Season. That is probably the most accessible...

Also, if they are AT ALL Benny Hill fans, I'd totally add Ticket Master to that list... If the goal is just ONE laugh... A fan of Benny Hill would crack a laugh at least once during the Ticket Master chase. Why? Because its TOTALLY unexpected and catches you off guard at how note for note it is from Benny Hill.

And I agree with Ginger on Bridle Gossip. The song is short, and Twilight even makes a joke about it. Also... Apple Jack to Appletini... adult humor that most kids won't get. Flutterguy is also almost guaranteed a laugh.

In the end, I can't decide... I always cater what I show people depending on what they like. Whether it is music, shows, or movies. I know that people's tastes are different, and not everyone shares the same sense of comedy.

[Doc Hoof MD]

I thought Lesson Zero was pretty funny. It was a little over the top at times but it still made me laugh a few times.

I think I have to give it to Applebuck season because I didn't really know anything about the show when I first watched it. All of the laughs were fresh. It was kind of like watching a comedy series for the first time.

I personally though that The Last Roundup was the funniest but obviously that doesn't count in the poll.

[Chonico]

Hmm, everypony here has made some very interesting points and suggestions.

Briddle Gossip - I considered this and although it is up there with my personal favorites, a lot of the humor does stem from knowing a bit about the characters. It does portray an interesting reaction from the ponies in Ponyville concerning outsiders, but I still feel that the full effect of the poison joke might be lost. Plus, this was an episode I showed my brother and it did little to change his opinion.

Dragon Quest - This was also another episode I considered. Admittedly it is not high on my list of personal favorites, but after your suggestions, I went back and tried to watch it with an outsider's eye. It is hilarious, yes, but what I observed was that the whole episode was pretty much Spike's chance to shine as a developed character. It DOES however provide an interesting reflection on the situation I find myself in, albeit reversed. The ponies are teasing Spike for being a dragon among ponies. i.e. Where a dragon's supposed to be mean and scary, spike is, well, the opposite of all that and eventually learns to be comfortable with who he is. In my situation, it would seems the dragons (males) are trying to figure out why I, being another dragon (another male), would choose to live among ponies (be a Brony). I would rather show them this episode towards the end of their conversion rather than at the beginning so as to alleviate their self doubt regarding their masculinity.

I like what I'm reading so far and I think I'm beginning to see a clear choice here. Keep the suggestions coming my fellow Bronies

[ArmedSargent117]

I'd have to say Applebuck season.

Thinking about the other episodes, with the exception of Feeling Pinkie Keen, it helps to know a bit about the ponies involved (whether it's twilight's obsessiveness, or fluttershy's love of animals). Both Applebuck season and Feeling Pinkie Keen are fairly self contained, and I'd even go so far as to say you learn what the focus of each episode is fairly quickly in the episode. As for why Applebuck season? Beyond the other reasons presented here (and they probably make more sense than I do at the moment), you can also sympathize a bit I think with Applejack and monsterous workloads.

Such is my two cents.