My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

Favourite pony out of the main bunch?

  • Twilight Sparkle

    Votes: 25 16.7%

  • Pinkie Pie

    Votes: 28 18.7%

  • Applejack

    Votes: 13 8.7%

  • Rainbow Dash

    Votes: 31 20.7%

  • Rarity

    Votes: 18 12.0%

  • Fluttershy

    Votes: 35 23.3%
  • Total voters
    150
ernesth100 said:
What do you mean thankfully?
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It's only episode 14 and already half of them have found their keys. And the last key was found only 2 episodes ago.

Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight Princess are left. I'm almost positive that Twilight Sparkle will be finding her key last, and probably one of the last episodes of the season.

I believe that Applejack will most likely be getting her key next, followed by Fluttershy, and then Twilight Sparkle.
 
I just watched the new episode. Just OMG, the songs! I loved it. I may even go so far to say this is the best episode for the songs.

AND BIG MAC SANG!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S JUST UNBELIEVABLELY AWESOME.

SO DEEP.

MUCH AWE.

VERY MUSICAL.

And then too bad he had to be the one who had to lose the voice.

The only issue I have in an otherwise great plot!
 
Well, this was an interesting episode! I started out thinking I'd hate this episode, but it turned out I loved it! It might just be one of my new favorites, despite one major, consistent problem. Still, I can't help but adore this episode, and I'll get to why...

First let my just say, HELLO AMY KEATING ROGERS, glad to see you're back again! ...Sort of. I have to admit, I was never all that fond of A.K.R. as a writer, specifically sense a lot of her episodes then to leave me... very angry or annoyed. But hey, she won back some good will with Pinkie's Pride, so maybe she'll do well here! Hopefully... With any luck. Anyway, onto the actual episode.

It starts out with Fluttershy singing, and I'm thinking "Oh shit, are they're wasting their song on the cold open?! Dang it, this song will be too short!" Thankfully, that's not the case, and regardless, I loved the song... Some might say the episode exaggerates Fluttershy's singing talents, but my goodness, I just love it so much... I could listen to her sing for hours... Actually, this reminds me of an interview with Andrea Libman, where she said she hated her voice:


I think she later clarified by saying she only "hates" it in the sense that she talks all the time with it and thus doesn't think that much of it. I guess this would make sense, you'd be kind of an egotist if you loved your own voice so much, plus you get tired of things the mroe you're exposed to them. Still, if this episode proved anything, it's that Andrea Libman's voice is... beyond words...

Anyway, it turns out Fluttershy's friends all JUST SO HAPPENED to be there as she was singing. Why they were all there is never really explained, I guess to help prepare for the fundraiser for the Ponyville Pet Center. They're all amazed, but of course, Fluttershy's not too happen that someone heard her singing. This is a nice call-back to her original fear in Hurricane Fluttershy, where just the IDEA of performing in front of others was enough to have her completely paralyzed with fear...

Of course, this DOES beg the question of why Fluttershy, who can't even stand the idea of performing in front of her close friends, would participate in one of the biggest competitions in Equestria and ACTIVELY be judged on everything she does! Yeah, Ponyville Pride my ass, this is a straight-up contradiction now! ...Maybe this episode was meant to go before Rainbow Falls... Still, REALLY hard to swallow in retrospect, even moreso then before.

And then Pinkie stars talking... And there goes my faith in Amy Keating Rogers. Yep, I'm now thoroughly convinced that Ms. Rogers is the WORST person to write for Pinkie Pie, and that most of the good stuff to come out of Pinkie Pie in Pinkie's Pride must have come form Jayson Thiessen. Given The Last Roundup, A Friend in Deed, MMMystery on the Friendship Express, and now this, A.K.R. seems to have a REALLY BAD habit of writing Pinkie Pie to be as OBNOXIOUS and INSENSITIVE as possible! Hell, you even got hints of this in Pinkie's Pride, with Pinkie being so forceful about her parties at the beginning, and Pinkie giving off an evil glare as the screen fades to black in the middle of the episode. Seriously, you'd think Ms. Rogers would have learned by now that annoying does NOT equal funny, and by constantly doing this, you're making Pinkie look bad! It's seriously so bad that Pinkie actually comes close to being this episode's antagonist... and I'll explain why further down the line.

Anyway, the mane 6 are all impressed with Fluttershy's singing, but are perplexed to hear that she doesn't want to sing at the fundraiser... I don't know why, seeing as they should know by now that Fluttershy is timid in nature, so this shouldn't be all that unexpected, but the episode still goes out to explain that Fluttershy has stage frights... and then goes on to explain what stage fright is... like the viewers are idiots or something. Yeah, sorry, this just felt really out of place here. Maybe there are kids who don't know what stage fright is... eh, whatever.

Then we cut to the preparations for the fundraiser, and we "meet" the Ponytones... By which I mean we see Rarity, Big Mac, and two other ponies. You know, it's weird, when I saw this episode, I thought we were going to see a new band or something... and while we do see a new band, these two ponies are not involved in the plot at all. Hell, I don't think the blue pony even gets any lines, it's super weird! I mean, seriously, they're part of the group so you'd think they'd be just as invested as Rarity or Big Mac in seeing the group perform.

Well, whatever, we still hear them practice, and this is probably one of the few times we hear Big Mac say more then one word... and it's through song! I love it! I also love how into the singing Fluttershy is! SUPER adorable! ...Then Spike comes in, praises Rarity, but dismisses the other members. Yeah, thanks for that one throwawy joke, Spike... and also thanks for reminding me how you still love Rarity even though you did absolutely nothing when she was fawning over another dude in the last episode! ...Ah well, at least he isn't abused in any way in this episode, so I'll give the writers that.

Fluttershy comes along to praise the Ponytones, and Rarity comments how everything is going smoothly and no drama is going to happen. Yeah, this is what TV Tropes calls "Tempting Fate", and honestly, I thought the show grew out of this trope after season 1... Twilight was the most frequent offender of this trope, but she wasn't the only one (I think), and honestly, it's kind of annoying. Maybe it's because it's so cliche by this point that the only way to make this funny is to over-exaggerate the tempting of fate, or to make it a subversion, where they tempt fate and nothing happens.

Unfortunately, that's not the case here, as the next day comes, and surprise surprise, Big Mac loses his voice (BTW, anyone notice that the series has now grown accustomed to calling Big Macintosh "Big Mac"? Thank goodness McDonalds hasn't gotten on their case yet). Why? Because apparently he lost it in a... turkey-calling contest...

...Um, okay, first of all, the Apples throw a turkey-themed festival? Since when? Seems like straight out of left field! Second of all, why have the festival now, when there's a fundraiser going on?! You'd think that either Fluttershy or Applejack would organize each event to be further away from each other, so they don't coincide and take away participates for each event? Third, Big Mac ended up straining his voice... trying to beat Pinkie Pie... So basically, Pinkie is responsible for all of this. And look in the flashback, you see Pinkie in the background, an evil grin on her face! Seriously, Amy, what the Hell is WRONG with you and writing Pinkie Pie?!

Anyway, Fluttershy gets the idea to go to Zecora for a remedy, and she, Rarity, and Big Mac (but not the other two ponies... Wonder what they're doing during all of this?) go to her, but she says her remedy won't work in time for the performance. Fluttershy and Rarity lament, but Zecora gives the idea, in a nice (I guess) callback to Bridle Gossip, that Fluttershy can use Poison Joke and become "Flutterguy"... Incidentally, am I the only one weirded out that the ponies all use this term? I thought it was just a joke nickname from Spike, but here, all the ponies called Fluttershy "Flutterguy" without a hint of irony. It feels really weird... Anyway, Fluttershy refuses, as she can't stand the idea of performing in front of others, but Rarity gives her the idea to sing behind the curtain as Big Mac moves his lips in time to what Fluttershy's singing (well now where know exactly what the title of this episode is referring to). What I like about this scene is that Rarity tells Fluttershy to think about the animals, and Angel gives a sad face. This is probably my favorite appearance of that darn rabbit to date, not a complete jackass, not supportive in a way that feels out of place given his normal jackassitry, not even even a playful brat. I guess what I'm saying is that he's just there... kind of like how Spike is, except here it's good, because it's putting Angel in his freaking place!

I should note that after this is where the episode gets good, and it's why I like it so much. Despite Fluttershy having feminine gasps, she sings in her Flutterguy voice, and man-oh-man is that song catchy! I was wagging my feet in time to the song, I love it! This must have been the song that got Jim Miller a free coffee at Starbucks! ...Did I remember that right? I think what I like about this scene is that Fluttershy really enjoyed it... You get the impression that she loves singing, she just doesn't like having people looking at her while she does it, and as the song goes on, the more into it she gets. I also like how Big Mac looks nervous at first, but then finds his grove... Also, I didn't realize this at first, but Cheerilee faints during the performance... Hearts & Hooves Day reference?

So the fundraiser goes off without a hitch, all the pets get adopted, and everything goes fun... but then this... French pony? He sounds foreign, but I can't nail his accept, asks the Ponytones to sing at his daughter's cute-ceañera. ...Seriously, this pony looks like he's based on someone, but who?! Anyway, Rarity declines, saying it's too short notice, but Fluttershy, apparently feeling sorry for the poor girl, says they should do it. And so they do, after which Mayor Mare asks if they can do it, to which Fluttershy suggests they do that as well. Rarity immediately catches on that Fluttershy's enjoying this, and agrees. We then get a string of performances where Fluttershy keeps suggesting that they agree to. What I find funny about this is that Fluttershy gets so into it that she starts ad-libbing the song and Big Mac tries to make it look like he's singing it. Fluttershy's so adorable when she's grooving! Then there's a party at Sugarcube Corner... I don't know why, and I don't really care, Pinkie might have thrown another party or whatever, and Fluttershy gets all excited... until she finds out that Big Mac got his voice back... Fluttershy's disappointed, but Rarity and Big Mac decide to let her sing for Big Mac on more time. Unfortunately, Fluttershy gets a little TOO into it, thus knocking off the curtain and revealing that she was singing the whole time...

...Now, what's interesting here is that once Fluttershy's revealed, everyone applauds and cheers. You'd think they'd start laughing at a girl with a very deep baritone voice, but then again, that would have made this all the more heart-wrenching to watch. Fluttershy gets ultra-anxiety, similar to how she reacted in Hurricane Fluttershy, and then runs of crying... incidentally, "Flutterguy" crying is hilarious to listen to... I'm terrible.

Applejack rushes to Big Mac demanding answers, despite already knowing what's going on and just checking with Big Mac to make sure she's on the mark. Seriously, did everypony start calling each other by Spike's cruel nicknames after that? We cut to Fluttershy's house where she's taking the herbal bath to restore her voice, and her friends are trying to comfort her... And Pinkie Pie is NOT HELPING IN THE SLIGHTEST! Like, oh my gosh, I'm sorry, but when you make Fluttershy cry and make your friends call you out on your bullshit, you know you've crossed a line... and yet Pinkie Pie STILL continues to being such an insensitive bitch! I mean, sure, she doesn't MEAN to be insensitive, but like The Mysterious Mr. Enter said in his first impressions of this episode:

http://mrenter.deviantart.com/journal/First-Impressions-Filli-Vanilli-434352210

Patrick didn't mean to be malicious when he glued Spongebob to his wringer, but that's still a cruel thing to do regardless! Supposedly, Amy Keating Rogers "explained" on Twitter that Pinkie wasn't thinking before she spoke, but again, like Mr. Enter said, just because she "explained" why Pinkie did it that doesn't "excuse" what she did. I put my foot in my mouth all the time, but at least I apologize and try to do better! Pinkie doesn't even TRY to improve her act, she just keeps making things worse! Again, it's like in A Friend in Deed, where she continues to pester Cranky Doodle Donkey despite burning his personal belongings and being told to just leave him alone! Well, at least this episode has the distinction of making sure Pinkie ISN'T rewarded for her bad behavior, and has her friends actively calling her out on such instead of just faceplanting into a book.

Anyway, her friends finally confront her and try to comfort her (with Pinkie failing every chance she can get), and Rarity tells her that Fluttershy DID in fact live through her worst nightmare, and asks if it really was all that bad. She replies with a sobbing yes, much like in Hurricane Fluttershy, except here, her friends remind her that it wasn't as bad as she thought it was. Fluttershy hates performing in front of others because she was relentlessly mocked as a child, but here, she was praised and the ponies loved what she did. It's here she realizes that it really wasn't as bad as her fears, and after which, she performs, in her normal voice, alongside the rest of the Ponytones in front of her friends! Aww...

However, when Rarity mentions performing at the Apple Family's Zap Apple affair (another callback... I guess a year really has past, though these event seem a lot closer then they used to), Fluttershy declines, admitting that she's not ready for something like that... Then we get the best part of the episode, the moral. Fluttershy admits that letting your fears take hold of you is never a good thing, but also adds that in order to face your personal fears, you need to face them one step at a time. I really like this moral, because really, a LOT of people have stage fright, or doing something in front of other people. We have public speaking classes for a reason, you know. It's important to note that just because you've gotten over your initial fear, that doesn't mean you can't still be nervous about doing something on a grander scale, and thus you have to work up to it.

Again, this is why I'm so hesitant on seeing Fluttershy on Ponyville's team in Rainbow Falls. Even if you DO accept that this episode takes place before Rainbow Falls, it still makes you wonder how Fluttershy could possible get over such a deeply rooted anxiety problem so easily. Her pride for Ponyville feels like an EXTREMELY flimsy excuse in comparison to what we've seen from Fluttershy when it comes to performing in front of others, and this is an event where not only will she be performing in front of ALL of Equestria, but she's going to be actively JUDGED for her performance! Like, seriously, it's such a big oversight on her character, I honestly don't blame all the people who have a hard time accepting Rainbow Falls because of that! Again, I still liked that episode, but it's still hard to swallow.

Anyway, this episode's great. The weakest link is Pinkie Pie, and I seriously hope that Amy Keating Rogers improves when it comes to writing her. Take a note out of what she and Jayson Thiessen did in Pinkie's Pride and try not to make her TOO overbearing, obnoxious, or... questionable... But yeah, great episode, really, truly loved it!
 
Anna said:
I'm almost positive that Twilight Sparkle will be finding her key last, and probably one of the last episodes of the season.

I believe that Applejack will most likely be getting her key next, followed by Fluttershy, and then Twilight Sparkle.
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I'm not sure about that, 'cause if the "Key" (I like to call them "Element Rejuvenation") episodes are following a naming pattern like I think they are, Twilight will be getting her key next in "Twilight Time".
 
Equestria Daily follow-up post on Filli Vanilli:

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2014/02/filli-vanilli-episode-followup.html

You know, it's funny, even though this wasn't explicitly a musical like Pinkie's Pride or Magical Mystery Cure, there was DEFINITELY a lot of music to this episode. And I've got zero complains about that! ;)

I'm kind of the opposite, I IMMEDIATELY noticed the jackalope the first time around, and just forgot to comment on it.

...Was anyone else suddenly reminded of this after seeing AJ's hat in the air:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvdf5n-zI14

Sometimes I joke about "making Fluttershy cry = you die", but since some people have gone to far with that, I'm tempted to be more lenient about it now... still, gosh darn, Pinkie! :mad:

Also, yeah, best face this week undoubtedly goes to Fluttershy... though again, Pinkie did have a good face, too... not there, but beforehand where she was being Pinkie needlessly harsh and rude.

I love that Big Mac actually sang here, the Ponytones really do rock! Although it's weird how we get two other members yet they contribute nothing to the overall plot... I also don't think the blue pony talked at all, he was just part of the band. I guess he gets a voice credit since he did sing, but still, he has nothing. Even the female pony had about two lines.

I feel embarrassed to say I noticed Fluttershy shaking her booty quite a bit in this episode... what's weird is that it felt like the animators were almost expecting this. ???

It took a second viewing to catch Cranky Doodle Donkey. Good thing, too, I was kind of worried everyone forgot about him despite remembering to bring make Matilda.

God damn it, Pinkie, stop looking so evil! Yeah, her gloating doesn't help her look good at all in this episode, either.

I'm not AS impressed by the call-backs, probably since I've been spoiled by Adventure Time, who's all about re-introducing old concepts into newer episodes, especially after season 4. Still, kind of glad "Flutterguy" came back, even though I felt a little weird about the characters actually referring to it as "Flutterguy". :/

Yeah, I didn't see this coming either... I figured Fluttershy was going to sing for somepony else, but I didn't realize she was going to do so using her deep Blu Mankuma voice!

It's so strange, usually I'd hate Angel, but I found him strangely tolerable this season, including this episode, to the point where I went "aww" at his teary face.

lol, the Lyra and Bon-Bon fan fic idea! XD

Yeah, the placement of that stallion's wings are weird... Also, he HAS to be based on someone, that design just seems too specific!

You'd think Applejack and Apple Bloom would be more concerned about Goldie Delicious's (and the cats) safety instead of looking unimpressed.

The Gummy scene was kind of funny, but then again, I'm nervous about what'll happen when he finally grows his teeth...

Oh wait, it wasn't Blu Mankuma as singing Flutterguy? Regardless, this Marcus Mosley is really good!

I'm probably one of the few people who actually expecting lip-synching to be a central part of the plot, giving the title; it seems that a lot of people were legitimately surprised by this.

Fluttershy's too cute in this episode, that's why I love it so much!

It took me a while to register that it was Cheerilee that fainted... Also, note that she opens one eye, as it to try and catch Big Mac's attention. Geez, despite the show saying shipping is wrong, the animators really love to tease the Hell out of us.

Zippoorwill was kind of cute... I don't see her as a pony that will be all that popular, but who knows... this fandom does make memes out of the strangest things.

Those spa ponies are, indeed very pretty. Gosh this episode is just too damn cute!

I didn't pick up on Cheerilee asking Big Mac instead of Rarity, either... I figure was to have Fluttershy talk to Rarity and not be noticed, but boy does it help the shippers.

Oh God, that picture of Big Mac sweating while looking at Fluttershy's ass... I wish I could say this is the first time I saw that pic...

I remember arguing about how he felt Hurricane Fluttershy was contrived because Fluttershy's super anxiety in that episode was never referenced before, as she had no such problems performing in front of others in Hearth's Warming Eve or other episodes... I'm actually THIS episode continues with those anxiety issues, because it helps support that it really was a deeply rooted issue that's part of Fluttershy's character.

Pinkie Pie WAS possessed. She was possessed by the part of Amy Keating Rogers that thinks that Pinkie being creepy and obnoxious is funny... which really comes up VERY often in her episodes.

Yeah, she made Fluttershy cry TWICE! Gilda made her cry only once, and it was PINKIE who took issue with that! Seriously, what the flipping Hell?!

I think I said this before, but the moral is perhaps the best part of the episode and why I love and respect this particular episode so much. Really, if it weren't for Pinkie Pie, this probably would have been my favorite episode of this season, perhaps even the whole show!

I love the Ponytones uniforms... and I love seeing Fluttershy wear it... Gosh, this episode's too cute... Can't get enough of it!

Yeah, like Pegasus Rescue Brigade, what made the moral work so well is that Fluttershy learned to face her anxieties more realistically, but also that it wasn't an immediate "I faced it, now I'm over it" kind of deal you see in so many other kids shows... or shows in general! It's a gradual thing, like most things in life are, and now that she's actually trying to face them instead of living in them, she'll be the better for it! Seriously, this episode is so brilliant (minus Pinkie Pie), I love it to death!

Also, I'll applaud Amy Keating Rogers once she learns to write Pinkie Pie right. She came close in Pinkie's Pride, but it felt like she was trying to force her old habits into that episode through the cracks.
 
I finally saw Filli Vanilli. You were right Pinkie Pie does suck! She's a total jerk here! But nonetheless she's still funny. Also Pinkie Pie's obviously spider-mare since she can crawl up walls and sense danger.

As for Simple Ways. It was meh to me. Felt...boring.
 
ernesth100 said:
I finally saw Filli Vanilli. You were right Pinkie Pie does suck! She's a total jerk here! But nonetheless she's still funny. Also Pinkie Pie's obviously spider-mare since she can crawl up walls and sense danger.
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Um, no she wasn't! Aside from that wall-crawling scene and MAYBE her winning the turkey call competition, Pinkie was flat-out OBNOXIOUS in this episode! I've had this problem with Pinkie for a long time (in particular with episodes like Luna Eclipsed, The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, The Last Roundup, A Friend in Deed, etc.), but here she crosses the line from being obnoxious to being a straight-up JACKASS, because she not only fails to notice that she reduced one of her best friends to tears TWICE, but she continues to do what she's been doing regardless! And no, it's not funny, it's just mean-spirited and cruel, even if Pinkie Pie isn't intended to do anything bad!

...BTW, a thought occurs...

This episode was originally going to be called "The Return of Flutterguy", before it was decided that that would be too spoilery... That had me thinking...

This season seems to be all about gimmicks, as in each episode seems to be selling itself on a single gimmick, and the episode seems to be built around it as opposed to something that makes sense in the context of the series, thinking about how the characters would react in a certain situation, or anything like that. Castle Mane-ia was a pretty flat "spooky" episode, Daring Don't's gimmick was Daring Do being real, Power Ponies was a BLATANT comic book episode that felt completely interchangable with any other TV series, Bats! felt like an excuse to turn Fluttershy into a bat, Three's a Crowd having Discord faking being sick just because, and now this, an episode that seems to want to bring back the Flutterguy voice.

I should note that that doesn't mean this season is all that bad, or only has gimmicky episodes. Rarity Takes Manehatten, Pinkie Apple Pie, and Simple Ways feel like episodes right out of any previous season (though in the case of Rarity Takes Manehatten, that's kind of bad, given the whole "no one notices Twilight's a princess, but that's another discussion). Hell, even episodes that DO have something of a gimmick, Flight to the Finish being both about Scootaloo's flight problems and tying into the Equestria Games subplot, Pinkie's Pride guest starring Weird Al Yankovic, and even this very episode, managed to make the episode more meaningful using that gimmick, as opposed to the other episodes, in which the gimmick drives the whole plot.

But here's the thing about this episode... in retrospect, I feel like this episode's gimmick was thought up before the episode. It feels like "hey, let's make an episode where the Flutterguy voice comes back, the fans really liked that!" Part of me feels like this is kind of a bad way to go about this, since it opens up a lot of questions... like how come Zecora has a potion that can instantly regrow chipped teeth yet her cure for a sore throat takes more then a day, why do the ponies refer to her manly voice as Flutterguy when it was originally used as teasing nickname from Spike, why did the ponies applaud a clearly female pony that has a really deep male voice instead of laughing, etc. Like I said, the episode manages to address the idea of loving to perform but hating performing in front of an audience spectacularly well, but I feel like you could have done that WITHOUT the gimmick of the Flutterguy voice.

Eh, this was just a thought I had, and while I feel like this might be an issue with this episode (and season 4 as a whole) I don't think it's AS bad as Pinkie's characterization in this episode. Like I said, the episode is done really well, despite the gimmick possibly holding it back. Here's hoping the writers get more introspective with the series as opposed to just throwing ideas out there and fitting them into the plot later on.
 
I don't think so but hey interpret that as you will. The writers were targetting this at kids they probably thought the kids would find Pinkie Pies obnoxiousness funny. They had no idea at all how we'd react to it therefore it wasn't really there fault.
 
ernesth100 said:
I don't think so but hey interpret that as you will. The writers were targetting this at kids they probably thought the kids would find Pinkie Pies obnoxiousness funny. They had no idea at all how we'd react to it therefore it wasn't really there fault.
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On the one hand, the writers are well-aware of the Brony audience, and thus try to appeal to them as often as they can.

On the other hand, I always did feel that Amy Keating Rogers episodes felt a bit more... what's the word... "juvenile" then most other episodes? Like, they're not that thoughtful or introspective, and just seem really silly, in a somewhat childish way. Which is not to say that they're bad, but it definitely would explain Pinkie's behavior in those episodes.
 
ernesth100 said:
Filli Vanilli
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So, during preproduction of that episode, was it originally going to center around two of the Mane 6 releasing a full album only to be revealed they were actually lip-syncing to all of their songs (after the recordings crashed) and thus the album is recalled? That episode name sounds very similar to a band that had similar controversy.
 
TheYoshiState said:
ernesth100 said:
Filli Vanilli
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So, during preproduction of that episode, was it originally going to center around two of the Mane 6 releasing a full album only to be revealed they were actually lip-syncing to all of their songs (after the recordings crashed) and thus the album is recalled? That episode name sounds very similar to a band that had similar controversy.
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I believe that's the joke... though like I said, it was originally going to be called "The Return of Flutterguy"... then "Flutterfear", then finally "Filli Vanilli".
 
ernesth100 said:
Alot of children will not get that reference.
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True. Children will also likely not get the Mad Men references in Rarity Takes Manehatten, or The Big Lewbowski ponies in The Cutie Pox, or Discord's Hunter S. Thompson/Raoul Duke get-up in Three's a Crowd. There's a lot of references that will go over kids heads... not unlike a lot of shows from my youth.
 
ernesth100 said:
Well smashgoom you seem to know your mlp well.
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Yeah, what's scary is that this was all off the top of my head. This, Nintendo, One Piece, and a few other animated shows I know backward and forward.
 
Smashgoom202 said:
ernesth100 said:
Alot of children will not get that reference.
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True. Children will also likely not get the Mad Men references in Rarity Takes Manehatten, or The Big Lewbowski ponies in The Cutie Pox, or Discord's Hunter S. Thompson/Raoul Duke get-up in Three's a Crowd. There's a lot of references that will go over kids heads... not unlike a lot of shows from my youth.
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Heck, I don't even get those references. Of course, I don't really know the references to begin with and probably never will.
 
I wan to open this by saying, in regards to Amy Keating Rogers and last week's episode, I'm greatly troubled to see how people reacted in such an extreme way towards Ms. Rogers. Regardless of how well she writes her episodes of the characters, she did not deserve the treatment she got, nor should anyone have to go through what she did. Because of that, I'm finally going to get a Twitter account an apologize for the actions of my fellow Bronies and give her my condolences...

HOWEVER!

I will also make it clear that, despite the extreme reaction being uncalled for, she DID poorly write Pinkie Pie in such a way that created such a reaction. I'm not saying she had it coming, not at all, I'm saying that there's a reason for everything, and I think it's clear that a lot of people, myself included, didn't like how Pinkie Pie acted in Filli Vanilli. Speaking only for myself, I've never been a fan of Pinkie's innocent insensitivity, but the levels in which she went to in Filli Vanilli is easily the worst I've ever seen from Pinkie Pie, even worse then my previous most-hated Pinkie moment, that being when she stalked and pestered Cranky Doodle Donkey at the end of A Friend in Deed. And I honestly don't care if people actually found Pinkie funny, or if they can somehow justify it, the fact of the matter is I don't want to see this happen again, and I want Amy Keating Rogers to realize this and not dismiss all the criticisms at the episode as blind hatred. What I'm getting at is, I sympathize, even empathize with her a bit, but I also want her to grow into a better, more skilled writer in the process.

...And that nicely ties into this episode and Dave Polsky. Dave Polsky recently stated on Twitter that he's trying his hardest to get rid of his status as the most controversial writer for the show. And as much I don't care for him as a writer, I can't really blame him, because while I outright despise his first two episode, a lot of his more recent episodes seem to be trying to be good but still somehow manage to be controversial; Too Many Pinkie Pies had a questionable method of getting rid of all the Pinkie clones, Spike At Your Service had a cliched plot that came at the expect of Spike's character, Keep Calm and Flutter On... oy vey... Games Ponies Play had a plot that could easily be resolved in 5 seconds tops, and a resolution that made no sense, Daring Don't made a previously thought to be fictional character "real", and Rarity Takes Manehatten had ponies not acknowledge Twilight was a princess... Ironic, since this episode seems to be all about Twilight's princesshood.

Let me get this right off the bat: no, I didn't like the episode. Which is not to say that it's bad, I just really didn't care for it. See, that's the thing about me, I try to acknowledge when something is good or bad, or just not for me personally. I'm sure from a technical standpoint, it's decent, and I'm sure many people could get some enjoyment out of it... I didn't. I honestly don't want to argue about it, because lord knows I've argued too much lately. In fact, what I said at the beginning is kind of why I won't be as in-depth this time around. I doubt I would have liked it anyway, even if the whole AKR Pinkie fiasco didn't happen, but it certainly didn't help, either. Anyway, let's get to this...

Firstly, Claire Corlett'a voice has definitely gotten deeper, and it's kind of distracting, since Madeleine Peters and Michelle Creber sound normal/like they always have. I'm sure I'll get used to it, thought.

Secondly, Diamond Tiara is a bitch. I don't like her in this episode, I hate her shallow personality, but I get that's the "joke", and that's all there is to her character, so fuck it. It's not like she's going to be going away anytime soon, since she's an easy-up for a writer to use a bitchy character to say and do obviously mean things, so I don't feel the need to complain about it. It DOES make me wonder why the CMC would ever want to be in her good graces, though.

Third... so ponies are finally acknowledging that Twilight's a princess now... Strange that they only seem to notice it now when she's been living in Ponyville AS a princess for quite some time. Maybe it's because the CMC brought it up, and just thought she was untouchable or something... Still, they act like like she JUST came into town, which I find confusing from a continuity perspective. I'm sure some guy will say that this season isn't happening in chronological order or some shit, but it doesn't help me make sense of it or enjoy this. I also hate how Diamond Tiara didn't seem to care that Twilight was Celestia's personal student and saved Equestria on multiple occasions but only cares now that she's a princess. But she's a bitch, so fuck it. I guess it's cool that the CMC don't see studying with Twilight as that big of a deal, since they've known Twilight for a long time, so I'll give them that.

Fourth, Pipsqueak's back... That's cool, I guess. Eh...

Fifth, what was up with Twilight pigging out at that fast food restaurant? I know she said she didn't realize how hungry she was and that she hadn't been there in a while, but still, it comes out of nowhere... It feels like it's trying too hard for a joke, and I believe I've said this at some point before, but I don't find the jokes in MLP:FiM that funny, especially when Dave Polsky is attempting humor.

Sixth, Pinkie shows up... that's cute, I suppose. I feel like Dave Polsky "gets" Pinkie Pie better then most of the other writers. Which is not to say he hasn't written Pinkie Pie in a way that annoys me before, but compared to everyone else, he seems to really nail Pinkie more often then not.

Seventh, so when the cat's out of the bag, the CMC are humiliated when they try to use what they learned from Twilight and fail, causing Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and everypony else to laugh at them. While I did like how Twilight smugly said that they didn't come here to learn anything either, it still felt so unsatisfying seeing Diamond Tiara get away with just that. I seriously hate how one-note she is, in addition to the fact that I hate her personality in general. But here's the really stupid thing, when the CMC say they're sorry and leave, the successfully pull off what they learned from Twilight! So what was wrong with them before?! I guess it was to show that they HAVE learned, but... God damn, it just makes no sense to me, and I'm sure you can justify or find reasons to like it, but no, to me, these feels awkward, and it really breaks the flow, especially when the episode stops to show that they DID learn a thing or two in-between saying they're sorry. But I'm sure someone will reply to this part, state reasons why this makes sense, or that they don't have a problem with it, and I'll look all the dumber for not liking it. Sometimes, I don't even know why I talk...

Eighth, I probably should have mentioned this sooner, but I like that Sweetie Belle is learning how to use magic, it's adorable. The other CMC are probably doing something that could fit to their special talents, but that's all pointless, since we know that Apple Bloom is good at building stuff, Sweetie Belle is good at singing, and Scootaloo is good with her scooter, so... uh, nevermind. Also, it really doesn't make sense now, seeing a unicorn as old as Sweetie Belle use magic, but seeing Pumpkin Cake use magic with ease. I still somehow accept it, despite being a major lapse in continuity and logic, but this really doesn't help things.

Nineth, so Spike is the butt of jokes again. At least this time it's in a more understandable/acceptable light; Spike makes nachos, sees a lot of ponies come in, goes to make more nachos, and when he comes back, everypony left. Definitely the lightest case of Spike abuse this season, and one I'm able to tolerate more. Still, much like Pinkie's personality, I hope the writers don't mess these things up in future seasons.

Tenth, so the CMC are going to continue "Twilight Time", but are doing it in "secret" with disguises... why? Everypony already thinks their losers for not using their Twilight Time properly, plus this time they can just say no if anypony wants to join in. Eh, not really a comaplaint, but I thought it was dumb.

And I guess that's it. I didn't find the episode funny, I didn't like Diamond Tiara, who took up a lot of screentime in this episode and is the primary motivations for why the CMC did what they did, which again, why try to appease Diamond Tiara, they should know better by now!? But like I said, I'm not being very analytical here, I'm just stating my immediate thoughts on the episode. I doubt it'll get better the more I look into it, because Diamond Tiara is still thee, but I'm sure it's not as bad as I just made it out to be.

Well... here's hoping Fluttershy can cheer me up next week... and that the Breezies aren't as bad as Pinkie.
 
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