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[Videoneon]

Friendship is Magic: Season 3 - Episode 4: One Bad Apple

It was fun. Usually my experience with Cutie Mark Crusaders episodes is that they have their moments, especially because the Cutie Mark Crusaders tend to do extreme things to solve their problems and that's fun, but when they're the focal point of an entire episode the drama seems to feel sort of predictable. It also involves Apple Bloom being an instigator of conflict with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo being complicit for whatever reason. The moral of the story was pretty run of the mill, but I did find it refreshingly unexpected that the writers preached against the worry of being a snitch, and took it beyond just being like "bullying is bad yo." Also, it was awesome how the Cutie Mark Crusaders assumed that Babs would be their friend because she had no Cutie Mark.

So, the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Sweetie Belle is the best. I like how goofy she is; if she said "I really like her mane" in this episode it probably would've turned into my favorite episode of the season even though I haven't finished S3. I also like how she mispronounced or awkwardly handled words like "bosom buddy" during Babs' initiation. It's even better since it's accompanied by tragic music as Sweetie Belle screws up more words. Too bad she just mangles a bunch of the words on the first reading but hits the target on the second reading. Secretly she's ahead of the curve. Scootaloo just seems to do crazy stuff every so often, but I did love the intense drumming for no apparent reason, followed by her dignified expression. Apple Bloom is the brains behind the operations, and I really like her...accent. It's even better than Applejack's.

The gags were really spot on in this episode. Pinkie Pie was a great help: stealing the aroma Spike was getting high on, and "Veggie Salad"....? "Let us in/Lettuce in" caused me pain. Boo, these writers! I loved the pig licking the golden apple too. The Babs Seed song also reminded me of Josie and the Pussycats because of the way it was presented visually. The first ten seconds or so right after the title screen/theme song, where the CMC kept bouncing all over the place and being excited was awesome too, because Scootaloo's eyes were messed up.

I had fun.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Basically they're some of the best villains I've ever seen.

Did you edit this line into your post? I didn't notice it initially and I was a little confused as to what to make of the whole thing! It seems like a bunch of nasty/messed up people finding various ways to be unpleasant to one another. Very odd!

Friendship is Magic: Season 3 - Episode 4: One Bad Apple

It was fun. Usually my experience with Cutie Mark Crusaders episodes is that they have their moments, especially because the Cutie Mark Crusaders tend to do extreme things to solve their problems and that's fun, but when they're the focal point of an entire episode the drama seems to feel sort of predictable. It also involves Apple Bloom being an instigator of conflict with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo being complicit for whatever reason. The moral of the story was pretty run of the mill, but I did find it refreshingly unexpected that the writers preached against the worry of being a snitch, and took it beyond just being like "bullying is bad yo." Also, it was awesome how the Cutie Mark Crusaders assumed that Babs would be their friend because she had no Cutie Mark.

So, the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Sweetie Belle is the best. I like how goofy she is; if she said "I really like her mane" in this episode it probably would've turned into my favorite episode of the season even though I haven't finished S3. I also like how she mispronounced or awkwardly handled words like "bosom buddy" during Babs' initiation. It's even better since it's accompanied by tragic music as Sweetie Belle screws up more words. Too bad she just mangles a bunch of the words on the first reading but hits the target on the second reading. Secretly she's ahead of the curve. Scootaloo just seems to do crazy stuff every so often, but I did love the intense drumming for no apparent reason, followed by her dignified expression. Apple Bloom is the brains behind the operations, and I really like her...accent. It's even better than Applejack's.

The gags were really spot on in this episode. Pinkie Pie was a great help: stealing the aroma Spike was getting high on, and "Veggie Salad"....? "Let us in/Lettuce in" caused me pain. Boo, these writers! I loved the pig licking the golden apple too. The Babs Seed song also reminded me of Josie and the Pussycats because of the way it was presented visually. The first ten seconds or so right after the title screen/theme song, where the CMC kept bouncing all over the place and being excited was awesome too, because Scootaloo's eyes were messed up.

I had fun.

I really liked this one, probably my first real hit of Season 3. Rather than retype:

Saturday, 2 March ‎2013
s3e4 - One Bad Apple
By Cindy Morrow

On my first run through Friendship is Magic I wasn't a huge fan of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sure, they were cute, but their stories often seemed like a diversion away from the main event with Twilight and the gang. My second run through however brought with it a new appreciation for Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, and episodes like this one are the reason why.

If that didn't make it clear, I loved "One Bad Apple". It really has almost everything I could want in an episode of MLP. Firstly, it keeps the story grounded and focusses heavily on character drama. One of the hallmarks of FiM is the strong, distinct characters, and I most enjoy the episodes where we see the cast stretched in different directions. The CMC get a really interesting journey in this one when a shy new friend suddenly turns into a powerful enemy. Each of the crusaders reacts slightly differently, and it makes for some brilliant scenes as they try to unravel the problem.

Babs Seed herself is a really interesting character, and she allows the story to make some smart comments on bullies, and the nature of bullying. Her character makes noticeable transitions from scene to scene, as she moves from uncomfortable and nervous around the crusaders, to suddenly taking an awkard kind of control when she starts to tag along with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The animators have packed in a ton of extremely telling tics and habits, ranging from Babs' tail involuntarily flicking forward to hide her flank, to her nervous chuckles as she sidles up beside her new cronies. It's impressively done, and once again goes to show how much character can be brought across through such a simple art-style.

The Crusaders all get a ton of screen-time here too, with each of them reacting to Babs' betrayal differently. Scootaloo is instantly furious, and all but screams at Babs when she hijacks the Crusader Clubhouse. You almost get the feeling she'd start throwing hooves if the other two weren't around; definitely a Rainbow Dash Jnr, that one. Applebloom shares a little of Scoot's fire, but like her sister, she's mostly about getting things done, and it isn't long before she's scheming up a plot to teach Babs a lesson. Finally, Sweetie Belle just wants to cry about it all, and indeed she does, with great dramatic flair about halfway through the story. She's a sensitive kid, and she'd like more than anything to tell Applejack (something the other two are too proud to do.) The way these three personalities interact is where the real joy of the show is for me, and writer Cindy Morrow really nailed it here.

Speaking of nailing it, Dan Ingram busts out with another hit in "Bab's Seed", an insanely catchy tune in which Applebloom and Scootaloo take centre stage. The music itself is difficult to classify; it's pop-ey, but nothing like last seasons' "Love Is In Bloom". It's a bouncy, upbeat number overall, with a really tight melody that turns in different directions regularly but never falters. Combined with Michelle Creber and Madeline Peters on vocals, it makes for a brilliant song, and definitely a musical highlight of Season 3. I've already listened to it more times than I can count, and it'll be hard to topple as one of my overall favourites.

This is becoming quite a wrap-up, so I'll try to bring things to a close. As usual there are plenty of laughs here (the bizarre and unexplained Golden Sweetie-Belle leaps to mind, and Babs' introduction to the CMC clubhouse is pure gold from start to finish), but I won't get into that now. Overall, "One Bad Apple" is a clever episode that deals with the touchy subject of bullying in a way that makes an important point without every being preachy or un-engaging. A strong episode in its own right, and a high point for Season 3.

Spoiler

I do little writeups after my second viewing of every episode. If anyone cares to read any more of this crap, let me know.

 

[$200]

Friendship is Magic: Season 3 - Episode 4: One Bad Apple

What do you think of Babs Seed as a character? Didn't like her accent and character at all when I watched the episode but after a while she kind of grew on me.



Oh, and be sure to check out this video.

 

[Cheerilee]

I had problems with the morals of the Babs Seed episode.

The bullying can't be pinned on SS and DT, because Babs was bullying AJ in her own house, in her own bedroom at night, when SS and DT were nowhere to be found.

Telling people to "tell an adult" when you're being bullied is all well and good, but Babs was doing a good job of hiding her dark nature from the adults, and she made it clear that they would regret telling an adult.

IMO, one of the most effective ways to stop a bully is to stand up for yourself. Even if the bully hits you back twice as hard afterward, he's likely to stop bullying if he knows he could get punched for doing it. But nobody suggests it because it's possible to get seriously hurt if the bully is a psycho, and nobody want to be responsible for that.

The CMC were going to fight back by humiliating their bully, basically just pushing her into the mud. I think that's appropriate and effective. But they stayed their hand, and took the blow for themselves, out of pity, because they realized that Babs was once bullied herself, and that's why she's bullying today. But pity is a very dangerous thing to throw at a bully.

And Babs giving up bullying just because the CMC were nice to her even when she didn't deserve it, just seemed too "after school special" to me.

Also, Babs didn't give up bullying, she just turned it against SS and DT. And Applejack laughed while she did it, which throws the "Applejack has the solution to bullying" theory straight out the window.

I really didn't like Babs.

Did you edit this line into your post? I didn't notice it initially and I was a little confused as to what to make of the whole thing! It seems like a bunch of nasty/messed up people finding various ways to be unpleasant to one another. Very odd!

Yeah, I realized I needed to tie my train of thought together a little bit better.

Basically, the Biskit Twins are supposed to be the main villains of the show, but on closer inspection, they're just strange little girls who never learned the most basic lessons of society, and now they're trying (and failing) to make a friend. And the heroes are painted like heroes, but deep down they're very human.

 

[PaulloDEC]

The CMC were going to fight back by humiliating their bully, basically just pushing her into the mud. I think that's appropriate and effective. But they stayed their hand, and took the blow for themselves, out of pity, because they realized that Babs was once bullied herself, and that's why she's bullying today. But pity is a very dangerous thing to throw at a bully.

And Babs giving up bullying just because the CMC were nice to her even when she didn't deserve it, just seemed too "after school special" to me.

I see where you're coming from, but the key for me was this was basically Babs' first offence. We learn in the episode that she's a victim back home, and when she sees a fresh chance to be the one in power for a change (by siding with SS and DT), she leaps at it. It's a huge mistake of course; she could've sided with the nice guys and outnumbered the villains, but in a moment of weakness she gave in to temptation and turned to the dark side.

I found her change of heart to be pretty natural. The CMC took a hit for her and it put the whole thing into perspective. DT and SS might be dicks, but Babs just made a selfish decision that she soon came to see the folly of.

Also, Babs didn't give up bullying, she just turned it against SS and DT. And Applejack laughed while she did it, which throws the "Applejack has the solution to bullying" theory straight out the window.

I wouldn't call that last scene bullying on Babs' part; she returns fire, but it's no more aggressive than what she's dealt. If anything, I think it's closer to what you were describing initially - she's standing up for herself and her friends.

Of course, I may be totally misunderstanding what you're getting at. If you're specifically talking about the moral in terms of it's application in the real world, then yeah, it's definitely not a foolproof game-plan for dealing with real-world bullies. But what it does do is demonstrate that every bully is a person, and they may not always be acting out just because they're inherently awful people.

 

[Cheerilee]

I see where you're coming from, but the key for me was this was basically Babs' first offence. We learn in the episode that she's a victim back home, and when she sees a fresh chance to be the one in power for a change (by siding with SS and DT), she leaps at it. It's a huge mistake of course; she could've sided with the nice guys and outnumbered the villains, but in a moment of weakness she gave in to temptation and turned to the dark side.

I found her change of heart to be pretty natural. The CMC took a hit for her and it put the whole thing into perspective. DT and SS might be dicks, but Babs just made a selfish decision that she soon came to see the folly of.



I wouldn't call that last scene bullying on Babs' part; she returns fire, but it's no more aggressive than what she's dealt. If anything, I think it's closer to what you were describing initially - she's standing up for herself and her friends.

Of course, I may be totally misunderstanding what you're getting at. If you're specifically talking about the moral in terms of it's application in the real world, then yeah, it's definitely not a foolproof game-plan for dealing with real-world bullies. But what it does do is demonstrate that every bully is a person, and they may not always be acting out just because they're inherently awful people.

I think I said it better previously, so I'm going to quote myself.

I didn't really like this episode, mostly because I don't think it effectively tackled the subject of bullying (sacrifice yourself to save your bully and win their heart, and "tell an adult" aren't really solutions, although telling an adult can't hurt, and it's the most risk-free advice).

Just the other day I came off of watching SFDebris' review of Avatar the Last Airbender, in which he explained that he doesn't agree with fans who say that Azula's not a monster, that she's really a good person, and it's the world's fault, because the world made her a monster. He explained how (in his opinionated opinion) it's your choices that define you who are, and what you do now that matters, not your upbringing. Zuko chose to become a better person. Azula didn't.

Babs chose to become worse. And she didn't seem to show any signs of guilt or remorse while she actively and aggressively made the CMC miserable (just some occasional blank-flank shame). I don't think Babs was doing it out of fear of DT and SS, I think as a former victim, she liked the role reversal. She bullied Applebloom out of her own bed. DT and SS weren't in her bedroom.

When the CMC learned why Babs was a jerk, I don't think it should have stopped their plan to get even. Standing up to bullies and fighting back is just one more slice of the anti-bullying formula, even if you have to plan and strategize in order to compensate for weakness (interestingly, The A-Team frequently armed people to deal with bullying situations). And yeah, attacking your bully is a great way to provoke your own butt kicking, but that kind of retaliatory strike is usually just a required response, and afterwards you might find yourself less-targeted, since you're not worth the trouble.

The CMC seemingly stopped their attack (and took the hit for themselves) because of pity, but pitying your bully, and especially letting your bully know that you pity them, is often a really bad idea, because that sort of emotional attack cuts deep and may make a bully want to shut you up by making sure you never pity them again.


But... kids show in the modern world. They're not going to advocate violence.


Also, Apple Jack, the responsible adult, is probably to blame for this episode, because she deliberately didn't tell the CMC that Babs was coming to town to deal with insecurity issues regarding her blank flank, she just allowed the CMC to get all "CMC" up in Babs' face unsupervised, as everyone knew they would. I think I approve of setting up powder kegs, but you're at least supposed to watch them in case they explode, silly pony.

So I just realized another reason why I didn't like the Babs Seed episode.

At the start of the episode, Babs didn't even seem to like the CMC. She was reacting badly to all of the CMC's efforts to try and become friends. They showed her their float, which they worked hard on, and Babs seemed reluctant to tell them what she really thought of it.

Then Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon show up and insult the CMC. They don't like the CMC, and they say mean things, but they're not exactly bullying. They insult Babs. Applebloom defends her. Again, this isn't bullying, not since Applebloom picked up the support of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. It's more like a back-and-forth.

But then Babs decides to wreck the CMC's hard work, and threatens them with physical violence. Babs chases after the CMC wherever they go and constantly makes them miserable for her own personal gain, and to try and impress DT and SS. That's real bullying. DT and SS follow Babs, but they're not actively participating, they're just watching and laughing. Maybe they're encouraging Babs' bad behavior, but that's different from participating, or initiating.

So the CMC decide to humiliate Babs by pushing her into mud that pigs wallow in. Pigs aren't dirty animals, BTW. They wallow in mud to clean themselves and to cool down, and they prefer clean mud. They only become "filthy animals" when they're denied clean mud. Anyways, the CMC intend to stand up for themselves and push Babs in there. It's an appropriate response, considering that Babs threw ice cream and tomatoes at them.

But then the CMC learn that Babs was a victim herself once. So they save her and become the victims of their own attack. And they apologize to Babs for even thinking of pushing her into the mud. Because that's such a horrible thing to do to somepony. If you attack someone even once, that automatically makes you a bully, so you should never fight back when attacked. So Babs becomes their friend.

Then Babs is leaving town. SS and DT arrive. "So you're leaving, huh?" "Great, now we're stuck here with these lame blank flanks." DT and SS didn't see the crash. Babs didn't tell them she was leaving town. They found out on their own and came to say goodbye to Babs, in their own jerk-way.

But Babs doesn't like the use of the word "lame" to describe ponies who she apparently thought were lame. Either that or she thinks "blank flanks" is a slur, and that bothers her because she is one. Either way, it's not even remotely out of line with Babs' previous behavior. So Babs becomes immediately hostile, and physically confronts Diamond Tiara about it. DT doesn't back down from a physical threat. DT is ready to defend herself. Oh, but Babs has learned from this episode. She's going to tell DT's mommy that DT called someone a blank flank. After terrorizing others for an entire episode. Yay morals.

But then, having solved things in the made-for-TV way, Babs lunges towards DT and SS. They both flinch and fall backwards. Into... mud that pigs were wallowing in. Really? That's just ridiculous. After all this episode's nonsense about how Babs isn't a bully anymore, she pulls a "fake punch" psyche out against someone weaker, AND she pushes two non-bullies (although jerks and enablers of bullying) into the pig-mud, an attack that the CMC considered to be despicable. And Applejack and the CMC all laugh at it, just like SS and DT laughed at what Babs did to the CMC.

Also, Applejack claimed (after the CMC pushed themselves into the mud) that she could have solved this whole bullying situation if only she had known what was going on (silly CMC, trying to take care of problems for themselves after being threatened with physical retribution if they dared to involve an adult). But then DT and SS arrived and started using their words against the CMC, in full view of Applejack, and Applejack does nothing. Babs and DT go nose-to-nose with the threat of violence, and Applejack does nothing. Babs pushes DT into the pig-mud, and Applejack laughs. How exactly is Applejack supposed to solve the problem of bullying?

Also, Cindy Morrow has said that Babs will be back sooner or later, because she's "adorable". Just wow. This episode had a ton of adorableness, but IMO none of it was Babs.

Cindy also said (in response to an apparently deleted tweet) "maybe the CMCs are just more understanding than you".

Edit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37gZjFrFRaw

 

[Gotchaye]

Who thinks Azula wasn't a monster? I understand saying that we should feel sorry about the influences that made her a monster - that's kind of what the show was going for with respect to the fire nation as a whole - but how can anyone say "she's really a good person"???

 

[DrForester]

What influences? That was the problem with Azula. We're never really given a reason for her being batshit crazy.

 

[Videoneon]

What do you think of Babs Seed as a character? Didn't like her accent and character at all when I watched the episode but after a while she kind of grew on me.

Oh, and be sure to check out this video.

I don't know, I feel like we didn't get much of a look into the real Babs Seed anyway this episode. I at least know she's a decent pony at heart. I have no idea what sort of accent or voice she has, it was puzzling me the entire episode. I gotta admit I like the color of her mane. But I don't think negatively of her, wouldn't mind seeing her later.

So you are a TF2 fan, based on your link and the other stuff you've posted in this thread? =P I can't even find my copy of Orange Box anymore, but I was pretty terrible. I would always try to play Scout.

I didn't really like this episode, mostly because I don't think it effectively tackled the subject of bullying (sacrifice yourself to save your bully and win their heart, and "tell an adult" aren't really solutions, although telling an adult can't hurt, and it's the most risk-free advice).

Just the other day I came off of watching SFDebris' review of Avatar the Last Airbender, in which he explained that he doesn't agree with fans who say that Azula's not a monster, that she's really a good person, and it's the world's fault, because the world made her a monster. He explained how (in his opinionated opinion) it's your choices that define you who are, and what you do now that matters, not your upbringing. Zuko chose to become a better person. Azula didn't.

Babs chose to become worse. And she didn't seem to show any signs of guilt or remorse while she actively and aggressively made the CMC miserable (just some occasional blank-flank shame). I don't think Babs was doing it out of fear of DT and SS, I think as a former victim, she liked the role reversal. She bullied Applebloom out of her own bed. DT and SS weren't in her bedroom.

When the CMC learned why Babs was a jerk, I don't think it should have stopped their plan to get even. Standing up to bullies and fighting back is just one more slice of the anti-bullying formula, even if you have to plan and strategize in order to compensate for weakness (interestingly, The A-Team frequently armed people to deal with bullying situations). And yeah, attacking your bully is a great way to provoke your own butt kicking, but that kind of retaliatory strike is usually just a required response, and afterwards you might find yourself less-targeted, since you're not worth the trouble.

The CMC seemingly stopped their attack (and took the hit for themselves) because of pity, but pitying your bully, and especially letting your bully know that you pity them, is often a really bad idea, because that sort of emotional attack cuts deep and may make a bully want to shut you up by making sure you never pity them again.


But... kids show in the modern world. They're not going to advocate violence.


Also, Apple Jack, the responsible adult, is probably to blame for this episode, because she deliberately didn't tell the CMC that Babs was coming to town to deal with insecurity issues regarding her blank flank, she just allowed the CMC to get all "CMC" up in Babs' face unsupervised, as everyone knew they would. I think I approve of setting up powder kegs, but you're at least supposed to watch them in case they explode, silly pony.

So I just realized another reason why I didn't like the Babs Seed episode. Spoilers, just because.

Spoiler

At the start of the episode, Babs didn't even seem to like the CMC. She was reacting badly to all of the CMC's efforts to try and become friends. They showed her their float, which they worked hard on, and Babs seemed reluctant to tell them what she really thought of it.

Then Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon show up and insult the CMC. They don't like the CMC, and they say mean things, but they're not exactly bullying. They insult Babs. Applebloom defends her. Again, this isn't bullying, not since Applebloom picked up the support of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. It's more like a back-and-forth.

But then Babs decides to wreck the CMC's hard work, and threatens them with physical violence. Babs chases after the CMC wherever they go and constantly makes them miserable for her own personal gain, and to try and impress DT and SS. That's real bullying. DT and SS follow Babs, but they're not actively participating, they're just watching and laughing. Maybe they're encouraging Babs' bad behavior, but that's different from participating, or initiating.

So the CMC decide to humiliate Babs by pushing her into mud that pigs wallow in. Pigs aren't dirty animals, BTW. They wallow in mud to clean themselves and to cool down, and they prefer clean mud. They only become "filthy animals" when they're denied clean mud. Anyways, the CMC intend to stand up for themselves and push Babs in there. It's an appropriate response, considering that Babs threw ice cream and tomatoes at them.

But then the CMC learn that Babs was a victim herself once. So they save her and become the victims of their own attack. And they apologize to Babs for even thinking of pushing her into the mud. Because that's such a horrible thing to do to somepony. If you attack someone even once, that automatically makes you a bully, so you should never fight back when attacked. So Babs becomes their friend.

Then Babs is leaving town. SS and DT arrive. "So you're leaving, huh?" "Great, now we're stuck here with these lame blank flanks." DT and SS didn't see the crash. Babs didn't tell them she was leaving town. They found out on their own and came to say goodbye to Babs, in their own jerk-way.

But Babs doesn't like the use of the word "lame" to describe ponies who she apparently thought were lame. Either that or she thinks "blank flanks" is a slur, and that bothers her because she is one. Either way, it's not even remotely out of line with Babs' previous behavior. So Babs becomes immediately hostile, and physically confronts Diamond Tiara about it. DT doesn't back down from a physical threat. DT is ready to defend herself. Oh, but Babs has learned from this episode. She's going to tell DT's mommy that DT called someone a blank flank. After terrorizing others for an entire episode. Yay morals.

But then, having solved things in the made-for-TV way, Babs lunges towards DT and SS. They both flinch and fall backwards. Into... mud that pigs were wallowing in. Really? That's just ridiculous. After all this episode's nonsense about how Babs isn't a bully anymore, she pulls a "fake punch" psyche out against someone weaker, AND she pushes two non-bullies (although jerks and enablers of bullying) into the pig-mud, an attack that the CMC considered to be despicable. And Applejack and the CMC all laugh at it, just like SS and DT laughed at what Babs did to the CMC.

Also, Applejack claimed (after the CMC pushed themselves into the mud) that she could have solved this whole bullying situation if only she had known what was going on (silly CMC, trying to take care of problems for themselves after being threatened with physical retribution if they dared to involve an adult). But then DT and SS arrived and started using their words against the CMC, in full view of Applejack, and Applejack does nothing. Babs and DT go nose-to-nose with the threat of violence, and Applejack does nothing. Babs pushes DT into the pig-mud, and Applejack laughs. How exactly is Applejack supposed to solve the problem of bullying?

Also, Cindy Morrow has said that Babs will be back sooner or later, because she's "adorable". Just wow. This episode had a ton of adorableness, but IMO none of it was Babs.

Cindy also said (in response to an apparently deleted tweet) "maybe the CMCs are just more understanding than you".

I disagree on a lot of this. I want to emphasize the show here. These are "bullies" in Equestria, supposedly 8-10 years old. Why do you think it's a good idea to propagate aggressive and somewhat anti-social messaging? It's what causes me to have reservations with you attempting to subvert non-violent conflict resolution by calling it a "kids show in a modern world...of course they won't have violence." Because you assume violent countermeasures are exactly the appropriate response to someone throwing shit on you and treating you miserably, but what's the point exactly? You think if Babs gets humiliated enough she'll learn her lesson? Or if one packs enough heat they'll learn? Again, they're kids, not juvenile delinquents. I'm not excusing their behavior; I'm saying the "retribution" is inappropriate.

Regarding Babs at the start of the episode, I think you're assuming the worst. Babs was just coming from Manehattan, freshly wounded from her being bullied. I would expect her to be a little withdrawn. Also, when the CMC met her, they (in true CMC fashion) were really excitable and got in her face. Not that there's anything wrong with them being that way, but it clearly made Babs nervous. I don't disagree that the CMC made good faith efforts to bring her into the fold. But analyzing the situation for cause-and-effect, you have three similarly aged ponies who've used their lack of a Cutie Mark as a large part of their identity, and then you have Babs who is insecure about her lack of a Cutie Mark. We don't know if she's been told that it's okay not to have one yet.

As far as the CMC falling on their own sword, it was an act of nobility. They recognized the fallacy of their actions--at best endangering Babs would shock her into fearful servitude, at worst it would provoke more hostility. It made them no better than Babs or Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. There was no point to do this, the efficacy of such a course is dubious. And with regards to the end where Babs and Diamond Tiara trade words, Diamond Tiara wasn't about to punch Babs. What's the point, it would contradict the message of the episode and Applejack would have stepped in if they traded blows. Diamond Tiara was in fact calling Babs' bluff: she thought there was nothing Babs could do and that Diamond Tiara could say whatever she wanted. Babs just so happened to find the way to hold her accountable. In general your characterization of the end of the episode is totally disingenuous (Babs threatening violence) and it wasn't just being put into the pig mud that the CMC recognized as reprehensible regarding what they did, but the bigger point is that they schemed to endanger Babs. You are conflating aggression and hostility against someone with intent to inflict physical violence. Incidentally I find this objection regarding what you thought was Babs' willing to throw down to protect and validate the CMC odd coming from you since you were so adamant about ponies "standing up" for themselves.

As for Applejack, I agree it would've helped if she told the CMC first that Babs is sensitive to mentions of the her lack of Cutie Mark and would rather it be treated as a non-issue. Perhaps there's a time and place to learn that lesson, she was staying over for a couple of weeks. However, it doesn't make Applejack blameworthy. As much as I understand where Babs was coming from, she shouldn't have harassed the CMC. That's another part of the message--it's too easy for this behavior to perpetuate itself. Notice that Babs didn't turn hostile to the CMC until she saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon acting the exact lesson she was "taught" (no Cutie Mark is teh suck). She dealt with her insecurity inappropriately. The Cutie Mark Crusaders turned their indignation into hostility. At the end of the episode, Babs and the CMC are fresh off of learning their new lesson. Applejack had to stand back at first to see how they would act to DT and SS's provocations. If she took an active role too quickly it would corrupt the execution of the message because it takes away from Babs learning about how to deal with bullying properly: she had to make the right choice. That's more or less it.

Generally your responses involve more use of aggression as the solution than I agree with.

 

[Gotchaye]

What influences? That was the problem with Azula. We're never really given a reason for her being batshit crazy.

She turned out remarkably like her father and (if I'm remembering right) is pretty motivated by a desire to make him proud. I think the implication is that Ozai spent all his time on Azula when she turned out to be a bending prodigy and pawned Zuko off on their mother. Plus she was pretty right that her mother favored Zuko, and was younger than Zuko when Ursa disappeared.

But yeah, also a psychopath from a pretty young age.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I think I said it better previously, so I'm going to quote myself.

I think the main point-of-difference between us is that you see Babs primarily as an aggressor, whereas I see her as more a victim.

I think this episode is a critical turning point for Babs. We know she's a victim of bullying and we know she doesn't have the kind of support group that Applebloom finds in Sweetie and Scoots. For me, this episode is the turning point where Babs can either react negatively to her experiences and become a villain, or react positively and become a crusader.

I'm trying to imagine now what might have happened if the CMC had gone ahead with their plan to take revenge on Babs. So the parade float crashes into the mud, and Babs is humiliated. How would she react to that? She can't very well be friends with the crusaders now; they've crossed a line there. DT and SS are as fickle as they are nasty, and I could easily see them standing on the sidelines laughing at Babs' humiliation. So where does that leave Babs? Even if DT and SS are sympathetic, Babs will be off home the very next day. It leaves the character in an awful place.

Make no mistake, Babs made a cruel, selfish decision when she chose to turn against the crusaders. It was a cowardly way out. But people are like that sometimes, especially kids. In taking the hit for Babs, the crusaders showed her what it meant to do the right thing, even at your own expense. They set Babs back on the right track and saved her from becoming as bad as her own bullies back home.

The scene at the end is also an interesting one. When confronted by SS and DT, Babs now does what she failed to do back at the beginning; she uses her toughness to defend rather than attack.

Watch the scene carefully. DT starts the confrontation with an insult. Babs calls her out for it. DT goads her "What are you gonna do about it?" and gets right up into Babs' face. Babs answers back, and gives a threatening head gesture, mirroring DT. DT and SS loose their footing and fall into the mud (fall, not pushed). Everything DT throws at her, she bounces right back. Defense, rather than attack.

Applejack has no need to step in; Babs clearly has things in hand. She probably shouldn't have laughed, though.

 

[LuffyZoro]

 

[Cheerilee]

I disagree on a lot of this. I want to emphasize the show here. These are "bullies" in Equestria, supposedly 8-10 years old. Why do you think it's a good idea to propagate aggressive and somewhat anti-social messaging? It's what causes me to have reservations with you attempting to subvert non-violent conflict resolution by calling it a "kids show in a modern world...of course they won't have violence." Because you assume violent countermeasures are exactly the appropriate response to someone throwing shit on you and treating you miserably, but what's the point exactly? You think if Babs gets humiliated enough she'll learn her lesson? Or if one packs enough heat they'll learn? Again, they're kids, not juvenile delinquents. I'm not excusing they're behavior; I'm saying the "retribution" is inappropriate.

I would suggest that, in the barn right after Babs wrecked the float, or pretty much anytime after, if Scootaloo had punched Babs, a fight would have broken out, and Scootaloo would have probably lost the fight. If Apple Bloom had backed Scootaloo up, Babs would have lost. In either case, the bully problem would have been over. Babs wouldn't have done a face-turn and become their friend right away, but it would've still been entirely possible for them to become friends in the future. Babs was attacking the CMC, and continuing to attack the CMC, because it was easy, because the CMC did nothing to stop her. One punch from Scootaloo would have made bullying the CMC "not easy". BTW, I would not expect SS and DT to have joined in the fight, and Sweetie Bell would have tried to break it up (hopefully very quickly).

I think that in the past, it was taught that good and civilized people must sometimes be prepared to act uncivilized in order to deal with an uncivilized world. That isn't taught anymore, and I think that's a major cause of the bullying problem in America today.

I think the main point-of-difference between us is that you see Babs primarily as an aggressor, whereas I see her as more a victim.

I just tried, and I really can't see her as anything other than an aggressor with a flimsy excuse.

I'll say that I believe SS and DT were very much bullying Apple Bloom with words in the past. But after Apple Bloom met Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell and found some emotional support, those words because just words, and Apple Bloom became able to return them in kind.

Babs very obviously has some baggage and issues with the attentions the CMC were giving her. But it's also very obvious that the CMC were trying to be nice to her.

SS and DT showed up and started being nasty. And Babs stopped and thought about it, and made a considered choice to side with the nasty girls. She made a deliberate choice to bully the CMC. She was verbally nasty to the CMC. Mistake #1. She ramped it up beyond what SS and DT were showing, and smashed the wheel on the CMC's float. Mistake #2. Now the float fell down and rolled away and broke. Babs clearly didn't intend for this to happen. She was visibly surprised. Scootaloo's expression was "Why would you do that?" and Apple Bloom's was "I can't believe you just did that." But before anyone could say a word, Babs owned what just happened. Mistake #3. And she chose to drive the emotional screws even deeper than just destroying the float, with more nasty words. Mistake #4. Apple Bloom said she was going to tell an adult, and Babs bullied her into submission with an imposing physical presence. Mistake #5.

I should note that in all of this, Babs never once showed that she was putting on an act, or that she had any sort of regret for her actions. Just hate and pleasure and anger, with the occasional look towards SS and DT for approval, and smug satisfaction. While leaving the barn, she even looked back with a dark smile.

During the song, the CMC are trying to avoid her, but Babs is actively looking for them, trying to make them miserable. Stealing their milkshakes. Spitting seeds at them. Chasing them away with nothing more than her presence, and then breaking the fourth wall and smiling at the camera (the viewer is meant to know that Babs is enjoying this). Chasing them off a ledge and then smiling about it. Throwing tomatoes and sundaes at them (apparently their own previously-stolen ones). She blows dust in their faces, splashes them with water, and tried to trip them with apples and banana peels. Again, all with zero question as to her motivations. Quite the opposite.

She takes the CMC's clubhouse specifically because she knows it means something to them. She's going out of her way to hurt the CMC. And the only hint to anything else going on in her head is that she's still ashamed of her blank flank.

Babs takes Apple Bloom's bed away from her (without the need to impress SS and DT), and even her sleep betrays no sign that she's anything more than what we've seen.

Now the CMC set up an elaborate plan to humiliate her. Note, this is not going to hurt Babs. When Apple Bloom hatches the idea, she specifically says it's going to be humiliation, and the camera pans to the pig mud, foreshadowing.

On the day of the parade, Babs arrives with SS and DT, but when she stops to look at the impressive bait, SS and DT keep on walking. Babs seems to "need" to do something outrageous to get their attention focused back on her again, so she jumps into the trap. This is maybe the closest they've come to saying that Babs isn't really a bad person, because she's doing it to impress SS and DT, but her facial expressions gave that away earlier, and that's not the only reason she's bullying the CMC, because of Apple Bloom's bedroom, and because of the obvious pleasure she was taking in acting like a bully, and hitting them in ways that hurt, not ways that look like they hurt.

I didn't particularly buy Babs' face-turn. I don't buy the presented "she was just doing it to avoid getting picked on" excuse (not when the best you can say in her defense is that SS and DT walked away, and Babs needed to get their attention back). And I actually felt insulted when Sweetie Bell said that the CMC's attempt to stand up for themselves was the real bullying. I though Applejack's "this would never have happened if you had come to me in the first place" attitude was also insulting. The "fourth CMC" stuff just makes my eyes roll.

DT on the train platform was a jerk and mildly insulting. The CMC were shown to brush that stuff off, and Babs spent the episode doing that much and more. I'm not sure why the CMC were cowering over it now (aside from the plot needing to blame SS and DT for Babs' actions). Babs raised her voice and crossed the platform in order to get in DT's face. That's exactly the sort of intimidation tactic Babs used on Apple Bloom to force her silence. Babs hasn't changed. The bully just works for the good guys now.

DT and SS were obviously surprised by the unexplained 180 in Babs' attitude towards the CMC, and Babs goaded DT first "Yeah. You got a problem with that?" DT's "What if I do? What are you gonna do about it?" was matched with a physical pushback in her body language. That wouldn't have been a threat if Babs hadn't crossed the platform to get in DT's face. All it says is that DT won't back down from a fight, not even when her opponent is bigger than her.

Babs' smile before she switched tactics just tells me that she learned a new intimidation technique. And then they undermined any last shred of hope I had for this character or the idea that she's changed, by having her physically lunge towards her opponents, startling them into losing their balance, and dropping them in pig mud. That's just irredeemably bad. I listed Babs as my most hated character in season 3, but I'd say she's easily my most hated character in all of MLP, and many other shows.

 

[Videoneon]

I would suggest that, in the barn right after Babs wrecked the float, or pretty much anytime after, if Scootaloo had punched Babs, a fight would have broken out, and Scootaloo would have probably lost the fight. If Apple Bloom had backed Scootaloo up, Babs would have lost. In either case, the bully problem would have been over. Babs wouldn't have done a face-turn and become their friend right away, but it would've still been entirely possible for them to become friends in the future. Babs was attacking the CMC, and continuing to attack the CMC, because it was easy, because the CMC did nothing to stop her. One punch from Scootaloo would have made bullying the CMC "not easy". BTW, I would not expect SS and DT to have joined in the fight, and Sweetie Bell would have tried to break it up (hopefully very quickly).

I think that in the past, it was taught that good and civilized people must sometimes be prepared to act uncivilized in order to deal with an uncivilized world. That isn't taught anymore, and I think that's a major cause of the bullying problem in America today.

Well I don't entirely disagree with your broader main idea, to be honest. I think that there are extreme situations (like in a few self defense hypotheticals, just as an example) where a violent countermeasure is totally legitimate and is probably much wiser than diplomacy.

I just don't think it fits here. And I'm not too sold on Scootaloo solving the problem here...but there's not much for me to say on that end.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I find myself very much agreeing with Greenhowse on this one, who I think expressed him/herself much better than I did. On that note, I'll just agree to disagree.

It's been an interesting conversation, though

 

[Nobodyspatzy]

You all are crazy! Babs was written as bad as Season 3: Rushed, and without thought... but I guarantee she'll probably have a toy sooner than later... *sigh* (Hi again everyone!)

Oh, just fyi... going to EQLA... this will be interesting.... (know a musician and a few artist going, and honestly, why not???)

 

[DrForester]

 

[Owlowiscious]

welp. that's it. i'm done. pack it up, everyone it's over.

 

[Nobodyspatzy]

welp. that's it. i'm done. pack it up, everyone it's over.

Shush Owl! No Scoots for you!

 

[DrForester]

Fly you fools...

 

[LuffyZoro]

 

[Owlowiscious]

Shush Owl! No Scoots for you!

ur ded t m

Fly you fools...

Fly you foals...

it's like you're not even trying.

 

[LuffyZoro]

 

[DrForester]

Fly you foals...

it's like you're not even trying.

Neither of them are foals.

 

[$200]

Fluttershy ver.

*multiple essay-length sophisticatedly written posts*

Always makes me feel guilty for only dumping images without commenting much

Are you a teacher / writter / journalist / etc?

 

[PaulloDEC]

Fluttershy ver.

Ick. One and Five are fine. Anything inbetween is a nightmarish mutant.

 

[Cheerilee]

http://i.imgur.com/Sgfy8KM.jpg

Amazing...

Always makes me feel guilty for only dumping images without commenting much

I can't be "on" all the time. I actually prefer not to be, but I'll put in an effort when friends are involved. And even then, the opportunities to really cut loose with a rant are few and far between.

Any contribution to the thread is appreciated, no matter how small, especially when things are slow.

Are you a teacher / writter / journalist / etc?

Manual labor! Just today, I was repairing a toilet. Tomorrow I plan on inhaling some paint fumes. After tomorrow, well... I haven't thought that far ahead.

 

[Ricky 7]

Ick. One and Five are fine. Anything inbetween is a nightmarish mutant.

I agree.

 

[akira28]

I thought those Japanese human-pony comics, they didn't have hooves.

 

[razgriz417]

thread needs more art

 

[$200]

 

[Videoneon]

Fly you fools...

Look at Applejack. Even she's game for that shit. Not bad for a such a straight, salt of the earth practical pony. She almost surprised me in this one episode I saw recently...

Friendship is Magic - Season 4 Episode 5: Magic Duel

Boring.

I almost didn't recognize Trixie's voice, it seemed a little unfamiliar to me though the acting for her personality was as it should be. It's probably just me. I'm sure Seth from EqD and a bunch of other fans was quite pleased with seeing her again, she was apparently quite popular. But as far as I can tell, what made her popular in the first place from Boast Busters wasn't here in this episode. That endearing trait was her immense hamminess alongside her referring to herself as "The Great and Powerful Tri-xie!" I thought she was fun enough the first time I saw her but here she was just vindictive and went stale quickly. There was one thing that I found spectacular about Trixie here: the fact that she was so effectively fooled by Twilight when Twilight used her fake spells to "prove" her power. There's a poetry to it when considering Trixie's phoniness, a trait represented by her need to exaggerate her magical prowess.

As far as the episode's progression...oh boy. The first few minutes felt dull: Trixie finds an evil mystical am-yoo-lette, Twilight was juggilng Fluttershy's critter friends, Trixie shows up and then threatens a duel to decide who stays. It makes sense that Twilight goes along with it else Trixie would have continued to harass Ponyville. Of course Trixie is so rotten that as we saw she did just that anyway. Twilight just didn't anticipate losing...and losing to the amulet. At least the reappearance of Zecora in this episode made total sense, even if her role was minimal. You have to wonder what exactly Zecora trained Twilight in...it never gets touched on because Twilight doesn't make use of it to beat Trixie. It's possible Twilight was bummed out because Trixie was harassing her friends, and needed Zecora as a vent for her frustrations..? Anyway, this plays out like the first Trixie meeting, Twilight fails to drive Trixie on the first go, but later gets rid of her.

The other ponies were alright. It was awful to lose Pinkie Pie's voice. I loved Fluttershy being chosen for the mission to Everfree Forest, and the sequence where she finally leaves the barrier or goldfish bowl protecting Ponyville was funny. Her other moments in this episode weren't that funny though, started to feel cheap. This suggests to me that Fluttershy needs to take more active roles in upcoming episodes so she doesn't have to just keep doing "lol Flootershai" talking to her critters or being treated like a doormat/being submissive. This is funny or endearing sometimes, just not all of the time. When Applejack and Rarity went up for Twilight's magic show Round 2, I was hoping for something gutsy. I'll admit, the writers totally suspended my disbelief---baby AJ and Sweetie Belle (fuck, totally forgot Rarity looked like Sweetie Belle when I was watching) were nice ideas, but the thought of Applejack being turned to a guy was some crazy shit. If Trixie could've pulled off a gender switch with the Alicorn Amulet and this episode aired, Hasbro would've been foaming at the mouth. It would've been totally unnecessary, but still amazing for the sheer craziness of it. But then of course, it was pretty after pausing mentally that "she" looked too much like Big MacIntosh to not be him.

There's no clear cut message here, too. Which actually doesn't bother me that much. I didn't expect it from the Season 3 opener (even if S2's was awesome in prompting the other Mane 6 to write letters to Princess Celestia) but I can't think of any message the writers might have had. I wonder if the letters to Princess Celestia have been dropped?

What kind of weirdass celebration involves twirling animals in the air anyway?

 

[Snytbaggen]

There's no clear cut message here, too. Which actually doesn't bother me that much. I didn't expect it from the Season 3 opener (even if S2's was awesome in prompting the other Mane 6 to write letters to Princess Celestia) but I can't think of any message the writers might have had. I wonder if the letters to Princess Celestia have been dropped?

Yup, IIRC only one episode had a letter at the end. I never really liked them, so for me it was a most welcome change.

 

[Conan-san]

Ick. One and Five are fine. Anything inbetween is a nightmarish mutant.

Four isn't that offensive.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Four isn't that offensive.

Its not the worst, but why do that when you can just do 5? 4's basically just a weirdly stunted, yellow human.

 

[Cheerilee]

Friendship is Magic - Season 4 Episode 5: Magic Duel

Episode was total Trixie character-assassination. Slightly forgivable because of magical influence.

But I'm not surprised. One of the official sources said on twitter, after being asked if Trixie might some day come back and make friends, that she'd only be allowed back into town if she was truly sorry for everything she did in her first appearance (aka, trying to put on a free show for children). If she came back to start shit like she did before (wut), then the Mane 6 would beat her down.


I know what I'll do, I'll give Equestria Girls a fair shot if the producers apologize for making Season 3.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Episode was total Trixie character-assassination. Slightly forgivable because of magical influence.

But I'm not surprised. One of the official sources said on twitter, after being asked if Trixie might some day come back and make friends, that she'd only be allowed back into town if she was truly sorry for everything she did in her first appearance (aka, trying to put on a free show for children). If she came back to start shit like she did before (wut), then the Mane 6 would beat her down.

I know what I'll do, I'll give Equestria Girls a fair shot if the producers apologize for making Season 3.

Aww, I really liked Magic Duel! If anything, I'm glad they kept Trixie as a villain (as opposed to de-clawing her like they later did with Discord).

Spoiler

And if we're to believe Trixie came to town originally as a children's entertainer, she kinda missed the mark. That audience was like 90% adults, and it only takes a few minutes before she's acting like a total jerk (which is usually a big no-no for those working with children!)

 

[Parfait]

If she came back to start shit like she did before (wut), then the Mane 6 would beat her down..

Whot

What did she even do, who actually tweeted this? Is being overconfident and telling stories now illegal in ponyville?

 

[BDGAME]

Anyone more is reading Heartstrings? One of the best fanzines I read, link for first chapter:

http://tritebristle.deviantart.com/art/Heartstrings-ch1-p1-Mare-meets-mare-312522819

 

[Cheerilee]

Whot

What did she even do, who actually tweeted this? Is being overconfident and telling stories now illegal in ponyville?

I paraphrased because I couldn't find the tweet. I think it was Meghan, but I could be wrong.

It just braced me for the idea that the writers (Mitch Larson, even) didn't really "get" Trixie's character. They just saw Equestria Daily, and said "I guess some people really liked Trixie."

Aww, I really liked Magic Duel! If anything, I'm glad they kept Trixie as a villain (as opposed to de-clawing her like they later did with Discord).

Magic duel was fun. It just bugged me while I was watching it. I do believe that Trixie could have remained an antagonist (not villain, unless she had a pretty convincing fall into the dark side), but her character was all over the place. First she was bad for no reason. Then she was bad because of the amulet. Then she was The Apologetic Trixie.

Also, there should have been some more nuance to her targets. As-is, Trixie targeted Twilight, the Mane 6, and Ponyville. But Trixie was initially at odds with Rarity/AJ/RD. Snips/Snails/Spike were a nuisance, Twilight showed her up and saved the day (which didn't seem to be that big of a deal, in terms of personality conflict), Trixie had no interaction at all with Pinkie and Fluttershy, and most of Ponyville liked her show. Trixie's revenge didn't really fit with the scorecard from her last appearance.

Regarding Pinkie and Fluttershy, it reminds me of how in Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan, Khan starts his revenge with Chekov, saying he never forgets a face, but Chekov didn't even join Star Trek until season 2. Chekov never met Khan during his season 1 appearance. Whoops.

And if we're to believe Trixie came to town originally as a children's entertainer, she kinda missed the mark. That audience was like 90% adults, and it only takes a few minutes before she's acting like a total jerk (which is usually a big no-no for those working with children!)

I deliberately used "kids show" to force the MLP=Trixie parallel.

But I do believe that Trixie came to town as a performer, and that performing magic tricks to entertain others was an unselfish fulfilling of a completely noble cutie mark destiny. I have no problem whatsoever with her over-the-top show persona. I think that Rarity, AJ, and RD were ruining her show in ways that fit with their characters (Rarity is a magician who doesn't make her living by being a great magician, so she responded badly to the suggestion that magic is everything, while AJ has horn envy, and RD is a follower), and I believe that Trixie did a perfect job of improvising a solution to heckling. The crowd loved it, including the kids. The only real complaint against Trixie was how she treated the public while she was off-the-clock and unable to walk the streets or even sleep in peace without being treated as her show-character. Trixie actually made efforts using what little power she had towards saving a town (not knowing it contained the Saviors of Equestria), which is more than Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash did in that episode.

Twilight was also character-assassinated in the second Trixie episode, because at first she wanted to watch and enjoy Trixie's show, because she was interested in new styles and applications of magic, but Spike and company put Twilight on the spot by trying to include her in the hecking. It was Rarity/AJ/RD/Spike who drove Twilight to hide who she was in that episode, not Trixie.

But in the second episode, Twilight is every bit the jerk who the Mane 6 wanted her to be. In Trixie's first episode, Twilight was way more powerful than Trixie (I mean, Twilight is all-powerful and Trixie has none to speak of), but the episode was never about that. In the second episode, that's all that matters.

 

[Cheerilee]

Also...

Oh noes, Ponyville is in danger! Trixie has gotten her hooves on the power of an Alicorn! And Celestia is unavailable to solve the problem for us! Gee, it sure would be nice if there was someone else around with the power of an Alicorn, or maybe just someone with ancient knowledge, or firsthand experience in dealing with Alicorns and/or magical talismans. Maybe someone who has actually fought against some kind of powerful talisman (it's kind of too much to hope for someone who's actually fought against an Alicorn). Or maybe someone who knows about the corrupting influence that dark power has over the mind. Heck, maybe it would be a good idea to just go to Canterlot, and see for yourself that Celestia isn't there, maybe someone there can tell you that that she isn't home, instead of just conveniently knowing it (because obviously Celestia accurately reports all of her movements to Twilight).

But nah, let's just go visit Zecora.

 

[DrForester]

They actually did establish that Celestia was out of the country. Not to mention that Twilight can't get a message to Canterlot or travel there quickly (Train was probably out of commission due to the bubble).

 

[PaulloDEC]

Also...

Oh noes, Ponyville is in danger! Trixie has gotten her hooves on the power of an Alicorn! And Celestia is unavailable to solve the problem for us! Gee, it sure would be nice if there was someone else around with the power of an Alicorn, or maybe just someone with ancient knowledge, or firsthand experience in dealing with Alicorns and/or magical talismans. Maybe someone who has actually fought against some kind of powerful talisman (it's kind of too much to hope for someone who's actually fought against an Alicorn). Or maybe someone who knows about the corrupting influence that dark power has over the mind. Heck, maybe it would be a good idea to just go to Canterlot, and see for yourself that Celestia isn't there, maybe someone there can tell you that that she isn't home, instead of just conveniently knowing it (because obviously Celestia accurately reports all of her movements to Twilight).

But nah, let's just go visit Zecora.

I'm assuming the trains were out as a result of the magical energy-dome. Presumably Twilight just wasn't willing to walk all the way to Canterlot.

"Hmm, I'm sure Luna could help with this, but Zecora's place is just down the block... yeah, I'm sure Zecora will have some ideas."

EDIT: Ninja'd by Dr Forester.

 

[DrForester]

Also, Twilight sees everything as a test. Outside the pilot, we've never really seen Twilight seek out Celestia for help. She wants to impress Celestia, and has pretty consistently been shown as pretty independent.

 

[Cheerilee]

They actually did establish that Celestia was out of the country. Not to mention that Twilight can't get a message to Canterlot or travel there quickly (Train was probably out of commission due to the bubble).

Time wasn't of the essence. Twilight basically banished herself from Ponyville, and should've taken some time on the journey back to Canterlot to reflect on her mistake. But S3 Twilight doesn't reflect.

Also, teleportation.

"Hmm, I'm sure Luna could help with this, but Zecora's place is just down the block... yeah, I'm sure Zecora will have some ideas."

Twilight shouldn't have reasonably concluded that Zecora would be in possession of some ideas that Twilight could use to defeat a god. But, S3 Twilight. Maybe a bit of training. That'll do the trick!

Edit:

Also, Twilight sees everything as a test. Outside the pilot, we've never really seen Twilight seek out Celestia for help. She wants to impress Celestia, and has pretty consistently been shown as pretty independent.

Then they didn't need to establish that Celestia wasn't available.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Time wasn't of the essence. Twilight basically banished herself from Ponyville, and should've taken some time on the journey back to Canterlot to reflect on her mistake. But S3 Twilight doesn't reflect.

Also, teleportation.


Twilight shouldn't have reasonably concluded that Zecora would be in possession of some ideas that Twilight could use to defeat a god. But, S3 Twilight. Maybe a bit of training. That'll do the trick!

Ok, but we can all agree that the ending was amazing, right? I mean, was this not the best thing you've ever seen?

 

[Cheerilee]

Ok, but we can all agree that the ending was amazing, right? I mean, was this not the best thing you've ever seen?

Yeah, it was a fun episode.

And Zecora did well in it, I'm just complaining because the show apparently forgot that Luna existed... again.

 

[DrForester]

So volume #6 of the comics came out yesterday. Was OK, kind of retread of stuff from the last issue, but the method of getting to the moon was nice. Especially like how when everyone is pulling the moon, Luna and the rest are all struggling, but Celestia is just keeping cool. And the reveal at the end was very nice. Look forward to the next issues.

Also out today was the 3rd micro book. The Twilight and Rainbow Dash ones weren't bad, but they weren't that special. This one is the Rarity story, and it really is great. Fun characters, and pretty good characterization of the others when they make brief appearances.

 

[judhudson]

Anyone more is reading Heartstrings? One of the best fanzines I read, link for first chapter:

http://tritebristle.deviantart.com/art/Heartstrings-ch1-p1-Mare-meets-mare-312522819

Dude, I read thru this at work today. Amazing, thank you for introducing it to me. I look forward to the story continuing.

 

[DrForester]

My favorite is still and always, Slice of Pony Life.




And Moonstuck.




And something not made by Egophiliac, and may not be related to the show...