So, in that spirit, here we go: the halfway point of the first season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Let's see if it can restore my spirits. It appears we've got an episode surrounding friendly competition and more examples of how pony magic has completely, royally screwed up the natural existence of every other living thing on the planet. Awesome.
Let's get this party started.
The episode opens with Rainbow Dash and Applejack playing something that I'm honestly surprised to see played on a farm:
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| Horseshoes? |
...this is leading to a lot more thought than it probably deserves, but hear me out. We've actually heard these be referred to as "horseshoes" in other episodes. There will be another time in this exact same episode where we see clear hoof marks on the ground. Based on my knowledge of horse hooves (because of course I got curious and looked it up one day), it seems horses can have hard hooves or soft hooves depending on regular use. Domesticated horses need the support of horseshoes because they have irregular exercise and can't get a regular firmness across their foot.
This would support Rainbow Dash needing shoes, but perhaps Applejack simply requires them during more strenuous times, like rodeos or particularly difficult harvests.
They probably also just use some fancy kind of glue (NOT made from horses, before you ask) to keep them on, like a press-on nail. Only stronger.
Erik At The Gates, over-thinking children's television since 2013.
So Applejack manages to win, leading to the self-doubt that Rainbow Dash seems to have just under the surface of her bravado. Her ego seems to be easily played with, a theme that will continue throughout the series. This causes the pegasus to challenge Applejack to an "Iron Pony Competition" which I can only hope includes the most ridiculous of all Olympic events, the biathlon.
I love the fact that this agreement is sealed by spitting on their hooves and smacking them together. I don't know why, but the fact this is how agreements are made between ponies is just awesome.
As the events unfold, more and more ponies from the area show up to watch the events, and for the most part Applejack and Rainbow Dash seem to be pretty even. Every time Rainbow Dash pulls into the lead, Applejack catches right back up again. I also like the fact that Applejack and Rainbow Dash are actively cheering for each during the early events, pointing out it's "all in good fun."
With the score tied at 5 to 5...this is where it starts to change.
First, it's Rainbow Dash using her wings to get ahead in push-ups (which one could argue is like having two extra limbs on stand-by). Then there's the long-jump, aided by some timely wing flaps. A chick-carrying competition across a mud pit and a tug of war both also end up in Rainbow Dash's favor...all with the use of wings.
This leads me one of two conclusions: Either no rules were stated at the very beginning of this series of events (unlikely, since Twilight Sparkle is the judge and she owns books telling how to have a slumber party), or Twilight Sparkle is just a terrible referee.
It seems to be a mixture of both, though, since once Applejack points out that Rainbow Dash had an unfair advantage, Rainbow Dash clarifies it was never said she couldn't use her wings. Applejack points out she didn't think she had to make a rule about "playing fair." So, maybe Twilight was too busy looking up the rules to actually state any or enforce them?
One last challenge is issued by Applejack, the "Running of the Leaves." Truly, this will be a match-up as epic as Rocky versus Apollo Creed!
The day of the race (read: the next day) arrives, and it seems every character is showing up for the big event. And because every large event needs an announcer, it appears we get Pinkie Pie in her own hot air balloon!
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| Because of course she has one. |
We also get an explanation of the event from Pinkie Pie, and this fascinates me. I've gone into detail about how messed up weather patterns are in Equestria, and the affect this must have on the wildlife (needing to be awakened after hibernation), but if you really need further proof that manufactured weather has a negative effect, the whole point of the "running of the leaves" is to knock down the autumn leaves. Because otherwise they don't fall down.
Keep in mind, two episodes ago we watched the transition from winter to spring, so either seasons here are ridiculously short, or there's a timeline continuity error here somewhere.
We also get a brief segment of Twilight entering the race as well. I'll admit, I felt bad before when she had to refer to a book to know how to have fun with her friends, but now that she's bragging about being able to run races because she read books on the subject...I don't know whether to pity her for just apply my face to my palm.
We start to see a friendship dissolve as both Applejack and Rainbow Dash suffer setbacks (tripping over a rock and stump, respectively), causing them to accuse the other of tripping and unsportsmanlike conduct. The two ponies each start attempting to sabotage the other's racing efforts, leading to an appearance of one of my favorite tropes from cartoons: synchronized swarming.
We also get an event straight out of Wacky Races when Rainbow Dash turns a road sign, causing Applejack to run in the wrong direction.
So, with the title of "best athlete" up for grabs, who takes it? Rainbow Dash? Applejack?
It turns out, it's a tie!
For LAST!
Yes, even Twilight beat them (coming in fifth, since as she points out it was her first race, it'd be rather ridiculous to come in first), since the two spent so much time fighting and cheating each other every other pony was able to get ahead of them.
The lesson is learned that friendship comes first, Applejack and Rainbow Dash return to being great friends, and the episode ends with the two heading out to finish making leaves fall.
The Good:
I'm reminded of a line attributed to Lauren Faust, creator of the series, who said " there are many ways to be a girl." Now, I remember a lot of shows that have competitions between two characters, but these are usually between two male characters when it comes to things like athletics. To see two strong female characters engaging in athletic events is a nice change, and really plays well to that idea Lauren had.
Now, before anybody gets weird, I'll point out that the first time I read that quote from her, I figured it also attributed to there being many ways to be a boy as well. I could run when I was in school, and I was okay at baseball, but I stunk at every other sport I played. I liked books and computers instead of football, and enjoyed going to museums and art exhibits instead of concerts and high school sporting events. We're all individuals, and to try to pigeonhole a whole bunch of people into "you have to be like this" just smells wrong.
At some point I'll discuss my opinion towards Disney's approach to princesses, but that's a really long essay for another day.
Back on subject, I also love one more sign of just how messed up this series' ecology is. The fact that Pinkie Pie even calls them "lazy, lazy leaves" that need to be knocked down really shows her ignorance for how she and her kind have affected nature and the evolution of plant life.
Oh, and synchronized bees that understand English punctuation, including the interrobang. Gotta love that.
Also, points for not going with the typical kids cartoon way of showing there's a better way to run by having Twilight win. The explanation actually makes sense how she placed where she did.
The Bad:
I don't know why, but there were some issues I had with the eyes on certain characters. I know there are limits to flash animation, but when it seems like the color of the eye is floating in front of the rest of the blank space, it just weirds me out. Also, Princess Celestia once again gets a really strange front-shot that leaves her face looking kind-of cartoony (which in a show that's already cartoony says a lot).
Overall:
This is a pretty solid episode. Granted, it has two characters who never say anything, so it's a pretty big spotlight on the others, but as a spotlight on two characters learning a lesson I think many people have had to learn at some point in their lives ("it's just a game"), it does a solid job of telling it in a rather interesting context.
Pinkie Pie...puzzles me. I can't tell if she's serious when she goes off on tangents ("grudge rhymes with fudge!") or if she's just trying too hard to be entertaining as an announcer, but while I have warmed to the character, this one doesn't really do much for me. Rainbow Dash and Applejack are both still high on my list of favorites from this show, and I have to admit I warmed a bit to Spike (who I normally couldn't care less about appearing in an episode).
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So, we're past the halfway point of the series, and I have to admit it's pretty fun to mix things up a bit, doing a MLP episode once a week but mixing up other themes. I still plan on reviewing episodes, but there are other things I'd like to mix in sometimes as well, if just to keep things fresh and exciting.
So, in that spirit, I've created a survey at SurveyMonkey to get you, the viewer, included in the decision making process! See if any of the options interest you to have me discuss/review/cry over, or provide your own if you have something truly evil in mind.
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