Ask Erik: Episode Sixty-Eight

I didn't dare save this one for episode sixty-nine.

To Erik: What's the one post you just haven't been able to bring yourself to post?

At one point I typed up a twenty question quiz:  "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic character or porn star?"

I dunno, it would just feel wrong to post it.

Post it.

Nah, I c-

Do it.  Do it now.

Man!  Fine!  Sheesh!  You'll find it after the cut.

(For the record, I wouldn't be surprised if there's actually some overlap in this list.  There's a LOT of porn stars out there.)

My Little Pony: Pony Tales

That's right, I'm revisiting an old topic here, but every now and again, after dealing with something as emotionally soul-crushing as Max Payne 3 or remembering something like Plumbers Don't Wear Ties (ugh), you just need something light-hearted, jovial, and just plain fun.

However, if that source of happiness is also something much better than it has any right to be on any level, that's good too.

Such is the case with the My Little Pony: Pony Tales comic series.  Yes, that's right, there's currently two comic books being printed in trades at the moment about these characters, and I believe there's a third in the works.

Erik Eats Cereal: Apple Jacks

Maybe I was just strange when I was growing up, but I liked to actually know what it was I was putting into my mouth when I was eating.  Frequently, when my parents would serve me a new dish, I'd ask, "what is it?"  Then, upon receiving a response like moussaka, tetrazini, or polenta, I'd then repeat my question, "okay, but what is it?"

I think that might be why I was always leery of Apple Jacks when I was young, because there seemed to be a genuine conflict between the packaging and the advertising.

For instance, let's turn to special guest Julia Stiles:

Okay, so Apple Jacks don't taste like apples, right?  That's fine, Froot Loops don't actually taste like "froot," so I can live with that.  So what do they taste like?

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Twenty-Six!

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

And yes, he did watch Surviving Nugent.

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?

...well, it's a big one.  We finally get to what twenty-five episodes has built up to, the season finale!  That's right, it's the last episode of the season!  The last time I have to introduce one of these until I feel demented enough to tackle Season 2 and I can move on to other shows!  Finally, I am free of the ponies!

So let's get this thing over with!

Friendship Is Magic: 150th Post Spectacular!

Hey, everyone!  I've officially posted 150 articles to this blog!  Hooray!

I've looked at video games, comic books, movies, social issues, recipes, podcasts, television, and answered a bunch of questions from readers, and I really feel like this thing is just getting started!

So, what's it been like for you guys?

...cute.

So, it's Monday, which means it's still our regularly scheduled programming, but it's appropriate that there's already a Clockwork Orange reference in this post, because this is the penultimate chapter of the first season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic...and they were saving the most insane for last.

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Twenty-Four

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

And he once watched a show based around this:

Yeah, let that live on in your nightmares.

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  How accidentally sneezing fire into a really old book can almost cost you your job, leading you to run away and wind up almost dying as a monster tries to get you.

...yeah, sometimes the messages get a bit mixed between the show's intent and what I pick up.

Erik Reviews....Seriously?

I own some great comic books.  Certain titles that I think told excellent stories, had amazing art, and could provide a serious look at the world around us while providing some keen insight into society and what's coming.  Granted, I don't own a lot of the "greatest" comics, like Watchmen, V For Vendetta, The Dark Knight Returns, or Maus.  But I've read them, and I think they're great.  Especially Maus.

I also own some comics that are so bad they're awesome (and some that shoot straight past awesome again and go straight back into bad.)  I own comics that are romantic, action-packed, gritty, and hilarious.

And then there are the books I own for a single solitary reason that usually pertains to that one book.  I bought some for a single line of dialogue, a single reference to something happening in the world, or a single spectacular piece of artwork.

And then there's a book like the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic that I picked up because it has more pop culture references in it than an entire season of Family Guy.  Including, and I'm not making any of this up, one pony giving another pony the "be nice until it's time to stop being nice" speech from Roadhouse, a cameo from Mola Ram (the bad guy who pulled out hearts in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), and Rule Number One from Anchorman.  Already, we know is is going to be mind-blowing.

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Twenty-Three

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

Keep in mind, he used to watch a show where the opening title sequence involved Daniel-San, the original Karate Kid, jumping from a torpedo launched from a submarine to grab Mr. Miyagi hanging upside down from the axle of a prop propeller airplane.

Why couldn't they have made THAT into a movie instead of the one with Hillary Swank?

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  Nostalgia, remembrance, and growing up. Well, that and seeing how you design the Statue of Liberty so it's actually a horse.  Yeah, madness awaits.

Reviewing is Magic: Episode Twenty-Two

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

Keep in mind, he used to watch a show where Lady Jaye was attacked not only by a giant purple python, but was about to be sacrificed to a one-eyed pink tentacle creature.

Neither of those are metaphors.

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  Stealing is bad, unless you're doing it for good reasons!  ...wait.

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Twenty-One

Okay, normally here I use my standard stock introduction for my reviews of this series where I talk about how I first watched this program "on a dare" and found it "so crazy."  And this is all true.  But this episode....man, this episode.

I've commented before that a "very special episode" that raises awareness of issues is a very delicate subject.  Some programs handle them well, some don't.  In fact, I even discussed this topic in a post that alluded to my eventually reaching this exact episode.  If you haven't read it, go back.  It has some clever jokes.

But yeah, this is it.  This is the big one.  This is the one that, as I watched, my brain simply rejected everything I was watching as a fit of drug-induced madness and I was forced to watch it again just to convince myself it was real.  The least strange thing about it?  The fact that a pony reads bedtime stories to a tree.

So let's do it.  Let's discuss the episode of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic that talks about western expansionism versus Native American holy land and traditions!  For kids!

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Twenty

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

Keep in mind, he used to watch a show about a young woman who lead a double life as the world's biggest rock star with the help of a supercomputer that could cast illusions.  It was the original Hannah Montana, except with an evil rock group who attempted to murder the lead character several times.

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  The backstabby world of professional modeling.

...yeah, hopefully we get another action episode soon.

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Nineteen

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

And he still, on days when he isn't feeling well, will toss in a short animated movie where the Chipmunks, Alf, Garfield, Bugs Bunny, Michelangelo (the turtle), and Winnie the Pooh discuss marijuana and other drugs.

But that's another story.

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  David Bowie!  ...well, actually, it's how to defeat bad guys by exemplifying the spoiled, prissy nature of the drama queen.

That's right.  It's a Rarity episode.

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Eighteen

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

And he used to watch a cartoon where a teenage boy who turned into a sports car whenever he was exposed to "extreme heat" and would turn back to human when exposed to 'extreme cold."  One episode started with him having some kind of wild dream and waking up in car form, and having to drive himself into the bathroom to take a cold shower before his mom caught him.

Metaphor much?

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  Kids and rock and r-  ...wait, this doesn't work in text.  Hold on.  I'm going to need some help here.  Take it away, Mr. Charles Brown.

Play Song

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Seventeen

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

And he used to watch a cartoon about the Flintstones.  As children.  Where they watched another show about a caveman named Captain Caveman.  And his son..

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  ...well, I can't really think of one.  Unless it's "Babysitters are underpaid" or "For god's sake, don't *#%@ with Fluttershy."

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Sixteen

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

And he used to watch a cartoon about guys in giant robot suits playing ping pong.

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  Performance anxiety!  And not the kind that bumps the rating of this blog!  ...or does it?

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode Fifteen

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

And he used to watch a cartoon about He-Man and She-Ra where Skeletor learned the true meaning of Christmas.

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  Religion!  ...wait, what?

It's The Last Day Of Winter!

So, it appears my master plan here in Maine to make sure we get one more blast before Spring's arrival has gone even better than I initially planned.

Which should make the following video all the more enjoyable.

As promised, it's the return of Winter Wrap-Up!

Reviewing is Magic: Episode 14

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

And he used to watch a cartoon about Mr. T driving around the world with a bunch of teenage gymnasts.

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  Continuity!

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode 13

After a pretty strenuous week of zombies, death, and pain (both physical and emotional), it'd probably do me some good to look at something lighthearted again.

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.

Reviewing is Magic: Episode 12

Let's talk about everybody's favorite character to hate: Scrappy-Doo.

I don't know a single person who loves this character.  Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, Scooby, sure.  I even know people who like Scooby-Dumb.  Hell, I'm a big fan of Vincent Price's character in 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (less to do with the show, more to do with the fact it's Vincent Price).

But man, Scrappy-Doo.

It's a little known fact that, if it hadn't been for this character, odds are there would be no more Scooby-Doo cartoons at all.  Viewership was slumping, the studios were debating pulling the plug, but at close to the last minute the show decided to add Scrappy to the cast, and kids loved the little rascal.  He got to be every child watching the show who knew that it wasn't a real ghost...but as people got older, the character simply got more annoying.

He would pick fights against creatures much bigger than him.  He would literally carry Shaggy and Scooby into dangerous situations without thought of what might happen.  He got drunk once in Tahoe and hit on Daphne before throwing up in the Mystery Machine.

Okay, maybe not that last one, but it couldn't make people hate him any more if it did.

How bad did it get?  Well, besides the fact that Scrappy-Doo turned out to be the (spoiler alert) villain of the first Scooby-Doo movie, trying to actually kill the main cast and steal their souls for no reason...unless you count the fact that they deserted him on the side of a road with a good chance he'd die...

There's also the fact that recent re-releases of series and movies that used to feature him prominently have been edited to reduce the number of scenes he appears in.

I mean, seriously, were there any MORE annoying characters that appeared in the Scooby-Doo franchi-

...well played.

So, we've established that it's not easy to bring in a relative to an established character, much less have them be popular.

So, let's take a look at Apple Bloom, Applejack's sister on My Little Pony.

The twelfth episode starts at the school for young ponies (foals? fillies?) learning about cutie marks (a topic I'm going to address further in another column), and we get one brief terrifying moment where we experience what happens when 80s fashions enter this universe.

We learn, through exposition by the most nasally-voiced, nerdy young pony I hope we ever have to suffer through, that a cutie mark appears when a pony realizes what it is that makes them special.  Apple Bloom, tragically (I guess) is one of the only kids in her class who doesn't have one yet, which makes her a target of ridicule amongst the other young ponies.

You remember Apple Bloom, right?  She was the kid who went off on her own to figure out what Zecora's deal was back when we covered zebra racism.

Anyway, Apple Bloom (and other "blank flank" nerd girl) is invited to a big party celebrating a classmate getting her mark, and she immediately goes home to complain to her older sister about how unfair life is.  Apple Jack tries to explain that she was the last one in her class to get a cutie mark, as was Big Macintosh and Granny Smith (you see how names work in this family?), which just depresses Apple Bloom further since it's apparently hereditary, like baldness or liking ugly cars.

Hope springs, however, when she realizes that everybody in her family has a talent involving apples, so if she helps out more maybe she can rush the discovery of her own mark.

Cut ahead to the next day when Apple Bloom is earnestly trying to help her sister sell apples at what I can only presume is the farmer's market in town.  Things go awr-

Oh, right, I need to mention this guy.  This is Time Turner whose sole job in town is apparently to turn over hourglasses.  However, because of a push by the fandom, Hasbro actually went and changed his name.  To what, you might ask?

So yeah, all of you Dr. Who fans out there, it appears we have a "canon" time lord in My Little Pony.  His description in the mobile game even states he deals with the "timey wimey stuff."  Don't think of it as simply the show being silly, think of it as a gateway show to get kids interested in the live action stuff.

And who knows, maybe we'll get an episode where Dr. Hooves actually gets to time travel and save the world.  Or maybe it'll just happen in the comic book, but I think those are supposed to be in continuity as well, s-

Okay, I'm wandering off track, where were we?  Oh, right.

Apple Bloom, in true "younger sibling" mode, manages to make a mess of things and causes Applejack to have to give away most of her apples just to make people happy.  She gets sent along to invite her ultra-nerdy friend to go to the party with her, sort of a "no cutie mark" group only to find that in the space of 24 hours, super-nerd got a cutie mark.

I'm not italicizing that just for effect. The show actually reveals the new cutie mark with a dramatic tone, as if it was showing a hockey mask and Freddy Kreuger sweater instead of just two peppermint sticks shaped like a heart.

So Apple Bloom winds up in the care of Rainbow Dash, who comes up with the brilliant idea of "making" the cutie mark appear by trying "as many things as possible as fast as possible" to locate that special talent.

In a rapid montage (one that's only missing a voice exclaiming Apple Bloom is "the best around and nothing's ever going to keep her down") we get to see Apple Bloom's attempts at: juggling, hang gliding, karate, kite flying, roller derby...

...wait.  Equestria has roller derby?

...I know I say this a lot, but this reality these characters exist in is insane.

So yeah, that doesn't pan out.  Nor does Pinkie Pie's attempts to help Apple Bloom earn a mark in "cupcake making," or Twilight's attempts at magically "forcing" one to appear.

Apple Bloom (through a transition I don't really understand) winds up at the party despite deciding it would be best to not show up,  She attempts a sneaky escape just to be foiled at the exit by the arrival of Applejack.  An attempt to bluff having a cutie mark is ruined, and right when we're about to get some harsh teasing from her classmates (girls can be so cruel)...

Two more "blank flanks" appear!  And who are these two, you might ask!  Well, on the left is Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister, and on the right is Scootaloo (I have no idea what that name comes from), who is...um... well, she hangs out with Rainbow Dash, but... ....y'know, I don't think they've introduced a single family member for her yet.   ...that's kinda dark, actually.

There's a brief speech about how not having a cutie mark doesn't mean you're no longer special.  Instead, it simply means that not having a mark shows that there's nothing but potential from any pony, and that they could grow up to be a farmer, a tailor, or a mayor of a city.  The same mark that proves the uniqueness and individuality of a character also limits the character in that they probably won't be able to suddenly change their mind and quit being a banker once they hit their midlife crisis and suddenly become a scuba diver.  Once you have your mark, that's it.  You're done.

...okay, I'm getting into my analysis of marks that I'm saving for another episode, so let's cut back to what's happening.

The three kids decide to become best friends and thus we have born the "Cutie Mark Crusaders," and we'll be seeing more of them later.

So.

Does Apple Bloom fall under the category of our other, more hated character mentioned in this article?  Does she, in fact, fall under the category of "The Scrappy" as presented by TV Tropes?

Honestly, I don't think so.

See, what ticked me off about Scrappy the most when I watched him was that there were never any repercussions for his actions.  Whether he got Shaggy and Scooby into trouble, tried to pick a fight with anything from an alligator to a bull to a "monster," he never learned anything.  He stayed constant, without growth, and unchanging.  Some things, like his love and faith in his "Uncle Scooby" were touching, but so much was wrong and something that another character really needed to sit down and talk to him about that it made me loathe what he was stuck as.

This show, however, is all about change and character growth.  Apple Bloom starts the show convinced that she's an outsider because she didn't have something that made her unique (which, ironically enough, did make her unique), just to realize that what separated her from a lot of other characters connected her to ones she never knew.  Apple Bloom does learn important lessons from her actions, and while some things will stay constant (the desperate hunt for a mark), she develops in other ways.

So, let's break it down, something I didn't do last time after my big focus on music.

The Good:

Apple Bloom really is a fun character, and while I can't think of many children who would plant apples in someone's bag and "hint" that they "didn't just magically show up there" before demanding payment isn't something many children would do, there's enough to the character that lets you realize this is a "young" character besides design.  Her deep breaths before explaining how her world is coming to an end because of a cutie mark, her single-minded focus on getting what she wants, broken up only be the mention of cupcakes, reminds me of a lot of children I knew growing up.  I approve of this character.

Plus, as we all know by now, I find anything that breaks down the rules of how this universe works to be fascinating, so the introductory lecture about how "cutie marks" happen in the first place was like sitting in a college lecture course.  Some notes might have been taken for future reference, just in case there's a quiz.

The Bad:

Some of the transitions on the show need work.  The fact that Apple Bloom, without moving, is suddenly in the middle of a party after talking to someone in another room is very poorly explained (I mean, sure, she was just in the next room, but we never see her leave the room).  I also rather lost track of just how much time passed between the start of the episode and the end of the episode, since at one point someone mentions trying to achieve a mark "in an afternoon" but I was convinced that at least a day went by.

Also, we'll get into this later, but I'm going to put it out right now:  Who the heck are Scootaloo's parents, and where are they?

Oh, and we also had one brief showing of Snails.  I wish the show had forgotten he exists.

While I do enjoy learning about the world, some things just left me with more questions.  One unicorn with a safety pin for a mark spent time doing nothing but popping balloons.  So, having a sharp horn makes him really unique?   That's it?  Or is he supposed to be the greatest there is at changing diapers in a hurry, or something?


Overall:

A solid episode, not my favorite, but not one I think needed a lot of work.   It helped flesh out multiple characters, some of whom we've seen before in background shots, others of whom are brand new, and even a couple who had speaking parts in other episodes.  Our usual main characters really took a back seat in this one to let issues around the rest of the village rise.

Plus, how can anyone not like an episode that establishes that horses don roller skates and beat the tar out of each other?  That's just brilliant, right there.