Another early airing, another review. It's The Washouts!
This review contains spoilers; viewer discretion is advised.
The Washouts
Written by Nick Confalone
Ever since Wonderbolts Academy aired in late 2012, Lightning Dust has had a bit of a cult following among the fandom, many hoping she'd make a return. I honestly couldn't see why, and could've cared less if she never came back. Now, Lightning Dust has made her return, and it's... okay. Which is disappointing to say the least.
The first sign of the episode having problems is Rainbow Dash eavesdropping on Scootaloo's Rainbow Dash club meeting. Why does she do that for every meeting? That's extremely disturbing when you actually think about that, and it puts their relationship in a different light. It doesn't help that it's in the same episode where Dash saves Scootaloo from potentially getting killed, and it leads to the ending scene of the episode...
Which brings me onto the Scootaloo club meeting. I don't like it, especially the fact that Scootaloo and Twilight are eavesdropping on Rainbow Dash at the end, which sends off a toxic message for children. Again, it doesn't help that it's in the same episode along with a far better message (which I'll get to).
And then there's the meeting with Lightning Dust. How in the name of Celestia did Scootaloo not remember who Lightning Dust was?! I know this doesn't have much bearing on the plot, but Parental Glideance explicitly stated that Scootaloo knew who Lightning Dust was and her actions. So why she would ignore what Rainbow Dash told her rather than be wary of Lightning Dust just raises a lot of questions, but not as many questions surrounding their sister-like relationship.
That being said, it was surprising that Lightning Dust declared that she and Rainbow Dash were forever rivals, and even more so that this was from the same writer who "wrote" (and I use it loosely, of course) Forgotten Friendship. But that doesn't mean Confalone is any less my least favorite writer in the show.
Not only that, the lesson Scootaloo learned at the end about Lightning Dust being a toxic influence was very well done, even if the execution was sloppy at points. Having seen Big World! Big Adventures!, it's nice to know that kids' shows are willing to warn their audience the dangers about toxic friendship, and the consequences it can have on your real friends. Those who are willing to give up everything for you and help you learn from your mistakes.
The first sign of the episode having problems is Rainbow Dash eavesdropping on Scootaloo's Rainbow Dash club meeting. Why does she do that for every meeting? That's extremely disturbing when you actually think about that, and it puts their relationship in a different light. It doesn't help that it's in the same episode where Dash saves Scootaloo from potentially getting killed, and it leads to the ending scene of the episode...
Which brings me onto the Scootaloo club meeting. I don't like it, especially the fact that Scootaloo and Twilight are eavesdropping on Rainbow Dash at the end, which sends off a toxic message for children. Again, it doesn't help that it's in the same episode along with a far better message (which I'll get to).
And then there's the meeting with Lightning Dust. How in the name of Celestia did Scootaloo not remember who Lightning Dust was?! I know this doesn't have much bearing on the plot, but Parental Glideance explicitly stated that Scootaloo knew who Lightning Dust was and her actions. So why she would ignore what Rainbow Dash told her rather than be wary of Lightning Dust just raises a lot of questions, but not as many questions surrounding their sister-like relationship.
That being said, it was surprising that Lightning Dust declared that she and Rainbow Dash were forever rivals, and even more so that this was from the same writer who "wrote" (and I use it loosely, of course) Forgotten Friendship. But that doesn't mean Confalone is any less my least favorite writer in the show.
Not only that, the lesson Scootaloo learned at the end about Lightning Dust being a toxic influence was very well done, even if the execution was sloppy at points. Having seen Big World! Big Adventures!, it's nice to know that kids' shows are willing to warn their audience the dangers about toxic friendship, and the consequences it can have on your real friends. Those who are willing to give up everything for you and help you learn from your mistakes.
Final Thoughts
This is a very difficult one for me to rank; on one hand, there's a solid theme about bad influences and it completely avoids my most despised trope, but on the other, Rainbow Dash's character is inconsistent at points and the message about eavesdropping was really bad. So overall, it's a below average episode. The writers need to be really careful in the future as to how they portray their themes in episodes, lest we end up with unfortunate implications down the road.
Rating: Okay (just barely)
I feel the opposite as you. This is an excellent episode.
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