MLP Episode 909: Sweet and Smoky

This was yet another bombshell for the season!

Sweet and Smoky

Written by Kim Beyer-Johnson

No, it's not perfect. I've made my feelings about villain redemption pretty clear in the past, and how poorly so many of them have been handled. Garble was very much one of the last characters I even considered redemption worthy.

And yet... it works.

Garble turning out to be the brother Smolder referred to in Molt Down was a bit unexpected, but it was very much relieving that they didn't spoil that information. The synopsis simply referred to him as "Smolder's sensitive brother", and he was the last dragon anyone would expect. That was a nice little twist.

Even nicer was Fluttershy calling him out for being a bully to Spike for all those years, as was Smolder for chewing her brother out for tormenting Spike behind her back. Although I prefer Yona out of the Young Six, Smolder has, by far, the most complete development as a character. She feels the most human out of them. She won't take in anyone's crap when they torment her friends.

Back to Fluttershy, and chewing out Garble like that further cements her my favorite of the Mane Six. It really shows how far she's gone since Dragonshy eight seasons ago. That said, it's a bit disappointing that they didn't address her fear of dragons here, but I think being around Spike and Smolder long enough has made her used to them by now. Heck, she and Ember were even on good terms with one another and Flutters geeking out over the baby dragons was cute.

Despite his overall presence, Spike didn't really do much in the episode. I thought we were past the point he was just there for the sake of being there. It would've meant a lot if we saw Garble apologize for being a bully to him for the past several years, but... nope.

Final Thoughts

It's safe to say that season nine has been a complete failure so far. A lot of their stories have rehashed older episodes and did nothing to make them stand out for what's supposed to be the final season. This episode's story and moral are pretty humdrum, but fortunately, the execution of both and the character moments pull through, and coming from the writer who gave us Non-Compete Clause last season, this is a genuinely good effort.

Rating: Good (8/10)

My Little Pony Revisited: Season 4, Episodes 14-19

Season four so far has had an amazing record; nine Excellent episodes, two Good ones, and only Rainbow Falls was ranked Okay. We've yet to run into an episode that really sucks, but let's see if that can change during this next batch of revisits.

Filli Vanilli

Written by Amy Keating Rogers

Ever since this episode aired, it's been practically shredded by many with how Pinkie Pie has been portrayed. It probably didn't help that it aired after Pinkie Pride, her best starring role to date, but I find it ironic that Filli Vanilli has been ripped a new one for its bad portrayal of Pinkie, and yet A Friend in Deed gets let off the hook because... memorable song? Nice as it is, it doesn't save the season two episode from being atrocious.

But I digress. I'm not going into depth about the pink problem because I'd rather review this episode on its own merit... though it doesn't really give me much to talk about. It's a fairly typical "face your fears" episode with an okay end result. A smaller message within is working around the problem you're in, especially when it came to Big Mac losing his voice doing a turkey call, and when he regains it, Applejack interrogates him. That was the funniest moment of the episode just for how rapid-fire it was.

Some would consider it character degradation for Fluttershy, but I don't think it is; Hurricane Fluttershy was about her wingpower performance, and Rainbow Falls focused more on her athletic performance. This was about her singing performance. All three are completely different to each other.

However, I do feel that placing this after both Rainbow Falls and Pinkie Pride hurt this episode's merit among the fandom. If it had been placed earlier in the season, I think things could've turned out much different and no one would've attacked Amy Rogers over it. (Seriously, screw those people who thought it was a good idea to attack a writer simply because of one character's portrayal.)

Couple that with implying that performance anxiety isn't something that can be instantly gotten over - which is a fair point the episode raises - you get an episode that's just fine. Not really Top 10 material, but it's fine.

Rating: Good (7/10)

Twilight Time

Written by Dave Polsky

Up to that point, Twilight's princesshood hasn't really been brought up or taken much notice. Everyone seemed to treat her for the most part like she was just another pony on the street. Then this episode comes around to change that.

It's really nice seeing the Crusaders have a sort of bond with Twilight at the start. It adds a layer of depth to the three fillies' relationship with Mane Six members outside of their older sisters (or in Scoots' case, older sister figure). They want to learn new skills from Twilight and she's willing to help them out. Also, it's funny how Twilight seems to have bad manners when it comes to fast food; what is it with princesses and bad manners at the table?

Of course, Diamond Tiara is all too willing to exploit it just to make the Crusaders special to everypony else and acts all nicey-nice just so they didn't feel bad. That being said, it was funny as to how Sweetie Belle was fantasizing about moving Diamond about with her magic; I can imagine doing that to someone giving me a hard time...!

The message at the end was pretty good as well; never use your association with a celebrity to gain friends. Well, that's on the Crusaders' end at least. Yes, it's nice to invite a few friends to meet the celebrity you're friends with, but don't treat it like it's a big deal. However, am I the only one to notice how ironic it was that Twilight called out Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for being hypocritical when she later acted hypocritical two seasons later?

Oh, and even though I don't mention voice acting that much, Pipsqueak got a new voice in this episode; Graham Verchere. The re-casting was because William Lawrenson went through puberty, though Graham seems the definitive voice for Pipsqueak as of this episode.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

It Ain't Easy Being Breezies

Written by Natasha Levinger

When I initially reviewed the episode, I thought it was good, but not really a noteworthy episode. Re-watching it, however, I thought it deserved more.

To start with, this is Putting Your Hoof Down done right, mostly because it's not over-the-top cruel. Granted, there is some cruelty, but it's done in a kind way.

When Seabreeze and a small part of his group get separated from the rest, it's pretty obvious how much Fluttershy cares for them and wants to please them in any way she can. But the Breezies would never survive for a very long time outside of their comfort zone, and Seabreeze is just desperate to get home. He's frustrated, yes, but he's also sympathetic. He cares for his kind, but goes about it the wrong way.

(And yes, Seabreeze is a male; don't let the eyelashes fool you.)

In return, Fluttershy displays kindness towards the wayward Breezies but ignores Seabreeze's concerns that they may never return home for a long time and eventually perish. It's only after Seabreeze's encounter with the bees that Fluttershy realizes she'll have to throw them out, whether she wants to or not. It's a perfect way of showing that sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind.

Overall, it's a very understated episode in this season, and it does everything a great episode should do.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Somepony to Watch Over Me

Written by Scott Sonneborn

Up to this point, the quality of season four has been great. But it's inevitable that every season will get a dud episode along the way. And this episode is probably the worst of season four.

Let's start with the fact that Applejack is worrying about Apple Bloom staying home alone. Why is she making this a big deal? We've seen in episodes before and after this one that Apple Bloom was out in public without adult supervision, and she turned out okay. Hell, we saw her, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle heading to Twilight's as a group, and never did they need an adult looking after them!

Not only that, it gets worse that Applejack startled Apple Bloom when the former gets home, causing the latter to have an accident and making Applejack think Apple Bloom is too reckless to be alone. It gets to the point it becomes obsessive.

Honestly, instead of sympathizing with Applejack, you'd rather punch her in the face for being so illogical and unreasonable! It says a lot that Apple Bloom, someone who's a filly, has more maturity and common sense than this. And frankly, when Applejack fretted over never seeing Apple Bloom again when the latter escaped with the pie cart, I felt it served the former right for not thinking about Apple Bloom's actual needs.

In addition, why would a farm have to be baby-proofed? Yes, I know rakes and falling apples may pose a bit of a threat, but a farm is meant to be a dangerous place; that's kind of the point.

Overall, the comedy (especially in the second act) is repetitive and annoying to the point it's almost painful. It's as if Scott Sonneborn believes My Little Pony is an over-the-top comedy. Yes, the comedy is part of what made the show good, but the storytelling was the most important factor. And here, the story is practically pointless because of how simple the solution is.

Yes, Applejack realizes that Apple Bloom doesn't need constant supervision, but twenty minutes into this episode, it's far too late. And again, it's pointless because Apple Bloom is seen without adult supervision in future episodes!

I'd make suggestions on how you could fix this episode, but instead, I'll direct you to an episode that was produced three years after this one; Forever Filly. This has a similar plot structure with Rarity trying to understand Sweetie Belle and not realizing her little sister has grown up in the past several years and her interests have shifted. The difference between them is that the season seven episode was done better. And was a lot more charming.

Rating: Terrible (0/10)

Maud Pie

Written by Noelle Benvenuti

Looking back on this episode, it was pretty much the trendsetter for what we would come to expect in future Maud Pie-centric episodes; Pinkie being an obsessive idiot over her sister (though, to be fair, it's not that bad here), Maud's deadpan mannerisms being the source for comedy that's hit-or-miss at best (though here, there's one or two jokes that fell flat), and then there's somepony out of the Mane Six - or someone associated with them - not seeing what Pinkie sees in Maud.

That being said, the episode does hold up with its message about bonding with others and the Mane Six's attempt at trying to befriend Maud for Pinkie's sake, and her rescuing her little sister was a cool moment for her. Although, in retrospect, the ending with the Mane Six saying goodbye to Maud is kind of meaningless since she'd made further appearances since.

Rating: Good (8/10)

For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils

Written by Dave Polsky

Speaking of sisterly relationships...!

It's another take on Sweetie Belle and Rarity's sisterly relationship, and we're now seeing how it's developed since Sisterhooves Social. By now, the younger sister is willing to help her older sister with her duties, even if it means having to put up with ridiculous requests and smaller issues like whether or not a red ribbon is actually a red ribbon. "It's all the same!" as Sweetie Belle puts it.

I'm not that bothered too much about not seeing what Sweetie Belle's play was like; from what I understand, it's sort of like Tommy Wiseau's The Room from a decade previous, so maybe it was for the best we never saw how it went.

That being said, it does lead to Sweetie Belle lashing at Rarity for the costumes overshadowing the play itself, and even takes petty revenge to try and humiliate her in front of Sapphire Shores... except it wasn't a good idea and could've lead to Rarity becoming a laughingstock. Mind you, with Fame and Misfortune having recently come out, the nightmare sequence is pretty uncomfortable to watch nowadays.

In fact, the plot as a whole - well, the second act, at least - is reminiscent to A Christmas Carol, minus the holiday setting, the theme of death, there's a single spirit(...ish; Luna), and the motivations for the protagonist are different (Scrooge just wanted nothing to do with helping others and keep all the money for himself). Honestly, I feel it handled the Carol plot better than A Hearth's Warming Tail, which was just a beat-for-beat retelling with nothing new in it.

On whole, it's yet another of season four's best (how many times have I said that thus far?), and the moral about showing gratitude to those helping you was fantastic. Oh, and little Sweetie Belle is adorable; I wanted to go through the screen just to hug her...!

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

MLP Episode 908: Frenemies

The moment I heard about this episode's premise, I felt nothing but dread hearing about it. And watching it for real affirmed my initial fears.

Frenemies

Written by Michael Vogel

Where do I even begin with this? The premise alone is just... stupid. Basically, Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow are forced to work together - because we've never seen the teamwork moral before(!) - partly because they're driving Grogar up the wall with their petty bickering, but mostly to get his Bewitching Bell.

Yeah, much like the "be yourself" message, the "teamwork" message has been done so often you can put this in literally any show or movie. What makes the latter message worse (in this episode, at least) is that it's being taught to a group of dangerous criminals, which basically means "sympathize with bad guys who have no redeeming qualities whatsoever", and that's a harmful message to send to children.

Also, we're talking about a group of villains who nearly wrecked a wedding, kidnapped royalty (Chrysalis), caused a rampage across Equestria (Tirek), and committed treason against Equestria (Cozy Glow)! How are any of them meant to be sympathetic based on those actions alone?!

If we were to translate the implications of this episode into the real world, then maybe we should forgive Hitler for murdering Jewish people. We should forgive Stalin for communistic beliefs. We should forgive bin Laden for causing the destruction of the Twin Towers! We should forgive Adam Lanza for murdering innocent children! We should forgive Harvey Weinstein despite that he's a serial philanderer...! Yes, all the examples I listed are on the extreme end of the scale, but I'm listing them to make a point as to why I treat this bullshit ideology that "every criminal is misunderstood" with extreme contempt.

Yes, there are horrible people in the world, but if they want to change, it's on them entirely. They have to earn forgiveness, they don't just get it on a silver platter. Yes, in a kid's show, forgiveness should be a sweet, charming lesson, but if you apply idealized forgiveness like how Equestria Girls has done to the real world...!

Remember the Thomas and Friends episode Springtime for Diesel? That was how you handle forgiveness in a kid's show. Diesel caused trouble for Daisy and caused her springs to break, and although he didn't want to show it, he felt remorse for his behavior and apologized to Daisy privately. Yeah, she was still upset with him for doing so, but in the end, they still became friends. That was character development for Diesel, who feels a lot more like an anti-hero these days.

Back to Frenemies, and the episode is sluggishly paced. There's very little happening to the point they almost become actual friends, which was sickeningly sweet for the wrong reasons. And again, there is no reason we should sympathize with them because they're dangerous criminals!

Final Thoughts

I know there are people who will argue, "Oh, this episode is great because we got a villain-focused episode!" But I counter with what I've said about Sparkle's Seven; episode quality is not automatic based on a unique concept alone. It's the writing that truly matters most.

The teamwork moral is forced down your throat to the point you'd want to barf it back out again (the song didn't help either, nor did it help the villains' petty childishness), and the implications surrounding the characters learning it are horrifying. I know there's people out there who believe there's good in everyone, and that's fine and all, but again, not everyone wants to change.

Even if you take the unfortunate implications out of the equation, Frenemies is a boring, over-hyped slog-fest. I don't know if this is worse than The Mean 6, but considering that both were written by Michael Vogel, why should we be surprised they're as bad as each other?

Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)

MLP Episode 907: She's All Yak

I'm surprised they didn't go for My Fair Yona given what happens in this episode. Still, it's a nice episode... with yet another instance of the "be yourself" lesson being taught.

She's All Yak

Written by Brian Hohlfeld

I know I risk sounding like a broken record at the quarter-way mark of season nine, but all it's been doing is rehashing older episodes and previously taught lessons to make them look "new". It doesn't help that this episode has the exact same lesson as Common Ground, which aired last week! She's All Yak does hold up on its own, don't get me wrong, but having this air right after Common Ground wasn't the best move, and it further emphasizes how lazy the writing has gotten with season nine. Who knows what could've happened if the two episodes had swapped airdates?

Other than that, there's little to talk about in terms of story. All I can really say is that it feels like the opposite of Party Pooped with Yona wanting to learn about pony culture rather than the ponies learning about yak culture. It's also way less annoying, you feel sympathetic towards Yona (nothing to do with her being my favorite of the Young Six, though it might've helped), and the plot doesn't feel like it was pulled from the writers' backsides. That's... pretty much it, really.

Final Thoughts

I apologize that the review is pretty short, but there's very little for me to talk about. On its own, it's a nice, charming little episode, but the regurgitated storyline and overused moral bring it down for me. And yet the character moments and development just barely manage to salvage the whole thing. Who knew that one of the best dynamics of the whole season would be Sandbar and Yona?

Had this episode aired earlier - or perhaps held back to later in the season, we don't know at this stage - this could've easily been the best of the season, but either way, by far, this is the best yak-centric episode. Granted, it shouldn't be praiseworthy, but the bar wasn't that high to begin with since the last three episodes that featured yaks or yak culture being central to the plot have been utter failures, so...

Rating: Good (7/10)

MLP Episode 906: Common Ground

Well, this is a nice surprise!

Common Ground

Written by Josh Haber

As good a show as My Little Pony has been, let's not act as if it never had any bad episodes. My revisits of the first three seasons and the first half of season four so far prove that it was never going to be a perfect show. Nor will it be all things to all people. Heck, as much as I liked seasons seven and eight (from which the reviews I am happy with as they are), they had their share of duds. And the less said about The Point of No Return, the better.

Then comes Common Ground to turn things around. I'm not pulling any punches here; this is the best episode since What Lies Beneath (Uprooted came close, but even that was held back by a blatant lack of originality). Admittedly, this episode shouldn't be as great as it is given that the bar for season nine wasn't that high to begin with, but still.

It was so nice seeing Quibble Pants again, and unlike Moon Dancer who felt shoehorned for the sake of shoehorning (i.e. fanservice), we get to see what Quibble is like outside of his interest in Daring Do.

Although we never see what became of Clear Sky's first husband, it's pretty clear that Quibble Pants is sympathetic towards her plight of being a single parent to Wind Sprint, who doesn't even like her mom's new coltfriend. So Quibble does everything he can to impress Wind, even if it means making a horse's ass of himself in front of thousands of ponies. If there was any episode of the show that could appeal to both children and adults, this is it.

Children can relate to Wind Sprint either when the parents divorce or one of them dies, and adults can relate to Quibble Pants when their partner's child or children don't care for them that much.

In fact, in real life, Patton Oswalt lost his first wife from an undiagnosed heart condition (tragically, it was the same year that Stranger Than Fan Fiction aired), and he later re-married to Meredith Salenger in late 2017. It's as if the episode was made with Patton in mind.

(Fun fact: In one of his specials, Talking for Clapping, he talks about My Little Pony. Check it out whilst you can; it's really funny.)

Back to this episode, and it looks as though Rainbow Dash is back in good graces once again after Non-Compete Clause. She knows Quibble needs help in bonding with Wind and does everything she can to make it happen, despite that he isn't the most athletic pony around; he's all brain and no brawn (not a knock on him, just describing his character there).

But for all of Rainbow's efforts, it's fruitless when Quibble makes a fool of himself at a buckball game, and even gets called out by Wind for not being a true sports pony. It gets even worse when he thinks Clear Sky is going to break up with him.

The moral about being yourself here is okay, but it's been taught so often in children's media (My Little Pony included) that it's almost become meaningless. However, they do make up for that by teaching the audience about bonding with people despite your differences, so I can let this slide.

Final Thoughts

It might not be saying much, but this is so far one of season nine's best episodes. It's got the right mix of comedy, charm and heartwarming moments, and a good moral to boot. Common Bond does everything a great episode should do. Oh, and well done to Alice Oswalt for her first ever acting performance in media; it looks as though she has a bright future ahead of her.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)