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.
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)
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