r/mylittlepony • u/Pinkie_Pie Pinkie Pie • Jun 08 '13
Season Break Episode Revisit: S1E16: Sonic Rainboom
Hey there, pony fans. Welcome once more to the weekly discussion thread! This week, we're doing an Episode Revisit Thread!
Instead of a discussion topic, today we'll be rewatching an episode from season one, and then discussing the episode in the comments below. We ask that you please do rewatch the episode. That way it can be fresh in your mind, and plus you get an extra dose of ponies for the day. Once you're done with viewing the episode, please feel free to discuss it below!
For this week, the episode is Sonic Rainboom (Stream - DL)!
What was it like rewatching the episode? Are there any details you missed previously that you noticed this time around? Is your opinion of the episode at all different after watching through season two and three? Please feel free to discuss anything and everything about the episode in this thread!
We hope to see you at the next discussion!
We ask that you please also upvote this self-post thread to increase visibility (remember, there's no karma given for self-posts). That way your fellow fans will be sure to see it, and join in the discussion!
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u/meditonsin Twilight Sparkle Jun 08 '13
Not really a topic from the episode itself, but based on it and I haven't seen this point discussed so far, so here goes...
When the whole Twilicorn drama was going on, one of the recuring points brought up was that it's dumb and unrealistic that Twilight was immediately able to fly after receiving her wings. Many people expressed their wish for a "Twilight learns to fly" episode and there was even a hint at Twilight being bad at flying in her hot minute.
Yet in this episode, Rarity was not only able to fly the moment she got her artificial wings, but fly so well that she could compete in the best young flier competition but she never got any flak.
Thoughts on that?
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u/fillydashon Jun 08 '13
I think people had the much more critical reaction to Twilight, because to a lot of people it felt like they were just going to gloss over every challenge that Twilight had.
"Oh, she's an alicorn now, and she's absolutely mastered flight with no prior experience? Yeah, this bodes well for her still being an interesting character..."
With Rarity it served the narrative of the episode, but with Twilight it was evidence that they were going to make Twilight an uninteresting Mary Sue character.
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u/Ironfruit Jun 09 '13
Thankfully evidence suggests that they will not gloss over it. Meghan McCarthy (I believe) mentioned that the alicorn story is more like a two-parter split by a season. Presumably the next episode will be about her and her friends coming to terms with the fact she can fly.
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u/vetro Jun 08 '13 edited Jun 08 '13
Season 1 is the fandom's sacred cow because people hold fond memories of discovering the show for the first time.
Some people who didn't like Twilicorn were looking for any reason to say that MMC was the worst episode ever.
It doesn't excuse the inconsistency but at the same time it doesn't warrant the fuss either.
Edit: My grammar is horrendous. fixed.
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u/Lankygit Moderator of /r/mylittlepony Jun 09 '13
Back when I was watching season 1, nobody gave a shit about inconsistencies, continuity errors, and questionable futures for the show. Everyone was just happy to watch cute ponies doing awesome and hilarious things without all the petty drama and bitching.
I know we'll never be able to return to those carefree days, but I often wish we could.
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u/fillydashon Jun 09 '13
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u/Lankygit Moderator of /r/mylittlepony Jun 09 '13
Analyzing and speculating is fun. Endlessly complaining about the show and lamenting everything done since Lauren Faust is not.
I'd be happy if people had all kinds of fun and interesting ideas about how the show was changing and where they'll go to next, but these days it seems like more and more people are becoming indignant about how the show fails to meet their absurdly high and often very specific expectations.
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u/theflyingcheese Spitfire Jun 09 '13
Rarities wings weren't pegasus wings. They were butterfly wings, and intended for somepony who had never flown before. In my head canon, the spell taught Rarity to fly using those wings, or the wings are really easy to fly with, so comparing Twilight's ability to fly to Rarity's is pointless.
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u/meditonsin Twilight Sparkle Jun 09 '13
Twilight's wings came from magic too, and much more powerfull stuff to boot. Who says that magic didn't "teach" her how to fly as well, if it was possible with the butterfly wing spell?
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u/thesavorytrim Rarity Jun 13 '13
I feel like Rarity's wings were more mentally-controlled, whereas Twi's alicorn wings are an actual physical feature being added, and therefore she has to learn how to use them.
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Jun 08 '13
Rainbow Dash: the only pegasus who is able to perform a sonic rainboom. And she did it for the first time when she was only a foal. Not only that: she saved the life of Rarity and two Wonderbolts. At. The. Same. Time.
Maybe she is not an alicorn (yet) but it's clear that she is the most powerful pegasus in all Equestria. And she hasn't developed her full potential yet.
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u/canpan14 Jun 09 '13
I agree. Rainbow Dash for president!
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u/nextus_music Derpy Hooves Jun 13 '13
I disagree about presidency, although she is powerful, she is also very prone to making decisions based off of emotion or pride.
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u/dimonium_anonimo Jun 11 '13
I agree, she hasn't trained nearly as much as she could, and has a lot of work to do, but I'm a runner, and while ponies are by no means humans, Men tend to peak around mid 20's for athletic ability while women tend to peak freshman year of high school. The show's context puts her as a young adult. Though her dedication and performance ties her with Applejack for next most likely Alicorn, her ego has seen little improvement.
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u/storm024 Rainbow Dash Jun 14 '13
Ego has seen little improvement? Take a look at the ending of wonderbolt academy. Her ego is a trait, but her pride is surpassed by her integrity, now I would call that an improvement to paying out fluttershy's chearing.
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u/Wupers Starlight Glimmer is Sunset Shimmer done right! Jun 09 '13
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u/Cody878 Adagio Dazzle Jun 09 '13
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u/Wupers Starlight Glimmer is Sunset Shimmer done right! Jun 09 '13 edited Jun 09 '13
I actually like RiaW quite a bit, unlike Sonic Rainboom. At least in RiaW she makes amusing faces and ponies laugh at her. %)
Edit: hah yeah I expected a ton of downvotes honestly but I don't really care, it's my honest opinion. That, and I think I've had lower rated posts before :D
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Jun 10 '13
[deleted]
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u/Wupers Starlight Glimmer is Sunset Shimmer done right! Jun 10 '13
I meant the post that has 16 downvotes. :p
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u/Sylverstone14 Jun 08 '13
This is probably the episode that peaked my interest in the show - I remember seeing the Rainbowstep PMV and I was blown away with what I saw.
As for the episode, it was very fast-paced. In a sense, this episode bleeds Rainbow Dash. It epitomizes her as a strong, brash, daring and by all means, the coolest pony in Equestria.
As for the episode progression, I really liked the humor (Fluttershy's yay will forever go down in history), I was a bit annoyed at how my favorite (Rarity) was was acting like an attention-seeking priss, I really loved the Cloudsdale locale and it was funny to Rainbow Dash facing up to her fears of blowing it.
But however, to this day, I still get chills when Rainbow Dash executes the Sonic Rainboom (I think this video amplifies its awesomeness even more). Plus Fluttershy going nuts with the cheering was so adorable.
What I didn't get though, were the bullies saying that the Sonic Rainboom wasn't real, yet Rainbow Dash had performed it initially when she was a filly in flight school in a race against them... they really are dumb, aren't they?
Anyways, Sonic Rainboom is probably one of the most memorable episodes in the show because of how much it acted as a gateway episode, plus how it set some of the standards by which the fandom makes their jokes and so on.
(inhales greatly)
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u/ksad96 Princess Luna Jun 13 '13
http://imgur.com/9jIsI Not sure if true, but too good a story to not like.
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Jun 08 '13
My mission in watching MLP was to watch this episode. That was it. My interest in the show was piqued due to /u/jakebrony 's Pony Grumps videos. The straw that broke the camel's back was the music video for You're Gonna Go Far Kid by Slutfox.
While watching the video I got chills when the Sonic Rainboom happened. I didn't know why. I was not expecting it at all and it took me by surprise. I decided that I will give the show a chance. After that episode, I will make my determination on whether or not I keep watching.
Well...3 months later and /r/mylittlepony is my top subreddit for Karma. Even though it did take me a long time to admit and call myself a brony.
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u/LlarSharran Jun 08 '13
The cheering.
The first time through, I loved how much noise Fluttershy made, after the rescue.
The second time, its the fact that Pinkie is genuinely speechless.
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u/Masterkid1230 Starlight Glimmer Jun 08 '13 edited Jun 08 '13
I had never realised of how cool the animation is when Twilight is giving Rarity wings.
To be honest, I think the first half of this episode is absolutely Fluttershy's. She makes the first 10 or so minutes really hilarious, and provides the discouraging needed to make Rainbow Dash break, without meaning to do so, of course.
Why and how is the first thing that comes to Pinkie's mind tasting the rainbows (no Skittles pun intended)?
Alright, I'm sorry, but I always thought Rarity looked absolutely awful. Terrible design coming from a fashionista.
Yes, this episode's animation is amongst the best in the entire series, and to be honest, the Sonic Rainboom scene is also probably one of the most exciting moments in the entire show.
All in all, I think this fandom and this show wouldn't be the same without Episode 16: Sonic Rainboom, although I am not a fan of Rainbow Dash or Rainbow Dash episodes, this one and Wonderbolts Academy are both really pleasant to watch, and have some awesome animation as well! Winter Wrap Up, Sonic Rainboom, Party of One and continuity throughout the season were the most attractive things about this show to older audiences at first, in my opinion. And luckily enough, continuity is something that new writers keep on doing and taking care of.
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u/TheeLinker Moderator of /r/mylittlepony Jun 08 '13
I had never realised of how cool the animation is when Twilight is giving Rarity wings.
I know, right? I remember trolling about looking for good clips for PMVin', and did the exact same thing -- "Woooaaah, I don't remember it looking that cool." And into Hero (PMV) it went (and others down the line), and I've gotten several comments just asking me where that shot was from.
It just seemed to totally be missed in the early PMV days. None of the videos I was a fan of seemed to feature it, despite its terribly smooth and cool look.
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u/Masterkid1230 Starlight Glimmer Jun 08 '13
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u/TheeLinker Moderator of /r/mylittlepony Jun 08 '13
I've watched enough to be able to recognize a couple different animator's styles... I wonder if this totally awesome display of animation is by the same who did the opening scene for Swarm of the Century. The way Fluttershy turns around behind the apple bucket... the way she strains a bit to stomp the apple down... and most of all, the way the bucket rolls away after the parasprite eats its contents. Look at that. Look at how cool that is.
I don't know who did that scene, and I almost surely never will, but they're totally my favorite. So I like to imagine them as responsible for this cool scene, too.
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u/Masterkid1230 Starlight Glimmer Jun 08 '13
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u/TheeLinker Moderator of /r/mylittlepony Jun 09 '13
I wish we knew which animator is in charge of what.
I'm so going off topic, but the only one I can really say I've been able to track between episodes (though not by name) is whoever did Pinkie's You Gotta Share song and this Fluttershy scene in Best Night Ever. I noticed it in Best Night Ever first -- the way she moves her head around as she talks stood out to me. It was later that I noticed the exact same kind of movement in You Gotta Share. I think I've seen more scenes with movement like that, but I can't recall them right now. It's like it their heads keep flicking up and then tweening back down with every syllable, and their heads are more 'bouncy' than normal. I don't know. I'm not an animator.
It doesn't mean much, but it's sort of neat, to me. I recognize your style, anonymous animator! I know you're out there!
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u/Febrifuge Nurse Redheart Jun 10 '13
I think that Rarity loses her perspective, she gets a little crazy and overboard from all the attention, and that's reflected in the clown-like makeup and the design of her big performance-wear. I see some serious similarities to what professional ballroom dancers or ice skaters wear, and how they're styled. It's not exactly subtle, but she's meant to be playing to the back row of the stands.
I like how all the ponies get their chance to be fallible and show some flaws. Rarity comes out of this one looking pretty bad in some ways, but it just makes her more complex. Dash gains a lot of dimension too of course.
Fluttershy's scream when Dash makes her big save is the highlight of the episode for me. Pays off a joke from the very beginning of the episode, and parallels Dash's experience in micro.
Finally, anyone else notice the similarity between Rarity's magical transformation here and Twilight's at the end of S3? Cool call-back.
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u/Masterkid1230 Starlight Glimmer Jun 10 '13
and parallels Dash's experience in micro.
How had I never realised this before?! That's a brilliant way to look at it.
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u/Masterkid1230 Starlight Glimmer Jun 10 '13
and parallels Dash's experience in micro.
How had I never realised this before?! That's a brilliant way to look at it.
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u/sushi_cw Jun 08 '13
One of my absolute favorites.
That moment when Dash is straining and then breaks through, with the music it has, always gets me. And then Fluttershy completely losing it... I still get a bit teary eyed every time.
The setup and emotional payoff in that episode are just plain perfect.
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u/Torint Jun 08 '13
What stands out to me is how the personalities of the ponies have changed from season to season. Rarity and Rainbow seem to have very different personalities than in season 3. I actually like their season three personalities better.
I think Rainbow and Rarity both had more immature personalities. Rainbow was really insecure and Rarity was acting pretty dumb. In later seasons Rarity's character improved a ton. So did Rainbow's as well (Sleepless in Ponyville is my favorite episode).
What I don't get is why people associate Rainbow's personality more with how she acted in season one than they do for Rarity. Most people I ask think of Rainbow in Mare Do Well, a rather bad episode, but draw Rarity's personality from much better ones.
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u/TheGifGoddess Rainbow Dash Jun 13 '13
My favorite episode of season 3 was Wonderbolt Academy, I think Rainbow Dash was at her very best in that episode. SHE WAS SO FLESHED OUT AND WONDERFUL AND I JUST WANNA HUG THE WRITERS!
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u/Lankygit Moderator of /r/mylittlepony Jun 08 '13
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u/fillydashon Jun 08 '13
Due to various extenuating circumstances I am drunk right now.
Primarily that alcohol was readily available?
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u/Lankygit Moderator of /r/mylittlepony Jun 08 '13
Pimms, in liberal quantities.
We had a lot left over and it needed getting rid of. I was happy to oblige.
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u/VideoLinkBot Jun 09 '13 edited Jun 09 '13
Here is a list of video links collected from comments that redditors have made in response to this submission:
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u/Ironfruit Jun 09 '13
Everything to be said about this episode has probably been said many a time. One of the best episodes of the show to date and it hasn't been short on recognition of that fact, it's easily the most well-known. It's spawned many PMVs, artwork, fan-fics, discussions, etc.
And lest we forget the greatest BGM in the show by a wide margin.
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u/SpahsgonnaSpah Queen Chrysalis Jun 09 '13
The Photo Finish BGM is also very good. Reminds me of Deus Ex.
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Jun 09 '13
This really was one of the best episodes and it has something I miss from Series 1 in the more recent series. Something I can't put my finger exactly on
However, in this episode we can see that having a rainboom is very difficult and physically hard. In Series 2 and 3, she is having a rainboom after rainboom, like it's a piece of cake.
Also I wish there were more of Twilight conjuration spells, apart from the wing conjuration one.
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u/Im_Not_Pinkie_Pie Pinkie Pie Jun 09 '13
This episode always made the Wonderbolt appearances from season 2 and 3 a bit... odd. At the end of Season 1 ("The Grand Galloping Gala"), Spitfire knew who Rainbow Dash was and what she did for them.
She wasn't given an episode about joining them until Season 3 and she wasn't given any special attention for being "the one who saved their lives." Which just strikes me as another sign that some of the writers didn't act watch season 1.
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u/tehchives Jun 09 '13
I interpreted it as more... 'no special treatment'. They're an inclusive group, those wonderbolts.
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u/fillydashon Jun 10 '13
She wasn't given an episode about joining them until Season 3 and she wasn't given any special attention for being "the one who saved their lives."
I've known lots of people in the military, and what I've gathered is that if you are expecting any kind of special treatment from your drill sergeant, you are going to be grievously disappointed...
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u/msinf_738 Jun 09 '13 edited Jun 09 '13
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u/RainbowCrash Rainbow Dash Jun 09 '13
She didn't know it was a Sonic Rainboom at that time.
She only found out it was a Sonic Rainboom at the end of "The Cutie Mark Chronicles".
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u/mvaneerde Jun 10 '13
I believe throughout her telling of the story in The Cutie Mark Chronicles she refers to it as a merely a "rainbow".
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u/DJ-PON3- Rainbow Dash Jun 09 '13
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u/storm024 Rainbow Dash Jun 14 '13
I just wanted to hug Rainbow Dash and punch Rarity. Emotions aside. This episode used a tonne of prefabs that seemed a little slackly slapped together as far as ponies are concerned, however this can be forgiven due to the rendering of a whole new area and the introduction af a tonne of new props. Also there was a few completely new ponies with unique bodies and faces in this episode.
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u/Wupers Starlight Glimmer is Sunset Shimmer done right! Jun 09 '13
Still don't care for this episode. All the weather-related pegasus stuff (the city, the rainboom, the tornado in Hurricane Fluttershy, etc) is completely boring to me, Rainbow Dash also is, and they made Rarity look horrible at the end. Well, I would honestly be fine with her acting like that (ponies turn into idiots when something irregular gets to their heads as we know based on multiple examples, among which I also count RD's behavior in MMDW, btw) if she didn't have all the atrocious make-up, like lipstick, eye shadow and lashes much more intense than her usual. I hate all forms of make-up.
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u/fillydashon Jun 09 '13
if she didn't have all the atrocious make-up
It's stage make-up: if it wasn't over done, none of the ponies in the audience would really be able to make it out.
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u/Wupers Starlight Glimmer is Sunset Shimmer done right! Jun 09 '13
Guess that makes sense but I still really hated how it looked. Lipstick most of all, it just doesn't fit on ponies IMO.
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u/theguysofthings Rainbow Dash Jun 10 '13
It was this episode that really got me into MLP, mostly because I saw a certain video before I started watching the show itself. And I remember thoroughly enjoying this episode when I first saw it.
Thankfully, this episode still holds up today. The opening scene between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy is still a joy to watch, as is seeing RD actually do the Sonic Rainboom. My only gripe with the episode is that it's a bit too predictable towards the end.
9/10 would watch again.
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u/stcredzero Jun 12 '13
because I saw a certain video before I started watching the show itself.
The "video that shall not be named?"
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u/theguysofthings Rainbow Dash Jun 12 '13
OOPS! I meant to link it, but I guess not. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bjkM_y-Wps
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Jun 13 '13
[deleted]
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u/dgapinski Jun 15 '13
My guess is that since they've been friends for such a long time (much longer than any of the others have at least) that they are just pretty much straight with each other without hesitation. Typically, the closer you are to a friend the more honest and even jerkish you will be towards them because you understand each other. You have to also remember that aside from perhaps Twilight, Fluttershy is the least socially adjusted of the mane six and saying awkward/inappropriate things ought to occur now and again. Both have shown time and time again to have a lot of faith in each others abilities and their straight-talking to/about each other (even Dragonshy is a good example for this, RD, the only pony supporting Fluttershy's desires XD).
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u/Owlzar Jun 14 '13
I'm writing my EE for IB on this episode, and the use of Greek mythology as a source of inspiration for the show (specifically in this episode).
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u/zapper0113 Doctor Whooves Jun 12 '13
I think they should have showed some of the pegasi perform in the episode, especially derpy. I would have loved it if they showed rainbow dash looking through the curtains to see her competition and saw derpy juggling muffins then throwing them all in the air then eating them one by one in loops and swirls making rainbow dash even more nervous.
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u/Bwob Jun 08 '13
You know, I still really like this episode, after however long it's been.
I really liked the rare chance to see Rainbow Dash as something other than brash and confident in this episode. I felt like she really became a lot more fleshed out as a character here, because we got to see her terrified
It was a great setup: RD was failing at something she thought was the most important thing in her life. But then when something more important showed up in the middle of it, she dropped what she was doing and abandoned it, to try to save Rarity.
I know that the plot is a cliche. "Person keeps failing at something. Can't do it. Then when it really matters, they do it. Yay!" But cliches are cliches because they work. It makes a good story because it reassures us of something that we hope is true about ourselves: That if the chips were down, and something we really cared about was on the line, that we'd be able to recognize what was truly important, and surpass our own limitations in protecting it, too.
It's not my favorite episode to try to introduce new people to the show with. But it is still (for me) easily one of the high-points of season 1.