i think it's interesting that big mac is known to say little more than 'no' and 'yes,' but as orchard blossom she is saying full sentences, and confidently.
@@galaxychill9578 He had a massive eff-up when he was younger and learned to listen more and speak less. That turned into pressure to be the strong silent supportive type. Orchard Blossom allowed him to come out of the pressure of that expectation. That's sort of why I headcanon him as being a gender-flexible or bigender drag queen rather than closeted trans (although I don't think that's the "right" interpretation, it's just the one that makes most sense to me). There are multiple other points in the show in which his gender is addressed, and usually there's some sort of combination of his AGAB self and feminine elements - for example, the episode with Luna's Tantabus ("Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?") in which everyone is stuck in a dream world, and as soon as Mac finds out that everyone can be and do whatever they want, he becomes a princess that is otherwise himself, voice and all, but with wings, a horn, and magic. As a nonbinary person, I'm so glad the writers tried to revisit his gender expression so that it wasn't just a one-off tasteless joke.
@@thecumbucketofficialwdym tirek is scary as hell he sucked the energy out of everypony in Equestria!!!! also it's implied in the s5 finale that if he had won he would have just blew up the world in a mad trance
@@thecumbucketofficial seeing as how bin laden is dead and (in equestria) tirek is alive (encased in stone but so was discord until three kids started arguing), yes. how afraid are YOU of bin laden
@@olioccasionallyanimates27 I'm gonna be so real with you I don't remember at all. I can assure you you're not missing out on anything worth reading though lmao
@@gegelast ooooh, I found a label for myself I used to go by agender but "gender apathetic" feels even better call me a boy, call me a girl - idc, I'm just myselfie
to be fair, masculine and feminine roles are all societal bullshit, it's just stereotypes it's like calling RD a trans man cos she's athletic and competitive, stereotypically masculine let men be princesses, I even have a neologism in my native language that turns "princess" into a masculine form (and no, it's not "prince", it a male princess, it's really untranslatable) cos I caught very early on that it's not that there are just royalty children, either male (prince) or female (princess), but rather these two are completely different things culturally and one may want to be a female prince or a male princess (or just non-binary)
@@Anhonime That's awesome! I know that for me I used it as a stepping stone bc I used to have a lot of internalized transphobia, I'm bigender (girl nonbinary).
Right?! I've seen every episode 😅 Some stuff Lily's been saying I'm like 😅😅😅😅 Big Mac don't speak, yes ponies fuck, yes war and terrorism, Manehatten 😅 This is fun for me 😂❤
ive had a fixation on this show since i was a child, its really funny that i just accept all of this stuff and someone like lily who clearly didnt grow up on it is like WHATS HAPPENING HERE?
Ooo I didn't know that! I actually love that! I'm also glad to see so many fans in the comments adding context for Lily, I hope she either makes a responce video (edit: not in a bad way, just like a "thank you for adding context, here's what I still think and here's what I changed my mind on") or at least mentions in during her next vid
@Wolf_Nanaki Oh, I don't believe so. 😅 I just recognize you from the bird app. Your sona is pretty and you have one of those usernames that just stuck in my head.
There are more confirmed lesbians in MLP! :3 Lyra and BonBon are canonically married. And Rainbow Dash and AJ are very heavily implied to be a couple and living together in the very last episode.
I have always found it quite funny that a) only lesbians allowed in mlp, gay men don't exist and b) the entire show's run, people were shipping pinkie pie with rainbow dash and rarity with applejack (with reasonable subtext for both ships!), but instead of making either pairing canon, they just stuck the two gayest looking ponies together for the finale despite them not having ever had chemistry 😅
@@a-morgan-l applejack and rainbow dash had a lot of chemistry. i mainly remember shipping them because of the racing episode when i was like 7 (i had no idea lesbians even existed then)
@@a-morgan-lTo be fair there was an mlm couple in Equestria Girls, the spin-off series. But yeah I definitely with there were more queer male characters in the show.
As a trans guy, I really did like this episode. Big Mac has always wanted to be a princess and I’m glad he got to at least partially live some of that dream. I love him as a character.
The problem is that no one truly respects his dream. That's not a good thing. Trans people deserve to fully accomplish their dreams just like any cis person would.
@@20000dino I don't know what you're talking about? Princesses actually do something in the Pony universe, so wanting to be one of them isn't so much a "dream" as wanting to call Queen Elizabeth your grandma is. Just because he's not cut out to be royalty, it doesn't mean people don't respect his desire to present as Mare. As someone else pointed out, it seems as though a lot of the consternation was because of how overzealous he was about wanting to win his sister's respect and admiration.
@@StoutShakobecoming a princess does seem to be possible, but only for rich unicorns, so it's less like being royalty and more like being president, only likely if you're already quite lucky
@@StoutShako "Just because he's not cut out to be royalty, it doesn't mean people don't respect his desire to present as Mare" The other Ponies literally make fun of him multiple times throughout the episode for wanting to be a Princess. Also, as Lily herself covered~in her video, the stereotypical way Big Mac fails to accomplish this task was another pretty untasteful choice on part of the creators. I seriously fail to understand this naive way y'all take media at face value. Most people grow to understand that these episodes don't exist in a vaccum - they were created and written by HUMANS and are, thus, worthy of criticism.
Big Mac wanting to be a princess is not the same as wanting to be a female. A princess has power/responsibilities in that matriarchal world. So does that mean all feminist are trans people because they want the same access to power/responsibility in this patriarchal world? I would have to logically say no because I've seen a few 'prominent' feminist argue against trans people trying to get into rest/locker rooms and also sports teams that're not of their own biological sex. With that said I hope you're okay with the fact of life female human. It's okay to be what you're born as, which is a female human. You do not have to act/dress/behave like what is typical for a female human(outside of some reasonable societal norms like for example staying within your biologically sex divided rest/locker rooms and sports teams.) Just be yourself, and true to the actual truth. I cannot fully understand what it's like to have a constant feeling of 'I'm something that I should not be,' so I can sympathize with your plight, and hope you find a solution that either gets rid of that feeling and/or allows you to live with it in a healthy manner. I would consider a healthy manner anyway that does not go against reasonable societal norms, and also does not bring you undo stress/fixation. With that said I do have all the hate in the world for people who attack other peoples reasonable free speech. Reasonable being anything that's not a threat, lies, and/or call to action (specifically with promise of giving something in return. As I believe 'calls to action' are nothing more than a spoken hope and unless there's some reward the person following said 'hope' is doing it of their own will.)
Ok, so I've got a bit of a unique perspective on this episode, not just because I'm a transgender former MLP fan, but also because growing up, I was in Apple Bloom's situation. I was raised by a single mom and my elementary school had a "Me and My Guy Night" every year, and I didn't have a dad or a big brother or uncle to take me. And a couple years, my mom's best friend took me, and one year, her daughter did, dressing up as guys each time. My friends knew who they were for the most part, and I got similar reactions as the ponies (esp the CMC and the judges) gave. Tolerance and understanding about my situation, but definitely some jokes here and there. But mostly it was sweet that they wanted to support me. So this episode resonated pretty heavily with me. I also always read the ponies (edit: and presumably the audience) finding it funny or weird less about being a stallion in a dress, and more about it specifically being Big Mac in a dress because it is SO out of character for him. Not even necessarily the dress thing, but the personality. He normally really does only say "eeyup" and that's about it. He has more lines in this episode than any other, I think. As for the ponies being weirded out by his voice when they presumably knew it was him, I didn't read it as everyone knowing it was Big Mac, but more that they just didn't know who this pony was, especially considering she stood out from everyone else in Ponyville, a community that is very tightly knit where everyone knows everyone. The Apples are known to have a large, extended family, but even for them, a very over-the-top Dolly Parton distant family member would still surprise everypony in Ponyville. Was it a perfect episode for trans rep? Absolutely not lol, especially the relay race and the judges knowing. I don't think the sports thing was intentionally malicious by the writers and again more a commentary on Big Mac himself, but that doesn't change the harm that it does. But I do think it came across a litte differently as someone who watched the whole show and saw this episode in context.
Thank you for taking the time to explain. I'm still very interested in an outside perspective from Lily on the episode but there's definitely some world & character building that isn't intuitive if you're just jumping in the middle. And the fact that some silly things are in the show..on purpose, just for the sake of being silly(see pinkie pies entire personality 🤭) Manehattan and canterlot are just the tip of the iceberg.
@@InThisEssayIWill... Won't lie, when you said "Lily", I thought you were talking about Lily Orchard and not Lily Simpson and went "Wait, why would you take MLP analysis from her?"
The 3 minute tangent about the existence of Manehattan and all of the confusing implications is honestly exactly how the community got so massive... Like if you had ever gone to an MLP convention, you will always find at least one panel where someone with ADHD spends hours trying way too hard to make sense out of the world or magic system... I learned about 4 dimensional travel within a tesseract/hypercube in a panel discussing the Sonic Rainboom and the implications that Rainbow Dash somehow breaking the light barrier... I'm not kidding. We were nerds with too much time on our hands, and the inability to let things go. Do not go down the rabbit hole, you will never find your way back...
the real trans representation in MLP is the fact that as a kid i thought RainbowDash was a boy who just used she/her pronouns and i wanted to be her so so bad
That's like when I mentioned to my sib I'd first assumed the main character of Undertale was a boy. She, assuming Frisk was a girl, said "But she can equip a tutu???" I just thought they were just that kind of boy lol
As a kid my mom read the lord of the rings to me as a bedtime story and I assumed merry (or Mary as I heard it) was a girl hobbit and everyone was just super chill about it and she was just a badass beer drinking butch babe. Was kinda disappointed that she turned out to be a guy but I can have my headcanon
Big Mac as a closeted Trans mare is a somewhat common headcanon in some circles of the fandom exactly because of what you said in 30:00, and a couple of moments where Big Mac is dreaming of being a Princess, and Trixie as Trans is even more common :p
I literally only know this video, but also apparently becomes talkative when dressed up, instead of mostly silent... nooo nooo that isn't a sign either.
I think Faust was referring to Trixie, because she was shown to be originally a stallion in concept art. However, that was never touched on in the show.
I'd like to mention the zine that a user by the name punkitt made called "An Apple in the Orchard" where Applejack finds out that Big Mac is transfem, but is supportive of what she wants. It's really beautiful and I highly recommend giving a read.
i'm sorry but "Ponies don't get old and there are no men-ponies and they just magic more ponies into existance" are some insane base-level assumptions to make lmao
@@RadiantBlazeVA I’m pretty sure there were no males in G3 but there were old ponies in at least one of the movies/specials G1 had boy ponies iirc but they were not common and I don’t know about old ponies but there were baby ponies which implies aging Also my little pony tales had all ages and male and female ponies (Correct me if any of this is wrong I haven’t seen all the old series so this is from what I remember and have heard)
G1 MLP actually did magic in baby ponies, the magic mirror creates a baby copy of the pony who uses it basically. There’s also other babies that exist that aren’t explicitly from the mirror tho, the lore is fast and loose. The comics and toys also have different lore from the show. There are only a few male ponies, the most notable being the big brother ponies and KnightShade. Who both only appeared within their respective episodes arc.
I mean, that was true in G2 through G3.5. They had no stallions and didn't have old ponies. G1 and G1.5 did have stallions, but they still didn't have old ponies.
There's also Lyra and Bonbon who LITERALLY PROPOSED to each other in the Valentine's Episode with Big Mac and his GF/Fiancé (I think Big Mac and her proposed to each other in the same episode) Also pretty sure her name was Sugar something I don't remember. Edit: My autistic special interest brain that loves LOVES MLP is struggling rn. Ass stamps 😭
Thing is Lyra and BonBon started out as a fan pairing that got elevated to canon, so the show can't really be given full credit for that bit of inclusivity.
as a pegasister I would like to point out Big Mac is insanely strong, like he isn't a normal station, he is like on the top 0.01% of the strength scale... and for the dress... rarity could have made it overnight for all we know, including the wig :P.
Fun fact! Trixie can be interpreted as a trans pony based on 4 things: 1 she was supposed to be a stallion in the original design 2 lauren faust heavily alluded to her being trans 3 her eyes have one less shine than mares, which is a thing only in stallions 4 her color scheme
@@rosarollishe's light blue with pink (more like light purple) eyes and accessories, which is kinda like a trans flag but you'd have to squint really hard
51:30 imo the good thing about Lauren tweeting that, was how easily it shut down arguments against looking for trans rep in mlp. When I was in brony spaces I saw that tweet from Lauren used multiple times in response to "you people are perverted for headcanoning kids' show characters as trans" type bs, because like- hey friend, the show creator said one of the characters is trans, so we're not doing anything weird even in the eyes of the creators of the kids' show. Definitely was a low effort performative ally move on Lauren's part, but was helpful during late 2000s / early 2010s online discourse about whether trans folk were allowed to exist in kid's tv.
You know, Not to diminish any of the serious talk but my favorite part of this video was just seeing someone mostly unfamiliar with MLP try to grapple with the lore jumping into a mid-series episode lol, like, Especially when you start theory crafting and questioning why certain things are the way they are, like, I've spent far far too many hours of my life reading MLP fanfiction and there are so many answers people have come up with to these things that are varying levels of contrived. Oh, I feel like being a minor lore nerd, Earth ponies and pegasi having passive magic is not only a word of God thing, But also a very explicit element during certain points in the series (there are a few villains that drain magic and it has a visible effect on both other species)
But there's also lore points that go against it. Cozy's spell being broken showed 3 of the mane 6 get a magic orb. Rarity, twilight, and pinkie. None of the other 3
Small thing, but "burst your balloon" is a common phrase for being disappointed. It doesn't answer when old man pony thinks happened to Orchard Blossom, but it explains the visual gag with the actual balloon popping
Big Mac also really wants to be a princess. First thing he did when he realized he could control his dreams was turn himself into one. IDK if that's a trans allegory by itself, but I also don't know if pony royalty (wings and horns, not by blood or title) can only be girls. What's more, IDK if Shining Armor marrying into royalty means he's closer to getting a set of wings or if it's just a title. Probably the latter but the former is kind of silly.
There've been subtle aspects of Big Mac going at least as far back as the early in second season when Twilight "accidentally" brainwashed a crowd of ponies into obsessing over a doll. When the spell was broken nearly everybody wondered off, everyone except Big Mac, who since no one else wanted it anymore, still took the doll for himself. I don't really read Big Mac as explicitly trans, but I do read him as someone who because of his size and strength is expected by others to be an exemplar of "masculinity" and he tries to play that part, but secretly he has a love of "feminine" thing that he's embarrassed to admit to. The point of his character isn't to question gender identity, but rather to question gender norms and the notion society arbitrarily labels certain kinds of toys and clothes as only being for boys or girls.
But *this is not the trans episode* though? In my opinion, “the trans episode” would be S02E21 “Dragon Quest”, where *Spike has trouble dealing with **_strongly male-coded_** dragonhood, and concludes he is a Pony.* (And apparently, there is a children book where his body gets turned into a pony's one, but he ends up going back.)
24:45 Rainbow Dash & Scootaloo are not sisters (neither of them has siblings, nor are they related by blood at all); so here "Orchard Blossom" is hinting to the fact that (perhaps) they "should not" even be registered in the competition in the first place. . BigMac knows this, but a "long lost cousin" of Applebloom should not [there are multiple layers of _"I know that you know we know"_ ]. -> It is a subtle warning, with an implied "mutually assured destruction" IF Dash keeps digging about Orchard's identity.
Unironically yes, I’d love that. Going off of how she talked about it in this video, I feel like she’d point out one thing I noticed in the show which is the implications of Discord being called a draconequus. It’s not the name itself that I take note of, it’s the fact his species has a name at all that implies that he is a species and that there’s others of his kind. He’s basically a god and it’d make total sense if he was a one of a kind creature which would just be referred to by his name, Discord, but they specifically say he’s a draconequus. Are there others running around? Are they near extinct and he’s the last of his kind? I think there’s some answers in the comics but I haven’t read them so idk, I’m just left with the mystery of why Discord has a species name.
I had to take a moment to rant at my sister about everything that doesn't make sense about MLP before I could finish watching this. Tell me, *Faust,* is Las Pegasus full of gambling and prostitution? Why is it called the Crystal Empire? Because it violently subjugated multiple groups of ponies to incorporate them under one all powerful leader (Princess Amore, not Cadence)? Did the settlers of Appleloosia enslave the buffalo? I need answers!
@@theflyingspaget I mean the Crystal Empire used to be ruled by King Sombra, who was essentially a pony dictator that enslaved the Crystal Ponies. They don't dance around it either, we're talking ponies in chain gangs. I assume the violent subjugation of the other surrounding territories wasn't out of the question. However, it is odd that it was called an *empire* BEFORE Sombra came into power. So maybe it was a, "Oh I wouldn't say freed, more like under new management" situation for the crystal ponies when Sombra took power from Amore. The history of the Crystal Empire is a bloody and violent one.
The message I got was that the ponies were in the know from the start, but they were really confused why Big Mac would wear a fancy dress to a competitive event, then when he hit that low note they were unhappy because he was really off-key, and finally they were all pissed off after the race because he destroyed a bunch of things, injured 2 ponies, and ruined the fun for everyone else there because he wanted to win so badly. Like having fun and bonding is the only way to really win, and they were mad he forgot that. But then again I have never been good at any solid concept of gender.
I always felt like that was the general message of the episode. No one really cared that it was Big Mac in drag, (in fact he could have competed openly as Big Mac without any issue since Sisterhood is more about having a close supportive bond than actual blood relationships) people had an issue with him being way too competitive and injuring others. He was ruining everyone else's fun by being rude. I do wish we would have seen more of Mac as Orchard Blossom in the background of episodes after this, would have been a fun dynamic.
@@declanmckenna6854 You don't have to feel like that's the case, that's literally what the judges say. Big Mac's "costume" falls off and Apple Bloom is worried that they're going to get disqualified because Big Mac is not a mare. The judges then say that they are disqualified, not because Big Mac isn't a mare since sisterhood has always been defined very broadly at the social, but because Big Mac broke like a dozen rules.
I feel like the trans sports allegory doesn't really apply here if you are familiar with the series. Big Mac was going to win that race, not because he's a "biologically stronger male", but because he's a hardworking farmer who rams trees daily. AppleJack probably would've also won by a landslide since she does similar work on top of being a competitive workaholic. Not to mention this was a casual race, there's a good chance that there weren't any dedicated athletes in the running. That isn't going to stop more malicious people from taking scenes out of context to prove a point, but for this episode they'll really only be grasping at straws since it completely makes sense contextually.
@@wiktoriafrompoland2453 I'm sorry, I'm not sure where you're getting that figure from? From what I'm seeing, a few sources say that the win ratio between the sexes is around 65%. That's still a pretty big number though and I could've missed something, but these statistics still don't apply to this for-fun race in a bubblegum pony show made up of 2/3rds unicorn and pegasi lol I'm only trying to say that there is no real world connection to be had here in that regard
I'd consider Rainbow Dash an Athlete as speed is her whole thing, but I can't remember well enough if that *only* meant flying. Though I think it makes more sense that she got knocked out of the way instead of actually losing.
@@NikkiBudders Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were actually pretty far ahead and were gonna take the win. The only reason Big Mac won against her was because he pretty much broke the rules, literally carried Applebloom, and ignored every obstacle (plus yeah no flying).
I feel like Lily in this review didn’t take the right lore into account. Big Mac is very well known by the town and very well known for saying few words and for being subtle (and humble) with his actions even when he puts himself in the spotlight (such as when choir singing). Of course the town is confused about seeing a well known community-figure person like that suddenly acting and appearing the opposite of how he’s acted and looked for many years, and that he’s being that different at a big public annual event no less. And probably making it even weird to the onlookers is that he, know for honesty just like his famously honest oldest sister, is him clearly lying about his name and family relation and other life details and taking these claims and the act so seriously. He hadn’t publicly (or privately) ever expressed wanting to be anything other than his usual self before now or ever expressed wanting to try a more considered-feminine appearance or ever expressed wanting to participate in any way in the Sisterhood Social, so the onlooking towns people and his younger sister are very uncertain about how to properly recognize what’s going on and about how to address what’s going on-until near the episode’s end when Big Mac is more honest and explicit about his motivations. Also, more lore not taken into account: Ponyville is the most diverse community in Equestria and has for decades (and especially in the recent generation) headed the efforts to support diversity, inclusivity, and harmonious living throughout the Equestria region. The town and its people are not as identical to small southern white town, USA, as Lily seems to assume in this review. At this point in the series, the Ponyville people are sometimes weary about the unexpected but not intolerant or unfriendly unless greeted by unfriendliness or unless their livelihoods, homes, or mortal lives seem endangered or unless a villain has embedded mistrust among the community.
I mean that’s not really true, I guess in the later seasons Ponyville becomes more and more accepting but background ponies are ALWAYS less accepting than the main characters (which makes it like a majority of the town) and remember when they all hid because of Zecora literally just visiting? Yeah Ponyville was NOT very accepting of people being different early on lol. Other types of beings only started being accepted into town in the much later seasons, and I don’t think this episode is quite there yet. Aside from pony racism and instead talking about gay/trans acceptance, I guess Lyra and BonBon got married so Ponyville is at least decently okay with gay ppl lol. I definitely like to think in the later seasons everyone is accepting as that’s a big theme but like have you SEEN the background ponies in the show I would NOT be surprised if they were transphobic at some point 😭
@@poppyseed799 Compared to the intolerance and lack of diversity elsewhere in Equestria, including its capital, Ponyville was way less isolationist as far as us the audience was shown. Unlike this episode, the episode that introduced Zecora was one of the first episodes, took place before the town had made leaps more progress regarding not judging someone based on appearance, rumors, unfamiliar behavior, and where they lived. A big reason why Zecora got any initial bad reception from the town was because of her connecting herself to Everfree Forest, a place that is very wild, that has bad history and legends, has lots of passive and seeking threats, and that was at-the-time so unexplored by those living now that Everfree’s mysteries made it even more dangerous and worrisome. They feared Zecora might have been so at home in Everfree due to herself being another danger, another malevolence attracted to chaos who might use those wilds to cause chaos or torment outside of the forest. Another key difference between the level of acceptance at play in this mlp show are in-group (the familiars) vs out-group (the strangers) dynamics. Big Mac is already part of the town’s in-group due to living in the town all his life and socializing so much and so good with everyone there: he has prior good standing with everyone. Characters such as Zecora, the other creatures, even the unnightmared Luna supported Equestria’s beloved monarch Celestia, all started in the out-group. A person already part of the in-group are more likely to receive both more benefits of the doubt and a more fair willingness to be understood by the community than a person/group who seem like out-of-the-ordinary, unusual outsiders or newbies. Especially hard for an outsider or newbie to get good standing with a community if the outsider/newbie isn’t good at charming those of the in-group upon first impression. Another difference between Big Mac and the character’s who were “different,” he certainly wasn’t a creature naturally able to drain a person’s love or energy or that had fantastical manipulation powers or skills. To the townspeople in Brotherhood Social, he was just the local upstanding farm boy seemingly putting on an act for some probably unproblematic reason…probably. To the townspeople, an unfamiliar non-pony or unfamiliar strong magic user had like an equal chance of being either a possible friend, a harmless neutral, or a town-threatening problem causer.
okay but that can easily be disproven. they specifically were weirded out, confused and disgusted when he sang the low note with the show making very clear he has an adam's apple. if it was about him acting out of character, the ponies would have been shocked by seeing him during the entire sequence before that? the intent is clearly a transmisogynistic joke and i don't see the point in trying to deny that
@@buchelaruzit A counter to your disproving. When he as Orchard Blossom sung using a bass tone, Apple Bloom herself was the first to act like that tone was a mistake. Her acting like that re-enforced the townspeople’s uncertainty about what was generally going on with Orchard-Blossom/Big-Mac, with Apple siblings, about how they the townspeople should respond, about if everything was okay. Then, again, Apple Bloom further treated the incident like a mistake had happened by publicly questioning the incident with a concerned tone and Orchard Blossom played along with something wrong having happened; although, Orchard Blossom framed what happen as a no-big-deal type of error. Those treatments again re-enforced the townspeople’s uncertainties. Apple Bloom questioning Orchard Blossom character/behavior publicly while both of them we’re still on stage not so subtly gave the townspeople another clue about whatever is going on regarding Big Mac / Apple Bloom’s partner: it clued them in that something potentially worrisome for Apple Bloom was happening if not also something worrisome for her event partner or for other people. If Apple Bloom had not acknowledged the bass tone like she did, less concern would have been seeded in the community if any was seeded by the act at all prior to the sibling’s something-wrong-happened treatments. All that uncertainty and the gradually increasing clues that something might be wrong naturally makes people act uncomfortable…because the uncertainty and implications are themselves uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable doesn’t equal being disgusting just as being angry doesn’t equal being disgusted: they correlate with disgust but aren’t necessarily results of disgust or causes. When my last comments mentioned choir singing, I was referring to when Big Mac as Big Mac would preform with other townspeople during celebrations and as a member of The Pony Tones singing group and (I guess could include) when he felt happy enough while working to hum/sing. Everyone familiar with Big Mac knew that Orchard Blossom was him if children could see through the costume and claims. If town as a whole were really disgusted with him being Orchard Blossom, with him trying to claim himself as a mare, they probably would have acted more clearly disgusted, less so confused, before Orchard Blossom’s instinctually used bass tone because that what the disgust of real life bigots is like. The disgust of real life bigots typically displays itself immediately, with little to no trigger from what they’re bigoted against, and with little ambiguity. The townspeople didn’t even act off-put: they didn’t try to delay whatever was happening or what could happen, didn’t try to repel or stop what was happening except when they had questions and except after Orchard Blossom caused physical damage while forgetting the true purpose of the social. The people were a mix of rolling with it, confused, and not enough in the know to be confused. If any bigots were there, they were very out numbered and not letting their feelings be well known. We should all call out that I named this episode wrong-Brotherhooves not Brotherhood.
@@AlwaysAmSamI think you're misunderstanding the person's comment as addressing about the individual characters/town in the show and not the people behind the show. this was an obvious transphobic 'joke' made by the directors of the show or the very least, the people behind this episode. no matter how 'accepting' the town is framed to be in the show, doesn't change the fact that this show was used as a vehicle of queer/transphobia.
i KNEW it was gonna be the big mac episode! i felt odd about this episode when it came out. there was a youtube channel back in the day that would post the episodes when they came out, with a chat that live reacted to the episode (and commercials) when they came out. the chat for that episode was transphobic and was very upsetting for closeted me. 💀
@@UncleSamsoniteLover69: Any sufficiently large community will always have bad actors, doesn't mean we're all like that, but the apparent lack of considerate moderation in whatever chat OP was part of is still shameful.
@@EmeralBookwise Yeah any large community has tha tissue but the brony core had quite the mean demographic. Pegasisters wouldn't have been coined if not imo
@@crazydragy4233 : I wouldn't be so sure about that. While I'm sure that there were at least some pegasisters who felt a need to coin their own term because of misogynistic rejection from the boys club, I also know there were others that just wanted it as a separate term so no one would mistake them for as male in online circles. Conversely there were fem-fans find the term pegasister demeaning, as if it insinuated they couldn't be fans in the exact same way as any man. Still others are entirely indifferent and just use the terms interchangeably. Like a lot of gendered terminology, its existence is more a reflection of broader societal prejudices, than it is of any fandom specific biases.
@EmeralBookwise What got to me was the group of people that were calling black fans zebros for awhile. Garuntee you that was a 4chan concept that filtered into the Fandom proper
Your little "I thought they made babies with magic" is cute because a lot of fans including myself have this headcanon called Spellborns, children born of magic. Sometimes a spell, sometimes a potion, just depends on who you ask!
26:45 Ponyville is a (typical, normal) nudist town. Most ponies only wear "accesories" (hats, bows, scarfs, monocles, etc). -> The use of any clothes is "optional", so he is like a full scuba diver here.
One thing i like about this episode that I'm shocked you left out is rainbow dashes "we won't go easy on you just because you're a stallion" line. It implies in this universe, mares are thought of as more capable than stallions. Therefore it kinda turns the trans women in womens sports metaphor on its head. Big mac had to brute force the race cuz the mares are the ones with the biological advantage lol.
Oh theirs also an entire country in mlp FIM called Saddle Arabia. You only hear about it once and see the horses from that land once while celesta is talking to em. we also have pony Las Vegas called viva las pegasus. It’s great. Oh and at the very end of the series it’s insinuated that Apple Jack and rainbowdash end up together. Oh and pinkie pie and werid ALs ponysona have a baby….named lil cheese.
Japan is like a thing, too, there but I don't know if they ever mentioned the name of what that place is called. The unicorns had long slightly-curved horns there. There was also Fillydelphia.
There's an episode in season 8 of MLP, _Road To Friendship,_ that has two characters, hella-trans Trixie and her assistant-slash-objectively-best-pony Starlight, headed for Saddle Arabia to perform their magic show (I suppose MBS came early in this universe to allow these girlfriends in). The one and only thing that disappoints me about this episode is that they never made it there, because of road trip quarrels and Starlight being a right fool around the climax of the story. And that's sad to me, cos I really want to see Equestrian Mecca.
I appreciate you trying to take this show seriously as a non-fan, but I do feel there is important context for this episode in particular. This season of MLP was just after the show started diving really deep into fanservice (of the wholesome variety.) Big Mac isn't just a one-off trans/gnc character created for the sake of a morality tale like in other shows. He was often the butt of jokes about him enjoying non-manly things, like snuggling plushies or dreaming of being a princess, because it contrasted his hypermasculine persona. This episode was moreso a long-awaited display of Big Mac's healthy relationship with masculinity to make up for poorly-aged jokes than it ever was a broader (trans)gender commentary.
Exactly, a repeated point the show tried to make, was that it's okay for boys to like "girly" things. Doesn't necessary excuse the lazy use of triphonic tropes used in this episode, but there likely was no malicious intent, but rather just something they accidentally stumbled into while trying to deliver a different moral.
I feel like Rarity would be an absolute ally, though maybe more for the ability to dress up someone who she previously thought wouldn't go along with it, rather than caring about gender presentation lol
besides scootaloo's aunts who you mentioned there's a second lesbian couple in mlp. Lyra Heartstrings and Bonbon. They started as a fandom joke ship because they were two generic background ponies that almost always wound up standing next to each other in crowds. Eventually the showmakers caught on and started putting more and more Lyrabon in the background. If you pay close enough attention there's a scene in season 9 episode 23 where they propose to each other in the background, and a newspaper in the series finale shows they get married offscreen.
@@Rainbow_Sish_Kabob At least for me, 'tis fun to speculate about different aspects of the show to try and get a cohesive narrative of the world of Equestria, even if they were never meant to be particularly cohesive; but your mileage may vary :3
@@RyebuckCoppercapit's very fun and silly to see fan works get serious abt the world building, like you'll be reading a really dark fic and then they casually describe the geography of "Caneighdia" lmao
Waiting for a mention on the one episode where the ponies are in a dream and Big Mac transforms into an alicorn princess because it’s his dream (if anyone remembers better lmk)
Project A-Ko has a very obvious trans character and I always appreciated that no one, as far as I could tell, thinks anything of it...given she's portrayed as built like a club bouncer.
As a trans woman who was super into MLP growing up, this episode never crossed my radar as invoking any sort of trans feelings. However, the show as a whole did allow me to be more open with my femininity, because of it's weird status as the "show for little girls that adult men watch". I definitely used "being a brony" as a substitute for my feelings of "being trans" between the ages of 10-14.
29:49 My money is on the canon suggesting that he found them in the attic. However, seeing as he has dreams of being an alicorn, of which there are only mares? I headcanon he's a trans mare. Also, there's a couple of sequel fanfics that deal with the ramifications that I think are worth looking at: * "Would It Matter If I Was Trans?" where Mac -calls out- admonishes(?) AB for her behavior and comments * Can't recall the name, but it's the judge stallion telling Mac he likes him as OB and that it's okay. * Also can't recall the name, but one in which AJ confronts Mac on *suddenly becoming vocal and confident* as a mare/drag princess.
I kinda head canon Big Mac as NB or Bigender. Like, even when he's a princess he's still pretty much just himself, just with a crown, fancy shoes and some extra body parts.
@@Quackervoltz People call out kids for bad behaviour all the time. Typically people do this when the kid is mimicing another's behaviour to correct it quickly enough.
the canonically trans pony is Trixie Lulamoon. Most (cis)mares have two eye sparkles on each eye, she has one, like the (cis)stallions. which is awesome, I loved this episode anyways, helped one of my irl friends along with self accepting herself as a gal and not a dude
Lauren Faust said so and the design traits are there, remember, these are cartoon horses they won't have "nubs" betwixt their back legs to indicate@@colorbar.sand we HAVE seen Stallions with a mare shaped head and more spindly bodies before
This is going to take me ages to get through because I tend to get anxious whenever I watch a video like this on one of my special interests, but I just wanted to comment to say that the horrified realization that the ponies can reproduce happening _before_ any of the actual child characters were shown is hilarious to me. It's a 10/10 for Lily's reaction to Granny Smith existing alone!
I’m a trans dude and when I was little I always looked up to Big Mac and thought he was super cool. I wanted to be like him but I didn’t know why until I was older. On tumblr I’ve seen a ton of fanart portraying Big Mac as a trans woman and it was sweet and nice to me because by that point I knew I was a man. It’s just kinda comforting seeing a character I wanted to be like go through a similar experience to me even if it’s kinda opposite. Actually that fanart is one of the reasons I have started rewatching the show!
@41:53 Actually this could be connected toThe weird part of equestrian culture. Even though it socially acceptable to go around naked all the time It is considered embarrassing or have moved to be unaddressed in public or be seen naked when you're not expecting it. There are several episodes where Rarity covers up after losing her dress for example in one episode that implies Fluttershy somehow sleeps different naked rather than normal naked.
Rarity being appalled at the idea of letting Spike into the room while the girls are getting dressed only for Applejack to pragmatically point out they usually don't wear clothes in the first place. There do seem to be different cultural attitudes regarding clothes in fancy cities like Canterlot (that Rarity aspires to be part of) vs simple farming villages like Ponyville.
The thing about the handles on the boxes. I like to think they manufacture those taking in mind that there are griffins and other species that can grip stuff. So it's like, something that can be used by everyone?
Pegasi can also sometimes be seen using their wings as prehensile appendages, and ponies of all types will occasionally use their mouths to grip objects. Hooves in Equestria also seem surprisingly flexible at times.
I always just write it off as a lack of world-building depth so it doesn't confuse the younger children watching. Ultimately applying too much realism and grounding to this world will drive a person mad though XD
There’s actually a canon trans character in MLP, she’s a background character since early in the show, and actually appears in this episode as you can see in 26:18 the yellowish one with brown hair and the blue horse shoe cutie mark. Through out the whole series her body transformed from how Big Mac looks, to what you see in that episode, and finally a female horse, and also throughout the series she looks from very sad to neutral to very happy, and honestly I’m so happy for her. If you dont believe me simply googling MLP trans character, or even watching the whole show and watching out for her is your evidence right there
Honestly, as a general thought on the inclusiveness of MLP, I feel that it's coming from a white cis perspective of inclusiveness, with the same kind of awkwardness of someone that does not fully understand the implications of what they said while trying to be supportive can give out. It has like the vibe of the writers knowing that racism and transphobia are bad, but not having an insider's perspective makes them come as insensitive without really _meaning_ to, y'know? Still, for all it's flaws I love the show, and it shaped a lot of whom I was when I was a kid, so it holds a very special place in my heart :3
Yeah the episode that introduced Zecora is very unpleasant to watch as an adult. It was very clearly written from a sympathetic white perspective seemingly without any help from black writers. And the pile of stereotypes that make up Zecora herself leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
@@moss725 The episode with the bison and Braeburn too. Like, I see how they might _think_ that they were being progressive with their allegory and conclusion, but man the result was really just "they managed to put anti-indigenous racism into a show without humans." Also the whole plotline in one of those last seasons about the racist chancellor or whatever trying to shut down Twilight's school, just ending with "and then the minorities helped him one time and immediately he became not only just 'not actively racist' but 'fully against racism and willing to speak up about how he was wrong.'" It felt so half-assed and unrealistic. "Oh we gotta show that racists can become good people too, but we can't show ANY effort on his part to educate himself, examine his beliefs, or unlearn his biases, because that's too much to expect from people. I mean, what if White people get the message that they should _try_ to not be racist???" I'm sure they were _going_ for "interacting with people different from you helps you understand them better and treat them more as people, because you can no longer treat them like an alien fantasy people cuz they're literally just your friends/neighbors/coworkers/etc," but it needed to be more than a single interaction, or less of a drastic change (like just hinting that he's starting to see that he was wrong. Like maybe while he isn't actively racist any more, he's not willing to admit out loud that he was wrong, but he makes small concessions like quietly stopping targeting the school, showing that he's starting to be less gung-ho about his racist beliefs. Or something.). _Feels_ bordering on victim-blaming, like almost "if POC were just nice to White people, then they wouldn't be racist!"
@@ThornShadowWolf: It certainly didn't help that said racist chancellor got his entire antagonist role sidelined because the real villain of the season turned out to be a randomly evil child with ill-defined motives. I mean, sure, I get it, the writers were trying to be "clever" and "subversive" by setting up an obvious bad guy only to swerve to something unexpected, but the result was that a whole lot of implied social commentary got left completely unresolved.
The mission Applejack was called on at the start of the episode was the same one we see in the next episode with her and Rarity. At least there's a reason for her absence. I don't think we see Pinkie, Spike or Twilight in this episode either, and I don't think there's any explanation in either episode for why all three of them would miss an event like this.
@@Boomskiddy Because the map specifically called Rarity and Applejack to solve a friendship problem, so the other ones don't have to go unless the map says.
Seeing Lily wading into the lore blindly and getting utterly confused along the way was not the intro I expected but was delightfully fun to watch as someone with a much deeper understanding of the show. Seeing that there’s supposedly a confirmed trans character in season one is interesting. Big Mac is an obvious guess and a lot of people mention Trixie but I personally came to my own specific trans headcanon for a character on a recent rewatch, Snips. He’s a young filly in apple bloom’s class, and I mostly based the headcanon on how most stallions in the show have rigid squared snouts while most mares have rounded snouts, and snips’ falls in the former category despite being a colt. I’m sure there’s other exceptions to this rule, snails also has a rounded snout (although if they’re both transmasc it could explain why they pair together so much) so I don’t think it really confirms anything but I like the idea that snips got his cutie mark from cutting his own hair to have a more masculine haircut.
i think one of my favorite trans coded moments was a bit later on, spoilers for the entire changeling plot but when trixie and starlight were visiting and there was one group doing therapy, one of the changelings was talking about wanting to be a different color changeling every day but feeling like they would be living a lie, and the counselor changeling was saying to be one color on one day, a different one the next, or even both on the same day. that just really struck a chord with me for some reason and then a few years later i came out as genderfluid and was like ohhhh i get it now
in one of the episodes, you see a load of ponies in a dream sequence where they can all become whatever they want, and Big Mac turns into an alicorn: does this mean he wants powerful magic? Or he wants to be a princess? (Big Mac I know what you are)
@@NikkiBudders alicorns are.. Weird, in g4. We never see a male one, and out of the 5 we see, 2 we know ascended to being alicorns (twilight and cadence), one is born (flurry), and Celestia and luna we don't know for sure
16:23 Its Pinkie Pie, dont question it, people head canoned that any inconsistencies in show were created by Pinkie absorbing Discor's powers in series finale. Or its just goofy references by writters
HAHAHA watching someone who's not a brony talk about MLP is so much fun. "The Old lady pony" bit killed me. The issue you have with them having hooves and not hands is great (shhhhh it's fine, it's... magic... or something) I didn't really entirely care for they handled Big Mac in this episode, but I think if you had more context, you may have had a slightly different opinion, not really something I can fully explain in a single youtube comment. Thanks for this video, it was fun to watch. Love your content, keep up the great work.
33:03 regarding the old guy pony being into orchard bloom I am so curious to hear what you think of the end of "some like it hot". I watched it as a kid who did not know that gay or trans people exist (yay, religious upbringing in the 90s) and was so confused by it. It seemed like the dude was actually into Jerry and looked so happy. I think it might even be a positive message? At least it got little sheltered me thinking.
i know that that isn't exactly a crazy interpretation but the fact that you're saying it about a my little pony episode from like 2011 sounds hilarious out of context 💀
About 27:40, MLP has some strangely _racist_ undertones at times as well? Like the whole concept of the School of Friendship is to teach Friendship to other creatures?
True, but also in every episode where they meet a new species there's always a lot of misunderstanding and generally it explains why Equestria is so divided. I think the school is so inclusive because every creature deserves to know how to get along and respect each other, ponies included.
@@kat_the_lad9156 I agree, but they frame it in such a way as to suggest that the ponies are there to teach "unenlightened" creatures about friendship, like with the concept of "dragons don't do friendship," or the fact that when Pinkie and Rainbow visit Griffinstone they had to almost introduce the concept of friendship to griffons? It's sorta racist in the sort of way of the "we come to enlighten those in the dark" kind of way, instead of the more hateful kind of racism that we often see nowadays, which despite having good intentions is still kinda racist? I still love the show, don't get me wrong, but the way it handled some of its allegories was not the best sometimes, so to speak ^c^"
I agree with the racist undertones part. But I don't really think that the School of Friendship was racist. It was only built after a solid bond between ponies, dragons, griffons, yaks, changelings, and hippogriffs was formed. So that way all of those creatures could not only maintain a strong bond, but also protect others both like and unlike themselves, through the power of friendship. One episode though that definitely could've had some racist undertones would be the episode, Bridle Gossip. The first episode where we meet Zecora. A character who was heavily implied to have come from some sort of African descent. And was actively (very negatively) gossiped about by the ponies in PonyVille. And only through the words of the main 6, other ponies, that the citizens would trust Zecora. Rather than actually talk to Zecora and see for themselves that Zecora is actually friendly. Another episode that could have racist undertones in it as well would be, She's All Yak. The episode where: Yona wanted to look good for the school dance, since she was going to go to it with a boy that she liked (, Sandbar). And goes to Rarity for assistance. Rarity who decided that, instead of having Yona embrace being a yak. She chose to try and make Yona more like a pony. Which just comes off as assimilation imo. But I digress. Yona went along with it because. Before the ending of the episode. She didn't know that Sandbar liked literally everything about her.
hey, been an mlp fan since season 1! all the ponies do technically have magic! without the magic, pegasus' can't fly. the earth ponies are implied to have super strength from the magic too, and unicorns use horn magic, kind of like a classic sorcerer with a wand. so they all have magic! its just not super apparent from just viewing one episode. edit: good on you for doing your worldbuilding research! i love this episode so much. imo big mac is genderfluid and just shy about it. edit: rarity (the element of generosity) DEFINITELY made all of orchard blossom's outfits and didnt charge her because she's a family friend and cares about them so much 💞
If Rarity had made the costume, it would be much more fabulous. More likely the outfit was something stored in the attic that used to belong to some distant cousin.
@@EmeralBookwise weird thing to argue about but ok. fictional baby show for babies. i was referring to the multiple outfits she has that are tailored to fit her. also how dare you she is absolute slaying 💅
@@2cat4life: Whether or not Orchard Blossom slays was never my point. My point was that her outfit doesn't really reflect any of Rarity's particular fashion sensibilities. Therse a distinct lack of accessorized flair and extravagance. We've seen Rarity make "sensible" dresses for AJ before, and even those are fancier than what Big Mac wears.
It would have been funny if it turns out no one was surprised about Big Mac being in a dress they were actually shocked by him talking way more than usual (because he seems to talk way more in drag. I can only assume it’s a confidence booster). That would relate to his character way more too which would also make it funnier.
1:37 actually, in the background of a lot of episodes, you get to see the relationship between Lyra and Bon Bon blossom! There’s a scene where they propose to eachother in the background, too. (I don’t remember which episode) It’s not, like, awesome, that their relationship is mostly relegated to the background, but they *are* background characters mostly so…
(I haven’t watched very far in to the video yet, but I’m preemptively bringing this up) Also, it’s never outright stated in the show, but Trixie was originally designed to be trans! All the other girl ponies in the show have two eye shines, while the boys have only one, and Trixie is fully presented as a girl yet only has one eye shine!
again, it’s never stated in the show, and a lot of people don’t actually know. The canonical nature of this fact depends on whether you view what the creator says about a character outside of what is shown as canon.
@@mx.magestyk: It not that Trixie was designed to be trans, rather that the script was originally written with the braggart pony being a stallion, but was later swapped out for a mare during production.
NO BUT SAME IN REVERSE, I only ever wanted to be called a brony instead of pegasister and also got WAY too attached to Rainbow Dash 😭 I did realise a few years later I’m trans, but at the time I used to draw RD more masculinely and hated the eps she wore a dress etc (cough self projection cough)
09:50 This is clever Lore properly applied. The "Epoch" of the whole series goes from the (magical equivalent) of the Industrial Revolution [flashacks of older characters] to the mid_1920's opulence (pre-Depression era); with the "bad ending timelines" dealing with World War 2.
I'd really like to see your take on Deep Space Nine, specifically comparing how they presented regular character Jadzia/Ezri Dax's experience with being multiple genders over multiple lifetimes with the absurdly problematic episode "Profit and Lace"
Seconding this both because it would be interesting and I want to watch it but also because imagining Profit and Lace being someone's first ever episode of ds9 is really wild. Like it's in the realm of being 99% incomprehensible
Oh god I just watched that one recently for the first time and it was ROUGH. We were kind of shocked at the fact that not only did they put Quark in a dress they fully on gave him hormones and private parts as well. On one hand it was amusing watching the role reversal make him less of an intolerant prick, but I'm still not okay with watching people be sexually harrassed, even if they sexually harass others too. Side note, this does however confirm that Star Trek has perfect, prompt, socially accepted, and available top/bottom surgury and hormone therapy capabilities which I'm going to be taking all the way to the head canon bank.
0:21 yes! 1. trixie! not *technically* cannon, but Trixie Lunamoon was originally a stallion in planning and it is very common to see her as trans because of that. 2. bon-bon and lyra! they are implied to be together, and in the background of an episode we actually see them proposing to eachother! its adorable 3. its implied that in the finale, rainbow dash and apple jack are together!
for what its worth, i greatly enjoyed your getting bogged down by the lore of my little pony on the side. For the record, Prance is a real place in mlp. EDIT: Cheers for using the Transgender Bronies group on fimfiction as an example, thats a real deep cut.
ok what's funny about someone reviewing an episode of mlp like this is they don't realize big mac being a drag queen is actually brought up quite a few times in the show
RE: Manehattan... look, it all makes more sense if you assume Equestria is in the same post-apocalyptic world as Adventure Time where echoes of the time before the Mushroom War still ripple through the new societies.
My main familiarity with this usage of "social" comes from the ideas of sock hops and ice cream socials in the 1950s. "creepy old register horse" is a phrase, considering sexual creeps get their names ADDED to a registry. If you want to observe a real transition, look at the shift with Caramel Apple's design over the seasons.
The real trans representation is when I couldn’t figure out whether Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack were male or female so I just went back and forth between the two when referring to them.
silly lily, they would encase whatever villain destroyed those buildings in manehatten in stone and then add it to celestia's statue garden! as they do with all the other villains!! :) THATS where the memorial is
Wait… what if the Statue of Liberty IS the villain that did it?! A giant colossal pony trapped in stone and left as a decoration over the city to celebrate the freedom from its evil reign, left there with the hopes that it’ll never awaken from its eternal slumber.
If anything, it seems like "What if the most masculine stallion tried to pretend to be a mare?" and they couldn't get that gym bro pegasus to do it. Although there are things that showed things that there was more to Big Mac than being a himbo like in "Lesson Zero" where he wanted the Smarty Pants doll even after the curse was removed. He also dreamed about being a magical alicorn princess in "Do Princesses Dream About Magic Sheep"
i think an added layer to the confusion everypony (YES im using that word in this comment idc) experiences upon seeing big mac in that outfit and acting like that is that a sense i think that we're meant to get about ponyville (the main town the show is set in) is that everypony knows everypony in that town. theres a lot of ponies there, but its still small. it mainly comes from the initial setting off point about twilight sparkle, the main-ish? character, having come from the capital (canterlot, as you say in the video) because she was the princess' student, and she was sent to ponyville on assignment to make friends (cause she was way too obsessed with studying lol), and literally the first interaction she has is with pinkie pie, who knows literally everypony in town, being like WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?? and honestly most ponies probably only know eachother because of ponies like pinkie pie who just know everypony as like some sort of life mission. its also a repeated theme that outsiders will come to the town and be focal points of episodes, like with zecora or the flim flam brothers or trixie (who i think also comes from canterlot?(trixie is also a trans icon character fr, and the trans-ness of her actually comes from the fact that she was originally meant to be a guy but was changed to a girl sometime in conception, and everyone latched onto that) also, that all aside, the apple family is literally the founding family of the town. theyre not even rich or anything, the town just built itself around their farm. at that point itd be weird if people didnt at least know _of_ the apple family, but they definitely know who they are in general. big mac is known for not talking much, and generally being quiet and mostly just doing the farmwork. him dressing up and talking a lot and acting so excited and open and stuff, its definitely a shock. (also unrelated but a note about big macs love of singing, he does actually ?later? (i forget the timeline) join a singing group as their low range lol) not that any of that context rids the episode of the transphobic vibes, its still an uncomfortable and strange episode in a show thats whole thing is understanding eachother and getting along regardless of who or what you are. i cannot concieve of what caused this episode to be a thing, and i constantly wish it was an idea in a different show that actually had the ability to openly acknowledge queer people, and in a way that is positive. being on The Childrens Network Made To Sell Toys kinda ruins most chances of a franchise being positively queer, or at least it used to be back when we were less marketable to the masses. i dont think the network this show originally aired on even exists anymore. also i love orchard blossom. trans queen
In the series finale, Lyra and BonBon got married. It was in the background where we see each other mutually propose. And the actual wedding is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it newspaper article. But its there and beautiful.
Only 10 minutes in but I had to say it. In the very first episode of mlp, we follow twilight sparkle going to live to the main town and she meets her new friends. For Apple Jack, we see her entire (I think) family who runs the apple production in their farm. They all have apple-themed names and apple-related beauty marks. The bit where everyone is presented and wants to make Twilight taste their different products is pretty short but really funny.
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i think it's interesting that big mac is known to say little more than 'no' and 'yes,' but as orchard blossom she is saying full sentences, and confidently.
It’s really cute and Orchard seems really happy ❤
voice disphoria?
@@galaxychill9578 He had a massive eff-up when he was younger and learned to listen more and speak less. That turned into pressure to be the strong silent supportive type. Orchard Blossom allowed him to come out of the pressure of that expectation. That's sort of why I headcanon him as being a gender-flexible or bigender drag queen rather than closeted trans (although I don't think that's the "right" interpretation, it's just the one that makes most sense to me).
There are multiple other points in the show in which his gender is addressed, and usually there's some sort of combination of his AGAB self and feminine elements - for example, the episode with Luna's Tantabus ("Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?") in which everyone is stuck in a dream world, and as soon as Mac finds out that everyone can be and do whatever they want, he becomes a princess that is otherwise himself, voice and all, but with wings, a horn, and magic. As a nonbinary person, I'm so glad the writers tried to revisit his gender expression so that it wasn't just a one-off tasteless joke.
she is soo so slaying
THIS!! the whole episode was iffy but you cannot deny orchard is happy and expressive compared to the shame mac felt that made him go near mute
‘Did they have nine eleven’ well there was an evil centaur who blew up a very important library that was kinda pony 9/11
That library was NOT two massive skyscrapers and Tirek is NOT as scary as terrorism.
@@thecumbucketofficialwdym tirek is scary as hell he sucked the energy out of everypony in Equestria!!!! also it's implied in the s5 finale that if he had won he would have just blew up the world in a mad trance
@@pinky_pepper are you as scared of him as bin laden?
@@thecumbucketofficial seeing as how bin laden is dead and (in equestria) tirek is alive (encased in stone but so was discord until three kids started arguing), yes. how afraid are YOU of bin laden
@@doctora.snakeman1427 how do you know bin laden is dead?
The real trans representation in my little pony is the fanfic I wrote at 14 where Scootaloo was nonbinary
😮Drop the link
Drop the name please
i feel so represented rn, ur doing the gods’ work
@@olioccasionallyanimates27 I'm gonna be so real with you I don't remember at all. I can assure you you're not missing out on anything worth reading though lmao
@@notjamin NOOOOOOOOO
It's important to mention Big Mac dream about becoming princess, a feminine role in MLP universe
Complete with magical girl transformation. Sometimes the subtext is just text.
My headcanon is that he is gender apathetic
@@gegelast ooooh, I found a label for myself
I used to go by agender but "gender apathetic" feels even better
call me a boy, call me a girl - idc, I'm just myselfie
to be fair, masculine and feminine roles are all societal bullshit, it's just stereotypes
it's like calling RD a trans man cos she's athletic and competitive, stereotypically masculine
let men be princesses, I even have a neologism in my native language that turns "princess" into a masculine form (and no, it's not "prince", it a male princess, it's really untranslatable) cos I caught very early on that it's not that there are just royalty children, either male (prince) or female (princess), but rather these two are completely different things culturally and one may want to be a female prince or a male princess (or just non-binary)
@@Anhonime That's awesome! I know that for me I used it as a stepping stone bc I used to have a lot of internalized transphobia, I'm bigender (girl nonbinary).
listening to someone trying to comprehend mlp for the first time is pretty funny
Right?! I've seen every episode 😅
Some stuff Lily's been saying I'm like 😅😅😅😅 Big Mac don't speak, yes ponies fuck, yes war and terrorism, Manehatten 😅
This is fun for me 😂❤
LITERALLY IVE WATCHED THIS SHOW TOO MUCH
Yeah lol
@@viewer6152 It's best.
ive had a fixation on this show since i was a child, its really funny that i just accept all of this stuff and someone like lily who clearly didnt grow up on it is like WHATS HAPPENING HERE?
Fun fact: Peter New (voice of Big Mac) has a trans sister, and he ran this episode by her before recording it! 🏳⚧
Ooo I didn't know that! I actually love that! I'm also glad to see so many fans in the comments adding context for Lily, I hope she either makes a responce video (edit: not in a bad way, just like a "thank you for adding context, here's what I still think and here's what I changed my mind on") or at least mentions in during her next vid
Oh?? (\*fiercely googling\*) I never knew that. That's so fucking cool.
Also hi Nanaki, didn't expect to see you in this thread xD
That’s so amazing!!!
@@ReneePrower Hello to you too! Have we met? o:
@Wolf_Nanaki Oh, I don't believe so. 😅 I just recognize you from the bird app. Your sona is pretty and you have one of those usernames that just stuck in my head.
There are more confirmed lesbians in MLP! :3 Lyra and BonBon are canonically married. And Rainbow Dash and AJ are very heavily implied to be a couple and living together in the very last episode.
And in my heart, Octavia and Vinyl more than friends
I have always found it quite funny that a) only lesbians allowed in mlp, gay men don't exist
and b) the entire show's run, people were shipping pinkie pie with rainbow dash and rarity with applejack (with reasonable subtext for both ships!), but instead of making either pairing canon, they just stuck the two gayest looking ponies together for the finale despite them not having ever had chemistry 😅
@@a-morgan-l applejack and rainbow dash had a lot of chemistry. i mainly remember shipping them because of the racing episode when i was like 7 (i had no idea lesbians even existed then)
Trixie and her communist girlfriend Starlight Glimmer.
@@a-morgan-lTo be fair there was an mlm couple in Equestria Girls, the spin-off series. But yeah I definitely with there were more queer male characters in the show.
As a trans guy, I really did like this episode. Big Mac has always wanted to be a princess and I’m glad he got to at least partially live some of that dream. I love him as a character.
The problem is that no one truly respects his dream. That's not a good thing. Trans people deserve to fully accomplish their dreams just like any cis person would.
@@20000dino I don't know what you're talking about? Princesses actually do something in the Pony universe, so wanting to be one of them isn't so much a "dream" as wanting to call Queen Elizabeth your grandma is.
Just because he's not cut out to be royalty, it doesn't mean people don't respect his desire to present as Mare. As someone else pointed out, it seems as though a lot of the consternation was because of how overzealous he was about wanting to win his sister's respect and admiration.
@@StoutShakobecoming a princess does seem to be possible, but only for rich unicorns, so it's less like being royalty and more like being president, only likely if you're already quite lucky
@@StoutShako "Just because he's not cut out to be royalty, it doesn't mean people don't respect his desire to present as Mare"
The other Ponies literally make fun of him multiple times throughout the episode for wanting to be a Princess. Also, as Lily herself covered~in her video, the stereotypical way Big Mac fails to accomplish this task was another pretty untasteful choice on part of the creators.
I seriously fail to understand this naive way y'all take media at face value. Most people grow to understand that these episodes don't exist in a vaccum - they were created and written by HUMANS and are, thus, worthy of criticism.
Big Mac wanting to be a princess is not the same as wanting to be a female.
A princess has power/responsibilities in that matriarchal world.
So does that mean all feminist are trans people because they want the same access to power/responsibility in this patriarchal world? I would have to logically say no because I've seen a few 'prominent' feminist argue against trans people trying to get into rest/locker rooms and also sports teams that're not of their own biological sex.
With that said I hope you're okay with the fact of life female human. It's okay to be what you're born as, which is a female human. You do not have to act/dress/behave like what is typical for a female human(outside of some reasonable societal norms like for example staying within your biologically sex divided rest/locker rooms and sports teams.) Just be yourself, and true to the actual truth.
I cannot fully understand what it's like to have a constant feeling of 'I'm something that I should not be,' so I can sympathize with your plight, and hope you find a solution that either gets rid of that feeling and/or allows you to live with it in a healthy manner. I would consider a healthy manner anyway that does not go against reasonable societal norms, and also does not bring you undo stress/fixation.
With that said I do have all the hate in the world for people who attack other peoples reasonable free speech. Reasonable being anything that's not a threat, lies, and/or call to action (specifically with promise of giving something in return. As I believe 'calls to action' are nothing more than a spoken hope and unless there's some reward the person following said 'hope' is doing it of their own will.)
Ok, so I've got a bit of a unique perspective on this episode, not just because I'm a transgender former MLP fan, but also because growing up, I was in Apple Bloom's situation. I was raised by a single mom and my elementary school had a "Me and My Guy Night" every year, and I didn't have a dad or a big brother or uncle to take me. And a couple years, my mom's best friend took me, and one year, her daughter did, dressing up as guys each time. My friends knew who they were for the most part, and I got similar reactions as the ponies (esp the CMC and the judges) gave. Tolerance and understanding about my situation, but definitely some jokes here and there. But mostly it was sweet that they wanted to support me. So this episode resonated pretty heavily with me.
I also always read the ponies (edit: and presumably the audience) finding it funny or weird less about being a stallion in a dress, and more about it specifically being Big Mac in a dress because it is SO out of character for him. Not even necessarily the dress thing, but the personality. He normally really does only say "eeyup" and that's about it. He has more lines in this episode than any other, I think. As for the ponies being weirded out by his voice when they presumably knew it was him, I didn't read it as everyone knowing it was Big Mac, but more that they just didn't know who this pony was, especially considering she stood out from everyone else in Ponyville, a community that is very tightly knit where everyone knows everyone. The Apples are known to have a large, extended family, but even for them, a very over-the-top Dolly Parton distant family member would still surprise everypony in Ponyville.
Was it a perfect episode for trans rep? Absolutely not lol, especially the relay race and the judges knowing. I don't think the sports thing was intentionally malicious by the writers and again more a commentary on Big Mac himself, but that doesn't change the harm that it does. But I do think it came across a litte differently as someone who watched the whole show and saw this episode in context.
Thank you for taking the time to explain. I'm still very interested in an outside perspective from Lily on the episode but there's definitely some world & character building that isn't intuitive if you're just jumping in the middle.
And the fact that some silly things are in the show..on purpose, just for the sake of being silly(see pinkie pies entire personality 🤭) Manehattan and canterlot are just the tip of the iceberg.
@@InThisEssayIWill... Agreed but also now I'm thinking a lot abot the implications of Equestrian September attacks on Manehatten---
My thoughts exactly
@@InThisEssayIWill... Won't lie, when you said "Lily", I thought you were talking about Lily Orchard and not Lily Simpson and went "Wait, why would you take MLP analysis from her?"
@@whichcache2517 I don't know who that is, but given your tone.. I'm glad, I guess? 😅💚
The 3 minute tangent about the existence of Manehattan and all of the confusing implications is honestly exactly how the community got so massive... Like if you had ever gone to an MLP convention, you will always find at least one panel where someone with ADHD spends hours trying way too hard to make sense out of the world or magic system... I learned about 4 dimensional travel within a tesseract/hypercube in a panel discussing the Sonic Rainboom and the implications that Rainbow Dash somehow breaking the light barrier... I'm not kidding. We were nerds with too much time on our hands, and the inability to let things go. Do not go down the rabbit hole, you will never find your way back...
the mlp hyperfix is stonge.
Reminds me of that video calculating Rainbow Dash's speed by measuring the angle of her mach cone.
more like someone with autism. We're mostly autistic lol
@@kokepasu4583 i can speak from experience as also autism.
@@kokepasu4583 There's a pretty big overlap between those two categories, if I remember?
the real trans representation in MLP is the fact that as a kid i thought RainbowDash was a boy who just used she/her pronouns
and i wanted to be her so so bad
That's like when I mentioned to my sib I'd first assumed the main character of Undertale was a boy. She, assuming Frisk was a girl, said "But she can equip a tutu???" I just thought they were just that kind of boy lol
Yessss
It took me forever to realize Rainbow Dash was a girl
I grew up thinking big bird was a girl, for some reason. So all this tracks.
As a kid my mom read the lord of the rings to me as a bedtime story and I assumed merry (or Mary as I heard it) was a girl hobbit and everyone was just super chill about it and she was just a badass beer drinking butch babe. Was kinda disappointed that she turned out to be a guy but I can have my headcanon
Big Mac as a closeted Trans mare is a somewhat common headcanon in some circles of the fandom exactly because of what you said in 30:00, and a couple of moments where Big Mac is dreaming of being a Princess, and Trixie as Trans is even more common :p
Imagine Trixie talks to Big Mac about being trans and Big Mac is just like "Oh..." When Big Mac realizes "I'm trans..."
I literally only know this video, but also apparently becomes talkative when dressed up, instead of mostly silent... nooo nooo that isn't a sign either.
They literally gave Big Mac a magical girl transformation into an alicorn princes: ruclips.net/video/OVfgBQZNXsQ/видео.html
I don't know horse related words does Mare mean male or female generally?
@@madeline569 female
I think Faust was referring to Trixie, because she was shown to be originally a stallion in concept art. However, that was never touched on in the show.
She's also the only mare with 1 shine in her eye, which stallions typically have.
@@plushylycheeI suppose it may be a carry over from their OG design
Trixie?
@@twiggledowntown3564 Yep, the Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon
people have also compared trixie's voice to that of trans women's voices going through voice training
I'd like to mention the zine that a user by the name punkitt made called "An Apple in the Orchard" where Applejack finds out that Big Mac is transfem, but is supportive of what she wants. It's really beautiful and I highly recommend giving a read.
Was just checking the comments to make this exact observation before even watching the video, Punkitt's trans comics give me life
Thanks for the recommendation, it was so wholesome :)
Yoo that was made by Punkitt??
That little comic is so nice.
i'm sorry but "Ponies don't get old and there are no men-ponies and they just magic more ponies into existance" are some insane base-level assumptions to make lmao
This was how the previous series of my little pony went tho
@neverendinglute3125 There were male ponies in the previous generations tho
@@RadiantBlazeVA I’m pretty sure there were no males in G3 but there were old ponies in at least one of the movies/specials
G1 had boy ponies iirc but they were not common and I don’t know about old ponies but there were baby ponies which implies aging
Also my little pony tales had all ages and male and female ponies
(Correct me if any of this is wrong I haven’t seen all the old series so this is from what I remember and have heard)
G1 MLP actually did magic in baby ponies, the magic mirror creates a baby copy of the pony who uses it basically. There’s also other babies that exist that aren’t explicitly from the mirror tho, the lore is fast and loose. The comics and toys also have different lore from the show. There are only a few male ponies, the most notable being the big brother ponies and KnightShade. Who both only appeared within their respective episodes arc.
I mean, that was true in G2 through G3.5. They had no stallions and didn't have old ponies.
G1 and G1.5 did have stallions, but they still didn't have old ponies.
There's also Lyra and Bonbon who LITERALLY PROPOSED to each other in the Valentine's Episode with Big Mac and his GF/Fiancé (I think Big Mac and her proposed to each other in the same episode) Also pretty sure her name was Sugar something I don't remember.
Edit: My autistic special interest brain that loves LOVES MLP is struggling rn. Ass stamps 😭
Same
Sugar Bell. And maybe he did propose to her in that episode, but regardless they do get married (as shown in the last episode)
Also high-key thinking the old man is Bi or something
Thing is Lyra and BonBon started out as a fan pairing that got elevated to canon, so the show can't really be given full credit for that bit of inclusivity.
@@EmeralBookwise I'm just surprised those two weren't mentioned as canon in the video TBH, the Aunts were the only ones mentioned
as a pegasister I would like to point out Big Mac is insanely strong, like he isn't a normal station, he is like on the top 0.01% of the strength scale... and for the dress... rarity could have made it overnight for all we know, including the wig :P.
let's be real, Rarity would absolutely do this without question. I can even imagine Big Mac asking her for something casual and her being like NOPE.
@@kat_the_lad9156 I can already hear her. "But darling, it's a special occasion! You deserve to look fabulous!"
Rarity is an ally 100 percent bro
@@mierenierez and is the element of generosity after all.
@@LillyP-xs5qeI love the interpretation of generosity as “I’m to proud of my work to allow you to accept anything less than all out.”
The magic ass-tattoo-signal is quite weird when out of context :p
You forgot it’s a “magic ass tattoo signal that glows when you come” as Lily put it
Fun fact! Trixie can be interpreted as a trans pony based on 4 things:
1 she was supposed to be a stallion in the original design
2 lauren faust heavily alluded to her being trans
3 her eyes have one less shine than mares, which is a thing only in stallions
4 her color scheme
What about her color scheme?
2) isn't something you can throw out there without elaborating lol wdym heavily alluded
@@rosarollishe's light blue with pink (more like light purple) eyes and accessories, which is kinda like a trans flag but you'd have to squint really hard
how did lauren faust heavily allude? /gen
Her eye shine also changes to match female ponies over time.
51:30 imo the good thing about Lauren tweeting that, was how easily it shut down arguments against looking for trans rep in mlp. When I was in brony spaces I saw that tweet from Lauren used multiple times in response to "you people are perverted for headcanoning kids' show characters as trans" type bs, because like- hey friend, the show creator said one of the characters is trans, so we're not doing anything weird even in the eyes of the creators of the kids' show.
Definitely was a low effort performative ally move on Lauren's part, but was helpful during late 2000s / early 2010s online discourse about whether trans folk were allowed to exist in kid's tv.
What did the tweet say??
Lyra and Bon Bon are canonically in a relationship, so there's that
Ascended fanon, not an idea that actually originated in the show. Still, good on the show for embracing it all the same.
@@EmeralBookwisethey are shown.. dating? anr marrying?
@@palemeadowsthey’re shown proposing to eachother in the background and a later episode has a magazine that confirms their marriage 🥰
You know, Not to diminish any of the serious talk but my favorite part of this video was just seeing someone mostly unfamiliar with MLP try to grapple with the lore jumping into a mid-series episode lol, like, Especially when you start theory crafting and questioning why certain things are the way they are, like, I've spent far far too many hours of my life reading MLP fanfiction and there are so many answers people have come up with to these things that are varying levels of contrived.
Oh, I feel like being a minor lore nerd, Earth ponies and pegasi having passive magic is not only a word of God thing, But also a very explicit element during certain points in the series (there are a few villains that drain magic and it has a visible effect on both other species)
Pegasi do have at least one very explicitly magical quality, the ability to walk on clouds.
But there's also lore points that go against it. Cozy's spell being broken showed 3 of the mane 6 get a magic orb. Rarity, twilight, and pinkie. None of the other 3
Small thing, but "burst your balloon" is a common phrase for being disappointed. It doesn't answer when old man pony thinks happened to Orchard Blossom, but it explains the visual gag with the actual balloon popping
I've never heard someone say "burst your balloon." Around here it's always "burst your bubble"
@@brookejon3695same but I think it’s just similar
Big Mac also really wants to be a princess. First thing he did when he realized he could control his dreams was turn himself into one. IDK if that's a trans allegory by itself, but I also don't know if pony royalty (wings and horns, not by blood or title) can only be girls.
What's more, IDK if Shining Armor marrying into royalty means he's closer to getting a set of wings or if it's just a title. Probably the latter but the former is kind of silly.
If it’s to be a princess being a mare, then it’s maybe trans. Yeah.
I don’t think Alicorns *have* to be girls, but I *do* think that Big Mac wants to be a princess specifically, instead of a prince
@@viewer6152Not to mention that only the villains went by “King” and “Queen” (i.e. Sombra and Chrysalis).
There've been subtle aspects of Big Mac going at least as far back as the early in second season when Twilight "accidentally" brainwashed a crowd of ponies into obsessing over a doll. When the spell was broken nearly everybody wondered off, everyone except Big Mac, who since no one else wanted it anymore, still took the doll for himself.
I don't really read Big Mac as explicitly trans, but I do read him as someone who because of his size and strength is expected by others to be an exemplar of "masculinity" and he tries to play that part, but secretly he has a love of "feminine" thing that he's embarrassed to admit to. The point of his character isn't to question gender identity, but rather to question gender norms and the notion society arbitrarily labels certain kinds of toys and clothes as only being for boys or girls.
I mean, we have yet to see a male alicorn, so I feel like "Alicorn" implies "female."
TV writers don’t fuck up a trans story challenge (impossible)
King of the Hill and (ironically) It’s Always Sunny surprisingly didn’t do terrible
@@sillygo0oserking of the hill? That's.... a bit surprising considering its location but okay I'll take your word for it
The golden girls trans episode was also surprisingly affirming.
@@HyperpopDiamond Two and a Half Men also did a surprisingly decent job for the show's general content and its time.
@@HyperpopDiamondLily made a whole video analyzing it, I watched it and it’s done pretty well (the rep) imo
Hearing Granny Smith called "the old lady pony" physically pains the part of me that's still a little girl
Edit: Nevermind, it's the whole video
Real
real
Real
Real
Real :3
3:58
People do often mistake "pony" to refer to young horses, but it's actually a specific type of horse
But *this is not the trans episode* though?
In my opinion, “the trans episode” would be S02E21 “Dragon Quest”, where *Spike has trouble dealing with **_strongly male-coded_** dragonhood, and concludes he is a Pony.*
(And apparently, there is a children book where his body gets turned into a pony's one, but he ends up going back.)
Ah but you see, sequel videos
@@LilySimpson👀
Ahh yes, make a franchise and capitalise as much as possible. Smart thinking! @LilySimpson
24:45 Rainbow Dash & Scootaloo are not sisters (neither of them has siblings, nor are they related by blood at all); so here "Orchard Blossom" is hinting to the fact that (perhaps) they "should not" even be registered in the competition in the first place.
. BigMac knows this, but a "long lost cousin" of Applebloom should not [there are multiple layers of _"I know that you know we know"_ ].
-> It is a subtle warning, with an implied "mutually assured destruction" IF Dash keeps digging about Orchard's identity.
Just saying, I would absolutely watch ten hours of Lily attempting to reconsile and analyze the details of MLP worldbuilding
Unironically yes, I’d love that. Going off of how she talked about it in this video, I feel like she’d point out one thing I noticed in the show which is the implications of Discord being called a draconequus. It’s not the name itself that I take note of, it’s the fact his species has a name at all that implies that he is a species and that there’s others of his kind. He’s basically a god and it’d make total sense if he was a one of a kind creature which would just be referred to by his name, Discord, but they specifically say he’s a draconequus. Are there others running around? Are they near extinct and he’s the last of his kind? I think there’s some answers in the comics but I haven’t read them so idk, I’m just left with the mystery of why Discord has a species name.
I'd love if the vid just gradually gets more unhinged
I love everything about this video but the "cat alert" absolutely sent me
Same, I loved that
Lily is just giving us what we want: tons of getting side tracked over the minutiae of how the fantasy children's property works
Those bits had me cackling 😂
I had to take a moment to rant at my sister about everything that doesn't make sense about MLP before I could finish watching this. Tell me, *Faust,* is Las Pegasus full of gambling and prostitution? Why is it called the Crystal Empire? Because it violently subjugated multiple groups of ponies to incorporate them under one all powerful leader (Princess Amore, not Cadence)? Did the settlers of Appleloosia enslave the buffalo? I need answers!
@@theflyingspaget I mean the Crystal Empire used to be ruled by King Sombra, who was essentially a pony dictator that enslaved the Crystal Ponies. They don't dance around it either, we're talking ponies in chain gangs. I assume the violent subjugation of the other surrounding territories wasn't out of the question. However, it is odd that it was called an *empire* BEFORE Sombra came into power. So maybe it was a, "Oh I wouldn't say freed, more like under new management" situation for the crystal ponies when Sombra took power from Amore. The history of the Crystal Empire is a bloody and violent one.
The message I got was that the ponies were in the know from the start, but they were really confused why Big Mac would wear a fancy dress to a competitive event, then when he hit that low note they were unhappy because he was really off-key, and finally they were all pissed off after the race because he destroyed a bunch of things, injured 2 ponies, and ruined the fun for everyone else there because he wanted to win so badly. Like having fun and bonding is the only way to really win, and they were mad he forgot that. But then again I have never been good at any solid concept of gender.
I always felt like that was the general message of the episode. No one really cared that it was Big Mac in drag, (in fact he could have competed openly as Big Mac without any issue since Sisterhood is more about having a close supportive bond than actual blood relationships) people had an issue with him being way too competitive and injuring others. He was ruining everyone else's fun by being rude. I do wish we would have seen more of Mac as Orchard Blossom in the background of episodes after this, would have been a fun dynamic.
I was gonna say the same thing.
@@declanmckenna6854 You don't have to feel like that's the case, that's literally what the judges say. Big Mac's "costume" falls off and Apple Bloom is worried that they're going to get disqualified because Big Mac is not a mare. The judges then say that they are disqualified, not because Big Mac isn't a mare since sisterhood has always been defined very broadly at the social, but because Big Mac broke like a dozen rules.
I feel like the trans sports allegory doesn't really apply here if you are familiar with the series. Big Mac was going to win that race, not because he's a "biologically stronger male", but because he's a hardworking farmer who rams trees daily. AppleJack probably would've also won by a landslide since she does similar work on top of being a competitive workaholic. Not to mention this was a casual race, there's a good chance that there weren't any dedicated athletes in the running. That isn't going to stop more malicious people from taking scenes out of context to prove a point, but for this episode they'll really only be grasping at straws since it completely makes sense contextually.
Even in horses 88% races are won by males. And horses have much fewer physical sex differences than humans do.
@@wiktoriafrompoland2453 I'm sorry, I'm not sure where you're getting that figure from? From what I'm seeing, a few sources say that the win ratio between the sexes is around 65%. That's still a pretty big number though and I could've missed something, but these statistics still don't apply to this for-fun race in a bubblegum pony show made up of 2/3rds unicorn and pegasi lol
I'm only trying to say that there is no real world connection to be had here in that regard
exactly!
I'd consider Rainbow Dash an Athlete as speed is her whole thing, but I can't remember well enough if that *only* meant flying. Though I think it makes more sense that she got knocked out of the way instead of actually losing.
@@NikkiBudders Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were actually pretty far ahead and were gonna take the win. The only reason Big Mac won against her was because he pretty much broke the rules, literally carried Applebloom, and ignored every obstacle (plus yeah no flying).
I feel like Lily in this review didn’t take the right lore into account. Big Mac is very well known by the town and very well known for saying few words and for being subtle (and humble) with his actions even when he puts himself in the spotlight (such as when choir singing). Of course the town is confused about seeing a well known community-figure person like that suddenly acting and appearing the opposite of how he’s acted and looked for many years, and that he’s being that different at a big public annual event no less. And probably making it even weird to the onlookers is that he, know for honesty just like his famously honest oldest sister, is him clearly lying about his name and family relation and other life details and taking these claims and the act so seriously. He hadn’t publicly (or privately) ever expressed wanting to be anything other than his usual self before now or ever expressed wanting to try a more considered-feminine appearance or ever expressed wanting to participate in any way in the Sisterhood Social, so the onlooking towns people and his younger sister are very uncertain about how to properly recognize what’s going on and about how to address what’s going on-until near the episode’s end when Big Mac is more honest and explicit about his motivations.
Also, more lore not taken into account: Ponyville is the most diverse community in Equestria and has for decades (and especially in the recent generation) headed the efforts to support diversity, inclusivity, and harmonious living throughout the Equestria region. The town and its people are not as identical to small southern white town, USA, as Lily seems to assume in this review. At this point in the series, the Ponyville people are sometimes weary about the unexpected but not intolerant or unfriendly unless greeted by unfriendliness or unless their livelihoods, homes, or mortal lives seem endangered or unless a villain has embedded mistrust among the community.
I mean that’s not really true, I guess in the later seasons Ponyville becomes more and more accepting but background ponies are ALWAYS less accepting than the main characters (which makes it like a majority of the town) and remember when they all hid because of Zecora literally just visiting? Yeah Ponyville was NOT very accepting of people being different early on lol. Other types of beings only started being accepted into town in the much later seasons, and I don’t think this episode is quite there yet. Aside from pony racism and instead talking about gay/trans acceptance, I guess Lyra and BonBon got married so Ponyville is at least decently okay with gay ppl lol. I definitely like to think in the later seasons everyone is accepting as that’s a big theme but like have you SEEN the background ponies in the show I would NOT be surprised if they were transphobic at some point 😭
@@poppyseed799 Compared to the intolerance and lack of diversity elsewhere in Equestria, including its capital, Ponyville was way less isolationist as far as us the audience was shown. Unlike this episode, the episode that introduced Zecora was one of the first episodes, took place before the town had made leaps more progress regarding not judging someone based on appearance, rumors, unfamiliar behavior, and where they lived. A big reason why Zecora got any initial bad reception from the town was because of her connecting herself to Everfree Forest, a place that is very wild, that has bad history and legends, has lots of passive and seeking threats, and that was at-the-time so unexplored by those living now that Everfree’s mysteries made it even more dangerous and worrisome. They feared Zecora might have been so at home in Everfree due to herself being another danger, another malevolence attracted to chaos who might use those wilds to cause chaos or torment outside of the forest.
Another key difference between the level of acceptance at play in this mlp show are in-group (the familiars) vs out-group (the strangers) dynamics. Big Mac is already part of the town’s in-group due to living in the town all his life and socializing so much and so good with everyone there: he has prior good standing with everyone. Characters such as Zecora, the other creatures, even the unnightmared Luna supported Equestria’s beloved monarch Celestia, all started in the out-group. A person already part of the in-group are more likely to receive both more benefits of the doubt and a more fair willingness to be understood by the community than a person/group who seem like out-of-the-ordinary, unusual outsiders or newbies. Especially hard for an outsider or newbie to get good standing with a community if the outsider/newbie isn’t good at charming those of the in-group upon first impression. Another difference between Big Mac and the character’s who were “different,” he certainly wasn’t a creature naturally able to drain a person’s love or energy or that had fantastical manipulation powers or skills. To the townspeople in Brotherhood Social, he was just the local upstanding farm boy seemingly putting on an act for some probably unproblematic reason…probably. To the townspeople, an unfamiliar non-pony or unfamiliar strong magic user had like an equal chance of being either a possible friend, a harmless neutral, or a town-threatening problem causer.
okay but that can easily be disproven. they specifically were weirded out, confused and disgusted when he sang the low note with the show making very clear he has an adam's apple. if it was about him acting out of character, the ponies would have been shocked by seeing him during the entire sequence before that? the intent is clearly a transmisogynistic joke and i don't see the point in trying to deny that
@@buchelaruzit A counter to your disproving. When he as Orchard Blossom sung using a bass tone, Apple Bloom herself was the first to act like that tone was a mistake. Her acting like that re-enforced the townspeople’s uncertainty about what was generally going on with Orchard-Blossom/Big-Mac, with Apple siblings, about how they the townspeople should respond, about if everything was okay. Then, again, Apple Bloom further treated the incident like a mistake had happened by publicly questioning the incident with a concerned tone and Orchard Blossom played along with something wrong having happened; although, Orchard Blossom framed what happen as a no-big-deal type of error. Those treatments again re-enforced the townspeople’s uncertainties. Apple Bloom questioning Orchard Blossom character/behavior publicly while both of them we’re still on stage not so subtly gave the townspeople another clue about whatever is going on regarding Big Mac / Apple Bloom’s partner: it clued them in that something potentially worrisome for Apple Bloom was happening if not also something worrisome for her event partner or for other people. If Apple Bloom had not acknowledged the bass tone like she did, less concern would have been seeded in the community if any was seeded by the act at all prior to the sibling’s something-wrong-happened treatments. All that uncertainty and the gradually increasing clues that something might be wrong naturally makes people act uncomfortable…because the uncertainty and implications are themselves uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable doesn’t equal being disgusting just as being angry doesn’t equal being disgusted: they correlate with disgust but aren’t necessarily results of disgust or causes.
When my last comments mentioned choir singing, I was referring to when Big Mac as Big Mac would preform with other townspeople during celebrations and as a member of The Pony Tones singing group and (I guess could include) when he felt happy enough while working to hum/sing. Everyone familiar with Big Mac knew that Orchard Blossom was him if children could see through the costume and claims. If town as a whole were really disgusted with him being Orchard Blossom, with him trying to claim himself as a mare, they probably would have acted more clearly disgusted, less so confused, before Orchard Blossom’s instinctually used bass tone because that what the disgust of real life bigots is like. The disgust of real life bigots typically displays itself immediately, with little to no trigger from what they’re bigoted against, and with little ambiguity.
The townspeople didn’t even act off-put: they didn’t try to delay whatever was happening or what could happen, didn’t try to repel or stop what was happening except when they had questions and except after Orchard Blossom caused physical damage while forgetting the true purpose of the social. The people were a mix of rolling with it, confused, and not enough in the know to be confused. If any bigots were there, they were very out numbered and not letting their feelings be well known.
We should all call out that I named this episode wrong-Brotherhooves not Brotherhood.
@@AlwaysAmSamI think you're misunderstanding the person's comment as addressing about the individual characters/town in the show and not the people behind the show.
this was an obvious transphobic 'joke' made by the directors of the show or the very least, the people behind this episode. no matter how 'accepting' the town is framed to be in the show, doesn't change the fact that this show was used as a vehicle of queer/transphobia.
No but the thing you said about thinking all ponies are girls and create childrent through magic is TRUE FOR GENERATION 3.
Right? There's no explanation for how children are made (as far as I'm aware) so the conclusion Lily came to only makes sense.
it was also true for the g1 comics, the ponies wanted children so majesty got them a magic mirror that made tiny copies of themselves LOL
i KNEW it was gonna be the big mac episode! i felt odd about this episode when it came out.
there was a youtube channel back in the day that would post the episodes when they came out, with a chat that live reacted to the episode (and commercials) when they came out. the chat for that episode was transphobic and was very upsetting for closeted me. 💀
Bronies try not to be bigoted in public internet spaces where mlp’s target audience can see it challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)
@@UncleSamsoniteLover69: Any sufficiently large community will always have bad actors, doesn't mean we're all like that, but the apparent lack of considerate moderation in whatever chat OP was part of is still shameful.
@@EmeralBookwise Yeah any large community has tha tissue but the brony core had quite the mean demographic. Pegasisters wouldn't have been coined if not imo
@@crazydragy4233 : I wouldn't be so sure about that. While I'm sure that there were at least some pegasisters who felt a need to coin their own term because of misogynistic rejection from the boys club, I also know there were others that just wanted it as a separate term so no one would mistake them for as male in online circles.
Conversely there were fem-fans find the term pegasister demeaning, as if it insinuated they couldn't be fans in the exact same way as any man.
Still others are entirely indifferent and just use the terms interchangeably.
Like a lot of gendered terminology, its existence is more a reflection of broader societal prejudices, than it is of any fandom specific biases.
@EmeralBookwise What got to me was the group of people that were calling black fans zebros for awhile. Garuntee you that was a 4chan concept that filtered into the Fandom proper
Your little "I thought they made babies with magic" is cute because a lot of fans including myself have this headcanon called Spellborns, children born of magic. Sometimes a spell, sometimes a potion, just depends on who you ask!
26:45 Ponyville is a (typical, normal) nudist town.
Most ponies only wear "accesories" (hats, bows, scarfs, monocles, etc).
-> The use of any clothes is "optional", so he is like a full scuba diver here.
as someone who Too Deep Into The Horse Lore back in the day, watching lily get increasingly more baffled by the worldbuilding was amazingly funny
One thing i like about this episode that I'm shocked you left out is rainbow dashes "we won't go easy on you just because you're a stallion" line. It implies in this universe, mares are thought of as more capable than stallions. Therefore it kinda turns the trans women in womens sports metaphor on its head. Big mac had to brute force the race cuz the mares are the ones with the biological advantage lol.
Mare-triarchal society
this tracks considering the only alicorns and rulers of Equestria we ever see are all mares
Lily's level of enthusiasm for Orchard Blossom added 5 years to my lifespan
Oh theirs also an entire country in mlp FIM called Saddle Arabia. You only hear about it once and see the horses from that land once while celesta is talking to em. we also have pony Las Vegas called viva las pegasus. It’s great. Oh and at the very end of the series it’s insinuated that Apple Jack and rainbowdash end up together. Oh and pinkie pie and werid ALs ponysona have a baby….named lil cheese.
Also, France is canon. Yes, France exists. Not Prance. France.
Japan is like a thing, too, there but I don't know if they ever mentioned the name of what that place is called. The unicorns had long slightly-curved horns there.
There was also Fillydelphia.
There's an episode in season 8 of MLP, _Road To Friendship,_ that has two characters, hella-trans Trixie and her assistant-slash-objectively-best-pony Starlight, headed for Saddle Arabia to perform their magic show (I suppose MBS came early in this universe to allow these girlfriends in). The one and only thing that disappoints me about this episode is that they never made it there, because of road trip quarrels and Starlight being a right fool around the climax of the story. And that's sad to me, cos I really want to see Equestrian Mecca.
I appreciate you trying to take this show seriously as a non-fan, but I do feel there is important context for this episode in particular. This season of MLP was just after the show started diving really deep into fanservice (of the wholesome variety.) Big Mac isn't just a one-off trans/gnc character created for the sake of a morality tale like in other shows. He was often the butt of jokes about him enjoying non-manly things, like snuggling plushies or dreaming of being a princess, because it contrasted his hypermasculine persona. This episode was moreso a long-awaited display of Big Mac's healthy relationship with masculinity to make up for poorly-aged jokes than it ever was a broader (trans)gender commentary.
Exactly, a repeated point the show tried to make, was that it's okay for boys to like "girly" things. Doesn't necessary excuse the lazy use of triphonic tropes used in this episode, but there likely was no malicious intent, but rather just something they accidentally stumbled into while trying to deliver a different moral.
exactly!!!! you get it, 100%
29:37 I’d like to think rarity custom made them for him, either earlier in the series or specifically for this episode
I feel like Rarity would be an absolute ally, though maybe more for the ability to dress up someone who she previously thought wouldn't go along with it, rather than caring about gender presentation lol
besides scootaloo's aunts who you mentioned there's a second lesbian couple in mlp. Lyra Heartstrings and Bonbon. They started as a fandom joke ship because they were two generic background ponies that almost always wound up standing next to each other in crowds. Eventually the showmakers caught on and started putting more and more Lyrabon in the background. If you pay close enough attention there's a scene in season 9 episode 23 where they propose to each other in the background, and a newspaper in the series finale shows they get married offscreen.
The puns in the names of Equestrian cities are quite silly, and it's geographical worldbuilding doesn't take itself quite too seriously lol
Thankfully, or else we'd have to assume that Appleloosa was taken from native- oh *no*
It always puzzled me how fans seemed to take everything way more seriously than it was meant to be
@@Rainbow_Sish_Kabob At least for me, 'tis fun to speculate about different aspects of the show to try and get a cohesive narrative of the world of Equestria, even if they were never meant to be particularly cohesive; but your mileage may vary :3
@@RyebuckCoppercapit's very fun and silly to see fan works get serious abt the world building, like you'll be reading a really dark fic and then they casually describe the geography of "Caneighdia" lmao
Waiting for a mention on the one episode where the ponies are in a dream and Big Mac transforms into an alicorn princess because it’s his dream (if anyone remembers better lmk)
I loved that part of the episode
Yes, I remember this quite well. Very nice episode
Would love to see an occasional dip into anime with stuff like "the trans zombie land saga episode"
Project A-Ko has a very obvious trans character and I always appreciated that no one, as far as I could tell, thinks anything of it...given she's portrayed as built like a club bouncer.
Ooo that'd be perfect, they even share a name!!
lily hoshikawa my beloved
@@TurbopropPuppy probably the single best handled trans girl in all of anime
finally... a good trans episode
As a trans woman who was super into MLP growing up, this episode never crossed my radar as invoking any sort of trans feelings. However, the show as a whole did allow me to be more open with my femininity, because of it's weird status as the "show for little girls that adult men watch". I definitely used "being a brony" as a substitute for my feelings of "being trans" between the ages of 10-14.
That sounds about right
29:49 My money is on the canon suggesting that he found them in the attic. However, seeing as he has dreams of being an alicorn, of which there are only mares? I headcanon he's a trans mare.
Also, there's a couple of sequel fanfics that deal with the ramifications that I think are worth looking at:
* "Would It Matter If I Was Trans?" where Mac -calls out- admonishes(?) AB for her behavior and comments
* Can't recall the name, but it's the judge stallion telling Mac he likes him as OB and that it's okay.
* Also can't recall the name, but one in which AJ confronts Mac on *suddenly becoming vocal and confident* as a mare/drag princess.
The last one you mentioned I think was one made by Punkitt
I mean calls out is kinda a weird way to put it considering she's like 9 and Big Mac is a full grown adult
I kinda head canon Big Mac as NB or Bigender. Like, even when he's a princess he's still pretty much just himself, just with a crown, fancy shoes and some extra body parts.
@@Quackervoltz Admonishes?? IDK
@@Quackervoltz People call out kids for bad behaviour all the time. Typically people do this when the kid is mimicing another's behaviour to correct it quickly enough.
the canonically trans pony is Trixie Lulamoon. Most (cis)mares have two eye sparkles on each eye, she has one, like the (cis)stallions.
which is awesome, I loved this episode anyways, helped one of my irl friends along with self accepting herself as a gal and not a dude
that's very far from canon 😭
Lauren Faust said so and the design traits are there, remember, these are cartoon horses they won't have "nubs" betwixt their back legs to indicate@@colorbar.sand we HAVE seen Stallions with a mare shaped head and more spindly bodies before
thank you for the cat alert... when ppl keep their cat in the video and don't edit them out it brings me great joy
I'm mad Lily didn't show up the cat though ;-;
This is going to take me ages to get through because I tend to get anxious whenever I watch a video like this on one of my special interests, but I just wanted to comment to say that the horrified realization that the ponies can reproduce happening _before_ any of the actual child characters were shown is hilarious to me. It's a 10/10 for Lily's reaction to Granny Smith existing alone!
ayyy i have an mlp special interest too !!! i also get nervous watching these videos, for some reason, so i havent started it yet :,p
I’m a trans dude and when I was little I always looked up to Big Mac and thought he was super cool. I wanted to be like him but I didn’t know why until I was older. On tumblr I’ve seen a ton of fanart portraying Big Mac as a trans woman and it was sweet and nice to me because by that point I knew I was a man. It’s just kinda comforting seeing a character I wanted to be like go through a similar experience to me even if it’s kinda opposite. Actually that fanart is one of the reasons I have started rewatching the show!
He was also my favorite character back then ! Maybe for the same reasons 😂
29:12 My headcanon is that Rarity made those for Big Mac
@41:53 Actually this could be connected toThe weird part of equestrian culture. Even though it socially acceptable to go around naked all the time It is considered embarrassing or have moved to be unaddressed in public or be seen naked when you're not expecting it. There are several episodes where Rarity covers up after losing her dress for example in one episode that implies Fluttershy somehow sleeps different naked rather than normal naked.
Rarity being appalled at the idea of letting Spike into the room while the girls are getting dressed only for Applejack to pragmatically point out they usually don't wear clothes in the first place. There do seem to be different cultural attitudes regarding clothes in fancy cities like Canterlot (that Rarity aspires to be part of) vs simple farming villages like Ponyville.
The thing about the handles on the boxes. I like to think they manufacture those taking in mind that there are griffins and other species that can grip stuff. So it's like, something that can be used by everyone?
Pegasi can also sometimes be seen using their wings as prehensile appendages, and ponies of all types will occasionally use their mouths to grip objects. Hooves in Equestria also seem surprisingly flexible at times.
I always just write it off as a lack of world-building depth so it doesn't confuse the younger children watching. Ultimately applying too much realism and grounding to this world will drive a person mad though XD
i cant belive you didnt mention trixie lulamoon
💔
She didn’t mention Trixie Lulamoon 😔
Username checks out lol
Honestly, Trixie is one of the best characters and was supposed to be trans
Hi mine looked like I was correcting you but no that was a typo very sorry
There’s actually a canon trans character in MLP, she’s a background character since early in the show, and actually appears in this episode as you can see in 26:18 the yellowish one with brown hair and the blue horse shoe cutie mark. Through out the whole series her body transformed from how Big Mac looks, to what you see in that episode, and finally a female horse, and also throughout the series she looks from very sad to neutral to very happy, and honestly I’m so happy for her.
If you dont believe me simply googling MLP trans character, or even watching the whole show and watching out for her is your evidence right there
Dead name is Caramel her name is Toffee!
Honestly, as a general thought on the inclusiveness of MLP, I feel that it's coming from a white cis perspective of inclusiveness, with the same kind of awkwardness of someone that does not fully understand the implications of what they said while trying to be supportive can give out.
It has like the vibe of the writers knowing that racism and transphobia are bad, but not having an insider's perspective makes them come as insensitive without really _meaning_ to, y'know?
Still, for all it's flaws I love the show, and it shaped a lot of whom I was when I was a kid, so it holds a very special place in my heart :3
Yeah the episode that introduced Zecora is very unpleasant to watch as an adult. It was very clearly written from a sympathetic white perspective seemingly without any help from black writers. And the pile of stereotypes that make up Zecora herself leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
@@moss725 The episode with the bison and Braeburn too. Like, I see how they might _think_ that they were being progressive with their allegory and conclusion, but man the result was really just "they managed to put anti-indigenous racism into a show without humans."
Also the whole plotline in one of those last seasons about the racist chancellor or whatever trying to shut down Twilight's school, just ending with "and then the minorities helped him one time and immediately he became not only just 'not actively racist' but 'fully against racism and willing to speak up about how he was wrong.'" It felt so half-assed and unrealistic. "Oh we gotta show that racists can become good people too, but we can't show ANY effort on his part to educate himself, examine his beliefs, or unlearn his biases, because that's too much to expect from people. I mean, what if White people get the message that they should _try_ to not be racist???" I'm sure they were _going_ for "interacting with people different from you helps you understand them better and treat them more as people, because you can no longer treat them like an alien fantasy people cuz they're literally just your friends/neighbors/coworkers/etc," but it needed to be more than a single interaction, or less of a drastic change (like just hinting that he's starting to see that he was wrong. Like maybe while he isn't actively racist any more, he's not willing to admit out loud that he was wrong, but he makes small concessions like quietly stopping targeting the school, showing that he's starting to be less gung-ho about his racist beliefs. Or something.). _Feels_ bordering on victim-blaming, like almost "if POC were just nice to White people, then they wouldn't be racist!"
Agreed
@@ThornShadowWolf: It certainly didn't help that said racist chancellor got his entire antagonist role sidelined because the real villain of the season turned out to be a randomly evil child with ill-defined motives. I mean, sure, I get it, the writers were trying to be "clever" and "subversive" by setting up an obvious bad guy only to swerve to something unexpected, but the result was that a whole lot of implied social commentary got left completely unresolved.
exactly this
It's weird that Rarity isn't there, as she would have been Orchard Blossom's most powerful ally (Rarity is the best pony fyi).
Rarity had to go with Apple Jack.
The mission Applejack was called on at the start of the episode was the same one we see in the next episode with her and Rarity.
At least there's a reason for her absence. I don't think we see Pinkie, Spike or Twilight in this episode either, and I don't think there's any explanation in either episode for why all three of them would miss an event like this.
>she would have been Orchard Blossom's most powerful ally
Facts.
>Rarity is the best pony fyi
Double facts.
@@ThePrincessCH Then why was Rainbow Dash in the competition??
@@Boomskiddy Because the map specifically called Rarity and Applejack to solve a friendship problem, so the other ones don't have to go unless the map says.
Seeing Lily wading into the lore blindly and getting utterly confused along the way was not the intro I expected but was delightfully fun to watch as someone with a much deeper understanding of the show.
Seeing that there’s supposedly a confirmed trans character in season one is interesting. Big Mac is an obvious guess and a lot of people mention Trixie but I personally came to my own specific trans headcanon for a character on a recent rewatch, Snips. He’s a young filly in apple bloom’s class, and I mostly based the headcanon on how most stallions in the show have rigid squared snouts while most mares have rounded snouts, and snips’ falls in the former category despite being a colt. I’m sure there’s other exceptions to this rule, snails also has a rounded snout (although if they’re both transmasc it could explain why they pair together so much) so I don’t think it really confirms anything but I like the idea that snips got his cutie mark from cutting his own hair to have a more masculine haircut.
i think one of my favorite trans coded moments was a bit later on, spoilers for the entire changeling plot
but when trixie and starlight were visiting and there was one group doing therapy, one of the changelings was talking about wanting to be a different color changeling every day but feeling like they would be living a lie, and the counselor changeling was saying to be one color on one day, a different one the next, or even both on the same day. that just really struck a chord with me for some reason and then a few years later i came out as genderfluid and was like ohhhh i get it now
omg yesss I'm also genderfluid and I think i'd have the same problem if i was a changling 😅
in one of the episodes, you see a load of ponies in a dream sequence where they can all become whatever they want, and Big Mac turns into an alicorn: does this mean he wants powerful magic? Or he wants to be a princess? (Big Mac I know what you are)
Are alicorn's a female-only race? I'm a beginnner fan.
@@NikkiBudders alicorns are.. Weird, in g4.
We never see a male one, and out of the 5 we see, 2 we know ascended to being alicorns (twilight and cadence), one is born (flurry), and Celestia and luna we don't know for sure
16:23 Its Pinkie Pie, dont question it, people head canoned that any inconsistencies in show were created by Pinkie absorbing Discor's powers in series finale.
Or its just goofy references by writters
HAHAHA watching someone who's not a brony talk about MLP is so much fun. "The Old lady pony" bit killed me. The issue you have with them having hooves and not hands is great (shhhhh it's fine, it's... magic... or something)
I didn't really entirely care for they handled Big Mac in this episode, but I think if you had more context, you may have had a slightly different opinion, not really something I can fully explain in a single youtube comment.
Thanks for this video, it was fun to watch. Love your content, keep up the great work.
33:03 regarding the old guy pony being into orchard bloom I am so curious to hear what you think of the end of "some like it hot". I watched it as a kid who did not know that gay or trans people exist (yay, religious upbringing in the 90s) and was so confused by it. It seemed like the dude was actually into Jerry and looked so happy. I think it might even be a positive message? At least it got little sheltered me thinking.
At least it's not 'Over a Barrel'. That episode's pro-genocide and colonisation message is just gross.
i know that that isn't exactly a crazy interpretation but the fact that you're saying it about a my little pony episode from like 2011 sounds hilarious out of context 💀
I had to look up to figure out which one. It's the episode with the buffalo. Spike got to eat torquoise and I thought that was dope
Yeah lol the community chooses to forget that episode
I actively chose to skip in when i rewatched the series @@Quackervoltz
Found the Lily Orchard fan.
About 27:40, MLP has some strangely _racist_ undertones at times as well? Like the whole concept of the School of Friendship is to teach Friendship to other creatures?
True, but also in every episode where they meet a new species there's always a lot of misunderstanding and generally it explains why Equestria is so divided. I think the school is so inclusive because every creature deserves to know how to get along and respect each other, ponies included.
@@kat_the_lad9156 I agree, but they frame it in such a way as to suggest that the ponies are there to teach "unenlightened" creatures about friendship, like with the concept of "dragons don't do friendship," or the fact that when Pinkie and Rainbow visit Griffinstone they had to almost introduce the concept of friendship to griffons?
It's sorta racist in the sort of way of the "we come to enlighten those in the dark" kind of way, instead of the more hateful kind of racism that we often see nowadays, which despite having good intentions is still kinda racist?
I still love the show, don't get me wrong, but the way it handled some of its allegories was not the best sometimes, so to speak ^c^"
I agree with the racist undertones part. But I don't really think that the School of Friendship was racist. It was only built after a solid bond between ponies, dragons, griffons, yaks, changelings, and hippogriffs was formed. So that way all of those creatures could not only maintain a strong bond, but also protect others both like and unlike themselves, through the power of friendship.
One episode though that definitely could've had some racist undertones would be the episode, Bridle Gossip. The first episode where we meet Zecora. A character who was heavily implied to have come from some sort of African descent. And was actively (very negatively) gossiped about by the ponies in PonyVille. And only through the words of the main 6, other ponies, that the citizens would trust Zecora. Rather than actually talk to Zecora and see for themselves that Zecora is actually friendly.
Another episode that could have racist undertones in it as well would be, She's All Yak. The episode where: Yona wanted to look good for the school dance, since she was going to go to it with a boy that she liked (, Sandbar). And goes to Rarity for assistance. Rarity who decided that, instead of having Yona embrace being a yak. She chose to try and make Yona more like a pony. Which just comes off as assimilation imo. But I digress. Yona went along with it because. Before the ending of the episode. She didn't know that Sandbar liked literally everything about her.
@@mintymimics213 hmm, you're right, the school of friendship itself isn't what's iffy, but some of the stuff around it as you very well put ^c^"
Also G5 was like "somehow racism returned" 😅
I assume Rarity made Big Mac's clothes.
Love this head cannon.
Lily spending 2 minutes losing her mind over pony magic logistics is sending me.
The huge amount of world building that you're drowning in in the first half of this video is equally humorous as it is frustrating
hey, been an mlp fan since season 1! all the ponies do technically have magic! without the magic, pegasus' can't fly. the earth ponies are implied to have super strength from the magic too, and unicorns use horn magic, kind of like a classic sorcerer with a wand. so they all have magic! its just not super apparent from just viewing one episode.
edit: good on you for doing your worldbuilding research!
i love this episode so much. imo big mac is genderfluid and just shy about it.
edit: rarity (the element of generosity) DEFINITELY made all of orchard blossom's outfits and didnt charge her because she's a family friend and cares about them so much 💞
If Rarity had made the costume, it would be much more fabulous. More likely the outfit was something stored in the attic that used to belong to some distant cousin.
@@EmeralBookwise weird thing to argue about but ok. fictional baby show for babies. i was referring to the multiple outfits she has that are tailored to fit her. also how dare you she is absolute slaying 💅
@@2cat4life: Whether or not Orchard Blossom slays was never my point. My point was that her outfit doesn't really reflect any of Rarity's particular fashion sensibilities. Therse a distinct lack of accessorized flair and extravagance. We've seen Rarity make "sensible" dresses for AJ before, and even those are fancier than what Big Mac wears.
@@EmeralBookwise we get it you stan rarity or whatever. let people have fun
@@2cat4life How are you simultaneously an anti-brony and brony at the same time!? I've never seen this in the wild before…
It would have been funny if it turns out no one was surprised about Big Mac being in a dress they were actually shocked by him talking way more than usual (because he seems to talk way more in drag. I can only assume it’s a confidence booster). That would relate to his character way more too which would also make it funnier.
lilly u gotta actually watch mlp im begging you, i love your commentary on the show not knowing anything about it it’s so funny 😭
1:37 actually, in the background of a lot of episodes, you get to see the relationship between Lyra and Bon Bon blossom! There’s a scene where they propose to eachother in the background, too. (I don’t remember which episode) It’s not, like, awesome, that their relationship is mostly relegated to the background, but they *are* background characters mostly so…
(I haven’t watched very far in to the video yet, but I’m preemptively bringing this up) Also, it’s never outright stated in the show, but Trixie was originally designed to be trans! All the other girl ponies in the show have two eye shines, while the boys have only one, and Trixie is fully presented as a girl yet only has one eye shine!
again, it’s never stated in the show, and a lot of people don’t actually know. The canonical nature of this fact depends on whether you view what the creator says about a character outside of what is shown as canon.
@@mx.magestyk: It not that Trixie was designed to be trans, rather that the script was originally written with the braggart pony being a stallion, but was later swapped out for a mare during production.
Yayyyy omg one of my early trans awakenings was wanting to called a Brony not a Pegasister ;w; (I know, I’m cringing)
NO BUT SAME IN REVERSE, I only ever wanted to be called a brony instead of pegasister and also got WAY too attached to Rainbow Dash 😭 I did realise a few years later I’m trans, but at the time I used to draw RD more masculinely and hated the eps she wore a dress etc (cough self projection cough)
@@steampunk-llama *brohoof* ^___^ congrats on finding yourself lol I loved rainbow dash too!!
omg sameee. im enby but I always wanted to be called a brony instead of pegasister
A second unicorn has hit the tower 😢
more like pegasus right
09:50 This is clever Lore properly applied.
The "Epoch" of the whole series goes from the (magical equivalent) of the Industrial Revolution [flashacks of older characters] to the mid_1920's opulence (pre-Depression era); with the "bad ending timelines" dealing with World War 2.
I'd really like to see your take on Deep Space Nine, specifically comparing how they presented regular character Jadzia/Ezri Dax's experience with being multiple genders over multiple lifetimes with the absurdly problematic episode "Profit and Lace"
Seconding this both because it would be interesting and I want to watch it but also because imagining Profit and Lace being someone's first ever episode of ds9 is really wild. Like it's in the realm of being 99% incomprehensible
Oh god I just watched that one recently for the first time and it was ROUGH. We were kind of shocked at the fact that not only did they put Quark in a dress they fully on gave him hormones and private parts as well. On one hand it was amusing watching the role reversal make him less of an intolerant prick, but I'm still not okay with watching people be sexually harrassed, even if they sexually harass others too.
Side note, this does however confirm that Star Trek has perfect, prompt, socially accepted, and available top/bottom surgury and hormone therapy capabilities which I'm going to be taking all the way to the head canon bank.
0:21 yes!
1. trixie! not *technically* cannon, but Trixie Lunamoon was originally a stallion in planning and it is very common to see her as trans because of that.
2. bon-bon and lyra! they are implied to be together, and in the background of an episode we actually see them proposing to eachother! its adorable
3. its implied that in the finale, rainbow dash and apple jack are together!
for what its worth, i greatly enjoyed your getting bogged down by the lore of my little pony on the side.
For the record, Prance is a real place in mlp.
EDIT: Cheers for using the Transgender Bronies group on fimfiction as an example, thats a real deep cut.
The weird thing though is that in addition to Prance being a place, French Haute Couture exists as a fashion term.
ok what's funny about someone reviewing an episode of mlp like this is they don't realize big mac being a drag queen is actually brought up quite a few times in the show
She's like, "the writers never want to talk about Big Mac in a dress again" but, um, actually, this is a reoccurring thing. Lololol
RE: Manehattan... look, it all makes more sense if you assume Equestria is in the same post-apocalyptic world as Adventure Time where echoes of the time before the Mushroom War still ripple through the new societies.
My main familiarity with this usage of "social" comes from the ideas of sock hops and ice cream socials in the 1950s.
"creepy old register horse" is a phrase, considering sexual creeps get their names ADDED to a registry.
If you want to observe a real transition, look at the shift with Caramel Apple's design over the seasons.
“GUYS C’MERE THERE’S A NEW LILY SIMPSON VIDEO”
The real trans representation is when I couldn’t figure out whether Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack were male or female so I just went back and forth between the two when referring to them.
silly lily, they would encase whatever villain destroyed those buildings in manehatten in stone and then add it to celestia's statue garden! as they do with all the other villains!! :) THATS where the memorial is
Wait… what if the Statue of Liberty IS the villain that did it?! A giant colossal pony trapped in stone and left as a decoration over the city to celebrate the freedom from its evil reign, left there with the hopes that it’ll never awaken from its eternal slumber.
never forget Neighin' Eleven
I would call Sweetie Bell's expression quizzical, rather than disgusted. Like she wasn't quite sure what to think.
It’s a popular headcanon that Trixie is trans, due to her being introduced with only two eye shines which was more common in male characters.
Big Mac going from being shy as himself to being confident and sassy when he's in drag is actually so cute.
If anything, it seems like "What if the most masculine stallion tried to pretend to be a mare?" and they couldn't get that gym bro pegasus to do it.
Although there are things that showed things that there was more to Big Mac than being a himbo like in "Lesson Zero" where he wanted the Smarty Pants doll even after the curse was removed. He also dreamed about being a magical alicorn princess in "Do Princesses Dream About Magic Sheep"
i think an added layer to the confusion everypony (YES im using that word in this comment idc) experiences upon seeing big mac in that outfit and acting like that is that a sense i think that we're meant to get about ponyville (the main town the show is set in) is that everypony knows everypony in that town. theres a lot of ponies there, but its still small. it mainly comes from the initial setting off point about twilight sparkle, the main-ish? character, having come from the capital (canterlot, as you say in the video) because she was the princess' student, and she was sent to ponyville on assignment to make friends (cause she was way too obsessed with studying lol), and literally the first interaction she has is with pinkie pie, who knows literally everypony in town, being like WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?? and honestly most ponies probably only know eachother because of ponies like pinkie pie who just know everypony as like some sort of life mission. its also a repeated theme that outsiders will come to the town and be focal points of episodes, like with zecora or the flim flam brothers or trixie (who i think also comes from canterlot?(trixie is also a trans icon character fr, and the trans-ness of her actually comes from the fact that she was originally meant to be a guy but was changed to a girl sometime in conception, and everyone latched onto that)
also, that all aside, the apple family is literally the founding family of the town. theyre not even rich or anything, the town just built itself around their farm. at that point itd be weird if people didnt at least know _of_ the apple family, but they definitely know who they are in general. big mac is known for not talking much, and generally being quiet and mostly just doing the farmwork. him dressing up and talking a lot and acting so excited and open and stuff, its definitely a shock. (also unrelated but a note about big macs love of singing, he does actually ?later? (i forget the timeline) join a singing group as their low range lol)
not that any of that context rids the episode of the transphobic vibes, its still an uncomfortable and strange episode in a show thats whole thing is understanding eachother and getting along regardless of who or what you are. i cannot concieve of what caused this episode to be a thing, and i constantly wish it was an idea in a different show that actually had the ability to openly acknowledge queer people, and in a way that is positive. being on The Childrens Network Made To Sell Toys kinda ruins most chances of a franchise being positively queer, or at least it used to be back when we were less marketable to the masses. i dont think the network this show originally aired on even exists anymore.
also i love orchard blossom. trans queen
In the series finale, Lyra and BonBon got married. It was in the background where we see each other mutually propose. And the actual wedding is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it newspaper article. But its there and beautiful.
“I’m looking it up” the 4 words of doom, a spell to send someone spiralling through wikis for eternity
Only 10 minutes in but I had to say it. In the very first episode of mlp, we follow twilight sparkle going to live to the main town and she meets her new friends. For Apple Jack, we see her entire (I think) family who runs the apple production in their farm. They all have apple-themed names and apple-related beauty marks. The bit where everyone is presented and wants to make Twilight taste their different products is pretty short but really funny.
Never clicked on a video so fast, let's go everypony, time to love and tolerate
"The outfit is on, and I am Orchard Blossom. Big Mac is dead, bitch" got me-