Thoroughly Analyzing "Rainbow Falls" (+ Updates) [MLP:FiM Episode 75]
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 17 янв 2014
- Hi, I’m Trixie the Golden Witch, and this is one of my archived channels.
Find my writing on goldenwitch.substack.com
Find my music on bandcamp.com/trialofthegolden...
Follow my adventures on @picnicadventure
Frequent updates on Twitter and Instagram @goldenwitchfire 
Кино
![Thoroughly Analyzing "Twilight's Kingdom" [MLP:FiM Episodes 90 & 91]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ty51PzhM96c/mqdefault.jpg)
![Thoroughly Analyzing "Twilight's Kingdom" [MLP:FiM Episodes 90 & 91]](/img/tr.png)
![Thoroughly Analyzing "A Friend In Deed" [MLP:FiM Episode 44]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aoJUVUr7VN8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Thoroughly Analyzing "Keep Calm and Flutter On" [MLP:FiM S3 Ep 10]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RzmODkI8F08/mqdefault.jpg)
first
digi you cant beat me bro
Will you still be involved with EQD in some capacity?
actually I think the subject of this season is sharing the magic of friendship, the main 6 are no longer learning the lessons really as they already know they will always be friends but more importantly they show others the important of friendship and thus get tokens of friendship back, rarity shows coco and gets the spindle and rainbow shows spitfire and gets the pin, thatll probably open the box and give them magical girl rainbow transformations
But Fluttershy and RD are from Cloudsdale, so they shouldn't compete for Ponyville either.
Shadowtechnik Rainbow Dash is from Cloudsdale and all that did is make it so she could fly for either Ponyville's or Cloudsdale team.
I absolutely agree about Dash being held back. Something I've realized when being part of sporting events is that when you are part of a team that doesn't really care about winning or the game itself, you are NOT going to win, nor will you be respected. I've been part of teams like this in PE and such multiple times, and because of this I felt frustrated, knowing that we could have won if the rest of the team had cared.
Rainbow Dash does not deserve to be held back like this, and her friends should know this.
***** Exactly! I saw it more of keeping a commitment rather than her going places. The wonderbolts obviously know she is good and have her in their sights. She is going to be great in the future.
Ink my dear, you and Stream Secret are coming off as the kind of people who care more about winning then having fun. Is winning fun? Yes it is, but just playing to win is rather short-sighted and not as enjoyable as enjoying the journey. Also I don't think they're getting anything other then glory and pride at the end of the Equestria Games, and those aren't as important as being loyal or keeping a commitment.... also, the Wonderbolts are steadily loosing respect in the eyes of many because of the tactics and morals they've been following.
I just realized something huge about the keys! Rainbow Dash got the winged lightning bolt pin from Spitfire, and Rarity got the rainbow spool from Coco Pommel. These are the ponies that learned the lesson of the element! Coco was taught generosity by Rarity, and from it she gave both the trophy and the gift to Rarity. Rainbow Dash teaches Spitfire the importance of loyalty, and she apologizes, welcomes Soarin back on the team, and admits she was wrong and that they should never have abandoned him in the first place. The keys are not achieved through learning the lesson themselves, but rather earned by passing on the lessons of their element to others that take them to heart!
My thoughts exactly.
It's wonderful to teach children that you shouldn't just do good for your own sake, but to help influence others.
So here is my theory of the season. The keys aren't from realizing their own element. They are fully aware of their element. It seems that (from Rarity takes Manehattan, and this one) that the keys come from TEACHING their element. Think of it this way.
In Rarity takes Manehattan, Rarity obviously (from her song) Knows her element is generosity. The key is GIVEN to her by CoCo Pommell after the element of generosity influenced her to break away from the greedy Suri Polomare.
In Rainbow Falls, Rainbow Dash is fully aware of her element of loyalty, thus her decision to not make a decision, because she is unsure if she should be loyal to where she grew up, or where she lives now. She makes the decision to go with Ponyville, and as a result calls out the Wonderbolts about not being loyal to Soarin, their longtime teammate. Therefore she is GIVEN the key by Spitfire after spitfire learns a lesson in loyalty from Rainbow Dash.
In both cases the key was given by an outside pony they influenced and taught.
My own opinion while watching was that Rainbow Dash competing for Ponyville is analogous to how NBA players who are from countries other than the US play for their home countries during the Olympics out of national loyalty - for example Steve Nash plays for Canada, Tony Parker plays for France, and Pao Gasol plays for Spain. Those teams may not have much of a chance of winning the gold but the NBA greats still play for their native teams.
Same deal with World Cup Soccer. Most of the best players play for European Club teams, but return to their native countries for the cup and qualifying rounds.
I think team Rainbow Bulkshy made sense to me. It's easy for me to imagine that any other Ponyville competitor was already trying out for something else, leaving Rainbow Dash with few options. As for BB and Fluttershy, they would be satisfied with both simply helping their friend, and just qualifying. Twilight supporting them, and not wanting to force Rainbow into choosing later, was great. It was more like a true princess to be nothing but supportive for her friends, and making Rainbow make the choice on her own was something a true teacher might do, they way Celestia does for Twilight. It felt like the beginning of what Princess Twilight should be doing, not just plain old Twilight Sparkle. And of course, DERPY!
Thank you! Finally someone agrees with me on Twi!!
Only thing is, If everyone WAS trying out for something else they should've atleast explained that. Without an explanation it could leave someone to assume that Rainbow Dash actually CHOSE them, thus confusing the audience.
regulardude45 For some reason, coming into the episode, I quickly formed the notion that that WAS the case, that all the other "good" players were already picked for teams and BB and Flutters were the only ones left. I'm not sure when that popped into my brain, but maybe I just assumed it? Or maybe I did pick up on something? I'm not sure, but I definitely see your point.
The most important thing to consider is that Ponyville is small. There may have only been a handful of ponies willing to compete. I wouldn't at all be amazed if the two we saw at the beginning were it.
Also, consider what they said about only being allowed to go out for one event. If any other competitors were trying for other events, there'd be no one left for the relay, and if Rainbow didn't want to compete against her fellow Ponyvillians (I like that), it would have left her only one choice. That's my thinking anyway.
Jonathan Oliver Well, I guess I also assume RD was not so much just a member, but a leader of the team, so she was the one doing the picking? I feel a little baffled on why things were set up how they were, really...
Erg. I just "erg-ed" threw your whole analysis disagreeing with everything you said. Usually I see your point in your negative reviews but here you've completely missed the point. Prepare for an essay.
But it is an elementary baseball team where everyone gets a trophy for trying! Not literally but the games themselves are an ends to a means. It was said in an episode that the games are an expression of what Equestria is all about, harmony and friendship. Digi how did you not get this? It would be terrible for Ponyville if they could be as much a part of it as possible. It's not about winning a contest. It's about coming and being together. If RD had gone with Spitfire and left Ponyville it would undermine the core concept of the show.
You complain about Twi not competing but she's a god damb alicorn princes. Do you think Luna, Celestia and Cadence are going to compete? I don't know why you even brought it up.
Twi didn't tell RD what to go fulfill her dreams because her doing that is grayer decisions then you give it credence for.
I assume you mean by sunk costs that RD should fly with the wonderbolts because the Ponyville team will suck either way. But again. Winning isn't the point. Participation is. If anything she gained more by competing in the Ponyville team because she not only Qualified but Ponyville got another team in the games. If they loose, it dosn't matter. Ponyville was fully represented and helped make the games as big as they could.
Ponyville team being half assed? Rarity put time and effort into every desgin. Apple Jack made trailers full of Apple treats. Pinkie exploded with enthusiasm and bought a mountain of pom poms. If anything the Cloudsdale cheer squad was artificial while Ponyville was full of team spirit.
No one is talking about how Soran was snubbed but totally all right with it. It's clear from the bags under his eyes that he's a more senior team member. I really like the subtle hints that he's getting out of his prime. It made the resolution even more about participation.
HOW IS NOPONY RAISING THE FACT THAT THERE WERE GRYPHONS IN THE EPISODE?!
No longer the "Mane 6" It is now THE MANE 8 Derpy, Bulk Biceps.
OMG MY PICTURE AT 08:50 *squeals* that was super unexpected >////<
Love your analysis videos btw! It makes me enjoy MLP way more because I always looking forward to hear your opinions and such after each episode to see if you share mine or bring up something I didn´t think about. think about. Keep going!
I always felt respect for the Wonderbolts throughout the show. They were always a special, professional group of strong fliers who got the respect and admiration of Rainbow Dash. I could sorta understand Spitfire's actions in Wonderbolt Academy, but they completely destroyed that here. They lied to lose Sorin so they could gain Rainbow Dash. So why did they want to lose a member of their group? They had no loyalty, they were jealous, and they were assholes for tempting Rainbow Dash, and were careless hacks for it, which no respect for her team or loyalty for it. If they want Rainbow Dash instead of Sorin, *why not fucking make Rainbow Dash a Wonderbolt?!*
All I have to say is... Mrs. Powell went from having written Sleepless in Ponyville to this. This!
You broke my heart, Corey. You Broke. My. Heart!
The reason why Rainbow Dash was in the wrong for wanting to fly with the Wonderbolts is because she had made a commitment to her team beforehand. Especially that close to the actual event, it would have been incredibly mean-spirited of her to back out.
But Flutteryshy is so not commited to this sort of thing. She even said she wouldn't have cared. Bulk Bicep didn't seem heartbroken either. I think a better lesson could have been served by having her discuss it with them. Sometimes people need to break plans, and if they don't even really care, then Rainbow Dash was really being held back because Twilight was being a controlling guilt tripper. Also Derpy can probably fly faster than Fluttershy and is not even in an event, maybe she should have been on this team originally. There are clearly other pegasi not competing!
OriasRofocale
And what about Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack? They all worked extremely hard to support the Ponyville team in their own way, they probably would have been more than a little pissed off if Rainbow did abandon them.
She should talk to them too, but there are lots of other teams from Ponyville competing right now. They have lots of opportunities to show town spirit. They already ate Applejack's brown Betty's (she looks like she brought enough for more than just the relay team too so that's not wasted effort) Pinkie Pie got to cheer. I mean, is she only willing to cheer for Dash if she's on Ponyville? I doubt it. I think she would cheer for Dash regardless. The whole team was only able to barely qualify with Dash's help because it is abjectly terrible. What if Dash had been a fraction of a second slower? She wouldn't have been able to carry her team and Ponyville would have had no Equestrian Games representation for the relay event. Would Applejack's and Pinkie's efforts still be wasted if the team hadn't qualified? How would not qualifying with Rainbow Dash vs Derpy make their efforts more worthwhile?
It really didn't seem like this team was very serious to start with and really no one else here's part of the games in a meaningful way except Dash. Flutters seems along for the ride with no real emotional stake in this, and the rest of the group could just as easily support Dash on the Cloudsdale team, unless they put more value on Ponyville spirit than they do her wellbeing.
Zennistrad1 Pinkie can still cheer, the team can still wear outfits, and the team can still eat even if Rainbow Dash isn't on it.
Derpy. Bronies lost their minds.
Good thinking on removing the "analyze anything" reward. To me your critiques are enhanced by the fact that your heart truly is in them. Even if you happen to dislike a topic, you still are drawn to it enough to speak your mind and connect with us.
I wonder how many people have noticed the griffons in this episode.
The griff team was my favorite part >w< besides Derpy, haha.
I didi mainly 'cause I'm reading Valour is magic and that has a lot of interesting griffin characters.
I saw them! I thought it was interesting how they had griffons competing, so I wonder if any other species will be there, such as dragons or something.
I think you're forgetting that Rainbow wasn't forced onto the relay team--she chose it of her own free will specifically to give them a chance at qualifying. Yes, winning the gold is a dream of hers, but if that was all she cared about then she would have joined another, more competitive Ponyville team. That's why I don't think Twilight was in the wrong in this episode: if Rainbow joins the Cloudsdale team she would be breaking a promise to her friends and walking away from a commitment that she herself made. Volunteering to help the weakest fliers compete and then ditching because they don't measure up to your standards (and behind everyone's back, no less) is a pretty dick move.
Nice analysis as usual. Also love the way you detailed how EQD functions, as people should be informed as to how the site works.
This is one of the first episodes my boyfriend has ever seen, and he literally yelled at the TV "YOU DO IT, YA PURPLE BITCH!"
I totally agree that Twi seemed completely out of character.
I also wonder if Derpy wasn't given any lines because of the big "controversy" about her sounded like she was "a special needs" pony. Honestly I thought the way they were treating Buff and Fluttershy made them seem like they were "special needs" in a way more offensive (if you're going to take it that way) way than Derpy being herself ever did.
But Purple Bitch is Princess Purple. Princess Purple can't compete because reasons.
Also I don't think Twilight was terrible out of character. I liked her role in this episode, and I don't think her concerns were really wrong like Digi did.
I feel like she was kind of putting the needs and desires of other way ahead of Rainbow's. They're all friends, but the premise of this episode kind of makes it seem like some friends are more important to her than others. As someone who learned all of these lessons about how everyone can be friends even if they're totally different people, Twi should have been able to come of it with a way to make everyone happy. There's just a fundamental problem with the way the episode is set up in general, to me.
***** Everyone did come out happy. Bulk Bicep and Fluttershy got to support Rainbow Dash in what she loves and they get a chance to represent Ponyville (they did express some interest early in the episode), Rainbow Dash gets to compete, the Wonderbolts learned to appreciate their friends more and the seemed happy enough with the results, and there's a new found bond forming between Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts. Lets be honest, there is no way Rainbow Dash won't become a part of that group. It's only a matter of time before she's a full fledged Wonderbolt. But what's important is the how. The one thing people seem to forget about Rainbow Dash is that the one thing she loves more than winning is loyalty. When Applebloom and Sweetie Bell left Scootaloo in "Flight to the Finish", Rainbow Dash wasn't concerned that they lost their shot at winning by leaving her, but that they abandoned their friend in her time of need and decided to pursue the competition. When they had to get the water to Cloudsdale, she dropped all pretenses of setting a new record because she knew it was more important to get the water to Cloudsdale so Ponyville could get rain even when they lacked the pony power to do so. Rainbow Dash loves sticking with her friends no matter how bleak the situation over success and Twilight knew this. That's why she was "harsh" to Rainbow Dash; Rainbow was doing something that she was against in favor of personal gain and Twilight knew it would turn out for the worse in someway.I don't think she was being mean, but if people do think she was, then is that such a problem? Some people need a firm hand every now and then. You can't expect Twilight to play nice all the time. And I do think that was in her character. During the Applebucking Season when Applejack was trying to do everything herself, Twilight was slowly getting to the point where she was going to force Applejack to accept help. When some things in Ponville go wrong (Parasprites, Vampire Fruitbats, etc.), Twilight is willing to use magic to force a change in the situation for the better (sometimes with disastrous results). Twilight was even willing to use a morality spell on Discord to force him to be a better person instead of giving Fluttershy the chance to convert him. Twilight was very forceful person in the past, but she's learned to give a nudge instead pushing them with the force of a cannon.
Everyone can be a little selfish sometimes. Rainbow wanting to go with the wonderbolts team so she can be a winner is selfish. Twilight wanting Rainbow to not let down her teammates and Ponyville friends is inherently selfish too even though it doesn't sound like it. Twilight's selfishness in this situation isn't worse than anyone else's. Twilight even let her decide for herself by saying "This is a decision you need to make for yourself", instead of her saying "I'm princess friendship and the right choice is your real friends so listen to me because I'm princess". Twilight was putting ALL of her friend's feelings into consideration by letting Rainbow trust herself with the decision while also making it clear what the consequences of that decision might be instead of just focusing on Rainbow Dash and only what she wanted. Twilight did what I want her to do as princess, so I like her in this episode.
are we just going to ignore the interesting trend of introducing male characters into MLP........just saying
Someday, a writer will look back at this episode in reference and ship Rainbow Dash and Soarin in an official episode. It will be a tale of denial, embarrassment, and will lead nowhere thus returning to the status quo. At least that's what I'm predicting.
Thank god I'm not the only one that thought Rainbow flying with the bolts was good!
Unlike Digi, I think Rainbow's choice to stick with Ponyville wasn't a case of her being held back, but simply a continuation of the kinds of dilemmas she'd been faced with throughout the show.
Even going back as far as the pilot, with her rejection of the Shadowbolts, it's shown that she's a character who ultimately values her friends more than her desire to win and be the best, even though the latter is her dream.
She's loyal to her friends, and you can see why. As Digi says, Fluttershy and the rest actually tell her to go for the other team because they know it's what she wants, and that's why she's ultimately loyal to them, because she realises that only great friends would do that for her.
The only thing I really didn't like was seeing Bulk Biceps as a poor flier. Does it make sense? Sure. The thing is, though, he was in "Wonderbolt Academy!" If he was such a poor flier, how did he get in?
Maybe there's a branch of the Wonderbolts for stronger pegasi, and there was some sort of mix-up which got him into flying?
Or they just wanted Bulk Biceps to make an appearance, idk.
I'm going to disagree on your first point about twilight being wrong for stopping rainbow dash. If you start on a team, you stick with that team and carry on to the end. You can't just walk out on your team when it pleases you, because they won't be able to succeed as you hoped. Also, the Wonderbolts would have had replacements. Why not use them? Why try and gill trip rainbow dash to make sure they secure a win for them and a loss for Ponyville? To be honest, the Wonderbolts are bitches.
I don't know about Bulk Bicep, but there is no way that Fluttershy cared about this. She didn't participate with the rest of Ponyville to try and break a world record. She was too afraid and embarrassed to. So why on earth would the most shy and one of the worst flyers in Equestria want to get up in front of the entire world, where everyone will be watching her, to compete in an event that she knows she can't really compete in?
As for Bulk Bicep, it's hard to nail down his character, but I think he's a bit Fluttershy-ish too. He ran away from a butterfly in the Hearts Strong As Horses song. And he seems to be there more for Rainbow Dash, treating her as a commander and not wanting to disappoint her, rather than wanting to win for himself.
So I think that, even though Ponyville might have been disappointed at not being able to compete, her team wouldn't have cared (since they specifically stated it was ok).
These little lines:
Survival of the fittest.
Personal power peak is a bigger boon for society than limiting other peoples lowest points.
Rainbow dash is still part of a flat character because noone wants to write in her actually winning the authority equal to her asskicking which is a massive shame.
I actually really liked that Twi said "This is a decision you must make."
RD said it in the episode, the main reason she doesn't want to join the Cloudsdale team despite the fact they're her idolized Wonderbolts & the team most likely to win is because they are not the kind of team she'd want to join, with their manipulative, lying ways & willingness to drop teammate when a better flier comes along. Of course the fact she joined the Ponyville team because it's where all her friends are & their caring ways are also important.
But I do have a problem with Fluttershy & Bulk Biceps being part of the relay team, surely there are other, better pegasi in Ponyville since RD is pretty confident they could break the record if things went well in HF. Maybe the Ponyville team chose their representative by their passion instead of skill, and FS & BB certainly have the passion to want to win for RD, but seriously, they can't find anyone else?
But I really liked the way Twilight acted here, she starting to show greater maturity by only giving guidance & highlighting points in the conflict (unlike in Bats!) and then trusting her friends to make their own ultimate decisions. in short, Twilight seems very much like how Princess Celestia guided her & truly living up to the title as the Princess of Friendship.
I loved seeing the griffins in the background :D
I was going to write a comment about an actual thing but.. Hee hee!... one of your favorites!... ho ho!...
Call it what you will but ditching Ponyville in favour of the cold-hearted Wonderbolts, who were more than happy to drop Soarin at the glue factory, would in and of itself be Rainbow Dash being disloyal to her Element of Loyalty.
'Pursuing your dreams' is not the same thing as 'achieving your goals', and certainly not when it involves pushing those you respect out of the way to steal their positions. The former involves striving for it, without mention of what you're doing to get there, and the latter involves reaching your final destination, but does not specify how you did; and certainly siding with the Wonderbolts was not the way to go, since they were bluntly telling her to throw her friends aside for the sake of popularity (I'm sure you noticed).
I don't agree that this episode handled Rainbow Dash turning the Wonderbolts down badly one bit, since it made far less sense that she'd even want to hang out with them in the first place, considering Wonterbolts Academy proving that Spitfire was an uncaring bitch (for lack of better words). Then again, Rainbow Dash is known for being the stupid one, so any miscalculations on her part is just an integral part of her character.
Also, Digi, you seem awfully keen on splitting the Mane 6 and pulling them away from one another. I get you like a more mature approach, but you seem to forget that long-distance relationships isn't something this show deals with. So... what gives?
Digi, you're wrong about how the Olympics work. You're thinking purely in terms of the individual events (which is fair, since most Olympic events are individual) while forgetting about the team-based events.
Yes, during individual events, the Olympics very much are about the best of the best in the world competing for the gold, and trying to be the very best they can be. That changes during team-based events. The last Olympics that I followed were the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics (sorry, London), and one thing that I remember clearly was that everyone sides with their home country, even if it's impossible for them to win. In hockey, I remember some of the best players in the world playing for their home countries' teams, regardless of the fact that no one else on those teams were very good, and were quickly eliminated. And that's fine, because that's what the Olympics are about.
If humanity feels that loyalty is more important than winning in the world's greatest sporting event, you can bet that ponies would too.
Nice. Agree.
Jonathan Oliver In the Olympics, "home country" is defined by your citizenship. Most of the time that's where the person was born and grew up, but it isn't always. You're allowed to choose where your home is.
Since Equestria is all about friendship and harmony, I would say "where your friends are" is _exactly_ how Equestria would define your home, and the patriotic aspect isn't nearly as important.
0:40 Thank you!
Rainbow Dash is trying to be a team sport, and I think that BB was just there due to the fandom, and to give him an actual name.
4:03 RD brought BB & FS to the games, and it would be rude to ditch them.
Here's a question: is Derpy a worse flier than Bulk Biceps? It's shown that she can fly, and the first flier of the relay doesn't even have to fly all that far.
Twilight using guilt to get RBD to do what she wants was awful.
I don't think that was a guilt trip so much as a reminder of all the effort people put into this for Rainbow Dash. Bulk Biceps and Fluttershy were likely there so Rainbow Dash (who wasn't on any other team) could compete in the Equestrian Games. And Rainbow Dash was willing to go behind their backs to compete with a winning team. She even lied about her injuries to avoid making a decision being disloyal to both teams. Twilight was just being truthful about what Rainbow Dash was doing and their consequences.
On the other hand, this means that she's finally becoming a politician (*princess).
On account of "Three's a Crowd", I would like to say this:
It's okay, Digi. You can say it. This is a safe place.
Ah well, so much to disagree with. Twilight never said not to join the Cloudsdale team, and only pointed out that by choosing to go with Cloudsdale, she would have rendered the efforts of the others moot since there would be no chance of even qualifying. Twilight was reminding Rainbow Dash that her decision would have consequences for not just herself, but for her friends as well. She then refuses to provide an easy way out by making a suggestion herself, since Rainbow Dash could then just say that she was doing whatever she did because Twilight said to, ducking the responsibility for her decision and learning nothing. This shouldn't sound too implausible since she tries something along these lines by faking an injury so that she doesn't have to choose, and Twilight calmly, without endorsing either position I remind you, points out that this is not a decision but an evasion of responsibility.
The next thing I disagree with is this complaint about Rainbow Dash being paired with weaker flyers. I agree that the relay team is unlikely to win the gold, but at least they will show up. My guess as to why they allocated their flying ability the way they did is so that they will qualify for as many events as possible, even if their results are less than remarkable in any given one. Perhaps they could have chosen only one or two events to place all their best flyers on in the hopes of winning in those events, but this might mean not qualifying for any others since all their best talent is concentrated there.
The Wonderbolts were not being jerks, per se. They were being rational competitors in the largest sporting event revealed so far. Spitfire found herself with an injured member of her team who, although still capable of participating, might plausibly be replaced by one of, if not the, fastest flyers in the world. If she managed to convince RD to switch teams, then the Cloudsdale team becomes that much stronger and the Ponyville team is removed from the running, further strengthening Cloudsdale's chances. At the same time, Rainbow Dash is given the opportunity to perform with, and likely win with, her Wonderbolt idols while representing her hometown before all of Equestria, with the only downside being that Soarin, who was injured after all, misses out on the chance for glory. What Spitfire was trying to do was easily better for Cloudsdale, the city it is her job to represent to the best of her ability, and if Soarin were committed to seeing Cloudsdale well represented, then he would agree. Spitfire's decision to OFFER Rainbow Dash that opportunity was not only opportunistic, I admit, but also eminently reasonable.
Anyway, this is the second or third, they are running together, wall-of-text I've written about this episode today, so while I think there is more, I'm too tired to write about it here and now.
I agree that it was a good move from the Wonderbolts to offer RD the (at that point vacant) spot in their team. What made them jerks is that they later lied to both RD and Soarin in order to make RD agree to that deal: They told RD that Soarin was still unable to fly the qualification even though he was, giving the impression of needing RD more than they really did, while simultaneously keeping Soarin from interfering by telling him a deal that was only proposed was already done.
I'm afraid I must disagree with you. Ponyville barely had a chance of qualifying anyway and what chance they had was due 100% to Rainbow Dash. It's pretty clear Fluttershy doesn't want to be there, and Bulk-Biceps - though he certainly cares - just isn't Equestria Games material; he's the only one I'd feel sorry for.
Twilight was just WRONG in her reasoning. And, _as usual_, the narrative felt like it was twisted in order to make Twilight be in the right. Oh, and refusing to make a choice *_is_* a choice in itself; Twilight's a moron.
Plus, it's not like Dashie has no connection to Cloudsdale; like Spitfire pointed out, Dash grew up there and still has loyalties there. So it would make sense for RD to fly for her hometown team, especially when it's obvious her current team doesn't have their heads or hearts in the game.
Soufriere
Rainbow Dash's decision was to duck making a decision, and while it is technically a choice, it is a meaningless one that does nothing to resolve the conflict. The reasoning, I don't know what to choose, so I won't choose, is satirized in the 600 year old philosophical argument of Buridan's Ass(donkey). The situation suggested is a donkey is placed between two piles of hay with neither being better than the other, which means that since there is no way of deciding which one to choose on the basis of merit, the donkey should stand there until it starves, basically choosing not to choose as Rainbow attempted to do. Rainbow Dash is basically taking the cowards way out by avoiding making any meaningful decision to resolve her conflicted loyalties, and is at the same time being disloyal to both groups. I say this because by making no decision, she fails to help Cloudsdale and basically dooms Ponyville, betraying both teams seeking her assistance because she refuses, technically a choice, to make a choice.
I will also reiterate the fact that Twilight is careful not to endorse either position. About what was Twilight wrong, and what aspects of her reasoning, which I don't remember her sharing with the audience to be honest, do you object to? Further, how can she be right or wrong when she doesn't ever pick a side? When specifically asked by Rainbow Dash what she would do, she flatly refuses to say, telling Rainbow that it is her decision to make. What part of, 'it's not my place to say,' is wrong?
Finally, my argument was that the Ponyville team could be trying to simply qualify for as many events as possible, which would mean that rather than making a few teams of elite athletes who will easily qualify for their particular event, they are putting together multiple teams who are expected to qualify by narrow margins. By this theory, placing Rainbow Dash with a different team of stronger flyers would be wasting her potential since the team she was with could likely have scraped by with a less capable flyer than the fastest flyer in Equestria, while Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps, who are probably participating out of loyalty to Ponyville rather than for personal gain, might not have found themselves on teams capable of compensating for their weaknesses. This is just meant to show there are possible explanations for why Rainbow Dash was paired with two comically weak flyers other than "Ponyville doesn't give a shit."
Ponycletian
I'm glad to not be the only one to have learned about the Buddhist parable of the donkey, though I'd forgotten the details. Thanks for that.
No argument from me that Rainbow Dash took the coward's way out by making her non-decision decision. I wouldn't characterize it as disloyal though. Twilight essentially did the same thing back in Episode 3 when she sent back the Gala tickets; to avoid letting any of her then-new friends down, she quit the game, depriving _all_ of them of a slot (keep in mind that she didn't know Celestia would give her five additional tickets upon request).
Anyway, from what I could tell, Twilight most certainly _did_ endorse a position, or at least _heavily_ imply one, which was that Rainbow Dash should stay with the Ponyville team. Her reasoning was basically that bailing would be a slap in the face to Fluttershy (seriously? why is _she_ of all ponies participating?), Bulky-B, Derpy, and the Manes, as well as to Ponyville in general. More on that below.
The question is really one of what these games actually mean to Rainbow Dash. Is she there to seriously compete or not? If her primary motivator is victory/glory, then joining Cloudsdale when offered the position is the rational choice regardless of anything else... at least before we learned that Spitfire & Fleetfoot lied to her and biased the results, at which point rationality goes out the window. If her primary motivator was to represent her adopted home - as she implied at the end - then her final decision was rational (though still kinda dumb).
Digi is right that Twilight frames this as a classic Sunk Cost Fallacy, wherein Dashie is forced to make an irrational decision due to considering resources already spent that are unrecoverable - the efforts her friends have already put in. In this, Twilight also invokes Loss Aversion and too many psychological biases to name.
Of course, Dashie isn't blameless either. The whole thing could have been avoided by telling Fluttershy & Bulky-B about Spitfire's offer as soon as she got it, rather than withholding it from them and being duplicitous. Fluttershy made it clear that she would've supported RD switching sides.
Come to think of it, I recall this show dealing with this exact problem in another episode, and handling it _much_ better: "Sweet & Elite", one of my personal favourites.
Soufriere
I agree with you completely about Twilight having done virtually the same thing in episode three, and to be honest, that always frustrated me about that episode. I do like to think, however, that this episode might show that she has learned from that experience and grown up a bit.
Moving on, I agree that Twilight does seem to be advocating for Rainbow staying with the Ponyville team all the way up until Rainbow directly asks her position. I think this is mostly because Twilight herself wanted Rainbow Dash to stick with the Ponyville team, but also because Rainbow Dash hadn't been considering anything other than her own desire to practice with the winners. Tommy Oliver described Twilight's role as being that of RD's conscience, and that seems to be a fitting description so far as I'm concerned. But what matters is that Twilight, despite her bias, lets Rainbow make her own decision, and while it is clear she disapproves, she doesn't do anything to undermine Rainbow's choice.
Now then, as to Twilight appealing to the sunk costs fallacy, I don't think she necessarily does. The thing about the sunk costs fallacy is that the sunk costs are the things that have already been expended in pursuit of a goal, but I'm not sure that is what Twilight was really appealing to. I don't think that Twilight was saying, Applejack has invested too much in her pastries for you to switch teams now, which I agree would have been an example of the sunk costs fallacy, but instead is making a more emotional appeal. I took Twilight's arguments to be more along the line of, our friends have been working to support this effort and are emotionally invested, and if you do this, you will be letting them down. For example, Twilight says that Pinkie will have no one to cheer for, which isn't a sunk cost, but a reminder that Pinkie Pie expects, mostly thanks to Rainbow Dash's confidence and bravado, Ponyville to qualify and to be able to cheer for them. Rainbow Dash has been building everyponies' expectations from the very first scene, and to back out at the last minute would be like breaking a promise. Now, if Twilight had said that the reason why Rainbow Dash shouldn't switch sides is because Pinkie Pie had spent so much time and effort preparing her cheers, then the time and effort would be the sunk costs and this would be a fallacy, but that isn't what she is doing.
Lastly, I don't think that this could have been avoided by Rainbow Dash simply speaking up in the beginning for a few reasons. First, Spitfire was smart in approaching Rainbow Dash the way she did, from a competitors perspective anyway. The compliance tactic she used was referred to as "foot-in-the-door technique" on Wikipedia. All she did was offer Rainbow Dash an opportunity to *practice* with them, without any further stipulations or expectations, but once Rainbow had agreed to this smaller request, the larger more meaningful request/offer would be easier for Rainbow to accept. The reason why I say this might not have been avoided by Rainbow simply telling everyone about the offer is that this is Fluttershy we are talking about. I can't imagine Fluttershy doing anything but accepting RD's decision, but even if everypony agreed that it was okay for RD to switch teams, that in no way diminishes the fact that she would be breaking promises and letting down expectations that she had been building since the episode began. In a way, this would be just like Sweet and Elite, where once Twilight realized why Rarity was acting the way she was, she and the others accepted it and even endorsed what Rarity was doing, but that didn't make Rarity's actions more ethical. The problem all along wasn't whether or not everypony else would accept Rainbow switching sides, but whether or not it was a moral/upright thing to do in the first place.
I think the real reason why Twilight was being so disappointed... is because Rainbow was willingly breaking a promise for her own reasons. She probably wouldn't have minded had she agreed to be part of the cloudsdale team first, but by breaking her promise, she'd disappoint all of her friends whom had already prepared for cheering her on, all for selfish reasons.
One thing to keep in mind, this could have also been her being loyal to Soarin. She saw a guy that she looked up to and is a really cool guy getting screwed out of a major competition. To me, that actually makes more sense than giving up her shot of winning a major competition (the Equestria Games) for two ponies that didn't really care and would have been ok with her switching teams.
Just thought I'd say that list of names is SO useful. Thank you so much Digibro, my days without a gaming desktop will no longer haunt me and destroy my mental integrity!
Actually, Twilight Sparkle never argued that Rainbow Dash should not switch teams; she only gave her things to consider when making her decision. Although Twilight Sparkle would have preferred Rainbow Dash to stay with Ponyville, Twilight still allowed Rainbow Dash to make the decision on her own because Twilight understands what her heroes mean to her. Twilight only expressed disappointment when Rainbow Dash refused to make any decision at all.
Exactly. I don't understand all this hate directed at Twilight for actually being mature and wise. Rainbow made a commitment, and if she was going to switch she should've been upfront about it. (Which the episode shows with Bulk and Fluttershy willing to support her decision when she comes clean.)
I feel you're over-analyzing these recent episodes to the point where you're missing the obvious. This show has always worked because of its themes, not because of air-tight plot construction or shocking twists. It's that simplicity that makes the show work.
And making something simple AND good is HARD IMO. There are plenty of shows that throw everything and the kitchen sink at the viewers to keep them invested. I'm often amazed at what this show pulls off working within its limits.
So basically what you're saying is that this episode would have been better if the lesson at the end was "you should always be loyal to your friends... Unless somebody better comes along"
That's just horrible!
What the hell was she supposed to say to them? "Sorry guys but you suck and the wonderbolts are awesome, so I'm going with them because all I care about is winning. But we're still friends, right?"
And it's not like this is her only chance to win something, the games will happen again next year, and Twilight also made good point: because Fluttershy and Bulk didn't have much chance to win they NEEDED Rainbow with them. She can't just leave them for someone else like that, it would be like telling them that she doesn't care about them, only about winning.
I'm actually really surprised that you actually think she needed to bail on her friends like that...
Good to see a actual Review this time! instead of just "brief" or nothing!
They should have an episode where they discuss their elements. Like how sometimes the ponies act 'Out-of-element', and the lesson overall being that they don't always have to follow their element, but represent it when the time comes (e.g. the Season Premieres and Finales). But Rainbow Dash doesn't always have to stick with her friends, Rarity doesn't always have to be generous, Fluttershy doesn't always have to be nice, etc. etc. I would LOVE an episode like this, because it would bring up the main issue in this episode where Rainbow's dreams could've been more important then her friends. What do you think about this?
The only problem with this idea is that that would be an episode about how you shouldn't always be honest to people, or how you should only be nice sometimes. It would just be kind of weird. :/
Digi, did you completely forget what Rainbow's dream is? It isn't to win the Equestrian Games, though that would be a nice trophy for her shelf. It is to join the Wonderbolts and flying with them as a replacement for Soaren won't actually give her that. In fact it is the fact that she called them out and said no that gave her a better chance at joining them.
However that is hindsight wisdom. Going into the games RD and her friends couldn't possibly have known that RD would get a chance to call out the Wonderbolts.
fair point, but I remember Digi also mentioned that she was right not to join the Cloudsdale team considering the terms of doing so.
Still, I agree entirely with what you said here about Soarin being replaced, that's a good point.
Dude, you pretty much summed up my thoughts on the episode perfectly =D
Hey Digi, I just wanted to say thanks for the heads up on the websites you mentioned on this video. I admit, I am one of those people that is a bit lax when it comes to searching for items on EQD, so many thanks for pointing me to Fim Music and Fim Fiction :) As for the analysis, I look to youtube for this, so I completely understand you stepping down from EQD. It's very much a "slice of everything" site whereas analysis is a very specific field in MLP so I agree it is better to look to the reddit group and follow people on YT for indepth looks into the episodes. *rambles on and on until people find a blunt object to shut me up*
Wow, you actually make some pretty valid points. I love this episode, but I never saw it this way before seeing your analysis on it.
I pretty much agree with your counter argument to the presentation of the episodes conflict, it felt at times like Twilight was trying to guilt trip Rainbow Dash when, as you say, her friends contributions were last minute things which they cared about far less than Rainbow's life's passion of winning at the Equestrian Games.
Also everything about Twilight: spot on. The only reason I can think of her acting like this this season is because she is emulating Celestia so well that she is copying her laissez faire approach (ie. withholding information and advice).
But there's still one thing on my mind about this episode: Why wasn't Gilda in Rainbow Falls? After all, there were 3 other griffins in the beginning and the end of the episode, plus it was about a racing competition, which sound like something Gilda would want to be apart of.
Rarity takes Manehatten: Rarity basically loses faith in the concept of generosity after it almost ruins her career. She sees rainbows when she realizes that she is at fault.
Rainbow Falls: RD disregards loyalty by refusing to pick a side. She sees rainbows when she realizes that she is at fault.
They started the season by giving up the elements, and are now, seemingly, showing the downside of each in turn. Think season 2 premiere, but with an episode per pony
I was afraid she was gonna do a sonic rainboom again to win the race, I'm glad she didn't.
Now this it more like it! Your last few videos almost seemed phoned in. This was well thought out and you sounded like you wanted to be here. Good show!
I actually agree with you. Rainbow Dash is like an Athlete. No, she IS an athlete. She has every right to go to whatever team she wants. Now, I love she stuck with her home, but...
And that's a good question. Why didn't YOU help in the race Princess? Or fly at ALL?
Yes, with all your negative points, I agree with you. Lots of errors with this.
When I saw something I actually noticed something how the rainbow eye thing in this episode is connected to rarity takes manehattin and it is when they conect to there elements when the rainbow eye happens. For example in rainbow falls her eyes went rainbow when she figured out that she must be loyal to her friends. And in the rarity episode she gets rainbow eyes when she figured out that she wasn't being genorus to her friends. And those items at the end of each episode that have a rainbow reflection could be the keys for the box. So what do you think of this idea.
Buy the way ideas like this I am going to post on my new channel but it is not up yet but when it is up I hope you can see all the ideas I have.
I like it. :3
Excellent review, just like always. You nailed EVERY single thing I felt about the episode, especially about Flutters and BB being on the team and Twilight not being a flier.
What always pisses me off about these stories is that it clearly means a lot to rainbow dash to win where as her team mates are basically just doing this for a lark, yet they aren’t portrayed as the selfish ones for making her stay.
“I’m sorry me achieving my life long dream means you don’t get to have fun today”
Why wasn’t Derpy on the team from the start if she was Free? she's got to be at least better than Bulk
I am surprised you weren't as outraged as I was about Rarity's outfits. Rarity KNOWS better. She KNOWS that stuff is absolutely dreadful for such an event. Even if she may occasionally overlook things (i.e. not cool enough) it's generally to go towards aesthetics. Even aerodynamics being overlooked would make sense for aesthetics. Instead she went for a single cloth with a hole in it and entirely unfashionable flowers that make her outfits look worse than Twilight's Self-desired Gala outfit. I ALMOST think she did it because Dash ticked her off at some point and she was getting revenge with fru fru girly stuff.
The Wonderbolt's outfits were so gorgeously Derpy-colored. And I noticed Derpy had no speaking lines. I don't mind. Having her there in the episode made me so happy, to finally have my favorite pony allowed back into an episode.
I wish the development team would try to avoid making clones though. Or suddenly-pegasus background ponies...
Rainbow Falls is such an amazing place. I wonder if they have to have warning signs near the water. I wonder if anypony drowned. How would you know if there was a dead body in rainbow water? MWAHAHAHA*cough*
In response to the end of your video, I do agree, your voice is appealing to listen to. If someone's voice is not melodic, generally it is more difficult to listen for extended periods of time.
I agree that Rarity should know better. And I wonder why it would be such a big deal for Rarity if RD doesn't compete. She could still provide clothing for the other ponyville athletes.
Twilight technically didn't force Dash into it. She just played the role of Dash's conscience. Dash obviously had those thoughts herself when worrying about her own team when the Wonderbolts offered her the first time. Twilight just became Jiminy Cricket.
i'm way too tired atm to really go in depth with my ideas, so i'll keep it concise and as legible as possible. i personally think that all the things that you had gripes with the narrative are not really that big of a deal. I will submit that RD did have the right to go to the cloudsdale team, but nopony in the episode ever said she really shouldn't, so it's not so much ponyville holding her back but her loyalty to ponyville that is holding her back, so it's primarily internal. sure her friends would be a little dissapointed with not being able to do those things in the episode, but i think that rainbow dash would feel the emotional hit more than anypony else.
secondly, twilight is always well intentioned, but as we've seen in baby cakes, that doesn't mean she can't be accidentally insulting. and i never got the sense she was being sassy, she saw rainbow dash practicing with 2 teams and acting sneaky and suspicious the entire time, so of course she's going to call her out on it. but she did it in private, and let her make her own decisions, which ultimately implies that the only real struggle is RD's own perception on who to go with. Nopony is holding her back from glory but herself in this, and it's her loyalty to her friends that sort of clouds her perception of when it is the right time to spread her wings and fly
I think that rainbow eyes are supposed to represent their elements, like when rarity wasn't being generous she saw the rainbow and regained her generosity. same with dash, she wasn't being loyal she saw the rainbow and went back to her friends. maybe the rainbow is supposed to be a replacement of the elements or to show they don't need the physical element gems. P.S. this is starting to look like a fan-fiction idea i had once.
Ponyville didn't actually try to stop rainbow dash. Twilight was disappointed but she said Rainbow Dash could choose, as did Rainbow Dash's own team. None of the other ponies said anything.
On retrospect, this was kind of admirable of Digi to do. He knew his MLP analysis was coming to an end but didn't want to leave on a negative note regarding the community. So he actually endorsed the other MLP analysts whom he knew would be his successor
I can understand why Fluttershy shouldn't have been there. Despite some of her feats (being able to increase her wind power in a short time and being able to catch a slowed down Rainbow Dash) she is not an athlete. However, she was there for Rainbow Dash more than anything and that's why I didn't see a problem with her being there. Bulk Biceps did go to the Wonderbolt Academy which shows he does care a lot about flying despite that not being his destiny as a lifter. How he didn't get into another competition, I don't know. Maybe they don't have a competition for his skill set. So competing in the Equestrian Games is not entirely out of character.
I also think that Rainbow Dash should have competed with the Wonderbolts after hearing your analysis, but I will say she went about it in a way that was unfaithful to her team. Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps were there ultimately for Rainbow Dash, but both also expressed interest in the competition and being able to represent Ponyville. Despite that, Rainbow went behind their backs. If she was upfront about it, that would've been one thing (and from the ending, they would've understood), but she two timed on her team, didn't help them train as much as they could, and then made up a bullshit excuse to get out of deciding between which team to choose. I think this is what Twilight found disapproving about Rainbow's actions more than anything. Also, if she chose to side with the Wonderbolts, I think they all would've been worse for it as they would've descended into being a team about winning rather than being the team that Rainbow Dash respects as competitors. Even Spitfire and Fleetfoot realized that the route they took to winning was one in which they abandoned their friend and they seemed disappointed in themselves about it. Wanting to win a competition and living your dream is fine, but if you go about it in a way that's harmful to others and even betrays the expectations of your friends then I think that's not a decision that Rainbow Dash could live respectfully with.
great review, I agree with most of your points, looking forward to the next one.
"If you didn't care...you could have closed this video six minutes ago~" Priceless XD
I think, to a certain degree, that the episode may have something to do with dealing with what you're given. I really felt this episode when I first saw it, having grown up in a school district that refused to fund every club that I was ever a part of. I belonged to all the performing arts clubs at our school, and it was hard to fight to put on good shows while other groups at the school were able to get new equipment frequently.
Ponyville probably acted like my district, choosing to put their efforts (and perhaps funds) into other areas of life in the town, like agriculture, or fixing all the buildings that have been torn apart in previous episodes ;). Not emphasizing their Equestria Games “program” probably led to less interest in it, creating a positive feedback loop in the direction of decreasing the effort and funding put into preparations for the Equestria Games.
This may be why Ponyville only attracted a certain number of pegasi into their team. They know that it’s not an important thing to the people where they live. I’ve seen situations where so few people are joining the clubs of their own free will that people bring in whoever they can to fill the roles, even when the people they bring aren’t interested or talented in the area. This could be why Fluttershy and Bulging Biceps were there. They may have agreed to join after being asked, due to a low amount of people. Despite the fact that they tried, their talents were still in other skill sets.
So, it's very logical for Rainbow Dash to want to go to a different town, where she is not held back by the people or conditions under which she works. Still, in real life, a lot of people in similar situations don't have this option. Sometimes it can come down to doing it with the limitations or not doing it at all.
This episode could be used to show to young viewers the idea that, "Even if you're in a bad situation, you can still pull through via determination, so don't give up on your team." Or, in short, making the best of your situation. The fact that Rainbow Dash chose to stay with the Ponyville team could have been a way to try to send a message to kids who have to make do with a bad deal. “If Rainbow Dash did it despite the troubles, I should too!”
Also, in Equestria, it may be their Olympics, but for the target audience, the closest most of them will come to that is a situation like this in their school. This is probably why it seems more like a “state championships” kind of thing than the high-stakes Olympics. They want it to be more in tune with the problems children may have to face.
Of course, this is all just a guess based on personal experiences. :)
"Despite the contrived failure of a narrative, it's actually pretty good!"
I feel like something along these lines can describe almost any "bad" MLP episode. Pretty much every episode has good animation shots, good lines, and so forth. The only thing that really can make an episode be considered "bad" overall (in relative terms) is if the overall plot or lesson is rather odd. I'm not sure if the show is actually weaker overall on plot than it is on other aspects, or if it's simply that plot is the only thing where you can honestly have a unified narrative in an episode to judge. In *some* episodes the former is certainly the case.
This, all of this. Or it's just a show about ponies with an adult fan base..... : P
Yeah, but most of the time and in most aspects the show is pretty well-made. The episode morals sometimes feel more... childrens-show-like than the show normally does. Granted some of them are better than that, but some of them feel more like standard stock aesops territory.
The Fluttershy/Bulk Bicep team bothered me too. I understand why the writers picked them, but the moment I saw it, I had to wonder why they would be on a team from a narrative standpoint. Fluttershy wouldn't take part in the attempt to break the world record because she was too embarrassed. And that was with tons of ponies flying around in a hurricane so fast that no one would notice her. So why would she sign on to compete in an event that she knows she can't compete in, where every pony in the world will be watching her?
Also, doesn't Rainbow Dash actually live in Cloudsdale? I know that she hangs out in Ponyville, but when Discord was preying on their elements to use them against them, he used her loyalty to Cloudsdale to make her turn from her friends. Plus, she lives in a cloud-house. We don't see those over Ponyville, we see them in nearby Cloudsdale.
That said, I think they did a great job of again showing how her element, like Rarity's, can be a cause of problems. I don't think the reason why she didn't decide was because she was torn between idol worship and wanting to win; and not wanting to disappoint her friends. At least, not completely. I think, intentional or not, this was a case of divided loyalties.
I already mentioned that she's from Cloudsdale, and so she could be torn between wanting to help them and wanting to help Ponyville. Plus, she's practically a Wonderbolt already. She trained with them at the academy, and now here. And she honestly thought that they would lose without her because they wouldn't have enough flyers. In this case, her loyalty made it impossible to choose one over the other, so she avoided it altogether.
I really like the direction they're going with these. It's hard to tell at this point if the keys (or whatever the rainbow items turn out to be) will be based on a lesson that they learn, or based on a lesson that they teach to others. It's interesting that both Rarity's and Rainbow's rainbow items came from someone else who learned a lesson about their element. I really hope that that's the case, and they continue with that trend.
Is it possible that Fluttershy is finally growing as a character over the series? She didn't have the courage to fly with the other pegasi because she believed she wouldn't make a difference, but then she actually did make a difference-a pretty big one. Before, her kindness on the show was mostly taken advantage of, but then it was used as a key to reform Discord's heart. As odd as "Bats" is as an episode, Fluttershy's compassion for animals seemed stronger than ever when she was transformed into one of them. I think Fluttershy wanting to help Rainbow Dash get a chance to compete in the games because she's kind, more confident, and more in her element than ever makes sense.
As for Bulk Biceps, he's always been that enthusiastic guy. He'd want to be on any team, even if he didn't have a chance at winning.
StarSnowGhost
I don't buy it. The thing that I've always loved about Fluttershy is that her progression felt real. Shyness isn't something you just get over. It's a part of who you are, and you learn to deal with it. But you learn to deal with it as it comes up. You learn to deal with facing a bully, like in Dragonshy, and then the next time it happens, you're better able. But when you have to deal with being in charge, like in Stare Master, you go back to square one and figure out how to deal with your shyness in that area. And then you get passed that, and now you're faced with having to assert yourself to get what you want. And so on. She's worked past her issues with her childhood traumas, but there is no way that she would be comfortable getting up in front of the entire world, having them watch her. I mean, three weeks ago she couldn't even stand up to her friends to tell them no, even though that was her area of expertise.
Maybe, if there were literally no other option and Rainbow Dash asked, she would do it, but there is no way that every single pegasis in Ponyville was too busy or less interested than Fluttershy. Even Derpy makes a better choice than Fluttershy in this case. She was obviously available.
cryofpaine Well, I'm a shy person and there was once a time in my life where I couldn't even think about getting up in front of people, but now I can do it. It's all about self motivation; saying to myself, "I've done this before, and I can do it again." Do I still get a little twitchy before and after I perform? Sure. Could I work on those things too though? Yes.
Griffons: It is now confirmed there is more than one, and they have a society that could perhaps be visited in later episodes.
something i just realized, twilight in this episode said choosing not to chose is not a choice at all. and this is the person who not wanting to chose on of her friends to give the gala ticket to, chose not to chose and sent the tickets back.
I think it's high time for Rainbow Dash to tell the Wonderbolts to shove it and start her own flying team.
For me the focus of this season seems to be the mane 6 unconsciously teaching other ponies the importance of their Elements (and getting the keys as a reward). First Rarity teaches Coco about the importance of generosity, This time Dash teaches the Wonderbolts about loyalty.
Both do so unintentionally - and I really like this concept!
Maybe instead of using the Sunk Cost Fallacy, Twilight should have just reminded Rainbow Dash that she made a commitment (albeit a minimal one) to the Ponyville team and she was going against her element of loyalty by flying with the Wonderbolts simply because "It's more fun practicing with the winners than the non-winners." as Rainbow Dash puts it. The part where Twilight says "Rarity's uniforms will never be seen" I thought to myself "Well good, they shouldn't be seen because they look fucking terrible."
O-O just noticed
the time taker for the race is a unicorn
hes on a cloud
the walk on clouds spell?
howd he get up there, someone carried him up?
I hope fans noticed that all of the "keys" (so far) given to mane 6 characters were from side characters that learned a lesson of their own during the episodes. I hope this is significant to what it leads to later in the season~
This episode was really great! It was written by Corey Powell, who wrote my favourite episode, Sleepless In Ponyville.
it really is almost tragic with rainbow dash. she is being held back. when lauren faust stated that she planned for twilight to be a princess, she also said she wanted dash to be a wonder bolt. it's almost like it may never happen now
Now that you mention it, that seems like a big reoccurring theme in this season. Rarity having a chance to make costumes in Manehattan, RD having a chance to fly with a skilled team in the Equestria Games... It seems like the story is pointing to the ponies aspiring for big dreams, which will eventually separate them from their friends (though they won't be apart because "we will still be friends" as Princess Twilight says in the first episode). Not to mention that both Rarity and RD are the ones so far that saw the "rainbow power" before receiving their keys/items/whatevers. In fact, why aren't they taking this kind of change? That stuff happens in real life; some people are destined for bigger and better things than their small town life, and they all have to grow up sometime, right? Especially Princess Twilight!!
Nice. I always love your reviews.
As much as I love this episode (mainly because I like any episode with Dashie as the central character) , I hated how they played out the narrative. Mainly in how they made the Wonderbolts the bad guys.
Despite how at the end of Wonderbolt Academy, Spitfire shows she cares about morals by demoting Lightning Dust for being an ass despite also being very good. Here, however, Spitfire completely reverses: putting pressure on Rainbow and being an ass to Soarin simply to have a better team.
It's odd that they would do this, as simply having the chance of joining the Wonderbolts is enough of a split loyalty situation for Dash - to her dreams vs. to her friends. I feel the only reason they added the twin issues of the Wonderbolts lying to RD about Soarin, and snubbing Soarin was because otherwise Twilight would be the villain of the piece, fulfilling the sports trope of "person holding the star athlete back."
100% Agree.
If I was in Rainbow Dash's position, and I got the chance of a lifetime to fly with the wonderbolts, which is something she really wanted to do, I would have snapped that opportunity up in a heartbeat.
It is sad what they did to Soarin and lied to him, but shit happens.
Twilight needs to take that stick out of her ass and realise that sometimes SHE should see what's best for her friends. They could always try and qualify the year after. That year after, Rainbow might not have even got the opportunity to fly with Spitfire and co.
K.
I really hope that the "Rainbow Power Ponies" design don't come on the show design because it looks weird.
Recently, the thing bothering me about this episode is the moral.
There's no sense in Twilight teaching Rainbow Dash about loyalty if Rainbow Dash has already taught Twilight about it in the very first episode. It's redundant and a bit disrespectful to Rainbow. Not to mention Spitfire also should have learned about loyalty from her, but betrays her own teammate regardless. It's overbearing when Twilight pressures Rainbow Dash to remain in the Ponyville team when she doesn't say anything to Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps about taking the situation seriously. In fact, almost everyone in this episode was screwing RD over - wonderbolts were deceptive to her; Flutters and Bulks didn't take any real initiative to improve their performance and poured all the responsibility on her; and Twilight manipulated her with guilt to stay loyal to the Ponyville team even though Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps were being disloyal to to the team, in their own way.
Thinking about it makes it feel like Rainbow Dash was force-fed a lesson on loyalty through hypocrisy. Almost every other character needed to learn the moral of the episode.
My theory is that Rainbow Dash wanted Ponyville to try out for this particular event, but when she couldn't find anyone really willing to be on the team who wasn't already obligated to another event, her friend Fluttershy and BB offered to fill in so said flying team could be created at all. It seems like the kind of thing Fluttershy would do to help a friend reach her goals.
Now Twilight's attitude and unwillingness to fly in Dash's place without explanation...that I have no excuse for. I was ticked at her, too.
Finally I found one analysis that does not consider Rainbow Falls as worst episode of season 4.
Am I the only one that doesn't want RainbowDash to join the Wonderbolts anymore? The Wonderbolts have been shown to be pretty selfish caring about only winning to the point they would kick one of their teammates off the team. Rainbow even saves them a hand full of times and teaches them a lesson! Rainbow is better than them and if she were to join, she would essentially be demoted.
oh digi, there is so much more to life than destiny
Hah, Digi you speak about this episode how I speak about Bats!. Where in Bats I feel that Applejack was in the right 100% and fluttershy's argument made about as much sense as cooking bacon with a shotgun. Being that i'm from a family of farmers myself and know that losing your crop like that not only hurts your finances, but makes you feel like you wasted your good old fashion blood, sweat and tears on something ultimately fruitess. Not to mention that...unless Fluttershy was talking about using bat Guano as some kind of fertilizer, her assessment of the bats being beneficial was total BS.
Did anyone noticed how the items glowing rainbow are gifts? Coco's crafting string now spitfire and her badge :D just a theory but maybe the keys don't even relate to the main six but the ponies they meet ?
Wow... You put Mr. Enter on the list. I for one adore him, and always enjoy going over all the points that he makes in his series.
Loved the episode.
Anyone else terrified of the possibility of Gilda showing up at the games? Honestly, when I saw the griffons in this episode, I immediately realized just how possible it is for Gilda to make a comeback, and honestly, I'm really scared...
The key thing while i agree with most of the observations, It's that Ponyville is NOT holding RD back. They make it very clear all the way that they understand if she wants to go with the bolts and are OK with it.
It is RD whom, due to whom she is does not want to. Thus she, is holding herself back due to whom she is and what she thinks is most important.
The synopsis around 6.30 makes it clear you understand this as a concept which is very much against your entire review up to that point, you seem to look forward to that but while its happening as you "predict" you dont like it.
Other than that, i agree with basically all observations made but the deductions and conclusions are kinda off field. Especially regarding Twis dialogue, she was surprisingly mature which is something that has been called for by you and Tommy both.
Rainbow dash is honestly the most loyal pony, and because she was HONEST to her friends.
I got really excited when Spitfire gave RD the pin because I thought she was implying RD's wonderboltness.
As far as what I can assume are the "keys" for this season. These keys are obtained when the mane six share their message beyond just their group. In the Manehatten episode, Rarity obtains her "key" from Cocoa Pommel when Rarity's generosity inspires Pommel to be more generous. Rainbow gained hers when she teaches Spitfire to be loyal to her own teammates. The only thing I still don't get is Fluttershy's teeth ...
"Rainbow Eyes" reminds me of the Arcade Fire song "Flashbulb Eyes" for some reason.
This episode really hammered in that I think the writers, new and old, are really banking on the MLP community to still have a hit show rather than having a series that speaks for itself. I'm not saying that individually the episodes aren't good but as a whole this season is rolling back onto itself as though they have no clue what they actually want to do as a whole. It's like there's multiple camps in the Writers' Room that are pushing their own views without a consideration for the content itself.
Did anyone else hate Rarity's dresses in this episode? It's one of the first times I've hated something Rarity made on her own accord.
Twilight bothered me the most about this episode though, she was just...off. Like she had something else to be doing the entire time and wasn't giving RD's issues the right sort of attention that would've and should've lead to a much more believable response to RD's dilemma and choices.
I think the big thing I took away from this episode is that there is a fine line between loyalty and *codependency.* One of the worst things about being the best at something, and this is something I can relate to, is that everyone will want you to help them. And when I'm in a position like that, I feel like a terrible person if I don't.
Rainbow Dash's motivation lies not only in her love and support for her home in Ponyville, but also her desire to be needed. It's the same thing that happened in Mare-Do-Well, if you'll recall.
The Cloudsdale team was unquestionably the best, but they didn't ask Rainbow Dash to join the team until Soarin' got injured. That meant that Rainbow Dash was, is, and always will be, an alternate selection for their team. And it fits Rainbow's character, insecurity and all, to be the big fish in a small pond any day of the week. I think that was also the point of the Flutters & Bulk Brogan team-up: to drive home the point that Ponyville NEEDS Rainbow Dash, just as much as Rainbow NEEDS to be NEEDED by Ponyville.
I feel like there's a better way to express that point, but I'm terrible at analyzing, so make of that what you will. If you made it this far, thanks for listening to my ramblings.
3:35 "Excuuuuse me princess" GOD I LOVE ZELDA :D