I think that you’ll be disappointed that the episodes after the pilot are just… random situations taking place at random times. Slapstick humor, silly references and looney tunes-like situations aren’t rare
for example when Derpy accidentally drops half of a moving ‘truck’ on top of Twilight while she’s spying on Pinkie for science. First flowers, then an anvil, then a hay cart and last but not least: a piano). This was a nod to 4Chan from Lauren, who’s been reading the /co/ board and saw people pointing out the little animation mistake that is now known as ‘Derpy Hooves’ in the pilot.
It’s actually quite different from the pilot, but I’m sure it will still be likable for your taste. Just saying that the rest of the show is pretty different from the pilot.
OK. I officially love this show. I told my brother about it, and we’ve been continuing to talk about it, and because of that I’ve been getting into it a little bit more.
mentalguru: Maybe more like a benevolent dictator a la Mao Zedong or Fidel Castro, where people respect and love her but she rules by individual mandate?
I’ve commented on your dA art, Czarine, but I wanna say again it looks spectacular!
I watched the third episode The Ticket Master and it was still very predictable (well, the plot must be easy enough to understand for the kids after all) but it’s so charming. I think the reason why it appeals in comaprison to the Powerpuff Girls or Dexter’s Lab is because the endings are happy and there’s a life lesson to learn (which Twilight tells the audience like Stan from South Park). Powerpuff Girls has a very sarcastic nature to its ‘lessons’, like Buttercup will learn for example that it’s wrong to be selfish, then she’ll defeat the bad guy anyway and then they’ll laugh at some inane joke over the narrator’s closing words. Dexter’s Lab sometimes has pretty cruel endings for Dexter, usually at the hands of Dee Dee. Same goes for shows like Rocko’s Modern Life or Ren & Stimpy or CatDog, where the good guys don’t always win and end up being ‘buttt monkeys’.
Whereas MLP has more ‘feel-good’ endings like Foster’s Home or Pokemon episodes. Again, this is more of a personal taste. I like spoofs, parodies, and the occassional sarcastic ending (if the hero deserved to learn a lesson), but I always want my stories to end with a life-affirming meesage instead of a cynical or fatalistic outlook. MLP is so refreshing because it is so sincere and honest in its humour and morals, but doesn’t become too cloying or preachy. It feels natural, and I praise the writers for weaving the lessons in such a seamless manner.
Also, did anyone notice the continuity error when Rainbow Dash closed the rain cloud above Twilight? After the rain pours onto Twilight (and ruins her sandwich), Spike’s grass dish disappears. Spike then supresses a laugh before Rarity appears. Then Spike vanishes as well!
Well, TDIT, that’s real life for ya. The good guys don’t always win. Actually, most of the times they don’t. And yeah, there are some odd animation errors in there sometimes. For example: in Show Stoppers the crowd of background ponies have no cutie marks, NONE of them! And at some point Pinkie’s head disappears when she’s standing behind Twilight in Green Isn’t Your Color.
Also, I drew a humanized Pinkie from the latest episode Over A Barrel. Before you guys all go ‘EWWWW! D:’, this is the actualdress she wore. I just humanized her.
If you haven’t seen Over A Barrel yet: DO IT. It is funny in so many ways. Some people said it was racist, but I honestly don’t see why.
I asked a question to Lauren Faust herself on the matter, and she said they worked closely with a Native American consult while writing the episode and made changes according to his notes. They did care and deliberately put effort in not accidentally offending Native Americans in any way, so… shrugs
Czarine: Yes, I do like some bittersweet ‘realistic’ endings like Casino Royale, HTTYD, Ratatouille and TS3 off the top of my head. And I enjoy shows like Flashpoint, or Criminal Minds where sometimes the hero will experience remorse or regret over a wrong decision, even though they technically ‘win’ at the end of the show.
But I think that the episode endings for CatDog, Rocko, Ren & Stimpy, etc. tend to be very fatalistic and pessimistic. Like Cat really wants to achieve a goal, but he doesn’t because he’s foiled by Dog’s stupidity or that annoying blue rat. Or how Rocko is constantly pushed around and bullied. Or how Ren & Stimpy just have non-sequitur, usually gross-out endings. Sometimes, you gotta let the protagonist win, but much like a Tom & Jerry or Will E. Coyote & Roadrunner short, some characters never win/save the day. That spoils it for me, because I’ve been cheering them on, but then they end up with nothing or some brutal outcome and I feel ‘cheated’ of my emotional investment.
Gotta look out for these bloopers, thanks for mentioning them. And this artwork is beautiful! I love Pinkie Pie and can’t wait to see her in that episode you mentioned!
Czarine: I don’t really understand all the racism conversations over the latest episode either. I loved it, and Pinkie Pie was probably the best here than I’ve ever seen her before. If people are calling this episode racist, then they should realize that this episode has been done on lots of other shows before (most notably Avatar: The Last Airbender), and they never seem to bother me.
I’m sure people tell you that you are a very talented artist a lot, but judging by this picture I’d agree. It looks fantastic. You guys won’t hate me if I say I was slightly attracted to burlesque-Pinkie in the recent episode will you? Don’t call me pony though.
I’m actually a bit glad there’s no new episode this week, because the show has been occupying the majority of my free-time, and I really need to get some stuff done.
Don’t feel bad… They did make her look sort of sensual in this episode, even doing that little can-can dance of hers. The fact that she’s an anthropomorphic character with a lot of human features added up with that semi-sensual dress and the way they animated her… Yeah.
In using a representation of cowboys and native americans I guess there could be things taken issue with like the idea of both sides having an equal point. I mean fact is, it was the native americans land first. (As it was for the buffalo stand ins). But the buffalos weren’t badly presented or anything. And I kind of loved Spike in this episode.
Though the apple pie war thing was possibly seeen as insulting. But I do hear that a native american representative was consulted on the whole deal (I can’t remember where though) so… the more you know.
In any case I hardly expected something actually akin to what happened in history- like blood, gore, mass genocide attempts on behalf of the ponies on the buffalo- or simply them generally oppressing the buffalo. I mean… it’s… my little pony.
Plus I found the fact Pinkie Pie MESSED UP to be great actually when you think about it (also she doesn’t so much unless you count bridal gossip where… well almost everyone was an idiot in the main 6 at one point. Though I’m curious as to why they simply said it was ‘terrible’ almost suggesting a quality issue in the song. But seriously I mean if there was a problem you felt was serious and sensitive and someone (patronisingly) sang a song about how you had to get along it would be… pretty insulting. Like seriously. Especially when it technically doesn’t involve them.
Also the fact that outsiders not knowing the sensitivity of the situation can just make things worse when they muscle in is something they don’t understand is something you don’t always see in animation. (Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack talking FOR them instead of letting them initially talk was of course also a mistake).
And yes no episode until next week it seems. Ah well. Next week.
@mentalguru, you probably heard that on the last page from me. I asked Lauren about it and that’s literally what she told me.
And they intentionally made Rainbow Dash and Applejack interfere. Pinkie made it worse by, although being right, telling people what to do while she only just even heard of the whole situation, and the way she told them was ridiculous (for the viewer it’s hilarious but I can imagine if someone would do that to me I would just be like “GET THE HELL OFF THAT STAGE, GIRL! D:”). And Applejack and Rainbow Dash made it worse by letting their personal rivalry drive the argument to the point of actual war (child-friendly war, that is…) while the 2 parties were actually willing to listen to eachother’s points and think of a solution.
That was the whole joke… The ponies came, became involved in an ongoing conflict, made it worse and then the problem got solved by something random and silly. It really worked in this episode, and it made me laugh a lot. This is among my favorite episodes.
Through email, DeviantArt or Twitter? Does she have Twitter?
Anyway, I watched the third episode and it is frustratingly as predictable as the previous one ‘The Ticket Master’. You can tell right from the beginning that Applejack is gonna mess up her friends’ chores because of her fatigue, and you were just waiting for her to accept help from her friends. This is more of a story convention to make it easy to understand for the kids, and I understand that.
I think part of the charm for MLP is because they don’t always focus on epic quests or ‘do-or-die’ missions like Twinx, Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM or the previous MLP incarnations. The villains are not so much characters (like Nightmare Moon and as I will discover, in the upcoming episode of Griffin) but more of situational problems and friend conflicts. This ‘everyday problem’ vibe is what I find very refreshing for a kid’s show, as opposed to the more ‘Oh no, is this the end for so and so’ kind of storylines in Beyblade, Pokemon, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Ben 10, and other antagonistic shows nowadays. MLP is more in the vibe of Friends, or Scrubs, or How I Met Your Mother in terms of their sitcom storylines and self-contained episodes. And of course, the great message that you don’t always have to get along with someone to become good friends.
Also, I like the way how the open with a cold intro and have the title credits played over the scene like a sitcom, instead of opening with a theme song and having a separate title card like Spongebob or the older 90s shows. Makes it feel very grown-up and modern, though of course, I don’t really mind the separate title card and opening theme song approach, just sayin’.
You guys remember that sad abusive father story on Ponychan last month? Well, I’ve gone through something similar last weekend. Long story (very) short: domestic violence to the max, thrashed living room and kitchen, police interference… and of course a divorce.
Been watching ponies as a remedy since last Monday and it freaking works. This show truly is magic. Ponydrugs <3
Anyway, the people on the IRC (and forum) of Ponygoons have been a great support as well. I really wouldn’t know what I would have done without ponies after last weekend. That might sound extremely strange but that’s pretty much the way it is. The show itself is a great distraction and the internet community of the show is so tight and mature… Greatest fandom ever, I’m not even kidding.
But yeah… what else could you expect from a fandom that has “I’m going to love and tolerate the sh** out of you” as its freaking motto.
On a more related note: OMG YOU GUYS NEW PONIES NEXT FRIDAY!
^ I’m so sorry to hear that Czarine, but I’m glad to know you’re feeling better now.
It truly is a magical remedy for curing depression. Whenever something bad happens in my life, I just look at a few reaction pics or flip on Pinkie Trigger on my iPod and my sadness is gone.
Sorry for posting another comment on the same thread as I’m the last poster.
Latest episode ‘Party of One’: psycho!Pinkie is interesting, disturbing, but interesting. I was actually really weirded out though by the spike-pinkie scene and the rainbow dash-pinkie one just before the last scene. I mean, damn Pinkie, take a bit of a chill pill.
Overall good episode. And not too long until the Grand galloping gala episode eh?
You guys won’t hate me if I say I was slightly attracted to burlesque-Pinkie in the recent episode will you? 
Don’t call me pony though.
I asked Lauren about it and that’s literally what she told me.
