Episode review: S6E10: "Applejack's 'Day' Off"

"I'm gonna fix this episode an' that's all there is to it!"

After the triple hit of Rainbow's elevation, Starlight's musical and Twilight's sweeping, the synopsis and preview for "Applejack's 'Day' Off" seemed to promise something of a more traditional My Little Pony episode. Not that there's anything wrong with those – if you read my fanfic reviews, you'll know I'm quite a fan of slice-of-lifey slice of life. The Fox brothers, who wrote the not-bad-I-guess "The Gift of the Maud Pie", returned, and...

...yeah. Um. This is going to be a shorter review than sometimes, not because I'm lazy (although I am) but because there just isn't very much to write about. This is the epitome of filler, and it slides very easily into the "passes the time" class of Pony episodes. I actually found re-watching this for this review a slight chore, which isn't something I usually feel.

For a start, why is "Day" marked out with quotes in the title? Possibly it's a reference to the fact that Applejack only agreed to an hour at the spa with Rarity, but I really don't think it needed to be there at all. And talking of AJ, when did she get so into spa treatments? I think "Ponyville Confidential" was the last time we saw her actually spending time on such things.

So near and yet so spa

Twilight and Spike, who are supposed to be looking after the farm while Applejack and Rarity do their thing at the spa, are weirdly underused. Spike, in particular, does almost nothing in this episode. I know this isn't the first time he's basically been ignored, but "A Hearth's Warming Tail" showed that he can still be good value in a smallish supporting role. Not here.

Has Aloe got a new voice actor? She sounds very different this time around to how she has before – granted, she's never had a part as extensive as this one. The spa itself seems enormous inside compared to its external dimensions, so either it's mostly underground or Dr. Hooves has been helping around the place. Local tech also gets another boost: I don't think washing machines have been seen before.

Also, since when did Rainbow Dash enjoy hooficures? She explicitly says in "Ponyville Confidential" that she dislikes having her hooves touched. I suppose that might have changed since S2, but it's not as if we've been told about it or anything. The Foxes don't seem quite to have got a handle on how to write FiM characters just yet, to be frank.

Those slippers are easily the cutest things in the episode

I'll end with a plus point: it was nice to see Applejack – who is very far from thick – methodically working out how to fix a problem with the spa machinery. A shame she was shown being rather silly back on the farm later on, but never mind. And that's about all I have to say about "Applejack's 'Day' Off". I did warn you! It's not great, it's not horrible, it's just... there.

Best quote: Thin pickings, but AJ: "[silly noises for pigs]"

Yays

• The montage is quite amusing
• Applejack shows her intelligence in one scene

Neighs

• Applejack seems to have been hit with the Idiot Stick at other times
• Since when did Rainbow like hooficures?
• Some of it is just dull

★★