Episode review: S6E22: "P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)"

Because they know that Tractor Arrrplejack is waitin' in the bay

The Fox brothers were back as the writers for this episode. They'd previously given us the moderate "The Gift of the Maud Pie" and the outright dull "Applejack's 'Day' Off", so my hopes weren't all that high going in. Still, the synopsis seemed to be hinting at a Rashomon-inspired storyline, and I'm all for trying new things in the show. Beyond the cut, I'll say how I thought the episode did. As you'd expect, spoilers galore!

I'm afraid this one really frustrates me, because it could have been a wonderful episode but doesn't quite come together enough to rise above the ranks of the okay. The main problem is the resolution (of which more in a minute), but I also feel the choice of ordering of the flashbacks might not have been the best. Move the first one to the end and you'd have had a sequence that was increasingly amusing, not the diminuendo that we actually get.

Still, that first flashback sequence did give us the best thing in the episode, hooves down: piratical Applejack – hereinafter Arrrplejack, just because. Her wildly exaggerated behaviour and mannerisms (as seen by Rarity) are at least watchable all through, and sometimes quite hilarious. As she steered the boat through the treacherous seas, I became increasingly convinced that a real Arrrplejack story could be an absolute hoot. Someone go and write one. Please!

Their expressions are not uniformly enthusiastic, are they?

The other two flashbacks really can't match up to that one, although they both contain great moments: the unending line of stallions carrying Rarity's luggage, for example, or Rarity herself deploying the word "darling" at every conceivable opportunity. (I am now more convinced than ever that the writers read bad fanfics, whatever they may say in public!) We also get some lovely visuals, and some nice touches too – the flag is heavily based on real-life British Columbia's.

My biggest problem with this episode, and by miles, is the bunyip. The creature itself is quite fun, but it just comes out of nowhere. Yes, I know there are the bubbles, but nobody's going to look at those and think, "Aha! I bet it was a three-horned bunyip!" I would vastly have preferred Twilight to use her Princess of Friendship skills (as she briefly does when devising the "friendship emergency" thing) and for things to have been explained by reference to the ponies' personalities.

All in all, this is an episode that reminds me of the string of "meh" eps we got in the first half of this season. It doesn't really seem to know what it wants to be, and it rather wastes a great premise and setup (not to mention Arrrplejack!) with that disappointing reveal. I doubt I'll be watching "P.P.O.V." very often in the future, at least not right through. This is not a disastrous episode, but it's most definitely filler from the "could have been better" department.

Cucumber sandwiches? Only with Marrrmite, please!

Best quote: Pretty much everything Arrrplejack says

Yays

• Did I mention Arrrplejack?
• The ponies exaggerating each other's traits is amusing
• Some nice visual touches (eg Rarity's Titanic dress)
• Spike has another good episode

Neighs

• The resolution is a very substantial let-down
• Could have made better use of Twilight

★★★