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| It was only then that Twilight realised she'd mixed up the milk and the vodka |
Written by Chris Savino
19 Nov 2010
My original rating: N/A
IMDB score: 6.6
The one with Spike's moustache.
Thoughts: Chris Savino's name is mud these days, but he wrote two early FiM episodes, of which this is the first. Interestingly for an ep that's now remembered fairly fondly by many, it has the lowest IMDb score by some distance up to this point in the series. Anyway, this is of course where we first meet the Great and Powerful Trixie, who is immensely irritating in her magical tussles with other ponies, even allowing for her showmare status. We also get our first real insight into Twilight having exceptional magical talent, though we're still a while away from having cutie marks properly explained. Her feats of magical music and telekinesis to calm the Ursa Minor remain highly impressive all these years on. (Mind you, it's Spike who accidentally and indirectly caused it to be there in the first place!) Snips and Snails turn up, and are just the "irritating boy" characters they remain for many seasons – though they do wander into the Everfree Forest at night; the place is already losing its "impossibly terrifying" reputation from the opener. On the plus side, the ep sees Rarity's first "Oh, It. Is. On." The door gag in the library is also one of the funniest. The moral of the episode is an interesting one, too – but somehow this feels like an episode whose parts don't quite gel into a smoothly flowing whole. They're not quite there yet. A upper-end two for me, though I'm sure some will rate it higher.
Choice quote: Trixie: "Was there ever any doubt?"
New rating: ★★
Next up is "Dragonshy", which was the episode where I was first hit by the realisation that this was something special, beyond just "a fun cartoon". Does it hold up for me now?
Surprised you didn't give more then an offhand mention to how you don't care much for pre-Season-6 Trixie, as it had been something you'd mentioned a few times in the past. I won't disagree on the episode maybe not quite gelling together as well as some others, but for me it's another early good-but-not-great episode, with it's rather clichéd plot enlivened considerably by intricate character moments and interactions. And as for Trixie herself, it helps that there's just enough hints as to why she is so braggish without actually making that the focus - character layering without stealing the spotlight and all that. I quite prefer Magic Duel, but in no way, shape or form does this episode deserve an IMDb rating that low, even just within this season - though we all know IMDb ratings aren't scientifically reliable beyond being an indicator of relative popularity.
ReplyDeleteI did have a little mini-rant about Trixie in there but cut it for space. It's hard enough as it is to keep these things down to a single paragraph; even as they are, they're a bit longer than I'd ideally like! I need to remind myself sometimes that "Thoughts" is indeed what they are, not full-length reviews.
DeleteSince I wasn't around the fandom in 2010, I really don't know why this episode scores so poorly -- I'm assuming most of the IMDb ratings were given soon after the episode aired. By the time "Magic Duel" came out, I was in the fandom, and I don't remember Trixie being hugely unpopular then beyond what you'd expect given her villain status in that ep.
Other than Boast Busters and Stare Master, what did Chris Savino do? :O
ReplyDeleteThat was it; he was the only Season 1 writer that didn't return thereafter. In fact, other then Lauren Faust, he's the only writer that never wrote a post-Twicorn episode. I'd guess his presence early on has to do with Lauren initially relying partially on animation writing talent she'd known from her days on Powerpuff Girls and Foster's.
DeleteIf you're referring to Chris Savino's name being "mud", take a look at his Wikipedia page. I didn't understand what Logan was referring to at first. Now I do.
DeleteYes, that was what I meant. I'd meant to link the relevant part of Savino's Wikipedia entry but forgot to do so. Fixed now.
DeleteYeah, that's what I was getting at. And now I know. Sad.
DeleteTo say I was hardly considered a 'Trixie' fan is a bit of an understatement. Before her 'revenge' episode or being promoted to a breakout star since Season 6, at this point I had assumed she'd just be another one-shot character. It's no denying she can be irritating and a bit of a snob, especially the way she treats her fans. But suffice to say, the ponies of Ponyville weren't saints either jeering at Trixie just for being a boaster. But if a trip to Las Vegas has taught me anything about stage magicians, 'boasting' is part of their job, they want to entice people to believe their magic is amazing and if anything this is how they make their living. Course for me, Trixie in general wasn't the most irritating part of this episode.
ReplyDeleteOther than the part where Snips & Snails led the Ursa Minor to Ponyville (So it wasn't entirely Spike's fault, even though he didn't think they'd actually go into that cave just to prove Trixie's story is true), the fact that Twilight Sparkle refused to use her magic on account of every pony treating her the way they did to Trixie for me bugged me the most. I get where Twilight is coming from that she doesn't use her magic to show off, but unlike Trixie she is actually 'friends' with these ponies from Ponyville and they know her possibly more than she knows herself. And this is another case where Spike 'did' make a point to Twilight about 'how' she can use her magic but she still doesn't listen anyway. It was only when a giant bear starts roaming into town that she decides to use her magic to get him back to sleep that would lead to one of the most impressive moments in the season. Some would say this episode was a confidence issue for Twilight to better understand herself, but it jut felt like it was all done for plot convenience.
As for Chris Savinos, to think the guy who gave us 'The Loud House' had once worked for FIM. To say his name is 'mud' to the community is an understatement. Ever since it's been confirmed he did something... Rather nasty, his career pretty much went down the drain. It doesn't matter how his writing was or the moments he gave on television, as soon as his 'reputation' comes up that's all people will ever remember him for (Not even for what he gave us for FIM, whether they were strong episodes or not). Sad thing is: This would not be the only instance in the entire community.
as soon as his 'reputation' comes up that's all people will ever remember him for
DeleteThat might be overdoing it a little, I feel. After all, look at HP Lovecraft. A massive racist even by the standards of his day, yet people still read his books. Or Richard Wagner, a huge anti-Semite -- yet stuff like "Ride of the Valkyries" is still played very widely. Most people do, to some extent, separate the person and the work; Twitter-style "cancel culture" isn't all that common outside social media.
You do make a few valid points, I'll give you that much. I guess if anything: The fans that still focus on a particular set of artwork may not like the person behind them, but they do pay respect to the things they 'do'. Whether it's movies, television, books, radio, whatever, so long as the work itself is not punished just because the man or woman who put it together has a reputation that as Mary Poppins would call, 'Quite atrocious'. At least nobody can say Chris Savino never wrote for an MLP series.
DeleteI will say this much about Trixie during this episode, even though I'm not a Trixie fan, I will admit the way she made some of Twilight's friends look silly with her simple magic tricks did make me chuckle. Especially the part when she made Rarity scream for getting a green mane.
Golden Harvest: Well, I never!
OH, COME ON! It wasn't that insulting! *Pause* Sheesh, some ponies.