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| "If I cover myself in this earth, I can be an earth pony too!" |
S4E13: "Simple Ways"
Written by Josh Haber
8 Feb 2014
My original rating: 7/10 (=★★★)
IMDb score: 7.4
Thoughts: UK PonyConline delayed this one, so let's get cracking. Not up to "Pinkie Pride" quality, but few episodes are. In all honesty, a lot of this is what we'd come to know and love (or not, depending on preference) as Josh Haberish. A bit of odd characterisation for the sake of laughs: Rarity not knowing how ploughs work is only one of several instances. There's a little gratuitous Derpy and all in all just a general feeling that this ep is here for people to have fun with rather than as a meticulously crafted piece of writing about Equestria. That isn't a bad aim in itself, and indeed it is fun on a slightly superficial level, but I might have struggled to get it above a high two-star rating without the part that "broke Tabitha" – Ms St. Germain's brilliant voice-acting turn as "Country Rarity". The episode is worth watching for that alone, and to be fair the actual moral of being true to who you are is a pretty solid and Pony-appropriate one. I find Trenderhoof himself a bit forgettable, especially as Rarity's infatuation with him comes out of nowhere, but he's not the point. With apologies to Apple Jewel, Country Rarity is the point. As such, this still gets a three.
Choice quote: Rarity on Trenderhoof: "He knows what's going to be hot even before it's tepid!"
New rating: ★★★
Next up is "Filli Vanilli". And if you think I'm going to be calm and non-committal about that one, you haven't known me very long. :D
"Simple Ways" - Production Changes
ReplyDeletePREMISE
Unlike most episodes this season, the Premise comes from the same person who actually wrote the episode, which probably explains why it is barely any different. Up until the equivalent of the barn scene where Rarity is filling up the wheelbarrow, no differences (aside from Trenderhoof being called Glamorhoof). There, Applejack tells Rarity that maybe Trenderhoof likes her because she's herself, and Rarity should do the same - and Rarity takes this to mean she should outdo Applejack. The stand-off between the two resolved when Trenderhoof interrupts, interested in both of them, and it's this realisation that he likes their silly version that makes Rarity realise she's been foolish, and make up with Applejack, resolving to be herself again.
I approve of this later change, as Trenderhoof would have seemed even more shallow had they done the above.
OUTLINE
The outline reminds me of "Castle Mania", Josh Haber's previous script, as it is already super-identical to the final episode on a scene-by-scene basis. Scenes often differ only in the specifics of the prototype dialogue snippets provided. There are only two changes of note here that didn't survive to the script - one being the end bit with Trenderhoof noted above, and the other being the opening scene deciding the festival's runner via lottery, not committee. Also, Applejack comes to the barn looking for a distraught Rarity rather than to hide from Trenderhoof.
SCRIPT
Perhaps you're sensing a pattern - more so then other writers this season, Haber seems to land on what gets approved first time, as lengthy stretches go by that don't get changed in future drafts at all. Some things exclusive to the first draft include a semi-running gag of Rarity getting very loud and excited, other ponies giving her looks, and her going "Oh/Ahem. Sorry" (one made it to the final episode, at the station before Trenderhoof arrives). Otherwise, the usual assortment of slightly different lines that don't affect much outside of their scene. The scene in the barn with the wheelbarrow instead builds up to Rarity stepping out the shadow dressed like Applejack (presumably reworked as, well she only wears a hat, not a lot to work with).
In the 2nd draft, I'm sensing they felt a 35-page script was (correctly) overlong, as actual trimming takes place (not enough, mind). One page-long scene, of Rarity designing a new MC outfit on Spike and constantly sticking pins in him, was cut - this takes place right after her sobbing scene at her shrine to Trenderhoof. The rest of the trimming comes from individual words, lines, and as a side effect of other adjustments. Otherwise, we have the usual assortment of minor dialogue and scene tweaks to the few bits that differed from the final episode (Spike being originally absent from the stand-off scene, for instance). Also, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were initially absent from Rarity's demonstration of her Simple Ways theme, but they are added here (them being added late is probably why no dialogue was written for them).
The polish drafts and locked polish are, even for polish drafts, very lights on changes - often several pages go by without a note. All of note is that Apple Jewel comes into play here (previously it was "Golden Apple"). Hilariously, they missed a "what the heck" until here and changing it to "what the hey", changes a mention of a city called "Horseland" (no, really) to Vanhoover, and added alts to Rarity saying "Oh my Celestia!" that didn't invoke a god - all three of these belong to bits that got cut for time anyway.
Normally this would be where I'd outline the bits in the final script that got cut from the final episode, presumably in timing the animatic… but a major change takes place at this point.
[continued below]
[continued from above]
DeleteANIMATIC & OTHER CHANGES
Before that major change, the various time cuts and other changes (not counting tiny trims):
* Rarity's 'Simple Ways' reveal is proceeded by a nearly one-page scene of AJ noting Rarity's efforts to "country" town up - Rainbow Dash is scattering mud and hay everywhere, and Pinkie is letting farm animals loose and struggling to round them up. This is the full context for AJ's "I'm too scared to guess" line, and is also why Pinkie and Rainbow do or say nothing during the demonstration, even though they were scripted to join it by the 2nd draft. Also meant a "Duelling banjos" moment of Spike's got cut too.
* Rarity and Trenderhoof walking through town had a 1.5 page cut - after the final scene finishes, he touches her shoulder briefly while remarking on his work. Rarity freezes until he's out of earshot, and then explodes to Twilight and Fluttershy, "Oh. My. Celestia. He TOUCHED ME!" The others ask what kind of music she wants for the festival, and Rarity absent-madly tells them to decide. Obviously this was to show how distracted she was, but it also cuts the subplot of those two helping with the show (though Pinkie and Dash's town decorating also got cut with the above point).
* There's a bit in the opening about Twilight and Fluttershy's festival plans if they get chosen as MC (a lecture on the sifting balance of magical power from cities to small towns, and a petting zoo of every Everfree Forest animal, respectively).
* Spike originally said "Really" instead of raising an eyebrow to the camera - that was suggested by Hasbro because they felt the line wasn't working, though Jayson narrowed it to the specific look.
* Opal had small roles during Rarity's two presentations - both got cut.
* While waiting for Trenderhoof, Twilight mistakes a different pony for him only to be corrected by a cowering Rarity - first with a mohawk, and then balding.
* Rarity's epilogue narration was originally a scene after of her writing in the journal, making the montage silent - even apart from time, they work better together than apart.
* A few lines were reworked in pickups to make the context clearer ("who's our next model for the fashion show" being one). Since Trenderhoof's VA had no other roles, they found other ways to get around pickups for him.
So, that big change… the stand-off between Rarity and AJ, once AJ starts modelling… was a song. Specified as a Busby Berkeley-esque duet like Annie Get Your Gun's "Anything You Can Do", with AJ having tuxedo ponies lifting her about and Rarity mud dancing with backup pig dancers. It went unchanged up until the locked polish, but after that, there's extra scripts that scrap it for dialogue (they all happen within a few days of another). I don't know why it was changed (perhaps someone felt it didn't work - I found it shaky, personally, but you can never judge a song from a script - or maybe Daniel was busy). Regardless, the scene got emergency rewritten thrice, and was deemed unsatisfying at the animatic - it basically went from AJ's "gotta keep my mane coiffed" line to Rarity splattering mud onto her. Jayson suggested the seven-line escalation in between those two bits that got used, probably the longest stretch of dialogue written by a DHX employee!
OVERALL THOUGHTS
That song could have been interesting, but the scene we got is gold. Otherwise, most animatic cuts were full scene or half-scenes rather then isolated trims, mostly omitting business for the rest of the Mane 6 - you decide whether that's good or not.
I find it really curious how early this one landed and how little it changed, song scrapping excepted. A trend for Josh Haber… if his future scripts are also bullseyes, that might explain why he became Story Editor despite only writing 4 episodes to that point.
Josh Haber always gets his mark.
DeleteBut is this because he's a good writer?
Or because everyone else is too scared of him to say no?
Revisiting Haber episodes before he took over as Story Editor is weird. Like with "Castle Mane-ia", one can definitely see the tics that would come to dominate and overwhelm his stretch of the show. But under a different Story Editor, one who actually cares about the show's characters and lore, a lot of that is kept in check. Relatively speaking.
ReplyDeleteWhich is a roundabout way of saying I quite like this one. Obviously Country Rarity has been the episode's main selling point to everybody who's seen it since the moment it aired (the animatic emails even praise Tabitha many times over for being able to still hear Rarity underneath it), to the point I don't have much to add - though it is worth noting that "Apple Jewel" doesn't adopt the Manehattan accent she would have picked up in her youth (blame for that is equal parts on Haber and the recording/voice directing crew).
As for the rest? It can feel a bit slow at times, no denying that. Rarity's infatuation with Trenderhoof does fit, though. His sincere yet condescending appreciation of earth ponies and Applejack is a great shorthand for positing both why Rarity would be into him and why Applejack is so put off. And while he isn't very interesting (no accident he's almost totally absent from the Country Rarity third), he does learn his fault and make up for it. He does what he's supposed to do, in other words.
Also, can we talk about Rarity's shrine to him having a lock of his hair? Or not, you know, just throwing that out there.
I really don't have a lot else to say - when an episode is mostly just surface-level fun like this, actual dissection runs shallow fast. There are plenty of small flaws and quibbles to find (a few odd characterisation moment for the sake of a laugh, like you say), but with Meghan having to approve everything, they're mostly just blips rather than major point of contention as in future Haber episodes. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that despite Spike's presence throughout, he's awfully superficial to the actual plot construction. Not the most elegant script construction, you know.
I really am giving Haber credit for not sucking here, aren't I? Oh well, that's what seasons of declining quality and reductive storytelling will do for you. It's a bit unfair, because even the first two-thirds are better then 'not sucking'.
Still, I like "Simple Ways" and find it good enough. Not one I really revisit the whole up, mostly just that last third. But even an otherwise terrible episode would still be worth salvaging with Country Rarity - this one manages to not embarrass itself more then incrementally before we get to that. In this case, that'll do.
What a dumb episode. :| That's really all I have to say about it, I never liked it and there's just nothing worth talking about imo.
ReplyDeleteThere are one or two episodes later on in the show's run where I'm going to be tempted to boil them down to pretty much your comment here. :P But this one? For me this is a mediocre episode lifted to the next level up by that voice acting. Possibly still dumb, but for me at least, fun dumb.
DeleteI thought this episode was fine. Middle of the road seems about right. It's not exactly an original love triangle idea, but it plays the part well enough, and I do like both Rarity's and AJ's turns at deliberately playing against their types. By this point, I was getting a little tired of Rarity seemingly chasing after the stallion of the week, but the character moments are worth it. If there's really anything I don't like about it, that would be the way the fandom went ape over AJ's comment in trying to dissuade Trenderhoof's interest in her.
ReplyDelete