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| There are some very amusing CMC faces in this episode |
S5E17: "Brotherhooves Social"
My original rating: ★★★★
IMDb score: 7.4
Thoughts: Three weeks between the last episode and this one, thanks to... actually, I can't remember. Was it just the release of Friendship Games? Anyway, "Brotherhooves Social" is a somewhat strange episode, with a mixture of slightly unsubtle gags (hey, it's Dave Polsky) and some really nice moments. I don't think it's especially controversial to say that the closing scene is the best of all, really very touching and nicely judged. The Social itself is often fun, and it's especially sweet to see Rainbow and Scootaloo doing the "honorary sisters" thing again after too long. On the other hand, "cross-dressing stallion" is a joke that's not really strong enough to drive an entire episode, even with the secondary joke that everypony knows that Orchard Blossom is Big Mac. The song is... odd, though I suppose that was at least deliberate. Mind you, Apple Bloom herself comes across at times as the stroppy early teen she by now is. (As my 2015 review shows, the next episode wouldn't come as a total surprise.) It's quite a fun watch, but it's nothing amazing. My original four-star rating is no longer something I can justify, therefore. A moderate three it is, and it only really gets that due to that final scene.
Choice quote: Sweetie Belle: "That's Big Mac in a dress."
New rating: ★★★
Next
up is "Crusaders of the Lost Mark". Do I really have to say anything else at this point?
| econd after Sassy's "Everypony loves royalty!" |
S5E14: "Canterlot Boutique"
My original rating: ★★★
IMDb score: 7.9
Thoughts: After the first of FiM's
irritating mid-season hiatuses, we did at least have the stalwart Amy
Keating Rogers in the writing saddle for the show's return. It's a good
episode, too, albeit perhaps the least of the run from "Amending Fences"
to "Rarity Investigates!" We see Rarity in her fashion designing mode
more centrally than since "Suited for Success", and personally I prefer
Canterlot as the big target for her than Manehattan as happened later in
the series. Sassy Saddles (voiced by Kelly Sheridan, incidentally) is a
decent sidekick, albeit not one with enough sass to be truly
memorable. A hint of a troubled past career ("another failed boutique"?)
but she was neither unpleasant enough to be a "love to hate" pony or
sympathetic enough for the redemption to really click. I still don't
like the very last joke, which is a bit too close to "let's make fun of
the weird-looking pony" for comfort, though it wasn't AKR's fault. A
couple of the other shop customers were fun, though, especially the
gothy Moonlight Raven. One small criticism of Rarity: the customer who
complained her Princess Dress wasn't what she ordered was correct,
yet she was portrayed almost as the bad guy for saying so. Still,
overall the episode's core plot of "creative job made into a chore" was
fine and appropriate. It was executed pretty well, there's a nice song by Jona Lewie and even though it's not an outstandingly memorable episode it is good. I think it's perfectly worthy of a very solid three. No change to this ep's star rating!
Choice quote: Rarity to Twilight: "In every poll Sassy Saddles took, you were the most popular princess!"
New rating: ★★★★★
Next
up is another Rarity-centric episode, "Rarity Investigates!" – it's
widely seen as an excellent ep. Certainly in 2015 I agreed with that
consensus. I hope I shall have at least as much fun with it this time
around!
Wow, surprise evening post! Good thing I had this already well written in advance.
ReplyDelete_____
This episode has a lot going for it. Getting a proper Big Mac episode is itself a blessing, but on top of that, this episode is also the first serious look at a male character (sorry, poor Spike, but the staff were not yet ready to stop treating you as a butt dragon). I won’t derail this into a “the show should have had better male representation” piece, but it’s a stroke of genius to make the Big Mac episode be about him reconnecting with Apple Bloom (we kind of already got “Forever Filly” here two seasons early, didn’t we?). Both because that’s something that would need to happen, and it has lots of potential, AND it’s still hitting that spot of being true and relatable to the show’s target audience. Many of whom would have big brothers, just as much as they have big sisters. As cliché as it sounds, this episode has everything it needs to be another “Sisterhooves Social”, in terms of mixing its emotional probing power with the comedy of clashing personalities along the way.
It even has most of that – the opening seven minutes does a good job of setting up the conflict without stating outright what Big Mac’s feeling (given the target audience, it’s still spelt out, but you know), and if it’s a little plainer and lighter on comedy then I might like, that’s not too big a deal. We all love the heartfelt ending talk between Big Mac and Apple Bloom, still one of the show’s most touching moments. And the middle honestly has quite a few great moments and details and asides, from Rainbow Dash/Scootaloo being so in sync to the judge getting a Looney Tunes-style crush. I do think Apple Bloom is honestly a bit painful to watch for much of the middle, complaining at everything, and one cannot help but read this as her hitting her tween years even if her Flash model and her voice doesn’t show it (meanwhile, this is the episode where Claire Cortlett’s voice finally finished settling into her deep, anti-Squeaky Belle tone). It’s unavoidable to make the episode work, but it’s a bit uncomfortable to watch.
Then we have Big Mac dressing up as a mare. I was very surprised on the rewatch to find this was both as tough to get through as I remembered, and also much better. It's a very well-executed version of a bad idea, that aspect: there's nothing tasteless about it, making nopony fooled by it but also not judging for it whatsoever. Peter New is absolutely relishing what he gets to do here, and never once slips into the kind of screeching housewives' voices in many "men in drag" comedy sketches. And I have no conceptual issue with Big Mac's first starring role, and one where he speaks a lot, being mostly in disguise either. I still found I had to pause frequently to get through the episode's middle third (from Orchard Blossom's first appearance to the race's start), and there's no way to spin that into a positive. But if the episode is to be stuck with this unsalvageable plot aspect, at least it comes out avoiding virtually all of the execution pratfalls one might expect.
I'll admit, I went into the rewatch expecting to only like the ending scene, and I came out liking everything BUT the above aspect. So that's a sign that it works. It's still one of the show's most frustrating episodes, and one I'll almost never rewatch in full, but despite the knowledge of earlier versions of the script without the dress-up plot, I feel favourably disposed towards it now. That's a minor miracle.
_____
NOTE: My Production Changes comment below on this episode skips the earlier "Changing of the Guard" iterations of the story, being vastly different, but I did a Fimfiction blog discussion it, for the curious. You know where to find it. Though I wouldn't blame anymore for skipping it – it's a lot of meandering and muddled writing. But the context for explaining a shorter writing schedule for this episode is important to know.
Wow, surprise evening post!
DeleteYes! It was going to go up tomorrow, but then I realised I already had a post scheduled for then. Just a short one; you'll see.
and never once slips into the kind of screeching housewives' voices in many "men in drag" comedy sketches
Yes, I touched on that in my 2015 review when I noted that those scenes were among the parts of Monty Python's Flying Circus that have dated absolutely terribly, if they were ever that funny even half a century ago.
"Brotherhooves Social" – Production Changes
ReplyDeleteThis episode went through two Premises and two Outlines under the title of "Changing of the Guard". They share the basic pitch of 'Big Mac becomes Twilight's first guard', but the plot changes vastly between them. The constant rebooting makes it clear it wasn't working, and having read them, they're clunky, unfocused and structurally woeful. Despite some neat ideas (not least Twilight having actual castle staff – another indication this season was once more serialised), it’s not a loss worth dwelling on.
Outside of Big Mac feeling under appreciated (or Applejack thinking he feels that way), it shares little with "Brotherhooves Social". Due to the time wasted on that, this episode started with a beat sheet, more detailed than a Premise but lacking an outline's play-by-play.
BEAT SHEET
The broad strokes are the same until Applejack is called, where she has the idea for Big Mac to participate in her place. Everyone's gung-ho about it, but when Big Mac and Apple Bloom practice, their time is poor enough to have them finishing last. Apple Bloom's won enough that she's okay, but Big Mac is more determined. Over the next while, they don't seem to improve, and Apple Bloom worries he's taking it too seriously, even when Granny Smith says he just likes giving everything his all. By event day, they've nearly matched the Apple Sisters' past times! Alas, the other teams were fed up with always losing to the Apples and put in extra practice too. Big Mac remains upset about their loss, despite Apple Bloom's assurance they gave it their all.
On her return, Applejack comes up with something non-competitive for Apple Bloom and Big Mac to do. It goes great, and everyone's better… until Apple Bloom praises Applejack for the idea, sinking Big Mac's spirits once again. Despite her sister suggesting they leave him be, Apple Bloom approaches him anyway, and we get the heartfelt speech. The episode ends on the two playing on a tire swing Big Mac made at the episode’s start which Apple Bloom didn’t notice (so, the same role as the spinning dragonfly toy, but the Checkov’s Gun went off and came back).
1ST SCRIPT
The 1st script is close to neither the beat sheet nor the final episode, but a weird hybrid (outside of the race and Scootaloo/Dash's pep talk, nothing here made it to the final episode). A truncated play-by-play is needed.
Episode starts on Applejack getting Apple Bloom's kite out of a tree after lining up her buck like a pool shot, and Apple Bloom praising her to the moon and back. Later she asks Big Mac to fix it, when the other CMCs show up with the news Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo are in for the social, thanks to a letter request. Apple Bloom forgot about the social and is excited, running to AJ, only to learn she has to go to Manehattan (her tantrum and Sweetie Belle's deadpan "And Rarity says I'm dramatic" reaction was put into the "Made in Manehattan" script at the time, probably intending for a footage reuse like S3E11/12).
Next morning, Big Mac mends the kite by effectively replacing everything, but Apple Bloom barely notices, though her parting words to Applejack of him being unable to fix this like he fixed her kite gives him an idea. At the social, Apple Bloom doesn't know what's up until she sees Big Mac talking with the committee leader – he wrote an eloquent letter request too, and they're letting him take Applejack's place. Apple Bloom is unconvinced everything is fine. Thus, BIG MAC ISN'T DRESSED UP. Though his dialogue is just the usual "Eeyup" and Enope". They go from activity to activity with varying results. The karaoke booth goes mixed due to record machine issues, Apple Bloom puts on a positive smile as he mangles tying her hair at one booth, and he catches a ring toss booth pony using his magic to make the game unwinnable, netting her a stuffed animal.
[1st script continued below]
[continued from above]
DeleteAll throughout, Apple Bloom keeps trying to talk him out of doing things, but he remains adamant he can, right down to the race, despite not having practised. The race is the same, just a little more focus on the distance between the two and Dash/Scootaloo. Afterwards, they are disqualified with only one visual cue as to the destruction caused (it reads very rushed), and Big Mac stays under the bleachers out of embarrassment.
Different climax too – the CMCs show up to give support (Scootaloo is annoyed he knocked her over), and Applejack and Rarity return. Here, Applejack's idea to cheer Big Mac up is a song her and Apple Bloom sing, while the other CMCs and Rarity play on makeshift instruments (Scootaloo gets in another jab at Big Mac early on, which Sweetie Belle chastises her for). He’s cheered up until Apple Bloom praises Applejack for her idea, and he gets mopey again. But when they stick around, he gives his explanation, though with all of them present, it’s longer, more convoluted and not as powerful. They all stick with him anyway, and the episode ends on Rarity and Applejack about to tell of their Manehattan mission over dinner.
REMAINING SCRIPTS
The 2nd draft is a page-one rewrite, and given deadlines, it's not surprising it's almost exactly the final episode. Among the few things that didn't make it to the final script are dialogue after the "maybe it's a false alarm" bit that undercuts the smash cut to it not being a false alarm. The song lyrics are a TBD until later drafts, where they march quite closely. The montage of activities has them trying (and failing) to catch a greased pig in place of the jump rope fiasco. Apple Bloom asks what Big Mac means by everything depending on them winning, which he quickly covers up.
Otherwise, just the usual slight trims and dialogue tweaks along the way.
ANIMATIC-STAGE CHANGES
For a 28-page script, there were still a few notable cuts, as follows. Little trims were reasonably light in this one.
* After Orchard Blossom compliments Sweetie Belle for being astute and she notes this, she goes off on a tangent about noticing Rarity ordered the wrong fabric last week, only then realising they left her alone. Observant, huh?
* Before the singing booth, there was a whole page of Apple Bloom being unsure they can do any of this without having had the sufficient practice, while Big Mac assures her otherwise.
* After the singing booth, Orchard Blossom downed a large mug of water and let out a manly burp, excusing himself afterward from the shocked crowd.
A decent few additions by DHX for this one!
* A couple of lines got mild booth alterations, chiefly removing Granny Smith stating the Social’s loose standing still meant mares/fillies, as this conflicted with later events. Some mild improv with Applejack/Apple Bloom earlier in their practice, and as usual for an Apple-heavy episode, occasional colloquialism tweaks.
* The judge getting a crush on Orchard Blossom was a board addition! Not in the script at all (though Hasbro was concerned it wasn't working). Some of the visual gags/destructions Big Mac caused throughout were board additions too.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
It's easy to look at Orchard Blossom and think "oh great, Dave Polsky's at it again". But given the late scrapping of "Changing of the Guard", it's understandable they didn't have time to iterate on the 1st script, to sort out the clunky, meandering "1st draft syndrome" (seriously, the climax and weak sauce song goes on forever, and the middle third is awfully vague as to the conflict for adults, let alone kids). And thus they went for the dress-up plot as a fallback, or to make it funnier. As much as the final episode's middle third is difficult to watch, it's amazing everything else in the script just slotted into place in the 2nd draft. More time might have helped, but this is a minor miracle.
I remember a number of people being peeved about Big Mac's speech at the end seeming to force Apple Bloom into doing what he wanted, but I didn't feel that way at all. He was just being honest about how he felt. His only other alternative would be to refuse to talk to her about it, and that doesn't seem productive. So I didn't have a problem with how it resolved at all. And I liked how Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo didn't even try to humor him. That said, it was pretty much a one-gag plots stretched over the entire episode, and I didn't find it memorable. Probably a high 2 or low 3 for me.
ReplyDeleteAnd I liked how Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo didn't even try to humor him.
DeleteI must admit, I found Sweetie's snarky deadpan "That's Big Mac in a dress" so funny the first time around that I had to pause the video. Nearly as much so this time, hence my sticking with it as the chosen quote.
I've always liked that line; I've cited it frequently as the one where Claire Cortlett's voice finally settled, but in a good way – that line would have never worked as well as Squeaky Belle. Even when I really found most of the episode painful to think about, that line (and, you know, the ending scene) always stuck with me. Doubly so now I know the script had Sweetie Belle going off on a tangent after being praised as being observant, stopping only when she noticed everyone's left! That would have been a keeper.
DeleteI've never been very happy about this episode. It can't seem to make up its mind whether "male in a dress" is inherently funny or something to treat as an unremarkable thing, which makes it seem confused. Even the episode admits it's a pointless digression in context.
ReplyDeleteThe emotional beats between Big Mac and Apple Bloom feel undercooked as a result. I'd mark this as two stars at best. It's one of those episodes where I just end up watching it with a blank face.