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| "And it's lucky for you they cut your impression of me, Newbie..." |
7 May 2016
My original rating: ★★★★
IMDb score: 6.1
Thoughts: If I was surprised to find I'd originally awarded "No Second Prances" a four, I was amazed to discover I'd done the same for this episode. Granted, I've never had the "argh, take it away" reaction many fans do to "Newbie Dash", and indeed I quite like Dashie's cringy impressions of the other Manes – but was it really worthy of that high a rating? Answer: no. While I still don't think Dave Rapp's debut is a terrible ep, and indeed there's a reasonable amount to like about it (the callbacks, Scootaloo's reaction, some very nicely animated flying sequences, the ending) you can easily argue that it's a disappointment given it's the culmination of a seasons-long arc for Rainbow Dash. That said, I don't agree with those who thought she was bullied here. She went as far as endangering her team-mates, which Spitfire didn't tolerate when Lightning Dust did it and rightly didn't now either. "Rainbow Crash" becoming a badge of honour at the end is nice, too. On the downside, Pinkie is annoying much more than she is appealing, the cotton candy joke isn't very funny, the only really likeable other Wonderbolt is Soarin and it's all a bit uneven with the middle act in particular falling short. So while I still won't be as harsh as some are, I don't think it's as special as it should have been, the pre-credits sequence aside, and as such I'm knocking it down from a low four to a top-end two. That's maybe a tad harsh, but I can't quite justify a three. I don't think I got my rating right in 2016.
Choice quote: Rainbow: "Goodbye Rainbow Dash, hello Captain Awesome!"
New rating: ★★
Next
time, it'll be "A Hearth's Warming Tail", which I utterly adored six years ago. I suspect I'm just going to wallow in it again. But we'll see!
While I did like Dash's impression of her friends when taken in a vacuum, the problem is that... well, you know the feeling when you're reading a fic, and Twilight goes to visit Pinkie, then she goes to visit Rarity, and now you not only know how the rest of the story will go, you even know what those interactions are going to entail? That's what this was for me. Even though that's only one part of the episode, it still let to a lot of it feeling by the numbers. Then how in the world had Dash idolized these ponies all her life without knowing they give each other nicknames to poke fun? That just seems like an obvious part of their lore, so why is it coming as a surprise to her? I get that the other nicknames she immediately learned didn't at first glance seem to be derogatory, but then there would have had to be others in the past that were more obviously so. It smacks of plot convenience. I agree, it wasn't overall terrible; 2 stars feels about where I'd put it too.
ReplyDeleteIf I will give credit to "Magical Mystery Cure" and "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" - two episodes I have no love for - it's that they at least had the sense to devote whole episodes to celebrating such a monumental shaking up of the status quo. They at least had a sense of occasion. Heck, even Rarity gets more dignified and relevant treatment in "Canterlot Boutique", and no one was even expecting her arc to go in that direction beforehand.
ReplyDeleteNever mind that the "is banter bullying?" plotline is pretty suspect to begin with: it simply has no business eclipsing what should have been the triumphant culmination of seasons-long hard work and progress on Rainbow Dash's part. This has been her dream since Season One and has been built up ever since she started impressing the Wonderbolts and then training her way into their ranks. And THIS muddled non-starter is what it was all building up to? Instead of proud trumpets, we get an annoying kazoo. It's a disappointing mismanagement of tone and focus.
To say nothing of the poor taste in dedicating time to the banter plotline with a group of characters who have steadily become less and less appealing over the seasons. Firstly, banter is a double-edged sword and simply has no place being taken for granted, especially not simply because of sheer lazy tradition ("Well, I got an embarrassing nickname, so you should too" is a phenomenally weak argument). So even if it had been set aside for its own episode, I don't think it would have been handled well there anyway. This is the sort of institutional thoughtlessness that at the very least needs more sensitive handling if you're going to put it in a cartoon ostensibly aimed at kids, rather than making the recipient react so OTT that idiot logic requires she be in the wrong regardless. The episode simply doesn't treat it with any real nuance or justice, instead preferring to make RD a massive idiot for a grossly simplistic alternative.
Secondly, I'm not surprised the idea didn't win many people over, considering the characters it's being used with. A key component of the concept of banter, after all, is that a group gets along well enough that they can trade barbs without fear of meaning anything disrespectful. But not only have the Wonderbolts really done nothing much to earn the right to treat RD like that; their prior appearances in the show have, if anything, made them look surprisingly unappealing, even untrustworthy. Firstly, there's Spitfire's contrived negligence in "Wonderbolt Academy", then the group's unethical shuffling and deception in "Rainbow Falls", then they were quite prepared to ban RD in "Rarity Investigates!" on - let's face it - circumstantial evidence at best without conducting an investigation of their own, and overall their general uselessness. I wouldn't blame people for wondering why Rainbow doesn't just go off and start her own group, given how uncharismatic the Wonderbolts have steadily become.
So yeah, not a fan of this episode however I look at it.
Even more good points about this episode than I could have made. God, do I hate this one, fury of a thousand suns and all that. And given how much I generally dislike Rainbow Dash, you'd think I'd enjoy watching her look like an idiot. But no! That's part of why I dislike her!
DeleteJust remember, taken out of the kid-friendly context, the lesson of this episode is, "If someone tries to reenact their own trauma on you, you should let them." :B I mean, my parents spanked me as a kid, and I turned out okay, twitch, twitch.
I'm a bit late to the party here, but hey, better late then never! Well, except for the episode that finally inducted Dash into the Wonderbolts, where never would have been better than late…
ReplyDeleteTo my immense surprise, I found that time around that I didn't hate the episode. Or, at least, that parts of it felt salvageable. My take is probably a little below Logan's and Pascoite's, but not quite the pure rage of Impossible Numbers or Present Perfect.
That said, I do broadly agree with all the negative points the former raised: for all that Dash's test to move up to the reserves, and her serving as on last season, gave joining the Bolts proper setup, something Meghan McCarthy was clearly working towards during her run on the show (and Rarity's business expansion came from comparatively nowhere and still landed gracefully enough), it was still already a questionable decision to have that happen anticlimactically at the episode's start. Having that be the precursor to a "smashing your idealistic vision of working with your idols" story is already retreading "Wonderbolts Academy", and this episode, especially its ending, makes that one's heel-turn on Rainbow hanging up her dream look like Oscar writing. Having that happen via this hazing/banter plot line is just… toxic, and such a weaksauce wet fart of a landing. The lack of occasion, the sense that Josh Haber and Dave Rapp not only don't care about this milestone, but can't see their audience caring about it either, is just… ew. Dave Polsky, you've had your missteps in the past, but you're better than this, man, come on.
Impossible Numbers covered much of everything wrong with this banter/hazing being a lazy writing crutch you have to earn, and it being a horrible fit for the Wonderbolts, where only Soarin has proved endearing at all (and this episode can thus add Misty Fly to the list of Snarky Asshole Wonderbolts, gee thanks). I'll only add that even with a show aimed this young requiring a lot of nuance to put over this kind of institutional thoughtlessness, rather then just falling back on making Dash either dumber or more timid to facilitate the plot, it's appalling for the episode to suggest Dash can't just ask earnestly to not have that nickname, in a show where, let's be real, things happen with far more sincerity and kindness than they don't, world-conquering villains excepted. The episode, and the show as a whole, never came by this grittier-than-its-universe depiction of the Bolts earnestly. And then! It has the nerve to imply that it being a painful reminder of the same nickname in the past for Dash isn't enough additional incentive for her to appeal on the matter! Geez, I think even that would be enough reasoning for command to put a stop to it in the actual military, not withstanding the actual military wouldn't be this blandly cruel even in our world.
Anyway, it's an episode that, impressions aside, is certainly more annoying to think about than to watch. Most scene without other Bolts around were fine enough, and I didn't mind Pinkie as she was written here, though a return to diminishing Spike again, from the suitcase "gag" early on, to being stuck missing the show with Pinkie, to being absent for the welcome-home party, certainly grates. But it's no wonder it remains a sore point all these years later. I'm looking forward to not watching or thinking about it again for years to come, if not ever.
Oh, Pascoite's point on the "going through all the Mane 5 in a row" for Dash's impressions is what absolutely sinks it, though even on that level, they still have a cringe factor that doesn't fly, whereas something like Pinkie having Maud try to bond with all her friends in "Maud Pie" simply gets repetitive and dull. Let's be honest, nearly every time the show had to cycle through the same thing with the Mane 5, the formula grates fast, and for good reason.