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| It's time to meet the ponies on the pony show tonight |
S6E20: "Viva Las Pegasus"
17 Sep 2016
My original rating: ★★★★
IMDb score: 7.3
Thoughts: Otherwise known as "Fluttershy and Applejack team up and don't encounter kirin". Anyway, this is a pretty fun ride, though definitely not one to take too seriously and also an ep we certainly wouldn't have had in the early days. On the plus side, it looks wonderful, one of the most visually appealing eps so far. Also very nice is how Applejack and Fluttershy interact; I wish they'd spent more time together in "Sounds of Silence" a couple of seasons later. Mind you, AJ doesn't really do as much as 'Shy in solving the Map's mystery. Plenty of fun references here, such as the Siegfried & Roy ponies. Flim and Flam are amusing, more so than in "Leap of Faith" but not quite up to their S2 heights. As for Elvis Gladmane, he's entertaining but a bit one-dimensional as the villain. And, let's be honest, this isn't a desperately Equestrian episode in tone, and nor is it one that is perfectly paced throughout. So, still a very enjoyable episode in a "don't think too hard" kind of way, but not quite the great one I thought it might be in 2016. As such, bumped down from a four-starrer to a highish three.
Choice quote: Applejack: "Gladmane has left the building!"
New rating: ★★★
Next
time, I'll be rewatching "Every Little Thing She Does", an episode some fans hate for how Starlight acts yet others have a great time with. In 2016 I was largely in camp two. In 2023? We'll see.
I would've commented on the previous two episodes, but I forgot to do so, partially due to laziness. I will say, of course, that I liked both Buckball Season and The Fault in Our Cutie Marks when they came out back in 2016 and I still do to this day.
ReplyDeleteAs for Viva Las Pegasus, same thing. Mostly it comes down to Fluttershy, who practically became the best character of the show in season six, and continued to grow from there. I thought the show would exaggerate her personality starting with Scare Master in season five (Really? She's afraid of candy in a bag?), but thankfully, Flutter Brutter (another episode that I think holds up) rendered that pointless.
Side note: This should've been the end of the Flim Flam brothers' arc since they pretty much accomplished something at the end. But that's a couple of seasons away.
Good grief, this one is great fun. For one thing, it's a rare Map Mission where the map's mysterious approach kinda works. Neither Applejack nor Fluttershy are the sort to go visit a place like Las Pegasus on their own initiative, so the ongoing revelations about why they're supposed to be there is a pretty well-paced bit of plot development this time, relying as it does on unorthodox character use.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably why I like this one so much, and why you suggest it's not typical pony: the regular use of twists and turns throughout, starting with our featured duo. Fluttershy's presence makes little sense until you factor in the stage animal communication (her gushing over the prairie dogs was an adorable moment) and her willingness to give Flim and Flam the benefit of the doubt. Applejack's presence makes no sense when faced with characters as unsympathetic as the brothers, until her insistence on looking elsewhere turns out to be part of the puzzle.
The Flim Flam brothers end up being a rare case of antagonists allying with the heroes despite not fundamentally changing their ways, and can I just take a moment to turn towards the show and say a heartfelt THANK YOU! What impresses me about the recurrent Flim Flam brothers (so far) is how creatively they're used each time, and this entry may be their most creative yet, first as victims, then as co-conspirators. They're just charismatic fun to have around.
And of course, Gladmane turning out to be more than advertised is fantastic in its own right. I disagree that he's one-dimensional, at least definitely so. His effortless ability to pass himself off as a friendship connoisseur whilst simultaneously pitting two sides against each other, and his smart-but-just-a-smidgeon-too-smug con pony persona, combined with his Elvis-impersonated glamour and charm: all basically make him a more fleshed-out and competent version of Suri Polomare, who was already perfect love-to-hate material with a very subtle hint of being shaped by circumstances in her Knitter's League backstory. I can't argue that Gladmane is an in-depth villain at all, but he has too many fascinating character notes and villain cred for me to dismiss as a cardboard cut-out.
Also, how weird is it this is, like, the SECOND Elvis-impersonating villain I've come across in popular media?
The investigation all comes together in a game of one-up gambits that is a far-too-rare case of the heroes outsmarting their bad guy rather than outhearting or outmatching them (only other example I can think of is Twilight outwitting Trixie in "Magic Duel"). It's something I wouldn't have minded seeing more often, especially combined with the chance to see more exotic settings and meet more eccentric antagonists. A welcome bit of razzle-dazzle in a pretty cool genre switcheroo.
***
This really has been a solid run of episodes, hasn't it? Proof positive that Season Six still has some kick in 'er.
So what's next...?
Oh. Oh, ***k no. Forget it. I'm skipping this one. No. Way. "If you can't say anything nice..." DEFINITELY applies to this one.
From memory, I don't think you're much of an Equestria Girls fan either, so you may want to skip the one after that, too, as it'll be a special for Legend of Everfree. After that it'll be back to FiM with "P.P.O.V." Not the greatest episode in history, but Starlight does not exist in the episode at all; she's not even referenced. So definitely different from the one you're skipping!
DeleteOh no, Logan! Perish the thought! I quite like EqG. To be fair, that's more and more in recent years (didn't even start watching the movies till 2019), but I'm game for "Legend of Everfree".
DeleteWhile not an S6 Starlight ep, "P.P.O.V." is still not an episode I find all that interesting, but who knows? Maybe I'll think of two cents to throw in.
Really, the next one I'm excited for is "Top Bolt". That's another great highlight of Season Six, so you got some gushing to look forward to! n.n
Shoot. Sorry, that was me again. I keep forgetting about the "Comment as:" section.
DeleteI have a soft spot for "Top Bolt" myself, so I'm more than happy for you to gush about it!
DeleteI don't have a whole lot to add to Impossible Numbers' observations. The map's approach to sending ponies with no explanations actually makes sense here, both from the mystery of why they're chosen and the ultimate revelations about how their particular personalities were key to unravelling this issue. And while it's all not enough to make the Map/Tree feel like an actual sentient personality as opposed to a plot device, it's closer than anything before or since.
ReplyDeleteSame goes for the Film Flam brothers, with yet another different use of them relative to before. Between them not changing their ways despite doing good, the closest we ever really get to a hero/villain team-up in this show, and them continuing to be fun whether trying to one-up another or bootlick to Gladmane. Gladmane's schtick does get a little repetitive as the episode goes on, but the contrast between his processed charm and stealthy manipulation of his staff alongside being smug but smart enough to justify it makes him effective enough. Honestly, he's better than I remembered.
Right through to the double-cross that weeds Gladmane out, the script is reasonably well thought-out and reasonably-if-not-perfectly paced; while there is still a period of the viewer having fully figured out Gladmane's trickery before our protagonists do, it's shorter than you'd expect from this TV-Y cartoon, and other then the pretty-unavoidable logic fallacy of how none of his staff have realised he's conning them against their business partner/sibling they're known for far longer with pure lies, there's very little to groan at here. Maybe enough to make this episode not worth thinking the logic through too much, I'll concede, which given how much space is given to teasing out and then planning a con, isn't fully avoidable for an adult viewer. It doesn't fall apart by any stretch, but it perhaps springs a leak.
Alongside all that, the visuals absolutely go to town in both the setting and ponies through, from the extras through to the various performers (though the Siegfried and Roy ponies obviously don't hold a candle to their Simpsons appearances), and while it doesn't feel like a very Equestrian episode either in setting or tone, it's honestly less itchy than most Manehattan episode tend to be. Possibly because it being a cloud city (no Lando or Boba Fett, mind), alongside the changes to avoid direct depictions of gambling, all make it different and individualised enough from depictions of Las Vegas or other resort destinations in media. So it still has just enough of a fantasy feel to it.
Much like the brothers' last appearance in "Leap of Faith", it's an easy one to let fly under the radar, as its strengths are more subdued, but the script is largely sturdy and makes the one-off antagonist and location (in the worthwhile seasons, anyway) work alongside the different plotting. Other than the aforementioned small writing issues (I think speeding up the earlier pacing would also let the final resolutions breathe a bit better), and a little bit of that later-season stiff dialogue (less so than recent episodes), I've little to complain about. Not a phenomenal or standout episode, but quite the solid one all the same.
I never found this one very interesting, mostly because it's obvious what the issue is from the start. And that's usually not a bad thing for a kids' show, but in this case, when it's structured like a mystery and you're ust waiting for all the characters to catch up to you, it can drag. All the background detail and characters do bring this back up to average for me, but I never cared for the story much. Probably a 2-3 star boundary for me.
ReplyDeleteI mean, Columbo did okay with everyone knowing whodunit from the start. ;)
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