Rating:
Griffon The Brush-Off is the first of
two straight episodes to introduce ostensibly one-time-only characters still remembered by
the fanbase, but who we really shouldn't have had any desire to see again based on the quality of the shows. Thanks to Mr. Larson's season three efforts, the choice as to the worst of the two is rather easy. Usually even the poorest of episodes have
some redeeming factor, but I’m hard pressed to think of one positive thing to
say about Griffon The Brush-Off. The show is basically one big prank fest that doesn't really coalesce into a
message or anything resembling a story or plot. It ignores the old friends vs. new friends dynamic,
while completely misrepresenting the prank part as well. Add to all that a thoroughly unlikable guest
character, and we have one of the worst episodes of the show ever produced.
Most of the beginning is devoted to showing that it is impossible to hide from Pinkie Pie. Apparently she has a Rainbow Dash fetish at the moment, since Pinkie inexplicably won’t stop trying to get Dash’s attention. After a few minutes of “homages” to older cartoons (especially the repeated Pepé Le Pew bouncing), Dash finally gives up so they can get on with the episode. The important reason Pinkie Pie has for needing to see Rainbow Dash is that she wants them to play a prank on Spike, which ends up pranking Celestia via a downpour of scrolls. Neither party is even mildly displeased by the great inconvenience needlessly put upon them by two ponies old enough to know better. Finding Pinkie fun to hang out with after all, Dash spends the rest of the day pranking the other mane six members with her, but not Fluttershy of course (because she’s too sensitive).
The next day, one of Rainbow Dash’s “old friends” inexplicably shows up. This is Gilda the Griffon, who is described to Pinkie Pie as the mythological creature but who looks just as much like the vulture. Gilda's arrival marks the start of a rather awkward love triangle between the three, as Rainbow Dash refers to Pinkie as her “gal pal” and Gilda acts like a spiteful and stereotypical butch lesbian. If Rainbow Dash is a mostly positively portrayal of someone who probably belongs to the LGBT community in some way, Gilda is possessive and mean while not having one single good quality. She immediately hates Pinkie Pie, and takes steps to make sure her and Dash can’t be followed into the clouds. Despite this just being proven impossible earlier in the episode, Pinkie Pie gets the hint and gives up, even though neither of those two things will ever happen again.
Now it’s Gilda’s turn to get in on the pranking, but while she doesn't do a whole lot different from Dash and Pinkie's earlier activities, she makes the mistake of choosing the wrong ponies to play them on. Granny Smith somehow thinks Gilda’s tail is a snake, which provokes a moderate walk away from a “dangerous” situation. But the clincher is Fluttershy, who Gilda yells at after she gets bumped into. Oh, and Gilda yoinks an apple too. Even though Twilight scolds Pinkie Pie for being jealous (when it was obviously quite the opposite), Pinkie has enough and vows to get revenge…
By throwing a party, of course, because that’s all she does according to the first few episodes. Pinkie somehow gets the usual ponies to show up for a celebration “honoring” the new arrival in Ponyville, but it’s obvious what this party actually is once Gilda is greeted with the old handshake buzzer gag. Gilda realizes it too, but keeps walking into more pranks instead of just bouncing (any cartoon watcher should know you can’t grab for anything to drink once eating something hot). Eventually she has enough of the other ponies laughing at her, and announces that she and Rainbow Dash are leaving. Dash refuses to go, so Gilda storms off by herself, never to be seen again. Not content in pranking the ruler of everything once, Twilight sends Celestia some invisible ink with her letter, which the lord somehow ends up using immediately when writing a rare response.
Most of the beginning is devoted to showing that it is impossible to hide from Pinkie Pie. Apparently she has a Rainbow Dash fetish at the moment, since Pinkie inexplicably won’t stop trying to get Dash’s attention. After a few minutes of “homages” to older cartoons (especially the repeated Pepé Le Pew bouncing), Dash finally gives up so they can get on with the episode. The important reason Pinkie Pie has for needing to see Rainbow Dash is that she wants them to play a prank on Spike, which ends up pranking Celestia via a downpour of scrolls. Neither party is even mildly displeased by the great inconvenience needlessly put upon them by two ponies old enough to know better. Finding Pinkie fun to hang out with after all, Dash spends the rest of the day pranking the other mane six members with her, but not Fluttershy of course (because she’s too sensitive).
The next day, one of Rainbow Dash’s “old friends” inexplicably shows up. This is Gilda the Griffon, who is described to Pinkie Pie as the mythological creature but who looks just as much like the vulture. Gilda's arrival marks the start of a rather awkward love triangle between the three, as Rainbow Dash refers to Pinkie as her “gal pal” and Gilda acts like a spiteful and stereotypical butch lesbian. If Rainbow Dash is a mostly positively portrayal of someone who probably belongs to the LGBT community in some way, Gilda is possessive and mean while not having one single good quality. She immediately hates Pinkie Pie, and takes steps to make sure her and Dash can’t be followed into the clouds. Despite this just being proven impossible earlier in the episode, Pinkie Pie gets the hint and gives up, even though neither of those two things will ever happen again.
Now it’s Gilda’s turn to get in on the pranking, but while she doesn't do a whole lot different from Dash and Pinkie's earlier activities, she makes the mistake of choosing the wrong ponies to play them on. Granny Smith somehow thinks Gilda’s tail is a snake, which provokes a moderate walk away from a “dangerous” situation. But the clincher is Fluttershy, who Gilda yells at after she gets bumped into. Oh, and Gilda yoinks an apple too. Even though Twilight scolds Pinkie Pie for being jealous (when it was obviously quite the opposite), Pinkie has enough and vows to get revenge…
By throwing a party, of course, because that’s all she does according to the first few episodes. Pinkie somehow gets the usual ponies to show up for a celebration “honoring” the new arrival in Ponyville, but it’s obvious what this party actually is once Gilda is greeted with the old handshake buzzer gag. Gilda realizes it too, but keeps walking into more pranks instead of just bouncing (any cartoon watcher should know you can’t grab for anything to drink once eating something hot). Eventually she has enough of the other ponies laughing at her, and announces that she and Rainbow Dash are leaving. Dash refuses to go, so Gilda storms off by herself, never to be seen again. Not content in pranking the ruler of everything once, Twilight sends Celestia some invisible ink with her letter, which the lord somehow ends up using immediately when writing a rare response.
Gilda is the only character who reacts like normal people would when pranked. Everyone else laughs it off, and not one other pony is mildly annoyed. Some people may be able to laugh at themselves occasionally, but it’s extremely unlikely all of the ponies would have the saintly attitude shown here toward getting made fun of. Since the episode is much more about the pranks than the introduction of an “old” friend for one of the mane six, it’s hard to know what message to take away from Griffon The Brush-Off. Apparently it’s okay to prank your friends, but not the shy ones or old people. And causing an extremely inconvenient case of the hiccups that ends up disrupting the day of the kingdom’s ruler is okay, but stealing an apple from a cart is right out. Maybe it was an attempt to state that it’s better to lighten up when a prank is played on you, but these reactions seem to be justifications for the antics of two ponies who really should be doing something else.
While I often enjoy plotless movies, this is one time where the lack of a plot was not helpful. The party seemed to be an attempt to pretend there was one, but it didn't offer anything different from the rest of the episode. If the party really was to celebrate Gilda’s arrival and “change her attitude”, then Rainbow Dash pulling more pranks didn't make much sense. Neither did Pinkie’s justification for it, since what chance would that really have of working. I have to agree with Gilda that the party was clearly set up to get back at her in front of everyone, while Pinkie and Dash protesting that it wasn't doesn't really fit with the facts. Even so, none of the pranks were all that funny, as they were mostly taken from old cartoons (handshake buzzer, black eye telescope, invisible ink, etc.). Having Dash and Pinkie show the camera how they pulled their prank held little respect for the audience’s intelligence. And let’s face it, Fluttershy is the first one you’re going to prank, since you know you’re going to get a great reaction out of her. While I was slightly pleased that they were smart enough to realize Fluttershy probably wasn't going to take it well (despite everyone else handling them fine), this thoughtfulness isn't realistic either.
As much as I hate to bring up the possible lesbianism of our beloved Dash, Griffon The Brush-Off leaves me little choice. It’s not just Gilda’s attitude (which was not a flattering portrayal), but the way she treats Dash like a girlfriend or at the very least a love interest. She gets immediately possessive when Pinkie Pie shows up in the clouds (which wasn't helped by Dash’s “gal pal” description), and assumes they will both leave together at the party. The way they’re both together in Cloudsdale in the morning is also suspicious. If this was a show meant for an older audience, it would be obvious they spent the night together. Since the characters are supposed to be around their twenties and not their teens, I’m not sure how to take it as anything else. If there’s a single episode that’s responsible for the supposition that Dash is a lesbian, this is the one. Given what happens here, it’s hard to blame anyone for thinking so.
If Griffon had concentrated more on the “old friends” angle instead of just barely getting around to it, the show might have at least been passable. Unfortunately, writer Cindy Morrow treated that moral like her characters would: goofing off with loads of pranks and half-assing what she was supposed to do. This is a lesson she should’ve learned in school at the latest, but now she’s learning it here, at least from my review. If Morrow is going to treat writing for a TV show like a homework assignment she doesn't feel like doing, then she can expect a failing grade. With a plotless mess of a show that doesn't have a good lesson (if there is one at all) and introduces one hateful and stereotypical character, I don’t see how else I can rate the episode. It shouldn't really be a surprise that Gilda isn't going to be seen again, especially since she’s justified in never returning to Ponyville after the reception (fair or not) she received. Since Morrow gave us nothing to like about her, she isn't missed.
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