Rating:
For what wouldn't be the last time, two
Cutie Mark Crusader episodes were inexplicably aired back-to-back late in the first season. The Show Stoppers appears to be the
point where the Cutie Mark Crusader fetish bloomed, even though the devotion to these characters hasn't entirely been justified yet. While it turns out
the Cutie Mark Crusaders have even more stupid things to try doing, they’re less annoying about
it here and mostly keep to themselves.
This culminates in an incredible disaster of a show in which literally
everything goes wrong. However, The Show Stoppers is
the first time we actually get a hint as to their future cutie marks, even
though the Crusaders themselves of course ignore the obvious.
The main intrigue behind every single Cutie Mark Crusader episode is what will their cutie marks be and when will they get them. The latter question probably depends on how long the series will end up running, but the former is anyone’s guess since none of them appear to be good at anything. Or at least that’s what we’re led to believe. In the first minute after the credits, all three of their cutie marks are revealed, but the Crusaders remain oblivious to this. Applejack has “gifted” them with a crappy looking clubhouse, but Apple Bloom has no problem fixing it up. After sort of mapping out Ponyville, Scootaloo returns to this clubhouse via her scooter, since her wings practically motorize the vehicle. Apple Bloom will later suggest that Scootaloo’s swift moves would make her an excellent choreographer, which the Dash-wannabe dismisses only to prove right soon thereafter. Somewhere off in the woods, Sweetie Belle is singing an embryonic version of the Cutie Mark Crusaders theme song, and it sounds pretty good. Apple Bloom says so and Twilight will later notice this as well, but she'll still end up passing when the opportunity to sing lead comes up.
Since they refuse to embrace their obvious talents, the Cutie Mark Crusaders have to embark on obligatory attempts to get their cutie marks doing things that couldn't possibly accomplish the task. This time we’re treated to a surprisingly long three-minute montage, which was apparently supposed to be a comic relief section of the show. A shot of just their eyes in a candy mixer is odd, and most of the other activities don't make a lot of sense. The rock climbing reveal was mildly amusing, but there’s not much positive to say about the rest of the sequence.
Mercifully, Cheerilee arrives at the library to announce a talent show, which finally gives the episode some focus. The Crusaders decide to do a show choir version of their theme song, but naturally make a mess of assigning jobs. The big day comes, and the makings of a surprisingly good show are definitely there. But it never comes off due to who was in charge of what task. With Sweetie Belle too afraid to sing the lead, Scootaloo happily takes over. She is loud but always flat without realizing it, which might be the worst kind of bad singer. Sweetie Belle’s costumes might make Lady Gaga proud, but they look rather bizarre on young ponies. Her sets don’t end up staying together either, and unlike the costumes, they look like they were designed by someone about her age. Apple Bloom’s “choreography” is pretty much just her pretend version of kung fu, and ends up bringing the whole production to a crashing conclusion.
Fortunately for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, there were only about four acts entered into the show, so they’re able to snag one of the three awards. Best Comedy Act may not be what they were hoping to get, but they take it as a sign of what their true talents are. Twilight can only disgruntlingly giggle at how close they come to realizing what they should have, as who knows how many years it’s now going to be until they finally figure it out.
The Show Stoppers is somewhat strange in that it juxtaposes startlingly bad moments with rather good ones, including one of the most important comments on the never-ending Cutie Mark Crusader arc. The point made overrides most of the awkward parts, but not enough to put it among the show’s better episodes. While some people may end up doing what they love, others are forced to face that they may be really good at something they hate. The Cutie Mark Crusaders don't truly despise what they have a talent for, but they are just too afraid to embrace the activities right now. We assume that people end up doing what they love, and the whole cutie mark concept kind of pigeon-holes you into a specific career for the rest of your life. This is more or less exactly what happens in real life, but it certainly can’t be that easy or simple for everyone. Sweetie Belle likes singing, and Apple Bloom’s talents could definitely be used on the farm (she’s the only one of the three who got stuck doing a bad job for the talent show as opposed to chickening out). I suspect Scootaloo would have to reconcile dancing with the general preconception about it, and this may never happen given her Rainbow Dash love. There’s some hope since she at least seems to know something about it. Either way, it’s refreshing to see career choices that aren't straightforward at all, and The Show Stoppers is one of the best in the series in demonstrating this side.
In contrast to the previous episode, the Cutie Mark Crusaders feel much more likable and tolerable this time. Their activities don’t end up annoying too many ponies, and the one time they speak in unison actually makes sense. However, the mane six appearances are surprisingly poor. Applejack feels awkward the entire time, and mumbles some silly things to herself that probably should have stayed in her head. Twilight is even worse, with two more brain-numbing title drops and some absurd alliteration starting with “good heavens”. Most of her dialogue is similarly bad, and if she knows so much about the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ talents, why does she never tell them? Rarity does make a quick fun angry appearance, but the rest of the mane six were missing from the episode. Considering how poorly the ones we saw were depicted, this was probably a good thing.
Cindy Morrow has had a tough time of it overall, but The Show Stoppers is easily one of her best despite all of the problems that plague it. The Cutie Mark Crusaders scenes are focused (as much as they can be for little girls) and feel natural, and this is the main part of the episode. The talent show song is spectacularly bad in a good way, and seems like the result of what would happen due to their poor planning. It’s a good thing the Crusaders are on screen so much, because there’s not much to say about the rest of The Show Stoppers. The mane six are so awkward that they might as well not be in it (like why was Twilight talking to Cheerilee in the first place? For plot convenience no doubt), and the overlong montage was confusing and unnecessary. The tone and the lesson save this episode though, and make it more memorable than it otherwise would be.
The main intrigue behind every single Cutie Mark Crusader episode is what will their cutie marks be and when will they get them. The latter question probably depends on how long the series will end up running, but the former is anyone’s guess since none of them appear to be good at anything. Or at least that’s what we’re led to believe. In the first minute after the credits, all three of their cutie marks are revealed, but the Crusaders remain oblivious to this. Applejack has “gifted” them with a crappy looking clubhouse, but Apple Bloom has no problem fixing it up. After sort of mapping out Ponyville, Scootaloo returns to this clubhouse via her scooter, since her wings practically motorize the vehicle. Apple Bloom will later suggest that Scootaloo’s swift moves would make her an excellent choreographer, which the Dash-wannabe dismisses only to prove right soon thereafter. Somewhere off in the woods, Sweetie Belle is singing an embryonic version of the Cutie Mark Crusaders theme song, and it sounds pretty good. Apple Bloom says so and Twilight will later notice this as well, but she'll still end up passing when the opportunity to sing lead comes up.
Since they refuse to embrace their obvious talents, the Cutie Mark Crusaders have to embark on obligatory attempts to get their cutie marks doing things that couldn't possibly accomplish the task. This time we’re treated to a surprisingly long three-minute montage, which was apparently supposed to be a comic relief section of the show. A shot of just their eyes in a candy mixer is odd, and most of the other activities don't make a lot of sense. The rock climbing reveal was mildly amusing, but there’s not much positive to say about the rest of the sequence.
Mercifully, Cheerilee arrives at the library to announce a talent show, which finally gives the episode some focus. The Crusaders decide to do a show choir version of their theme song, but naturally make a mess of assigning jobs. The big day comes, and the makings of a surprisingly good show are definitely there. But it never comes off due to who was in charge of what task. With Sweetie Belle too afraid to sing the lead, Scootaloo happily takes over. She is loud but always flat without realizing it, which might be the worst kind of bad singer. Sweetie Belle’s costumes might make Lady Gaga proud, but they look rather bizarre on young ponies. Her sets don’t end up staying together either, and unlike the costumes, they look like they were designed by someone about her age. Apple Bloom’s “choreography” is pretty much just her pretend version of kung fu, and ends up bringing the whole production to a crashing conclusion.
Fortunately for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, there were only about four acts entered into the show, so they’re able to snag one of the three awards. Best Comedy Act may not be what they were hoping to get, but they take it as a sign of what their true talents are. Twilight can only disgruntlingly giggle at how close they come to realizing what they should have, as who knows how many years it’s now going to be until they finally figure it out.
The Show Stoppers is somewhat strange in that it juxtaposes startlingly bad moments with rather good ones, including one of the most important comments on the never-ending Cutie Mark Crusader arc. The point made overrides most of the awkward parts, but not enough to put it among the show’s better episodes. While some people may end up doing what they love, others are forced to face that they may be really good at something they hate. The Cutie Mark Crusaders don't truly despise what they have a talent for, but they are just too afraid to embrace the activities right now. We assume that people end up doing what they love, and the whole cutie mark concept kind of pigeon-holes you into a specific career for the rest of your life. This is more or less exactly what happens in real life, but it certainly can’t be that easy or simple for everyone. Sweetie Belle likes singing, and Apple Bloom’s talents could definitely be used on the farm (she’s the only one of the three who got stuck doing a bad job for the talent show as opposed to chickening out). I suspect Scootaloo would have to reconcile dancing with the general preconception about it, and this may never happen given her Rainbow Dash love. There’s some hope since she at least seems to know something about it. Either way, it’s refreshing to see career choices that aren't straightforward at all, and The Show Stoppers is one of the best in the series in demonstrating this side.
In contrast to the previous episode, the Cutie Mark Crusaders feel much more likable and tolerable this time. Their activities don’t end up annoying too many ponies, and the one time they speak in unison actually makes sense. However, the mane six appearances are surprisingly poor. Applejack feels awkward the entire time, and mumbles some silly things to herself that probably should have stayed in her head. Twilight is even worse, with two more brain-numbing title drops and some absurd alliteration starting with “good heavens”. Most of her dialogue is similarly bad, and if she knows so much about the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ talents, why does she never tell them? Rarity does make a quick fun angry appearance, but the rest of the mane six were missing from the episode. Considering how poorly the ones we saw were depicted, this was probably a good thing.
Cindy Morrow has had a tough time of it overall, but The Show Stoppers is easily one of her best despite all of the problems that plague it. The Cutie Mark Crusaders scenes are focused (as much as they can be for little girls) and feel natural, and this is the main part of the episode. The talent show song is spectacularly bad in a good way, and seems like the result of what would happen due to their poor planning. It’s a good thing the Crusaders are on screen so much, because there’s not much to say about the rest of The Show Stoppers. The mane six are so awkward that they might as well not be in it (like why was Twilight talking to Cheerilee in the first place? For plot convenience no doubt), and the overlong montage was confusing and unnecessary. The tone and the lesson save this episode though, and make it more memorable than it otherwise would be.
No comments:
Post a Comment