Rating:
After going through the first season episodes again, I honestly didn't remember Bridle Gossip
being this good. A large part of it may be
just a fun diversion, but the episode actually shows its lesson in an
effective way even if the setup is slightly absurd. Amy Keating Rogers may not quite match the joy of
Dragonshy or the epicness of M.A. Larson’s better episodes, but there’s also very little
the show does wrong either. Not every moment works, as a few too many nudging jokes don’t come off well. But plenty do, and this is the first episode
that feels like the series is hitting its stride (even if that’s only relatively
speaking). The rawness of the previous installments is gone, and the new character introduced here actually returns regularly. Most of the characterization is
spot on, and getting everyone involved (including the first actual part for
Apple Bloom after the pilot cameo) works better than isolating a couple
of the ponies like in Look Before You Sleep. The slightly awkward
moments affect the mood of the show enough to keep it from feeling great throughout,
but most of the time Bridle Gossip is rocking, which is exactly what should be expected from
the series.
Twilight walks into Ponyville with Spike to find it surprisingly empty, but the pony apocalypse didn't hit the previous night. Pinkie Pie “quietly” motions them over to her place, where the rest of the mane six are hiding. A strange pony is lurking in the middle of town, which has now completely closed up in fear. Applejack explains how Apple Bloom saw this “pony” entering town, and they all make accusations as to how scary they believe her to be. Twilight thinks this is absurd, while Apple Bloom counters that Applejack’s version of the events isn't exactly accurate, and reveals the “pony”’s name to be Zecora. The music and sound effects to this section are extremely melodramatic to great effect, but the other ponies’ reactions are surprisingly racist. While this too is played a bit for effect, I’m not sure it’s accurate that Rainbow Dash is also afraid, since she usually charges into any situation even when she shouldn't (like in Dragonshy or toward Nightmare Moon in the pilot). However, Apple Bloom’s attitude that she can’t be told what to do anymore because she’s eight years old is pretty great.
Twilight explains that Zecora is a zebra, which shocks everyone else in attendance. Not sure how they’d never heard of zebras before, but Zecora’s residence in the Everfree Forest means her kind probably didn't get taught about in schools. Apparently her location also inspires fear since things work normally in the forest (“the clouds move all on their own!”). Rarity faints twice at all the news, while Pinkie Pie “sings” the song she made up about Zecora. The lyrics are not at all based in fact, while the music is as close to atonal as any song on the show has ever been (the unsettling feeling happens because the song is based on a progression of tritones, sort of. It’s not comparable to actual atonal songs, but the interval is a favorite among such composers). Although Twilight sarcastically calls the song “catchy”, it kind of is, and Pinkie Pie keeps singing it throughout the show at various points. Twilight also correctly debunks the other ponies’ suspicions as likely being Zecora just wanting to do some actual shopping.
Apple Bloom attempts to make contact with Zecora to prove she’s a big pony, but Zecora is already heading back home. The mane six run after Apple Bloom, and find her just inside the forest. They come to rest in a patch of strangely blue flowers, which Zecora apparently attempts to warn them about. For unexplained reasons, she always speaks in rhyme, but this isn’t the source of the problem. Her vagueness leaves the ponies thinking they have been cursed, and the retorts they shout back about how they’re not scared only prove the opposite (Rainbow Dash’s is extremely good in sounding like something she just came up with). Twilight doesn't believe in curses, but the next morning she wakes up to find her horn has blue splotches on it and is now rather limp.
The rest of her friends visit, as they discover they have all been cursed. Pinkie Pie’s tongue is stuck outside of her mouth, which causes significant speaking problems. Rainbow Dash has no control over her wings, Rarity’s hair has grown so much that the large curls completely cover her face and body, and Applejack is now tiny. But Fluttershy seems fine, until she opens her mouth. Having Fluttershy voiced by a deep male voice is a stroke of genius, and the soulful tones of Blu Mankuma come as a complete surprise (amazingly enough, Mankuma was already on the show, voicing the dragon in Dragonshy. If you didn't know it before, you’ll hear it now that I've mentioned it. Although as good as Mankuma is with his few lines, the guy in the French dub is even better). This revelation leads Spike to come up with nicknames for all of the ponies, but they’re not all good. Hairity is decent, Appletini is perfect, and Flutterguy is spot on without being offensive. Rainbow Crash is accurate, but seems associated more with the Pegasi ponies in Cloudsdale who taunt Dash with the nickname (even if that’s not fair), while Spittie Pie makes no sense. Spike bombs on a name for Twilight Sparkle, and his aside to the camera is an example of a too cute moment not working (he later comes up with Twilight Flopple, which is at least better than Shining Armor’s nickname for her).
Apple Bloom again heads off in search of Zecora, but tiny Applejack tags along this time. She reveals herself once it becomes apparent that Apple Bloom is going into the Everfree Forest, but is in no position to stop her despite trying. First Apple Bloom was the little sister, now she is the big sister! Apple Bloom leaves Applejack on a tree branch and continues on by herself. Fortunately the mane six have set after both of them, but the going is a bit tougher this time. It takes a Rainbow Crash to find Applejack again, but Dash quickly wishes she hadn’t. Applejack not only never notices she’s smaller, but becomes more aggressive apparently to compensate. Quickly fashioning a makeshift harness, Applejack mounts Rainbow Dash and decides to ride her all the way to Zecora’s. Dash naturally doesn’t like this at first, but Applejack pounds her hoof into Dash to let her know she won’t hear any of it.
The other four finally arrive at Zecora’s treehouse, which is full of creepy looking masks and has a large spooky cauldron right in the middle. Pinkie Pie tries to explain this is turning out exactly like her song, but unfortunately still can’t talk very well. She begs Fluttershy to sing it for her, and the deep-voiced one thankfully agrees. Instead of the atonal mess from before, Mankuma croons a gentle jazz ballad over a walking bass line. Fluttershy doesn’t look amused, but this is one of the highlights of the show. A still skeptical Twilight has to admit she’s probably wrong once Zecora delivers a couplet commenting on how the temperature of the brew is right for ponies while wondering where Apple Bloom is. With everything else we’ve seen, it’s hard not to believe that Apple Bloom soup isn’t about to be made.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrive to rescue the still missing Apple Bloom, but Dash’s lack of control means they just make a mess inside the hut. Everyone charges in to confront Zecora, who has no idea what they’re talking about and is pissed about the damage done to her living space (including the spilt brew). Apple Bloom finally wanders in, which brings a sigh of relief from her sister. She explains that she was out getting supplies for Zecora, and flatly tells a finally convinced Twilight that their ailments aren’t a curse. Zecora continues by saying the blue plant they had all stepped in is called Poison Joke, which is actually responsible for what’s happening to them. She was mixing up the cure that would eventually be poured into a bath, but is still missing an herb from town. Twilight apologizes for not finding the cure sooner, since the book it was found in completely misuses the word “supernatural” (“natural remedies…that are simply super”). She certainly learned a lesson about misleading titles that day, but not so much about book covers. However, Twilight makes up for it by leaning on a store owner to procure the required herb, and the mane six are soon restored to their normal selves.
Unlike the other two newly introduced characters who never really caught on, Zecora actually has a likable side and an apparent good heart. It isn't stated where she’s from, but one would presume Africa what with being a zebra and all. However, her accent and quasi-“witchcraft” interests are actually closer to Haitian, which certainly isn’t the show’s intent but makes more sense with what we see (I can find no information as to where voice actor Brenda Crichlow is from, but Haiti doesn’t seem likely). Zecora’s constant rhyming is slightly annoying and an impossibility to do for real that quickly, but it’s usually treated in a way that isn’t too distracting. She’s a nice change of pace from the regular ponies overall, and her recurring status is probably right for what her character is.
Twilight walks into Ponyville with Spike to find it surprisingly empty, but the pony apocalypse didn't hit the previous night. Pinkie Pie “quietly” motions them over to her place, where the rest of the mane six are hiding. A strange pony is lurking in the middle of town, which has now completely closed up in fear. Applejack explains how Apple Bloom saw this “pony” entering town, and they all make accusations as to how scary they believe her to be. Twilight thinks this is absurd, while Apple Bloom counters that Applejack’s version of the events isn't exactly accurate, and reveals the “pony”’s name to be Zecora. The music and sound effects to this section are extremely melodramatic to great effect, but the other ponies’ reactions are surprisingly racist. While this too is played a bit for effect, I’m not sure it’s accurate that Rainbow Dash is also afraid, since she usually charges into any situation even when she shouldn't (like in Dragonshy or toward Nightmare Moon in the pilot). However, Apple Bloom’s attitude that she can’t be told what to do anymore because she’s eight years old is pretty great.
Twilight explains that Zecora is a zebra, which shocks everyone else in attendance. Not sure how they’d never heard of zebras before, but Zecora’s residence in the Everfree Forest means her kind probably didn't get taught about in schools. Apparently her location also inspires fear since things work normally in the forest (“the clouds move all on their own!”). Rarity faints twice at all the news, while Pinkie Pie “sings” the song she made up about Zecora. The lyrics are not at all based in fact, while the music is as close to atonal as any song on the show has ever been (the unsettling feeling happens because the song is based on a progression of tritones, sort of. It’s not comparable to actual atonal songs, but the interval is a favorite among such composers). Although Twilight sarcastically calls the song “catchy”, it kind of is, and Pinkie Pie keeps singing it throughout the show at various points. Twilight also correctly debunks the other ponies’ suspicions as likely being Zecora just wanting to do some actual shopping.
Apple Bloom attempts to make contact with Zecora to prove she’s a big pony, but Zecora is already heading back home. The mane six run after Apple Bloom, and find her just inside the forest. They come to rest in a patch of strangely blue flowers, which Zecora apparently attempts to warn them about. For unexplained reasons, she always speaks in rhyme, but this isn’t the source of the problem. Her vagueness leaves the ponies thinking they have been cursed, and the retorts they shout back about how they’re not scared only prove the opposite (Rainbow Dash’s is extremely good in sounding like something she just came up with). Twilight doesn't believe in curses, but the next morning she wakes up to find her horn has blue splotches on it and is now rather limp.
The rest of her friends visit, as they discover they have all been cursed. Pinkie Pie’s tongue is stuck outside of her mouth, which causes significant speaking problems. Rainbow Dash has no control over her wings, Rarity’s hair has grown so much that the large curls completely cover her face and body, and Applejack is now tiny. But Fluttershy seems fine, until she opens her mouth. Having Fluttershy voiced by a deep male voice is a stroke of genius, and the soulful tones of Blu Mankuma come as a complete surprise (amazingly enough, Mankuma was already on the show, voicing the dragon in Dragonshy. If you didn't know it before, you’ll hear it now that I've mentioned it. Although as good as Mankuma is with his few lines, the guy in the French dub is even better). This revelation leads Spike to come up with nicknames for all of the ponies, but they’re not all good. Hairity is decent, Appletini is perfect, and Flutterguy is spot on without being offensive. Rainbow Crash is accurate, but seems associated more with the Pegasi ponies in Cloudsdale who taunt Dash with the nickname (even if that’s not fair), while Spittie Pie makes no sense. Spike bombs on a name for Twilight Sparkle, and his aside to the camera is an example of a too cute moment not working (he later comes up with Twilight Flopple, which is at least better than Shining Armor’s nickname for her).
Apple Bloom again heads off in search of Zecora, but tiny Applejack tags along this time. She reveals herself once it becomes apparent that Apple Bloom is going into the Everfree Forest, but is in no position to stop her despite trying. First Apple Bloom was the little sister, now she is the big sister! Apple Bloom leaves Applejack on a tree branch and continues on by herself. Fortunately the mane six have set after both of them, but the going is a bit tougher this time. It takes a Rainbow Crash to find Applejack again, but Dash quickly wishes she hadn’t. Applejack not only never notices she’s smaller, but becomes more aggressive apparently to compensate. Quickly fashioning a makeshift harness, Applejack mounts Rainbow Dash and decides to ride her all the way to Zecora’s. Dash naturally doesn’t like this at first, but Applejack pounds her hoof into Dash to let her know she won’t hear any of it.
The other four finally arrive at Zecora’s treehouse, which is full of creepy looking masks and has a large spooky cauldron right in the middle. Pinkie Pie tries to explain this is turning out exactly like her song, but unfortunately still can’t talk very well. She begs Fluttershy to sing it for her, and the deep-voiced one thankfully agrees. Instead of the atonal mess from before, Mankuma croons a gentle jazz ballad over a walking bass line. Fluttershy doesn’t look amused, but this is one of the highlights of the show. A still skeptical Twilight has to admit she’s probably wrong once Zecora delivers a couplet commenting on how the temperature of the brew is right for ponies while wondering where Apple Bloom is. With everything else we’ve seen, it’s hard not to believe that Apple Bloom soup isn’t about to be made.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrive to rescue the still missing Apple Bloom, but Dash’s lack of control means they just make a mess inside the hut. Everyone charges in to confront Zecora, who has no idea what they’re talking about and is pissed about the damage done to her living space (including the spilt brew). Apple Bloom finally wanders in, which brings a sigh of relief from her sister. She explains that she was out getting supplies for Zecora, and flatly tells a finally convinced Twilight that their ailments aren’t a curse. Zecora continues by saying the blue plant they had all stepped in is called Poison Joke, which is actually responsible for what’s happening to them. She was mixing up the cure that would eventually be poured into a bath, but is still missing an herb from town. Twilight apologizes for not finding the cure sooner, since the book it was found in completely misuses the word “supernatural” (“natural remedies…that are simply super”). She certainly learned a lesson about misleading titles that day, but not so much about book covers. However, Twilight makes up for it by leaning on a store owner to procure the required herb, and the mane six are soon restored to their normal selves.
Unlike the other two newly introduced characters who never really caught on, Zecora actually has a likable side and an apparent good heart. It isn't stated where she’s from, but one would presume Africa what with being a zebra and all. However, her accent and quasi-“witchcraft” interests are actually closer to Haitian, which certainly isn’t the show’s intent but makes more sense with what we see (I can find no information as to where voice actor Brenda Crichlow is from, but Haiti doesn’t seem likely). Zecora’s constant rhyming is slightly annoying and an impossibility to do for real that quickly, but it’s usually treated in a way that isn’t too distracting. She’s a nice change of pace from the regular ponies overall, and her recurring status is probably right for what her character is.
The bigger issue is how all of Ponyville is prejudiced toward Zecora throughout the show, which while obvious is also demonstrative of how many people approach things they don’t understand. This presentation is also helped in that both Twilight and Apple Bloom think the reaction is absurd, and because it isn’t obvious until the end whether Zecora is evil or not. Her warning and the lines about her brew are worded perfectly to be misleading, and we associate the imagery found in her hut with the dark arts. After Trixie and Gilda, it’s very possible that Zecora wouldn’t have any redeeming features either, but fortunately that’s not the case. With nothing in the way of good evidence, Twilight was right not to believe that Zecora was evil, and it’s probably not much of a surprise when it turns out she is correct. Still, Twilight did give into the circumstantial evidence momentarily, which is more important than the actual revelation. It’s often hard to keep an open mind about things, and especially people from different cultures. Zecora’s introduction is an effective way to show this, as she’s just different enough to be a good foil for the main characters we already know.
If the actual book title was a little silly (shame on Twilight for knowing the meaning of words), judging Zecora by her “cover” was not. Making it unclear which way she would break means you probably thought she was evil at one time yourself, when of course there’s no reason to except that she looks and acts “weird”. Most people aren’t so openly obvious about their prejudices anymore, but that just makes the depiction better since this is how you are whenever you treat something this way. That this kind of commentary is accomplished in such a fun show is quite the achievement, and is something the best episodes of My Little Pony are able to do. Rogers is too smart for her own good at times with some of the jokes, and the implications of Zecora (like why she lives alone and is completely isolated from everyone else) have yet to be fully explored. But Bridle Gossip is a step in the right direction for a show that badly needed it.
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