Rating:
Having missed the second season, writer Dave
Polsky seems to be a bit behind everyone else (either that or his scripts keep
getting shelved). While the first couple
of episodes in the fourth season point in a different direction, Daring Don’t
would’ve felt right at home last year.
There’s no mention of the arc, and the mane six are all shepherded along
with the story even if they didn’t really need to come with. Polsky had a lot of potential given that the
script is essentially about a writer, but couldn’t quite find the balance
between revelation and action. At least
the latest Daring Do narrative isn’t a complete ripoff of Indiana Jones, but
the discovery that all of the characters in the book are actually real doesn’t
make a lot of sense. A fair amount of
fiction probably has at least some basis in reality, but certainly Daring Do
would at least change the names. Part of
the appeal of Read It And Weep was that Rainbow Dash got lost in fiction during
her convalescence, so having the Daring Do novels be autobiographies somewhat
undermines that episode. Still, the
story could have been saved by having the mane six interact with Daring Do
more, but unfortunately they remain literally on the sidelines until the very
end. Also floated around is the idea of
whether it’s right to help someone who doesn’t want it, but no conclusion is
really reached. Daring Do is forced to
accept assistance she doesn’t really need, and apparently becomes happy with
that at some point. Even so, Daring
Don’t is enough good fun to recommend, even if the episode doesn’t come close
to being what it could have.
Rainbow Dash’s shyness over being a huge fangirl has gone a long time ago, and she is eagerly awaiting the next Daring Do book. Despite having lower levels of technology than exist today, Twilight is up on the news that the novel has been delayed a couple of months, and apparently her nobility allows her access to the location of author A.K. Yearling’s abode. Dash demands that they go see her for totally not selfish reasons, since she probably has some emergency as to why she cannot deliver the book on schedule. For some reason, the rest of the mane six think this is a good idea, so Twilight acquiesces and they all head off to the far reaches of Equestria.
Yearling lives in a secluded area in a forest (but not that one), and the mane six are shocked to find her house almost in ruins. Clearly it has been broken into recently, but no one else is around. While inspecting the wreckage, Yearling returns and of course suspects the mane six have done the damage. However, after finding a large gold ring hidden in a book, she calms down and starts cleaning up. The mane six soon exit the house, but they notice a group of stallions up to no good entering from the top floor. These evil-looking ponies confront Yearling downstairs, but the author displays no shock at all from the intruders. After looking them over, she casts off her homely glasses, hat, and shawl to reveal she is indeed the protagonist of her own novels. Yearling is actually the pseudonym of Daring Do herself.
The mane six watch from outside as Daring Do fights off her attackers, but she is still subdued after a bit and loses the ring. Naturally it rolls to the feet of Dr.
Before that, Dash’s assistance ends up getting Daring Do captured. Fortunately her friends catch up to her as she pouts (and that Ahuizotl let her go since he doesn’t know who she is). They convince Dash that Daring Do can still be saved, and it’s probably good that the mane six decide to try given the latter’s imminent death. Arriving at the temple where Ahuizotl will use the ring to destroy the world somehow, they distract his team of bad guys while Dash saves Daring Do and helps her to end the threat. Daring Do quickly flies off with the temple in ruins after thanking Dash, but Do later shows her gratitude by sending the latter an advance copy of the next book. That likely would have been more than enough, but Dash is even more stoked when she opens it to find herself on the cover as well.
Perhaps it would have been a bit more clichéd, but the story still probably would have worked better if Yearling had based her writing on her work rather than a straight transcription of events. That would make the sense of discovery more real for Twilight and Dash as they have to figure out who corresponds to whom in the novels rather than it being extremely obvious. Of course, the danger would also be that Daring Do is merely a Mary Sue version of Yearling, so it’s possible this is the reason Polsky avoided the trope. But also sacrificed was an opportunity to discuss the writing process, which for fiction writers is more complicated than just happening to live the perfect events.
The other main point is the public’s attitude around celebrities, which is both more effective and annoyingly portrayed. Daring Do’s attitude toward Dash is completely understandable, since she’s getting treated more like a god than a pony. As a celebrity, you do have to keep PR in mind regarding fans, but there are plenty who don’t care, and Yearling/Do is obviously one. Dash fares better once she acts like she belongs (even if she doesn’t), which is a preferable strategy. How would you respond to someone treating you like Dash did Daring Do? Probably with eye rolls or uncertainty on what to say. But it’s easier to talk to your friends because they speak much more normally. Despite providing the worst moments in the episode, the problem with fawning over celebrities is the one well-made point.
And that’s ultimately the problem with Daring Don’t. Polsky had too much to accomplish with this episode, and pretty much did none of it. The Indiana Jones-style plot was almost as much fun as the first one, but it only happened in spots during the second half. Also, the endless game of ring toss just felt like filler during what should be the most exciting moment. Any interest in meeting the mind responsible for Daring Do and learning what it’s like to be behind a hugely popular series was completely ignored, as was any insight into the writing process. And although the celebrity vs. “common” people angle was handled decently, it also made for the lowest moments in the show when Dash kept saying stupid clichéd things (“I am such a huge fan”, etc.). Daring Do’s abrupt exit at the end makes it seem like she didn’t learn anything either and just said a few pleasantries to make these crazy ponies go away, which is a missed opportunity for character development.
Daring Don’t feels uneven and confused overall because of these points, and isn’t able to achieve the joy from Daring Do’s first outing. It’s still not terrible to watch, and Polsky does produce a fair amount of solid writing (the “dramatic” fanspeak between Twilight and Dash seems to be gibberish, but actually makes sense after viewing the episode). Unfortunately, there’s no shaking the feeling that Daring Don’t is a disappointment, and could have been so much more.
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