My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 414 - Filli Vanilli

 

Rating:

Even though all of the ponies have fantastic singing voices and regularly break out into song, never before has this music ever been the subject of an episode.  Fluttershy awakens to a beautiful day, and intones a surprisingly idyllic orchestral lied.  The part is a bit more acrobatic than usual, but nothing atypical of previous tunes.  This could just be a filler setup to a boring episode, but then Fluttershy notices her friends had watched at least part of the performance.  They are all impressed and extremely supportive, although she is mortified.  Filli Vanilli may have to retcon in a musical group, but it is a shockingly good exploration of Fluttershy’s character.  Included in this are her stage fright and subsequent joy at performing (not quite) in front of an audience.  As a developing theme for the fourth season, Amy Keating Rogers looked back to her own Bridle Gossip in producing a Ponyville take on the final part of Singin’ In The Rain (later echoed in real life by the Milli Vanilli lip-synching scandal from the late 1980s).  But there is less deception and no ill-will toward the character behind the image.  Fluttershy is offered a part in the group early on, and only hides the truth out of shyness.  Even though we’ve seen this plot before, Rogers finds new interest with a second consecutive strong lesson and more incredibly assorted work in the animation.  Filli Vanilli joins Pinkie Pride in being a musical episode with a different feel from normal, but the consistent tone is completely dissimilar in a good way.  Few shows can equal how joyful it is to watch.

The Ponytones consist of Rarity, Big Macintosh, and two previously unseen ponies (identified as Toe-Tapper and Torch Song in the credits).  They only know one song, but it’s actually pretty solid.  Practice ahead of their event at the Ponyville Pet Center (that totally existed before too, right?) goes well, but disaster strikes the next day when Big Mac loses his voice (thanks to an unfortunately scheduled turkey call competition).  His bass part is rather large, so doing the performance without him would be impossible.  As the headlining act, Fluttershy needs them to play for the charity, so they soon head to Zecora’s to obtain a cure.

She does have one (probably just some warm milk), but it won’t fix his voice in time.  Zecora chuckles as she remembers the poison joke escapade from three seasons ago, and suggests Fluttershy would be a suitable replacement.  Because of the important cause, Fluttershy agrees, but she still refuses to perform on stage.  Rarity then opines she wouldn’t have to if Big Mac just lip-synched while Fluttershy sang backstage.  Since this is pretty much the same as what she was doing before, Fluttershy acquiesces.

The first performance goes well, but unexpectedly starts to gain the group attention.  A cuteceañera is up next, followed by gigs at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the spa, and the schoolhouse.  Despite needing to keep Fluttershy hidden, the Ponytones have no problems with the solutions growing more hilarious (she sings both from inside a barrel and underwater in a hot tub).  Rarity assures Fluttershy that she doesn’t have to continue, but Fluttershy insists so that they don’t disappoint their audience.  Obviously this is not the only reason, as Fluttershy’s performance becomes more varied and expressive (highlighted by a Flight of the Conchords-esque shot of Fluttershy singing outside the school window).  Big Mac has trouble keeping up, so the inevitable moment of exposure is not unexpected.

Since a few days have now passed, Big Mac’s voice is restored, but Fluttershy wants one more performance.  She goes even crazier this time, bumping Big Mac to the front of the stage and finally knocking the whole curtain down.  The audience is shocked at first, but soon applauds anyway.  Despite the reception, Fluttershy is only terrified.  In a wonderfully abstract sequence, she can’t hide from multiple spotlights before literally dissolving into one.

Having retreated to her home, the other mane six members attempt to console Fluttershy (Pinkie Pie has a different idea of what this means).  Rarity admits Fluttershy did live out her worst nightmare, but how bad did it end up being?  Everyone loved Fluttershy, and the performances went great.  Realizing this is true, Fluttershy agrees to an exclusive show for the mane six where she sings lead with the Ponytones.  Unfortunately, the concert is one night only, as Fluttershy won’t be continuing on.  She isn’t ready yet, but maybe someday.

Filli Vanilli would probably play better to someone who had never watched the series before, as certain aspects are a bit odd.  Rarity’s interest is not music but fashion, and the other mane six members don’t show aptitude for it either.  Suddenly caring about the subject has no basis, although it can be forgiven since they all inexplicably sing.  Ignoring this, Filli Vanilli is another solid exploration of Fluttershy’s introversion.  The best moments involve her both having no desire to perform and loving every minute of it.  Each part of Fluttershy’s character is perfect, from the dichotomy (which very much makes sense) to not being cured by a few shows.

Having Flutterguy return is also a nice continuity twist since it allows Fluttershy to remain hidden in an unexpected role.  Sadly, Blu Mankuma was not brought back, but his replacements Alvin Sanders and Marcus Mosely (on vocals) are a close enough match.  Since Rogers wrote the referenced story, her knowledge is very appreciated when she remembers little details like having Fluttershy come out with a towel on her head to show she bathed in the poison joke cure.  Even if Flutterguy’s second appearance isn’t as funny as the first, it is clever that she had to replace Big Mac rather than one of the female characters.

The rest of the mane six once again have positive and negative depictions.  As the artist of the group, Rarity is a logical selection for leading the vocal quartet, even if this hobby of hers has never been mentioned before.  She has returned to her kind self after showing a bitchy side in Simple Ways, but it doesn’t feel out of character.  Rarity doesn’t push Fluttershy too much, refuses to accept sole credit for the group’s efforts (from an adoring Spike), protects Fluttershy from being exposed, and turns Pinkie Pie’s scary words around to make Fluttershy feel better.  All are fine moments for her.

Speaking of which, Pinkie Pie has the odd role of voicing Fluttershy’s inner fears.  They are so descriptive that I had wondered if Fluttershy was just imagining them, but Rarity’s reprimands prove they are indeed real.  Pinkie Pie doesn’t realize how mean and unhelpful she is being, which is not exactly typical of her.  However, she is an excellent choice for the strange part, as (to paraphrase) she’s so good at being ridiculous.  This was a succinct way for Rogers to voice exactly what Fluttershy is thinking without having her say a word of it.

The others mostly speak miscellaneous lines.  Applejack has the best part when she calls out Big Mac for participating in the charade.  Instead of a drawn out conversation, she asks her brother short questions which allow his trademark replies.  Having presided over the turkey call competition, Applejack can guess the obvious start, and the exchange is an intelligent and fun way to deliver important dialogue surprisingly quickly.  Twilight and Rainbow Dash are mostly just there in support, which is fine but disappointing given the others’ actual roles.

Although I have been a staunch critic of the music on My Little Pony, and the actual material here is light compared to Pinkie Pride, Filli Vanilli represents the first time Daniel Ingram’s tunes have approached being good.  The opening “Music In The Treetops” is surprising in its breadth, as it winds and finds a depth of emotion not found in his other songs.  “Got The Music In You” gets a little repetitive by the end, but it’s a good doo-wop number that allows for improvisation in the bass voice.  Having the Ponytones perform one song does make the transition between events easier, so perhaps this was better than fading in and out of different pieces.  “Got The Music” also coincidentally states the episode’s theme, which gives the song an added meaning.  Considering the quality, Ingram was probably inspired by Filli Vanilli’s message, or at the very least wrote like it.  Pinkie Pride might be the best use of music, but Filli Vanilli contains the finest songs.

Although it might feel like an alternate universe episode and has a few flat moments, Filli Vanilli is still a very strong outing.  Two weeks after the best Pinkie Pie episode comes the top Fluttershy one, as she shines in a rare chance to express herself.  It’s impossible not to feel the squee after her first performance, or to understand her embarrassment the various times she is caught singing.  Fluttershy might not quite grow yet, but she again offers a tantalizing glimpse into what she could be.  Filli Vanilli confirms that Fluttershy might be the best pony if she only had some confidence, but doesn’t treat that like it’s an easy thing.  The episode shares in her joys and fears, and provides an experience equal to what fans of the show are looking for.  It might pain me to not rate the episode higher, but I can’t let my heart override my head after castigating other reviewers for doing the same.  Even so, Filli Vanilli is undoubtedly one of the strongest efforts in the fourth season.