My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 508 - The Lost Treasure Of Griffonstone

Rating:

After Trixie’s third season rehabilitation, having Gilda receive similar treatment at least counts as necessary.  Not that Amy Keating Rogers accomplishes what M.A. Larson did in Magic Duel, but thankfully Griffon The Brush-Off wasn’t Gilda’s last memory.  For unknown reasons, the map sends Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash toward Griffonstone; a certain species’ homeland.  Twilight has already familiarized herself with its history, but she won’t be going (a decision that only satisfies My Little Pony’s budget staff).  Once they arrive, Dash and Pinkie see the formerly proud city has fallen into extreme disrepair.  Obviously Griffonstone needs fixing up, but how that should be done isn’t agreed upon.  Rogers visited both extremes during her MLP tenure, and this episode certainly lands on the high side.  But her writing still hits many raw spots, with clichés or Pinkie’s antics detracting from an otherwise positive vibe.  Gilda’s change is probably too quick, while her story of meeting Dash feels clichéd and predictable despite adding badly needed depth.  Her relationship with Dash makes more sense though, and her likely lesbianism feels much less weird.  Calling The Lost Treasure Of Griffonstone a full-fledged return seems unlikely, since Dash probably won’t visit Gilda again even if we actually wouldn’t mind that now.  Rogers’ script appears rushed (not necessarily her fault of course) and finds Dash and Pinkie acting slightly stereotypically.  But she also successfully ruminates on lost friendships that maybe shouldn’t have ended.  Making one of the first season’s most unlikable characters tolerable rates as no small accomplishment, as does finding another thread in the “disgust over cutie marks” theme.  This isn’t enough for The Lost Treasure Of Griffonstone to stand with season five’s best episodes, but many parts come rather close.  Dweebs.

Pinkie’s “comic” baking session is mercifully cut short upon receiving her summons, but Gummy will totally finish that cake by himself.  While this meaningless teaser recalls Baby Cakes’, mercifully no other relation exists between it and the episode proper.  Twilight nerds out over her friends’ impending Griffon home world trip, but Dash is less than enthused.  Whether this comes more from being woken up rather than Griffon The Brush-Off isn’t entirely clear, but our former pranksters don’t harbor fond memories.  Conversely, Twilight hates missing out on a learning trip, but she accepts the map’s wishes.

Dash usually flies to such locations, and probably would have been better off doing so than taking a mountain of luggage they won’t really use.  After another train ride and perilous trek, our duo arrives at Griffonstone but find it completely run down.  Every building has damage, and royalty stopped ruling some time ago.  This last part they learn from Gilda, who just happens to be standing out on the street (Griffonstone isn’t very big, but she still shows up too quickly).  Further information from Gilda’s grandfather continues Twilight’s Idol of Boreas unification story.  An interloper stole this idol and promptly lost it, which precipitated Griffonstone’s downfall.  Ever since, the Griffons have been an angry and listless species.

At this point, everyone has a different idea about restoring Griffonstone.  Dash wants to retrieve the missing idol, Pinkie believes they should follow Twilight’s plan and search Griffonstone’s library, while Gilda just wishes these idiot ponies would leave.  Somehow armed with many “bits” (gratuitously overused here), Dash reaches the abyss but gets stuck when she can’t fly because of too much wind.  Rappelling doesn’t work either, and her Griffon guide leaves when Dash has no money left.  Pinkie’s quest is also fruitless since the library only exists as tattered books strewn about.  Surprisingly, she helps Gilda bake “Griffon scones” from her job experience, despite giving rather basic advice.

After seeing Gilda care about Greta (another warm-spirited Griffon), Pinkie searches for and finds Dash stranded within the abyss.  Quickly botching a rescue attempt, Pinkie elicits Gilda’s help despite her non-existent friendship with Dash.  Once Gilda remembers their first meeting though, she agrees.  Pinkie’s second try goes better then, but she freaks out when Dash falls from her ledge and nearly kills everyone.  Gilda lands on a different cliff with the two ponies dangling from their rope.  Suddenly having a Last Crusade moment, Gilda spots the idol teetering just across from her location.  She of course just barely can’t reach it, and finally decides to save her pony friends.  Apologizing for that earlier shitty treatment, Gilda reluctantly becomes a virtual friendship crusader in Griffonstone, although sharing scones with her acquaintance does go fairly well.

Obviously The Lost Treasure Of Griffonstone’s main draw is Gilda, who still never feels completely convincing as a character.  However clichéd and boring her backstory might be though, she badly needed it after Griffon The Brush-Off.  Instead of just being some malcontent, we learn there are reasons behind her species’ bad attitudes.  That epic story might be slightly absurd, but at least something has caused a culture to fall on hard times and grow extremely distrustful and isolated.  Of course, this becomes the second straight episode with a Star Trek reference, since the Griffons are now basically Ferengi by worshipping only money.  While ostensibly criticizing capitalism there, no such purpose exists here other than displaying how much Griffons hate each other.

Even so, these developments improve Gilda since she acquires more depth.  Her home life is shitty, she only lives with her grandfather, and has no friends or job prospects thanks to baking terrible scones.  None of this was known during Griffon The Brush-Off, but Rogers didn’t completely rewrite Gilda either.  Despite airing four and a half years earlier, Griffonstone has surprisingly strong continuity with its sister episode.  No one has even mentioned Gilda since then, but Dash, Twilight, and Pinkie quickly remember once Griffons are brought up.  Dash and Gilda actually say they met at the flying camp whose beginning we see, and that same stupid cheer appears both times.  Gilda wasn’t happy about Griffon The Brush-Off’s events either, and hasn’t yet recovered.  That makes her decision to save Dash and Pinkie from a bottomless pit feel organic rather than contrived.  Time has eased everyone’s pain and made such healing possible.  Like The Cutie Map, Griffonstone couldn’t really have taken place any earlier.

Unfortunately, too many little things keep it from a better rating.  Pinkie’s teaser with Gummy really has no point, and doesn’t even offer a decent payoff either.  He’s right where Pinkie left him, and didn’t accomplish anything.  Rogers has had this problem before, so it can’t go unmentioned.  She also has difficulty with dialogue and clichés.  Pinkie manages “word on the street”, “talk of the town”, and “that just takes the cake” within a couple of minutes, while Equestria’s official currency is apparently the “bit”.  As also happened earlier, Gilda’s exclamations are punctuated with guitar chords, and this effect quickly becomes overused.  Pinkie trying one of Gilda’s scones goes on too long (we don’t really need to see all those broken teeth), and finding the idol right there feels rather convenient.  Given their brush with death though, one can understand how it’s been “hidden” for so long.

At least Rogers makes up for these deficiencies by producing equally good moments.  Instead of accepting another “missing” main characters contrivance, Rogers has Twilight complain about not coming along, and then later hints she would probably freak out at Griffonstone’s rundown state.  Dash pokes fun at Twilight’s literal book, but her hair shifts to match Twilight’s cut while she quotes something that will actually prove important.  And Pinkie somehow flirts with Griffon King Grover’s statue, although she probably shouldn’t call him a “charmer” twice.  Maybe they’re not all great scenes, but an intelligence is shown that was lacking from certain fifth season episodes.

It’s not quite enough, but The Lost Treasure Of Griffonstone still counts as something of a major accomplishment.  Rogers took perhaps the least likable one-off and made her both palatable and worthy of another appearance.  Using typically strong characterization, Rogers provides essential depth for Gilda after Griffon The Brush-Off gave her none.  She also makes the Rainbow Dash-Pinkie Pie pairing feel inspired instead of a budget-driven decision.  Both characters do hit some stereotypical moments, but everything else balances out.  Maybe too much emphasis is placed on a backstory which might not be true, but Gilda’s horrid behavior practically demanded an explanation.  That we got one so long after her original appearance was very unexpected, but clearing up this forgotten loose thread actually strengthens the series overall.  Friendships don’t always last forever, and changing locations probably ends many prematurely.  My Little Pony couldn’t really address this issue any earlier, although it is still undeniably important.  Dash and Gilda feel awkward at first, but then slowly remember why they became friends.  Even if The Lost Treasure Of Griffonstone won’t ever be considered a great episode, it will always be remarkable for that very reason.  Another dissatisfied season five customer drifts to the top.  That it was Gilda will always remain shocking, but this theme undeniably suits My Little Pony well.  Now if only Gummy would get off his fat ass and do something.