My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 509 - Slice Of Life

Rating:

While The Simpsons has notably developed a huge cast of supporting characters (over more than 25 years of episodes), My Little Pony has never before felt able to equal it.  To celebrate their 100^th production, Slice Of Life solely focuses on background ponies that had only appeared infrequently with few if any lines.  The episode’s framing device is Cranky and Matilda’s wedding (both of whom last spoke in season two’s dreadful A Friend In Deed), but M.A. Larson jumps around between many different stories while Ponyville prepares for this big event.  Unlike The Simpsons though, none of these characters were developed by My Little Pony’s creators.  In most cases, names and personalities are all fan-derived, which makes Slice Of Life a landmark episode in that regard.  Granted, it often plays like a fan-fiction compilation (with not every part being completely successful), but the episode also does something more remarkable.  With the mane six almost completely absent, Slice Of Life is just as compelling as any other top episode.  The series could exist without them and be equally good.  We discover My Little Pony’s minor characters are not merely set pieces, but actual beings with similar hopes and dreams.  Maybe Larson is too heavy-handed with this point at the end, but he still makes it.  Younger fans might not be familiar with all these characters, and even the most devoted bronies probably won’t pick up every reference.  But this never detracts from or is necessary for an enjoyable experience.  The animators unquestionably had a field day packing in tons of detail, which is literally impossible to entirely notice on a first viewing.  Larson also took many risks, like featuring Derpy, having a story which tangents around town, using an extended musical number to start act three, and of course ignoring the main characters.  While others might have failed in doing so, every one of them absolutely paid off.  Switching with Amy Keating Rogers (who wrote Griffonstone instead) was also fortunate, since Larson again finds his way to one of My Little Pony’s best episodes.  Even despite needing research, his confidence in each scene is unmatched by any other writer.  While seeming almost random at first, every section feels perfectly balanced within the story.  And this doesn’t mention how incredibly fun Slice Of Life is (get used to hearing “smile on my face the whole way through”).  Even if you’re not an avid fan-fiction reader or can only recognize a few characters, that spirit still holds.  There can be no more fitting 100^th episode since Slice Of Life acknowledges how important fan contributions have been to My Little Pony, and in a very different way from earlier series.  We probably won’t hear much from these characters again, but there’s now no reason why we shouldn’t.  Slice Of Life might be a tease in that way, but what a glorious one it is.

As Cranky and Matilda share a few nice morning moments before their wedding tomorrow, they are shocked to discover the invitations have printed today’s date instead.  With guests already planning on attending (including Celestia and Luna), Matilda must rush to determine if all of the preparations can be moved up.  Cranky meanwhile confronts the pony responsible for this error.  It’s Derpy, who futilely tries consoling him with a muffin.

Later at the café, Derpy expresses her contrition to Dr. Whooves, which might be fortuitous since he’s the only pony that would take her time travel comment seriously.  They retreat to his TARDIS-like lab, but the good doctor quickly leaves upon being reminded of the wedding since his suit hasn’t been tailored.  Finding Rarity away (we will see why later), Dr. Whooves asks a passing-by Vinyl Scratch where she might be.  Hearing none of his conversation, Scratch interprets his hand gestures to be asking about the bowling alley’s location, and leads him there.

Rarity obviously isn’t bowling, but a certain three ponies naturally are.  Noticing the Dude and his compatriots are well-dressed, Dr. Whooves inquires who their tailor might be.  Unfortunately, they do their own work (certainly not a reference to the film), but nothing will pry them away from the finals (something which definitely is).  Encouraging the doctor to roll, the Dude promises they will mend his suit afterwards.  He eventually accepts, and need only pick up a 7-10 split for the victory.  Derpy’s interruption probably gives his throw a better chance, but the 7 pin falls just short of knocking down the 10.  Walter can only snort in disgust.

During this league game, Octavia asks an assembled crowd about the mane six’s huddle, which Apple Bloom speculates is over either a friendship problem or monster attack.  Octavia’s concern isn’t everyone’s possible doom, but whether their issue will affect playing for the wedding.  Matilda naturally needs Pinkie Pie’s attention given her situation, but the monster option unfortunately becomes proven right when a bear-sized bee (“bugbear”) roars into town.  The mane six will be busy saving Equestria again, but Matilda notices Amethyst Star pointing everyone to safety.  Realizing her organizational skills should work given certain famous ponies are otherwise occupied, they head off toward a salon to start moving the wedding.

While Derpy hunts for flowers, Lyra and Bon Bon finish decorating Town Hall.  Completing the job is easy for two longtime friends, but Bon Bon suddenly freaks out when Lyra mentions it is a bugbear attacking Ponyville.  Bon Bon admits her real name is Sweetie Drops, and that she originally worked as one of Celestia’s monster hunters before moving to Ponyville once it escaped.  Since the bugbear is likely searching for her, Bon Bon quickly rappels out their window and “blends in” with a gathering crowd.  Lyra looks extremely stunned at this revelation, and can’t be certain how real their friendship was given the apparent lie Bon Bon has been living.  Bon Bon does reassure Lyra that the friendship part was always real, although they will speak again about this later.

While getting her hair done, Matilda runs into Steven Magnet at the spa.  Magnet is of course that sea monster from the pilot named from poor YouTube captioning.  Naturally this name fitting this creature stuns Matilda like it would most audience members at first, but Magnet goes on describing how he is indeed old friends with Cranky.  Of course, he also points out that the upcoming wedding will be more important in most ponies’ minds than how their marriage turns out.

As Vinyl Scratch returns home, we see she lives with Octavia in an odd couple house literally split down the middle.  Octavia is practicing for the wedding, and her roommate quickly attempts joining in.  Scratch’s first beats don’t fit well, but her second try works better and they start jamming.  Realizing the wedding will start shortly, Scratch puts her equipment on wheels and uses it as a vehicle for reaching Town Hall.  Speeding through Ponyville brings many crashes, but every pony hit just jumps on and joins the ride.  This doesn’t include the Twilicane though, which launches everyone through the air.  Somehow, they all land inside the hall in their perfect spots, after Gummy offers a few lines of unheard existential wisdom.

Celestia and Luna argue about forgetting a present before the ceremonies, while Bon Bon reconciles with Lyra after announcing the bugbear’s defeat.  Derpy has used the doctor’s “flameless fireworks” as flowers, and Steven Magnet returns an earlier favor by chopping off his mustache to serve as Cranky’s toupee since it was lost during Vinyl Scratch’s drive through town.  The mane six are also about to join, but Derpy obliviously locks them out.

With the power invested in her, Mayor Mare goes completely off script as she addresses the assembled patrons.  Containing royalty and commoners alike, she opines how no one thinks of themselves as “background” characters, and such a diverse community is more rewarding.  Cranky and Matilda are pronounced wed, while the following cheer ignites those flameless fireworks and produces a (not disastrous) celebration.  Watching from outside, Twilight admits how lucky she is to be living in Ponyville and hugs her friends.

Working from few prior canon establishments, Slice Of Life is a feast of characterization for Larson, who mostly delivers quite well.  Certainly the most notable improvement is Derpy, whose reimagining fares much better than either of her two disastrous speaking roles in The Last Roundup.  To avoid another controversy, Hasbro has renamed her “Muffins”, but this should not be considered official (Dr. Whooves similarly becomes just “Doctor”).  Given another try, Tabitha St. Germain finds a better voice which avoids both earlier stereotypes while still sounding slightly “slow”.  Instead of thoughtlessly causing damage, Derpy understands the problem and sincerely tries fixing it.  She has trouble focusing, but ultimately accomplishes something by finding good use for the fireworks.  After The Last Roundup seemed to end Derpy’s chance at more speaking roles, her return for this episode is much appreciated.  Having those controversial elements removed did not hurt Derpy’s character, and Slice Of Life couldn’t have plausibly worked without her.

Interestingly, Derpy also ends up being the “hot” female sidekick to Dr. Whooves, which is typical of his partners.  However, Larson admitted on Twitter that his inspiration was more Doc Brown from Back To The Future, which does explain the oft-heard exclamation “great whickering stallions” (probably used too much but not fatally so).  These two characters aren’t really that similar, but Peter New helped by picking the correct doctor for his voice.  Mercifully freed from Big Mac’s two lines, New feels capable of more starring roles and probably hopes Dr. Whooves will return.  Not that we need another nerdy character proclaiming science’s greatness (even while true), but the doctor is fairly well-developed despite these few scenes.  A Doctor Who tie-in might have been preferable, but Larson’s Doctor makes a big impression even when you can hear certain lines fitting Christopher Lloyd.

Dr. Whooves’ interaction with the Big Lebowski crew is less compelling, but having the Dude speak didn’t seem likely from their short cameo in The Cutie Pox and given his proclivity for using cuss words.  Despite sounding weird from ponies, “man” is said over one hundred times in the movie and was an excellent alternative choice.  Sadly, Walter and Donny have no lines (we know why Donny doesn’t), but the animators weren’t done with their references.  The Dude and Walter attend Cranky’s wedding, but Donny isn’t next to them.  Walter holds a coffee can though, so Donny might have made it after all.  There may be no greater example of a reference adults will get while easily passing under the radar of any child.  Even if not fan creations, including them was delightfully surprising.

Also unexpected is Bon Bon’s “revelation”, which definitely could be a fan-fiction development.  While probably not true, it nicely counterbalances their earlier statement about knowing each other well, and attempts explaining her range of voices from previous appearances (amazingly enough, Bon Bon did also show concern when Cerberus escaped during It’s About Time).  This intrigue gives shape to Lyra and Bon Bon’s relationship, which otherwise would have seemed shallow.  Both characters are therefore uniquely defined despite often being shown together.   They’re still probably more than friends, but Larson lets either interpretation be possible (although not officially in the show’s canon).  Additionally, Lyra’s strangely human-like seated posture and mention of eating oats are other little touches which only add to Slice Of Life’s fabric (even if the latter quotes a more disturbing version). 

Not every background character could be voiced given the time constraints though, which surprisingly goes for Vinyl Scratch.  Hasbro actually instructed Larson to remove his lines for her, although little is missed by Scratch not talking.  While her initial encounter with Dr. Whooves is mildly humorous, she shines later making music with housemate Octavia (whose British accent fits perfectly despite making little sense geographically).  With so many stories and characters to draw from, Larson risked much by having a montage take up three minutes of the third act.  But it works since their dubstep music is surprisingly good (much more adventuresome than Ingram’s songs), and the journey becomes a convenient plot resolution.  Whether Octavia and Scratch would actually live together remains debatable, but this “make it work” friendship moment shows how they definitely could.

As everyone flies toward the hall, we finally hear something from Gummy.  Such thoughts suggest why he barely moves, and are another fun treat even if unlikely to be real.  Amazingly, his voice actor (Lee Tockar) also did Steven Magnet, who is the rare openly “fabulous” character on My Little Pony.  While mostly fine, Magnet unnecessarily puts fear into Matilda over how important the wedding will be (nobody’s dressed up after all), which seems overtly mean.  One wonders if Magnet’s portrayal isn’t too stereotypical at times, although his character was already established as such in the pilot.  Even if not always strong, Magnet reappearance after years of being forgotten still adds positively to Slice Of Life’s menagerie.

While I had speculated Tabitha St. Germain might be handed many voicing duties, they were fairly evenly spread out amongst the staff.  And despite needing to create new characters, almost all of them came out very well.  Zecora’s Brenda Crichlow actually pulls a St. Germain by talking to herself as Matilda and Amethyst Star, while Rarity’s singing voice Kazumi Evans finds a decent accent for Octavia.  Lyra and Bon Bon were handed to regulars Ashleigh Ball and Andrea Libman, who are mostly successful in finding yet another pony voice.  Ball stays away from her mane six characters, but Libman can’t quite shake sounding like Pinkie Pie for half of her lines.  Perhaps more time would have helped, but this deficiency is still noticeable.  Everyone who returned found strong moments though (Cranky works better in a couple of small doses, and check out Celestia and Luna having an argument over something dumb which they try to hide), while Michael Dobson’s Lebowski closely approximates his famous character.

As should be expected, Larson provides much to think about, although rarely does he vocalize his theme so specifically.  In some ways this is true, since society depends on poor workers doing shit jobs even as they’re considered worthless, because I want someone making me food when I head to Wendy’s late at night.  We don’t really want to live in a society where everyone achieves their goals, although no one should feel happy about being on the bottom.  Larson’s ponies don’t resent not having the spotlight Ponyville’s famous clique does, and they’re also thankful for those services provided by them.  But we really notice the mane six’s relegation to the background while everyone else congregates in crowds as expected.  This is perfectly encapsulated when Bon Bon “hides” from the bugbear by backing into one and standing up normally, which she knows from experience will be enough to prevent being spotted.  We never actually thought of these other ponies as real characters before, but Larson provides a glimpse of what living in Ponyville must be like for everyone else.

Doing so doesn’t count as Slice Of Life’s main revelation though, since we might have understood why they appear so little.  What Larson accomplishes is showing that these characters are equally good, but for various reasons haven’t become famous like the mane six.  Obviously this was intended as a tribute to fans who saw personalities in ponies just thrown anywhere for appearance, but Larson dug way more out of the premise than just simple fan service.  By bouncing around between characters and not spending too much time on one meme, Larson creates a communal feel where the sum of parts are certainly better.  Nobody’s stories really go together, which is fine since they’re all living separate lives.  Before Slice Of Life, Ponyville felt like a community of less than 20, while now it’s much more realistic.  Larson fashioned his carefully thought out and structured script from something that could have been a pointless pop culture parade.  Slice Of Life understands the messiness of its subject, which succeeds by not trying to force continuity or drama through any specific thread.  By some confluence of chance, the correct writer found his way to a perfect 100^th episode by summing up My Little Pony through not doing so at all.  In a very Lebowskian way, Larson creates iconic scenes that seemingly appear randomly and serve no apparent purpose, but his overall point is obvious and right there.  And the animators joined in, adding more details than Larson could have originally imagined.  Slice Of Life is almost certainly My Little Pony’s best episode so far, even if it would make zero sense to anyone not familiar with the show’s large history.  Not everything is perfect, but failing to hear from these characters again would now be very difficult.  With plenty of revelations and an incredibly fun time, Slice Of Life is a worthy gift to fans from a series that hasn’t always lived up to the quality they believe My Little Pony possesses.  For once, the bronies are absolutely right.