Rating:
Inexplicably giving it another go, directors Jayson Thiessen
and Jim Miller farmed out their second straight story for Party Pooped, which
doesn’t really pertain to the titular event.
While offering another “diversity” story that never shows it, writer
Nick Confalone fares better by attempting way too much and having some things
stick. Twilight is preparing for a visit
from Yakyakistan delegates (yes, he went there), but these ruffians smash
anything around when the slightest thing angers them. This occurs when something isn’t exactly like
what they know from home, or always.
Eventually pinning their diplomacy hopes on Pinkie Pie’s upcoming party,
she travels to Yakyakistan hoping to find something which will please them. Early scenes struggle with the Yaks’
repetitive behavior and more crazy eyes from Twilight and Pinkie, but Party
Pooped improves slightly during Pinkie’s trip (usually writers force another
character along so the main one can converse with someone, but Confalone averts
this trope by having Pinkie talk to herself, which works better than it would
for most). Despite producing a few
laughs, Confalone’s effort feels raw (Pinkie Pie is always called by both
names), and never successfully answers why it exists. The Yaks were never mentioned before and act
like stereotypical heathens who possess few redeeming qualities (outside of an
apparent love for Chopin). Twilight and
Pinkie going crazy (again) simultaneously isn’t compelling, and the mane six
seem oddly absent from an episode which features them prominently. But the Yaks’ portrayal may also have some
real life basis, and Confalone finds a decent lesson that his episode actually
arrives at. This doesn’t mean Party
Pooped isn’t over the top while being rather frivolous, but Confalone does score
some positives. While problematic overall
and certainly unnecessary, it doesn’t reach earlier season five lows and
definitely shows partial intelligence. Even
if Party Pooped ends up being forgettable, it still claws toward some middle
ground and creates a few memorable moments.
So everyone’s hanging around Twilight’s pad because the Yaks
are coming, and it’s been many moons and blah blah blah totally not because
they were retconned into existence for a silly plot. Nobody else cares that much, but Twilight starts
hyperventilating since she’s doing all this without Celestia’s knowledge. Once they arrive, Twilight teleports a few
feet over instead of walking. Just
because Twilight theoretically can use teleportation magic doesn’t mean she
should at every feasible opportunity.
Little things like this are what show the aforementioned rawness.
The Yaks dress like Mongol invaders and always shout when
speaking because foreign people talk funny.
Twilight has somehow prepared a huge meal of Yak delicacies, but they
announce furious anger will occur if these dishes don’t taste exactly like the
ones at home. Obviously the Yaks have
never travelled anywhere else before. Of
course Twilight’s food doesn’t pass, and the Yaks react by turning over her
table and destroying the castle’s inside.
These guys should probably be brought up on charges and aren’t really
worth it anyways. We tried though, good
episode everyone!
Naw, just kidding.
Needing filler both for story and script, Pinkie takes the Yaks around
to her other friends hoping they’ll accept pertinent gifts. Hay beds, “yak” animals (can’t blame them for
smashing these racist creations), fabric, and snow all lead to “yak smash!”
again. “Seriously?” Pinkie responds while
voicing my exact thoughts. Then
Confalone has the mane six critique Party Pooped so far, which is unfortunately
accurate except for not quite being “a disaster”.
Pinkie is also freaking out now since she isn’t accustomed
to dealing with actual responsibilities.
Instead of bravely facing these problems, Pinkie just up and bails on
the entire episode. Oddly, despite
finding her place empty, the mane six never consider this possibility. They trust she’ll return for the big party,
which almost certainly won’t happen given her plan. Hopping on a train alone, Pinkie heads north
to bring something of the Yaks’ back to Ponyville. For some reason, the train goes south instead
of north though, and stops in Dodge City after being blocked by sheep. Any map (fan or otherwise) shows this is
true, and there’s really no way passing through deserts would happen when
travelling north toward colder climates.
While seemingly insignificant, this constitutes a large plot hole which could
have been prevented by checking Google.
Still at home and in denial, the other mane six members
repeat their earlier failures figuring the Yaks can’t possibly hate everything. They don’t despise Spike’s piano music at
first, but the little guy obviously didn’t become virtuosic overnight. His piano gets smashed too once the Yaks
notice he “played” off a roll. Without a
decent party, the Yaks will declare war on Equestria, which never strikes
Twilight as absurd. Nor does how pissed
Celestia will be ever sink in.
Pinkie’s “afternoon” is slightly more eventful. She runs into Cherry Jubilee after the train
stops, who “just happens” to be on her way up north. Her crew counted 400,000 cherries last night
though, so they all fall asleep and nearly ride into a ravine. But their ledge breaks off anyways, sending
Pinkie and company to quick certain deaths.
Then apparently the Wonderbolts miraculously save them, and Pinkie joins
the Beatles on drums. Once they break up
hours later, Pinkie continues her quest by being ushered off by Cadance (making
a surprising third straight appearance).
Finally reaching Yakyakistan, Pinkie saves or helps a lost baby yak who
has ventured beyond its borders.
Unfortunately, his sled breaks a snow embankment with Pinkie still on
it, which somehow has enough momentum for quickly returning to Ponyville.
Still believing Pinkie will be coming back, the mane six
have futilely tried planning their own party.
Now resigned to a never-ending conflict, Twilight accidentally stumbles upon
Pinkie’s basement, which they discover is a party-planning cave. Pinkie has kept detailed records of everyone’s
likes and dislikes, and has even planned her parents’ 100th and 500th
anniversaries. Earning newfound respect
for their “crazy” friend, the mane six are suddenly able to share their love in
person. With the Yaks having left,
Pinkie’s realization about helpful ponies would appear moot. However, she knows they won’t get very far,
and the Yaks are indeed still stuck at Ponyville’s train station. Pinkie starts her party immediately, which
proves quite successful since the fucking Beatles are in attendance. Emulating Yak culture served no purpose when
Equestria can be proud of its own. Unfortunately,
Pinkie is squeezed to death after the head yak returns her hug.
Party Pooped tries accomplishing something similar to Pinkie
Pride, but much of the episode is either poorly done or confusing. Obsessing over yaks dominates its screen
time, but they’re not handled well at any point. We should probably be past characters who
speak loudly in clipped English, but this stereotypical portrayal isn’t even
their worst part. Such absurd behavior can’t
ever be tolerated, yet Twilight only concerns herself with finding some way to
please them. How about they show respect
for others’ property or face the legal consequences? Perhaps Confalone wanted to teach viewers
about diplomatic immunity, in which case he is sadly accurate. Even so, their actions should be abhorred
rather than appeased. Celestia also
doesn’t seem bothered by Twilight going rogue and almost starting a war, and we
don’t really learn why the Yaks are important or how they came to Twilight’s
attention.
Confalone’s characterization isn’t otherwise terrible, but he
only finds a few isolated decent moments which succeed through strong voice
acting. These consist specifically of
Applejack commenting that finding Granny’s dentures isn’t “a complete loss”,
and Fluttershy wondering how normal ponies are supposed to exit Pinkie’s
basement after watching her slide up the entrance. Pinkie’s several “inner” monologues are
likewise solid, but too many large intakes of breath and “know what I mean”s
balance them out. Learning she might be
“more organized than…Twilight” debatably counts as canon, and it doesn’t really
help her character. Because of things
like this, Confalone has trouble making anyone feel “real” or inspiring
audience trust. That he’s an outsider
with no previous experience writing for My
Little Pony is evident in almost every scene.
Also arguable is if the Yaks represent disgruntled bronies
or reviewers. Clearly Confalone means
something, but he’s not obvious as to what.
Just two episodes after celebrating fans with Slice Of Life, having My Little Pony now deplore them feels
rather odd. Numerous people do overreact
online, and no doubt the Yaks aren’t supposed to represent everyone. Most My
Little Pony episodes have been very far from perfect, and yet the show
retains many devoted fans. Even if there
is a justified source, the Yaks show little depth or interests outside of
demolition, which hurts them as characters.
As for reviewers, a lot of work does go into making an
episode which is then branded with two or three stars by some smug critic
sitting on his ass who could never hope to create anything for himself. But these are two separate art forms that are
quite different in nature. The amount of
work (or money) you put into something does not reflect its quality, and
oftentimes there seems to be an inverse relationship. A movie shot on the cheap over a couple of
weeks will frequently be received better than one which dragged on for months while
going way over budget. And even though
most animation episodes take one year in creation from a large team of
dedicated individuals, that does not mean they must all automatically be
considered great art. “Nitpicking”
people who will always have more success and money than me does not make me
feel better as a person. Reviewing requires
perspective and knowledge that the average person doesn’t have. Creating aesthetic criteria is important so
that artists will be held to some sort of standard, instead of faceless
corporations deciding what’s popular by repeating the same four chords over and
over again and doing it enough times so people will say “that’s pop
music”. No, that isn’t art or music,
it’s a business algorithm designed to maximize profit for minimal effort. This is why I am reviewing, because people
deserve better than being force fed shit.
And bronies deserve more than a corporation pumping out filler solely
for selling toys. I don’t always expect
everything to be perfect and enjoy many merely “good” episodes. But you will be called on poor efforts every
time, even while many bronies only seem happy when a new episode airs.
Not that Party Pooped is such a stumble despite its
unwarranted critiques, but Confalone’s script still contains many issues. Shaky characterization (especially anyone new),
strange non sequiturs (why were the Beatles here again?), incorrect geography,
and questionable plot resolutions (would Pinkie really have enough momentum to
ride a sled backwards for likely hundreds of miles in mere seconds?) are all
significant concerns that show a rookie writer not quite up to his task. But he also finds moments of brilliance which
exceed certain other writers’ first outings.
Considering his story partially goes somewhere and arrives at a decent
point, Party Pooped can’t really be ranked with the multitude of poor
episodes. But my rating still feels too
generous given what it is and how many problems exist. Showing the Yaks destroying things in
multiple scenes is lazy and uncreative, so you can look there for why Party
Pooped won’t ever earn higher marks. But
I’ll choose to remember those good parts even as this forgettable effort fades
from consciousness. No one said the
truth was easy, but it won’t change because some newb writer can’t handle that
everything he types isn’t godlike. Your
episode with main characters who shout in poor English and cause thousands of
dollars in property damage with no consequences won’t ever be important.
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