Rating:
Alright, take three.
I detest completely rewriting anything (twice, no less), but
Brotherhooves Social left me little choice.
Essentially, I got the episode correctly at first but second-guessed
myself out of fear I was seeing what I wanted rather than what actually
existed. Perusing various Twitter feeds
showed that this wasn’t the case. While
cleaning up a loose thread from Made In Manehattan, Brotherhooves Social
provides Big Mac’s biggest character development in definitively showing he’s
trans. This may seem unlikely, but it
makes sense given his earlier princess dream and quiet loner demeanor. Since Applejack and Rarity are busy, Apple
Bloom and Sweetie Belle have no escorts for the Sisterhooves Social. Big Mac decides to step up and help his
younger sister out, but he goes as “cousin Orchard Blossom”, a flamboyant and
loquacious Southern belle. They are
accepted into the event because “sister” is loosely defined, but every activity
unfortunately goes poorly. Dave Polsky
hits many aspects of being trans, including unwanted awkwardness in appearance,
dealing with people who quickly dismiss you, those who know but don’t care, and
some who inexplicably find you attractive, and a large apparent disconnect
between “personas”. This insight grounds
what appears to be another drag comedy at first, but most definitely isn’t on
subsequent viewings. The episode remains
polarizing since it treads a thin line here, but certain scenes’ effectiveness
cannot be denied (especially Big Mac and Apple Bloom’s concluding
dialogue). While probably not the best
way, Brotherhooves Social feels like a landmark in how it presents trans issues
to kids without overtly doing so. And it
improves dramatically on season two’s Sisterhooves by better reflecting the
sibling dynamic. Polsky’s script is too
tropey for its subject, but Brotherhooves represents an unexpectedly bold
statement from a season with very few of them.
Granny Smith wastes time looking for a ribbon while
Applejack and Apple Bloom practice for the upcoming Sisterhooves Social. Big Mac tries distracting the latter with a
flying toy she used to like, but Apple Bloom quickly brushes it off in favor of
gushing about Applejack’s greatness. AJ
notices Big Mac’s dejection, and attempts consoling him when her cutie mark soon
starts flashing. As we already know, she
will be called away to Manehattan and must miss the social. Now Apple Bloom is completely downtrodden,
but she attends with Sweetie Belle anyway so they can cheer on Scootaloo and
Rainbow Dash. Before that can happen, Granny
Smith’s stray comment gives Big Mac an idea.
Apple Bloom’s late arrival comes with the surprising admission
that she will indeed be competing after all.
Her “long lost cousin Orchard Blossom” made it in as a last minute
replacement. Despite being talkative and
having feminine mannerisms, Sweetie Belle quickly announces “that’s Big Mac in
a dress”. Problems should ensue at
registration given how obvious this is, but the Apples are soon cleared to
compete. Unfortunately, each event proceeds
more and more poorly, since Big Mac’s large frame, lack of practice, and deep
voice hinder their performance. Eventually,
the final obstacle course is all that’s left.
Despite fierce determination from Big Mac, this one doesn’t
go any better. Desperate to earn Sweetie
Belle a blue ribbon, he bulldozes his way through the entire course while
sabotaging multiple competitors. A
furious last dash earns them the victory, but they are soon disqualified after
further review. Big Mac’s outfit finally
falls off (apparently from stress), but the committee already knew of his
gender. Their win is stripped for Big
Mac destroying the obstacle course and bumping opponents, which is considered
“unsportsponylike”. Rainbow Dash and
Scootaloo celebrate instead, but the Apples must return home empty-handed.
Dejectedly watching the sunset, Big Mac initially declines
to discuss what happened. He finally admits
it’s been difficult for him because Apple Bloom is much closer to Applejack,
and the latter’s fame eclipses his accomplishments of working hard at home. Attempting to be a hero for one day obviously
failed miserably. Apple Bloom won’t
leave him alone though, since she appreciates his actions and just hasn’t been
very open about how feelings toward her big brother. Applejack finally returns home, but Apple
Bloom finishes watching the sunset with Big Mac instead.
Polsky starts slowly as Granny Smith is up to her usual
idiocy and Apple Bloom won’t shut up about Applejack’s alleged godliness. Thankfully things improve once Applejack
notices Big Mac pouting before being booted from the episode herself. While season five prominently featured
background characters, Apple Bloom and Big Mac don’t seem to count as
such. But they’ve never really shared a
scene like the ending (or indeed an entire episode) together before. While contentious at first, both of them
opening up rates as the show’s best scene and forgives many earlier problems.
These include Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo competing together
as sisters, which seems mostly ignored given everything else happening. They have good chemistry together and clearly
trained for the event, but we only get a few isolated scenes. Dash calls out Big Mac and expects to win no
matter the competition, but their victory feels hollow when they actually
finished second and won on a technicality.
Nothing is really wrong with the short time they have except that more
was needed. This doesn’t include Sweetie
Belle however, and while she probably should have been more dejected about not
competing, her relative lack of screen time was an excellent decision.
Brotherhooves does represent spectacular development for Big
Mac, though. Outside of a joking moment
in Ponyville Confidential, this is the first time he has multiple lines which
sound realistic. Even his short final
monologue demonstrates how much he’s been taken for granted and gives insight
into what being Big Mac must feel like. “Cousin
Orchard Blossom” indicates levels which haven’t been glimpsed in his character
before, since suddenly becoming so good at acting and appearing feminine couldn’t
happen on a whim. Given Big Mac’s carefully
crafted female persona and excellent makeup, he has obviously done this before.
It explains his isolated and
uncomfortable nature, and is supported by an earlier episode. Working LGBT issues into a children’s show
has been rather difficult even given the progressive time of its release, but
Polsky found an effective way to do so.
Granted the comedy bits fell flat, but they weren’t really meant for
laughs either. Struggling with body
image is a large part of being trans, and that’s mostly what Big Mac was doing.
Brotherhooves Social is an odd episode given its subject
matter, focus, and fluctuations in quality.
Usually this would qualify as a mess, but Polsky (or the editors) showed
almost exactly what they needed. Too
much emphasis was placed on slapstick (which remains an unfortunate drag
stereotype), and referencing Some Like It
Hot with that older pony having a crush on Big Mac wasn’t necessary. As structured, I completely understand why
some people will find this episode offensive.
Considering the good moments, character development, and a quick but
accurate depiction of being trans, I am not one of them. Like Slice Of Life and Amending Fences did
for characters not previously featured on My
Little Pony, Brotherhooves does for two that are but haven’t been explored
sufficiently. It fits season five’s
theme perfectly and goes places no one would expect the show ever would, even
given an overall message of tolerance.
Polsky’s effort is far from perfect, but nevertheless counts as a
memorable achievement among many from both its writer and season.
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