My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 607 - Newbie Dash

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So apparently pilot training/flight school is actually like this, where everyone’s first day goes terribly, too many new recruits just want to show off, and you absolutely will get stuck with a terrible call name.  While such trivia proves interesting, seeing these events in action does not.  Dave Rapp’s first script freely retcons or contrives whatever he needs to hurt and embarrass the usual mane six member.  Doing so was unfortunately typical of season two, so Newbie Dash marked one more step backwards.  Some effort was made to justify Twilight becoming a princess or the Crusaders earning their marks before, but we don’t have time for that so fuck it.  Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt now, because some guy we’ve never seen before totally “retired”.  Training for their upcoming show goes terribly though, especially when everyone starts calling her Rainbow Crash again.  When not using this premise to dump trash on Dash or otherwise inflict bodily harm, Rapp populates his script with questionable sequences which have little point but killing time (Dash imitates her five friends and Pinkie Pie wants bigger cotton candy).    He also has Dash walk across the runway (while we watch another Wonderbolt fly over it), so that she can almost get hit and fall into a conveniently placed trash can.  Good luck trying to find Dash walking anywhere else when she’s not injured.  Even though Rapp gives Pinkie one decent line (“at least they didn’t call you Rainbow Trash”), Newbie Dash feels too painful for a passing grade.  It never feels like an actual episode, going from needless slapstick comedy to a final lesson of being “okay with fitting in”.  What theoretically should have been Dash’s huge celebration ends up being more character regression.  Every complaint I’ve made before fits Newbie Dash, since it isn’t remotely acceptable for a series this far into production.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 620 - Viva Las Pegasus

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Viva Las Pegasus might be more filler, but at least it’s enjoyable and does something.  The Map sends Applejack and Fluttershy to Vegas…and they’re pissed.  Despite not partaking in any festivities (just as well for a children’s show), they were the right ones sent.  With gambling also wisely ignored, Pegasus concentrates on backstage issues regarding several performing shows, with an interesting twist.  Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” [why]at’s script admittedly has problems, but also a story which develops and reveals as it goes along.  And they discuss how friendship, always an instrument of good in My Little Pony, can be used for evil.  Much of what happens is delightful, including appearances by Siegfried and Roy, “big old” Elvis (as the main baddie), and two familiar swindling brothers whose surprising argument may or may not be why Fluttershy and Applejack are there.  Burke and Wyatt have some dialogue problems (more clichés and Elvis stand-in Gladmane doing too many “uh-huh-huh”s), didn’t name several important backstage characters (two of whom are referred to multiple times as “director” and “star”), and offer an uninspired resolution that seems less likely to have worked than the original plan.  But their script is also well-structured and watchable, which can’t be said for most season six efforts.  Pegasus isn’t great, but Burke and Wyatt explored an issue which most people probably didn’t even consider existing.  Not that questioning everyone’s sincerity was necessary for Ponyville, but it’s a valid concern given how Gladmane manipulates friendship for his personal gain.  “Watchable” shouldn’t really be the bar episodes are judged on, but Pegasus doesn’t drag or contain wasted moments (such as montage filler songs) like previously aired outings do.  Perhaps Pegasus would have barely been a footnote in other seasons, but it rates among season six’s best outings despite the flaws.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 617 - Dungeons & Discords

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What was the point of this episode again?  Discord joins in on Spike and Big Mac’s Dungeons & Dragons game (retitled Ogres & Oubliettes after the comics.  Oh wow, that’s awesome! 10/10!), and they make some references to The Mask and that one Star Trek: TNG episode where Riker becomes a Q.  Does any of this somehow turn into a good outing?  Most fans think so, but again they must have watched a different show.  Discord does his annoying loser antics, which are no better than his similar behavior from season five.  Then the “big reveal” has Spike only inviting Discord because he felt sorry for him, despite the teaser making perfectly clear that Discord participates because Fluttershy is busy elsewhere.  Or the reviews go on about how much development Discord received.  But what did he learn exactly?  Find creatures who feel sorry for you and take advantage of them?  Because you know he’s not going to change at all after this.  And what did this episode say about Dungeons & Dragons?  That it’s super boring and would be much better in a real life video game setting?  The whole point of Dungeons & Dragons is that you’re basically participating in an epic fantasy novel, which Dungeons & Discords just shits all over.  Nick Confalone’s script has severe pacing problems when it’s not being incredibly boring.  Getting to playing this silly game takes forever, and then there’s barely enough time left for learning about the story.  Confalone also unnecessarily brings back gender issues, which mostly stem from repeatedly referring to their gathering as “guys’ night”.  Remember that one episode where Big Mac was a princess?  Yeah, fuck that.  He’s a man’s man.  And guess who’s the first mane six member to join in later?  When an episode creates two separate stories (the mane six travel with Celestia to visit Yakyakistan), we shouldn’t be stuck seeing the more boring of them.  And yet we do, since Confalone’s script does nothing right.  Discord’s antics still aren’t funny, and he only “succeeds” in making Dungeons & Dragons look like the geeky snooze-fest everyone imagines it is.  Maybe just mentioning the game is enough for any fan to award a high rating, but Confalone’s take ends up being more trash for season six’s landfill.