Smile. It's a simple enough of a word. It's a pretty straightforward concept. The corners of your mouth turn up when you feel happy, elated, get a chuckle, etc. Most of the time we don't think twice about it when we do it. But in MLP, a show that by this point in its canon had already redefined for many of its viewers the measure we held for friendship in our own lives, "A Friend in Deed" took the simplest of friendly gestures, making someone smile, and turned it on its head, showing viewers how that simple act of kindness and friendship alone can mean all the world to both the person smiling and likewise the person responsible for said smile. So come on everypony, put on a big smile, smile, smile, and let's take a look at "A Friend in Deed", an episode which, in my opinion, while certainly not the first episode that qualified MLP as something that was undeniably special, was possibly the show's big proclamation to the world, not just bronies but anybody who was listening, that it was awesome, it knew it, it loved everything about itself and the messages it preached, and it wasn't about to change a single thing!

So seeing as this is basically how the episode starts, after a couple of minutes of Pinkie Pie being her good ol' self of course, let's start by looking at Daniel Ingram's "Smile Song". Simply put, "Smile" is... pure, unadulterated joy. This song... my oh my, this song. It's hard to express just how special this song is to me, and the important mark it's left on the fandom. Yes, there have been plenty of songs in the show more unique, original, or musically interesting than "Smile": "At the Gala", "The Flim Flam Brothers", "This Day Aria", and many more. But up until "A True, True Friend" debuted in "Magical Mystery Cure" at the end of Season 3, "Smile" held a special place in MLP canon, placing it in plenty of regards head and shoulders above any other song in the show. It was, to be quite honest, for the brony fandom the anthem of the show; in less than three and a half minutes, this song perfectly encapsulated everything that makes MLP: FiM such a wonderful show to begin with. Pure, sincere positivity, optimism, happiness, friendship, joy, laughter, and fellowship with anyone and everyone you could share those wonderful feelings with, these things all shine throughout "Smile". Its joyful, upbeat tune and honest lyrics are, plain and simple, the best qualities that the show has to offer in a microcosm. In my humble opinion, if you really want to convince someone that MLP: FiM is a show worth giving a chance at least, you might be actually better off showing them this song than you would showing any one episode even. It is just that good and the only reason that I even hold "A True, True Friend" to be a better song than the "Smile Song" today is simply because "A True True Friend" achieves everything that "Smile" does, but as an ensemble involving the whole Mane 6, rather than just a solo sung by Pinkie Pie, but I tell you, that is literally all that separates the two in terms of quality. It shall remain for all time one of the high points of the show, a moment that any fan will always happily point to as one of their most memorable moments, maybe even the first time they realized just what a special show MLP: FiM really was, and for me, it's probably the scene I look forward to the most every time I rewatch this episode. As far as any shows go, it's about as perfect a moment as you could possibly hope to encounter in even the best of television programs. What more can you say other than smile, smile, smile?

OK, so now that that picture perfect moment is out of the way, what else is there to cover in this episode? How 'bout Pinkie Pie... duh! Let me start by saying this; I do not think that this episode is possibly Pinkie's finest, her funniest, or even contains the most mature, complex lesson she's had in an episode. There's a whole bevvy of episodes to which each of those respective titles could go to, and "A Friend in Deed" is, in my opinion, not one of them. However, that being said, this episode does deserve one big laudation in its place in Pinkie Pie's canon, starring appearances; it is, in my opinion, the quintessential Pinkie Pie episode. What do I mean by that? Well, every one of the Mane 6 have in my opinion a quintessential episode, which by no means is necessarily their best episode; rather, a quintessential episode for a certain character is that episode which best encapsulates the best qualities that said character has to offer, what really makes them 'them'. For Rarity, it's "Suited for Success", Rainbow Dash, "Sonic Rainboom", etc. (at least, in my opinion it is). For Pinkie Pie, I don't think that any episode really highlights the best qualities that she has to offer, the laughter that she constantly enjoys spreading on a daily basis with as many ponies as possible and the smiles that she lives for seeing other ponies display each and every day, as "A Friend in Deed". The "Smile song" is very much a big part of being responsible for this, but the rest of the episode is as well. Pinkie's reaching out to Cranky Doodle Donkey shows how seriously she treats making other ponies and friends happy, that it's more than just impromptu parties and jokes. Those are just the staples that usually work on a day-to-day basis, but when presented with an individual who is clearly profoundly depressed, someone who life has just worn down, does Ms. Pie bat an eye and hesitate once to help? Buck no she doesn't! Instead, she pours her all into trying everything she can possibly think of and figuring out just how she can put a smile on Cranky's face and become his friend. That is, quite simply, Pinkie Pie when you get down to it, that is who she is, and this episode highlights those qualities and character traits that make her who she is so well that I cannot help but declare this to be her quintessential episode. It may not have the most complex message in the world, or the most in-depth insight into every aspect of Pinkie's character, but there is no denying I think that no other episode so excellently realizes what makes Pinkie Pie such a special pony as "A Friend in Deed".

Well, now that the two big talking points of the episode have been covered, let's wrap this review up by covering some last few highlights. First, the comedy is gold; Pinkie Pie's her usual hyper-energetic self, and her chipper personality plays off of new character Cranky Doodle Donkey's grumpy old man attitude hilariously, resulting in some very memorable encounters and very Looney Tune-esque physical humor, even more explicit than in "Baby Cakes". Crankey Doodle Donkey is a nice addition to the supporting character cast, and I especially enjoy that he's used to help Pinkie realize that you can still be true friends with someone even if you don't do that many activities together. As long as two people hold true, sincere feelings for one another, they can be great friends, even if they don't display that affection publicly too often. His true love Matilda is lovely as well, and really it was just nice seeing at this point that Studio B was clearly not going to shy away from adding new supporting characters to the show now that it was well established. The animation, especially during "Smile" and some of the chase sequences, was quite impressive; not the most standout the show's ever had, but by this point in Season 2 it was clear that the animators at Studio B had become masters of Flash animation to the point that their normal stood head and shoulders above anybody else's Flash animations. Finally, the lesson, while certainly not the most complex, is still quite lovely; it's nice that the show makes it clear that, while Pinkie Pie is a joy, as is her usual, energetic means of sharing friendship with others, friendship comes in all shapes and sizes, but no matter how brazen or inconspicuous it is, that does not change how special it is. It also highlights that sometimes being a friend with someone can be hard work, that you have to really give your all with some people to truly make them happy and be their friend, but if you truly hold friendship in that high of a regard, any work you have to put into making a friendship work is well worth it.

Cranky Doodle Donkey: he's so BALDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!

Overall, there's really nothing at all wrong with this episode, and it definitely stands out as a benchmark in MLP history, particularly for the "Smile" sequence. If you're looking to watch an episode that has pretty much everything that makes this show such a great and fun show to watch, you can never go wrong with "A Friend in Deed". Take care everypony; to those of you who read this, I can only hope that my review has perhaps at least left a smile on your face.