Thrond

I was somewhat interested in this until it didn't go in the direction that I wanted. Then I wasn't feeling it at all. Altogether too slow and simple, and that Rainbow Dash bit is awful. Thought it might delve a bit further into Applejack's character flaws, and then it just sorta didn't. Reviewed on my blog here - not much to add to that. Just fairly boring and underwhelming.

She seems to be happiest when she can forget that she's a princess.

I see any resemblance between the Wonderbolts' name-calling and actual bullying as being an unfortunate coincidence. I do not think "Newbie Dash" was written to be about bullying in any way. Most of the issue, to me, comes from elements which were skimmed over, not from the actual themes of the episode. The episode isn't really about bullying in any meaningful way, from how I see it. Basically this.

This was probably the first purely comedic episode of the season, and I thought it was a lot of fun. The mockumentary sitcom style was quite possibly the last thing I expected, although in retrospect the alternative title "Saddle Row & Rec" makes it seem obvious. But really, this episode had a lot of interesting, urban touches that I would never have expected from the show, and I had a blast watching. It's lightweight in terms of character development and themes, but every single one of the mane six is really entertaining to watch. Also, it's hard not to love an episode where Pinkie Pie is dragged out of a dance club by security. Just the most Pinkie Pie thing imaginable. Review on my blog here. Additional thoughts: Having a hard time choosing between Pinkie and Twilight for the best character in this. Pinkie at the dance club is a match made in heaven, but Twilight was nerding out hardcore with the organization. They're both absolutely delightful. Of course, Fluttershy having to reluctantly and tearfully evict the raccoons was fantastic as well, as was Applejack's single-minded practicality and Rainbow Dash not really knowing what she's doing. So many great character moments. Shoutout to the other Pinkie in the pancake scene. Also, shoutout to Pinkie pushing the bill to the interviewer. Yeah, Pinkie was the best in this, I'll say. What are the chances that DJ Pon-3 just happens to be at every party the mane six go to? Aren't there any more DJs in Equestria? Also, are they ever going to acknowledge her real name? Who is managing the Manehattan store, anyway? Is it Coco? Rainbow Dash seems to have forgotten how recently it was Rarity who was saving her from all of her dreams coming crashing down. I'm sure there's a bunch of details that I didn't even catch the first time through. Cannot wait to watch through this season again.

Best episode since "Rarity Investigates," which was an instant favourite of mine? Maybe. Clever changes to the Christmas Carol story, great visuals, great songs, great writing, thematic resonance... remove a little bit of questionable mild subtext and you have something nearly perfect. Delightful. Full review at my blog. Posting URL because I can't hyperlink on mobile: http://throndponycorner.blogspot.com/2016/05/episode-review-hearths-warming-tail.html?m=1 Also, did Twilight just use Starlight's holiday apathy as an excuse to read a book?

Might have benefitted from some more introspection from Dash.

It's just a nickname that, as far as the Wonderbolts knew, was merely embarrassing to Dash. Even at the end of the episode, the Wonderbolts had no clue that RD had a history with the nickname, and although the episode's refusal to properly acknowledge what that nickname means to RD is one of the more frustrating parts of it to me, the episode 1. attempts to have Rainbow Dash reclaim the name as a source of pride, as it now represents that she has achieved her dreams and become a Wonderbolt, and 2. shifts to a story about RD not feeling accepted within the Wonderbolts. When the Wonderbolts tell Rainbow that each of them has an embarrassing nickname, I took that as them seriously considering RD's feelings but only understanding them as her feeling disrespected or left out. It's frustrating that the episode doesn't engage with the idea at all, but it did not come across to me as "condoning hazing" - all it really defended was the nickname itself, which wasn't really portrayed as being outright harmful to Rainbow Dash. I guess I see the implications more than I did at first, and I certainly don't like any work environment based on making newcomers feel uncomfortable, but that's still not really what I take from this episode.

Sure, her actions here are consistent with her actions throughout the series, and I honestly don't think most of what she did was at all unbelievable, but I did think some of her actions ignored some of her character development. Believable? Yes, to some extent; it's recognizably Rainbow Dash, but also no, as some of the earlier boasting in particular seemed to demonstrate character regression. She demonstrates less modesty and (especially) self-awareness than she had in earlier episodes. Not that this character regression is an entirely new development, but for an episode that I'd hoped to be a strong character showcase, it's especially disappointing. Backing your statements up with facts isn't objectivity, it's just backing up an argument. It's easy to make a case that "Newbie Dash" is flawed, but it's not easy to make a case that it's "objectively bad," because that's a value judgement which might not be a significant issue to others. "Good"/"bad" are vague labels which describe personal judgments above all else. They're hardly objective, and the film techniques you talk about are simply things which will assist most people's enjoyment and comprehension of the work. A work doesn't suddenly fall apart without it, as success is relative to an assigned purpose, which in any creative work varies per viewer. That doesn't make it enjoyable to watch. It's drawn out too long.

It'd be nice if the history of that nickname actually meant anything in the long run. I think the episode's intent with bringing that up was to have her reclaim what was once used to torment her as a symbol of her success, and I actually respect that idea immensely. I just wish the episode showed a lot more introspection regarding that, and maybe had Rainbow Dash actively reveal why the name bothers her so much. I don't think the Wonderbolts had any intent of being mean-spirited; they gave no sign of realizing Dash was seriously bothered by it until the very end. It wasn't a "reminder" that Rainbow Crash was her nickname; it was just what stuck, and all they saw in Rainbow resisting it was a new rookie whose pride had been wounded. Again, it would have worked significantly better with more introspection instead of, say, the impressions scene. Still, it's not really what I wanted from this episode. Part of the idea here seems to be to take Rainbow Dash's ego down a peg, but that's what her character development in the past five seasons was for. I think I'd prefer if the episode showed her at her best, ready to meet the challenge that the Wonderbolts's atmosphere provides for her. This is fine too, I guess, but it'd be more fine if it were done a little better.

I didn't hate it, but wow that was disappointing. So much potential wasted, and it isn't even a particularly strong character showcase for Rainbow Dash. That impression sequence is an okay idea but this was really not the right context for it. Still, there's some interesting touches to Rainbow's characterization, and I kinda enjoyed how it approached acceptance. Not entirely sure that its theme was coherent, which is probably a major reason why people think it condones bullying, but I kinda liked it for some reason. Reviewed it on my blog here. Additional comments: I don't care what y'all say, I thought Spike being caught in the luggage was hilarious. Good ol' slapstick. Has Rarity called Rainbow Dash "Dashie" before? this may be relevant to my shippings. I'm still waiting for that pair to get another episode; "Rarity Investigates!" was my favourite of sesaon 5. 1. "The Crystalling" 2. "The Gift of the Maud Pie" 3. "Gauntlet of Fire" 4. "On Your Marks" 5. "Newbie Dash" 6. "No Second Prances" Easily the most frustrating part of this episode for me. Season 1-3 Rainbow Dash is one of my absolute favourite characters, and much of that maturation and character development is missing from this episode as it has been from many recent episodes. It's extremely frustrating to see such a great character regress and stagnate like this.

Hope "Newbie Dash" doesn't make RD too juvenile. Season 5's "Tanks for the Memories" felt like it took her vulnerability too far and I'm hoping that it feels a bit too weighty than that. I think she's one of the show's most interesting characters, and I'm super excited for her apparently making the Wonderbolts main team, so I'm really hoping that the episode goes smoothly. Been a while since the last really great RD episode. "Saddle Row & Rec," while just as interesting, does strike me as something that could rehash elements from earlier seasons. I hope that Rarity doesn't try to save face by distancing herself from her friends. "Flutter Brutter" is one of the less interesting synopses revealed so far, although it's great to see more family. Has the potential to be awkward. Prepared to not enjoy "Applejack's 'Day' Off." Not a fan of the Rarity/Applejack dynamic. I'm also hoping that Twilight and Starlight's character arcs are brought somewhere interesting, because I didn't think "No Second Prances" did much with them, and "A Hearth's Warming Tail" doesn't seem particularly exciting. Hope the writers know what they're doing.

Given that I was on board with Starlight Glimmer since even the S5 finale, I was really disappointed by how uninteresting I found this episode to be. Starlight's most interesting traits aren't really built upon, Trixie is at her blandest, and Twilight is both unsympathetic and uninteresting. Meanwhile, multiple elements feel rehashed from "The Crystalling." Didn't enjoy any of the attempts at humour, either. Wrote a review on my blog (http://bit.ly/1VZMI57) where I go more into detail about the characterization here. Really disappointed by this after how much potential I saw in the premiere. Additional thoughts: For an episode which is ostensibly about Starlight, the bulk of its character development and thematic depth is actually focused on Twilight. The apparent focus on conflict between Twilight and Starlight remains way too tame and predictable to be all that interesting. Baffling to me that the episode has entire scenes based around Starlight's impulsiveness only to completely fail to address it in any meaningful way. Doesn't help that, aside from the speech spell, most of the impulsive stuff she does is pretty underwhelming. That's the kind of thing I'm talking about when I say that this episode completely failed to make anything of the nuances of these characters. Maybe this kind of setup would be more satisfying if every episode didn't have to be self-contained. I've been dissatisfied with Twilight's characterization for a long time, and even though a few recent episodes had given me some hope, this could very well be the last straw for me. I enjoy this character because I identify with her; I didn't find her even remotely relatable in this episode, and worse, I didn't even like her at all. Upsets me. My comparison between Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer isn't entirely fair, as Starlight is very much not Sunset, but although I do like that Starlight's approach to redemption differs a little, I'm still waiting for something interesting to be made of it. I think it would be interesting if Twilight's attempts to adjust to the role of a teacher ultimately fail in some horrible way, but I highly doubt the show will go there. Now that she's learned to be hands-off in teaching twice this season, she's gotta actually remember it next time. I'm not bothered that Starlight is making jokes at all about her misdeeds, but at some point it just gets boring. If she's not gonna move on, and if she's not gonna be proactive about being a better pony, then at least make something interesting out of her guilt and character flaws. There's some irony in her commenting on how she used to be "evil" while still showing impulsiveness and a lack of consideration for others; I want something to actually be done with that.