Would Wonderbolts Academy have made a better key episode than Rainbow Falls?

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

"Rainbow Falls" is frequently ragged on for its characterization and plot. It was easily the worst of the key episodes. So much so that even McCarthy threw a little exchange into "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1" that suggests that even the writers don't want to acknowledge that this episode exists.

 

 

 

Twilight Sparkle: Rainbow Dash, you had the chance to fly with the Wonderbolts at the Equestria Games, but instead you chose to compete with your friends.

Rainbow Dash: Sure! But being loyal to my friends was way–

Pinkie Pie: Ooh, my turn, my turn!

 

On the contrary, "Wonderbolts Academy" was given a better look for its better characterization and the way it portrayed the conflict involving Rainbow Dash's element. The moment when Rainbow Dash resolves her moral conflict by giving up her lifelong dream in favor of the safety of others would have been a great spot for the epiphany, and the lead pony badge she gets at the end would have made the perfect key object. One point of contention with "Rainbow Falls" is actually referencing "Wonderbolts Academy" while restating a similar moral.

 

Now, the question is, would "Wonderbolts Academy" have been better had it been pushed to Season 4 and scrubbed "Rainbow Falls" to be Rainbow Dash's key episode? How would it compare to "Rainbow Falls" as a key episode, or any of the other key episodes? Discuss below.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Wind Chaser

[Pastel 7,627]

Wonderbolts Academy focused on Rainbow Dash trying to get into the Wonderbolts. I don't think it could also have been a key episode. The badge she received has almost nothing to do with friendship, its main signification is that she can be a leader, and soon a Wonderbolt(?).

 

The keys they received in the season 4 were related to a friendship lesson (linked to their elements: for instance, Rarity got the spool of thread from Coco Pommel, a new friend of her who admired her generosity) => Only Lightning Dust could have been the key bearer (but seeing the end of the episode, this couldn't have been the case)

 

Plus, the lesson from Wonderbolts Academy was: "Being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies. It's not just about pushing ourselves. It's about pushing ourselves in the right direction.", that's not really a friendship lesson.

 

I agree Rainbow Falls wasn't a good key episode, but Wonderbolts Academy wouldn't have been better in my opinion.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Blobulle

[Megas 27,086]

"Rainbow Falls" is frequently ragged on for its characterization and plot. It was easily the worst of the key episodes. So much so that even McCarthy threw a little exchange into "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1" that suggests that even the writers don't want to acknowledge that this episode exists.

Or it could mean jack shit and the writers just wanted a funny exchange from Pinkie Pie

 

Seriously people keep making Rainbow Falls sound worse than it really is, and Wonderbolts Academy might not have been a better replacement as it was a moral about integrity and sticking to what was right 

 

I'll admit that Rainbow Falls wasn't the best episode but people need to stop acting like it murdered their freaking dogs

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

Rainbow Falls is probably the worst written episode ever on the show. It's really quite confusing how a professional writer could write such a dud (especially on this show). However, I think it works better as a key episode cuz Dash had to have an epiphany of sorts (like all the other key episodes) while in Wonderbolts Acadamy she knew that Lightning Dust was in the wrong for a while. WA is still a much better episode though

Edited July 11, 2014 by LZRD WZRD

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

Or it could mean jack shit and the writers just wanted a funny exchange from Pinkie Pie

 

Seriously people keep making Rainbow Falls sound worse than it really is, and Wonderbolts Academy might not have been a better replacement as it was a moral about integrity and sticking to what was right

 

I'll admit that Rainbow Falls wasn't the best episode but people need to stop acting like it murdered their freaking dogs

I was just stating a common opinion that I happen to share. The implication that it was a subtle dig at the episode was pretty obvious and I just thought it amusing to include it here.

 

Your overreaction at my mere mention of this makes you just as guilty of overreacting as you're trying to imply myself and others to be.

 

I'm just trying to have a simple discussion on whether or not "Wonderbolts Academy" would have been a good key episode. If you have any bone to pick with the community, there are tons of better places to do it than this thread, as it's not just another "Rainbow Falls" hate thread.

[Megas 27,086]

I was just stating a common opinion that I happen to share. The implication that it was a subtle dig at the episode was pretty obvious and I just thought it amusing to include it here.

 

Your overreaction at my mere mention of this makes you just as guilty of overreacting as you're trying to imply myself and others to be.

 

I'm just trying to have a simple discussion on whether or not "Wonderbolts Academy" would have been a good key episode. If you have any bone to pick with the community, there are tons of better places to do it than this thread, as it's not just another "Rainbow Falls" hate thread.

Alright, alright

 

I just feel the hate the episode is getting has been getting pretty overblown

 

But like I said, I also feel that WBA's moral feels different from loyalty that it wouldn't really work as a key episode

[Nikola Xerdav 88]

"Rainbow Falls" is frequently ragged on for its characterization and plot. It was easily the worst of the key episodes. So much so that even McCarthy threw a little exchange into "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1" that suggests that even the writers don't want to acknowledge that this episode exists.

 

On the contrary, "Wonderbolts Academy" was given a better look for its better characterization and the way it portrayed the conflict involving Rainbow Dash's element. The moment when Rainbow Dash resolves her moral conflict by giving up her lifelong dream in favor of the safety of others would have been a great spot for the epiphany, and the lead pony badge she gets at the end would have made the perfect key object. One point of contention with "Rainbow Falls" is actually referencing "Wonderbolts Academy" while restating a similar moral.

 

Now, the question is, would "Wonderbolts Academy" have been better had it been pushed to Season 4 and scrubbed "Rainbow Falls" to be Rainbow Dash's key episode? How would it compare to "Rainbow Falls" as a key episode, or any of the other key episodes? Discuss below.

that's an interesting thought, and in a way, i could agree. WA was a great RD episode, and season 3 (excluding the finale) was one of my favorite seasons. even so, i honestly never saw an issue with Rainbow Falls, it wasn't perfect, but it was a friendship lesson as others have said, and that works more thematically with the the whole key thing. in fact, that whole season 4 arc was pretty smart (keys to the kingdom, Twilight's Kingdom, get it? hehe), and while you had some bumps along the way, even some from Rainbow Falls, i think it all worked out anyway. but people will have their opinions and concepts, and i'm sure that plenty of my major upsets in the series disagree with other people too, so i sympathize with those that had issue with the episode.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

I agree that it definitely would have made a better key episode. While it doesn't have as strong of a teaching moral as Rainbow falls, dash STILL teaches a lesson to spitfire in that spitfire realizes the problem and that she wasn't focusing on core values at her academy and was instead focusing on just ambition.

 

Plus, if you need to finangle loyalty into it, it was about being loyal to your values over being loyal to your dreams, which works too.

[cider float 2,536]

Well it must of been bad because I don't even remember it.

[Princess Lona 381]

The point of the key episodes was to present each pony with a situation that challenges their element, but for the element to shine through in the end and for them to make the more difficult choice in favour of it. I don't think Wonderbolts Academy would have made a good key episode because while Rainbow Dash does have a difficult choice to make, loyalty isn't really a part of it. If anything, she is making the difficult choice to be disloyal to the Wonderbolts by quitting. With a bit of tweaking it could have been a key episode. Like if Lightning Dust had tried to get Rainbow to quit for some reason.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

Forget what I said a year ago, I was an idiot. Absolutely Wonderbolt's Academy would have made a better key episode. Rainbow Falls is only good for making you apathetic to the show and life in general.

[Pixel Stick 927]

I agree that with the plot it had, Wonderbolts Academy wouldn't have worked as a key episode, but I don't think it would have taken too much reworking.  Perhaps instead of Rainbow Dash having to go to Spitfire and report Lightning Dust's actions, Lightning Dust would have seen the effects of her recklessness and how Dash would have gone way out of her way to help the other students in the academy.  Perhaps then she would have felt inspired to hand her leader badge to Dash.

 

Just a thought.

 

(And just for the record, I thought Applejack's key episode was worse.)

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

Rainbow Falls was about loyalty, while Wonderbolts Academy was about integrity.

[Cwanky 17,468]

No and there's a simple reason for this. Wonderbolts Academy was an episode that focused on thevirtues of good judgment and integrity, while Rainbow Falls focused very strictly on the virtue of loyalty. While both episodes had elements of loyalty (no pun intended), Rainbow Falls was strictly focused on loyalty. And of course since loyalty is the virtue that Rainbow Dash represents and emanates it makes sense that Rainbow Falls was her key episode.

 

As with all the key episodes we see the contrast of a virtue between the protagonist element bearer and others. Rainbow Dash has her loyalty to Ponyville, which she originally pledged, her team of Bulk Biceps and Fluttershy and her friends to uphold. Meanwhile thnd e Wonderbolts, represented by Spitfire and Fleetfoot betrayed their loyalty to their teammate and friend Soarin in order to succeed. The episode makes very clear that Rainbow is choosing between loyalty to her flawed team and betraying them to join a "better" team for fame and success, even if it does a poor job of doing so.

 

Wonderbolts Academy does have an aspect of Rainbow being loyal to her friends and their safety, but that's not the main concern. The episode very much focuses on whether she should blindly follow the status quo because shve's told to and its convenient, being reckless and cutthroat to her colleagues, or defy it altogether. If anything this episode is the antithesis of a loyalty theme: Rainbow ultimately chooses to abandon any loyalty she has to the Wonderbolts and her dreams with them to stand up for her friends and virtues -she's very much exercising good judgment and integrity by abandoning reckless, uncaring and dangerous people and atmosphere for a smarter and honorable path to success.

 

If anything Wonderbolts Academy paves the setting and path to Rainbow Falls, inadvertently or not, by framing Spitfire and the Wonderbolts as shallow, selfish and uncaring individuals who care more for their reputation and status as contrasted by the loyal, selfless, and integrity driven Rainbow.

[PacificGreen 1,163]

What exactly was so bad about Rainbow Falls, anyway?

 

While I don't think it would have made a better key episode, I can see how the moral of Wonderbolts Academy might have been tied to loyalty: loyalty to one's fellow ponies by choosing to look out for their best interests, maybe.

Edited September 5, 2015 by PGNatsu