S02:E23 - Ponyville Confidential

[Starlight Song 43]

Xoxo Gabby Gums? Was that a Gossip Girl reference? Please tell me it was and I'm not the creepy Gossip Girl watcher standing alone in the corner......

[True Rarity 1,240]

I LOVED this episode!

I was kinda thinking they should have done a story on Diamond Tiara instead. You know, like a "behind the scenes" sort of thing.

But my favorite part was when Applejack and Bic Mac swapped lines!

[Righteous Fury 344]

this was a damn good episode

 

I know some people didn't like how the Mane 6 and townspeople treated the CMC - but getting rained on was the worst of it, come on guys, lighten up

 

Diamond Tiara was fabulous in this episode, I liked seeing her as something other than a mindless bully role

 

Rainbow in the spa was great

 

Rarity's flip-out was wonderful

 

yeah... just an all-around great episode

[Castle Bleck 19,326]

Diamond Tiara arguably became almost as much of a Complete Monster as King Sombra in this episode; seriously, she scary!

 

P.S. - "Gabby Gums" reminds me of "Bobby Blabby" from a similar episode of Ed Edd 'N Eddy.

[Fluttershylover2413 1]

This was great episode, I really loved the moral.

 

This was great episode, I really loved the moral.

 

Sorry I messed up my last post.

[GlamourDolly 78]

Xoxo Gabby Gums? Was that a Gossip Girl reference? Please tell me it was and I'm not the creepy Gossip Girl watcher standing alone in the corner......

Darling I felt the same when I heard them say that! I was a big Gossip Girl fan when the show was on t.v....

Could you imagine a My Little Pony Gossip Girl?

 

but amazing episode! Rarity was hilarious and I loved all the tea split on the ponys! Especially the fact that Fluttershy has Extensions I knew it all along!

 

 

I wish they would have spilled more tea on Mrs.Cake....I still believe Mr.Cake isn't the father and that she was sleeping around

Edited June 8, 2013 by GlamourDolly

[PonyBoy15 428]

Just watched the episode again. Didn't realize how much of a C U Next Tuesday, Diamond Tiara was. But she got what she deserved at the end.

 

I'd be wicked pissed of someone wrote an embarrassing piece about my personal life.

[Ihei 712]

This was a great episode, but I still felt sad to see all of the Mane 6 distressed about the CMC's lies. But at the same time I can't help feeling bad for the Crusaders.. they just wanted their cutie marks.

[Castle Bleck 19,326]

Diamond Tiara in this single episode = better antagonist than Sunset Shimmer in the entire Equestria Girls movie.

Edited May 21, 2018 by A.V.

[BlueEyedPegasus 59]

Diamond Tiara in this single episode = better antagonist than Sunset Shimmer was in the entire Equestria Girls movie.

I don't know about that, but I do know that Diamond Tiara has proven herself to have a LOT less heart than Lucy Van Pelt from the Peanuts. Being that Lucy has actually shown to have a heart, Diamond Tiara has pretty much shown to be genuinely heartless towards others. Her blatant cruelty to Scootaloo in this Season 4 sneak peek doesn't help at all:

 

 

Judging from what occurs there, it's pretty much equivalent to being heartless towards anybody who's crippled, handicapped, or even disabled, physically or mentally.

Edited July 28, 2013 by BlueEyedPegasus

[Ihei 712]

I know Diamond Tiara is a jerk, but she was horrible in this episode. I liked Gabby Gums, since I like the display name. But I didn't like the episode overall.

[Righteous Fury 344]

I actually sympathized with DT more in this episode. Before she was just mean for the sake of being mean, but here... she WANTED something. She had a firm goal, and did what she had to do to try and reach it. Which makes for a more believable, and therefore relatable, character.

[Tails_155 68]

I have about 5 episodes I REALLY liked. This and my favorite episode are still leagues above my other 3 that I like.

 

Firstly, the introdution of my favorite male character in the show. Featherweight, even without saying anything, really touched my heart (and then my fic was what really did most of the work. He wasn't specifically noticeable at first, but when I started analyzing the character after I decided to include him because reasons, I really felt like the character's personality could have some serious depth. I made that depth happen, even if the show didn't reward him any more appearances.)

 

Secondly, this is another case of extremely real feeling writing. There are plenty of cases in the show where the supernatural aspects are significant to plot (shut up) movement. This is a case of something that could really happen. People could truly get trapped in the rumor mill, and suffer the guilt of hurting their friends. Real people could get caught spreading these rumors and lose the trust of those friends. People could actually get to the point where they have to come clean and apologize on nothing but the hopes of those others deciding to accept them back.

 

The emotions are all real feeling. The Crusaders all genuinely seem upset and guilty, even before they're caught. It really tugs at the heartstrings when they get shunned by the ponies they look up to he most. It really really pulls at them when they get accepted back.

 

Also, Feathers gets to be the E&C of the FFP and Diamond Tiara gets covered in ink. Win.

[BlueEyedPegasus 59]

Secondly, this is another case of extremely real feeling writing. There are plenty of cases in the show where the supernatural aspects are significant to plot (shut up) movement. This is a case of something that could really happen. People could truly get trapped in the rumor mill, and suffer the guilt of hurting their friends. Real people could get caught spreading these rumors and lose the trust of those friends. People could actually get to the point where they have to come clean and apologize on nothing but the hopes of those others deciding to accept them back.

 

The emotions are all real feeling. The Crusaders all genuinely seem upset and guilty, even before they're caught. It really tugs at the heartstrings when they get shunned by the ponies they look up to he most. It really really pulls at them when they get accepted back.

Agreed. Even I can't stand to see the poor CMC get shunned the way they did. That's why it's so genuinely heartbreaking.

 

Of course, I'm glad they managed to get forgiven at the end.

[Vertigo_95 572]

So I was watching this one Spongebob episode that seemed like it had the same plot as this episode where everything was almost the same until the end where the outcomes were different. The name of the episode was The Krabby Kronicle

[Singe 2,111]

I feel Featherweight should have been acknowledge as part of the gossip mess that CMC did and given a small punishment. The fact that he was essentially following orders given by Diamond Tiara lets him off the hook.

[Batbrony 16,051]

The final CMC episode of Season 2, "Ponyville Confidential" is a very fun episode with a high quality message.  While certainly not their best episode to date, there's plenty of positive to find here, so without further ado let's get cracking.

 

 Girls, do you think I might get in trouble if we publish Rarity's diary?  Girls?

 

So for their latest attempt to get their cutie marks, the CMC decide to join the school newspaper, the Foal Free Press, in the hopes that maybe their special talent is journalism.  Certainly reasonable enough, especially compared to some of their previous attempts.  Their best laid plans, however, are thrown askew when none other than Diamond Tiara ends up being the new editor-in-chief for the paper.  After she rejects the legitimate articles that the CMC try to submit, Diamond Tiara ends up taking a gossip piece the trio of fillies accidentally come up with and encourages them to bring her more.  Soon, however, what starts out as seemingly harmless fun turns into a gossip-pandemic, with ponies all over Ponyville falling victim to the venomous and contagious gossip of the Foal Free Press.  After things finally go too far and they are discovered, the CMC realize that, despite their success, no cutie mark is worth slandering other ponies and throwing away all of their friendships to boot, and more than make amends.  Their good relations are restored, the Gabby Gums column is discontinued, Diamond Tiara is fired and replaced by the swagalicious colt Featherweight, and all is right with the world.  So the CMC are pretty fun in this episode, obviously.  They're up to their usual shenanigans, with some funny CMC attempts by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle at the start of the episode and hilarity all around as they pursue journalism, especially from Sweetie Belle, who gets up to all sorts of trouble at Carousel Boutique.  I sort of take issue with the fact that they so easily went along with something that Diamond Tiara of all ponies was telling them to do, seeing as she's certainly no shining example of upstanding morality, but I can give it a pass seeing as they were pretty convinced (rightfully so) that this was a promising field to pursue their cutie marks in.  Not much to say about most of their activity in the episode, seeing as aside from the conflict itself, it's pretty standard fare as CMC episodes go, and certainly not as funny as their previous episode "Hearts and Hooves Day".  The lesson they learn is quite a good one for all ages, especially in the manner in which it is delivered; whether young or old, I think we can all agree that gossip can be extremely hurtful and emotionally scarring.  The manner in which it is critiqued, however, is simply ingenious; since the CMC are the stars, the episode reaches out on one level to younger viewers, but at the same time the idea of this problem arising as a result of the CMC heading up a gossip column reaches out to older audiences on a number of levels, namely in that teenagers and adults witness every day the ridiculous stories that gossip columns in print, television, and on the Internet run in an attempt to create scandal, often where there is none, and also the journalistic aspects of the episode highlight the immorality of invasion of privacy.  Gossip is hardly a new subject matter in kids television, but the manner in which we see it handled here is quite frankly very unique and orginal, at least it is in my opinion.  I still take issue with the fact that the CMC didn't put a rest to this before it got out of control, but again, they're impressionable fillies trying something new, so it's forgivable and believable.  In the end, with the help of some older ponies, the CMC learn a worthwhile lesson about the dangers of gossip and invading others' privacy, and act upon the lesson learned as they should.  Good on the CMC!

 

Seriously, at what point did you find the time to make that poster and put it there?  

 

Besides the episode's stars, "Ponyville Confidential is notable as probably involving all of the Mane 6 more than any other CMC-centric episode.  We've got prominent appearances from Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, and even Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy get a few lines in.  In addition, they usually appear all together in this episode, and the manner in which they deliver other ponies' observations of the effects of Gabby Gums' gossip column is a pretty unique storytelling device for MLP and creates a nice balance in screen time between the CMC and the Mane 6, something we don't usually see in a CMC episode.  Their appearances all add to the story in some way; we see the negative effects of gossip in how all of them react to their own gossip articles being published, Twilight spends most of the episode laying the foundation for the lesson of the episode, critiquing the gossip column, foreseeing its negative effects, and taking the moral high ground.  Rarity, like Sweetie Belle, shines quite a bit, proving herself at first to be (unsurprisingly) quite the gossip fangirl, but after suffering from it herself and discovering that her own sister is Gabby Gums, Rarity provides some wonderful sisterly guidance (rather notable seeing as Applejack and Rainbow Dash, AB's older sister and Scoots's role model, respectively, shun the CMC after discovering they're Gabby Gums) and sets the stage for Sweetie Belle and the rest of the CMC learning their lesson and making things right.  Finally, the Mane 6 (and Spike) all have some very funny moments, from Rarity's fangirling over the gossip column to their hijinks in the spa (most notably RD's absolutely adorable refusal to get a hooficure).  Overall, it's nice seeing the Mane 6 so heavily involved in a CMC-centric episode, and I hope we get more CMC episodes that strike this balance so nicely in the future.

 

Oh crap, Spike forgot to turn his swag off!!!  

 

Besides these two big elements, just a few other things stand out.  It's nice getting to see more of Ponyville Elementary's foals besides the CMC, and some of the newspaper staff have some funny moments of their own, especially Featherweight.  I do question Ms. Cheerilee's decision to make Diamond Tiara the editor-in-chief; I mean, seriously, did that really at any point seem like a good idea?  Cheerilee's smart enough to know that Diamond Tiara's a pretty rotten egg, and I doubt that Filthy Rich would ever pressure her to do so, but eh, whatever, plot convenience, am I right?  Other than that, the animations lovely as usual, though there certainly aren't any standout visuals in an episode like this.  Overall, "Ponyville Confidential" is a very well done episode by Season 2 standards and a lovely send off to the CMC in Season 2, aside of course from their cameo appearances in "Canterlot Wedding".  A fun CMC episode with a high quality lesson, and definitely a good rewatch. 

 

Fez pony is now canon: I think we can all agree that the world is most definitely a better place because of it.  

[HeroBrony 36]

LOL this episode reminded me of an episode of Ed,Edd n Eddy when Some of rhe same exact things happen. I can honestly say I enjoyed this episode. Especially when Applejack and Big mac Swap lines.  

[SomariFeyWright 776]

Well, I've griped about the episode everywhere else, I feel the need to gripe about it here.

 

Many ponies love this episode to death, but to me, this is the worst episode of Friendship is Magic.

 

... With that out of the way, allow me to explain.

 

One of the very staples of the My Little Pony franchise is that it tends to be light-hearted and positive, and Friendship is Magic has done nothing to change that. While most episodes of the show do indeed have a serious conflict that needs to be resolved, they mostly retain a positive, upbeat, and even funny tone.

 

Now, don't get me wrong, then and after, the show has strayed from this many times. We've had sad tones, suspenseful tones, dark tones, serious tones, but the thing about these tones is that they still fit, because it's sympathetic and adds to the character in pleasant ways.

 

Therein lies the problem with this episode. This episode takes an incredibly mean-spirited approach unfitting for the show then and now. While it isn't as bad as Spongebob's equivalent of the episode, it's a very mean and cynical episode that was overall unpleasant to watch. Diamond Tiara was, as usual, a poorly-done and unpleasant character, but this time she has control. While this is a believable concept given her status, it's overall unfitting for a show like this, and honestly I wanted to shoot myself in the face that little flankhole said a single line.

 

Now, I know what the argument may be here. "It's in her character to be unlikeable, of course she's unpleasant". But that doesn't justify it. Look at it from this perspective. If a rapist pony was a regularly occurring villain in the show, would you justify what he does by saying "it's in his character"? In that regard, would you even want him to stay on the cast?

No? Well, same here with me and Diamond Tiara.

 

The sadder moments of the episode SHOULD have hurt me. It SHOULD have made me feel bad for the Crusaders. But I was too busy being so ticked off. Not at a single point did I feel like the Crusaders garnered any of the hate against them. It wasn't based on their own mistakes and errors. It was an obligation they were completely forced into, and instead of feeling like they made a mistake, I felt more like they were forced to do this, and it made me feel angry because it was more like they didn't have a choice. Incredibly unfitting for the show. I didn't feel sad for their suffering, I felt mad because they HAD to do this. It was a full-on obligation they didn't, as students, have much of a say in. And they were being BLACKMAILED, no less.

 

Now, if that's not something that would happen in My Little Pony, I don't know what is.

 

Overall, this episode is always an unpleasant episode for me to sit through. If I were able to remove one episode from the franchise, it'd be this one, no questions.

 

In my opinion, Diamond Tiara is the worst character of My Little Pony, and Cutie Mark Confidential is one of my least favorite episodes of any show I've ever enjoyed.

[Renon Strike 67]

strangely enough i think i have read a RL version of this episode in twitter.. A brony heard some news in Horse News that was purely speculation..and accidentally insulted one of the writers. A Popular Brony overheard the conversation he was insulted and blocked him..the Brony was upset to a point where he wanted to commit suicide but i think he was exaggerating, but he has meds..so you never know.

 

Got to hand it M.A Larson he made an excellent episode, very relatable..well hopefully there is a happy ending like the story but i have to remind myself this is the real life and not Equestria..

[ggg-2 3,552]

a sweet gentle stallion like big mac, actually raising his voice, and outright YELLING at somepony, ESPECIALLY his youngest sister, is heart-wrenching......and is it wrong that that part actually,,,,,scared me?

[BlueEyedPegasus 59]

a sweet gentle stallion like big mac, actually raising his voice, and outright YELLING at somepony, ESPECIALLY his youngest sister, is heart-wrenching......and is it wrong that that part actually,,,,,scared me?

I know how you feel, man. That's why I've written my own fanfiction in which he apologizes for doing what he did:

 

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/126299/ponyville-confidential-extended-apologies

 

It's real good. I highly recommend you read it.

[ggg-2 3,552]

I know how you feel, man. That's why I've written my own fanfiction in which he apologizes for doing what he did:

 

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/126299/ponyville-confidential-extended-apologies

 

It's real good. I highly recommend you read it.

i've read it before several times actually. it is really good and very heartwarming. i give it 50 MMMMs out of 10!

[BlueEyedPegasus 59]

i've read it before several times actually. it is really good and very heartwarming. i give it 50 MMMMs out of 10!

I'm glad you like it, and thank you.

[Dixie 21]

"ET TU, GABBY GUMS?!"

 

I loved when Rarity found out Sweetie Belle was one of the CMC writing for the newspaper, it was rather amusing. 

Great moral, great plot, I really liked it