Was Gilda honestly all that bad?

[Tilt 286]

I was offering a clarification, not being defensive. Defensive people generally don't invite others to continue the conversation. Anyhow, that's a tangent to the discussion.

 

As I understood Dash's statements, she was simply saying that as her old friend, Gilda shouldn't look down on her new friends, as her rant about them being lame revealed and if she wanted to keep that "too cool for you" attitude, she'd be better off elsewhere. Her losing her temper was not the issue, it was the way she showed in how low regard she held the ponies (sans Dash).

Well that rant was said in the heat of the moment as she had lost her cool, when we lose are cool a lot of us lose a filter and sometimes say things we don't 100% mean. When Dash came forward to confess that the pranks were her doing you could see a drastic change in Gilda's tone, a tone that suggested she realized she was wrong and would of probably apologized if Dash didn't go on the offensive with the whole "I guess I'm the lame-o". 

 

I just think that episode was trying a bit to hard to paint Gilda in the wrong and paint Dash in the right that it felt like gaping holes of plot contrivance. There's a lot about Gilda we do not know we are just told that Dash and Gilda used to be friends at that camp. But if one blown top is enough to go "Lel gtfo of me lyfez" for Rainbow Dash, what made them friends to begin with? it stems back to the element of loyalty being what can be viewed as disloyalty.

 

Edited January 20, 2015 by Tilt

[Dulset Tarn 441]

No matter how terrible she was, I'd actually think Pinkie would be more devastated than anyone the Dash lost a friend that day.

[Tilt 286]

No matter how terrible she was, I'd actually think Pinkie would be more devastated than anyone the Dash lost a friend that day.

Actually, that is a valid point, especially when we know how much Pinkie goes through just to re-unite people together, again Cranky Doodle Donkey in a friend In-deed.

[Shanks 10,817]

Gilda was indeed far from perfect but I don't think she is the spawn of Satan like so many others in the fandom think and I don't think Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash or even Twilight are completely innocent in all of this. Pinkie Pie acted like a crazy stalker and wouldn't take the hint that Gilda wanted a bit of space, perhaps should could have handled it better but I would have been pissed in her situation as well. Rainbow Dash saw how Pinkie Pie was acting yet she automatically took Pinkie Pie's side when they were both at fault here and Twilight didn't even know Gilda yet still said she was a "false friend" really Twilight? I have always had mixed feelings about that episode on the one hand it introduced Gilda and yes I will admit I like Gilda but it also had the most poorly executed moral in the entire series. Yes there are false friends but not every conflict or argument is so one sided as to have one side be right on absolutely everything and the other be completely wrong on absolutely everything.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

And third with Fluttershy, that was... That was just TOO MUCH ANGER! I see qhT you mean that Fluttershy should have been more careful, I totally agree! But damn, that was WAY TOO MUCH! Also... NOPONY (or Griffon) CAN HURT FLUTTERSHY!!!!!

The writers were counting on you disliking that scene. Their character assault on Gilda was so transparent that they may as well have had Pinkie speak directly to the audience and tell them to dislike her. So if the other things she had done was not enough then they just decided to have her yell at Fluttershy for essentially no reason and then call it a day so the viewers would surely hate her by then and would want to see her annoyed only more down the road in the episode during the party scene. Rainbow Dash...she really did dismiss Gilda instead of trying to reason with her. It was her fault and she acted as if friendship was disposable. Would she do the same to her other friends? And also, Fluttershy didn't try to intervene, seeing that she might have been able to empathize that it really wasn't a good day for the griffin.

 

I think the analysis did good enough to point out that Gilda's actions were not significant enough to warrant being discarded. Stealing the apple didn't even warrant Pinkie telling anybody, even the cart pony. She was just out to bring Gilda down because she's hopelessly jealous and wants to be the center of attention all the time. We see this with her a lot.

 

It's also too bad we didn't see the voice of reason show up more. If Twilight Sparkle had intervened and tried to talk about the nature of griffins then perhaps Rainbow Dash would have not overreacted but we also see at the end of the show that she is bringing up nonsense about "false and true" friends. She even brought up controlling one's own behavior but that's not what happened with her friends. Of course, she is talking about Gilda. She must have read the script.

 

Anyway, the entire mane six failed as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps Celestia should have taken the elements back. They were more like the enemies of friendship.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Silver Letter

[Tilt 286]

The writers were counting on you disliking that scene. Their character assault on Gilda was so transparent that they may as well have had Pinkie speak directly to the audience and tell them to dislike her. So if the other things she had done was not enough then they just decided to have her yell at Fluttershy for essentially no reason and then call it a day so the viewers would surely hate her by then and would want to see her annoyed only more down the road in the episode during the party scene. Rainbow Dash...she really did dismiss Gilda instead of trying to reason with her. It was her fault and she acted as if friendship was disposable. Would she do the same to her other friends? And also, Fluttershy didn't try to intervene, seeing that she might have been able to empathize that it really wasn't a good day for the griffin.

 

I think the analysis did good enough to point out that Gilda's actions were not significant enough to warrant being discarded. Stealing the apple didn't even warrant Pinkie telling anybody, even the cart pony. She was just out to bring Gilda down because she's hopelessly jealous and wants to be the center of attention all the time. We see this with her a lot.

 

It's also too bad we didn't see the voice of reason show up more. If Twilight Sparkle had intervened and tried to talk about the nature of griffins then perhaps Rainbow Dash would have not overreacted but we also see at the end of the show that she is bringing up nonsense about "false and true" friends. She even brought up controlling one's own behavior but that's not what happened with her friends. Of course, she is talking about Gilda. She must have read the script.

 

Anyway, the entire mane six failed as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps Celestia should have taken the elements back. They were more like the enemies of friendship.

 

Thank you for complimenting my analysis, I often joked with my friends that the scene that tries so hard to paint her out to be a bad guy might as well cut to her dumping a box of kittens in a river.

[Starlight Sky 375]

Well that rant was said in the heat of the moment as she had lost her cool, when we lose are cool a lot of us lose a filter and sometimes say things we don't 100% mean. When Dash came forward to confess that the pranks were her doing you could see a drastic change in Gilda's tone, a tone that suggested she realized she was wrong and would of probably apologized if Dash didn't go on the offensive with the whole "I guess I'm the lame-o". 

 

While that line does take the offensive, it's easy to see why Dash says it. Gilda insulted everyone at the party, and hurt Dash's feelings. "In the heat of the moment", right?

 

I sympathize with Gilda, but you're trying too hard to defend her. The same thing people do to Gilda, you're doing to Dash.

 

She clearly cares for Rainbow, but lost control of herself. Whether all her actions can be pinned on a bad mood is up to us, but she needs to work things out.

 

If someone extends a helping hoof first, then that's great, but it's never guaranteed. She has to decide.

 

The writers were counting on you disliking that scene. Their character assault on Gilda was so transparent that they may as well have had Pinkie speak directly to the audience and tell them to dislike her. So if the other things she had done was not enough then they just decided to have her yell at Fluttershy for essentially no reason and then call it a day so the viewers would surely hate her by then and would want to see her annoyed only more down the road in the episode during the party scene. Rainbow Dash...she really did dismiss Gilda instead of trying to reason with her. It was her fault and she acted as if friendship was disposable. Would she do the same to her other friends? And also, Fluttershy didn't try to intervene, seeing that she might have been able to empathize that it really wasn't a good day for the griffin.

 

I think the analysis did good enough to point out that Gilda's actions were not significant enough to warrant being discarded. Stealing the apple didn't even warrant Pinkie telling anybody, even the cart pony. She was just out to bring Gilda down because she's hopelessly jealous and wants to be the center of attention all the time. We see this with her a lot.

 

It's also too bad we didn't see the voice of reason show up more. If Twilight Sparkle had intervened and tried to talk about the nature of griffins then perhaps Rainbow Dash would have not overreacted but we also see at the end of the show that she is bringing up nonsense about "false and true" friends. She even brought up controlling one's own behavior but that's not what happened with her friends. Of course, she is talking about Gilda. She must have read the script.

 

Anyway, the entire mane six failed as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps Celestia should have taken the elements back. They were more like the enemies of friendship.

 

"Discarded"? Gilda chose to leave.

 

And what friendship can there be when there's no mutual respect?

 

Obviously, Gilda had a lot of emotions/worries running through her head, but until she sorts those out (prideful, condescending, rude, etc), they're all the others can see. They don't know what we do- and life doesn't always give way to extended dialogues.

 

Also...if you aren't going to use the few scenes we see Gilda in as a basis to judge her, then what are you using?

 

Nothing about her yelling at Fluttershy contradicts her character. That's just part of it.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Starlight Sky

[Tilt 286]

While that line does take the offensive, it's easy to see why Dash says it. Gilda insulted everyone at the party, and hurt Dash's feelings. "In the heat of the moment", right?

 

I sympathize with Gilda, but you're trying too hard to defend her. The same thing people do to Gilda, you're doing to Dash.

 

She clearly cares for Rainbow, but lost control of herself. Whether all her actions can be pinned on a bad mood is up to us, but she needs to work things out.

 

If someone extends a helping hoof first, then that's great, but it's never guaranteed. She has to decide.

 

Yes, the whole situation was during the heat of the moment, neither of them were in the right to do what they did. Gilda blew her top but so did Dash in her own way. Yes, Gilda walked out on them but that situation was un-salvageable to begin with. The thing is Gilda is referred to as a false friend as Silver Letter pointed out. Now false friends are usually after something but at no point do we get a frame of reference as to what that something is so she would have no reason to falsify a friendship. I am being hard on both on them but at the same time trying to prove that Gilda was not the only one in the wrong in the entire scenario.

 

The whole scenario was forced and made little sense, any episode that leaves you with the wrong kind of questions such as "Why were they friends to begin with?" is just poor writing.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

While that line does take the offensive, it's easy to see why Dash says it. Gilda insulted everyone at the party, and hurt Dash's feelings. "In the heat of the moment", right?

 

I sympathize with Gilda, but you're trying too hard to defend her. The same thing people do to Gilda, you're doing to Dash.

 

She clearly cares for Rainbow, but lost control of herself. Whether all her actions can be pinned on a bad mood is up to us, but she needs to work things out.

 

If someone extends a helping hoof first, then that's great, but it's never guaranteed. She has to decide.

 

 

"Discarded"? Gilda chose to leave.

 

And what friendship can there be when there's no mutual respect?

 

Obviously, Gilda had a lot of emotions/worries running through her head, but until she sorts those out (prideful, condescending, rude, etc), they're all the others can see. They don't know what we do- and life doesn't always give way to extended dialogues.

 

Also...if you aren't going to use the few scenes we see Gilda in as a basis to judge her, then what are you using?

 

Nothing about her yelling at Fluttershy contradicts her character. That's just part of it.

Rainbow Dash caused the pranks. She should have had the same thick skin she obviously assumed that Gilda had.

 

And Gilda left after being told that Dash doesn't need her friendship.

 

With the other ponies, there seems to be little to no desire to ever become friends with Gilda. They had no intention to do so. "False friends" and all that comes to mind.

 

As far as Gilda's character is concerned, Rainbow Dash must have seen something else or they wouldn't have become friends prior to the episode. Fluttershy wouldn't give her the same benefit of the doubt that she gave Discord.

[Starlight Sky 375]

Yes, the whole situation was during the heat of the moment, neither of them were in the right to do what they did. Gilda blew her top but so did Dash in her own way. Yes, Gilda walked out on them but that situation was un-salvageable to begin with. The thing is Gilda is referred to as a false friend as Silver Letter pointed out. Now false friends are usually after something but at no point do we get a frame of reference as to what that something is so she would have no reason to falsify a friendship. I am being hard on both on them but at the same time trying to prove that Gilda was not the only one in the wrong in the entire scenario.

 

The whole scenario was forced and made little sense, any episode that leaves you with the wrong kind of questions such as "Why were they friends to begin with?" is just poor writing.

Yeah. They both blew up a bit. Understandably so. However, Gilda blew up all on her own. If not for her pride and poor attitude, the pranks would've remained just that. Pranks.

 

You haven't really been harsh on Gilda. Granted, you're trying to show she's not as bad as some say. but you haven't held her accountable for much of anything. Whereas Dash is paraphrased saying, "Lel gtfo of me lyfez"; painted as the Element of Disloyalty; and, so on.

 

Dash saw one side of her then (Junior Speedster days), and another now (Season 1). They could've bonded over a number of things (being great competitors, a need for speed, being cool, etc), but never known each other outside of camp. After all, Fluttershy never met Gilda before, and she's been friends with Dash for a long time. Whatever the details, the friends you start with aren't always the ones you end with.

 

Rainbow Dash caused the pranks. She should have had the same thick skin she obviously assumed that Gilda had.

 

And Gilda left after being told that Dash doesn't need her friendship.

 

With the other ponies, there seems to be little to no desire to ever become friends with Gilda. They had no intention to do so. "False friends" and all that comes to mind.

 

As far as Gilda's character is concerned, Rainbow Dash must have seen something else or they wouldn't have become friends prior to the episode. Fluttershy wouldn't give her the same benefit of the doubt that she gave Discord.

Gilda, being a prankster herself (as seen with Granny Smith), should naturally be prepared to be pranked.

 

And I've just recalled while typing this that Dash asked if Gilda was alright with it.

 

-- Following the trick candles in the cake

 

Dash: "Hey G, your not upset about some silly candles are you?"

 

"No way, Dash. Like I said, I'm down with a good prank."

 

Then, as said before, she makes something out of nothing. Eventually insulting everypony in the room.

 

 

The Mane 6 never gave Gilda any trouble. AJ asks about her. Rarity tells while mentioning how rare they are around there. Twilight (who suggested Pinkie was just jealous) asks Fluttershy what Gilda's like. And Fluttershy declines to comment.

 

As shenanigans get under way, they don't have much dialogue. After Gilda erupts, it's clear Gilda had some issues to work out- which I hope she will.

 

And as for Fluttershy not giving Gilda the benefit of the doubt.....did you not see how she roared at her? That was beyond being perturbed by a bump. It was downright uncalled for.

 

Discord's an entirely different case.

 

(1) Fluttershy grew into her element since meeting Gilda. Finding her voice and taking a bit more action.

(2) Fluttershy was given the mission to reform him. It wasn't amidst his attempts to bring total chaos. It was a mental/emotional game between them.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Starlight Sky

[Tilt 286]

Yeah. They both blew up a bit. Understandably so. However, Gilda blew up all on her own. If not for her pride and poor attitude, the pranks would've remained just that. Pranks.

 

 

All I have to say to that is this, you get pranked 5 times in a row and not lose your cool or at the very least get upset. I'm honest enough with myself that if I got pranked 5 times in a row I'd absolutely flip my lid.

 

Yes, she does says she's down with a good prank....prank, one.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Yeah. They both blew up a bit. Understandably so. However, Gilda blew up all on her own. If not for her pride and poor attitude, the pranks would've remained just that. Pranks.

 

You haven't really been harsh on Gilda. Granted, you're trying to show she's not as bad as some say. but you haven't held her accountable for much of anything. Whereas Dash is paraphrased saying, "Lel gtfo of me lyfez"; painted as the Element of Disloyalty; and, so on.

 

Dash saw one side of her then (Junior Speedster days), and another now (Season 1). They could've bonded over a number of things (being great competitors, a need for speed, being cool, etc), but never known each other outside of camp. After all, Fluttershy never met Gilda before, and she's been friends with Dash for a long time. Whatever the details, the friends you start with aren't always the ones you end with.

 

Gilda, being a prankster herself (as seen with Granny Smith), should naturally be prepared to be pranked.

 

And I've just recalled while typing this that Dash asked if Gilda was alright with it.

 

-- Following the trick candles in the cake

 

Dash: "Hey G, your not upset about some silly candles are you?"

 

"No way, Dash. Like I said, I'm down with a good prank."

 

Then, as said before, she makes something out of nothing. Eventually insulting everypony in the room.

 

 

The Mane 6 never gave Gilda any trouble. AJ asks about her. Rarity tells while mentioning how rare they are around there. Twilight (who suggested Pinkie was just jealous) asks Fluttershy what Gilda's like. And Fluttershy declines to comment.

 

As shenanigans get under way, they don't have much dialogue. After Gilda erupts, it's clear Gilda had some issues to work out- which I hope she will.

 

And as for Fluttershy not giving Gilda the benefit of the doubt.....did you not see how she roared at her? That was beyond being perturbed by a bump. It was downright uncalled for.

 

Discord's an entirely different case.

 

(1) Fluttershy grew into her element since meeting Gilda. Finding her voice and taking a bit more action.

(2) Fluttershy was given the mission to reform him. It wasn't amidst his attempts to bring total chaos. It was a mental/emotional game between them.

Yes, Gilda did like pranks but she was already suspicious of Pinkie Pie and thought that she was trying to drive a wedge between her and Rainbow Dash. And also Gilda was likely lying. It would have upset her but she did not wish to ruin the party.

 

Applejack and Rarity were neutral in this episode but I brought up how the others were at fault. If Twilight didn't know what Gilda was like then she could have not been so judgmental at the end of the episode like she had any inkling of what she was talking about. And Fluttershy should have commented. It would have been a good time to try and get to know Gilda but she was not interested in that. It was as if she wanted to get revenge on the poor newcomer. And I think she already had practice trying to figure out what is wrong when something roars at her like with the manticore in the pilot. If she had asked then she might have learned that Gilda was just feeling awkward about being in a strange land and being annoyed by a jealous pink pony.

[Mouse 302]

Gilda was mean to Fluttershy. Therefore, she must die.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Gilda was mean to Fluttershy. Therefore, she must die.

Pinkie Pie was mean to Fluttershy. Therefore, she must die. /s/. -_-

[Tilt 286]

Gilda was mean to Fluttershy. Therefore, she must die.

Celestia was mean to Luna for banishing her, therefore she must die.

[Starlight Sky 375]

All I have to say to that is this, you get pranked 5 times in a row and not lose your cool or at the very least get upset. I'm honest enough with myself that if I got pranked 5 times in a row I'd absolutely flip my lid.

 

Yes, she does says she's down with a good prank....prank, one.

 

(1) I'm not a prankster.

 

(2) I would've said if they bothered me.

 

(3) This isn't about me. It's about Gilda. Her suspicions of Pinkie, which lead to the rant, are entirely on her.

 

 

Yes, Gilda did like pranks but she was already suspicious of Pinkie Pie and thought that she was trying to drive a wedge between her and Rainbow Dash. And also Gilda was likely lying. It would have upset her but she did not wish to ruin the party.

 

Applejack and Rarity were neutral in this episode but I brought up how the others were at fault. If Twilight didn't know what Gilda was like then she could have not been so judgmental at the end of the episode like she had any inkling of what she was talking about. And Fluttershy should have commented. It would have been a good time to try and get to know Gilda but she was not interested in that. It was as if she wanted to get revenge on the poor newcomer. And I think she already had practice trying to figure out what is wrong when something roars at her like with the manticore in the pilot. If she had asked then she might have learned that Gilda was just feeling awkward about being in a strange land and being annoyed by a jealous pink pony.

 

Like I said above, her suspicions aren't to be blamed on others. That's on her. If she didn't see them as traps, then they wouldn't have bothered her as much. It has little to do with her ability to handle a prank.

 

After that outburst, it's completely reasonable to conclude that Gilda had issues to work out.

 

Why in the wide world of Equestria would early season 1 Fluttershy approach such a vicious person. Again, did you see how Gilda roared at her? Next time you see someone like that, you'd probably keep your distance.

 

She's best with non-sentient creatures. Shy around other ponies, remember? What's Manny the Manticore got to do with this?

Edited January 20, 2015 by Starlight Sky

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

I agree that she and the episode could've been better written, but I honestly never thought of her as being very sympathetic. While blowing her top at the party is completely understandable, along with thinking Pinkie was behind everything, the way she responded was still out of line.

 

At the end of it, Gilda was a possessive and toxic person who didn't care about anybody but herself and Dash. Some people frame it as RD just throwing her out in the cold, but Gilda was the one making demands and forcing Dash to choose between her and everybody else. That's a really crummy thing to do, and if I'm ever forced to make that choice, I think it'd be correct to go with the people who have good intentions and not the person who is putting down everybody I know and trying to control who I spend time with. Loyalty is a pretty difficult element to live up to in "me or them" situations, and I think deciding what/who to be loyal to is a more important and realistic approach than simply trying to satisfy everyone.

 

And to go into that more, Dash's line to Gilda at the end is an "If". "If being cool is all you care about, maybe you should go find some new cool friends someplace else." It isn't a "GTFO BITCH" or anything like that. That line would be cue for Gilda to cool off, apologize to the people she wrongly insulted, and try working out her differences with RD. She chose to fire back and leave instead, placing it on Dash's shoulders to come crawling back and apologize to her when she decides "not to be lame anymore."

 

It wouldn't surprise me if this kind of thing had happened in the past, either. Unless Gilda just happened to have taken a turn for the worse since they'd seen each other last, I could see a younger Gilda behaving the same way towards whoever was friends with Dash at the time, namely Fluttershy. I think giving some hint of this would've improved the episode, to make the scene at the party feel like more of a last straw, but I don't think it's unreasonable to infer that it was the case.

 

It's very natural and kind to feel bad for somebody who just lost a close friend, but I think it's also important to recognize that Gilda was the one who caused it to reach that point, and it's on her to become mature enough to tolerate her friends having other people in their lives. Wouldn't mind seeing her again, and having her and Dash patch things up. Like Megas always says, she has potential to give a lot of insight into Rainbow's childhood.

[Redeye 399]

@@Tilt,

Besides, Gilda has my favorite voice actress, who is also this badass gunslinger.  

 

revy.png

 

I also believe that she is the voice actress of...

 

...Sonata.

 

[Silver Letter 1,832]

 

 

After that outburst, it's completely reasonable to conclude that Gilda had issues to work out.

I think Pinkie might have plenty of issues too.

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

I think she was meant to be a stereotypical bully who's parents are divorced or something.

[Bird Mom 902]

Rarity made the steam come out of my ears. She had beyond ticked me off, she had made me want to go in tears for what she had done. So yes, it was painful to watch. I like Gilda's design, but putting all of that stuff she did in a children's show didn't sit right. Considering bronies weren't very lively yet and it was the show's prehistoric age.

 

RD did have a bit of an issue with loyalty, but she was being fooled by Gilda in an aspect. For instance, "bullying" Pinkie Pie and then turning right back around to Rainbow just to act all buddy-buddy again.

[Cwanky 17,775]

I always personally thought much of the animosity towards Gilda was a result of blind loyalty to Fluttershy with the crying incident. That aside, Gilda wasn't meant to be a villain, but rather an antagonist instead. Remember she was Rainbow Dash's old friend. Now this is the Element of Harmony guidebook's description of Gilda:

 

 

GILDA is a mythical griffon, a creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion! She was once friends with Rainbow Dash and loved good old-fashioned pranks. But Gilda's insecurities about being seen as cool caused her to fall out of favor with her friend.

 

Its pretty damn accurate too. By definition, Gilda can be considered a bully. She's mean and nasty to others she doesn't like and targets them for her own pleasure. However Gilda's character goes further than even that of perhaps Diamond Tiara as a bully. Gilda is what experts call the textbook definition of a bully as we saw with Bab's Seed - she's downright insecure about herself!

 

In Babs Seed case, she turned to bullying against the CMCs to avoid being bullied again. Here I think its heavily implied that Gilda bullies others at least in part because she's worried about her own image of being cool. In this perspective I actually sympathize for Gilda, no matter what harm she caused

 

Its no coincidence that Gilda was made Rainbow Dash's friend. Both share a lot in common - they worry about their image and being cool, they can be rough and inconsiderate towards others and are prone to anger Much like Lightning Dust, Gilda just illustrates how certain traits of a character - here Rainbow Dash - can make someone unlikable and bad. In another world, Rainbow Dash could have very well ended up like Gilda, especially if she didn't befriend the Mane 6.

 

If someone like Trixie  , or even Discord   can be redeemed, I see little reason why Gilda cannot. She has her flaws, but she also has understandable reasons too. Besides at the end of the day, despite what they do and no matter how big or small they may be, bullies are still just people like you and me. They just happened to wander astray.

[CheeryFox 23,827]

Gilda has 'bitch'/villainous issues. And was she all that bad? ... Yeah I think she was. I really do like her as an antagonist though. I'm hoping she comes back as a major villain, redeemed or otherwise. 

 

[Fender 1,284]

I feel like with therapy, Gilda is just as salvageable as any other person.

 

Seriously, my own over-analysis is just that she has complex social/emotional issues that she uses as an excuse to hurt people so as to hide her own insecurities.

[Sunny Fox 5,961]

Well that rant was said in the heat of the moment as she had lost her cool, when we lose are cool a lot of us lose a filter and sometimes say things we don't 100% mean. When Dash came forward to confess that the pranks were her doing you could see a drastic change in Gilda's tone, a tone that suggested she realized she was wrong and would of probably apologized if Dash didn't go on the offensive with the whole "I guess I'm the lame-o". 

 

I just think that episode was trying a bit to hard to paint Gilda in the wrong and paint Dash in the right that it felt like gaping holes of plot contrivance. There's a lot about Gilda we do not know we are just told that Dash and Gilda used to be friends at that camp. But if one blown top is enough to go "Lel gtfo of me lyfez" for Rainbow Dash, what made them friends to begin with? it stems back to the element of loyalty being what can be viewed as disloyalty.

Yes, the episode did go out of its way to make Gilda look “bad”, I totally agree. However, she clearly meant what she said during her rant, she just got angry enough to forget to keep up the façade. And that’s what makes her a “false friend”. She acted one way around Dash and an entirely different, much worse way when Dash wasn’t there. Dash realizing what Gilda’s true feelings about the others were was a large part of why she reacted as she did. Even the writer’s choosing to name her Gilda’s supports this idea, as in “gilded”, meaning covered in a thin layer of gold. “All that glitters,” etc.

 

Could Dash have handled the situation better? Absolutely. But we shouldn’t forget this is Season 1 Dash, without any of the later development that makes her more willing to empathize with others. And while I welcome any legitimate example of the Mane Six acting contrary to their Element, I doubt this is an example of disloyalty. Dash chose to side with and support her new friends over Gilda, because her old friend was quite frankly acting like a jerk to everyone. And she didn’t entirely close the door to Gilda, she just made it clear that if “being cool” was more important than getting along with her new friends, then she would no longer be the type Dash would want to be friends with. Gilda had a clear choice, even right at the end after Dash issued her ultimatum, and she chose to reject Dash’s offer. Instead of being willing to change her own behaviour, she blamed Dash for being a flipflop, a classic case of “never my fault”.

 

A very vigorous and detailed discussion was generated here. Kudos!