S05:E05 - Tanks for the Memories

[Wicked Funky 2,955]

This episode is definantly in my top 5, Such an Amazing episode....

 

...And feels...  

[midnightlegacy 172]

I loved this episode!...I don't really have much more to say aside from that actually...

[Lightwing 12,973]

This episode just irritated me all the way through.

Counting that you are literally giving no argument to hold your point of view, I cannot take you seriously.

 

You are on your right to like or dislike this episode, but at least, if you are going to dislike it, present valid points that let your opinion stand.

[Wyzecat 350]

I thought at today's episode was very good.

 

Quite so.

[rjrgmc28 130]

First off, I would like to apologise for being a little later than normal in getting my episode recap post ready. I've been in a bit of a teary state this morning which I'll get into why in just a bit. Also bare with me if my normal recap post sounds a bit off course.

With that said, here we go.

To quote from my tweet this morning:
 
"Awwww....that episode really hit home. It cover the unmentionable subject and did it with style! I'm teary eyed here!"

There are only a few words to describe what I felt about the episode and they are short but sweet. I tried to come up with a in-depth explanation on why this episode made me emotional, but I can sum it up in four simple words.

For me, this episode was Emotional. Touching. Heartbreaking and Heartwarming.

I went into the episode thinking that Tank will do his hibernation thing and that will be end of it without any major announcement, but for the episode to do a complete 360 degree u-turn and tackle the issue of death and grievance head on is something I wasn't expecting to have happen.

When I saw Rainbow Dash start crying the first time round, I thought it was part of the episode being in the light hearted style that I was used to. But once Rarity and Pinkie got in on the act, I knew something wasn't right.

But the realisation hit me when after the episode finished and I shut down the computers and turned the lights out and went to bed, I actually started to cry.

I couldn't sleep for the life of me.

Even holding a Fluttershy plushie couldn't make the tears stop.

It wasn't for Tank and the hibernation, but I had the sudden realisation of what they actually did.

The show staff did the impossible.

That's right. They went there.

They covered the issues of death, grievance and acceptance without us even knowing about it.

An issue that I know all to well and experienced in my lifetime three times over.

When I say that, this isn't something that I made up. I've been there and been though a lot and back. True and honest.

I lost my Nan, my Pop and my grandma in a five to six year period. All of them were influential figures in my life, but my Nan was the spark that kept me going when I was certain to give up on life altogether during a rough patch in my life. When she died in 2009, a little piece of me died along with it. I was devastated when she passed away, I couldn't even think of saying goodbye at the time. I wasn't ready to "let go" of the past and look towards the future. I just couldn't do it.

All this time during the episode, Rainbow Dash did exactly the same thing that I did. She wasn't ready for Tank to go into hibernation and did everything in her power to stop winter from happening, just like when I went off the rails a few months after my Nan passed and almost lost everything including my job, my friends and my life in general.

The death of someone, especially a close family member or relative is very difficult to comprehend or understand. I didn't know that at the time, but after seeing Rainbow Dash in the same situation as myself, it broke my heart. It made me cry. It brought back the memories of the past. I could easily relate to what she was going through.

That's it. Only words like these can describe the pain that I've been though in losing someone close. This episode pretty much hit home in a big way for me.

Although I would like to do into more detail on my fulll thoughts of the episode, you can read on those on my blog which can be viewed here.

 

The audio description version of the blog post and also a personal thoughts video is now also available:

 

 

Edited April 26, 2015 by rjrgmc28

[Lightwing 12,973]

I don't have to give out points to make my opinion stand.

I can leave it at "This episode irritated me"

Expressing an opinion doesn't guarantee freedom from having your opinion questioned. Give him logic that makes sense, then no matter how much he disagrees, you still make a good point. But if your reasons don't make sense, expect your opinion to be questioned.

-Dark Qiviut

 

He disliked the episode, but he presented points and arguments that made his opinion to be good. No problem there.

 

You are literally saying "This episode irritated me" without showing any real reason, so your opinion cannot be respected, at least from my point of view. I have all the right to question your points of view, but, if you at least presented a correct opinion, i wouldn't be like this.

[Trine 665]

She did! She really did! When Rainbow started crying, the feels really got to me, and I started hugging my big Rainbow Dash plushie! 

 

I don't think she does it as a habit. Its more if something really gets you then its like "on" basically. Natural pony emotions ^^

Edited April 25, 2015 by Trine

[BlackWater627 700]

I loved this episode!...I don't really have much more to say aside from that actually...

 

I'm with you there, but in the interest of generating discussion (this is a discussion thread) I shall query you. What is one thing in particular you liked about it? I loved the outfits, the song, and Dashie's heart-wrenching denial. Did you like the fact that Rainbow Dash finally did a song all on her own? Or maybe you liked Tank!

 

On another note, I wonder if Harry the Bear lets any other critters crash at his pad for hibernation. 

[Twilight Frost 271]

I hated this episode until the RAINBOW HOOFING DASH SONG!!!!!!

 

We have Waited 5 SEASONS to hear this song! It was a pretty good song too. Plus, with how much they are experimenting with facial expressions, the animators seem to be getting better. I am not sure if anyone here has noticed that, but the facial expressions they are exibiting are a lot more unique, varied and expressive now.

 

 

Plus, seeing rainbow dash cry like that really adds to her character. We now know that she doesn't have a stone cold heart and is capable of real emotion and vulnerability. Could you just IMAGINE what she would go through if tank...DIED!?

 

This is without a doubt the best rainbow dash episode ever. Easily topping the sonic rainboom episode and all the ponies that gave it 1 star....go sit in the corner. You don't deserve to sit with the rest of us right now! Thats right! The corner, and don't come back for at least a half an hour.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

Wow. I was skeptical about this episode since it sounded like a case of Rainbowdash making a mountain out of a molehill, but I think that has to be the most adorable I've seen her, and I really felt the emotion of that scene where she cries, along with Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. I like to watch the pet episodes with my cat next to me, so I made a point of hugging her. After the episode ended I took a nap with her since I worked this morning and was quite wiped. On a side note, it seems colts and stallions are still barred from participating in the running of the leaves. What's up with that, and is that sexist? I don't really know the answer to that.

[epzik8 92]

What irony that this episode aired just as spring is truly starting in the Northern Hemisphere.

[ManaMinori 4,145]

Not a fan of this episode. First off, the obvious lack of reprecussions that the Mane 6 have to face, when they do some stupid s***t. I didn't like watching RD sabotage her workplace. Even if Equestrian law is lenient, it is only logical she gets fired from her job. In fact, as CAPTAIN of the weather team, she SHOULD get fired for what she did! The things the Mane 6 do need to have consequences, at some point. Not pass after pass because whatever. I don't care if they saved the world however many times. You do something bad (mind controlling ponies and causing riots just to write a friendship report to the princess, keeping a parasprite and being the cause of an entire town's destruction, altering a species of parasprites and vampire fruit bats' natural diet, destroying a weather factory, destroying property and interrupting the Grand Galloping Gala, ect.), you pay for it.

 

second thing I disliked- Fluttershy making Dash cry. OHHHHH, if it had been anypony making FLUTTERSHY cry, NO ONE would be forgiving. But It's all fine and dandy for her to make other ponies cry (let's not forget how she kept going on about RD's fears to freak her out, in Sonic Rainboom, but Luna forbid Pinkie goes and throws Flutter's fears in HER face. And Rarity gets upset over Fluttershy crying and not Rainbow Dash? Bias, much?

 

 

I did enjoy Tank wearing little RD slippers, though

[Batbrony 16,055]

 

Welcome back everypony to another "Batbrony Reviews".  First of all, I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there this morning to watch the episode with everypony else; for those of you who don't know, I was volunteering as a judge for the Michigan state finals for National History Day in Lansing.  It was a blast, I got to hang out with some of my fellow WMU grad friends, and also read some great papers and meet some bright young students, so it was well worth the absence, even though I missed you guys too.  Anyways, this is gonna be a fun review.  I'll try to keep it as short as possible since there's so many good things to say about this one, but no promises.  This one hit about every note right as much as it possibly could have.  Also, to my good buddy DashForever, this one's for you, my man. 

 

 

So, "Tanks for the Memories."  This one is up there as far as RD episodes go.  Right now, I can only think of a handful that might actually beat it out, such as "Sonic Rainboom" (but that's mostly for the nostalgia and awesome factor).  I don't know if we've ever seen Rainbow Dash this emotional, I don't know if we've ever seen such a tragic side to her loyalty, and I don't know if we've ever had such a truly bittersweet Slice of Life episode.  What probably impresses me the most about it is that it didn't really build up to a happy ending.  It wasn't a happy ending.  It was... very much bittersweet, but in a good way.  It was about acceptance, namely, accepting that a friend near and dear to RD had to go away for awhile.  And ya know what, for RD, the most loyalest of ponies who'd do anything for her friends, that bucking hurt, because she couldn't do anything to stop it.  Tank had to hibernate, and despite trying to stop winter itself, RD in the end couldn't do anything about it.  We've seen her have to learn to accept help from her friends before to certain extents, but never in the sense that they couldn't solve the problem together.  Here, all they could was be there for her.  That's all they could do, and that's all she really needed.  All she needed to do, as Fluttershy so aptly realized, was cry it out, and boy oh boy, did she ever.  She cried, and cried, and cried it out.  She cried it out so hard that she got 3 other ponies to cry it out with her (and one on the inside, I bucking love AJ for that  ).  And even after she'd cried it out, she still wasn't completely over it, but she was ready to accept it, and that's a valuable lesson to teach all of us.  Sometimes, we can't solve all of our problems; sometimes, we just have to accept that some things are going to happen no matter what we do.  It may hurt, it may hurt a lot, and it may require quite a few tears from us all, but accepting the hurt, especially with friends and family by your side, is better than running away, ignoring, or fighting it.  That's by far one of the most mature lessons we've ever seen in any episode of MLP, much less a Slice of Life episode, and I cannot praise Cindy Morrow enough.  She really knows how to tug at viewers heartstrings, doesn't she? 

 

 

Gosh dang it, why are these two so cute together?   

 

So that right there about sums up the highest praise I have for the episode.  There's a lot of other great things to be said about it, but those were my most important thoughts.  Besides how well all of the aforementioned elements worked in the episode, there was a ton of other stuff that I loved.  Tank was adorable as usual, possibly more adorably awesome than he's ever been before.  I always get the sense with him that, given that he's probably quite old at this point, he's got a lot of wisdom for a pet.  He seemed to keep giving RD looks throughout the episode that just said, "Hey, it's OK, I gotta go away for a little while, but I love you, and I'll be back before you know it."    Some of those faces alone made the impact of the episode itself all the harder to take, but again, it worked so well.  Aside from that, it was pretty funny and cute to see him get more and more tired (aside from how much it was distressing RD).  Besides Tank, Fluttershy shined quite a bit as well in this episode.  She really knows when tough love is called for, especially when it comes to more emotionally stressful situations, and I liked that the episode highlighted that.

 

 

Then she got an idea.  An awful idea.  RD got a wonderful, awful idea!

 

 

I HAVE SPECIAL EYES!!!   

 

Comedy-wise, there was A LOT.  I'll just name off what stuck out to me the most. (1) Rainbow Dash being racist to Spike (seriously, first the dragon is completely the same as the tortoise, then the next second it's "What would you know, you're just a dragon!" ); (2) angry-eyes Rainbow Dash (following her equally hilarious angry-rant); (3) Rainbow Dash making the bucking Grinch-smile; (4) the debacle that was trying to stop winter in the Cloudsdale weather factory (especially when RD got zapped in the lightning room... which seems like an awfully dangerous way to store lightning, come to think of it  ); (5) Twilight "Ned Stark Winter is Coming" Sparkle and the most obvious yet still amazing Game of Thrones reference EVER; (6) the emotional RD/group-crying scene that somehow managed to get as hilarious as it was sad (capped off by us learning that AJ apparently cries on the inside); (7) my personal favorite, and that's saying a lot, but one of the most amazing "Who's on First?" references I've ever heard in my entire life in the conversation that those three new weather ponies had about how confusing their names were, that was bucking PRICELESS!!!

 

 

 

That... was... GENIUS (and also blows any time they've done the same thing with Owlowiscious out of the bucking water)!!!  Heck, they even SOUNDED like Abbot and Costello!   

 

So yeah, this was a funny episode, you get the idea.  Besides that, it actually confirmed a lot of my head canon about Cloudsdale, which I personally greatly appreciated since a lot of that (particularly the fact that Cloudsdale actually moves around all over Equestria altering the weather, though I'd thought that was also previously confirmed in "Hurricane Fluttershy") material will actually factor into my fanfiction later on.  Not to mention I just enjoyed seeing Cloudsdale extensively again since I love pegasi and I love that location a lot.  The animation, as usual, was gorgeous, and apparently Daniel Ingram has been working overtime this season.  Seriously, we have had a song every episode (and yes, short as it was, Applejack's lullaby from the last episode totally counts), and this, on top of everything else, was actually RD's first ever solo song.  And ya know what?  It was awesome!  It's upbeat, fast-paced tone and instrumentals completely complemented her vocals to a T, and I loved every second of it.  Finally, it was also cool getting to see both the Running of the Leaves again, as well as Ponyville at the end of Fall and the start of Winter.  In fact, I just realized that, assuming Tank's gone for awhile, we might actually get to see a few episodes at least take place in winter, something we've never really gotten to see before.  We've seen episodes here and there take place in winter in Ponyville or Canterlot, but never a series of them in a row, so that could be cool!  Besides that, I don't have really anything else to say about this one.  "Tanks for the Memories" was just a perfect Slice of Life episode in every sense of the word, and I loved every minute of this one.  It reminded me why so many bronies consider RD to be best pony, and when any episode does that for any of the Mane 6, you know it's a good one.

 

 

Thanks for the memories, Tank, good buddy; we'll see you again before you know it.   

[Bright Honor 2,671]

The feels man, they were strong in this episode. It was utterly fantastic. RD sure loves tank.

 

Must say DHX has been ON POINT this season. the extra few months-wait has certainly paid off. Season 5 so far looks strong to become best season for me if this keeps up.

[Tao 7,776]

Had to choke watch that one down sadly.  

[BlackWater627 700]

Had to choke watch that one down sadly.  

 

You didn't like it? Was there something in particular about it? 

[Luffyiscool 397]

This week's mini pmv

It was either this, or the Mr Grinch song. But I've been in a Beastie Boys mood lately so I went with them~

[Antidaeophobia 299]

I should feel emotional with this episode, but all I can think on now is this:

 This is my new favorite RD face LOL

 

 

[CT-1138 3,182]

This episode is really interesting, honestly. In 4 seasons, we've never seen this side of Rainbow Dash. We've never seen her this vulnerable. We've seen Rainbow Dash cry, once, I think (The Last Roundup). We've seen her pout, we've seen water in her eyes, but never have we seen her bawling her eyes out trying to relieve so much pent up emotion. It was a really tender moment, and a really rare one, too, I think. I think it's gonna be one of my top 10 Rainbow Dash moments of the show. For that matter, nor have we ever seen her losing a friend (even if it's for a short while). We've seen her casting out a bad friend, but never losing one she still loved. I thought her reaction to it was great, really. How she went coo-coo bananas trying to prevent anything that would make her lose Tank. Now THAT'S loyalty. 

[simba86 1,541]

I was surprised they went that far with the emotional aspect of it and the crying, i was pretty surpised they went full on "someone is dying" type crying and depression and emotions

[Antidaeophobia 299]

I really liked this episode. We'd been wondering for awhile how Tank fared being Rainbow Dash's pet, and now we know how close they've become. I remember my hedgehog, and my tortoise both going into hibernation, so I understand how Rainbow Dash feels.
I really loved the expressions this episode, and it was really nice having a RD episode where she isn't a total insufferable dash-hole, but an actually decent sensitive person with real emotions. Sure, she's still being selfish, but it's nice to see is because she wants to keep her friend, and not just being arrogant. I really like the little song, but it was a bit over auto-tuned, but still nice. 
LOL Pinkie Pie walking through the wall, and that picture in the factory locker was amusing.  Also, can we talk about how adorable Tank's little Rainbow Dash slippers are. OMG 

Edited April 26, 2015 by Antidaeophobia

[Jon the VGNerd 885]

 

 

All the ponies in ponyville really loved Hearths-warming a lot...

But Rainbow Dash, who lived just above Ponyville, did NOT!

Rainbow hated hearths-warming, the whole hearths-warming season!

Now please don't ask why, Nopony quite knows the reason.

 

(I hope you know what the reference meant. )

[Dark Qiviut 22,425]

@, @@RainbowDash24, @,

 

Ugh, always people who over think and over analyze to the point where an episode is bad.

You don't know what overanalyzing is. The one line of Dash saying it'll be her first winter with Tank is a small detail with a lot of implications. To flip it around, say Tank didn't feel well after waking up from a previous hibernation. Dash would have a reason to be worried or upset because she'd feel something as bad as then can happen here, if not worse. It would make her desperation make sense. Stupid, yes, but excuses it to an extent.

 

Here, the one line completely affects the continuity of the episode. Since season two, the show's seasonal timeline has been consistent. MTBPW! was the seventh episode of season two. HWE was a few weeks later. This means Tank would've hibernated at some point while still Dash's pet. But the episode instead handwaves it away.

 

Your example with the dog is completely apples to oranges. Very early in the episode, Fluttershy told Rainbow Dash that Tank was preparing to sleep for the winter. Dash and Fluttershy are close friends, and FS is around animals who hibernate. So Dash should know about hibernation prior. Tank isn't dying, and FS explicitly stated Tank is healthy. Given her knowledge of animals, Dash should've trusted her.

 

Think of the one line and how it connects to the climax of Winter Wrap Up. AJ and Fluttershy were arguing about how to clear the weather, and Fluttershy explicitly stated that the snow couldn't be quickly melted to wake the animals slowly.

 

And this episode did not break any continuity.

You're factually incorrect. HWE aired after MTBPW!, and Twilight was still a unicorn. Even if HWE didn't air out of order (originally supposed to be S2's thirteenth episode instead of the eleventh), the continuity drawback flaw applies.

 

I swear, most people just want to be there own little Digibronies.

If you're going to make an opinion credible, never pull fallacies like this. Just because some people have plenty of problems with an episode doesn't mean they don't like the show. Not every brony will like every episode, and I certainly don't like this one.

 

I give up. If all you're going to do is complain about the plot hole you're never going to enjoy the rest of the show.

This kind of attitude is what helped make what should be family products into "kids' shows," such as modern Spongebobs and MLP G3's. Factually good shows don't pull BS excuses. Contrary to some people here believe, I do enjoy the show, but if an episode's gonna publish crap, it deserves to be called out for it. Blindly defending it is tolerating bad quality.

 

I don't watch the show to make sure it's consistent. I watch the show for some fun Comedic moments and some dramatic moments. Don't be a McNitpick.

It's very naïve to call this nitpicking. A simple animation error such as the cyclops pony in The Best Night Ever is a nitpick because it has no actual effect to the episode quality. The repetitive "divine" from Rarity in The Cutie Map is also a nitpick because there are no implications, and the dialogue altogether's very well written.

 

Dash calling her time with Tank as their first winter is akin to the line of dialogue from the Nightmare Rarity Arc (where she states how it was the Nightmare Forces controlling her, not Luna herself). It's a complete contradiction of established canon, and it affected the entire plot. When it affects the whole story, that's not a nitpick anymore.

 

I am not sure I agree with that. My best friend is physician, and I am a developer. Our interactions, as interconnected as these elements are to ourselves individually, do not mean we understand each others skills. Dash understood something of hibernation, but not how tortoises hibernate.

I don't know about your case, but this situation feels very different. Dash and Fluttershy are close, and they worked to clean up winter at least once before. Dash knows about hibernation and should know how important it is to many animals, from mammals to reptiles. Like I told ryanmahaffe earlier, Dash had to work with the other teams to clear the weather, and one part was having Fluttershy wake up the hibernating animals. She should understand how important hibernation is.

 

More importantly, how she tried to stop it was absolutely irresponsible of her. She sabotaged Cloudesdale and only made things worse. As a captain, she should've been punished for it. instead, she all but got away with it. No sound consequences whatsoever for her bad behavior.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[SteveMorison 404]

Did this by any chance remind anyone of Futurama's Jurassic Bark?

[Foliha 395]

second thing I disliked- Fluttershy making Dash cry. OHHHHH, if it had been anypony making FLUTTERSHY cry, NO ONE would be forgiving. But It's all fine and dandy for her to make other ponies cry (let's not forget how she kept going on about RD's fears to freak her out, in Sonic Rainboom, but Luna forbid Pinkie goes and throws Flutter's fears in HER face. And Rarity gets upset over Fluttershy crying and not Rainbow Dash? Bias, much?

 

Well, if Rainbow Dash had swallowed poison by accident, would you think it was bad for Fluttershy to make her throw up?  I think Rainbow Dash needed to have her cry and not stuff her feelings.  She needed to just let go and admit she was hurting instead of turning her her hurt into toxic anger.  Fluttershy could see this.  It was like when she had to "tough up" and kick the Breezies out.  It may have looked/felt mean, but it was the right thing to do.