S05:E06 - Appleoosa's Most Wanted

[Batbrony 15,994]

OK, welcome back everypony to another "Batbrony Reviews".  This week's review should be pretty darn short, actually, just cause there's not a whole lot to say about this episode.  That's not to say that "Appleoosa's Most Wanted" was a disappointing episode or anything, it was just a... an average Slice of Life episode, that's all.  That's not a bad thing, no sir, every season's had its average episodes to be sure.  I guess I was personally hoping for some more references to Western movies given the setting and the fact that I love that genre of film, but ah well, it was still entertaining enough and had a nice message to boot.  So let's talk about the few things that stood out here.

 

First of all, the CMC were fine on the whole.  This wasn't a particularly great showing for them, there wasn't anything really notable that they did here, but they were characterized fine and entertaining as usual.  Scootaloo's cactus sombrero was undeniably, epically awesome and hilarious all at once, but other than that nothing really stood out about the trio this time around.  Their hearts were in the right places the whole episode for the most part, in fact everypony's hearts were; the whole conflict revolved around misunderstanding more than anything else.  It's always fun seeing Applejack in the role of protective big sister (not to mention I find it incredibly amusing how she doesn't trust the CMC further than she can throw them; even if she knows their hearts are in the right place, it seems she's more aware than anypony else, with the possible exception of Rarity, just how much trouble that trio is liable to get themselves into if nopony's watching them  ), and it was also good fun seeing other characters like Braeburn and Sheriff Silverstar return (I especially enjoyed the gag at the end where Braeburn kept getting hit in the noggin' by items accidentally sent flying by Troubleshoes into the crowd).

 

 

Ah, that's what the CMC needed to make this episode amazing: mustaches!   

 

Speaking of Troubleshoes, let's talk about the new character.  I liked Troubleshoes Clyde, I liked him a lot.  Poor guy seemed incredibly depressed (I was getting a real Eeyore vibe from him, ya know, the donkey from Winnie the Pooh?), and for good reason too; after all, he seemed to think he was just a troublemaking clutz and nothing else, and all thanks to his cutie mark to boot.  I've actually explored the very same thing with Derpy in my one fanfiction, so believe me, I can understand how a pony in his position would get depressed like that, and I think the writers did a good job explaining just why he's so down-in-the-dumps.  Dude didn't even seem cynical, just really, really bummed, and I can't really blame him; his heart was in the right place, and he was certainly passionate about something, but he thought for most of his life that he simply couldn't be a part of what he was passionate about.  So once again we got a character and the message of an episode revolving around cutie marks, and I thought that once again it worked effectively here as it has throughout Season 5.  We probably won't see him again this season, or at least not before the finale, but for a one-off character, he worked really well.  Also, I have to admit that I was just a little shocked to see a stallion bigger than Big Macintosh; gotta admit, I never thought I'd see the day. 

 

See what I mean, don't ya just see pony-Eeyore when you see this guy?   

 

All in all, there's not much else to say about this one.  I did like getting to see Appleoosa and its townsfolk again; I think both the town and the ponies living in it have very unique designs, and that's always a pleasure to see in the show.  It was also kinda funny how at home Applejack felt around all the mostly-earth ponies garbed in Western attire.    But other than those final thoughts, I don't have too much to say about this one.  It was an average episode, but in a good way; it had a nice message, was just as entertaining as it needed to be, and I can't really think of anything bad to say about it.  I liked this one, I liked it just fine. 

[Argumedies 1,748]

Not saying it was bad, just my least favorite of the season.

 

It's good to see the CMC tackle this slice of life episode and a good callback to woebegone from G1..I wanted to like Trouble Shoes... but I just couldn't (do y'all realize he's bigger then Celestia)

 

Typical of G4 to use males as ignorant dummy and shut character conversations down too early

 

Pacing was way too fast, story was over way too soon

 

Other then getting to see Sweety Bell use magic on the keys, that whole scene was unesasary because the got the sheriff to leave the room immediately after.

 

Breaburn was just, annoying to watch

 

Townsponys were uninteresting

 

And even Applejack kinda got under my skin.

 

The episode was just...meh

[The Awesome One 1,314]

So, another CMC episode but this time no Luna.

 

I was happy to see Braeburn and correct me if I am wrong but Troubleshoes is a horse yes? Judging from how he compared in size against Applejack and the Sheriff, I reckon he is almost as tall as Luna if not Celestia. How about that?

[Antidaeophobia 299]

I was surprised to see a Clydesdale in MLP, and showing it with a cutie mark. So maybe ponies aren't the only ones that get cutie marks. I feel bad though that his worst memory is him being laughed at, and he find out that's his special talent as well. Seems sort of mean spirited. I'd like to see him later and see his character develope. Also, where were the bison? I thought they'd become friends with them, I was surprised they weren't around. 
Braeburn, you beautiful idiot!
 

[Megas 27,069]

It's between "meh" and "didn't like it", as I didn't like this episode, but nothing bad really happened and nothing didn't offended me or anything, it, well, happened

 

It's definitely the most boring episode though

 

on a side note, No Little Strongheart =

Edited May 2, 2015 by Falco Lombardi

[Nightmare_Shinigami 31]

Both this Episode and "Tanks for the Memories" were the Episodes I was not looking forward to see based on their Synopsis. But unlike TftM, which was as bad as I expected it to be, this Episode was rather good... not the best, but good.

[mars 4,861]

This episode wasn't half bad! I like the idea that a pony can misinterpret their cutie marks. Makes you wonder how many pones are unhappy about what they're doing in their lives. o3o

 

Braeburn was soo cute in this episode too.

And Applejack was just amazing. I love the characterization she's being getting lately. She's becoming one of my favorite ponies!

I liked everyone in this episode, the humor was fun, so good episode overall. ^^

[Batbrony 15,994]

So, another CMC episode but this time no Luna.

 

I was happy to see Braeburn and correct me if I am wrong but Troubleshoes is a horse yes? Judging from how he compared in size against Applejack and the Sheriff, I reckon he is almost as tall as Luna if not Celestia. How about that?

 

I honestly don't know.  The only things we've seen in the show to date that were most definitely horses were the Saddle Arabians, but we never saw if they have cutie marks.  Troubleshoes did, and even though his last name's Clyde, which could be a reference to Clydesdale horses, which he also happened to look very much like, he also looked very much like a pony as a colt, so I don't know, I really don't know.

[Castle Bleck 19,167]

on a side note, No Little Strongheart =

 

If there was any real flaw here, it was ^that.

[Batbrony 15,994]

This episode wasn't half bad! I like the idea that a pony can misinterpret their cutie marks. Makes you wonder how many pones are unhappy about what they're doing in their lives. o3o

 

Well then you really oughta check out my fic if you haven't!  The biggest theme in it so far has been Derpy figuring out what she's supposed to do with her life since she has no idea what her cutie mark means; no pressure, everyone's busy after all, but I think you'd like it. 

 

And yes, Applejack has been most fantastic lately. 

[Melodymlp 41]

Todays new episode was great, having CMC do some good is a really nice touch

[Cirrus. 1,088]

Am I the only one who noticed the coincidence of there being a horse on MLP on Kentucky Derby/ Giant Hat day ?

 

Anyways I thought it was a pretty good episode. I think Troubleshoes is supposed to be a Clydesdale/Pony MIX. The white doesn't go far enough up his legs. If he is full Clydesdale though, that makes the ponies larger than I thought. Clydesdale horses are like 6 feet tall at the shoulders!!! They are MASSIVE.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Cirrus.

[Buttonmash1973 1,024]

I loved it. Reminds me of The Greatest Show On Earth with Buttons the clown wanted for a crime.

[Batbrony 15,994]

Oh my goodness, I kept thinking the entire episode that Troubleshoes was basically a stallion version of Derpy, and look what one of my favorite pegasister artists, dennybutt, already drew! 

 

 

 *squeeeeeeeeeeeee*  It's so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[Miles 2,512]

This was not a filler episode at all.  I believe people misinterpret what a filler episode really is.  A filler breaks continuity because it can add something that doesn't follow previous logic, but since it it's filler, it shouldn't be taken as a bad thing because it wasn't meant to progress anything to begin with.  If an episode was trying to progress previous logic, but broke it instead, then that is bad. However, this episode is not a filler.  It is a side-step from continuity, in that it doesn't really follow a logic to progress the show, but it's not a break in continuity in that it doesn't involve something that contradicts previous logic.  

There is a reason for that.

Applejack and the country ponies never really needed much progression from the get-go.  They already had their societal ways hard founded from the beginning, and so they're just doing what they've always done.  The rest of the Mane 6, and as well as other non-country ponies, had reasons for progression because their lives weren't already founded in a previously existing tradition.  They have room to keep moving forward and make something new for themselves.  Not that AJ and the rest of the country ponies couldn't (or didn't) have progression in some manner, but anything they could progress in is with much less weight because their backgrounds already gave them an existing style of life, and they didn't really need to search for new ways besides more personal things.  

As such, this episode is way to keep relevance with the country style of life, but since not much progression is needed for them, it's Slice of Life progression instead of "what's next" progression.  

Sure, this was a CMC episode, but to me, it was first and foremost a country/western Slice of Life episode because they deserve relevance just as much as the rest.  Just because they already have a solid pre-existing background and lifestyle doesn't mean they shouldn't be relevant.

I will get to the moral shortly, within a reply to someone below.

---

 

I don't know, but whoever made that cactus sombrero must be a prick. 

 

LOL   

DQ, we may sometimes have a rough time getting along in the debate pit for certain things, but I can still see the sake of respecting that you can be a humorous guy.  I like your humor.  Positivity is good.    

---

 

This is the definition of a MLP filler ep; nothing bad, but nothing that stands out either.

 

Kinda reminds me of a season 1 episode. 

 

As I said, Slice of Life progression is not equivalent to filler.  This episode does serve 2 purposes, one being keeping relevance to the country/western lifestyle, and the other I'll get to shortly...

---

 

Didn't like it that much. Aside from the harmonica playing early, nothing else made me laugh, and there was a lot of "tell" rather than "show." This is pretty much the standard filler episode: A plot doesn't mean stuff happening, and the characters don't really grow from it. Except Appleoosa's growing stupidity, of course.

 

My biggest problems, however, are twofold:

1. Can't Trouble Shoes just catch a break? He's the butt of so much slapstick, it stops becoming funny. Instead, the comedy becomes annoying.
   
   And I really grimaced when the sheriff was duped so easily. This Looney Tunes slapstick just doesn't work for this kind of show.
    
2. The moral's approach. It pretty much confirms The Good, the Bad, and the Ponies: Equestrian law is screwed up. "Assume he's vandalizing the rodeos? ARREST THE FIEND! Break out of jail and realize your true cutie mark? YOU'RE FREE!"

Boring episode.

 

 

First, see what I said originally, and then to Pathy.

As for your other comments.

1. I actually agree.  It went a slight bit too far with the slapstick.  A little bit of Eeyore goes a long way, but a lot of making fun of it goes too far.

2. Nope.  Continue to my next quote response...

---
 

Okay seriously, Trouble Shoes's parents have got to be the most neglectful parents ever! Your kid just got his cutie mark and his dreams crushed, best let him live in the middle of nowhere for a decade or so! Its not like he'd be hard to find. Just follow the trail of destruction!

 

I give this ep a keeptrackofyourgoddamnkids/10

 

 

Despite the fact that I see it in a positive light, and that you don't...

I agree 100% that you got the moral damn right!  

The moral of this episode IS...

Though it is good to give children some slack in the leash, it is important to HAVE a leash, and keep a closer watch on them.  Kids will be kids!  They want to do their own thing, and though sometimes their own thing is okay, it might not always be a bright idea.  That's why you gotta teach them what a good idea is, and what a good idea is not.  Running out into the woods when the forecast prediction is bad weather, is pretty damn stupid.  

The secondary moral though, is that despite it being a bad idea for kids to be alone and run out into the wilderness when a thunderstorm is nigh, sometimes the effects of the bad idea can still be good.

Which, of course, is a contradiction to the original moral.  And for that all I can say is... life is like a box of chocolates; sometimes you can get lucky when you eat too many, but is it really worth risking your health?  Sorry Gump fans, but you DO know what you CAN get, if you're smart.  So, saying "you never know what you're gonna get" is naive if you know what is possible to be the outcomes.

Lol.

---

 

This episode wasn't half bad! I like the idea that a pony can misinterpret their cutie marks. Makes you wonder how many pones are unhappy about what they're doing in their lives. o3o

Braeburn was soo cute in this episode too.
And Applejack was just amazing. I love the characterization she's being getting lately. She's becoming one of my favorite ponies!
I liked everyone in this episode, the humor was fun, so good episode overall. ^^

 

Yay   

I like seeing people take more optimistic viewpoints before they judge.  This episode was really good!  The only reasons one can say it wasn't is if you don't understand its purpose from the get-go, or, if you came into it with pessimism.  

---

Sometimes even the simplest of lessons deserve just as much time in the spotlight as the more weighty ones.  Don't dismiss the importance of the small stuff in order to save the big stuff, because, as it seems, most of the small stuff is bigger than it seems.  You can't build a house without a foundation, but even if you've got a strong one, is it really enough to have a strong foundation if the walls are all plain jane?  The decorations are what make a happier environment.  That's why this Slice of Life is just as relevant and important as the rest of the more progressive episodes!  There'd be no point in putting these country areas on the Equestrian map if you never let them see the light of day.  Come into it with the understanding that you always have room for improvement, and that even the lifestyles that are already successful in their traditions can still have room to move forward and progress.

Traditions don't mean "never change."  They mean following a logic that has always worked with open eyes to let what can improve the logic change the traditions.  "If it ain't broke don't fix it" says "if it's broke, fix it."  Don't forget about inverse relationships.  When trouble comes their way, that means somethings broke.  A traditionalist WILL fix what is broken.  

Otherwise I'd not be here!  I have always been a traditionalist.  But I used to be too isolated to realize that I had been only seeing what wasn't broken.  When I came to college and saw the diversity --- saw the other side of the map --- I realized that being stuck in my little country hometown was placing a barrier on me, disallowing me to see that there was more to the story than I could see at home.  I may still be a hometown country boy at heart, but the type of old Conservative Christian traditionalism that most folks (like my parents) subscribe to in my hometown is flawed.  That's why I am no longer Conservative, and became a Libertarian.  Ergo, "if it's broke, fix it!"  That doesn't mean I'm not still a traditionalist.  I am.  But I'm contemporary.

There's always room for improvement, folks.  Don't judge a book by its cover.  Sometimes you gotta push people in the direction to break the barriers keeping them from seeing what is broken.  It's not their fault they can't see it.  But it is your fault to misjudge them.  Not everyone lives in the same place.  So you gotta understand where people come from before you judge them.  

Applejack and the rest of the country ponies are traditionalists.  But MLP has shown us that they're the contemporary kind.  Though they might struggle to see what's broken at first, they eventually do.  The song "Raise this barn" is a prime example of a change in tradition.  And, this episode goes to show that the CMC have a lot to learn still.  Don't say "they haven't changed" or "they are't taking in mind what they learned from previous seasons."  They have!  But what they have learned hasn't been enough yet.  It takes time, folks.  It takes time.   :comeatus: 

~ Miles

[The Awesome One 1,314]

I honestly don't know. The only things we've seen in the show to date that were most definitely horses were the Saddle Arabians, but we never saw if they have cutie marks. Troubleshoes did, and even though his last name's Clyde, which could be a reference to Clydesdale horses, which he also happened to look very much like, he also looked very much like a pony as a colt, so I don't know, I really don't know.

You could say that he is just a tall pony but then I look at his head and it is different from all the other ponies. He is definitely a horse and so were those Saddle Arabians.

[PoisonClaw 8,153]

I wasn't looking too forward to this episode and to be honest it definitely fits into the "meh" category, largely due to the fact that this episode did have its share of predictable moments. Not "Games Ponies Play" level of predicability mind you, but it still comes off as a bit cliche, such as when Braeburn blocked the door, the first thought to enter my head was "He's going to fall asleep, isn't he?" and lo and behold! If Braeburn wasn't already injured, the next scene after he told Applejack that he let the CMC get by him would have had him sporting a brand new shiner from AJ.

 

Also, the townsfolk were just a bit too eager to demonize Troubleshoes even after he made them all laugh at the end. 

 

Only two things really stood out to me in this episode, the first being Troubleshoes himself. He's such an adorable klutz (both as a colt and a full grown stallion) that I just can't help but feel sorry for the big guy. The other thing is seeing that Sweetie Belle is getting better and better with her magic. Yeah, we know Twilight's been teaching her, but considering just a season or so ago she could just barely create a spark of magic, it shows how much she's growing now that she can just casually close the door behind her and levitate the keys of the hook with almost the same finesse as her sister.

 

It certainly is the weakest episode so far, but considering what's coming up in the next few weeks I'm holding off calling it the worst. 

[colt_following 169]

I liked this one actually a bit more than even Apple Bloom's dream episode. I'm digging this season a lot so far... maybe it's because it's the first season I've been able to watch in almost real-time.

Troubleshoes is Eeyore. by the way.

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

I enjoyed this episode, it's nice to see an episode that focuses on different characters or settings like this episode did with the Appleloosa citizens and the town. I love seeing the CMC get involved and seeing them try so hard to get their cutie marks only to realize them helping Troubleshoes was worth way more. I love the introduction of Troubleshoes, he's such a clumsy yet lovable guy and I sympathized with him. A decent episode overall with a very good lesson shown. 9/10!

[Castle Bleck 19,167]

My reaction to Braeburn sleeping on the job:

 

[Time Shield 402]

I was entertained, which is really the most important part.  The episode wasn't amazing like the ones before it, but it was still good, and I enjoyed watching it.

[simba86 1,541]

this episode in a nut shell

not as good as the rest but still good, and so much sweetie belle magic!

[rjrgmc28 130]

Right. Before I start of my thoughts on the episode, I would like to say that I may upset or get people off side with this recap and some people may not agree with it.

So with that said, let's get this out of the road:

"Overall, this episode didn't interest me one bit. I don't hate it as such, but for me it just felt flat for some reason."

That's right. This episode fell flat for me and I didn't like it. Not one bit.

Although it may not be like a total "I hate this episode and everything in it" like Power Ponies was, this episode despite being CMC themed didn't interest me one bit.

Ok, I might be overreacting a bit here, but there a couple of things that I did not like about this episode. Now I am not going to go into every single one and it's faults, if I did that we would be here all night.

However, there are a few things that really burn me up that I need to address.

While there were some scenes that I liked such as Apple Bloom showing objection to being sent home and Sweetie Belle refining her magic skills, I couldn't for the life of me couldn't follow the story or understand on why Troubleshoes, who was promoted in the episode synopsis as a pony who would end up on Australia's Most Wanted would end up being a rodeo clown.

I went into this episode also having some concern about "you know who" in the form of Braeburn:

"Oh great. Here we go. Cue the "we love Braeburn" stuff..."

"So halfway through the and apart from the CMC, this episode isn't working out for me. Like the theme, hate you know who."

"and when I mean by you know who, I am talking about "that" pony. Not Applejack, not Apple Bloom but Braeburn!"

Now while these next couple of sentences may cause people to grab the torches and pitchforks, I was expecting after this episode to see memes and images that would make me cringe.

I mean, what is so special about Braeburn anyway that warrants stuff like that?

Don't get me wrong here. But why is it everytime you hear his name, see a meme or a image of him that automatically you assume that people think of him in that light? For the record, I don't have anything against him, or do I have any hate or dislike for minor characters in the show.

It's just stuff like the memes and some of the image reactions just make me cringe for some reason. Being middle aged (or close to) usually means you have different thoughts and feelings and have a general dislike for the more modern culture that is out there today.

I am not saying that I hate them. If I did hate on everything that the fandom did including reactions to minor characters, then where would the fun stuff come from?

It's just that I am more of a serious person when it comes to watching the show. I don't care if a trend, meme or a image reaction starts. I prefer to look at the bigger picture and write about my thoughts on how I felt about the episode and argue some points if the need arises. I am not into the memes or image reactions as a personal preference.

So with that out of my system, would I see this episode again any time soon?

Not really.

While many people liked the episode, I won't be in a rush to watch this again any time soon.

I have also have written my full thoughts on the episode itself on my blog, which can be viewed here.

 

I have also included some additional thoughts on the episode in this recap video below:

 

Edited May 3, 2015 by rjrgmc28

[Grumpy Enchantress 586]

I've had time to compose my thoughts and now I think this is the worst episode ever. -999999999999999/10

Edited May 3, 2015 by Grumpy Enchantress

[Felix 1,363]

Yeah, not surprised by the results. It wasn't a bad episode but it wasn't great either so that just makes it "OK." There just didn't seem to be much to it at all. Not much of a story. The core of the episode seemed to be all the episode was which was basically: There's a problem, the CMC are curious and go looking, they find a stallion who's just having a rough time, and then they resolve what he's doing wrong in about five minutes.

 

CMC episodes are never a bad thing, in fact as time has gone on I've enjoyed them much more, but this episode was clearly hollow. It was the first CMC episode and probably the first episode of the generation that was kinda just "OK" to me.