S05:E09 - Slice of Life

[Abia 258]

I do not think the bronies have or are carrying this show into success and the more I read this thread, the more I am getting the feeling that people think without the bronies, the show would have died with the pilot. Yes the episode was a recognition of the fandom and a thank you for being such big fans. That's big, and I can recognize that. But the writers chose ponies for this episode that have been important to the bronies, not because they need those particular ponies in order for  the show to be successful. I liked the episode alot, I've   watched it more times than I've watched any other in the entire series. It's a nod to the fans, but it's not a bowing down to them.

I think you've misinterpreted what most people are saying.

 

I do not think the bronies have or are carrying this show into success and the more I read this thread, the more I am getting the feeling that people think without the bronies, the show would have died with the pilot.

Heh, it's just plain silly to pretend that MLP wouldn't have reached the same success it has if not for Bronies. We are a huge part of the viewership. We help the ratings. We buy the merchandise. We do help. Of course the show would have continued beyond the pilot if not for us, but it definitely would not have taken the direction it did if we were not taken into consideration by the writers.

 

But the writers chose ponies for this episode that have been important to the bronies, not because they need those particular ponies in order for  the show to be successful.

Yes, that's the point. They've proven for four seasons that the show is successful without extra lines from the background ponies. They're catering to the fans. That's it. Most of us would continue to watch the show whether or not an episode devoted to background characters was released. I don't think anyone said that the characters in this episode are necessary for the show's continued success.

[Celli 4,335]

What an episode. I loved all the references and fan service. I can't believe they made Dr Whooves say Allons-y!

And gummy's inner monologue was hilarious.

I wonder if they'll let Derpy talk more. She stole the episode in my opinion.

To the naysayers, it's not supposed to be a serious episode, but a treat to the bronies for 100 episodes.

Here's to another hundred episodes, and the hope that the show keeps up by then!

[Dark Qiviut 22,192]

 

 

This would particularly apply to Cadence, Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna. Even if Pinkie and/or Twilight sent them invitations, why would they necessarily feel any obligation to attend the wedding, if they don't really know the bride, groom, or much of anyone else there besides the Mane Six?

I'm not so sure about the characters besides Celestia, but for Celestia, I can understand why. In A Friend in Deed, Cranky explained how he and Matilda met at the Grand Galloping Gala. There was a note to rendezvous, but he never received it, so he searched high and low for her with no luck. So he retired, and then thanks to Pinkie, they found each other. Even though the Gala is boring, it's still a very important ceremony for Celestia to attend. It makes sense for Celestia to attend the wedding and take it personally: Her being there completes the decades-long journey.

[immblueversion 331]

THAT.

WAS.

THE.

POINT.

 

This episode is a celebration, a "thank you" to the fans, by DOING EXACTLY THAT.

Whether you disliked it or not, this episode was done with the best of intentions by the staff. 

This episode is meant to be taken as its own thing, a hoorah that celebrates the thriving brony community and what we built these characters into.

 

The point here is that she saw something she didn't want to see the show do, done in a way she didn't want to see it done, and reacted accordingly. Whether the writers did it with the best intentions or not, they didn't do it expecting everyone to like it.

[Sectus 246]

I, personally, am a very skeptical and negative person at my very nature. Yet, despite this, I fail to see why so many are irritated by this episode.

 

This outburst of anger is coming in large part from a group of people within this fandom that were huge proponents of the background characters getting their own episode in the first place. It boggles the mind, the way people in this group think. It doesn't seem to matter /what/ the writers do, some of us in this fandom seem to have unchangeable minds. No matter what is done, the writers are either always wrong or always right. 

 

I am of the opinion that this series, while a good one overall, has been dotted with its fair share of poorly constructed episodes that fail to present a decent lesson in the end. This episode was not one of those. This episode was made specifically for the fans, and while I will not say that that means we cannot be critical, I will say that we should appreciate the thanks we are given for simply being fans.

[Luffyiscool 397]

The point here is that she saw something she didn't want to see the show do, done in a way she didn't want to see it done, and reacted accordingly. Whether the writers did it with the best intentions or not, they didn't do it expecting everyone to like it.

Um, I knew that?

 

She already responded to me anyways.

[Casbyness 48]

I LOVED THIS EPISODE!

 

Watching every episode leading up to this was like standing in the queue for a crazy rollercoaster ride, then the episode begins and it's like twenty minutes of soild "OMG" "Oh SNAP!" and "I can't believe that just happened!"

 

The Changeling was so much win. And Gummy! And Derpy! And Lyra! And like, everything! It was like Pinkie Pie was allowed to write and direct an episode after being shown all the faun output for the past few years. Amazing stuff!

 

The only thing missing was an Optimus Prime cameo, but I guess he was busy elsewhere

[Foliha 395]

"snip"

 

Well, I lived in a city of about 12,000 people for most of my life. That may or may not be considered a "small town", but I guess it's beside the point; I don't think my thought process or social behavior would significantly change, regardless of the size of town I live in.

 

My thought is that it shouldn't automatically be the case that all the members of a "small town" are friends with and care that much about each other. Cranky is a (relatively) new resident of Ponyville, and moreover, said in his previous episode (A Friend In Deed) that he wanted to be left alone and was not interested in making new friends. He seems to have retained that personality in this episode, so I would think that Cranky hasn't been making too much (if any) effort to make friends with other Ponyville residents, and hence, the other Ponyville residents would barely know about him or be friends with him. I suppose it's possible (though I'm not sure how probable) that Matilda is well-known and well-liked around Ponyville, but I don't think we've seen any significant evidence that that's the case.

 

Regarding the possibility that everyone's going to the wedding because Pinkie is friends with everyone and she invited them all, I'm not sure that everyone should feel an automatic obligation to attend solely on that basis. If my friend A invited me to the wedding of B and C, and I only know B and C because A knows them (and may have introduced me to them at some point), then I would be very hesitant to go, considering B and C probably wouldn't really care whether I attended, I probably wouldn't know B's and C's families at all, etc. This would especially be the case if A isn't a particularly close friend in the first place, and considering that Pinkie is supposedly "friends" with everyone in Ponyville, I would think that Pinkie may not be particularly close friends with a lot of the ponies to whom she would have given invitations.

 

This would particularly apply to Cadence, Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna. Even if Pinkie and/or Twilight sent them invitations, why would they necessarily feel any obligation to attend the wedding, if they don't really know the bride, groom, or much of anyone else there besides the Mane Six? The four of them are probably pretty busy with their jobs leading Equestria, the Crystal Empire, and the Royal Guard, so I would think that their free time (however much they have) is valuable, and it's hard for me to see how this wedding in Ponyville is a worthwhile use of their time.

 

 

Yeah, it's possible that Gummy is paralyzed, although if he is, is Pinkie aware of that, considering that she apparently seriously expected him to continue baking in her absence? That wouldn't seem to reflect very well on Pinkie. And of course, there are many other questions, such as how Gummy would have learned language, how he would have acquired the knowledge to be able to ponder philosophical questions, etc. As I said earlier, I don't think this one-off gag is worth all the questions and implications it raises.

I think Cranky is different than he used to be.  Yeah, he's still cranky, but it's more like that's just his personality habit.  I think he really feels good about Ponyville and the ponies now, and I think he's definitely an integrated member of the community. 

 

I also think Ponyville is a lot smaller than 12,000 ponies.  More like 1,200 (maximum).  I've lived in the country - miles from anybody, a couple of towns of less than a thousand, and Los Angeles, for 20 years (Hollywood, Echo Park, & Silverlake) and they are definitely different paradigms.  In a truly small town every body knows everybody - often more than is entirely comfortable - but it seems to be the "pony way."    They are a close-knit community.  Remember Raritie's "Manehattan" song? 

 

In a small kingdom - Equestria - the rulers use big social events to make appearances that bond them with their subjects.  And of course, the Princesses would have been invited by Pinkie Pie.  Cranky's wedding would be a logical time for them to turn up.  Noblesse  oblige, if you will.  The whole town will be there, so they can "kiss a lot of babies" and stand around looking regal. 

 

As for Gummy - I never meant that he himself was paralyzed or a quadraplegic.  But he's an alligator.  Have you ever been around alligators?  Talk about low-affect.  Unless they're snatching a dead chicken out of your hands, they are kind of like a bunch of rocks.  (ETA.  Hey!  Maybe that's why Pinkie Pie has a pet Alligator.  He sits around like a rock most of the time, and she grew up on a rock farm!)  They just sit there.  But who knows what's going on inside of their craniums?  That's why Gummy's  existential musings were so funny. 

 

Gummy didn't bake a cake, but who's to say why?  He could have been lost in quantum physics or just unmotivated.  Or maybe the reason alligators just sit around gazing off into space so much of the time is because they don't experience the passage of time the way ponies do.  To Gummy, it might seem like Pinkie was gone for the blink of an eye.  Or maybe their synapses don't fire unless they are activated by fast motion in front of their face.  Like waving a dead chicken at them.  They're like, sit.  sit.  sit.  SNAP!  sit. sit. sit. sit.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Foliha

[Casbyness 48]

I kinda don't get all these drama type comments about catering to the fandom and there being a small target audience. I just watch the show and collect merchandise, I don't get involved in other stuff like fanfics, etc. However, I can still totally see where all the fun sections of the episode came from and why each was both awesome and funny. It reminded me of awesome crossover episodes from other shows (e.g. the He-Man/She-Ra movie where Skeletor turns hero), or a good non-cynical episode of something like Robot Chicken, or the recent Kung Fury movie. A wonderfully clever payoff to a large number of in-jokes that have built up within the show over the years, with some hilarious surprises mixed in. It was like the show became unglued for one episode, harkening back to the wilder days of the best "Cartoon Cartoons" like Powerpuff Girls and Johnny Bravo.

 

I'm really happy and grateful that this was made, a lot of good shows don't get to do something like this before ending.

[Professor Annabella 330]

I, personally, am a very skeptical and negative person at my very nature. Yet, despite this, I fail to see why so many are irritated by this episode.

 

This outburst of anger is coming in large part from a group of people within this fandom that were huge proponents of the background characters getting their own episode in the first place. It boggles the mind, the way people in this group think. It doesn't seem to matter /what/ the writers do, some of us in this fandom seem to have unchangeable minds. No matter what is done, the writers are either always wrong or always right. 

 

I am of the opinion that this series, while a good one overall, has been dotted with its fair share of poorly constructed episodes that fail to present a decent lesson in the end. This episode was not one of those. This episode was made specifically for the fans, and while I will not say that that means we cannot be critical, I will say that we should appreciate the thanks we are given for simply being fans.

Amen!

 

I feel like there is so much hate on this episode. It's like... Being grateful for the love of god. I feel like this episode was more about how far we've come, and if you take a few steps back and look at it as a whole, that's the true beauty of it. How we've effected the show and internet culture forever! Some shows don't even acknowledge their fans and their fanon or ideas. My little Pony? They ate it up! They made Derpy, The Doctor, Lyra, Bon Bon. These were all characters we built personalities for! 'Ugh, it was poorly written' or 'Ugh, so much fan service' maybe 'Ugh it wasn't even funny'

 

Uh... Please. Do you have anything better to do then pick apart this episode? Be happy it exists in the first place. Cheers! We made it to the big 100

[Abia 258]

Amen!

 

I feel like there is so much hate on this episode. It's like... Being grateful for the love of god. I feel like this episode was more about how far we've come, and if you take a few steps back and look at it as a whole, that's the true beauty of it. How we've effected the show and internet culture forever! Some shows don't even acknowledge their fans and their fanon or ideas. My little Pony? They ate it up! They made Derpy, The Doctor, Lyra, Bon Bon. These were all characters we built personalities for! 'Ugh, it was poorly written' or 'Ugh, so much fan service' maybe 'Ugh it wasn't even funny'

 

Uh... Please. Do you have anything better to do then pick apart this episode? Be happy it exists in the first place. Cheers! We made it to the big 100

 

Wait, wait. There's nothing wrong with having a critical opinion. The sentiment behind the episode is great. It's a thank you to the fans, and I appreciate that. That's great.

 

But whether or not I approve of the concept doesn't affect my judgment of the writing, pacing and characterization. This is an episode, just like any other, and I'm interested in analyzing it for its quality as well as its intention.

[Steve Piranha 29,014]

Oh my my, and I was wondering where are the viewers who didn't liked it  , that's the freakout I needed    . To be honest, I kept my expectations low because I was expecting it to just throw fanservice for the sake of it, but no. Yes, it threw lots of fanservice, but still managed to tie a coherent plot together and saved enough time to stabilish the personalities of many of our favorite background (former, maybe  ) poneh, and in my opinion that was the strongest point in the episode, as the series focus on the mane6, but there are more adventures and shenanigans around us and we don't realize it   (I mean, Bon Bon a secret agen DA FUK  ? Didn't saw that coming :comeatus: )

[Miles 2,512]

Okay, so I just got around to watching it.  Didn't have time til now.

---

WOW.  Dubyuh Oh Dubyuh, WOW.

Do you even realize how much information was seamlessly fit into that 20-ish minute time slot?  I mean d-d-d-damn!  This episode had a lot going on!

Alright alright... Time for my analyzing.

---

Key points

1.  The drama over if the fan pandering was good or bad.

Folks.  Y'all knew that this was going to be a background pony episode to begin with, before you even saw the episode.  I don't see it as only being fan pandering.  I see it as a well executed usage of background ponies, as I expected it to be.  Quit focusing over the "fan pandering" label, and see it as what it is - an episode with a good story that uses the background ponies rather than the Mane 6.  

That being said: of course logically, fanships and headcanons are going to be a part of using background ponies!  Do you really think they would not use those ships if they're going to use those characters?  C'mon.  Lighten up.  So maybe some of you are not into shipping.  Okay, so what?  Maybe I don't like Barrack Obama as our president.  But I don't bitch at the news channels for airing political news that has Obama in it!  He's the president, so of course he'll be in the news when politics are relevant.  Ergo: those ships you saw in the episode were to be expected, as this was an episode relevant to background ponies.  

2.  Doc and Derpy.

HNNG!  I'm not even a legit shipper of them2 necessarily; and not even a Dr. Who fan... but my goodness, they are CUTE together!  I mean, just... wow... they seriously made it work.  And it was great.  

3.  No reference to her name.

Well duh.  Did you really think they were gonna?

This was fan pandering, and we like "Derpy" - but... we dislike "Ditzy Doo" (maybe not all of us, but, in general).  So, to avoid giving her the name we don't like, and as well to avoid pushing soccer moms buttons again, Hasbro just went without anyone calling her by name.  Kudos to Hasbro on that.  They did right.

4.  Bugbear and the Lollipop Guild Mane 6.

To make the episode work along the lines of needing a "rush" (as in, the episode was built around a "day early" wedding), something needed to cause a ruckus fracas in the background story to enable an escalated feeling to give a boost to the "rush."  Using the Mane 6 in a battle against another villain was a damn good idea.  

Plus, the panda referencing via Bugbear was a humorous implied *wink* that I appreciated.

5.  (Something I've not seen anyone mention here) The Florists Double Drama.

Derpy asks if the flowers can be ready on that day rather than the next.  The flowers weren't even at the shop yet.  Response:

"Oh! The horror, the HORROR!" 

Bugbear broke a flower's stem.  Respose:

"Oh! The horror, the HORROR!"

LMAO!  That was hilarious   

6.  Lyra and Bon Bon.

*Smirk.*

Oh, the irony.  So many folks getting their britches in a bunch over the "best friends" tidbit.  Relax a little and enjoy the humor.  You know that both takes on what it means has merit.  It can be taken literally, or sarcastically.  Believe what you want.  Don't go forcing "IT IS" or "IT IS NOT" down people's throats.  It is whatever the hell people want it to be.  

 

7.  Bon Bon as a secret agent.

*I'll get back to this in my critiquing bit later.

8.  Steven Magnet.

Purely, simply, outstanding.

9.  Vinyl and Octavia.

I swear, they got influence from Lindsey Stirling!  That song was awesome!

Great roommates they are, I say.    

10.  GUMMY.

LOL!!!

DAFUUUQ???

OKAY THEN.

And that sums up my thoughts on Gummy.

11.  Celestia and Luna.

That was some great realistic sisterly bickering, and then they made up due to the mayor's speech being totally awesome and heartwarming.

12.  Cry me a river.

Liquid pride.  Eeyup.  Cadence is a sucker for the softies.    

13.  That ending hug by the Mane 6.

Perfect ending.  Just... perfect.

---

Critiquing time

Despite the word "critique" normally having a negative connotation, my critique is not bad.  

I have but one small thing to say...  Up until the point where Bon Bon turned into a secret agent, I kind of felt like the episode seemed to be stuck in second gear.  But of course that is acceptable, since that part was basically the climax, and it should be expected that the first half might be a little slow.  Nonetheless, and I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I'm just saying how I felt:  *Redlining second gear nearing the climax*  "Best Friends"  *Clutch engaged*  ... then when Bon Bon jumped out the window, *CLUNK... VROOOM* There came third gear!  Lmao...   

My overall rating is a 9/10.

I really liked it   

---
 

Loved the realistic Tia and Luna dialog. 
To the Bonbon and Lyra shippers, I married and had two daughters with my best friend. I still refer to her as my best friend.

 

You deserve an award for that post (for putting the storm to rest with THEE best answer, ever).

~ Miles

P.S.  13 keypoints because 13 is my lucky number.  

[Judgement 445]

I loved this episode. While it had a very weak plot that didn't make much sense, I found joy in most of the fanon becoming canon. The one disappointment I had was Vinyl not getting a talking part, but the whole scene with Octavia and Vinyl creating music in the same house as roommates made up for that. I loved the voices for the most part. Dr. Whooves, Octavia, Bon Bon and Lyra all talked like how I imagined them to, so I am more than happy.

 

 

I also really liked Luna and Celestia being a little rude to eachother. It seemed pretty realistic, like how real siblings would sometimes not get along, especially when nobody's looking.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Judgement

[Time Shield 402]

I'm not so sure about the characters besides Celestia, but for Celestia, I can understand why. In A Friend in Deed, Cranky explained how he and Matilda met at the Grand Galloping Gala. There was a note to rendezvous, but he never received it, so he searched high and low for her with no luck. So he retired, and then thanks to Pinkie, they found each other. Even though the Gala is boring, it's still a very important ceremony for Celestia to attend. It makes sense for Celestia to attend the wedding and take it personally: Her being there completes the decades-long journey.

 

Adding to this point, I'd also like to make the observation that the Grand Galloping Gala is typically by invite only, which means for Cranky and Matilda to have attended it, they would have had to be invited (unless of course they were somepony else's +1's).  Regardless, it's safe to say they had at least met Celestia, particularly since she greets a lot of the attendees personally.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Time Shield

[Bill_theBrohny 31]

this episode was........awsome

[Sobana 100]

This next observation will blow your mind so you might want to take a seat before you read any further...

 

Every episode of any show could be considered fan pandering because they all want fans to like and, more importantly, to watch the show so they will usually add in things that people want to watch. Shows that don't care about holding the attention of the audience are normally considered of a poor quality or low budget.

 

You have just been educated by the Sobana. Have a pleasant day.

[manic 121]

Of course they wouldn't want to cross the line of risk (the line being homosexual couples, which is sad really considering this day and age) but the maker (in this case being Hasbro) obviously made it clear that they are just friends but at the same time did enough to make the shippers happy.

 

They are proven to be "Best Friends" canon wise.

Disclaimer: I wasn't a lyrabon shipper before this, but I knew of it.

 

What I thought? They clarified they were best of friends. Sure. The lines on paper are perfectly within the closest you can possibly get for the eating and because Hasbro will not cross some lines. However the lines and expressions were said in such a way that I had a mental image of a huge "*NUDGE NUDGE WINK WINK*" the entire time. Those voice actors and animators knew what they were doing.

 

Overall a smart move, giving all parties fuel without shutting them down.

[Fawkes The Phoenix 737]

Who cares if the plot seems to make no sense? This episode is supposed to be just fanservice, which isn't bad once in a while. I'm not even gonna bother rating this episode, it was just something designed to be enjoyed without thinking so much about it, so i'm gonna save the deep analysis for later episodes and keep fanboying about the background ponies getting their own episode.

[Persona22 205]

Okay, now this scene: 

 

Is it a reference to "Ponies with hats"?

 

(Jump to 45 seconds into the video)

 

[Time Shield 402]

Even putting the Doctor Who references aside, I could have watched an entire episode with Derpy and Time Turner. Their interactions were great, and I loved both his enthusiasm for science and her mix of confusion and amazement at it.

[MaddyPie 14]

Fantastic episode! Most liked Dr.Hooves with a scarf of Four Doctor.

[darkwingmare 1,296]

It was AWESOME, I love all background ponies, I love the fandom's made up canons, I love how my theory about Vinyl being mute was correct and I LOVE THE WHOLE CHABANG. That's all, folks! I LOVED IT.

[Guest]

Whilst I'm indifferent to/ not the biggest fan of some of these background characters, there were some really nice moments included. I particularly enjoyed hearing from Octavia, Gummy was unexpectedly awesome and Mayor Mare's speech was a lovely endnote. 

[ManaMinori 4,144]

I loved this episode. While it had a very weak plot that didn't make much sense, I found joy in most of the fanon becoming canon. The one disappointment I had was Vinyl not getting a talking part, but the whole scene with Octavia and Vinyl creating music in the same house as roommates made up for that. I loved the voices for the most part. Dr. Whooves, Octavia, Bon Bon and Lyra all talked like how I imagined them to, so I am more than happy.

 

 

I also really liked Luna and Celestia being a little rude to eachother. It seemed pretty realistic, like how real siblings would sometimes not get along, especially when nobody's looking.

to quote a certain Draconequiis....

sense? what fun is there in making sense?"

 

there are already tons of elements in the show that don't make 100% sense. Does that stop is from enjoying it? Eben when a completely 100% nonsensical episode comes around, once in a blue moon?