S05:E09 - Slice of Life

[MistyGem 17]

so naturally im drawing a hype train picture for this episode but idk who else to put in it

i already (obviously) have bonbon lyra octavia vinyl derpy and dr whooves 

but who else she be there

i was thinking maybe the changling and buttonmash but from there im stumped 

[Thunderlane 550]

Wow I just noticed that "The Dude" has a rug cutie mark xD

[rjrgmc28 130]

I am going to be honest, blunt and straight to the point here and I don’t care if I get dragged through heck, cause a rift in the fandom or break a few friendships along the way for what I am about to say.

When I first saw the synopsis and title for the 100th episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic I thought I was going to be in for quite a treat with an episode to celebrate the accomplishments of the last five years and to look forward to the future of the show.

What I saw instead this morning was nothing like the episode I had in mind.

After two weeks of the hype being built up towards this once in a lifetime event, the tweet verdict from me is simple enough:

"I hate to say it, even after watching the ep but my fears were right all along. I am sorry, but MLP100 SUCKED."

That's right. This episode pretty much fell flat on it's face and sucked like a vacuum cleaner.

Now some fans may consider this being extremely too harsh towards the show staff and cry foul towards me for showing my inner Simon Cowell but this decision was made and despite the best of efforts to remain positive through out the whole thing, I had my worst fears for the episode realised in the space of 30 minutes and that didn't even include the attacks I got from expressing my true thoughts on this episode.

So why did it all go so wrong?
 
To sum it up briefly:

* The episode was overhyped and in terms of episode promotion it was pretty much in my face in the lead up to it airing. This resulted in being turned off from watching it in the first place.

* The idea of background ponies having an episode to themselves was in my opinion a disaster waiting to happen and I wasn’t even interested in the slightest when it was announced and that thought didn’t change when I watched it. Although on a positive note, there were some things that I liked including the bowling scenes which reflected my real world experiences during my league career.

* This episode ended up directly pandering to fans too much and overloaded it with too much fanservice to the point that it completely felt like it was being force fed. For the record, I don’t even like “fanon” with the exception of the Equestria Girls arc.

* I never bothered with the social media feeds for this episode nor did I live tweet (with the exception of updates and a few notable points) as I didn’t want to be caught up in a battle zone or face having to be subject of an attack by my voicing genuine concerns on the episode.

* The only redeeming thing about the episode was the wedding of Cranky and Matilda and that scene was pretty well done for the most part.
After all of that, I know I am going to be called out and blasted for this, but this could have been done a lot differently.
 
So after all of that, I 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 June 14, 2015 by rjrgmc28

[Pizzly 57]

love it omg omg so much cannon established 

[brsajo 162]

Overall, I wouldn't say this is a 'good' episode, but rather, a fun one-off. 

[Pineapple Bloom 511]

Did anyone else catch this yet!? It appeared around 15:46...

[TwistedGear 27]

Going through the backround 6 and the other major players:

Derpy: I love how they both made her a big part in saving the wedding but also the primary cause of the conflict, it's a nice balance that shows how hard she ried to make others happy.
Lyra and Bon Bond: I wouldn't have found this half as funny if I hadn't read the slice of life fan series yesterday. I was a bit annoyed how they hammered in that their friends, I thought they were doing a good job of skating the line in rainbow rocks but I guess they had to deconfirm it if they were going to share an episode with derpy.
Octavia and Vynal: I think keeping vynal mute works since the no wacking voice is the go to voice for her and there's no way they could have gotten her to do it without SOMEONE finding out early.
The BL: Kindof surprised they brought them back, and gave the main one that voice, I never watched the movie their from but I've seen enough to enjoy the scenes with them
Steven the Sea Serpent: Didn't expect him, didn't expect the name to be cannon, didn't expect his save at the end, this guy shocked me on so many levels.
Gummy: Wow...
Doctor Whooves: I love what they did with him the British voice works the science obsession makes sense and the scarf was a nice tou-

*dies*

[Mesme Rize 15,681]

I will be honest now. This was very good, in the sense that it was a very special episode. I think you can't criticize the episode like you could all the others, because this not the usual standard of the show.

 

The was a big thank you for the fans, who supported the crew for the last (almost) 5 years, so they want to thank the fans by giving them Background ponies, who mostly have the character from the fans.

 

I think if you are not a part of this fandom, you probably won't get it and just let it pass. But if you are one, especially one who has been here for a long time, you will probably love this episode.

 

The only critique that i could give this episode, was that Nurse Redheart was nowhere to be found, because she is my favorite background pony. But that's more a problem of mine, then the episode itself.

 

All in all, i had alot of fun with this episode and it will probably be mentioned by the fandom alot of times in the months to come.

[Delzepp 2,939]

--- post deleted by uploader ---

[Pastel 7,627]

One thing I disliked however: the fact the ponies don't give a damn about the bee-bear and are like "What is it this time?" It was absurd and not realistic at all... But I guess that's just me.

[Delzepp 2,939]

Did anyone else catch this yet!? It appeared around 15:46...

GOOD GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!!!

[Mesme Rize 15,681]

Also

 

 

A real man dosen't hide his tears.

[colt .45 259]

so naturally im drawing a hype train picture for this episode but idk who else to put in it

i already (obviously) have bonbon lyra octavia vinyl derpy and dr whooves 

but who else she be there

i was thinking maybe the changling and buttonmash but from there im stumped

 

How about the Lebowski ponies!

[Pizzly 57]

was derpy named in the episode?

[BastementSparkle 20,312]

Honestly, was this episode fan pandering? Yes. Lot's, and lot's of yes.

 

 But you know what? If I knew nothing about this show, and watched this episode...I'd still find it funny. That's why this episode doesn't really bother me. Even without knowing all the references I still think this episode would have been enjoyable, being able to understand them all only improved on the experience, it didn't take anything away.

 

 This episode was pure, unadulterated fun, with a nice message thrown in too. I smiled the whole way through. It's not a very deep, or complex, or emotional episode. But it was a fun ride that let us get to know some of these background characters a bit more, and showed us that even if we focus on the mane six, there are always other adventures going on in the world, even when they're not around.

 

 This episode made Equestria feel more alive to me, and that's without a doubt a good thing in my eyes.

[Pastel 7,627]

tears

*liquid pride

 

(I think it was a reference to that btw)

[~ Dr. Ocsid ~ 690]

One thing I disliked however: the fact the ponies don't give a damn about the bee-bear and are like "What is it this time?" It was absurd and not realistic at all... But I guess that's just me.

Aye, they should have been more like those people from Ankh-Morpork upon seeing an epic battle.

Selling popcorn anbd such to each other.

[PoisonClaw 8,153]

One thing I disliked however: the fact the ponies don't give a damn about the bee-bear and are like "What is it this time?" It was absurd and not realistic at all... But I guess that's just me.

Dude, I'm pretty sure Ponyville's seen stranger things. This is a typical Tuesday by this point. Notice how all nonchalant they all are both before the thing shows up ("It's either a friendship problem, or a monster attack) and during the whole thing. The Mane 6 dueling the monster throughout town is background noise to everything more important that's going on.

Edited June 13, 2015 by PoisonClaw

[Delzepp 2,939]

Also

 

 

A real man dosen't hide his tears.

wow, just noticed, that's the window cleaner from that rarity episode

 

what's he doing standing next to royalty?

 

for that matter, why are the princesses present for the wedding of 2 donkeys?

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

One thing I disliked however: the fact the ponies don't give a damn about the bee-bear and are like "What is it this time?" It was absurd and not realistic at all... But I guess that's just me.

You're not the only one. I fucking LOATHE the bugbear thing. 

[Shenron00 366]

What's "better" is subjective. But I would have appreciated it if the episode was merely "boring" instead of actually inflicting physical pain because of the non-stop cringing.

 

If you like an episode that's just throwing a bunch of memes at us, I'm fine with that. I don't like it though. Some things should be left to the fans.

But, it's a bit more than just "HERE, HAVE SOME MEMES! WE KNOW YOU LIKE MEMES! HARHARHARHARHAR!" No, it's actually more like "Hey guys, thanks for sticking with us for 100 episodes! We hope you enjoy some of these memes that we included." Was it overdone a bit? Sure, but it's not like they're actually FORCING you to recognize these things. It's like a cup of water. Water is good, but if you overflow the cup, it'll get all over the place. The cup overflowed a bit, but it's just a few little drops on the counter, it's fine. Same thing here, memes are fun, but if you put too many of them in an episode, you'll look like a try-hard. There were a few things that could have been left out, but it's only a little bit, the fans shouldn't get too pissed about it. It's not that big a deal. If you don't like the episode, that's fine, but you gotta give the creators a little bit of credit. They worked hard to please us, and I think we should all be at least be grateful.

[Batbrony 15,994]

Are all you Celestia haters happy now? ಥ_ಥ You got what you wanted because you love your Precious Luna so much...Now they've made Celestia a jerk...And now my waifu has been ruined...T_T

 

If anypony needs me I'll be killing myself...(ಥ﹏ಥ)

 

Not sure if you're being serious, but saying this as a sibling, I adored that moment.  It wasn't a "Let's hate Celestia" moment, it was a "Look, Celestia and Luna bicker like any siblings do, that's adorable and hilarious!" moment.  Neither of them were in the wrong, it was just plain silliness is all, and a side of both of them that we usually don't get to see.  I for one loved it! 

[Aerial~Shot 177]

I-I just, I can't contain all the feelings I have now, this was amazing...! Ok, give me a moment. I'm fangirling...

 

*deep breath*

 

Ok, let's do this

 

 

 

Derpy and the Doctor! The opening scene was so cute between them~ And every little interaction was done so well. I'm not into Doctor Who in the slightest but I know enough to understand the references and they were great

 

Vinyl's still mute but that's cool, I love Nowacking's voice for her and I honestly would be disappointed if her canon voice wasn't at least similar, and I actually like the idea of her being a mute in canon. Like, she lets her music speak for her, y'know?

 

Octavia's voice was pretty good. Her accent was just a bit exaggerated, but it's close enough to EileMonty's to appease me. And she lives with Vinyl! Yes! MUSIC PONY FRIENDSHIP! I love there house, and the split down the middle

 

The Flower Trio overreacting to everything, as usual. I love them

 

I think Lyra and Bon-Bon (excuse me, Sweetie Drops) stopped my heart. Tbh, I've never felt all that invested in them in the fanon, but I love seeing them. And their names were confirmed! I always wondered if they would stick with 'Sweetie Drops', as it is on the merchandise, or keep using 'Bon-Bon' like most bronies prefer. I like how they handled that. A secret identity. Cool. Also, maybe that's way she has a talent for changing her voice...? Their last scene at the wedding was beautiful. And so much shipping. Yes. "Best friends" indeed~

 

STEVEN. MAGNET. So, not only is his name canon, he's also friends with Cranky! That was unexpected  But cool, I guess

 

Gummy tho. I just. What  I feel like someone should go and dub over every scene with Gummy from the show with what he's thinking. Can someone do that? Please?

 

Shining Armour cries at weddings. Liquid pride. Beautiful. My baby

 

GODDAMMIT CELESTIA, HOW COULD YOU FORGET THE GIFT?!

 

And Derpy shuts the Mane 6 out. Good job, Derpy. Time for somepony else to get the spotlight!

 

Steven giving Cranky part of his moustache, aw~ And he hugs Bulk Biceps~

 

And a nice little closer from the Mane 6.

 

... Dammit, they still got to see...

 

[~ Dr. Ocsid ~ 690]

Important Message from Brony High Command!

This episode is released on Dailymotion!

Repeat: Released on Dailymotion!

Rewatch it and then analyze the shit out of it!

End of Message.

Edited June 13, 2015 by ~ Dr. Ocsid ~

[Pizzly 57]

i'll admit not a huge fan of the doctors great wickering stalions catchphrase seems to come out of nowhere