S06:E07 - Newbie Dash

[Megas 27,064]

Just a short while ago, I joked about how my relationship with this episode would be the equivalent of an "it's complicated", because honestly this is the most "love-hate" I've ever felt about an episode in this entire series. I absolutely hate the fact that this is supposed to be Rainbow Dash's big milestone episode, yet it pretty much makes a lot of the big mistake that The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well(from season 2) from making Rainbow Dash having regressing tremendously for the sake of the story and make her look like a complete fool while making her feel like garbage at the same time, to giving the episode to a brand new writer who's completely unfamiliar with the show's territory(double bad considering it's again, a milestone episode, this episode should've been handled with the most care in the world). It's almost a complete downer for what should've been a fantastic episode with tons of feel good moments, and Rainbow becoming a Wonderbolt gets glossed over in about a minute in the most anticlimactic way possible. Meanwhile, Twilight, Rarity, and the CMC all get episodes and seeing their accomplishments in such grand, satisfying manners, and they feel like actual milestone episode. By comparison.....honestly I'm really tempted to say, especially after 6 goddamn years since the first episode, this episode feels like a gigantic middle finger as a Rainbow Dash fan.....

 

Yet, if I ignore that fact completely, and just watch it as a normal episode, I still find myself enjoying it. I found myself laughing at some of Dash's antics(seriously, Rainbow Fash needs to be more of a thing), I enjoy the story and Rainbow's dilemma(most of the time), I liked the Wonderbolts(most of the time). Honestly, if this was simply a normal episode with Rainbow Dash simply trying to fit in with the Wonderbolts, I doubt it'd be nearly as big of a shitstorm it currently is.

 

Simply put, this shouldn't have been the milestone episode, it should've been put on hold while they made a proper milestone episode. This episode has lots of good material to work with, get rid of the whole "I'm finally a Wonderbolt" thing, simply have it be about her adapting to WB life and their traditions and rework some bits like the ending so she addresses her issues with the name, keep some of the antics but get rid of that last bit of her royally fucking up everything and you could make it work. For the episode it was supposed to be, it should've went out with a bang but instead it went out on a whimper. On it's own it has it's moments where it shines, but for what was supposed to be Rainbow's biggest achievement she should've gotten her chance to shine, it's something that's been 6 years in the making, literally since the first episode...I'm sorry, she deserved so, so, so much better

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Also on the subject of objectivity. 

 

The fact that there are so many takes on the episode, with opinions and interpretations practically everywhere, to claim any one as the "objective" is incredibly silly and presumptuous

Edited May 11, 2016 by Megas

[ggg-2 3,550]

So a lot of people is complaining about Newbie Dash for two mayor reasons:

1- The scene where Dash imitates her friends.
2- The wonderbolts calling Rainbow by her old nickname “Crash”.

In the first point, the scene is supposed to be cringeworthy. I mean, come on! We’ve had scenes like that before!

And in the second point, there’s a line between friendly teasing and outright bullying. Trust me, I know plenty of those two to know the difference, and in the episode, it was pretty clear.

The Wonderbolts called Rainbow “Rainbow Crash” because she didn’t follow Rule #1 and ended up crashing into a conveniently well placed trashcan. And in her last attempt to get herself a new nickname, she changed the last part of the rutine and ended up crashing in everything.

At the end of the day, the Wonderbolts not only recognize Rainbow’s skill and that she is wonderbolts’ material, but they also say that ALL of them have nicknames, and all of them were newbies at some point.

Overall, the episode was good, in my opinion. But I’m kinda tired to see all the whining, saying that the Wonderbolts are bullies and whatnot.

Besides, friendly insults are what good, lifetime friends do. My friends and I may not call names to each other, but we sure throw insults at one another, always knowing that there are limits, and that no matter how angry we are at each other, there are things that we just don’t say.

Tough love, baby!

[Truffles 2,033]

I have to admit, after watching this episode three more times, I just can't come to dislike it, even though I see the points of those who outright hated it. It was funny enough, it accomplished it's goal of getting Rainbow fully into being a Wonderbolt, and the characters - while pushing the bounds of believability - could have their actions explained due to the circumstances. About the only weird thing was the imitation scene. It's funny at first, but it doesn't play as well on repeated viewings. I'm glad at least Ashleigh Ball likely had a lot of fun doing it, so even that's not all bad!
 
I know some felt the episode rushed into her learning about getting accepted too quickly, but we've seen a character's dream being a quick bit of exposition before in "Canterlot Boutique" and I don't think it was brought up as a problem by fans then.
 
Then there's the complaints than Rainbow's dream was mangled because she had such a bad time on her first few days. But again, this is not new to the series - we had the culmination of the entire first season end up in a finale where the whole Gala was a big disappointment for all the characters. And again, "Canterlot Boutique" spent most of its episode showing what a nightmare Rarity's dream had become - to the point of even giving up and going out of business up until the last moment. Even Rainbow didn't get fired from the Wonderbolts in this episode. So I can't really complain about this since the story would have required there be some sort of complication to her first days as a Wonderbolt, even if the episode jettisoned the nickname premise completely.
 
All of Rainbow's weirdness I can chalk up to her being nervous about finally achieving her dream, and having to worry that the one name she hates the most is going to be the name they refer to her for the rest of her life. Did they push it too far? Probably. But it wasn't enough for me to hate the episode.
 
I will say the episode's entire premise is built on a house of cards - I 100% agree with those that have stated similarly. As many others have already said, if Rainbow had simply told them that was a very hurtful name or if the WB had done what you would expect to happen in a realistic scenario - that is, explain the meaning of the nicknames right from the start - then none of the conflict in the episode would have happened. This is the episode's most egregious flaw.
 
As for the WB acting out of character? Eh, I didn't get that feeling. Even when Soarin started laughing at Dash when she trashed herself he immediately realized he made a mistake and tried to cover his mouth with his hoof, so he likely felt bad about laughing at her. All the other times he appears he's actually supportive of her.
 
Spitfire in particular was in character. Honestly, this is the best I have felt about her in like, ever; she pretty much redeemed herself with me after all that went on in "Wonderbolts Academy" and "Rainbow Falls." Her geeking out with Dash in the barracks and learning she has the most embarrassing nick of all showed she has a softer side and isn't just this tough drill sergeant with no feelings whatsoever. She didn't try to throw Rainbow under the bus and was understanding in the end about the situation and didn't can her like she did to Lightning Dust.
 
As for the hazing, I see it, but giving each other embarrassing names didn't reach the level of dunking pledges in toilets or making them eat gross things or tying them to trees overnight. Again, if the 'bolts had explained things earlier, it would have been the right thing to do; but I guess the story would be done in 5 minutes.
 
One thing I found interesting was the scene where Fluttershy explains she knew about how hurtful "Crash" was to Rainbow in Flight Camp. My immediate thought with Twilight standing right next to her? Twilight, Starlight, and Spike actually know it first hand as well! Ah, the magic of time travel...
 
I do wish they had shortened the impersonation scene and given that time to have Rainbow and Scoots have a heart-to-heart while she's sweeping up the arena grounds at the end. She did kind of hurt Scoots emotionally by making her be an accomplice to such a terrible idea. Showing Rainbow patching things up with her probably would have given the episode some of the feels it needed for such an important milestone.
 
Anyway, just an opposing opinion here. Thanks for reading if you made it all the way through, lol. I definitely see the flaws that have been exposed, but I didn't feel they rose to the level of say "Spike at Your Service" where he's a bumbling idiot without any rhyme or reason, or "The Super Squeezy Cider 6000" where the Apples all check their brains at the door in the name of some pointless contest and Pinkie is suddenly a bully. =P

Edited May 12, 2016 by Truffles

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

One of my favorite things about this episode is that it didn't end all peachy. Rainbow was a real screw up in this episode and it would seem strange for them to brush that off.

 

Oh, and also this frame.

 

.

OMG! What the hay is Twilight doing to poor Fluttershy?

[Lagrangian 64]

OMG! What the hay is Twilight doing to poor Fluttershy?

Hey! Fluttershy assaulted her! We all saw it!

[Sketchy Tail 206]

I actually liked this episode! I'm so proud of Dash for becoming an official wonderbolt, and can't wait to see her and the wonderbolts in the future!

Her impressions of the mane 5 were hilarious too!

[Sonic5421 423]

I actually liked this episode! I'm so proud of Dash for becoming an official wonderbolt, and can't wait to see her and the wonderbolts in the future!

Her impressions of the mane 5 were hilarious too!

 

I'll admit, while I was actually cringing and face-palming a bit with Rainbow trying to imitate the rest of the Mane Six, seeing her finally attain her dream made me very proud of her, especially once she learned that having her old nickname of "Rainbow Crash" as her Wonderbolt nickname is not something she has to be upset with now that she knows the rest of the Wonderbolts have nicknames they don't like as well, but have gotten used to over time.

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

 

 

In the first point, the scene is supposed to be cringeworthy. I mean, come on! We’ve had scenes like that before!

Supposed to doesn't mean it should. Comedy as a whole takes effort, but cringe comedy even more so. The two best ways for cringe jokes to work are:

1. Does the character deserve it? Discord's failed comedy routine in Make New Friends is cringe comedy, but he was misbehaving really badly, so the humor is karmic justice.
2. The characters cringe from the scene, but not the audience. The Best Night Ever's mice-horse is a cringe joke, but the joke works because (to people who kept up with it) the audience was clued that Twilight's spell wasn't going to work, and (for all demographics) the mice-horse don't look visually crude.

Here, the joke fails because a great chunk of the audience feels secondhand embarrassment for Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash didn't change her attitude in response to annoying stimuli. Dash changed it to try to impress her WB colleagues and hide her hurt feelings. You won't make people laugh if they find the impersonations physically uncomfortable to watch. If it's too much to handle, then they might pause, fast-forward, or change the channel.

 

 

 

And in the second point, there’s a line between friendly teasing and outright bullying. Trust me, I know plenty of those two to know the difference, and in the episode, it was pretty clear.

The episode didn't make it clear till near the end. Dash wasn't familiar with this part of their culture, wasn't in on the joke, and the WBs didn't hint it at any point till that sloppy foreshadow near the end of Act 2.

 

Secondly, just because it's "friendly banter" doesn't mean it's okay. The people who tease them see it as good fun, but the person who receives the teasing may find it offensive and see it as bullying. The recipient has every right to not participate in destructive culture and tell his friends to keep him out of it.

 

Thirdly, because Dash wasn't in on the joke, the Wonderbolts "teasing" is a form of hazing, and the episode actively teaches the viewer that hazing is okay. It's not: Hazing rituals are abusive and cost lots of people their dignity and/or their lives.

[weesh 690]

...the episode actively teaches the viewer that hazing is okay. It's not: Hazing rituals are abusive and cost lots of people their dignity and/or their lives.

 

I've been wondering while reading these comments if people are just ignorant of the damage hazing causes?  

Seems like just about anyone who is aware should find this aspect of the episode abhorrent.  

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

I've been wondering while reading these comments if people are just ignorant of the damage hazing causes?  

Seems like just about anyone who is aware should find this aspect of the episode abhorrent.  

Either that or unaware. I've been familiar with the terrible consequences of hazing since I first heard about it approximately a decade ago, and it's a very big problem worldwide. The fact that ND's moral defends this abuse makes it one of the three worst of the show.

[CT-1138 3,180]

Making the new guy do the shit work is hardly hazing, and it occurs in every job in every field around the world. If scrubbing toilets leaves you with the feeling of being abused, then may God have mercy on us all. 

Edited May 12, 2016 by Dinos4Ever

[weesh 690]

Making the new guy do the shit work is hardly hazing, and it occurs in every job in every field around the world. If scrubbing toilets leaves you with the feeling of being abused, then may God have mercy on us all. 

 

It wasn't just about being new, it was the WORST guy, in a system that will usually humiliate the newest flier.

And that was hardly the worst of the hazing.  That part didn't bug me anywhere near as much as the Bolts continuing to use the nickname that rainbow made clear, TWICE, that she didn't appreciate.  

Taken as a whole, the system is unnecessarily abusive.  

[CT-1138 3,180]

It wasn't just about being new, it was the WORST guy, in a system that will usually humiliate the newest flier.

And that was hardly the worst of the hazing.  That part didn't bug me anywhere near as much as the Bolts continuing to use the nickname that rainbow made clear, TWICE, that she didn't appreciate.  

Taken as a whole, the system is unnecessarily abusive.  

 

Yeah, that tends to happen commonly in military units and sports teams. Heck, it even commonly happens in construction jobs, office jobs... just about everywhere. People don't get deep psychological scars just from having to mop up floors and getting saddled with embarrassing nicknames. If they do, then there's likely something underlying there in the psyche that the nickname triggers rather than causes. As the 'Bolts displayed, you eventually learn to live with your nickname and accept is as a term of endearment and comradery. If you can't get past a nickname, then you're going to have a very tough time in the real world, where people are typically rewarded for being real assholes. You guys act like the 'Bolts waterboarded her, or raped her in some horrifyingly humiliating act of depraved initiation. Heck, I've read T-rated fanfics where they put Wonderbolt initiates through worse. I think this whole thing is being blown way out proportion. 

Edited May 12, 2016 by Dinos4Ever

[Thrond 3,257]

Nonsense, I don't think you know what objective means. An objective quality in writing that one could measure would be things like grammar or spelling. We can measure whether or not your spelling is correct, we can't measure 'correct' characterization or plot progressions. This would be like saying that one characters color pallet is objectively better than another characters because this ones adheres to color theory. Color theory is not objective science, just like literary devices or narrative techniques are not objective science.

 

This episode highlighted Rainbows very blatant and obvious narcissistic tendencies beautifully, and closed on a satisfying arc. Everything she did in this episode was very much so believable because she's been shown to do similar things in previous episodes. It doesn't matter if you think it was the right or wrong thing to do, what matters is that it was consistent with her character and one could reasonably assume she would do those things. Sometimes, characters don't act the exact same way in every single situation, especially after learning lessons or even behaving differently in other contextual scenarios, that is not believable because real people don't act that way. Characterization was flawless.

Sure, her actions here are consistent with her actions throughout the series, and I honestly don't think most of what she did was at all unbelievable, but I did think some of her actions ignored some of her character development. Believable? Yes, to some extent; it's recognizably Rainbow Dash, but also no, as some of the earlier boasting in particular seemed to demonstrate character regression. She demonstrates less modesty and (especially) self-awareness than she had in earlier episodes. Not that this character regression is an entirely new development, but for an episode that I'd hoped to be a strong character showcase, it's especially disappointing. 

 

 

Your standard for "objective" is unfairly high.

The insistence that I take facts on color philosophy to the standard of measurable light wavelength isn't helpful.  All that does is make it hard to communicate.

What needs to be true for something to be objective is that it is easily and clearly supported by facts without personal feelings or opinions influencing the judgement.  

 

If you really want to hold me to the "red light is 700nm" level of fact, then we don't have enough common ground to have a discussion.  If you are willing to accept that making media has accepted principles that have been studied, analyzed and honed to a fine point, then it isn't hard to make a case that "newbie dash" has SOME elements that are objectively bad.  

Backing your statements up with facts isn't objectivity, it's just backing up an argument. It's easy to make a case that "Newbie Dash" is flawed, but it's not easy to make a case that it's "objectively bad," because that's a value judgement which might not be a significant issue to others. "Good"/"bad" are vague labels which describe personal judgments above all else. They're hardly objective, and the film techniques you talk about are simply things which will assist most people's enjoyment and comprehension of the work. A work doesn't suddenly fall apart without it, as success is relative to an assigned purpose, which in any creative work varies per viewer.  

 

 

 

So a lot of people is complaining about Newbie Dash for two mayor reasons:

1- The scene where Dash imitates her friends.

In the first point, the scene is supposed to be cringeworthy. I mean, come on! We’ve had scenes like that before!

That doesn't make it enjoyable to watch. It's drawn out too long. 

[weesh 690]

Yeah, that tends to happen commonly in military units and sports teams. Heck, it even commonly happens in construction jobs, office jobs... just about everywhere. People don't get deep psychological scars just from having to mop up floors and getting saddled with embarrassing nicknames. If they do, then there's likely something underlying there in the psyche that the nickname triggers rather than causes. As the 'Bolts displayed, you eventually learn to live with your nickname and accept is as a term of endearment and comradery. If you can't get past a nickname, then you're going to have a very tough time in the real world, where people are typically rewarded for being real assholes. You guys act like the 'Bolts waterboarded her, or raped her in some horrifyingly humiliating act of depraved initiation. Heck, I've read T-rated fanfics where they put Wonderbolt initiates through worse. I think this whole thing is being blown way out proportion. 

 

So, abuse is ok, if everyone does it, and it is worse in other organizations?

This episode took Rainbow past the breaking point.  Did she deserve that?  

Do you think the lesson here is "get a thicker skin Rainbow"?

 

If everyone had a thicker skin, there would be less hurt feelings in the world.

But we shouldn't have to, and we shouldn't put up with that.  

We should be promoting respect, not tolerance to abuse.  

 

When someone you don't know taunts you abuses you, that is unfortunate, but hopefully you have a healthy enough mindset to understand that their opinion doesn't matter, and you can ignore it.  

But when your heroes, those you respect the most, and those you most long to get close to are the abusers...wow that hurts.  

I don't WANT to build a thick skin against the people I love the most.  I want to deeply connect with them.  

[CT-1138 3,180]

So, abuse is ok, if everyone does it, and it is worse in other organizations?

This episode took Rainbow past the breaking point.  Did she deserve that?  

Do you think the lesson here is "get a thicker skin Rainbow"?

 

If everyone had a thicker skin, there would be less hurt feelings in the world.

But we shouldn't have to, and we shouldn't put up with that.  

We should be promoting respect, not tolerance to abuse.  

 

When someone you don't know taunts you abuses you, that is unfortunate, but hopefully you have a healthy enough mindset to understand that their opinion doesn't matter, and you can ignore it.  

But when your heroes, those you respect the most, and those you most long to get close to are the abusers...wow that hurts.  

I don't WANT to build a thick skin against the people I love the most.  I want to deeply connect with them.  

In what world is a nickname abusive? They're not taunting with it, they're not being cruel. This is utter ridiculousness. Does Rainbow need a safe space from the 'Bolts, too? The Wonderbolts are sent to round up rampaging dragons. If Rainbow Dash can't even handle a nickname, she doesn't belong in a paramilitary performance team. 

[Thrond 3,257]

Yeah, that tends to happen commonly in military units and sports teams. Heck, it even commonly happens in construction jobs, office jobs... just about everywhere. People don't get deep psychological scars just from having to mop up floors and getting saddled with embarrassing nicknames. If they do, then there's likely something underlying there in the psyche that the nickname triggers rather than causes. As the 'Bolts displayed, you eventually learn to live with your nickname and accept is as a term of endearment and comradery. If you can't get past a nickname, then you're going to have a very tough time in the real world, where people are typically rewarded for being real assholes. You guys act like the 'Bolts waterboarded her, or raped her in some horrifyingly humiliating act of depraved initiation. Heck, I've read T-rated fanfics where they put Wonderbolt initiates through worse. I think this whole thing is being blown way out proportion. 

It's just a nickname that, as far as the Wonderbolts knew, was merely embarrassing to Dash. Even at the end of the episode, the Wonderbolts had no clue that RD had a history with the nickname, and although the episode's refusal to properly acknowledge what that nickname means to RD is one of the more frustrating parts of it to me, the episode 

 

1. attempts to have Rainbow Dash reclaim the name as a source of pride, as it now represents that she has achieved her dreams and become a Wonderbolt,

 

and 

 

2. shifts to a story about RD not feeling accepted within the Wonderbolts. When the Wonderbolts tell Rainbow that each of them has an embarrassing nickname, I took that as them seriously considering RD's feelings but only understanding them as her feeling disrespected or left out. 

 

It's frustrating that the episode doesn't engage with the idea at all, but it did not come across to me as "condoning hazing" - all it really defended was the nickname itself, which wasn't really portrayed as being outright harmful to Rainbow Dash. I guess I see the implications more than I did at first, and I certainly don't like any work environment based on making newcomers feel uncomfortable, but that's still not really what I take from this episode. 

[Megas 27,064]

It's just a nickname that, as far as the Wonderbolts knew, was merely embarrassing to Dash. Even at the end of the episode, the Wonderbolts had no clue that RD had a history with the nickname, and although the episode's refusal to properly acknowledge what that nickname means to RD is one of the more frustrating parts of it to me, the episode 

 

1. attempts to have Rainbow Dash reclaim the name as a source of pride, as it now represents that she has achieved her dreams and become a Wonderbolt,

 

and 

 

2. shifts to a story about RD not feeling accepted within the Wonderbolts. When the Wonderbolts tell Rainbow that each of them has an embarrassing nickname, I took that as them seriously considering RD's feelings but only understanding them as her feeling disrespected or left out. 

 

It's frustrating that the episode doesn't engage with the idea at all

Yeah, I like the idea of her using the name as a badge of honor to spite the bullies, but at the same time the episode really should've addressed the baggage behind the name, and maybe add in some emotional punch, something this episode really could've used

Edited May 12, 2016 by Megas

[Truffles 2,033]

 

 

It wasn't just about being new, it was the WORST guy, in a system that will usually humiliate the newest flier.

 

I think the Wonderbolts (and all precision flying troupes for that matter) pretty much have to have some kind of system to weed out the ones that aren't performing as they should.

 

That pegasus that took a teaching job that allowed Rainbow to join? Very likely they were getting stuck with cleaning the barracks more often than not, and they decided it was time to move on. The system they have implemented works very well in that regard. Each member has to weigh the fame of being a Wonderbolt against the humiliation of being the team janitor if they're too old to fly accurately anymore.

 

So I think it's not just the newest flyer that is going to get stuck cleaning, it is also the oldest flyer. It's harsh, but necessary to keep the team from having terrible accidents during shows.

 

Alas, Soarin' is probably the next most likely to decide to retire, if his performance during "Rainbow Falls" was any indication... 

[Music Chart Fan 818]

I've been wondering while reading these comments if people are just ignorant of the damage hazing causes?   Seems like just about anyone who is aware should find this aspect of the episode abhorrent.  

Either that or unaware. I've been familiar with the terrible consequences of hazing since I first heard about it approximately a decade ago, and it's a very big problem worldwide. The fact that ND's moral defends this abuse makes it one of the three worst of the show.

 

I think part of the problem is that you're being misleading and hyperbolic about using the "hazing" label, and in particular, applying it to how Rainbow Dash was treated by the Wonderbolts in the episode. @Dark Qiviut denounces hazing by mentioning some of the worst possible examples of it - killing, raping, and physically injuring other people - and then you classify the Wonderbolts' treatment of Rainbow Dash - calling her by an embarrassing nickname, verbally picking on her, and telling her to clean the compound - under the same "hazing" label. I daresay many people would have an intuition that killing, raping, and physically injuring someone are in a different moral category than name-calling and verbally picking on someone. If you're trying to make the case that the way Rainbow Dash was treated is harmful, then putting her treatment under the same label as killing, raping, and physical injury, with the implication that all of those are morally comparable, is liable to cause people to dismiss your argument, whatever merits it might otherwise have.

[ElegantNerd 39]

 

 

Spike's disastrous Equestria Games anthem scene.

 

Did you know that Cathy Weseluck, the voice actress who plays Spike, actually improvised that song on the spot?  I thought it was a good comedic choice that she kept singing about trees when, of course, there are no trees in Cloudsdale!   

 

 

What is it with Rainbow Dash episodes being mediocre or just bad?   In fact, I kept having repressed flashbacks of..... "Tanks for the Memories"

 

 

****************SPOILER ALERT, if you haven't seen "Tanks for the Memories"*****************

 

I keep seeing people mentioning "Tanks for the Memories."  That episode actually follows the 5 steps of grief, using hibernation as a stand-in for death.  (Tank *literally* buries himself in the ground at the end).  Re-watch it and match the scenes to the classic 5 stages of grieving:

 

1. denial

2. anger

3. bargaining 

4. depression 

5. acceptance 

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

I waited nearly four years for this episode and didn't enjoy a second of it. Perhaps I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up and expected an episode more along the lines of Magical Mystery Cure or Crusaders of the Lost Mark, two other episodes where characters took big steps forward in their lives. However, I don't think it's at all unreasonable to expect the writers to not turn Dash into this dude

 

 

cause this nonsense was depressing enough when it was happening to somebody I wasn't particularly attached to . Having to sit through 22 minutes of "DUDE LOOK AT HER CHILDHOOD DREAM CRUMBLE AROUND HER LMAO :lol:   SHE ACTUALLY THOUGHT SHE'D ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING :lol: " more or less successfully depleted my desire to continue watching the show.

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

I think part of the problem is that you're being misleading and hyperbolic about using the "hazing" label, and in particular, applying it to how Rainbow Dash was treated by the Wonderbolts in the episode.

There's nothing misleading or hyperbolic about it. People young and old have been scarred from hazing, killed from hazing, and driven to suicide from hazing. Attaching an insult and hammering it in when Dash was visibly uncomfortable with it and wasn't in on it is hazing. These "good-fun" rituals from the physical abuse like being beaten to the mental like taunts can psychologically damage a person. This episode's moral actively defends hazing of all kinds.

 

And the fact that this show is supposed to teach morals to kids makes it an even bigger deal. Kids are smart, but also impressionable by what they see and hear around them. Being taught a dangerous moral can AND WILL paint major falsehoods on aspects of life, and teaching kids hazing is okay reopens that trauma trigger effect to some of those affected by hazing.

Edited May 13, 2016 by Dark Qiviut

[BlinkZ 1,151]

There was nothing clear about that until the very end. Maybe the episode was trying to be ironic or maybe Dashie didn't actually mind the hazing the whole time, but to me, it didn't make sense

Yeah becuase Spitfire was Soooo loyal during Rainbow Falls and replace sorin with Rainbow dahs..some leader leaving a colt behind. Sorry i just can't let that go. Spitfire comes off as more of head cheerleader then an ACTUAL leader. Does help that she practically said the team likes to show off.

 

 

The episode form e was...meh as well. the immination scene made NO sense to me. How does "we all stand out as special ' = "I'm going to imminate my friends to my teammates" *facepalm*

 

No I don't think the ending justifies the means.  All it would have taken was two seconds to expalin why the name efected her so much. But no it apparently okay to tease cause "we all do it." -_- Yeah no buying it.

 

But hey somepony actually mentioned how she helped save the world a few times..about time somepony said it.

 

Alas, Soarin' is probably the next most likely to decide to retire, if his performance during "Rainbow Falls" was any indication... 

To bei fair..he was eying the hot mares so he just got side tracked hehe

[Thrond 3,257]

Yeah, I like the idea of her using the name as a badge of honor to spite the bullies, but at the same time the episode really should've addressed the baggage behind the name, and maybe add in some emotional punch, something this episode really could've used

Might have benefitted from some more introspection from Dash.