S06:E07 - Newbie Dash

[Steel Accord 6,658]

"It's called ball busting Rainbow Dash!"

~Anthony Clay, 2016

 

This season continues to impress. I loved how Dash was reeling from her old nickname coming back to haunt her. She didn't want the goal of her entire life to be hampered by her oldest shame. Not realizing of course that, well this is what military and similar occupations do. They give you a rough time but it's not out of malice, it's their playfully denigrative tradition that binds them all together.

 

Also like how she had to come to grips with the "big fish in a small pond" effect.

 

Lastly that segment where she imitated each of her friends. I'm not normally a fan of cringe humor but oy was that some hilariously awkward fun.

 

Overall, Rainbow Dash is now a full fledged Wonderbolt, she did it, . . . . that ending image really said it all.

[SaraEH 398]

Well i dont think alot if yiu would agree with me on this. But this was so relateble for me! To not being able to preforme on things you usually have NO problems with, because of some sort of pressure.. I know alot of ppl think this episode was shit, but in my eyes its the best episode ever. And i could also relate to her trying to be like someone else to try to change ppls sight on her.

[Shadow Dash DJ Rod 696]

the entire time i was watching the episode i was like "rainbow stttaaaaaappppppp" but it turned out good in the end.

[Scootie 108]

Wow, some people really hated this episode, which I can kind of understand. After all, this was Rainbow's dream finally coming true, something we'd seen her work towards for over five years, and in the end she gets stuck with a nickname that gave her horrible reminders of her childhood.

 

The impersonations, whilst a bit pointless and could be seen as going against Rainbow's character, were pretty funny to me and I didn't find it cringy in the slightest. (I swear, I've seen the word 'cringe' used so much to describe this episode it doesn't even feel like a real word anymore)

 

Rainbow's ego was as big as ever this episode, so she did bring some of the humiliation on herself, but she did get shot down a bit by the end of the episode. So even if Dash didn't really learn anything, hopefully she'll become more humble in later episodes.

 

So overall, pretty okay episode. Didn't hate it like others did, but that's probably because I'm not a huge Dash fan. It will be interesting to see where Rainbow goes from here, now that her Wonderbolt's arc is over.

 

Random points:

Spike's still getting abused by the ponies (poor guy)

Rarity once again being the one to know that something is definitely wrong with Rainbow after her first day (best pony carries on being best pony )

Impressions show how Rainbow really views her friends (in a slightly negative manner)

[Megas 27,063]

(I swear, I've seen the word 'cringe' used so much to describe this episode it doesn't even feel like a real word anymore

 

I'd make a drinking game for every time someone used the word cringe, but I'm pretty sure I'd be dead

[PiratePony 8,473]

I'd make a drinking game for every time someone used the word cringe, but I'm pretty sure I'd be dead

 

Almost as quick as in the "Rainbow Dash saying awesome" drinking game. 

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,024]

I've been reading and chatting to quite a few of my friends and there are some really mixed thoughts on this episode, it's fascinating what people think.

 

Personally I rather liked it enough for a 9/10, it was a quite realistic episode and that was something nice, not to mention Dashie got her dream.

 

My review as always...

 

[Jonny Music 3,308]

The episode itself was great overall.
 

The slice of life moments and friendship lessons in this episode are actually very spot-on relatable.
 
I sometimes couldn't stand the names I was teased with when I was younger, and I certainly had issues trying to fit in with certain groups and the such in the past.
 
I got a laugh out of some easter eggs that were in the episode and that landing pose done by Spitfire at the beginning reminds me a lot of a lot of the similar landings from other TV shows, films, etc.

And that was randomly unexpected to see RD act out as the rest of the Mane 6 (with the style of her mane being the obvious indicator). First Twilight (from who knows how long ago that was. Because I don't exactly remember which episode it was), then Pinkie, then AJ, then Fluttershy and then ending it off with Rarity. Who would've known Hasbro Studios was going to continue that? I sure didn't. But I don't mind it now.

 

[Thrond 3,257]

I didn't hate it, but wow that was disappointing. So much potential wasted, and it isn't even a particularly strong character showcase for Rainbow Dash. That impression sequence is an okay idea but this was really not the right context for it. Still, there's some interesting touches to Rainbow's characterization, and I kinda enjoyed how it approached acceptance. Not entirely sure that its theme was coherent, which is probably a major reason why people think it condones bullying, but I kinda liked it for some reason. 

 

Reviewed it on my blog here.

 

Additional comments:
 

I don't care what y'all say, I thought Spike being caught in the luggage was hilarious. Good ol' slapstick. 

 

Has Rarity called Rainbow Dash "Dashie" before? this may be relevant to my shippings. I'm still waiting for that pair to get another episode; "Rarity Investigates!" was my favourite of sesaon 5.  

 

Rank the episodes so far, from best to worst.

1. "The Crystalling"

2. "The Gift of the Maud Pie"

3. "Gauntlet of Fire"

4. "On Your Marks"

5. "Newbie Dash"

6. "No Second Prances"

 

 

 

1. Rainbow Dash's sense of maturity is completely nonexistent. One of her best traits is the ability to put her pride aside in favor of doing the right thing. WA is her best performance, because it put out the best in her from the middle onward. You knew it was about to come. Instead, she's become a very flanderized shell of herself with a monumental ego that has to be pegged time and time again. She marginalized her very own integrity by shooting it off early, embarrassing herself in front of the Wonderbolts, and being incompetent.

Easily the most frustrating part of this episode for me. Season 1-3 Rainbow Dash is one of my absolute favourite characters, and much of that maturation and character development is missing from this episode as it has been from many recent episodes. It's extremely frustrating to see such a great character regress and stagnate like this.

Edited May 8, 2016 by AlexanderThrond

[Truffles 2,033]

1. The Spikabuse wasn't funny then and sure as hell isn't funny now. DHX, do the fandom a favor and knock this shit off!

 

Yeah, I sighed and shook my head when he got stuffed into the suitcase, because it didn't do anything to make the scene better. 

 

By the end of the episode, Spike himself seemed pretty annoyed with his treatment despite getting some positive portrayals lately:

 

 

Admittedly, he looks kind of cool and kick-ass when he gets angry...

[Flutter's lover <3 8,204]

So, Dashie finally became a full fledged Wonderbolt. Seen this coming. Episode itself was alright. Although when Dash imitated the rest of the Mane 6, that was a bit cringey....then again I guess that's what they were going for.Always like Wonderbolt Episodes and this was no different.

 

 

Wonder what Spitfire's nickname is though...

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

I actually paused the episode in the middle to come here and say I'm finding it painfully bad. Rainbow trying to get the other Wonderbolts to respect her by mimicking her friends was out of character to the point of being downright stupid. Frankly, I think RD should have stood tall and proud against the Wonderbullies and said...

 

"Hey, Phlegm-fire, remember when I SAVED YOUR LIFE, by doing something no other Wonderbolt in recorded history has ever able to do? Something I can do over and over on command, that you and the other Wonderbolts are STILL totally incapable of doing even once!"

 

I am actually hoping that this turns out to be a nightmare Rainbow had the day before becoming a Wonderbolt.

Edited May 8, 2016 by cuteycindyhoney

[pony.colin 156]

middle of the road (well maybe less than that) for me.  It felt somewhat below FIM's standard and I don't think I'm going to really get in-depth about this episode.

 

The parts I felt rather negative about the episode though, were kind of just me not liking how cringy some of the things that played out in this episode for Dash.  I really hate watching this kind of impersonating your friends type of personalities trope (whatever it might be) because it's just really cringy to watch for me and the humour is just not there for me. I didn't find the comical aspects hilarious at all.

 

I couldn't bare to really watch Dash try to imitate the personalities of all her friends, it was just painful to just listen to those parts for me, ugh.

 

 

Surprisingly, the most saving grace about this episode to me was a reasonable scenario that played out, and some important morals for Dash to learn personally for herself.  Being able to work with a new team and trying not to boast instead.  The other aspects are the fact that the wonderbolts acknowledge that Dash is like a hero in Equestria given past events and that Dash is more than capable of having proven herself for being worthy of joining the wonderbolts.  Yes Dash has had an ego, but I'll admit, I think that ends up being developed for many athletes and Dash in comparison to other arrogant hot-heads, is actually far more reasonable to work and relate with it. So I always felt she deserved gaining her spot since she's really worked hard at this for a long while now (finally got to the episode where she officially gets in technically I guess, off the reservists list). 

 

Now the real kind of borderline ambiguity ethical dilemma that I still have with this is the 'hazing' aspect of this episode. Yeah, it's "light" for the circumstances (as far as pone could probably push it without getting outside their rating) but it's difficult to determine if this is maybe leaning on the negative side a bit. The real problem is that hazing is really still an issue in modern society and has resulted in the deaths of some individuals trying to join cliques/fraternities etc.  It's been called into scrutiny as one of the most asinine things developed by people to initiate new members into the group but it is also reflective of the abusive nature of people and their aggressive desires to want to see people suffer for their amusement just to join.  Whatever the case may be, it always makes me distrusting of a large group of people even more. Hazing has led to serious consequences of death and other criminal charges which makes it difficult to just view as just something "to bond over" for the newcomers.

 

Back to the episode, the indication that it was a hazing ritual wasn't exactly noticed until a bit late by me. I don't know, I'm kind of ambivalent and not sure how to feel about that aspect of the episode. On the one hand, I'm mis-trusting about hazing rituals, on the other hand, this isn't the first time I would say it being in a kids show is making it a negative stand-out. The problem about adolescent life, there's a reasonable chance one might experience some form of hazing growing up within society. So it oddly seems reflective about real life in some way. 

Edited May 8, 2016 by pony.colin

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

Now I'm back after finishing the episode. No, the fact that the other Wonderbolts have insulting nicknames didn't make me like it any better. Rainbow deciding on her own to alter the routine, and then channeling Wile E Coyote in a spectacular Acme inspired failure was dreadful to behold. I've never actually had one before, but this is now officially my least favorite episode.   

[OtakuBrony 349]

Howdy all!

 

Not a bad episode.

 

David Rapp did pretty good in his MLP Debut as writer.

 

Gotta hand it to Ashleigh Ball as Rainbow Dash.

Second best performance in the show.

(First is Tanks For The Memories)

Her impressions of the other ponies was a riot

 

After all this time RD is now a Wonderbolt.

 

But its not as easy as she thinks.

Learns that the hard way.

Poor Dashie getting called Rainbow Crash.

 

Good to hear Kelly Metzger (Spitfire) Matt Hill (Soarin)

 

Wow Kelly Sheridan voices another pony in Misty Fly.

 

Poor Spike dragged by Pinkie to the Cotton Candy stand.

 

Cant wait for next weeks episode.

[Spartan 433]

Before I start, I want to say my fav. character is Rainbow Dash. BUT, I didnt like this episode that much. It felt.. out of character for her :/

 

Maybe I need to watch it again, but for now.. meh

[DND 2,354]

How the lesson was executed got to me the most. I'm a little concerned about how much one has to draw parallels to Dash's social cliques to assimilate it. It was tougher terrain to pull off from the start; positive lessons about trying to fit in with rather gritty and condescending crowds in such a show like FiM is something I never really wanted to see even attempted but I can't really complain about its relevancy to realism. 

[Neopone 27]

I personally loved it. I love the fact that Rainbow Dash becomes a Wonder Bolt and I can relate to the message that it sends. So far, my favorite Season 6 episode 

[Rapid Wind 47]

My view on this episode is that it could had been better. I like how Dash tries to change her attitude to impress the Wonderbolts, I suppose I do feel a little sorry for Dash when she gets called Rainbow Crash, but in the end she learns that her brash showcase attitude was a part of the problem and she was trying too hard to impress. So, overall pretty good, but it could have been 20% cooler in my opinion.

[gamecubeguy214 2,511]

This episode was fantastic! In my opinion one of the better season 6 episodes so far. This episode had plenty of funny parts, plenty of "Oh crap" parts, its cringey parts, and its happy parts.

[Number62 1,247]

I'd say this is the 7th best episode of the season so far.

[Zant 1]

Yea the episode had some cringe-worthy moments. Especially Rainbow Dash acting like the other mane 6.

 

But, I loved the ending and scootaloo during this episode.

The message is great too. Between friends a bit of teasing is fine. Don't take it to heart.

 

I really don't think the wonderbolts did anything that bad and Rainbow Dash did but got the deserving consequences.

 

I thought it was a pretty good episode overall.

A-

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

There's a lot to unpack here,  Hoo, boy.  I think this is a good example of a great premise executed poorly.  There was good and bad for me.  I wanted so much to love it, but overall I'm pretty disappointed.

 

I can understand the anger, and I can't really argue with most of the criticisms of this episode.  I just 'hoofed 's blog review, which accurately and thoroughly painted the episode as complete garbage, because I honestly can't disagree with any of his criticisms.  Certainly not objectively.  And yet, I'm trying to not judge it too harshly, and I'm trying to find redeeming qualities.  This is probably mostly because I'm still looking at the episode with a lot of bias, because I really, really wanted to love it.  I've been waiting for this for so long, and to be let down like this was really disappointing.  It's the Equestria Games all over again.  This series doesn't seem to handle the highly anticipated, "big stores" too well, but then we get unexpected gems like The Mane Attraction, which have no buildup, and end up being the best episodes of the series.

 

Okay, so I'm really happy with Rainbow finally becoming a 'bolt.  I think it's a great decision.  It's been her dream since literally day 1, and I want her to see it fulfilled.  Rarity has secured her fashion empire, after all.  Rainbow deserves to achieve her dream, too.  I was only a bit disappointed at how quickly and anti-climatically it was announced.  Having her become a full 'bolt before the opening theme barely gave us enough time to absorb it.  There was nothing to see.  After all this buildup, I would have liked to have seen....something more.  Like, perhaps Spitfire could have ordered Rainbow to HQ, and Rainbow's afraid it's bad news, and then when she arrives, we get some kind of initiation ceremony, followed by a retirement party for...Fire Streak?  Was that his name?  Idk, something like that would have been better, imo, rather than just, "Hey, there you are.  You're a 'bolt, kiddo."  It can probably be blamed on time limitations, like so many problems.  I wish the episodes were hour long.  Anyway, I can live with it because they've had decent development leading up this.  She attended the academy, she passed the test to become a reserve, she's been a reserve for some time, and she's actually flown with them as a reserve, so this decision wasn't out of nowhere.  It was just too quick.

 

As we moved on, things seemed okay for awhile.  I loved how they played up Rainbow's knowledge of 'bolt history.  I'm glad they didn't forget that she's an expert on it now.  I thought it was really cute that she was so excited about the 'bolt memorabilia.  I was disappointed, though, when the Crash business started.  I agree with the folks saying that the 'bolts seem like jerks.  Rainbow Falls could have been dismissed as bad writing, but this seems to confirm that the 'bolts aren't as admirable as they're cracked up to be.  It's really sad.  I dunno--I want to cut them some slack, given the ending, but it seemed to me like they were being unnecessarily cruel.  You can teach new recruits to toughen up and develop a thick skin without hazing.  The scene when they were laughing at her in the garbage can seemed....well, immature of them.  I'm on the side that believes hazing has no place, even in the toughest of institutions.  It's completely immature, damaging, unprofessional, and an entirely improper way to "toughen" a newbie up.  That's my stance.
 

The worst part of this by far was Rainbow's immaturity.  It started in the first act.  After being given this amazing opportunity, I feel like she should have known well enough to dial her excitement back and stay focused.  She shouldn't have screwed up when crossing the runway the second time.  (The first time was excusable.)  I also felt like it was really out of character for her to have such a hard time recovering after these mistakes.  She dives out of the way of oncoming traffic, and completely loses control, crashes, gets dizzy, and can't keep her hooves?  I have one word for you: DIZITRON.  Hello!?  Anypony remember that?  She just seemed way too clumsy here.  I didn't care for it.  And then we move on to act 2, and the horrid impressions.  Her impressions of her friends were probably the cringiest moments of the entire series for me.  It was so hard to stomach.  It was even worse and less mature than her injury act in Rainbow Falls, in my opinion.  Ugh...I just can't stress enough how much of a vomitorium that whole sequence was.  What was she thinking?!  One of the biggest pitfalls of this show is having characters show maturity, then backslide and completely forget how to behave.  I'm not saying that one can't make mistakes, even mistakes they've already learned from (cuz that happens irl), but this was just her being deliberately idiotic.  It was just terrible.  (But if they were going to do these horrible impressions, the least they could have done is have her do her hilarious Twi impression from Griffonstone.  Couldn't even get that.)
 

Rolling on, I was really disappointed by her plot with Scoots.  Again, it was so immature.  They don't need to display immaturity in order to have interesting stories and learn lessons.  After all she's learned, how could Rainbow think that that thundercloud scheme was a good idea?  I was cringing and shaking my head the whole time.  So disappointing.
 

Okay, finally we get some redeeming factors for me.  I rather liked that it turned out that they all had nicknames that poked fun at each other.  I didn't want her to end up being "Crash", but it sorta made it okay for me when we learned their other nicknames.  However, that doesn't excuse the cruelty.  You can have teasing sort of nicknames like that without the hazing.  I did think it was perfect that we didn't hear Spitfire's nickname.  I really liked that.  I wonder what it is....probably "Asshat."   Anyway, I also liked that they recognized that Rainbow has helped save Equestria many times, something that they tend never to do on this show.  But the best part of this episode, and the reason I kind of like it in the end, is the consequences.  Finally, f*cking finally, for the first time in FIM history, a pony faces consequences for their actions.  If the episode had just ended right before Spitfire told Rainbow that she's on probation, I would have agreed that this is potentially the worst episode in the series, but the consequences went a long way to fixing it for me.  Maybe the team learned from their mistake in Tanks for Memories.  Here, for the first time ever, we have a pony not get off scot-free after doing something stupid.  She has to face the music.  Put on probation for a month, has to clean up her mess, and clean the compound for a month.  I love it.  I f*cking love it.  And I love that she's happy in the end, accepting the punishment, owning up to the mistakes, being responsible, while not letting that dampen her joy at achieving her dream. And her punishment was professional, not hazing, which is an important distinction. I really liked that ending.
 

So, basically, to sum up, they shouldn't have made the episode about the cruel nickname. Now, I see no problem with having the nicknames, but they should have just been honest about it from the start. Right after giving her the name, the 'bolts could have told her that it's tradition for each member to have a silly nickname based on the first dumb thing they do. I see nothing wrong with that. We all do dumb things. Nothing wrong with teasing each other in a friendly manner about it. But instead, what we got was literal schoolyard bully immaturity and cruelty. Not the same thing at all. They just shouldn't have made the episode about that. But the ending restored much of the maturity for me. I liked Spitfire at the end, and I loved the fact that Rainbow faced the consequences. For me, it left things on such a good note, that I can move on and not let this remain too much of a black mark.
 

There was a bit of a jumbled mess of morals as well, but to me, the good stood out at the end. Most everybody has a rough first day when starting something new. It's rarely easy, but that's okay, and even if you screw up, you can fix it and move on, and you'll be accepted in the end. That's what I got from it at the end, and that's a great message, though it was unfortunately soured a bit from the immaturity and hazing earlier.

 

It's been pointed out that Rainbow's spotlights have been terrible, and that it's been all downhill since Wonderbolts Academy, but I don't entirely agree. Testing 1, 2, 3 was long after the academy, and that's in my all time top 5, and Rainbow was great in Rarity Investigates, in which she got that cheater discharged and flew as a reserve. Her behavior in Tanks was bad, but if you accept that that episode was a death allegory (which is really the only way to reconcile it), then it basically fixes it. So, the point being that I think her spotlights have been rocky and up and down, but not all bad. The problem with Newbie is that it feels like a throwback to Rainbow Falls. We have the same immature Dash, and same assholish 'bolts.  It's literally as if Rainbow Falls is the only episode of the show that the writer of Newbie has ever seen. But, as I said, I felt like the ending left it in a good enough place that I can live with it.
 

All that said, I really am thrilled that she's a 'bolt. The execution soured what should have been a culmination of a series long dream. I am extremely happy for her, and I hope we see her come into her own and really excel as a 'bolt. (I live vicariously through these ponies.  :/ )  But this raises a question that I'm sure will never be answered: does this mean she has quit her job as chief weather pony of Ponyville? That'd be okay with me, seeing as how it wasn't really her dream, but just a job. I just want to know.  But we never will.

 

I know this review got ridiculously long, but I also want to point out that the only reason I write so much is because I love this world and these characters so much. If it was simply uninteresting, I wouldn't bother. Y'know, the day I became a brony, I had a feeling I was going to have to square with the fact that I'd always want the show to be more than it is, because this world and these characters have vast, untapped potential that is often squandered due to unfortunate constraints. I feel like that's what has happened. I wish for a pony show that takes itself a bit more seriously, and has a higher level of maturity among its cast. I'm not advocating a dark, adult show (Although I'd love that, too.). The feel and tone wouldn't have to be changed at all. I'm simply calling for a level of maturity that the ponies have already shown many times. It's embarrassing when a character acts the way Rainbow did today, or when the Princess of Friendship hides in a bush with her surprise secret weapon friend, Vinyl Scratch. (C'mon, Twi, seriously?  Grow up.) They should be beyond that. They're not children, and I don't think the show's target audience demands that sort of behavior from them. I feel like more episodes such as The Mane Attraction, in which nopony acted like an idiot, would be great. I'd be interested to see a poll of young girls to see which episodes go over best with them. The point is, they don't need to have the characters act like idiots to have them learn lessons and have a great (and funny) show. In fact, the further we get from that sort of behavior, the better.
 

*Sigh* I guess that's it. Dashie sure looks sexy in that 'bolt uniform....when she's not acting like an idiot.

[Guest]

I quite enjoyed this episode, particularly Pinkie's 'Rainbow Trash' line However, I was a little disappointed how harsh the Bolts were when RD first joined. The idea of the episode was good, getting Dashie to learn it's not always about being the one and only, that it's just as commendable to be part of a team. Whilst I could barely watch RD imitate her friends, I loved hearing Ashleigh Ball imitating Ashleigh Ball  

[Twilight Frost 271]

It WAS A GREAT episode! A wonderful way to end my birthday that didn't go so well.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Twilight Frost