S06:E11 - Flutter Brutter

[Thrond 3,257]

This is ridiculous, literally the first time Fluttershy has had ANY DIRECTION to her character in YEARS and people just bitch and moan about a character who's MEANT to not be likable... isn't likable. No this is literally the first time Fluttershy's been handled well in one of her episodes since like season 2 or so, I don't give a single shit about Zephyr, I don't care if he's likable or not, I just want writers to remember THIS FLUTTERSHY in future episodes so she can FINALLY, FINALLY FINALLY get out of the hole she's been in for so goddamn long. This is literally the first time I have cared about Fluttershy at ALL in YEARS. 

 

No, seriously this reception is idiotic, this episode blew every single Fluttershy episode between Hurricane Fluttershy and this one out of the water simply because it actually DID SOMETHING with her beyond "O I AM SO SCARED AND SHY, LOOK AT ME BE SCARED AND SHY".

I kinda see where people are coming from with Zephyr (his character arc isn't the most graceful), but you said it. It's SO great to actually like Fluttershy as a character again. Why did it take this long to get an episode like this that actually demonstrates Fluttershy's character growth and does something new with her? What a phenomenal showcase this was. 

 

(not to disparage those who don't like it - you have a right to your opinion, and if this episode did not work for you, then it just didn't work for you and that's fine.) 

I think that Fluttershy was way too cruel. She literally forced her own brother to be homeless in a forest. She should been slightly more helpful and a lot kinder. I don't mean that she should just let him live with her and do nothing but she could have tried to understand more about him and seem to care about him. She was talking in a mean voice to him for almost the whole episode.

 

However, maybe Fluttershy is just gradually getting meaner and meaner and will one day be extremely evil and everything will go mad and stuff. That would be quite interesting.

Zephyr clearly pulls this stuff all the time and Fluttershy is absolutely sick of it. She had to cross the line somewhere, and she probably thought living in the woods was some sort of hyperbole. Besides, she wasn't entirely firm in that decision, and went back on it when she saw Zephyr struggling on his own. 

 

Come to think of it, Fluttershy questioning her decision to kick Zephyr out reinforces the whole trying despite your doubts message the episode has going on. 

[cwhip9 1,078]

A tounge and cheek episode from how I took it but I have to admit seeing fluttershy as an older sister took my be surprise. With her personality I thought she would be an only child. Aside from that I think we've all been in this situation of sorts, same brush different paint if you would. Also seeing more slice of life episodes is nice to see our hero's as there limited roles still bring out a lot of charter, dash mostly took the cake on this one.

[SparklingSwirls 21,261]

This episode reminds me of "One Bad Apple". Like Babs Seed, Zephyr was a jerk for most of the episode, and at the very end he suddenly got redeemed and then everypony likes him.

 

I'm also reminded of the situation of Shining Armor: a sibling appearing absolutely out of nowhere with no previous mentions whatsoever.

 

Needless to say, this episode made me peeved. (Sorry for the language!)

Edited June 5, 2016 by SparklingSwirls

[ScarfaceOne 263]

Can I Ask a question? So Fluttershy never had an abusive childhood? Did her parents then? They are equally as shy as her. And I think they had an abusive childhood. So now it's Fluttershy's Grandparents I'm wondering about. I still have this headcanon that her parents were abused.

[Midnight Seashell 206]

I still can't beleive Fluttershy swore in public

[Kevin 160]

Now that was a great episode! Much better than last week's! I'm glad we got to learn more about Fluttershy's family, and I have to say, her parents weren't were whom I was expecting to me character-wise.

 

I'd say the biggest strength of this episode was Flutershy herself and that she didn't need to learn how to be assertive this time and how exactly how to be assertive towards her brother, even showing her parents to be more assertive as well. It's one of her best character moments so far and shows how she's really progressed.

 

As for Zephyr himself, jesus christ was he something else. That's all I have to say about him! I will say his voice actor did a great job though!

[The Crystal Maiden 221]

(I meant to leave a review last night but I fell asleep. XD)

 

So what did I think of this episode? Basic summary: MY NEW FAVOURITE OF THE SEASON SO FAR.  

 

Well, join with 'Newbie Dash' probably. But seriously, I really enjoyed this episode. It might be one of my favourites of the whole series actually. 

 

I loved that we FINALLY got to see Fluttershy's family after almost six seasons of not knowing anything about them. Zephyr Breeze is obviously the main character we get introduced to. I honestly did quite like him, even though most people seem to absolutely hate him. XD He was annoying and spoilt, but I'm pretty sure that was the point. Not only was it great to have him and the parents introduced, but it was also AMAZING to see the way Fluttershy was. It's clear she's grown over the series and learned from her lessons about being assertive. I was reminded of the Breezies episode in particular. Overall her character was well-written, especially in the way she interacted with Zephyr. 

 

I also liked the fact that Fluttershy turned out to be the older sibling, even though Zephyr LOOKS like he should be older than her. I was expecting a big brother, but that makes a change from ponies like Big Mac and Shining Armour who are big brothers, so it was nice to see that Fluttershy was the older one for a change. 

 

Even though Zephyr was irritating, I found his scenario relatable somewhat. I'm going into adulthood and am worried about becoming responsible and standing on my own two feet instead of relying on my family. So in a way the episode spoke to me. 

 

We also had some really funny moments that brought the episode together. Firstly, I NEED to talk about this...

 

RAINBOW DASH GOT FLIRTED WITH!!!!!!! 

LIKE... WOW. XD I've been waiting for something like that to happen for Rainbow for SO long, and even though Zephyr is NOT good enough for her, it was really fun to see her getting hit on. The fact she was really not interested made it so much better, and it was just interesting to see her reactions to the whole thing.

 

So yeah. GREAT episode. Loved it. Watched it several times and I'll be watching it again soon.

 

Rating: 9.5/10

[Sonic5421 423]

I have to admit, I really enjoyed this episode. Also, I can agree with Zephyr Breeze on how difficult it can be sometimes to complete something as I struggled with my English, Math, and some of my Computer Science courses in college and had to re-take the courses repeatedly because I flunked them before I put enough effort into them to successfully pass them and get my degree, including taking some as Independent Studies to really help me out.

 

This was a very nice way to introduce Fluttershy's parents and little brother to the show, and I give the episode a 9.5/10 for my score. Very well done indeed!

[NeonCobalt 256]

So I was busy yesterday and just got around to watching this. And....I liked it. I didn't love it, but I liked it. So yeah, I guess Fluttershy has a brother. Let's talk about him. Well first off, I found him a bit obnoxious, but in a "love to hate" kinda way. He was obnoxious enough that you could see why the characters might get a bit annoyed by him, but not enough to annoy us, the audience. His flirting with Rainbow Dash was...well it was something. I definitely felt bad for Fluttershy's parents in this. Especially the part when Zephyr was destroying the father's cloud collection and he was desperately trying to save it. I thought the resolution was pretty good, and I hope we see Zephyr again, in a successful mane stylist position. Overall, pretty good episode. 8.5/10

[Steve Piranha 28,751]

Overall, it wasn't the best episode this season, but is not a meh either. It's pretty high on my list

 

A couple of things I've noticed: Mr and Mrs Shy are the first parents who don't share the same VA as either of their children  :awuh: . Also, Dinky...... yep, I'm surprised I haven't seen any "DERPY SHOULD BE DINKY'S MOM   " rants  . Maybe as a subtle reference, they've made her mom an earth pony, as we don't see many parents whose child are from a different race

[Babyyoshi309 1,829]

I love this episode! Though it is to much like real life. Seriously, can we sin this episode for being to much like real life?

Also, I love seeing Rainbow Dash hanging out with Fluttershy's family. It really shows how long they have been friends. 

Overall, it wasn't the best episode this season, but is not a meh either. It's pretty high on my list

 

A couple of things I've noticed: Mr and Mrs Shy are the first parents who don't share the same VA as either of their children  :awuh: . Also, Dinky...... yep, I'm surprised I haven't seen any "DERPY SHOULD BE DINKY'S MOM   " rants  . Maybe as a subtle reference, they've made her mom an earth pony, as we don't see many parents whose child are from a different race

 

@Steve Piranha What? Her mom is not in earth pony. They clearly show her as a Pegasus. If she was an earth pony than she would not be able to walk on the clouds. Where exactly did you get the idea that she is in earth pony?

[powerpuff-tsubasa 447]

Who would have thought Fluttershy would be the bossy one of her family?

Zephyr's crush on Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash not returning the same feelings is amusing.

she might be the bossy one. but she's the driving force that pushes her brother from being a slacker.

and the RD thing. i'd laugh at that! Zeph's flirting at dashie and dashie doesnt seem to be interested at him xD

[Steve Piranha 28,751]

I love this episode! Though it is to much like real life. Seriously, can we sin this episode for being to much like real life?

Also, I love seeing Rainbow Dash hanging out with Fluttershy's family. It really shows how long they have been friends. 

 

@Steve Piranha What? Her mom is not in earth pony. They clearly show her as a Pegasus. If she was an earth pony than she would not be able to walk on the clouds. Where exactly did you get the idea that she is in earth pony?

Uhm, I think you mistook who I was writing about . I meant Dinky's mom who's an earth pony 

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

Can I Ask a question? So Fluttershy never had an abusive childhood? Did her parents then? They are equally as shy as her. And I think they had an abusive childhood. So now it's Fluttershy's Grandparents I'm wondering about. I still have this headcanon that her parents were abused.

 

I think the case is more that both Fluttershy and Zephyr were basically too sheltered by their meek parents, but Fluttershy had the positive Influence of Rainbow Dash around and later other friends that basically made sure she didn't turn out so badly.

 

At least that's my headcanon for both of them and im sticking too it.

Edited June 5, 2016 by M'gann M'orzz

[FanOfManyShows 396]

This episode made me-   LANGUAGE! I was going to say annoyed.  :awuh: oh

 

Never has an episode of the show taught me a new word, aside from the fancy words rarity uses. but I can never pronounce those.

[Truffles 2,033]

Instead, they literally Total Rickalled Zephry.  It was just....insulting, really.  This was the biggest spit in the face the writers could have done.

 

I'm still sad they didn't make Flutters estranged from her family, but in the end I chose to accept it; mainly because I think I decided to accept the way the show is run a long time ago. That is, they don't really have a show bible that explains all the relationships between the characters and all of their backstories. They pretty much allow the writers to make this stuff up as the show progresses and thus we get new characters appearing out of nowhere. This is also why you get situations where the characters can be wildly OOC for one episode. But like I said, I decided to accept how they produce the show that way, so it is what it is.

 

the stereotypical depiction of Zephyr is potentially insulting to people who have to, or, for logical reasons, choose to live with their parents (e.g. yours truly)

 

I didn't see him as quite so stereotypical. It's one thing to move back with your parents where it can be beneficial to all parties involved. My parents were in their 60's and 70's when I moved back in and it worked out quite nicely - I help keep things running around here and pay for a lot of the upkeep and in return I get a bed and one meal a day. It's not like I had any social life anyway, so it didn't matter to me that I'd be isolating myself. When I lived in an apartment I stayed at work until 11PM and played multiplayer FPS'es and then went home, ate a TV dinner or cereal and went to bed.

 

It's quite another if it's someone like Zephyr whose literally throwing his parents belongings out into the yard and pretty much takes over the entire house for themselves. In fact, I think one of the reasons they made him such a total a-hole was so fans wouldn't be able to sees themselves in him very easily. And if someone can really relate to the kind of things Zephyr was doing to his parents, then it's probably time to take a note from this episode and make some changes in their life.

 

 

Can I Ask a question? So Fluttershy never had an abusive childhood? Did her parents then? They are equally as shy as her. And I think they had an abusive childhood. So now it's Fluttershy's Grandparents I'm wondering about. I still have this headcanon that her parents were abused.

 

I'm very shy in person and I didn't have an abusive childhood; in fact, it was rather pleasant (at least at home - school was kind of tough at times, but not horrific.) I don't think you have to be abused to turn out shy.

[PiratePony 8,473]

What a jerk....reminds of certain unnamed "friends" that may or may not "owe me thousands of dollars".

:-\

[ARagY 1,152]

Angry fluttershy made her jump up on my scale 10/10

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

After this and the Crystalling, I get the feeling that Spike is smart, but because he's still a kid, naive and gullible. 

[Sonic5421 423]

Huh, so Fluttershy's the big sister. This just got a whole lot more interesting. 

 

Yeah. We've seen Shining Armor and Maud as the older siblings. First time we see one of the Mane Six as the older sibling instead.

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

 I'm still sad they didn't make Flutters estranged from her family, but in the end I chose to accept it; mainly because I think I decided to accept the way the show is run a long time ago. That is, they don't really have a show bible that explains all the relationships between the characters and all of their backstories. They pretty much allow the writers to make this stuff up as the show progresses and thus we get new characters appearing out of nowhere. This is also why you get situations where the characters can be wildly OOC for one episode. But like I said, I decided to accept how they produce the show that way, so it is what it is.

See, this is what I like about you.  You often seem to have a way of tempering my point of view, and looking at it another way that sort of makes me feel better.  In this case, that sentence you wrote about not having a show bible makes me feel a bit better about this brother situation.  Not a lot, but a bit.  Thanks! 

 

Also, was Zephyr supposed to be a parody of a flamboyantly gay person? Because that's definitely the impression I got.  

Eh, I didn't get that from him.  I don't think that's what they were going for.  He just seemed like a lazy a-hole and colossal d-bag to me.

 

 

He may be effeminate, but considering how many times he hit on Rainbow Dash I don't think he's gay.

 

Unless he thinks Rainbow is male... 

Oh, I'm pretty sure he can see that's she's female every time she turns around. 

[Brainstorm 4,092]

Fluttershy's brother was cool, he wasn't a bad pony, he was just afraid of failing.

After this and the Crystalling, I get the feeling that Spike is smart, but because he's still a kid, naive and gullible. 

 

Spike is still a kid, but, I don't think he's gullible

[Sonic5421 423]

.....The hay? Did i see a pony version of Link?

 

Nope. I saw him as well. Pulling a cart full of Rupees no less. He's gonna need them if he's getting himself some Magic Armor.

This was a very cute episode! I'm glad we got to finally see her family. The song was also very cute. I wasn't expecting one tbh.

 

Yeah. Nice to finally see Fluttershy's family and get another song from Ingram after all the ones we got in A Hearth's Warming Tail.

 

[Soaring Symphony 372]

I swear, this is Shining Armor in a Canterlot Wedding all over again.  I get that Flutters and her brother have a strained relationship, but I'd still think he would have been mentioned before now.  Especially since some of the other Mane Six already seem to know him (namely, Rainbow Dash).

[Guest90210 3,567]

Some notes about the episode:

• After Zephyr was told to leave his parents house, there should have been a scene a few weeks later showing Fluttershy & RD walking into town and seeing Zephyr living on the street. If he was now homeless and had finally hit rock bottom, it would have given us some sympathy or thoughtfullness for Zephyr. Then he could try and adjust to society and a new job, instead of him just forcing his way into Fluttershy's house like an asshole. How are we supposed to feel sympathy for Zephyr when he treats everyone like garbage, only using them for his own benefit?
• Additionally, I'd have given him a stronger and more apparent motive behind being lazy, avoiding jobs, etc. Explain that he has a form of social anxiety that causes him to crumble under pressure from others
• Fluttershy & RD's point about "you have to try", and Zephyr replying that its better to not try at all, doesn't make sense because we've seen that Zephyr has tried various pursuits and failed over and over again.
• The song was really nice. Amazing voices. It's a great tune.
• Overall, it was a fairly entertaining episode, but it missed the mark it was trying to hit. Could have been executed so much better

Edited June 6, 2016 by Rivendare