S06:E15 - 28 Pranks Later

[Stardust* 3,302]

I loved the part when the CMC sold Flutters her box of cookies and the bear did the whole "I'm watching you" to Dash!! Priceless! 

[ph00tbag 108]

So what happened to not pranking Fluttershy? I don't think I need to say more on that point.

 

I did like how Pinkie was never really committed to the "stop pranking" philosophy. Her perspective of enjoying the pranks while also appreciating their need to be good was refreshing. I loved how this caused her to apparently waffle between Dash and the Remane 5 in terms of who she sided with. It highlighted the grey area that this topic covers really well. Her solution to the problem was very much a thing Pinkie would do, and it was sophisticated as hell, to boot.

 

Speaking of sophistication, I feel like Rarity and AJ in particular could have at least appreciated the pranks Dash pulled on them, because that was some genuinely impressive stuff, with misdirection and a little bit of "how did she do that?" You may not have found it funny, but there has to be at least a little bit of wonder, there. But for what it's worth, the rest of the pranks were definitely pretty lazy and... not particularly funny. It made it hard to appreciate that the whole rash of pranks was incited by the Remane 5 challenging RD on her prank on Fluttershy being lazy and unfunny in the first place. I did like that Rainbow's motivation came from the Remane 5 confronting her, and her not really understanding the confrontation. It was the episode's primary improvement on MMDW, and I liked that they tried several times before concluding that the solution was turning the tables.

This episode really shined when the zombie prank got set in motion, though. I'm actually impressed as to how well they emulated the rising action typical of the horror genre. Very rarely does an episode of MLP actually have me on the edge of my seat. More often than not, it's an enjoyable escape to kick off my weekend, but this one can be enjoyed as a legitimate horror story. It's kinda disappointing that Rainbow didn't find it funny in the slightest. I would hope she'd appreciate the irony of it, but I supposed she's not a connoisseur of irony, herself--she's more of a slapstick girl. Not to mention, the point of the episode would be undermined if she had found the prank to be funny.

In the end, I kinda feel that the episode idea would have been amazing a couple seasons back, but it's ultimately a rehash of the first half of Griffon the Brush Off, and the second half of MMDW, and while it has more nuance than either of those episodes, it highlighted the aspects of Rainbow Dash's character that, to me, always grated, and never really jived with my interpretation of her.

[Cleverclover 1,526]

 

 

And why wasn't Starlight in this episode? 

 

Because it's more or less been established that she doesn't appear unless it's convenient for Twilight in some way. 

[CT-1138 3,182]

I loved this episode! It was fun, Dashie was adorable as always, and most of the pranks were really funny! 

 

The only gripe I have is that I feel like this could have been served better as a Halloween episode. 

 

[BlackWater627 700]

spoiler alert! On a first viewing I have to say this episode is predictable,somewhat like the pervious episode "Cart Before Ponies" but it is still cute and I feel this episode is what "Mysterious Mare Do Well" should have been where Rainbow Dash really experiences the emotions that the other characters are having and comes to her own realization without much help. I have to say that the animation and lighting seem really well done in this episode and it was interesting to see the ponies with lighter coloring when pretending to be zombies so that grayish look must be the pony version of becoming pale like when one is ill. I wonder if Twilight casted a spell so all the ponies would have that pale color but I don't know. And why wasn't Starlight in this episode? 

There are some criticisms of Dashie's friends reverse pranking her instead of trying to talk to her directly about it but those are bogus. They DID try talking to her directly and she ignored them and flew off. I think you're right and Dashie did have to go through this. She obviously wasn't going to listen or learn until she was in the position that she had put others in. It's not like she was hurt as bad as they were either. She got really scared but the others experienced actual pain. Imagine actually biting into a brick or getting sprayed by a skunk. So anyway, agreed about experiencing it for herself.

 

....and give us some Glim Glam! <3

View on Derpibooru (Original source unknown at time of posting)

[Cleverclover 1,526]

 

 

Of course people are complaining about the opening scene and I get where they're coming from, but I've said this before and I'm going to say it again: the moment a character loses their flaws is the moment I write them off as uninteresting.

 

So character regression is perfectly fine as long as the mane six still have flaws....even if they're the same flaws they overcame in previous episodes?  

[CastletonSnob 3,074]

"A Whoopie Cushion is like a prank shortcut".

 

I feel the same way, AJ. Except replace "Whoopie Cushion" with zombie, and "Prank" with writing. 

[TheAnimatorOfficial 567]

I do feel like Rainbow has been overused this season, but I loved the episode and thought it was a much better version of Mare Do Well.

 

The thing is that I don't judge on morals anymore. I judge on how the episode entertains me and how well the concept is executed and unlike MMDW (superhero references aside) both are done great.

 

8.5/10, maybe 9/10.

 

Best episode is still Sleepless in Ponyville, worst is still Newbie Dash. The thing about this character is that she is so inconsistent. She either has a great episode or a complete shitfest.

[heavens-champion 1,905]

Given the synopsis of the episode, I was a little bit worried about how this one will end up being like.

And to be honest, I have to say that this episode was fairly enjoyable.

Also is it just me, or did anyone else feel any similarities to the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Halloween episode?

The only difference is that the zombie prank didn't backfire.

[Megas 27,564]

Haven't seen the episode admittedly, but after reading everything that happened, it can be summed up with "WE SERIOUSLY REDID THE FUCKING MYSTERIOUS MARE DO WELL AGAIN"

 

Like it seemed like the only improvements I heard was that at least Pinkie was great and that they actually tried talking to her this time....

 

In the latter's case, it seems like they didn't realize that wasn't the only problem with MMDW. 

Between Newbie Dash and this, it seems the writers really want me to hate this season

Edited August 13, 2016 by Megas

[Zantetsuken 364]

Ok so, 28 Pranks Later, or, my preferred Youtube clickbait alternate title for this episodes, Cookie Zombie Prank GONE SEXUAL! GONE WILD! ALMOST DIED! 

 

Written by Newcomer, F.M. De Marco. I don't know about anyone else but when I see this name I instantly think of the Spiderman villain, Sandman, whose name is Flint Marco. 

 

So did Sandman manage to impress me with his first episode? Well lets find out.

 

Well I'll say right off the bat it was better than last week by a huge margin.

 

Now I will admit, I'am a bit vexed as to why Rainbow's pranks came back in such a massive way after doing next to none for the better part of 5 years. However I'm willing to dismiss that, it's not really an issue and it's me wanting unrealistic consistency. 

 

I liked this episode quite a bit, or at least more than I thought I would going in. One of the few things I think this writer will need to do is work on his pacing. I think it took a little long to get to the main plot of the episode, which was the zombies, I mean it was still entertaining but I think he could have done a bit more with it. I'm going to only consider it dumb luck that we managed to avoid rushed ending syndrome here, though I kinda predicted the ending when all the zombies were closing in on RD and we had 2 minutes of episode left.

 

Most else was ok, I just wonder how many times Ball had to say "Gotcha!" During the recording for this episode (Unless she only did it once and they just reused the one time she said it) 

 

The moral was kinda meh, I mean I'm pretty sure we did this an earlier episode somewhere. However I guess youtube prank channels can take a page from it. Also I have to say, I can already envision the mountains upon mountains of fanart this episode will spawn ESPECIALLY with an artist training grounds event coming up sooooo yeah.

 

All in all, good episode, Sandman has potential. 

7.5/10 

[Professional Horse 94]

Jesus Chorse. I'm considering not actually showing this to my youngest sister, at least not until halloween. This is too spooky for her.

 

Oh, and also HOW IS THIS SHOW STILL TV-Y?!

 

There's been sexual references, alcohol gags, sexual innuendo, plenty of near-death situations, bones and skulls, famine, slavery, the home of the main character being destroyed alongside with all her books which she loved, self-harm, nightmares, depression, complete seclusion from others, metaphorical death of a pet, brainwashing, cults, monsters, hell/tartarus, destruction of the main setting and implied death of the main characters in an alternate timeline, total war, demon babies and BODY PILLOWS.

 

And now zombies. All in a TV-Y cartoon.

 

Who the heck does the age ratings in America?

 

Edit: Oh and I forgot: torture, insanity, kidnappings, forced labour and bullying a disabled person.

 

I'm not saying kids can't handle this stuff. I just don't understand how this show has the same age rating as Teletubbies.

Edited August 13, 2016 by Professional Horse

[Prospekt 11,018]

So character regression is perfectly fine as long as the mane six still have flaws....even if they're the same flaws they overcame in previous episodes?  

 

I don't call this character regression. I think most of the Mane 6, including Rainbow Dash, have grown in some ways while staying faithful to their original personalities from the dawn of the series. Rainbow Dash is always gonna be competitive and a little self-centered. To be honest, she has always seemed like the prankster type to me, even though this is the first time we really got to see it. That's just her personality. I want her to grow in some ways while still staying faithful to her original self, and with the exception of Newbie Dash, that's what we've seen from her this season.

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

So another thing I want to add: Why did Rainbow Dash think everyone was going to eat their cookies at the same time? She spends the entire day delivering them but at no point thinks somepony is going to eat them while she's out and try to call her out on her prank? And how did she think she was going to prank the whole town if she has to do it door to door? Half of the town should have been pranked and the other half in the know by midday. 

[bluseymoe 258]

Better handling of the moral than MMDW. Though I have to admit RD's pranks were harmless and quite funny.

[BastementSparkle 20,324]

Okay, I think I've pinpointed exactly what it is that bothers me. Exactly why Ponyville's prank feels so much worse.

 

 Compare it to the prank Dash pulled on Fluttershy. Sure, she really scared Fluttershy, but then she pulled the mask off and it was over. At the time Fluttershy thought she had run into a scary creature, but that was it. I felt really bad for Flutters here, and Dash continuing to laugh at her is pretty insensitive, yeah.

 

 Then comes Ponyville's big prank, and it's a similar scary one, but taken to the extreme. It's not just one monster, it's a lot of them. It's not just a random dragon thing, it's her best friends, and the whole town. It's not a random event, it's HER fault. As far as Dash know during the prank, she's caused serious harm to everypony she knows, and now they might be about to hurt her. She's not just feeling scared, she's probably feeling horrible guilt.

 

 It doesn't end quick either. It get's dragged on and on. Dash went too far, but her friends pushed it even further, too much in my opinion. Heck, I can imagine the whole scenario scaring Dash off from ever pulling a prank again, not just cause she doesn't want to be mean, but out of a huge fear of hurting anypony.

 

 Actually, that could make an interesting episode. Dash taking the lesson to heart so much she becomes overly sensitive around her friends, to the point of not acting like herself at all.

Edited August 13, 2016 by Base

[Dark Qiviut 22,379]

Just finished watching the opening.

 

Dash, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?! Did you forget what Pinkie said to you in Griffon the Brush Off about Fluttershy being very sensitive to pranks?! This moment is so out of character of her!

[Kawaii Besu 28,011]

Did you forget what Pinkie said to you in Griffon the Brush Off about Fluttershy being very sensitive to pranks?! This moment is so out of character of her!

 

Welp, I don't think forgetting other people's reminders is a bit too out of character. Besides, she only told her in one instance, so I dunno...

 

If Pinkie did it, tho, THAT is out of character, but that's just me. :V

Edited August 13, 2016 by Fillypino Fried

[JH24 385]

This episode felt it would have been better if it had aired during season 1 or 2. I couldn't help but feel Rainbow Dash's character regressed in this episode. Sure, pulling a prank from time to time is part of her style. But she also matured in the later seasons and this just felt too much out of character. Seeing the "old" Dash actually reminded me why I didn't like her much in the earlier seasons.

 

The Ponyville prank was well done but dragged on for too long. Overall, this episode didn't do it for me. Too much of a leap to put aside Rainbow's character in a way. 

 

Best part of the ep for me personally: The prank on Spike and Celestia. That scene was gold. 

Edited August 13, 2016 by JH24

[Foliha 395]

If for nothing else, this episode was fun because of all the times I got to listen to Dashie's squeaky laughter. 

 

I never liked practical jokes much, and I think Rainbow Dash got her just desserts.  I loved how Rainbow finally got it.  She pulls the best faces.

 

Not too scary, but yeah, it would have been a good Halloween episode. 

[LunaLover92 330]

Well in my opinion Rainbow Dash got what she deserved! (Hey I love Dash! but sometimes pranks can go a little too far!)

[Jeric 46,850]

It fell flat to me for a few reasons. If you want to merge MMDW and Griffon the Brush Off, fine ... but use a CMC character as the prankster and perhaps focus on Dash putting together the 'lesson'.

 

Calling a Friendship Council meeting over the opening scene was also a bad judgement call when tackling a sensitive issue with a friend. That was just ... ugh.

[ManyANewDay_36 178]

I really liked this episode! But I felt like the ponies went a little too far to get revenge. Rainbow Dash could undergo some serious trauma from seeing all her friends like that. *shiver* Let us hope she never gets her hooves on Cupcakes.

[Goat-kun 2,527]

Friends can resolve their problems via confrontation and dialogue = friends let each other get a taste of their own medicine the moment they feel like the dialogue is a waste of time. Top bucking kek. So the friendship card is alright for villains but not for RD. She just has to be punished each time she does something stupid. Not to mention we already had a similar lesson, and a herd of horses high on ketamine ain’t spectacular enough to warrant a spiritual successor.

[weesh 690]

thinking about it, I narrowed the sins of this episode down to its largest:
Dash, who defended Flutterhsy as a colt against the bullies, and comforted her in the hurricane fluttershy episode, showed zero empathy to her best friend.  

It was a big step backwards.

 

If the episode had showed her pranking everyone BUT fluttershy, and then later realizing that the reason she was defending fluttershy applied to other ponies as well, the episode could have been excellent.