S06:E19 - The Fault In Our Cutie Marks

[Truffles 2,033]

As the episode plays out (especially once we reach the end), we learn she's as genuine as could be in her constant cheerfulness and optimism.  Yet at the same time, one can still tell that there was a hidden pain to this character for multiple reasons.  For starters, she's gone her whole life, naturally cheerful and upbeat, dedicated to making other griffons happy, but unfortunately for her that is not a natural inclination for her kind.

... 

But you could tell, in many respects, that this was someone who on the inside was probably running on fumes of hope at this point, and she oftentimes came off as almost desperate to find the answer she was looking for.

I got the same vibe from her as she fell back on alternative after alternative as the CMC tried to lower her expectations. You're right that she is a strong character with a strong personality (the last part being quite the understatement! XD ) But underneath that hard, optimistic shell I felt lay a fragile soul who, as you stated, was running out of the reasons that allowed her to sidestep the pain of having her cheerful world view crumble before her eyes. It would be something so horrible I fear she might even have a complete breakdown if that were to have happened. Even watching the subtle hints of disappointment in her eyes as the CMC tried to break the news to her filled me with dread that she was about to shatter into little bits.

 

Fortunately, her seeing Gilda interacting with Rainbow and Pinkie gave her another reprieve by setting her on her quest to find the CMC. They gave her the recharge she needed to continue on by showing her her purpose and why what she does is what makes her happy. As I said in an earlier post, if the griffons in her hometown are still not be receptive to her friendly ways, she could still feel like giving up someday; but I'm hopeful she'll be able to convince at least a few of them to be like her and that would be a success in her mind. (Plus the theme of the show is Friendship is Magic, so yeah - pretty sure she'll find true happiness. XD )

 

I kind of want to compare her to Applejack - like her, Gabby probably cries on the inside instead of showing how she really feels at times because she knows feeling sad will make those around her sad. Unlike AJ, who is a lot more reserved and stoic, she's overfilled with energy to an extreme. XD

[Grtxkkyz 388]

Regarding this episode, first i gotta say...

HOLY SKREEEONK! PREHISTORIC CREATURES ARE OFFICIALLY CANON! Well, Ponyfied, at least, but still.

Anyway, the whole thing was quite sweet. Gabriella's got an adorable design and the way the CMC dealt with the issue was quite fine. Glad to see more friendly griffins. But yeah, i know Gabby can come across as a blatant Mary Sue who's perfect at anything, but maybe, it's pretty likely they made her that way as a parody of this type of characters. You know the writers just love to have fun with many things.

[Sh Pie 65]

This was a good episode that advanced the CMC's post-CM character arc although I was expecting them to have individual CM problems to solve on their own like they said they were going to do. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo need more solo focus episodes.

 

Gabby was a friendly optimistic character and her problem of wanting a Cutie Mark despite her kind being biologically incapable of getting them was intriguing. I liked Twilight's callback to Season 2 episode 6 to deter the CMC from using magic to solve Gabby's problem.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this episode.

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

After so many guesses about the episode synopsis the many guesses about possible griffon cutie marks was right.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Ulrik Raben

[Aurora Storm 83]

I wasn't sure how they were going to handle this but they did a really good job with it. I liked the callbacks to the other episodes, the song was really fun and Scootaloo empathizing made her the real stand out (besides Gabby of course).

[Crusaders Forever 88]

I really enjoyed this episode. I thought it was fun to see a new character for a change, and that she was from Griffonstone that was the location of a former episode was even better.

 

 The song in this episode was really well done.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Crusaders Forever

[Neo_Shiron 56]

I liked that episode and Gabby is cute although she might be a bit too overpowered^^ Hopefully we will she Gabby, Gilda and Greta again soon^^

[Pastel 7,630]

Great episode, although it had a little time problem towards the end. Like some other episodes, it would have been better if it had lasted ~15 minutes.

I liked Gabby, she's really different from the other griffons and is very likeable. But what I preferred in this episode is how Twilight got excited about Gabby having a cutie mark.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Blobulle

[Phill 1,287]

Best part of the episode - Twilight getting excited about Gabby getting a cutie mark. This is when I love Twilight the most. She's really adokable when she's excited 

[Moony the Cat 3,702]

Even though the Episode had a great Moral and an interesting new Character and concept, i still have mixed feelings towards...what was her name? Gabby? She is cute sure, but annoys me a bit, in the same way that Pinkie Pie did. But i got used to Pinkie Pie, so maybe my Opinion towards Gabby will change in the future.

[Nye 1,652]

I enjoyed this episode, it showed that the Crusaders still try hard no matter what when it comes to Cutie Marks. 

[Thrond 3,263]

Serious contender for the cutest episode in the entire show. Even when it gets heartbreaking, the melodrama is mushy in the best possible way, and then the darkest moment becomes a shining ray of sunshine. Gabby is slightly too much in the early going, but oh my god she's so sweet. I adore her. This takes all of the best implications from the concept of cutie marks, and I think it's absolutely wonderful. 

And another return of dorky Twilight is very much appreciated. 

Score:
Entertainment: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Themes: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Overall: 98/100

[bigbertha 414]

This is a really entertaining episode. I'm glad it didn't cop out by giving Gabby a cutie mark, and instead found a clever work around. Gabby got a bit annoying, but she wasn't too bad.

Score: 8/10

[qwerE 96]

This just became one of my favourite episodes! I loved Gabby's optimistic character, and passion for helping others, although she was a bit annoying at times. I also loved watching CMC try their best to help Gabby. This episode tells that you can find your purpose even without a cutie mark, and even gives Gabby an alternative to a cutie mark. The CMC letting Gabby become their member was unexpected, but it made sense and I loved that as well. I hope we get to see how Gilda and Gabby change the lives of Griffons later on!

[bigbertha 414]

I don't feel strongly either way towards this episode. The story is fairly well done (though the third act is pretty uninteresting since it's based on a twist that's obvious from the start), but there's not much else to it. There's not any good comedy and Gabby gets pretty annoying at times. I like the ending, but that's the only thing that really sticks out here.

Score: 6/10

Edited February 20, 2019 by bigbertha

[Eniac 402]

Like my earlier comment on The Times Are a Changeling I am very excited to have more species starring in episodes with the possibility for further development and interaction. The episode itself was good, nice CMC episode. Gabby was a fantastically bubbly character, the fact that she could do everything I feel was more of an exaggeration on the CMCs part to show their loss as to how they normally carry out cutie mark investigations. I don't know how Gabby is in future episodes (let alone if she returns, no major spoilers please but I guess my fault for joining late) but I hope that Gabby doesn't continue to be master of all skills. It was a really heartfelt episode which I feel the CMC episodes are.

Also side note: there's dinosaurs in equestria but with pony names alluding to pony conterparts to our dinosaurs. Now I get this is a kids show but does this mean that this is basically a parallel universe to ours?! But also we didn't evolve from dinosaurs so maybe not, in which case the pony family has been around a loooooooong time!

[JMTV99 1,352]

I didn't care for it. I thought Gabby was annoying and having a griffon wanted a cutie mark was a weird concept in of itself.

[Astralshy 26,419]

I like this episode. I think the story was well executed, song was very good too. I also really enjoyed the moment when Twili got soo excited And the ending of this episode was  perfect. I found the character of Gabby interesting especially after we seen Gilda and other Griffons so far. I can understand that somebody can get annoyed by her over optimistic ways rather easily, but I had not such problem with her.

[Adariousmist 124]

I'm kinda neutral on this one.  Gabby is great and all, but she can be overbearing and too bouncing off the walls like Pinkie can be sometimes.  Given the nature of most of her kind, her approach might be too much for them to swallow.  There is usually resistance to change that comes at a normal pace, much less at a breakneck one.  The overall moral was good, as is how much she helps everypony, and so was her becoming part of the cmc, which I think balanced out the annoyance aspects.  I don't particularly feel like it was a standout episode though.

[Rosy Moonlight 369]

It is easily one of my favorite episodes.

It tests the concept of Cutie Marks, and Scootaloo's perseverance made me smile so much.

[MichaelWFX 35]

That awesome griffin 

[Iforgotmybrain 5,490]

Cutie marks and their destiny has always seemed a bit goofy to me and the pirate thing at the start reminded me of how goofy they can be. Like what if you get a cutie mark related to something criminal? What if you’re destined to be the Gray Fox of Equestria?

Anyway, the episode. I like it! Gabby is cute and I always love seeing other creatures in episodes. The song was good and honestly for a CMC episode this is really solid.

[Antiyonder 1,085]

YouTube upload of the episode: