S07:E05 - Fluttershy Leans In

[shy0wl 484]

4 minutes ago, PacificGreen said:

To be fair, Flutters did say things like "I appreciate your efforts/input" and "I know you worked hard", even when she was angry. So I think she was making an effort to be considerate towards the three other ponies. I still sorta feel like her assertiveness was a teensy bit overdone in this ep. 

That's true, I don't know how I didn't catch that.  But I feel the same way.

[Luminance 2,186]

A really solid episode for Fluttershy whom really needed a foundation for developing and growing as a sole member of the mane 6. Assertiveness and yet deligent enough to carrying her life long dream in order to help her animal friends. Focused and determined is the positive traits I see in Fluttershy and I'm very proud of her achievements.

[snowflame 189]

On 1.5.2017 at 5:04 AM, Ganondorf8 said:

I had to wait until about an hour before I could watch this episode and I have to admit that it was handled pretty well. Fluttershy has proven that she can be pretty assertive when she needs to be given the situation, and when she sets her sights on something, she won't accept anything other than what she envisioned. Granted, you could tell from a mile away that she would lose her temper against those other three ponies--I'm trying to figure out who voiced them--yet they deserved her harsh criticism since they did go behind her back and made choices Fluttershy didn't want. I definitely wasn't expecting Big Daddy McColt to make an appearance near the end and I was surprised that he would be the right person who could bring to reality the kind of sanctuary that Fluttershy desired.

Dr. Fauna got a new voice this time around compared to what she had before but I guess it had been some time since she last had a speaking role. Finally, who knew there were so many exotic animals that served as pets in addition to there being so many pet owners who rely on Dr. Fauna. If there was one criticism I would give to this episode, it would be that the three ponies Fluttershy dismissed just disappeared from the story and weren't given any further presence, not even a chance to apologize for going against her wishes.

If the three ponies did not act the same and had their own reasons (rather than I know better for all) and had different reactions when Fluttershy told them off such as one immediately apologizing and one coming back later and Fluttershy maybe saying she was a bit in the wrong too the episode would have improved a great deal. I guess the tension is supposed to come us from thinking Fluttershy is still season 2 Fluttershy and is going to cave under pressure but I think most of us know how she has progressed. It's kind of similar to how we probably not supposed to notice how well Starlight and Maud got along but they gave too many clues and we know the characters too well so it was clear quite soon that they got along. But that episode had a lot more going on too.

I guess the episode was a cute and has nothing exactly wrong with it but it's the epitome of meh truly. You can tell the writer used to write children's chapter books. In those main character encountering a obstacle where they really aren't in the wrong and other characters are not very consequential and then everything is solved with a happy ending is really material for those plots. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows was kind of similar but Pinkie's antics more humorous ans so entertaining and us learning of Flurry was big news. If that episode would have been more like a Friends episode whee got its title reference Pinkie would have accidentally or otherwise told the news to someone spend the episode trying to stop the chain reaching Twlilight so there was more tension (and it would have been like a certain Friends episode but more kiddie of course). 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

I hope you don't mind @Dark Qiviut, but considering that you already have a nice poll and that a nice discussion has occurred thanks to this thread I went ahead and moved it to the S7 Discussion section. When it airs this Saturday in the US we can use this one.

[Dark Qiviut 22,392]

3 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

I hope you don't mind @Dark Qiviut

Not at all. Toda for relocating it.

[Ganondox 899]

Episode was cute, but pointless. The conflict was one of the weakest we've seen in the series. All this episode really does is show how far Fluttershy has come. Also, love all the snakes. 

[MaryxMelody 93]

AHHH! I loved it so so so so so much! This has inspired me to follow my dreams again! NIce job Hasbro!

[Dark Qiviut 22,392]

On 5/1/2017 at 0:15 AM, Dark Qiviut said:

While there are some issues here, it doesn't change the things it does right. As far as character and progression is concerned, this is some of Fluttershy's best characterization. She had the right idea on what the animals need and is absolutely in the right to call out the people she hired for betraying her word. And despite not having a blueprint, she does know what she's doing, and she's assertive without crossing the line. It's a good episode, but could've done better if the plot was quicker.

Well, things have changed. If you click on the link, notice how the bottom paragraph's crossed out now.

The more I think about it, the bigger the issues surrounding the conflict come up.

What helps create an engaging story is not just the conflict in itself, but also the depth of the conflict. When you have both sides being right and wrong, you help create interest for the viewer. Fluttershy is very assertive here, which she should be after the people she hired turned their backs on her. Yet, her and everyone else being in character doesn't make an episode or story good in quality. There are some huge additional problems with the conflict.

1. It's extremely bare, if not nonexistent. Even though the pacing is really slow (which I'll get to), there's almost no tension here. Whatever tension is there is wiped away because the antagonists are one-dimensional, stereotypical, or both. When there's no tension, you tend to feel annoyed or cross at the antagonists if they do something bad just for the sake of it.
   
   If you're going to make an antagonist a really big dick, add another vessel to enhance that conflict. Two episodes do this right: Rarity Takes Manhattan and The Main Attraction.
   
   In RTM, Suri plagiarized Rarity because she believed that the only way to make it to Manehattan is to take no prisoners. Rarity was visibly shaken and took it out on her friends even though they did nothing wrong. Why? Because she feels psychologically and emotionally betrayed. Rarity's feeling of betrayal and lust to get back at Suri adds depth and tension to the conflict, catapulting when she realizes her friends weren't there and believes her actions cause a fallout. Moreover, there's a small B-plot with a lot of visual storytelling: Coco visibly regretted being involved in Suri's scheme in every scene she was in leading up to the ending.
   
   Svengallop is Equestria's biggest jerk, and Applejack has to prove that he's manipulating Rara. But even though he's self-absorbed, he helped her rise to stardom, and Rara gave out valid reasons to believe him and stick with him directly to AJ. It took AJ's stubborn instincts and help from her friends to catch him in the act.
   
   Both episodes spend their time developing their conflict from the beginning to the end. That doesn't happen in FLI. She hires ponies to help her develop the sanctuary, and when she isn't looking, they go behind her back, and leave after getting caught a few minutes later. Conflict goes in and out.
2. The pacing is really sluggish. When does the conflict begin? About eight minutes in. Remember, each FIM episode is only 22 minutes long. Beginning the conflict more than one-third of the way through is really late. And it's not like they're stuffing in so much detail in the beginning, either. The story leading up to the conflict is extremely straightforward and took plenty of time preparing itself. When your pacing is that slow, then people are gonna get bored. When people get bored, they may stop, fast-forward, or change the channel. No good episode can dawdle to a sterile conflict. I'm not sure if that truly happened here, but the final product feels over-edited.
3. It's so one-sided when it shouldn't be. Fluttershy is portrayed to be one-hundred percent in the right the entire time, when she should've borne some responsibility for this mess. Fluttershy met them together only once to explain what she wants. Then when she and Hard Hat talk together, they spend no time planning or preparing a blueprint. She gives them her ideas and vague guidelines, and that was that. For Dandy, the same thing with the colors she expects. She doesn't talk a lot about what type of patterns she wants, what type of material she wants, whether the material will be safe for the animals. For Wrangler, Fluttershy could've talked with her about not just the cages, but the size and height to keep them all safe and not worry about them running away prematurely. Fluttershy can work with Wrangler alongside Twilight and even Starlight (and perhaps Sunburst) into creating enclosures that can potentially repel Everfree creatures humanely. If she worked with Hard Hat, Dandy, and Wrangler and took their time conversing with each other, then they could've cooperated with each other better and understood Fluttershy's expectations and standards.
   
   This episode feels like it's trying to ride Suited for Success's coattails, this time in the client's point of view instead of the freelancer's. Unfortunately, the primary moral of sticking true to your creative vision even if others try to get in your way doesn't work here. What if Fluttershy has conceptual flaws in her sanctuary? Is everything safe for the animals, and can the sanctuary keep dangerous fantastical animals out? How can you plan it so you have the right measurements, acres, height, and area? Can they test it? Since these animals have some level of sapience in it, and Fluttershy can communicate with them easily, she can ask the animals for advice and be the middlemare to build the best sanctuary possible. There's no such thing as a perfect project. Everything can improve. Because of its shallow, sluggish conflict and Fluttershy's careless mistakes that any responsible client or contractor should pay attention to, the theme and moral they're trying to teach really ring hollow.

After sitting back and thinking about the episode, the flaws become more and more exposed. It did many things right, yet has some major issues with the conflict, both in its plausibility and weight. If one of your most important parts of telling a story has major issues, then your whole story begins to collapse.

Is Fluttershy Leans In bad? No. But is it good, either? No. It's the weakest episode conflict-wise since AJ's "Day" Off, and I would even say FLI's a little worse. At average, it's the worst episode of the season so far.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Dark Qiviut

[JonasDarkmane 19,785]

I thought the episode was alright. I felt it kinda lacked consistency at times, but otherwise it was a pretty fun one. 

Fun to see that Fluttershy has definitely been developing and her friendship with the Mane 6 has certainly taught her to stand up for herself. But I thought it was kinda over the top that the friends of the other members of the Mane 6 were all going out of their way only to get their own vision. It was like the Applejack/Rarity/Pinkie Pie did not know them all too well :/ 

When you are working for someone, creating something for a customer, if you say you can do it, you do as they want it to be done. 

 

4/5 I give this episode. 

[BlinkZ 1,151]

This episdoe was just so ...meh...I mean yeah Flutterhsy had growth but...on the other hoof, well the mane six gave the wrong experets to begin with.

They basically hit AJ wit the idiot hmmer..again! (heyuck i'm southern) she should know better , she shoud knw Flutterhsy doesn't want cages ugh.

And Rarity..whyshe should also know that Fluttershy ins't about indoor places it an outdoor place so why contact someone who has NO experince at all with nature.. ugh! just so dumb!

This episode had me groaning all the way through. Even that ending with Twlight and Dash..why?

Here is the thing, somethien experts DO know better then you...what kind of message is this episdoe. Stick to your guns no matter what anyone says..yeah that cna backfire on you extremely

[Batbrony 16,054]

Good morning, everypony!  It's just about time for the U.S. airing of this episode!  No idea why they decided to air it early in Canada, can't ever recall that happening before, but whatever, we get to see it now in the U.S., so that's all that matters to me.  Here's hoping that "Fluttershy Leans In" is a delightful episode indeed!

Huh... so giraffes aren't sapient in the MLP universe like cows are?  That is so weird, I was sure for a long time they'd be able to talk.  Like, aren't they even in the same family (to some extent) as ponies/equines in general?  I may be wrong about that, but I think they're related to some extent.

Huh... seems to me like a lot of the impending issues that will arise in this episode could have just been avoided if the Mane 6 had just helped Fluttershy out and followed her lead rather than drag in a bunch of outside figures who already seem to think they don't know what they're doing as far as this project goes.

[Batbrony 16,054]

Was... was Fluttershy just douchey?  Like, I know we're SUPPOSED to be mad at these ponies for not listening to her, but frankly none of them should have been involved in this project in the first place because none of them have any expertise related to setting up an animal sanctuary, so I have a hard time being mad at them.  In fact, most of what Fluttershy keeps saying about how it should look suggests that all she needs constructed is a fence of some kind, and that's it.  I know that's not all she wants necessarily, but it doesn't seem like she wants the landscape altered that much at all.

[cmarston1 5,959]

I thought that this episode was okay.

Fluttershy has been getting some great characterization these past few seasons, and this episodes shows the results of that.

I enjoyed it, but there's not really much to talk about outside of Fluttershy being awesome in it.

 

[Sonic5421 423]

Just saw the episode myself, and I really enjoyed it. Fluttershy really took charge and showed that the lessons she learned from Iron Will have really helped her come out of her shyness, she took charge when the experts didn't do as she asked, she put her hoof down when her friends had their own ideas, and we got to see an old friend in McColt Family patriarch Big Daddy McColt as he helped Fluttershy build the sanctuary to her designs with help from the Mane Six, the Crusaders, Big Mac, and Starlight, making Dr. Fauna very happy as well.

This episode definitely earns a 10/10 from me for Fluttershy and her love for animals fulfilling her dream of an animal sanctuary for them, especially seeing some animals we've never seen yet like the giraffe and the sloth.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,392]

I honestly thought this episode was alright. the obvious highlight was Fluttershy, I actually loved how they made her assertive but not overly so, that was my main fear. The one issue there is that she was probably the only real highlight, everything else was just 'okay' to me. The conflict itself was quite forced with the 3 builders and that was my least favorite aspect for sure.

Overall though, I didn't mind this one. Not spectacular by any means, but not really horrible either like I have heard some claim.  It gave Fluttershy something to have as a goal and accomplished it, which is always nice to see. One thing I do find odd; how is a Giraffe a 'critter'? :| That was weird to me.

[PinkiePie97 913]

I liked this episode. I like how it showed how far Fluttershy has come since the series started when she told off the ponies that didn't do what she wanted (admittedly, I wasn't sure if she knew what she was doing either at least when it came to the architecture, but but betraying her trust like that was not okay) and that she was able to get the sanctuary going.

[VeroxVitrus 70]

the reason why everything went wrong for fluttershy is because she had the wrong people. Maybe if she had 3 LANDSCAPING contractors instead things would of progressed a lot quicker. 

[BrawnyCharger 511]

I really enjoyed it. I love Fluttershy. I can relate to the story as well. There are things I want done my way and I feel as though certain others are trying to get me to do things differently.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

SLIGHT SPOILERS: I first saw this episode as the stream from Canada last week but waited until now to review it. Not much to say about this one except that I liked it. It was amazing to see Fluttershy stand up for herself and her particular vision in a reasonable and kind way like when I have a good teacher who corrects me when I have done something wrong while still respecting my efforts. It was nice to see Fluttershy have a goal and reach that goal, and I love how they got Big Daddy McColt to help at the end! This episode is very much like "Cider Squeezy" in my opinion because Fluttershy didn't really learn anything and neither did the "experts". My only gripe is that I maybe would have liked to see a more definite reason for so many animals to show up so quickly and have Fluttershy also solve that problem. 

[Batbrony 16,054]

Good morning everypony, and welcome back to another edition of "Batbrony Reviews"!  Well today I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that this review shouldn't be all that long, but the bad news is it probably won't be that long because I thought this episode overall was just... eh, OK.  It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't amazing either, and I've seen far better episodes before about Fluttershy becoming more assertive or gaining confidence.  But let's not go over all of that here, instead, let's dive on into the full review itself, this is "Fluttershy Leans In."

So last week's episode, "Rock Solid Friendship's," biggest flaw was Pinkie Pie with a ton of OOC behavior, and while that was a BIG problem, the episode as a whole was still very likable.  This episode, while it didn't have such a glaring flaw, had a bigger issue with the episode as a whole that brought it down to being just an OK episode: a contrived conflict.  Now it wasn't the need for an animal sanctuary that was the problem, uh-uh, but rather the issues that arose on the way there.  Frankly, it just felt entirely unnecessary that the three "experts" that the Mane 6 recommended to Fluttershy to bring in to help build her dream animal sanctuary be brought in in the first place; the only one of them who had any kind of expertise with animals in the first place was Wrangler, but even her talent for animal enclosures and herding had virtually nothing to do with building an animal sanctuary.  Hard Hat it should have been pretty clear only knew how to construct buildings and nothing else, and it seems like a landscaper or exterior designer of some kind would have been a far better choice to help than him.  And finally I have no idea what Dandy Grandeur was even doing there; it's not that the animal sanctuary didn't end up having interior "structures" or features of some kind, but I have no idea why Fluttershy or Rarity would have thought a guy who clearly seemed to know nothing but high end interior design would have anything worthwhile to contribute to an animal sanctuary project.  So when Fluttershy got mad at all three of them, I really didn't find myself getting mad at them either; if anything, Fluttershy kind of came off as douchey when she did because she just shouldn't have let them get involved in the first place.  Wrangler, Hard Hat, and Dandy Grandeur at one point before anything even began all seemed to know they didn't know what they were doing in this project, when they shared very nervous glances with one another.  But they tried to help anyway because they were happy to help a friend of Applejack, Pinkie Pie, or Rarity, respectively, so it's not like there was any malicious intent behind their buck ups, they just shouldn't have been brought in to help at all in the first place.  Frankly the Mane 6 deserved more of Fluttershy's ire than these new ponies did; the new supporting characters largely didn't know Fluttershy at all and were just doing what they knew how to do best, so technically as far as what they're good at, they were putting their best hoof forward.  The Mane 6, on the other hoof, kind of seemed to dump off helping Fluttershy on these three, and not only did that lead to all of these issues, but it was completely unnecessary and avoidable in the first place.  The Mane 6 when they work all together are more than capable of tackling a project like this, and as the episode ended up showing, in the end, that's all that was needed.  Fluttershy had a clear vision of what she wanted, and all they needed to do was follow her lead and give her the manpower she needed to bring it to life.  It was gratifying when we got to see Fluttershy lecture the other five at the end when they almost pulled the same crap that Wrangler, Hard Hat, and Dandy Grandeur did, but really she should have been even angrier at them.  I mean, she left things off with those other three badly, and for all we know they might be on bad terms with Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity too now, and once again, this was all avoidable if the Mane 6 had just offered to help Fluttershy instead themselves in the first place!  So overall, I just really didn't buy into the primary conflict in this episode.  It was contrived and completely avoidable, it's only purpose was to force Fluttershy to be more assertive (which she has done plenty of already in past seasons and in far better episodes that taught such a lesson far more effectively), and it felt forced to the point that I just didn't feel like picking sides like the episode wanted me to.  So as I said earlier, while Pinkie Pie was REALLY bad last week, I honestly felt like the contrived conflict that affected this entire episode brought this episode down far more than Pinkie did in last week's episode.

Eheheheheh, ya sure ya want us getting involved?  I mean, just so you know, we may not know anything about what you want us helping you out with, but OK, if you insist that this plot goes where it will inevitably go if we stay involved, fine, we'll play along until it blows up in your face. 

Also, can we please get more of Wrangler at least?  I don't know why, but I just really dug her design, the colors, the clothes, it all just worked for me.

Other than a really contrived and forced conflict, the rest of the episode was largely harmless.  Besides how her assertive moments felt forced and needless, Fluttershy was very sweet and I really thought the best trait of hers on display in this episode was her kindness and how that translated into a beautiful dream becoming a reality.  My biggest takeaway was that her kindness, her love for all her animal friends, was what kept driving her, even when things got difficult, to finally make her dream of building an animal sanctuary a reality, and it was great seeing those simple, basic elements of Fluttershy on full display here.  Also it was pretty hilarious that it was her fault that all these animals were overrunning Dr. Fauna's clinic in the first place because she just couldn't help but recommend her to all her animal friends that she met all over Equestria.  Talk about word-of-mouth getting out of control.  

Dr. Fauna was actually quite delightful, and like Nurse Redheart a couple of episodes ago, it was really nice seeing her in such an expanded role so unexpectedly.  She didn't contribute to the problem at all, in fact like I said it was really Fluttershy's fault that she had too many patients to handle in the first place, and she clearly loved animals about as much as Fluttershy did, it's just her expertise was more directly about animal health itself rather than their overall care like Fluttershy's is.  In fact, as far as new elements in this episode go, I'd say she was my favorite one; I know she wasn't a new character, but it was just nice seeing the writers so positively utilizing a supporting character in Ponyville when so often the Mane 6's problems either revolve around themselves or supporting characters are just there for comedic gags.  This time the Mane 6 helped make a permanent change to Ponyville that benefited the entire town, and one resident of Ponyville in particular, because she and her animal patients needed their help and intervention.  I honestly wish we saw more often the Mane 6 helping out Ponyville residents like that as part of their episode lessons, it'd just be a nice, simple way to get more of the entire town involved in their adventures.  The return of Big Daddy McColt was quite a bit of fun as well, (though it did beg the question even more as to why Fluttershy didn't just bring him in in the first place since she knew he had expertise that could actually aid her in this endeavor, thereby further undermining the contrived conflict of this episode, but I digress), and it was great to see him paying the help that Fluttershy and Twilight had given him and his family in the first place forward with kindness of his own.  So kudos DHX on both Dr. Fauna and Big Daddy McColt, this is exactly how you should be handling supporting characters in the show and involving them in it!

Now that's a brohoof I never thought I'd see in this show

The animals throughout the episode were pretty cute overall.  I did get quite a laugh out of Angle Bunny hurting himself in, of all things, a bucking parkour accident, and even better still being a rotten bastard to everyone afterwards.

I shouldn't be so happy about this, but I am...

...and that is why. 

Most of the animals in Dr. Fauna's office were cute, but two things did bug me.  First, that bear was a cheap, knockoff Harry the Bear and had nowhere close to the amount of swagger that Harry does; he was just a freeloading bum in Dr. Fauna's office and when you have a great bear like Harry already, why even both introducing another one when you know he'll be nowhere near as awesome as Harry is?

I mean, seriously, get a load of this bum!  You ain't Harry, ya cheap knockoff!!! 

Second, the giraffe was cute in design, but her presence there was very confusing to me.  Equestria is a world where we know that a number of animals are sapient; cows can talk and seem to have their own communities, or to even live among ponies (we've seen them buying stuff in Ponyville before but also seen them in dairy farms, but perhaps that's what they do as their jobs), and even sheep, despite being herd animals, can talk (though we haven't really seen that since Season 1, possibly because the writers don't want to raise anymore uncomfortable questions with it by even bringing them up again).  I was wrong earlier that giraffes are related to horses, they actually really aren't, but nonetheless I kind of always thought that if they were ever introduced, giraffes would be sapient animals too.  Heck, this giraffe's head resembled a pony's (at least by the show's own animation) so closely (she even had eyes like a ponies with the typical eyelashes they use to denote a female character) that it was downright bizarre not hearing this character talk.  So I guess giraffes are just "animals-animals" by Equestrian standards now, but I still find that bizarre.  Heck, I don't even know what to think about goats anymore; when we first saw them, sure, they didn't talk, but they were clearly assisting Iron Will with his show, which included running electronics and stage equipment, and yet since then we've seen them treated more and more like they too are "animals-animals" in this world.  I guess my bottom line is that in this episode, Equestrian biology and how the animal kingdom works in Equestria just got even more confusing for me.

I am so confused! 

Ah well, at least this episode had a super adorable sloth in it!  Sloths make everything better, always, like, not even joking, they just do.  And her name was Lola, too!!! 

Uh, Fluttershy, you, uh, you got something on your leg, there...

Finally, while I did have my beef with the Mane 6 as far as the overall conflict goes, besides that they were fine.  They really should have just helped Fluttershy build her animal sanctuary in the first place, but they made up for it in the end at least, and it's not like their hearts were ever in the wrong spot.  I did think some of the "emotional" moments they had when Fluttershy was describing her dream were a bit forced (like, we get it, you love Fluttershy, but you don't have to be on the brink of tears just because she has an awesome dream and is super cute describing it), but overall this was one of their first group episodes (at least in some parts) this season, and I'm always happy to see them all working together towards something as a group, even if it was only for some of this episode.  As I've said throughout this review, the animal sanctuary was a really cool idea and it was really neat seeing Fluttershy make such a cool dream a reality.  But as a whole, this episode was just OK; there wasn't really anything infuriating about it, but too much of it was too forced and needless for me to really care about this episode either.  I guess in that respect I'm OK with how Pinkie was in last week's episode since, even though I hated parts of it, I at least cared about her performance.  I will always take something I care about, whether I love it or hate it, over something I'm just plain apathetic about.  Still, an OK episode is still one worth checking out, and this one is definitely worth checking out for Fluttershy and her awesome animal sanctuary alone.  That's all I've got for ya'll this week everypony; next week my review may be a little late since I'm visiting my girlfriend on Saturday when we both take a trip to Lansing, but I promise to get it up as soon as I can.  Until next time, everypony, this is Batbrony signing off.  I'm off!!! *cue dramatic exit*

I have no idea how I missed this face during the episode, but this face is AMAZING! 

[Zantetsuken 364]

Saw the Canadian release of this episode but decided to give my thoughts here and now 

Back in season 5 when G.M. Burrow started I HATED her first episode "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows" Even going so far as to brand it as the worst episode of that very very good season, a claim I still stand by today. With that In mind I was a tad worried about this episode, so how did she do?

Well... She shattered my expectations.

When I first saw G.M. Burrow writing for the show it's episodes like "Fluttershy Leans In" that I expected from her. This episode was so sweet and adorable that I almost cried at the end, I didn't, but I almost did. I like this idea a lot, I like the moral of sticking to your vision, achieving your dream, even when someone who in an expert in their field tells you otherwise. 

Also let me address one of the best parts of the episodes in my opinion, Fluttershy's assertiveness. I really like how Fluttershy was assertive in this episode without her feeling too mean or out of character. Big Props to Burrow on that one. We saw a lot of new animals and I liked that as well. The episode was just real great. 

Fluttershy leans in
8/10

Season 7 so far has been consistently good and I am happy because all the episodes so far are episodes I can see myself wanting to watch again. I also feel it projects very good things so far for the upcoming season. 

So there is my first season 7 review only 4 technically 3 weeks into the season. So RIP wanting to review and touch on every episode this season. 

[Discordrules123 10]

The storyline for the episode was pretty boring in my opinion. It was too sappy, there wasn't much of a conflict, and it seemed like the writer had misinterpreted at what exactly a sanctuary is. It also seemed like the only reason that Fluttershy even built one was so that the animals could stop freeloading at Dr. Fauna's place.

[TheWhiteBowser 187]

I'm not sure how I feel about this episode. On one hand there's no reason to dislike it. It has continuity, character development, and a great morale/life lesson. In fact there should be very little reason to not like this episode, and yet I still can't figure out why I didn't like it. Perhaps its the timing? Yall can't argue that out of all the mane 6 RD evolved the fastest as a character. She is the most changed. Seriously I'm just now getting a new friend into the show and we're watching MLP together and its blatantly obvious the two most evolved character of the mane 6 are RD and Twilight. Rarity and AJ have had their moments too I'm not denying that. And if we exclude Glims from here because it's obvious that if she were in this equation she would be the most evolved character but let's focus on the mane 6. Lately Pinkie Pie seems to have stagnated as a character completely. She hasn't had any development since Pinkie Pride. In fact I would dare say she back-pedaled and lost some of her original charm for me. Now Pinkie is just lol random and that can get annoying when I look at the rest of the cast. Flutters on the other hand  is a mix bag. She had little to no character development for 4 seasons. Hell it was only just last season when she finally had a big moment in Flutter Brother. Maybe that is the reason why I don't like this episode. The timing. It took Fluttershy 7 seasons to finally have her moment and it wasn't even that grande, comparing the multiple RD, and Twilight episodes were they have their moment and accomplish their dreams, this one seems underwhelming to say the least. It's like we reached the finish line and realize it was only a 1 mile long race instead of a great big accomplishing marathon. The payoff for waiting seems forced when the goal was so simple. Even though RD has accomplished her dream she still has a long way to go in her journey, as does Twilight, Rarity, and Starlight. But much like Applejack I don't see where Fluttershy can go from here. Then again, Fluttershy wasn't always known for having "big dreams". So in essence there is no reason to dislike this episode in my opinion because it still has everything a great episode needs, continuity, character development, and great lesson/morale, its just the timing of this whole thing seems forced and there's little telling what's next. Still I have to say way better than last week's episode.

 

 

[Misty Shadow 7,856]

As a big Fluttershy fan who has enjoyed every episode of this season so far, I am unpleasantly surprised to have to side with the devil's advocate here and say that this episode was a huge letdown. It had the potential to be good, but the lack of any conflict, painting Fluttershy to be completely in the right the entire time, kills it for me. Plus, the "standing up for what you believe in in the business world" moral has been done before better in both Suited for Success and Canterlot Boutique.

[Truffles 2,033]

So I said last week when I watched the early release version, I was undecided as to whether to give it a "meh" or a "like."

Alas, I fell on the "meh" side after seeing it again.

 

The reason? It dawned on me while viewing it that much of what I didn't like about "Princess Spike" is the same for this episode - namely a main character's plot being supported by a bunch of dumb actions by the characters around him or her. In the former, it was the delegates (and Cadance to an extent) acting like morons. Here, it was the experts who had been assigned to her who acted like a bunch of unprofessional noobs.

In other words, this is Fluttershy's Princess Spike - minus any Flutterabuse, as compared to the rampant Spikeabuse in "PS". =P  Which... is probably why I was on the fence over this episode and "PS" was a definite bleh - especially after that last knife twist at the end of that episode. >=(

And it's a real shame too, because she's in good form in several parts of this episode by putting her hoof down when she needed to. But analogous to how Spike went on a power trip and failed his character near the end, her failure was nearer to the beginning - by being so oblivious towards these ponies around her. It was obvious to the audience they didn't understand what they were seeing, and it should have been obvious to her as well. You don't need to be an expert in construction, decorating, or enclosures to read the evident body language from the three of them.

Furthermore, even if she could claim she was too shy to notice them getting confused, Rarity and AJ don't have that excuse. While I give Pinkie a pass because she wasn't nearby when Hard Hat was conversing with Flutters, the others were sitting and standing right next to them! You could tell just by the tone of their respective voices the discussion was falling flat, so why didn't they step in and try to help negotiate the misunderstanding before the work was started? Instead, they just went along with whatever the experts said, even if it sounded totally opposite of what Fluttershy was describing.

Even more so, it's hard to believe none of them have ever heard what an "animal sanctuary" is. I guess if this series is supposed to employ tech from the 18th and 19th centuries, maybe there really is no such thing as Fluttershy seemed to indicate. But to modern-day audiences, it provides just another disconnect with the plot.

Sigh. There's just too many contrivances for this episode to be believable.

Also it's still not clear even after seeing it again whether they were doing all this work for free. I guess I lean towards that being the case since at least one of them is heard stating they love to help animals, and the implication might be that they were donating their time and materials.

Anyway, I still enjoyed all the callbacks (I didn't notice the Canterlot Boutique one until today!) and liked Fluttershy for the most part, but from everything stated above plus the general lack of conflict just makes it so "meh."

Also, is it just me or did crying Angel bunny look more like one of the male LPS characters rather than himself? o_O