S07:E06 - Forever Filly

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

Kinda surprised people here seem to like Fluttershy leans in more than this one, things actually HAPPENED in this one that advanced the characters, Leans in just kinda cemented S6 Fluttershy as being the Fluttershy we'll see onward but it had very little plot and frankly I had a hard time sympathizing with Fluttershy since she was so damn unclear about everything. 

[Thrond 3,257]

3 hours ago, M'gann M'orzz said:

Kinda surprised people here seem to like Fluttershy leans in more than this one, things actually HAPPENED in this one that advanced the characters, Leans in just kinda cemented S6 Fluttershy as being the Fluttershy we'll see onward but it had very little plot and frankly I had a hard time sympathizing with Fluttershy since she was so damn unclear about everything. 

 

 

I mean, a main character actually had flaws and developed in this episode, so I don't see how this can be nearly as bad as "Fluttershy Leans In." Still kinda boring tho. 

[Jeric 46,835]

17 hours ago, M'gann M'orzz said:

Kinda surprised people here seem to like Fluttershy leans in more than this one, things actually HAPPENED in this one that advanced the characters, Leans in just kinda cemented S6 Fluttershy as being the Fluttershy we'll see onward but it had very little plot and frankly I had a hard time sympathizing with Fluttershy since she was so damn unclear about everything. 

For me Fluttershy Leans In dropped a tad after a second viewing. This one hasn't. For me they are about the same on the 'likeability' scale with different things holding back each episode. 

[MalekPony 36]

Could this episode mark the final day where Sweetie Belle would do puppet shows, play dress-up and take silly photos with Rarity as well as eat ice cream that is shaped like a clown?

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

@Dark Qiviut

You know the drill; consider this thread officially moved for the US premier tomorrow.

Of course remember to join us at the CMC Clubhouse on Equestria.tv!

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

Gotta admit the premise isn't doing much for me on the first time viewing.

[Odd Ball 230]

I really wanted to like this episode, but it's got problems.

First, I think the story should have focus on Sweetie Belle herself going through the growing up stage. Like have her figure out that herself she's becoming too old for her favourite stuff.

They made it seem like Rarity hasn't seen her in years, also that Sweetie Belle has grown past her previous interests. But it doesn't work when all the fillies who watch the puppet show and wait in line for the balloons are the same age as she is. If it were the toddler fillies we started seeing since season four it would have worked much better. Either that or they could have had Sweetie indicating she was become more mature than other fillies, including her friends.

Also, as much as I love seeing Zippoorwhil again, I was upset she never once flew like a humming bird nor had her hyperactive voice which was what made her so memorable to begin with.

[cmarston1 5,951]

As someone's who favorite CMC is Sweetie Belle, I was pretty happy that she was finally getting another episode of focus, seeing how she has only had one in season 2, and another in season 4, while Apple Bloom gets like a billion different episodes focusing on her instead.

Plus her interactions with Rarity is my favorite of the whole mane 6 sister dynamics in the show.

I thought this episode was good, and I enjoyed how the conflict between Sweetie Belle and Rarity seemed to mirror that of Zipporwhill and her dog, but besides that I don't have much to say about it, besides enjoying the season continuing to have great continuity by bringing both her and Sassy Saddles back, and the whole pictures of previous episodes in the CMC treehouse.

 

 

Edited May 13, 2017 by cmarston1

[Brainstorm 4,092]

I just saw it, it was cute, I was thinking of, what if after Rarity got back from Canderlot and she and Sweetie Belle explained what happened to Twilight and Spike. Spike would laugh and say, "Boy, that sounds familiar, huh Twilight," like what if Twilight and Spike went through a similar experience in Canderlot.

[PoisonClaw 8,153]

Well, that was an adorable episode. And hilarious too! Watching Sassy race back and forth in a panic while Rarity was sitting calming in the middle of it all was funnier than it should have been. Though, I was kinda expecting the final shot to be Sassy freaking out without Rarity's help, but that's just me. 

I also laughed at the ridiculous costumes Rarity and Sweetie Belle wore, particularly when Rarity was having her breakdown while dressed as a huge rose, which even she realized eventually was ridiculous.  

Really don't have anything bad to say about this episode, besides maybe the fact that the resolution with Zippowill and Ripley was pretty obvious early on, but even that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sweetie Belle also seemed to be trying to act a teensy bit more grown up than she really is. The CMC are, what, eleven, twelve maybe? So asking for a salad in an ice-cream parlour is kind of silly since you're never too old for ice-cream!

Overall, a pretty good episode. This season's been on a serious roll lately, and here's hoping it keeps up the momentum for a good while longer! 

[PinkiePie97 913]

I liked this episode. I liked how Rarity was able to accept that Sweetie Belle was getting older and how the CMC helped Zipporwhill with her dog. The ending was also nice.

[Foliha 395]

It was a good story, but Rarity's faces were the thing...

[Misty Shadow 7,084]

It was better than Fluttershy Leans In. I didn't like how Rarity being oblivious to Sweetie Belle's maturity was the sole joke of the episode, but the conflict between Rarity and Sweetie Belle was handled well and I really liked the ending.

[BrawnyCharger 511]

I enjoyed the episode. And the 14-15 year old in me can certainly relate to Sweetie Belle in this manner. My parents were still getting me involved in stuff that I felt I was too old for during that time. But eventually they let me do more grown up things after letting them know. 

I also wonder, What sort of accent does Zipporwhill have?

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

I found this episode to be rather strange. The day before mother's day, they air an episode where Rarity acts as a mother would who missed time with her daughter. I know Rarity is our drama queen, but would an older sister (I don't have any) really wail in fits of uncontrollable sobbing tears because she missed her kid sister? Are the writer's intentionally trying to reinforce and spread the idea presented in questionable fan-fics about Sweetie Belle's true origins?

Case in point, this one image.

I think the episode would have worked much better if Rarity's mother treated Rarity as if she was still a young filly. (How come you can't change colors in an edit?) The CMC sub-plot could have been left intact, with Rarity and Sweetie Belle's mother learning the lesson. I think the writers missed the mark with this one.

 

Edited May 14, 2017 by cuteycindyhoney

[Ganondox 899]

On 5/12/2017 at 8:55 PM, PathfinderCS said:

@Dark Qiviut

You know the drill; consider this thread officially moved for the US premier tomorrow.

Of course remember to join us at the CMC Clubhouse on Equestria.tv!

Where was the thread before move? 

[Justin_Case001 4,857]

Pretty decent.

Let me get the things I didn't like out of the way first.  I wish Rarity hadn't acted like such a nut.  I never like it when characters act immature or overly ridiculous, like Rarity here, or Pinkie in Rock Solid.  I mean, it wasn't that big of a deal, but just wish they had toned her down a bit.  The episode would have been just as effective if they had had her dial it down a notch.  I also could have done without her hyperbolic geyser of tears.  It's in keeping with her character to be emotional, but I've never cared for the hyperbolic tear geysers.  I'm being nit-picky, but I rarely like it when they do the physics/logic break gags.  Just cry normally, dammit.  No launching tear rivers, please.

Also, it seems very weird to me that Rarity was acting as though she hadn't seen Sweetie in years.  I mean, Rarity still lives in Ponyville, right?!  Wouldn't she see Sweetie practically every day?!  It would be fine if she just meant that it's been a long time since they've spent a proper day together, and I guess that's what they were going for, but it really seems like she was acting like she hadn't seen Sweetie in years.

On to the good stuff.  I really love how they're developing the CMC.  I love that they're maturing, I love that they're taking their responsibilities seriously, I love that they have "clients", and I love that Sweetie's interests are growing, changing, and maturing.  It shows the depth that we've come to expect from FIM.  And to think, in S1, my reaction to a CMC episode was the Michael Scott "No God No" meme.  Now I look forward to the CMC.  They've really come so far and developed them so well.  I also love the message they conveyed; it's a very real one that everyone encounters, and it's something they haven't tackled until now.

Also, the writers did a great job of reading my mind.  I had no idea what the episode was about, (I hadn't even read the title before watching) but just yesterday I commented to my mom that it's been ages since we've seen the CMC, Rarity's Canterlot Boutique, or Sassy Saddles, and I wanted to see all three.  Well played, Hasbro.   Well played.

I guess that's it.  All in all, not bad.

[Sonic5421 423]

This was a great episode centered around Rarity and Sweetie Belle while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo helped out Zippowhill with her dog she adopted back in Filli Vanilli. While I understand Rarity's concern that she still treats Sweetie like she's still a little filly, it was thanks to Sweetie showing Zippowhill that Ripley was a grown dog now and no longer a puppy that Rarity realizes that Sweetie has grown up herself and has different interests now from what she had back in her younger days.

A great bonding episode for the two unicorn sisters, and I give it a 10/10 for my rating. Plus, I loved Rarity in that flower costume, even when she scratched and scuffed it up a bit while in the bushes overhearing Sweetie talk about Ripley.

[Redhatbrony 59]

I'm sorry, but I cn't stand Rarity, so for me this was the weakest episode of Season 7 so far.

I have put a little Rant in my video, but nothing so harsh.

 

[Music Chart Fan 818]

Overall, this is another episode that I don't care much for. Rarity seems a bit too airheaded and oblivious, including needing to have Sweetie Belle essentially spell out the moral before Rarity gets it. And it's frustrating that Sweetie Belle almost gets Rarity to see that she's grown up a couple of times, but then she backs down, presumably out of (somewhat justified) fear of Rarity overreacting. This episode is fairly basic, so there won't be as much for me to say about it.

First, when it comes to Rarity's behavior, this episode seems to imply that it's been something like years since Rarity and Sweetie Belle have spent time together, such that Rarity would have an updated idea of what Sweetie Belle likes to do. But then, wouldn't the two of them have done that, say, when the CMC got their cutie marks? How much time is supposed to have passed since then? Also, Rarity sees that the CMC have "clients", notes the wall of "satisfied customers", and says "you girls really have come a long way". Might that be a tip-off that Sweetie Belle has matured beyond the level that Rarity originally thought? Finally, it's weird how, after Sweetie Belle herself says that the things she and Rarity have been doing aren't who she is anymore, Rarity insists that no, those things are who Sweetie Belle is, and Rarity is even prepared to give Sweetie Belle "quite the talking to" because Rarity apparently believes Sweetie Belle is just being "unappreciative". Maybe Sweetie Belle knows what she likes better than Rarity does?

Next, there are a couple of times when Rarity sees that something's wrong with Sweetie Belle, and Sweetie Belle says she'd prefer something else, but then when Rarity is shocked to hear that, Sweetie Belle backs down and goes along with Rarity's original plans. What would be the problem with Sweetie Belle saying that she's gotten older and therefore prefers other things? It seems like Rarity has to come to that realization sooner or later, and I would think that Sweetie Belle could help that along in a tactful way. Is the fear that Rarity will overreact and get offended? Is Sweetie Belle just left to hope that Rarity will come to the realization on her own later? I guess that fear isn't entirely unfounded, since Rarity gets angry at Sweetie Belle for being ungrateful later, before Rarity finally learns the lesson of the episode.

I don't have much else to say about the episode overall, so here are the rest of my miscellaneous observations.

When Sassy Saddles walks in and says "Rarity, we're running low on vermilion satin", Sassy should be able to see that Rarity was crying about something else other than what Sassy just said - the tears can't come that fast, can they?

If these pictures and memories in the book are so valuable to Rarity, then maybe she should stop crying over them and getting them wet with tears and makeup?

Rarity's dramatic sobbing seems overdone and drags on too long. I think we could have gotten the point without having to spend almost 2 minutes on it. Also, so much for Rarity being professional in front of her manager, eh?

The CMC's sliding a huge rock slab down the middle of the road, which they have no ability to stop or control, might be dangerous to themselves and anyone else using the road, but hey, at least the CMC are wearing helmets, right?

How did the rock slab, which would have considerable momentum, stop and stand upright so suddenly? We don't see an obvious step up or anything sticking out of the ground to stop it so quickly.

Of course Chipcutter's safety gear appears out of nowhere. And is it implied that Chipcutter has never attempted rock sculpting before? Wouldn't it require some learning and practice to be able to create a rock sculpture like that?

Sweetie Belle says the "CMC guarantee" is that "no matter what it takes, we promise you'll have our full attention". Of course, that seems a bit deceptively worded to sound better than it is. The CMC are not guaranteeing that they'll solve your problem, just that you'll have their "full attention" - for some unspecified length of time.

The other kids at the puppet show and in line for balloon animals don't have cutie marks, but other than that, they don't necessarily look much younger than Sweetie Belle. That might be a result of the limited number of age models for ponies used on the show.

It seems a little gross for ponies to hold things in her mouths that Ripley would also hold in his mouth. But I don't know, maybe there's less of a norm of separating animal things from pony things in the world of Equestria, as opposed to how humans mostly separate themselves from all other animals.

Near the end of the episode, when Sweetie Belle asks Zipporwhill to look at Ripley, Rarity is literally right in their line of sight, and yet none of them seem to see Rarity or react to her standing right there.

I don't really understand why the ball and chew toy were completely uninteresting to Ripley, yet a stick gets him excited.

The ice cream sundaes Sweetie Belle and Rarity are eating at the end of the episode look almost as big as Sweetie Belle is. Are those intended to be eaten in one sitting? Sweetie Belle says she'll help Rarity finish her sundae, but Sweetie Belle might have to worry about how she'll finish her own first.

[FizzyGreen 908]

Well, it was really good, but i feel Rarity was acting out of character. But when i think about it, she does not... 

 

I mean, she always was a drama queen, right? And the fact that she didn't do anything with Sweetie in like months makes sense. ....yeah.

She was ok.

Yeh.

 

The episode was nothing that made me fell out of my chair, but it was really good and i liked it. 4/5

[ImpctR 155]

A CMC episode, rather a Rarity episode. Even for not being a big Rarity fan I loved her episodes from the past two seasons, like the saddle row review, etc. Really fun episodes. This episode fits the Fox brothers in a way that for me they are better off with episodes for ponies I care less about, not that I would get too struck with OOC but still. And finally I feel I found an episode that I would just vote 3/5 maybe not Meh but not great, not even that good.

The ceaseless crying of Rarity in the beginning seems exaggerated. When we see the actual plan of the episode in action, quite predictable  and maybe like some reviewers pointed out how sometimes we see a character acting weird or silly to fit the episode.. well Rarity seemed way too clueless about her sister to fit the plot. I get she has forgotten what her sister likes but this went too much imo. Also, if you want Rarity to look silly then goal achieved (for wearing that flower costume for quite a while - curious to see what others will say about Rarity's acting here). Then we get that they figure out things both with the dog and with Sweetie Belle.

In the end, just a filler episode in which nothing much happened, yes CMCs got a new filly to have the cutie mark but one good thing:

Sweetie Belle's grown up, good to show her development but it should not happen at the expense of others looking sillier and a step back of development to fit the episode.

Edited May 14, 2017 by ImpctR

[Batbrony 15,994]

Good afternoon, everypony, and welcome back to another edition of "Batbrony Reviews"!  Today I'm taking a look at the latest Season 7 episode to debut in the U.S., "Forever Filly," a fun, albeit flawed, little slice-of-life episode.  Aside from this being noteworthy as being the first Rarity and technically CMC episode this season, there's not much else to say prior to getting into the review proper, so without further ado, let's begin.  This is "Forever Filly."

So for the most part almost everything in this episode worked, but in the end I found myself simply thinking of it as good, not great.  This isn't on account of any kind of infuriating, obvious flaw, but rather something a little less noticeable and more subtle: the conflict set-up.  Not the conflict itself, mind you, in fact this conflict is actually a fairly common one in movies and television.  All we're dealing with here, in multiple plot arcs no less, is the "such and such loved one has gotten older and changed quite a bit and I haven't even noticed, and not only do I still want to treat them like I did when they were younger, but I'm also not ready to accept that they're older and have changed."  It's a super common story trope, especially in long-running shows where characters have presumably gotten older (you've probably seen such an episode in more than one family sitcom before, usually involving some staple child character in the show getting older, graduating, heading off to college, getting married, etc., or even say a wedding movie where the focus is on the parents of the groom or bride).  Heck, really this kind of story even falls into the broader category of the "coming of age" story, and is just one particular way of telling it, namely from the perspective not of the character who is coming of age, but of someone close to them watching them come of age.

Here's the problem.  It's not that the conflict in and of itself was a bad one in its premise, it's that it wasn't executed properly, and I think I know why.  Poor pacing made certain character decisions seem impulsive and poorly thought out.  Rarity went from being perfectly level-headed in her business dealings in the very opening of the episode to being an emotional wreck all in a span of five seconds, and then spent the rest of the episode acting as though she hadn't seen Sweetie Belle in years.  Likewise, Zipporwhill (voiced again by, of course, Tabith St. Germain, because I swear if there's a character who needs a hilariously over-the-top or unusual voice, Tabitha is their go-to gal to voice her) seemed to be confronted with a problem that really shouldn't be a problem for her.  I mean, her cutie mark is presumably because she has some kind of talent at connecting with dogs, so one has to ask why such a pony wouldn't understand the notion of dogs growing up and their behavior changing as they get older?  I mean, don't get me wrong, I liked how her subplot tied into the final lesson, but more so because of how things wrapped up, not because of the conflict itself.  That conflict too was poor in its set-up because it just didn't seem like Zipporwhill, even if she is still a filly, even if this is her own pet we're talking about whom she has an emotional connection to, should have a problem figuring out what her dog wants when that is presumably her talent and she knows this already because she has her cutie mark.  And I mean seriously, it's a dog, plenty of dogs play with toys that they had as puppies if it's one of their favorites, and not to be mean to dogs or anything, but they're pretty simple in their wants and needs, they're nowhere near as picky as cats can be.  But the bigger problem with this subplot is that ultimately its presence forced the main conflict to be rushed in its own execution, which is why Rarity came across as being so impulsive and irrational in some of her decision-making.  If they'd simply removed the subplot, then they could have had a more basic but also more properly executed episode where Rarity had more time to set the conflict up and get it resolved.  She could have set up spending a day with her sister but not so frantically in the show's opening minutes, not as such an emotional wreck, and everything would have come across as feeling a bit more real in execution.  The ideas they were dealing with here are very realistic and relatable, I think everyone at some point (or multiple points) will realize that time has gone by quicker than they thought and that someone or something in their life has gotten far older than they used to be or changed a lot.  But again, the problem is that because they jammed a plot and a sub-plot together in order to teach the lesson, the conflict set-up in both plot and sub-plot felt rushed, forced, and a bit unrealistic.  The conflict set-up and pacing problems didn't ruin the episode or anything, they just kept an episode that was good to very good from being great, and that's just a bit of a shame.

OK Jeric, this question is for you in particular; can't you just see Tabitha making this actual face in the recording booth?  I mean, seriously, I'm picturing it and it just makes so much sense for her.  I wouldn't be surprised if they animated it around whatever face she was making as she read the line.

So what did I like here?  Oh, a whole lot, believe me, I liked a ton.  I did enjoy that they picked Rarity to have this conflict rather than Applejack; at first I thought AJ would be a better pick, but then I realized that AJ had to grow up from an early age (assuming her parents are dead) and would probably be more prepared for Apple Bloom getting older than Rarity was with Sweetie Belle.  Her problem is over-protectiveness, not coddling, when it comes to being a big sister.  Rarity, on the other hoof, moved out of the house at a pretty early age it seems, and didn't really grow closer to Sweetie Belle until Season 2 after the Sister Hooves Social.  Unlike Applejack, who sees family all the time, Rarity is a character who it would be easy for time to get away from between her adventures with the Mane 6 and all of her business ventures, even after she's gotten closer to Sweetie Belle.  So both the conflict makes sense for her, as do the emotional bouts; I just thought they happened too quickly, but really I have no problem with how emotional Rarity got over all of this because that does fit her character.  I just wish such emotion had been more built up and better paced, like the episode would have been better served starting with Rarity worriedly realizing she hadn't spent enough time with Sweetie Belle lately, but getting more emotional when she realized there was so much about Sweetie growing up that she'd missed.  But nonetheless, I like seeing focus placed on Rarity and Sweetie Belle's sisterhood, I liked this particular conflict, I liked that Rarity was put into this position both because it makes sense for her and for whatever reason seeing a character who in her own life (despite having a flamboyant personality) is usually so put-together and in control realize that there was so much she didn't know about someone so important to her, it just felt right.  It resonated, it made this message all the more powerful because it helped further illustrate that life can get away from all of us, even those of us who think we've got everything figured out (contrasting the lesson she learned with how put together Rarity is in running the Canterlot Boutique in the opening scene is a perfect example of this).  So aside from what I already highlighted as things that didn't work, I thought that Rarity was great here on the whole and loved that she was chosen for this particular type of episode.

Sweetie Belle was another highlight, mostly in how she helped resolve the episode in the end but also because it was nice seeing the show recognize that there has been quite a passage of time since the start of the show and that characters have gotten older.  Now it would be nice if her actual body got bigger, or if they didn't make things confusing by making it seem as though Rarity hasn't seen Sweetie Belle in years, but still, I liked what we got here all the same.  The recognition of this passage of time was nice (which might have been further reinforced by how big Ripley, Zipporwhill's dog, now is as well as how much lower Zipporwhill's voice is than it was in her first episode back in Season 4), and I'd love to see more of it, especially in relation to the CMC.  It was nice too that Sweetie Belle didn't really get unduly mad at Rarity; sure she got mad, but not in a "Sister Hooves Social you're not my sister anymore, I hate you" kind of way, but more in a "we're sisters and you're frustrating me right now as only a sister could, so while I'll forgive you later, sorry but we're having a beef right now" kind of way.  She still helped Rarity learn her lesson indirectly (while learning it herself as well) by showing Zipporwhill what to do about Ripley, and even before getting mad she appreciated what Rarity was trying to do, just not how she was doing it.  Overall, this was just a very good example of how to show that a young character has gotten older in a show without being too flagrant about it; granted, I still argue that her body needs to get bigger because hearing things like Sweetie Belle is into experimental theater while still being as small as she ever has been is just a bit ridiculous and makes it harder to accept, but this was a very nice start and it works with how Claire Corlett's voice has changed over the years as well (though as a quick aside, I must say that Michelle Creber's voice sounds even older now than Claire's does, good Lord writers, PLEASE make the CMC bigger already!).

This shot is seriously cute, and while it initially may seem a bit OOC for Rarity, c'mon, she's bonding with her sister, siblings do things they don't typically do with each other all the time.  Speaking as an older brother, I can totally buy it.

Besides our two main characters, it was cool seeing the CMC finding new ways to assist ponies, namely in helping a pony like Zipporwhill who already has her cutie mark but felt disconnected from her special talent.  Granted it was imperfectly executed, but I like the idea because it makes sense that they won't always be showing ponies what to do to get their cutie marks (though I guess they already kinda did this with Bulk Biceps).  Zipporwhill's return was completely unexpected and, aside from the problems I already cited with her subplot, worked entirely for me, especially her lower voice; whether this was because she's older now or because the writer's decided the original pitch her voice was at in Season 4 was just ridiculous, doesn't matter to me, because it was a far better sounding voice than her original one and Tabitha did a great job with her accent.  Finally, Sassy Saddles for the little she was in the episode at the beginning was fantastic.  Her rapport with Rarity is great and I loved the little we got to see of the two of them working together, two ponies simultaneously very similar and very different in their talents and abilities and who when they're at the top of their game can equally appreciate what the other does in their establishment.  Some of Rarity's failed attempts to bond with Sweetie Belle were pretty funny, particularly the photo shoot, but others felt a tad ridiculous and forced, like the puppet show or the balloon-making scene.

I did seriously love this scene

I must also note that it's bizarre, now that we've seen Ripley age, that other pets like Winona have not visibly aged.  Still, the recognition of the passage of time in this episode, as well as its lesson of appreciating different stages of life while you have them (including for people in your life) because before you know it, they're gone, but when they are gone all you can do is appreciate what you have now rather than bemoan not having what was in the past anymore, that was all great and I appreciate it very much.  It leaves me slightly hopeful that at some point the show might just be willing to tackle the subject of death and loss on that level, possibly in relation to the Apples, but at the same time I know realistically that that remains a long shot.  All in all, this is a good to very good episode held back by a few very particular but not very maddening flaws, but important flaws nonetheless.  I'm sure I'll enjoy rewatching it, but it certainly won't be an instant classic in my book either.  That's all I've got for you this week everypony, thank you for your patience in waiting for my review, and I'll see you next week (probably late again as well since I might have work on Saturday).  Till next time, this is Batbrony signing off.  I'm off!!! *cue dramatic exit*

But it's OK, cause they're Best Sisters Friends Forever!!!  But yeah, seriously, diabetes for sure... 

[Dowlphin 459]

Rarity really went nuts with her drama.
Seemed to be a new type of lesson, but it was very predictable and straightforward. I'd rate it "OK".

[KatonRyu 1,026]

The lesson of this episode seems to be one we've had a couple of times already, mainly involving Apple Bloom with AJ and Big Mac. I really don't see the point in having another one of these episodes. I did enjoy Sweetie Belle's more mature character a lot, though.