S07:E06 - Forever Filly

[Meeps 297]

This was a really sweet episode. I disliked how the premise suggested that Rarity hadn't spent much time getting to know her sister, when past episodes have already cemented that these two sisters spend time together and know one another pretty well. Had it been emphasized that Rarity's business(es) have really kept her from doing much for... heck, many months or even years, then I would've found her blatant ignorance regarding her little sister more believable.

Hardly a ding for the episode, but Rarity hiding in plain sight in the bushes at the end was a tad ridiculous. I also it to be funny that Ripley was bored of "puppy" toys and activities when they seemed pretty standard for things dogs of all life stages seem to enjoy. That's just being nitpicky, though!

[Thaliel 116]

the message was conveyed well, I simply think SB's ageing up is done a little too fast. From elementary school kid to (almost) starting pubertyis quite a leap

[Tropico 226]

i find CMC a biiiiit more bigger now too. idk if its an illusion or what xD

about the episode, hmm kinda boring and i feel that despite showing how they grow, actually nothing happens. my favourite part was at the puppet show when rarity says that banana peels are slipy and then laughs saying "its funny because its true" xDD i laughed here

i agree with others that would be better episode if it was rarity's mother treating rarity like a filly. rarity would be like "moooom i have 3 business"

 

Edited May 16, 2017 by Tropico

[PinkiePie97 913]

11 minutes ago, Tropico said:

i find CMC a biiiiit more bigger now too. idk if its an illusion or what xD

Doesn't seem to be an illusion.

 

[Tropico 226]

@PinkiePie97 woah thats great! love they added that touch. theyre really giving season 7 a more deep and consistent touch to the show. 

i feel season 7 is a transitional season. since it hadnt a big premiere with a villan and wasnt about saving equestria. and now we got some episodes about establishing the growth of the characters (sweetie belle, fluttershy, starlight, maud)- like its the transition for something bigger- leading to the movie and then maybe season 8 being game-changing (like more adventure type of show, or more longer arc plots, idk but something pretty diferent). 

or maybe im just thinking too deep 

[takai 1,060]

Very good episode, as expected from a Rarity based episode.

Rarity was incredibly cute this episode. It's hard to believe Sweetie Belle is really growing up. It kind of feels like we've watched her grow up all these years.

The moral of this episode was a really solid one, something I don't think the show has really touched on. I'm really happy it was with Rarity and Sweetie Belle, not only because the history of their relationship has always been good, but also because I can't stand Applejack and Applebloom.

Possibly the best episode so far.

[Truffles 2,033]

On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 0:50 PM, GrimGrimoire said:

I did not see it as growing out of ones tastes, so much as growing up in general, and having someone only see you as a snapshot in time, and not as a changing and growing being. I have fallen into this with friends and family.. so for me the episode really connected with me.

This is how I saw this episode as well, and it struck a chord with me in the same way. I got choked up over Rarity's line, "The last time we did all those thing together, I - I didn't realize it was going to be the last, last time..." It made me think about my annual get-togethers with my siblings and whether the things I like to do for nostalgia's sake might actually be boring and silly to them since I never really gave them an opportunity to decline.

I was all set to rate this episode as "loved it" at that point, but the other reviews managed to talk me down and a rewatch set this one as a firm "liked" for me. =)

 

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 7:48 AM, Justin_Case001 said:

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.

Rarity did seem a little off for me as well - she was just a little bit too over-the-top. The Even her entrance into the CMC clubhouse didn't seem like her usual sophisticated self. I suppose she was just reeling from her realization she wasn't spending any quality time with her sister lately, but still. Then again, if the Rarity meme that is spreading around the Internet right now from the episode that just aired Sunday is any indicator, it could just be that the showmakers are willing to make the characters more random in general at this late stage of the show?

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 7:48 AM, Justin_Case001 said:

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

Maybe. See below:

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 2:05 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

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?

I imagine a lot of time has passed since they got their cutie marks. maybe even years if the holiday revisits are to be believed. I'm having a hard time thinking when was the last time Rarity spent a day with her sister, so maybe the episode has a point here? Even though Sweetie Belle lives in Ponyville, it is across town if the location of their parents' house is to be believed.

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 2:05 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

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.

The magic of Y-7 invoking the provision that a colt can't be horribly flattened into a bloody pancake? XD Yeah that did seem strange. It literally stopped right before crushing him for no apparent reason. I guess if it wasn't the CMC and how they "go big" in everything they do, I would have expected him to start with a regular block of clay rather than a gigantic block of stone.

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 2:05 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

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.

Indeed. I guess after the Gabby incident they no longer make the promise that they can get a cutie mark for everyone.

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 9:27 PM, Batbrony said:

I did seriously love this scene

Constantly annoyed Sweetie Belle tickled my funny bone to no end. XD

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 9:27 PM, Batbrony said:

I must also note that it's bizarre, now that we've seen Ripley age, that other pets like Winona have not visibly aged.

This doesn't seem as strange to me, since pets who have become adults tend to stop showing signs of aging until they get really old. It's only then do you notice things like loss of muscle tone and their eye sockets deepen. Heck, Rainbow Dash will look much older than Tank does in 80 years if he's still alive and she hasn't been given a horn. XD

[Batbrony 16,055]

1 minute ago, Truffles said:

This doesn't seem as strange to me, since pets who have become adults tend to stop showing signs of aging until they get really old. It's only then do you notice things like loss of muscle tone and their eye sockets deepen. Heck, Rainbow Dash will look much older than Tank does in 80 years if he's still alive and she hasn't been given a horn. XD

I know that Winona's already full-grown, but the reason I find it weird is that she's always looked more like a cross between an adult-dog and a puppy dog whereas Ripley was DEFINITELY modeled on a strictly adult dog.

[Music Chart Fan 819]

4 hours ago, Truffles said:

This is how I saw this episode as well, and it struck a chord with me in the same way. I got choked up over Rarity's line, "The last time we did all those thing together, I - I didn't realize it was going to be the last, last time..." It made me think about my annual get-togethers with my siblings and whether the things I like to do for nostalgia's sake might actually be boring and silly to them since I never really gave them an opportunity to decline.

This makes me think about how I might, at least theoretically, be in a position to relate to Rarity in this episode. I'm the second oldest of nine kids, and my youngest sister is finishing 8th grade now, which is probably about the age of Sweetie Belle (perhaps subtracting a year or two). And it is a little surprising to think that my youngest sister, who's 14 years younger than I am, will be going to high school, when it doesn't necessarily seem like I was in high school that long ago.

But I guess the difference between my situation and Rarity's is that, as far as I can tell, the things I would do with my youngest siblings while hanging out aren't really things that are "age-specific" and that they would grow out of doing, per se. So I can't really recall any regretful or bittersweet feelings within the past few years about not being able to do the same things with my youngest siblings that we used to do, because I don't think that what we do has really changed all that much. Maybe my youngest siblings never did as much "kid stuff" because they would mostly be hanging around us older siblings who were doing more "mature stuff" already.

5 hours ago, Truffles said:

I imagine a lot of time has passed since they got their cutie marks. maybe even years if the holiday revisits are to be believed. I'm having a hard time thinking when was the last time Rarity spent a day with her sister, so maybe the episode has a point here?

Yeah, the passage of time between episodes and between seasons has always been rather fuzzy. I guess my perspective might have been that major episodes with the CMC after they got their cutie marks in "Crusaders Of The Lost Mark" (i.e., "On Your Marks", "The Fault In Our Cutie Marks") sort of gave the impression that they were fairly new to figuring out what to do with their new cutie marks. And that might lead to a perception that not that much time has passed since they got their cutie marks, and hence, since Sweetie Belle would have last spent significant time with Rarity. But I suppose that the CMC had already helped various residents of Ponyville at the start of "The Fault In Our Cutie Marks", which would indicate at least some significant amount of time had passed. And as you mention, if you use other events to try to ascertain the passage of time, you could come to the conclusion that quite a bit of time has passed in the last few seasons.

5 hours ago, Truffles said:

Indeed. I guess after the Gabby incident they no longer make the promise that they can get a cutie mark for everyone.

Haha, yeah, it makes sense that the CMC would try to tamp down expectations after the events of that episode!

[Allen 1,387]

I'm sorry I'm late to post a comment here on this thread, so I will say this is a great episode! 

Some parts in the episode are successful is when a filly named Chipcutter earned his cutie mark and Ripley likes to play fetch with a small branch given by Sweetie Belle that was found in Rarity's mane and Zipperwhill is happy now to be successfully reconnected with each other. It's a job well done for the Cutie Mark Crusaders (CMCs) including Sweetie Bell as well.

[Sh Pie 65]

This was a good Rarity and Sweetie Belle focus episode. The moral of accepting that fillies and infant dogs will inevitably grow up and grow out of hobbies was nice and it doesn't mean you can't make new memories. The CMC have grown up a lot since their foundation. They learned a lot of morals on their crusade for Cutie Marks and now they're helping other ponies find theirs. Rarity and Zipporwhill didn't notice how much their little sister and dog matured since they got too attached to the memories they made with them back in their infanthood and became deluded that they hadn't changed at all.

I think it was a mistake for Rarity to leave Sassy in charge of the boutique considering how turbulent she was while Rarity had everything under control. Rarity is an organised pony similar to Twilight. It's an important skill in the fashion industry after all. I wonder what the result of Rarity's action was, in leaving Sassy with such a big responsibility when she clearly wasn't prepared that day. Why not wait till the weekend to see her little sister that she apparently sees so little of?

[Dowlphin 463]

4 hours ago, Sh Pie said:

This was a good Rarity and Sweetie Belle focus episode. The moral of accepting that fillies and infant dogs will inevitably grow up and grow out of hobbies was nice and it doesn't mean you can't make new memories. The CMC have grown up a lot since their foundation. They learned a lot of morals on their crusade for Cutie Marks and now they're helping other ponies find theirs. Rarity and Zipporwhill didn't notice how much their little sister and dog matured since they got too attached to the memories they made with them back in their infanthood and became deluded that they hadn't changed at all.

There's also a 'hidden' important philosophical theme in this: If you can accept that puppies have different interests than adult dogs, imagine the same for animals that are often seen as 'cute'. You might start to treat all kinds of animals with that in mind. Take pigeons: Some of them are cool, some are jerks. You can observe that wherever there's lots of food around. Age often changes personality, too. Animals are people.

Edited May 26, 2017 by Dowlphin

[Sh Pie 65]

That's a good way of looking at it. Birds are friendly until you feed them too much. Then they become hungry, spoiled and stop scavenging for scraps. They compete with humans/ponies for their food instead. That's why their behavior varies from location to location based on how much the population spoils them. So if the dog's master gives them the same chew toy to fetch over and over again, of course the dog will get tired of it.

[Star Petal 215]

I really think they made this episodes for the parents, more than the children. Little children are never going to learn anything from this episode, the lesson was aimed entirely at older people who treat someone as a small child, or assume they still like all the old stuff they did years ago. 

[Seaearthpony 6]

Not for sure if somepony already said this,but I think that someday Scootaloo will fly. She has flew a little in the beginning of Fovever Filly.

[Seaearthpony 6]

I thought that Rarity was funny in this episode. Sweetie Belle was kinda boring to me.

[Pastel 7,630]

Another episode where the solution to everything is obvious but it takes 15 minutes for the characters to figure it out. Again, a 10-15 minutes format would have been better, there were many boring/useless scenes in this episode.

[npc111 0]

To me rarity didn't quickly realise her little sister was no longer a little fily

[Leavemealone 547]

I liked it well enough. Rarity’s reluctance to admit that  her little Sweetie Bell was no longer a little filly was astonishing, as Rarity is not usually so blind in social situations such as this. 

[Tinkh_ 239]

This is one of my faaavorite episodes just because I have been going through the same thing with my little brother for a couple years lol. I miss when he was a baby.

Totally felt like Rarity was for the most part in character. She seemed a little more excited about spending time than what she usually would have. I was just surprised to see that side of her.

[Nye 1,652]

This episode is relatable to mothers not wanting to accept the fact that their son or daughter will grow up one day. I really like how well it depicts that.  Overall, a great episode! 

[Twilight Luna 31,375]

I liked this episode. The moral was seen a mile away but it was supported by the part with the CMC. Rarity and the dog owner were in the same position. They both didn’t realize that the dog/pony they were taking care of had grown up past childish activities. It took Sweetie Bell to show them both that.

[Senko 459]

I can actually relate to Rarity in this which is a bit of surprise given she's one of the main six who I like but usually don't see much connection too. I was there at my oldest nephews birth (well ok not there but visited my sister in hospital and held him after she'd given birth) and now he's off and employed with his own job. Admitedly they live an hour and a half's drive away but still the time from his being born to growing up, finished uni and employed just seems to have gone by so fast I still remember him as a kid. I can understand Rarity between her friends, duties as an element of harmony holder, running 3 stores on pretty much opposite sides of a continent could easily just sort of be there for her little sister but not notice her tastes changing. Especially as Sweetie's busy with her own friends and interests and the times they have interacted have been at things like the sister hooves social. Not to mention given what we've seen the crusaders are somewhere in that transition period kids hit where their tastes change significantly from "kid entertainment" to "teen entertainment." Especially since her's are more evolving than changing she still likes theatre but now rather than puppet shows its edgy black box experimental theatre instead. Still I agree fully with the impact of "I didn't realize when we did these things the last time it would be the last, last time."

Did seem a bit weird the dog wanting to chase a stick but not a ball given it was big enough for scootaloo and I think I'll just repress the image of a pony using their mouth to throw a stick for the dog to fetch. Not for hygiene reasons but because I can't help wondering if some meat from the carnivore dog got on the stick and then the pony ate it . . . must repress story idea for hannibal lecter style pony.

Also am I imagining things or was that a picture the pegasus pony angel wings on the cutie mark crusaders wall?

Edited June 19, 2018 by Senko

[bigbertha 414]

This episode is similar to "Fluttershy Leans In" in that it's just meh. Once again, there's nothing wrong, but there's also nothing right. I like Sweetie Belle's line about "black box experimental theater", but there's not much else here. It's also similar to "The Cart Before The Ponies" where we're just waiting for the kid to finally call out the adult and everything up to that point drags on for a while.

Score: 5/10

[Discordian 6,015]

I just got to this episode. Overall it's kinda same ol', same ol' but it does make me hope we someday see the CMC actually physically growing up at some point. The entire season so far has made efforts to point out that it's been years since the start of the series so they're obviously trying to actually move time forward.