S07:E07 - Parental Glideance

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

OK, so with a clean video to watch, a bit more time and much more relaxed I can give a better opinion.

 

Spoiler

 

Best idea ever huh? OK Scootaloo... I think you and RD like to have horrible unsafe idea competitions. However you do get an award for most creative way to get to a city in the sky. Who needs flying when you have giant slingshots?

So pegasi can collect pieces of clouds.. sleep on them, sculpt them, use them for building materials.... and have to mow them? Who knew?

I thought the way her parents used their wings like hands was really expressive.... I mean we have seen it before... but they are more and more as the show has progressed, went from just being just wings, to actual appendages for handling things.  I find that pretty interesting.

REPORT: Poor Earth ponies are still forced to use their mouths... for everything! We now go to schoolteacher Cheerilee who can offer us more insight on this...

I know Scootaloo is excited.... but a sandwich and a diaper? Seriously? I don't hate the B nearly as much now. Windy got some interesting information worth saving about her daughter, and all she had to trade was a dirty diaper...tradzies indeed! Also it was a nice recap on many of RDs previous adventures even giving credit to Rarity for saving her reputation several season back. Still.. ick!

Such a cute flash back if not confusing as hell.  So Derpy was a great flyer as a foal? You see her eyes change over several photos... really would love to know why.... accidents, or just a birth defect of some type? And Spitfire was not exactly the hotshot she is today either? So in all RD, Lightning Dust, Spitfire, Derpy, Fleetfoot, Cloudchaser, Flitter, Soarin, and Thunderlane all knew each other as foals? Seems odd since RD was seen supposedly meeting LD for the first time at the academy. And she held Spitfire, Soarin & Fleetfoot in awe much earlier in the show, and yet trumped them as a young filly. Also, the Wonderbolts had no idea who RD was in the first couple seasons, and yet they shoudl remember her from their youth and her defeating them. The rest I can see since it has never been stated they did not know each other in the past. I could see it if they did not all become so prominent,,,

Oh.. and I'll say it is again... poor Derpy. Oh what might have been.....

Much like Sweetie Belle last episode, you can feel the more mature side of Scootaloo this episode.... sure she still was a screaming happy foal in some parts, but her more adult thinking and ability to chastise RD for mistreating her parents was shown here as well. She hit the feels when she spoke about wishing she had had someone care about her and encouraging her. Whether they are deceased or just abscent, I would really like to know about this now.

Her parents did go overboard... I mean fireworks at a special event? And the constant carrying on and making a scene in others personal space? Many of those other ponies did not look very happy and I am sure several of them had family they wanted to be there for as well. I get that they were excited.. but sometimes you have to still think about those around you and whether you are ruining their good time for the sake of your own. I can see why RD exploded on them... but as has been mentioned, she went just as overboard as they did in her admonishing of them. Having an actual sit down and honest discussion with them would have probably worked wonders.

 

 

So yeah.. a great episode... probably the best this season yet.

An easy 9/10

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

I knew I wouldn't like it as soon as I could figure out the episode as primarily a Scootaloo episode.

Good: Door gag, some funny lines, liked the premise

Bad:  Annoying Scootaloo, cringy moments throughout

 

My rating: 6/10. It would have been much better with less cringe. I feel like it's somewhat like Episode 3, but the cringy moments were more tolerable.

[Jeric 46,894]

I keep going back and forth on how to say what I feel about this episode. I have popped in here about six times now.

I was watching this episode with the kids. I was enjoying the hell out of Scootaloo's interactions with RD's parents. Dad made the door joke. My oldest kid said, "That's so you dad." I chuckled. A few minutes later, I hear my youngest say, "Oh wow." I glanced at her, already aware what had happened. She had tears in her eyes. I saw it too. There were shades  of her mother in Windy Whistles. Then the parents started supporting Scootaloo. 

It was at this point that how I look at the episode changed on a dime. I can't objectively rate it. I've tried. The kids and I saw many echoes of our own family dynamic, albeit over the top versions. Including the fact my late wife and I have been the supportive parental figures for my daughter's best friend since her parents ... well ... suck hard. 

This was a highly personal episode for each of us. I expected to look at this episode through my own filter, but not like this. As it stands it is my favorite one of the season. It may be in my top five overall. It definitely had the strongest emotional reaction. 

GG Pony Show. 

[CastletonSnob 3,107]

How would you rate S7 as a whole so far?

[Firedog 321]

Just now, VG_Addict said:

How would you rate S7 as a whole so far?

possibly the start of my favorite season. Maybe. if it keeps giving us 10/10 episodes this could potentially beat season 4 for my favorite season

[Soundwave 28,558]

1 minute ago, VG_Addict said:

How would you rate S7 as a whole so far?

Still too early

[FirePuppy 739]

Rainbow Dash did not really do much as I thought she would in this episode. As it turned out, this was mostly a Scootaloo episode. Because of this, I think Rainbow Dash will have no chance of dominating Season 7 after all. Remember, her next episode isn't until after at least Triple Threat, which is in the second half of this season.

[chronos911 22]

The only thing I disliked about this episode was well it's a bit of a nitpick but Scootaloo being catapulted up to Cloudsdale..   You can't just do that lol. It's fuckin dangerous and it's stupid.     They need to tone down on the wacko goofy cartoon shit lol.  This ain't looney toons.   There is and should be an element of danger.

[Jeric 46,894]

20 minutes ago, chronos911 said:

The only thing I disliked about this episode was well it's a bit of a nitpick but Scootaloo being catapulted up to Cloudsdale..   You can't just do that lol. It's fuckin dangerous and it's stupid.     They need to tone down on the wacko goofy cartoon shit lol.  This ain't looney toons.   There is and should be an element of danger.

Well, they aren't the most practical of minds. I mean, just recall what they kept getting trying to get their Marks in. As far as safety, in the prior episode they basically surfed a block of marble down a mountain. O_o

It's part of what you should expect from them by now, since basically Season 1.

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

16 minutes ago, chronos911 said:

The only thing I disliked about this episode was well it's a bit of a nitpick but Scootaloo being catapulted up to Cloudsdale..   You can't just do that lol. It's fuckin dangerous and it's stupid.     They need to tone down on the wacko goofy cartoon shit lol.  This ain't looney toons.   There is and should be an element of danger.

A lot of people keep forgetting this is a cartoon who primary audience is little kids.  A lot of stuff like this is meant for them. So a lot of the looney tunes gags are never going to go away.

[bluseymoe 258]

2 hours ago, Nerdy Luigi said:

I knew I wouldn't like it as soon as I could figure out the episode as primarily a Scootaloo episode.

Good: Door gag, some funny lines, liked the premise

Bad:  Annoying Scootaloo, cringy moments throughout

 

My rating: 6/10. It would have been much better with less cringe. I feel like it's somewhat like Episode 3, but the cringy moments were more tolerable.

You're overuse of the word "cringe" is more cringe inducing than anything in the episode.

There is nothing wrong with the show dealing with embarrassing situations. 

[hdylta 42]

Well my little ponies, it's been a while since I've been here (Jan 24th 2015 according to my profile). I just came by to say how damn awesome this episode was!

FINALLY!

I DID MY WAITING!

SEVEN YEARS OF IT!

but yea, it was a great episode with lots of new canon in it. (and oh boy do I love my canon).

[Babyyoshi309 1,829]

Wow, that is probably my new favorite episode. The door sound effect joke was hilarious. 

 

 

3 hours ago, Firedog said:

possibly the start of my favorite season. Maybe. if it keeps giving us 10/10 episodes this could potentially beat season 4 for my favorite season

I agree!!!

Edited May 8, 2017 by Babyyoshi309

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

In which Scootaloo finally makes Dash's entire family her own. 

[Thrond 3,272]

Huzzah, a fun episode! Was staring to think those had gone extinct. Anyway Dash's parents are adorable, and her relationship with them has a deceptive amount of nuance to it. By far the best Dash has been written since as far back as "Flight to the Finish," and of course it'd take Scootaloo to bring that out of her. Just a shame about that moral, though. I'd be annoyed if I had Dash's parents too, so while she overreacted, I don't see why I should think she was wrong to want them to tone it down a little. It really doesn't seem like that would take any extra time to address. 

More at my offsite blog, and now my onsite blog if that's preferable. 

4 hours ago, VG_Addict said:

How would you rate S7 as a whole so far?

Mean of all scores so far is 58/100. Still only two episodes I'm all that fond of, so I can't rate it too highly, but this episode certainly helped. 

6 hours ago, The Nth Doctor said:

I don't see the part where she didn't want anything to do with them, but whatever works for you.

But hey, at least she apologized and her parents now know to tone it back.

 

Do they know to tone it back? They were just as loud to Scootaloo later, after all. 

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

The fact that this episode was able to do the embarrassing parents cliche without getting too cringy on the humor (which is a trap this plot commonly falls into), is admirable on its own. Other than that, this episode is an adorable ride that was directly after an episode that was another adorable ride (strange, those both starred a member of the CMC and their 'sister').

[Unlikeable Pony 2,700]

It was... Alright I guess. It wasn't newbie dash bad, but there wasn't a whole lot to reccomend this episode honestly. About a 6.5/10, and that's mainly due to a couple things being kind of cute, like the dash hat on her mother.

past that its kind of pure "meh" really.

 

7 hours ago, VG_Addict said:

How would you rate S7 as a whole so far?

about a 4/10 so far. Pretty poorly honestly.

[Music Chart Fan 819]

11 hours ago, Truffles said:

And this is by far the most positive portrayal of the Wonderbolts the show has ever done, with them not being hard on RD in the beginning and even going forward with her apology plan.

That's a really good point, and I might not have realized that if you hadn't pointed it out. When Spitfire asks "Which pony broke protocol and invited guests to our training exercises?!" and Rainbow says "I guess they're with me", I was bracing for Rainbow to get punished, and I was wishing that Rainbow would have added something like "I don't know why they're here, I didn't invite them". But Spitfire and the rest of the Wonderbolts seem to take the situation with good humor. And as you point out, the other Wonderbolts are "happy to help" and do a special performance just for Rainbow's parents (and Scootaloo).

11 hours ago, Truffles said:

Also I always thought Soarin's baggy eyes were due to him being older. Apparently not!

The Friends Forever Issue 36 comic with Rainbow and Soarin' kind of gives an explanation for that (with the caveat about comics not necessarily being canon). Soarin' says in that comic that he has less raw talent than the rest of the Wonderbolts, so he's always had to work and practice harder than the rest of them to get good enough (and stay good enough) to be a Wonderbolt.

[GiFTGewEhrSCHutzen-4 8,835]

I enjoyed watching this episode, a lot of funny stuff here, and also call back to previous episodes too. Favorite parts were 2/3 of the CMC slingshot Scootaloo towards Cloudsdale. What the heck were they thinking? XD

Also, RD's dad sure got beefed up too quickly, last time I saw RD's dad was in the Hearth's Warming Tail episode in which his design was like a young colt. ANyways setting that aside, again, I enjoyed this episode!

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Not sure if this was mentioned yet, but this is the first episode in a while that doesn't portray the Wonderbolts as assholes in some extension (minus Rarity Investigates but that can be debatable),. It would have been easy for them to laugh or berate Rainbow Dash for having embarrassing parents (which is another trap these kind of plots fall into with the difference being the people berating the person with embarrassing parents are typically children). But the Wonderbolts were pretty mature about it.

[Truffles 2,033]

7 hours ago, Music Chart Fan said:

I was wishing that Rainbow would have added something like "I don't know why they're here, I didn't invite them". But Spitfire and the rest of the Wonderbolts seem to take the situation with good humor.

I felt the same way, like she should have grumbled a little more openly to Spitfire about her parents to let her captain know this wasn't her idea and she wasn't any happier about it than the rest of the bolts were. But like you said, Spitfire seemed to take it all in stride. It's possible she sees this kind of thing often where overzealous parents show up when a recruit tries to enter the academy for the first time.

7 hours ago, Music Chart Fan said:

The Friends Forever Issue 36 comic with Rainbow and Soarin' kind of gives an explanation for that (with the caveat about comics not necessarily being canon). Soarin' says in that comic that he has less raw talent than the rest of the Wonderbolts, so he's always had to work and practice harder than the rest of them to get good enough (and stay good enough) to be a Wonderbolt.

That actually makes a lot of sense and makes me appreciate Soarin even more than I already do. Even if the comic isn't canon, there is some evidence to back this idea up because of what Spitfire and Fleetfoot did to him in "Rainbow Falls" -- acknowledging their preference for Rainbow Dash in the Equestria Games because they saw her as the better flyer.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,828]

Awesome episode. 

But honestly...it was starting to get a little cringy towards the halfway mark. I'm glad it turned around though...and more development for Rainbow Dash as we finally see her parents! And yet the lesson hits home again. Parents can be very clingy and supportive, but don't take this for granted because they love you and they just wanna see you succeed...

[Jeric 46,894]

So this episode also means that it is likely that none of the Mane Six are only children because Bow Hot Hoof was not the mysterious rainbow maned stallion we have seen twice before. 

 

[Soundwave 28,558]

15 minutes ago, Jeric said:

So this episode also means that it is likely that none of the Mane Six are only children because Bow Hot Hoof was not the mysterious rainbow maned stallion we have seen twice before. 

 

RD gets waaaay too much attention for her to have any siblings

I still maintain that Rainbow Blaze was likely an uncle or cousin

[Dynamo Pad 12,001]

I found this episode to be pretty awesome and enjoyable. Scootaloo's plan to get to Rainbow's parents house was crazy, but it felt fitting for her. It's great finally seeing Rainbow's parents' for the first time. Their designs are pretty cool and very enthusiastic about their daughter. It was interesting to see everything on Rainbow's life through her parents' perspective. The tour to her room and memorabilia room were pretty interesting. I like how the poster had a tortoise on it and reminded me of Tank. I was glad that the Wonderbolts were portrayed pretty well in this episode. I would have thought they would have messed with Rainbow, but they had shown some restraint. There were some cringe moments that were too much, but some of them were good cringe. It reminded me of some funny cringe moments in "Brotherhooves Social." I liked Scootallo giving Rainbow's parents' a brief history of their daughter's achievements. I liked the callbacks to older episode and characters as well. While I could understand venting her frustration at her parents', after putting up with their support for most of the episode. I felt she should have tried to talk in a more calm manner instead of freaking out at them. I can understand Scootaloo's way of thinking of how Rainbow's parents' were supportive, instead of being seen as embarrassing. Since we don't know Scootaloo's parents, she probably didn't get a lot of support growing up. So, I can see her perspective in this situation. I thought it was interesting on how Rainbow's confidence was possible, due to her parents' support over the years. I thought it was nice for Rainbow to make things right with her parents. All in all, I enjoyed this episode and liked the moral to the story. I hope we get to see Rainbow's parents' in future episodes.