S07:E07 - Parental Glideance

[Dark Qiviut 22,392]

Just now, KatonRyu said:

The one thing about this episode I really didn't like was that Dash shouting at her parents was made out to be her fault somehow, despite the fact that she was wholly justified in acting the way she did. I just think it's incredibly stupid she should apologize while her parents are the ones being inconsiderate to just about every pony around them. Other than that, I did still enjoy the episode.

Dash was justified to be upset, but not to yell at them, swat at Bow's hoof, suggest that their love for her is pointless, and implicate disownment. That's why Scootaloo was so upset and why Dash apologized.

[KatonRyu 1,033]

3 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Dash was justified to be upset, but not to yell at them, swat at Bow's hoof, suggest that their love for her is pointless, and implicate disownment. That's why Scootaloo was so upset and why Dash apologized.

I got the feeling that she and her parents have had at least one argument of sorts about this in the past. If that's the case, I wholly support her for using stronger language this time. That said, I do agree she should apologize for it in the end, but I still don't like the way it was handled.

[Meeps 297]

9 hours ago, KatonRyu said:

I got the feeling that she and her parents have had at least one argument of sorts about this in the past. If that's the case, I wholly support her for using stronger language this time. That said, I do agree she should apologize for it in the end, but I still don't like the way it was handled.

It's possible they'd argued about it before, but it wasn't said whether Dash ever actually brought it up to them. It's possible she "handled" the situation simply by avoiding them/giving them information that woul lead to them behaving embarrassingly, eg. becoming a Wonderbolt.

I really enjoyed this episode. The emotions were on point, the lesson was thoughtful and engaging (IMO), and I was thrilled that the Wonderbolts didn't antagonize RD for her parents behavior the way I expected them to. It was very cool to see them actually support her in that show at the end, although we got to see them visibly both amused and distracted by her parents earlier in the episode.

[princeicefrost 61]

i cant wait for the new episode everypony 

[Thrond 3,263]

17 hours ago, Meeps said:

It's possible they'd argued about it before, but it wasn't said whether Dash ever actually brought it up to them. It's possible she "handled" the situation simply by avoiding them/giving them information that woul lead to them behaving embarrassingly, eg. becoming a Wonderbolt.

1

See, the thing is, she's clearly had enough arguments like this that she thought it would be better to just avoid bringing it up altogether, so I can't help but feel that Rainbow was at least a little right to be annoyed with them, especially since they don't seem to respect her wish for them to tone it down a little. 

[Meeps 297]

10 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

See, the thing is, she's clearly had enough arguments like this that she thought it would be better to just avoid bringing it up altogether, so I can't help but feel that Rainbow was at least a little right to be annoyed with them, especially since they don't seem to respect her wish for them to tone it down a little. 

It isn't that she didn't have the right to be annoyed, it's that we don't know for certain whether Rainbow Dash ever actually addressed this situation with her parents besides just being irritated and using avoidance beforehand. There's a difference between sitting down and seriously telling someone to tone it down, and being annoyed and simply hoping to not have to deal with the problem. RD may have done this; chalked things up to simply being how her parents behave, and dealing with it by avoidance. It's something I believe is evidenced by the fact that she was deeply bothered by Scootaloo divulging enough to her parents to send them on another "supportive run." She seemed to have been simply hoping that she wouldn't have to deal with it all.

I think RD's parents were disrupting her life (although they meant well), and she was right to be angry with them. But instead of calmly addressing the situation, she held in her irritation until she couldn't take it any longer, and ended up telling them the rude way to leave her alone. She didn't go wrong by being annoyed by her parents, but in the way she went about telling them to knock it off.

[princeicefrost 61]

good mornin everypony an i cant til this saturday

[Castle Bleck 19,338]

On TV Tropes, I read a disturbing part of an explanation about why someone thinks this episode is "give up on the show"-worthy:

 

Quote

We then get a montage of the parents constantly singing Rainbow Dash's praises, embarrassing and humiliating her in the process, not once thinking about how this must be making Dash feel or how it's disrupting the other Wonderbolts. It finally comes to a head when Dash yells at them to stop. Instead of beating her ass for this like they rightly should have (you know, disciplining her like any normal parent would do for this behavior), they instead congratulate her on yelling at them making and making them feel worthless. Are you serious!? If this was the real world, Rainbow Dash would have gotten her ass beaten!

 

Really?

 

You want them to outright abuse her for... correcting them (albeit in a flawed way) just like you said they should be?

 

If you ask me, the Troper in question just sounds like this:

 

 

Edited May 17, 2017 by A.V.

[Thrond 3,263]

9 hours ago, Meeps said:

It isn't that she didn't have the right to be annoyed, it's that we don't know for certain whether Rainbow Dash ever actually addressed this situation with her parents besides just being irritated and using avoidance beforehand. There's a difference between sitting down and seriously telling someone to tone it down, and being annoyed and simply hoping to not have to deal with the problem. RD may have done this; chalked things up to simply being how her parents behave, and dealing with it by avoidance. It's something I believe is evidenced by the fact that she was deeply bothered by Scootaloo divulging enough to her parents to send them on another "supportive run." She seemed to have been simply hoping that she wouldn't have to deal with it all.

I think RD's parents were disrupting her life (although they meant well), and she was right to be angry with them. But instead of calmly addressing the situation, she held in her irritation until she couldn't take it any longer, and ended up telling them the rude way to leave her alone. She didn't go wrong by being annoyed by her parents, but in the way she went about telling them to knock it off.

 

And I don't disagree that the way she phrased it was wrong, but in the end the episode doesn't acknowledge any fault on the parents' part. Again I come back to that scene where RD joins her parents in cheering on Scootaloo, which to me indicates that Rainbow was not only entirely incorrect, but completely changed her mind despite her earlier stance being perfectly justifiable. 

And I think that evidence of her irritation with Scootaloo doesn't prove much. If she had told her parents to stop before and faced no progress, she would still be inclined towards avoidance, because why waste time if it's not going to get you anywhere? 

3 hours ago, A.V. said:

On TV Tropes, I read a disturbing part of an explanation about why someone thinks this episode is "give up on the show"-worthy:

 

 

Really?

 

You want them to outright abuse her for... correcting them (albeit in a flawed way) just like you said they should be?

 

If you ask me, the Troper in question just sounds like this:

 

 

 

Also: talk about missing the point, eh? Rainbow's parents are specifically established to be comically over-supportive, and so them praising her insult is a logical extension of that joke. And what "real world" does this troper live in where that would actually happen?

[Meeps 297]

2 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

And I think that evidence of her irritation with Scootaloo doesn't prove much. If she had told her parents to stop before and faced no progress, she would still be inclined towards avoidance, because why waste time if it's not going to get you anywhere? 

Eh, I suppose this is true enough. It can go both ways.

It seems we are agreed in the other aspects! :3

[JH24 385]

Now I understand where Rainbow Dash's cheering skills come from. (Like when she cheered Scootaloo on in "The cart before the ponies.")

She has experience with it her entire life. I love how this episode gives a bit of depth to her mannerisms/habits even in previous episodes. (Not only because of cheering, but also her competitive nature, or her exterior of being "awesome" and "cool.")

My guess is that her competitive nature stems from the fact she may have felt undeserving to be cheered on even when she didn't win, motivating her to try harder and at least be deserving of her parent's support, even if it may have been embarassing.

 

It's interesting how RD drew the line with the Wonderbolts. We already know from "Newbie Dash" she cares a lot about what the Wonderbolts think of her, and she was more worried than ever about the consequences.

It was very enjoyable to see the Wonderbolts, and with some friendly teasing and jokes, were supportive of her and helped her in the end. That was such a nice touch. It showed Rainbow really is part of the team now.

Edited May 18, 2017 by JH24

[blackstarraven 142]

On 5/5/2017 at 4:44 PM, Unlikeable Pony said:

Kind of dreading this episode to be honest >.<

Though I'd love it if it ended with AJ giving a lesson about how she doesn't even HAVE parents anymore and to appreciate them.

But AJ Does have parents...

We get to see them in a few more episodes..

I mean AJ does not get to see her Parents often clearly. But they are still alive some place.. (And might be voiced by William Shatner and Felicia Day)

[cmarston1 5,959]

When I heard that we were going to get an episode focusing on Rainbow's parents, I was definitely looking forward to it.

And to be honest I thought the episode was pretty good.

The episode began with a pretty good cold opening with Scootaloo slingshoting herself to Cloudsdale, only to realize that there were easier ways to get there which I found to be a nice way to start things off.

The whole joke about the door with the installed sound effects was pretty funny, and I generally enjoyed the comedy of the episode.

Scootaloo was adorable in the episode and I enjoyed how she and Rainbow's episodes were portrayed.

The season is also continuing to have lots of continuity in it, with Scootaloo's scrapbook being a nice way to bring up some previous episodes, and there was Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail in the background, which I doubt I was the only one who caught it.

I think this might be one of my favorite episodes of the season.

[Sonic5421 423]

I was worried about missing this episode because of a cousin's wedding today, but fate made it so I could still watch it myself and give my thoughts on it before going to my cousin's wedding.

This was a great episode to introduce Rainbow Dash's mom and dad and see how, while you might be embarrassed by your parents, you need to understand that they love you deeply and are proud of you, no matter what little special event in your life is worth celebrating by them. Also, it seems as if Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts have mellowed out regarding Rainbow Dash's parents and their celebrating as we saw Spitfire and the others fly away from Rainbow in annoyance when they were younger, but when they saw Rainbow's parents in the present, Spitfire and the others looked to be a lot more used to it, even if it went a little extreme in some cases, but their expressions, such as Fleetfoot's in the locker room as she walked away, and their teasing of Rainbow about as well, was priceless to see.

Great episode for Rainbow and Scootaloo, and I give it a 10/10 for my episode score.

Edited May 20, 2017 by Sonic5421
Minor punctuation correction

[PinkiePie97 913]

I thought it was alright. To be honest, I don't blame Rainbow Dash for snapping at her parents like that. I'm not saying that they shouldn't be able to support her at all, but I do think they were getting a bit obsessive (seriously, what's so special about hanging a towel?). I think I would've liked the episode better if Rainbow Dash's parents admitted to taking it a bit too far, but I am glad she at least made up with them.

I will say that they're probably where she got her self confidence from. It was exactly what I was thinking when they started showing Scootaloo their own Rainbow Dash memorabilia.

Edited May 20, 2017 by PinkiePie97

[FizzyGreen 909]

Yeah, was pretty funny and it made me cringe just how it meant to. Was nice to see Rainbow Dashes parents and Dash doing awesome things with the wonderbolts and see them interact nicely with each other. It would've been nice that Rainbow Dash would've said that they shouldn't be SO loud. But whatever. Pretty solid episode 4/5 is nice.

[Discordrules123 10]

Despite the episode having a nice moral at the end, I still find Bow hothoof's and Windy Whistles' behavior to be a serious issue. While I am aware of the fact that parents do sometimes embarrass their kids even when they don't mean to, the problem here is that the way they did it was a little extreme. I mean seriously, launching fireworks at one of their shows which would have most likely thrown off their concentration, cheering for Rainbow Dash after she lost a race, and celebrating every single thing she did gives me the impression that the two of them need to see a specialist. I think it would have been a lot better if they had learned a lesson at the end as well, and that is to not go overboard with the whole cheering and praising.

[ChB 18,550]

Look at the chalkboard. Cheerilee is teaching her students Electromagnetism and Vector Calculus!  

Edited May 20, 2017 by ChB

[Little Snowdrop 296]

When I saw Rainbow's parents, I just expected the episode would contain more about her past then it actually did... but it was pretty awesome anyway. I just loved that door (i think you know which one I mean ) and the moral was verry interesting. The whole topic of that episode is a big thing for me, too, but that doesn't belong here I think.

Also the little Scootaloo-moment was pretty interesting. I think "they" just want to give a few little hints about her family background without directly speaking it out. It's funny how interesting this fact makes her. (I mean just look at the number of several theories, starting with traveling parents, considering Scootaloo beeing an orphan and going far enough to spaculate that Scootaloo isn't a biological pony at all... the craziness of some of these theories is unbeatable.

I just hope that the show will offer a bit more information about both, Rainbow and Scootaloo in the future. But meeting Rainbow's parents is a good way to start, I guess 

 

 

[Choros Isorropai 409]

wow, count me as Dash's parents at the wonderbolt show!

tear jerker, with the added canon of scootaloo now being the target of dash and her parents, just as they were with dash!

my fist still is waved, but only to punch my pillow... to help keep the tears down... soo, sooooo....

(insert any tearful joyous character from any show, followed by an "omygosh" dash face!!!)

IF any people who worked on the show sees this post, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE MADE!

I feel like pinkie pie after she got cranky to be her friend, I just cant explode like that... I have tried.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

@Discordrules123

As your thread dealt with the episode specifically it has been merged with the proper discussion thread.

Thanks.

[Truffles 2,033]

8 hours ago, ChB said:

Look at the chalkboard. Cheerilee is teaching her students Electromagnetism and Vector Calculus!  

Heh, that's really interesting. I guess Equestria has a really good education system!

Though what I noticed the most about this image is something I didn't see until I saw the DFC broadcast this morning (because the low-res online version was too pixelated):

That smile and those eyes on Scootaloo's face - there's the reaction to somepony who's been desiring some approval and support - support she's been apparently missing for her entire life.

I guess the show is two for two now in terms of choking me up: I got choked up by Rarity last week, and now it happened again seeing her reaction to all this love and support by the three ponies she admires the most. I said earlier in the thread when I previewed this episode early it turned the Scootalove up to 11, but it actually more like 100.

Now that Rainbow knows how much Scootaloo misses having ponies that support her like Rainbow had when she was young, I'd like to see Rainbow go and straighten her parents/guardians out in a future episode and tell them to get with the program, even if it means making some sacrifices in their professional lives.

I'm inclined to say this is Scootaloo's best episode ever, even though she also had some very touching scenes in "Flight to the Finish" and "The Fault in our Cutie Marks." The difference this time is she not only had heartwarming scenes like the one above but also a lot of amazingly fun scenes with her fangasming out over finding her idol's parents.

She went from total joy and pride to anger and disillusionment, and finally back again all in the span of 22 minutes. Not bad, kiddo!

 

However, did you really have to trade for Rainbow's used diaper and paste it into your scrapbook:

You do realize Scoots that you've probably just given rise to a whole slew of fanfics about you wanting to try on your idol's diaper, don't you? 

  <= Oh, now you get it. XD

 

Best new animation of Scootaloo, however, is her doing this:

I could just sit and watch that for hours. XD

[Music Chart Fan 819]

Overall, this episode is a bit of a mixed bag. It is nice to see Rainbow Dash's parents, and to see them be so welcoming to Scootaloo, even essentially treating Scootaloo as family. As was pointed out by others, the Wonderbolts show some real camaraderie with Rainbow, giving some good-natured ribbing to her about her "mega-fans" without being too mean about it and being "happy to help" her with a special performance for her parents near the end of the episode. It's also good that Rainbow seems to have repaired her relationship with her parents after probably a few years of not telling them that she was working up to becoming and actually became a Wonderbolt. My main issue with the episode is that Rainbow's parents' support is portrayed as overbearing and excessive, but then Rainbow is made out to be completely wrong for yelling at them to stop and has to put on a big show to apologize, while almost no acknowledgement is made that Rainbow had a point and that Rainbow's parents could learn to be more appropriately supportive.

To explain my thoughts a bit more, I honestly thought that this episode was being set up as a lesson in parental moderation - that parents can, and should, support their kids without profusely praising every little thing they do. And to that end, Rainbow's parents would be an extreme example that essentially everyone would agree is taking things too far. Then Rainbow's parents could learn the lesson and be corrected to a more happy medium. Instead, after much of the episode seems to build a case for Rainbow's parents being excessive and obnoxious, and Rainbow justifiably snaps and yells at them, the rest of the episode then goes on to denounce Rainbow for being upset at her parents and "taking them for granted", and Rainbow essentially immediately and completely feels guilty and sorry and has to make it up to her parents (and Scootaloo). Meanwhile, Rainbow's parents seem to display almost no concern or introspection about their excessive behavior, and there's only at best one indirect acknowledgement that Rainbow's parents might at all be at fault.

To start out, we see in the first third or so of the episode that Windy and Bow are almost creepy in being Rainbow's "biggest fans", particularly with their "shrine" to Rainbow Dash, including a diaper she wore and an apple she took a bite out of as a young child. And later, we see Rainbow's parents moving beyond being mildly embarrassing to being a public nuisance and even a danger. Windy and Bow act like obnoxious sports fans at the Wonderbolts show, even though it's a performance and not a competition. In fact, over the years, we repeatedly see most, if not all, of the other spectators grimacing, looking annoyed and bewildered, and moving away as Windy and Bow do excessive cheerleading for Rainbow. Of course, at the Wonderbolts performance, Windy and Bow start shooting fireworks in the direction of Wonderbolts in the air, including only narrowly missing Rainbow and Fleetfoot. That could result in serious injury, and Windy and Bow ought to have been escorted out and punished. When the Wonderbolts are giving autographs, Bow slings his ripped-off shirt around and literally smacks a kid in the face with it. Windy, Bow and Scootaloo all distract Rainbow at the ribbon cutting, leading her to accidentally cut off part of Spitfire's tail. And all of that is on top of Windy's and Bow's awkward and disruptive behavior of following Rainbow around everywhere, chanting and cheering.

Next, it's rather surprising how Windy and Bow react to the news that Rainbow became a Wonderbolt without ever telling them. In order for Windy and Bow not to have heard about Rainbow going to the Wonderbolts Academy, being accepted as a Wonderbolts Reserve, actually flying in a Wonderbolts show as a backup (and finding Spitfire so she could fly in the show), and of course, finally becoming a Wonderbolt, it seems Rainbow must have been lying to them, doing some serious selective omissions when talking to them, or avoiding them entirely. Shouldn't any of those be concerning to Windy and Bow? I might think that Windy and Bow would say to themselves "Wow, Rainbow never told us about any of her Wonderbolt-related accomplishments of (give or take) the last few years? If we're so supportive and we're her biggest fans, then why wouldn't Rainbow tell us that she was working toward and achieving her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt?". And then they might come to the realization that their behavior might have been overbearing and driven Rainbow away from wanting to tell them what she's really been up to.

But when Windy and Bow first see Rainbow after learning that she's a Wonderbolt, we never see them ask her why she never told them about any of her Wonderbolt-related accomplishments of the past few years. All we get is an offhand comment by Windy that Rainbow was being "modest". But shouldn't the two of them at least consider that this might run a little deeper than mere modesty? And later, while waiting in the stands at the Wonderbolts performance, Windy and Bow hear about how Rainbow came to be a Wonderbolt from Scootaloo, and they say they didn't know about this. Shouldn't Windy and Bow want to hear this story from Rainbow herself? Wouldn't that be one of the first questions they would ask Rainbow after seeing her at the practice earlier? Did they try to ask Rainbow to tell them about how she became a Wonderbolt, and she found an excuse to run off or something instead of giving the full story? We don't see any indication of that in the episode.

So, considering Rainbow's parents' exaggeratedly over-the-top behavior, and their lack of concern or introspection about why Rainbow has been avoiding telling them about her accomplishments, I completely sympathize with Rainbow when she blows up at her parents. We see a little later that Rainbow has been dealing with this behavior by her parents for her entire life, and all along her parents never seem to have the self-awareness to realize how obnoxious they're being, both to Rainbow and to others at the events they're attending. Furthermore, Rainbow's parents show no sign of letting up on this behavior even when Rainbow is a full-blown independent adult. So I think Rainbow would be justified in believing that her parents are so far gone that they can't be calmly reasoned with about their behavior. I wouldn't be surprised if Rainbow's previous attempts to get them to stop were ignored or dismissed, leading Rainbow to believe that avoiding telling them about being a Wonderbolt was the easiest solution. Of course, Scootaloo kind of put an end to that, so maybe Rainbow's yelling and being blunt to them would be the only thing to have a chance of getting them to stop. And in fact, Rainbow's parents' completely oblivious reactions illustrate how impossible it would be to actually get through to them. Not only do they ask if they did something wrong as though they have no clue what that might be, what do Rainbow's parents do right after she finishes yelling at them about being "so proud" of every little thing she does? They praise her for how she yelled at them, doing the exact thing she yelled at them about! If there's any time that they should shut up for once and refrain from spouting praise at Rainbow, this would be it, and yet they seem constitutionally incapable of stopping themselves.

But after Rainbow (with justification) yells at her parents, and they and Scootaloo leave in tears, Rainbow is made to feel essentially instantly and completely guilty and sorry. The episode repeatedly sends the message that Rainbow should be sorry, and we see Rainbow repeatedly telling others that she is sorry. But, on the other side of the ledger, we get at best one ambiguous gag where Windy and Bow jokingly tell Rainbow that her apology Wonderbolts performance is "kind of embarrassing" and "a bit much". Even taking that at face value, it seems far out of proportion to the time and intensity with which the episode expresses that Rainbow was wrong, wrong, wrong to yell at her parents and "take them for granted". I would have liked to see direct acknowledgement from Rainbow's parents and Scootaloo that Rainbow's parents really were excessive and obnoxious, and that they really will tone their support down to a more appropriate level.

Unfortunately, though, the final scene doesn't inspire much confidence that Rainbow's parents have actually learned those things. After Scootaloo gets the grade for her report, we see Rainbow and her parents do the same kind of obnoxious cheerleading that Rainbow found ridiculous and "too much" before. It could be argued that Scootaloo showed that she wanted this kind of praise earlier, but do any of them (especially Rainbow) think that it would be better to show a more appropriate level of support? Wouldn't Scootaloo be liable to (eventually) find this annoying just as Rainbow did? Furthermore, this scene comes across as though Rainbow has shifted her view about her parent's support entirely in their direction, while Rainbow's parents don't seem to have changed their attitude at all. So, while it seems as though the episode is supposed to come to a feel-good ending, these lingering concerns put a damper on that for me.

Finally, it's rather frustrating that Scootaloo is basically 100% on board with Rainbow's parents' behavior, and seems incapable of seeing Rainbow's side of the story, which leads to Scootaloo acting as a means to guilt-trip Rainbow after her outburst to her parents. When Rainbow initially frustratedly tells Scootaloo that her parents can be "a little bit embarrassing", Scootaloo acts dumbfounded by the idea that that might be the case, even saying "What's wrong with a little support?". Scootaloo also shows no indication of noticing how obnoxious Rainbow's parents are to all the other spectators in the stands at the Wonderbolts performance. And after Rainbow yells at her parents, Scootaloo tears up and asks "Why?" (as though Rainbow didn't make it clear enough), says that she doesn't like what she found out about Rainbow and says that she's going to write her hero report on someone else. Are we supposed to believe that Scootaloo's childhood was so horrible that she can't even recognize that Rainbow's parents' behavior is overbearing and excessive? The episode seems to be making Rainbow's parents' behavior pretty obvious, so I don't know if I believe that.

And later, when Scootaloo tells Rainbow "Ya know, some ponies would dream of having parents like that", I can't help thinking that, well, if they do, they probably shouldn't. Scootaloo says that no one told her that she would be the best at anything growing up, but that doesn't mean she (or others in a similar position) should want the opposite extreme of constantly being told that she's the best at everything. Scootaloo also points in apparent seriousness to Windy and Bow giving baby Rainbow Dash trophies and ribbons for "best bath taker ever", "best carrot eater under three" and "greatest napper of all time" as an example of Rainbow's parents giving her the confidence to believe in herself. But I find that utterly baffling, since those awards come across to me as intended to be a laughably ridiculous caricature of participation trophy culture. In short, having actually supportive parents/caretakers shouldn't be conflated with indiscriminate praise for everything one does, regardless of effort or achievement or importance. I think the basic message from Scootaloo of being thankful for having supportive parents would be less hamfisted if Scootaloo gave at least some acknowledgement that going too far with the support, as Rainbow's parents have done, can also be a problem.

Now for the rest of my miscellaneous observations:

When the CMC are stretching back the slingshot, Sweetie Belle is helping using her magic rather than physically pushing it like the other two. Maybe there wouldn't be enough room for Sweetie Belle to help physically push it back, too, but this might show that Sweetie Belle's magic is strong enough to help on its own.

The ramp on which Scootaloo would ride to go to Cloudsdale looks like it's pointed more toward the edge of Cloudsdale rather than the center, which would leave less room for error. Also, the ramp looks essentially vertical, so I'm not sure how Scootaloo would get enough forward momentum off the ramp to carry her to the distant Cloudsdale.

Rainbow's parents plug their ears with their wing feathers in an analogous way to plugging one's ears with one's fingers, but would their wing feathers really block their ear canals sufficiently to have any significant effect?

We see Scootaloo's high-pitched screaming damage Rainbow's parents' commemorative plates, but then that damage doesn't seem to be brought up by any of the characters. Did Windy and Bow discover the damage only long after Scootaloo was gone?

Isn't carbo loading usually done before endurance athletic events like cross country? Are those what Rainbow was doing? I thought Rainbow was best at short events involving quick bursts of speed.

Wouldn't a partially eaten apple dating back to when Rainbow grew her first tooth be reduced to a cesspool of mush by now? Even if it is gold-coated, could an apple really maintain its structural integrity over that long a length of time?

Windy says that she doesn't have "any of those 'Rainbow Dash Saves Ponyville' headlines" like Scootaloo has. But why not? If Rainbow's parents are her biggest fans, couldn't they obtain copies of the relevant newspapers with such headlines?

I mentioned this in a previous post, but 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". Luckily, Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts seem to take the situation with good humor and it doesn't appear that Rainbow was punished.

Speaking of that, when Rainbow tells Scootaloo that she shouldn't have just shown up with Rainbow's parents without warning her first, and Scootaloo asks "Why?", one obvious answer that Rainbow could give is that she could have gotten into trouble by (supposedly) breaking protocol.

Does Scootaloo know the practice schedule of the Wonderbolts in order to take Rainbow's parents to see a practice? Is that something Rainbow would tell Scootaloo, considering that it's against protocol for guests to attend training exercises?

This is kind of a meta point, but who exactly was taking all these pictures of Rainbow, e.g., at the Wonderbolts Academy, or when she was being accused in "Rarity Investigates!"?

Put me down as another person who thinks it's rather weird that Rainbow is shown as competing in the same competitions as other Wonderbolts and Lightning Dust as a kid.

Finally, Rainbow's mom's name being Windy made me think of the song by The Association about a girl named "Windy", which was a #1 hit in 1967.

[Justin_Case001 4,883]

It was a'ight.  I'm a little disappointed, though.  It's like....um....I dunno....it was okay, but I guess I just wish that the resolution had been a little more mature.  I actually really liked that Rainbow snapped at her folks.  I thought it was completely reasonable and understandable.  It was also overly harsh, yes, and Rainbow was right to apologize. however, the snapping at her parents scene was believable because that's the kind of stuff that happens in real life all the time.  What I didn't care for was Scoots suddenly deciding that RD wasn't the pony she thought she was anymore.  That was totally bogus, imo.  But the thing I disliked most was that Rainbow and her folks never really had a proper resolution.  Her parents just said that the attention Rainbow was giving them was embarrassing, and from that we assume that they understand, and that they will simmer down in the future.  I would have much preferred it if Rainbow had just said something like, "Hey, sorry I snapped at you.  That was wrong of me, but I still feel that way.  I love you guys, but you need to chill and stop screaming about every little thing that I do.  You may not realize it, but it's embarrassing for me."  To which they could respond, "We understand, and we're sorry we tend to get so carried away.  It's only because we're so proud, but we promise to calm down from now on."  "So...no more cheering when I hang up a towel?"  "Right."  That's what I would have preferred.  I suppose one could argue that the route they took was more subtle, and therefore better by opting not to state the obvious or some such, but I still think my proposed ending would have been better.  It just bothered me that Rainbow's feelings never seemed to be validated.  I think that's the real problem I have.  I wanted a simple apology from her folks.

I was very excited to finally see her parents and her foalhood home, though.  That was great.  So, was her dad the same stallion that Rainbow was standing on when she was a filly, and waiting for the announcement on whether or not Cloudsdale would win the Equestria Games?  I'll have to go back and look.  I'm just so relieved that didn't Total Rickall in a sibling for Rainbow.  I would have smashed my head through my tv screen if they did that.  I was so terrified that Rainbow was just going to burst into her parent's house, and Rainbow's brother would come bursting out of his room, and Rainbow would say, "Hey, there's my bro that I do everything with!  How's my bro that I talk about all the time and never go anywhere with out!  My bro to whom I've been joined at the hip since episode 1!  Yeah, how's my favorite bro?!"  Thank f*cking Celestia they didn't do that.  I think it's safe to say we're in the clear.  I think it's safe to say Rainbow is an only foal, as she should be.  There should be at least one of the mane six who is an only foal. since there are many children in real life who are.  Of course, there was supposed to be two of the mane six who were only foals.  Three, if you really want to get persnickety.  (Shining Armor was really pulled out of thin air, too.)  Anyway, I'm so relieved.  In fact, I was so relieved that Rainbow was an only foal, that I basically couldn't have cared less what else happened in the episode...:/  Also, the fact that she's an only foal makes it more plausible that her parents were doting over her so much.

Anyway, I did really like Scoot's story about not receiving any praise or support herself.  It really thickens the plot and speculation about her.  Fans have always loved speculating that she's an orphan, or had abusive parents or something like that.  The show wouldn't go that dark, but I'm actually very pleasantly surprised that they had her have a difficult foalhood, with parents who were evidently not very supportive.  To me, that feels like another example of the show taking a risk to be more realistic.  I also liked seeing some more bonding between Scoots and RD, since they're supposed to adopted sisters, or, y'know, whatever you want to call 'em.

It was also very nice to see Rainbow do some successful shows with the 'bolts.  That was desperately needed.  Like, holy crap.  It's rather shocking that the last time we actually saw Rainbow being a Wonderbolt was in the dreaded Newbie Dash.  That was it.  She made a mess of things in that episode, earning herself the Crash moniker, and then we never saw her don the uniform again until today.  After all the buildup to her achieving her dream, we barely got to see any of it, so I'm extremely grateful that we got so see her performing in proper aerial shows without screwing up.  That was nice.

I couldn't for the life of me understand what her dad's name is.  I rewound it several times, and I couldn't make it out.  Mofo Hoof?  Mohawk Foot?  Mohair Moof?  I don't know. 

So...Rainbow competed against Lightning Dust and Spitfire in Cloudsdale as a filly?  Then why didn't Spit and Dust know who Dash was when she met them as an adult?  Continuity rage ensues....

It was okay, but it's been years since we've had an epic, hall of famer Rainbow Spotlight.

[takai 1,060]

I think this was a solid episode. So glad we finally got to meet Rainbow Dash's parents, her mom is so cute. That joke with the sound effects for the door was prefect.

Well now we know where Dash gets her ego from, I think it's great she has supportive parents but the over-support they gave her clearly had some negative effects.

Scootaloo was pretty great this episode especially,  we almost got some feels at the end there too. She started to delve just a little bit into her own life, which I'm still very much interested in seeing. Does she have neglectful parents? Strict and serious parents? No parents at all? I really hope they get into that some time this season.