S07:E08 - Hard to Say Anything

[ggg-2 3,550]

Ya know that feeling when your favorite pony gets their own episode, but it turns out to be so bad it's almost literally physically painful to sit through? Yeah. That's this episode. Ugh, thank bucking Celestia that Big Mac is back to normal in his short appearance in Honest Apple. Never let Becky touch Big Mac again.

[Stickman, The Legend 303]

Big mac Talking and singing? *Drops everything and watches Hard to say Anything* GENIUS *After the episode...* STILL GENIUS

[Smooya 10]

I knew Feather Bangs was going to get intense hate from the moment I saw him. Not only is he strikingly similar to Justin Beiber back in his earlier teens, but he's also voiced by Vincent Tong, our "beloved" Flash Sentry.
Honestly, I hate neither Feather Bangs nor Flashy. They are both parodies - the show is merely poking fun at a cliche that only the older members of the audience would get. They knew we wouldn't like Feather - that was the point, he's meant to be a joke. Besides, both Feather and Flashy are genuinely nice, albeit in a cliche way, and Feather was quite cute at the end of this episode.

They were created to annoy. They did their job and Vincent Tong delivered. Good on him. 

[Jeric 46,835]

1 hour ago, DallasGreatPyrenees said:

 

 

 

It's too RISKY 

Yes, especially since it would involve time travel and coercion of a writer! I've only done that one time, and the result was Battlefield Earth. I apologize to all of humanity for that error in judgment and will never attempt that again.

Heh. This early airing of episodes in Canada lends itself to amusing moments like this. 

[Will Guide 21,325]

I said all this in another topic involving Feather Bangs interfering with people's OTP, but I think this fit better in the episode's discussion forum.

In spite of how bad the majority of episode was, the last few minutes where Feather Bangs reveals that despite entertaining fangirls, he's scared of speaking to them personally would have been much more interesting if he acted like a real, relatable person throughout the whole thing!

I don't hate him; I pity him for being written poorly. I would talk and relate to him, because I always pictured myself being a great storyteller of the classic Disney tales who'd bring entertainment and excitement to others, but IRL, I've always had a hard time socializing with others. In comparison to Zephyr Breeze, I related myself to Zephyr for 2/3rds of his episode, Flutter Brutter, as opposed to the last few minutes of Feather's episode when I could finally see a person worth helping!

One final comparison: to Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. Both had fangirls fawning over them, but both had their eyes for a lady named Belle. In my opinion, apperance-wise, they both can be attractive. However, their differences are what makes Feather Bangs the better character to fall for.

Gaston was a hunter and town hero who saw his Belle as a hunting trophy to win. When Belle chose the Beast over him, he locked her away and seek to kill the Beast in revenge! In the end, he ends suffering a Disney Villain Death as krama punishment! What a horrible role model!

Feather Bangs saw Sugar Belle as cute and is able to wow her. But when she chose Big Mac over Feather Bangs, Feather was the better man and gracefully accepted her choice. He was disappointed, but not the jealous type and ends up being encouraged to learn how to speak to others socially. He started out as a bad role model, but see the errors of his ways, and is gently pushed to become a better pony.

TL;DR: I'd convince Feather Bangs to be a more social pony; Unlike Gaston, who becomes the metaphorical monster when his target refused to have him, Feather Bangs is a graceful loser who moves on when he's not chosen. Plus, I'm like him in that we're good at entertaining others rather than socializing with others on a personal level. Feather's fate is better than Gaston's fate!

Edited May 17, 2017 by WiiGuy2014

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

*sigh*

Man, oh, man, Hard to Say Anything is unadulterated shit. A failure of epic proportions not seen since PPOV.

Where. Do. I. Even. Start?

Anyone can write a good episode. Becky Wangberg is so exception. One big problem with bringing in new writers is sometimes they don't get the characters, the worldbuilding, and theme molding. Hamilton knew what he was doing and clearly researched the series. Wangberg didn't do enough, and it showed.

You can actually count the number of times the CMCs have been out of character at any point in the series. If you take the comics into account, the Holiday Special is their worst. Is the characterization that bad here? Thankfully, no. But is their worst in the show in a long time? One hundred percent. The CMCs were absolutely clueless in not only what they're doing, but also how they're doing. When they realize Big Mac on a crush on Sugar Belle, they all believed it was literally a good idea to follow the classic fairytale tropes and outcomes. They're fairy tales for a reason, yet they treat the novels like a how-to instruction book. Naïve they can be, but they're not stupid. How they're unable to separate fiction from reality's beyond me.

More mind-boggling is how every time they screw up, they perform an even dumber idea, which worsens the matter worse and pisses off Sugar Belle even more. They may always have the best strategies (or the best common sense), but they're all smart and clever in their own way. There's also a great sense of maturity beyond their years. Lost Mark, anypony? Well, this maturity is missing. This isn't the CMCs. This is a generic group of caricatures in disguise. I don't know which performance is worse, this or The Show Stoppers. More about them later.

To hear Big Mac actually speak way more beyond the clichéd "Eeyup" and "Nope" is a long-awaited surprise. That doesn't mean he's still in character! Big Mac may be only a stallion of a few words, but he's still very intelligent, caring, and observant with some dignity. Why the hell would he subscribe to the CMCs' stupid plan on copying the fairy tale clichés to woo Sugar Belle over Stereo Pop? My mind boggles that he'd think at any point that it was a good idea to follow that book o' fiction. Hell, at least once, he questioned their ideas, but gave in. You can have a crush and still retain some common sense.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders tell Big Mac to go back to her and ask was their best idea prior to the end by a long shot. They still could've done the same after Feather Bangs barged in and suddenly became the episode's antagonist. More on him later.

But after all the shenanigans, Apple Bloom finally realized…

Quote

Apple Bloom: We should've been thinkin' about what would mean a lot to Sugar Belle!

On 5/13/2017 at 9:09 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

Well, why didn't you think about this in the first place?!!

Why is this such a big problem?

1. This is something that any of them should've figured out a long time ago, especially Big Mac. He's smart enough to know that Sugar Belle might've wanted or needed something that could be beneficial. Rather than immediately going to the storybook, they should ask Big Mac why he had a crush on her and what would be something most beneficial to her (and, by extension, everyone else in the town). This should've been the case for Apple Bloom, who knows him better than the others.
2. Why didn't this come to her mind in the first place? Because if any of the CMCs didn't go to their stupid scheme, this whole plot would've been resolved by the 11-minute mark, and we'd have to have another one to fill the rest of the time frame. The one line makes all four look even dumber than they were during Act 2.

Now, to talk about the elephant in the room:

Rather than re-write it, let my initial reaction tell the story:

On 5/13/2017 at 5:05 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

So, Big Mac follows the CMCs' stupid advice and try to plant a kiss on Sugar Belle, who's happily napping in a hammock.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME????!!!!!

What the absolute hell is DHX trying to say with this stupid joke? That forcefully kissing a girl in the middle of nowhere is funny? The CMCs are convincing Mac to sexually harass another pony, and Big Mac's going forward with it! With the news and awareness of sexual violence going on at the time this was written and developed, how the hell can Hasbro's censors not pick this up?

Sure, Looney Tunes was able to use this joke. I heard the very same from a lot of people when Brotherhooves Social aired. That comparison doesn't fly anymore. We live in an era with a whole more activism. Trans* rights' activism is at an all-time high now, and we just had Women's Marches. Times have changed. When there's a different political climate, unfortunate implications open up. They may not intentionally harm anyone, but that doesn't make it okay.

Unfortunately, DHX gets tone-deaf too often for its own good, and all the unfortunate implications over the years really proves this. The jokes from Brotherhooves Social contain transphobic/transmisogynist implications, because Big Mac in drag (the "Man in a Dress" trope) is literally the joke, and they force in clichéd jokes (including a gross-out reveal of his Adam's apple) to really hammer in how bad his disguise is. This vile joke here carries some of the biggest unfortunate implications in the series, because it's sexual harassment.

I haven't even counted the other reasons why this joke fails on such an epic-fail level, which includes Sugar Belle's fright and Big Mac's disgusting kissy face.

Now to go over the last sentence in full:

1. Big Mac's big kissyface is a pure grossout shot. The audience is supposed to laugh at how big, long, and plump Big Mac's forced kissy face looks. What makes it even more disgusting is the closeup of his lips and how Sugar Belle looked at from the corner of her sleepy eye. Seeing swollen, close-up lips protruding from straight on is disgusting, not funny.
2. Sugar Belle's expression is the cornerstone of why the sexual harassment implications exist. She's completely unaware of not only his advances, but his presence, as well. There's no inclination of her realizing he's there nor wants him there. She just wants some peace and quiet.
   
   Compare that shot to this panel from FIM #25 (The Good, Part 1/2):
   
   
   In the old forums, IDW editor Bobby Curnow admitted that T3's supposed to be a Western parody. Rarity's and Twilight's expression don't suggest parody, but assault. Longhorn's terrorism isn't played for laughs at any point. How is the audience supposed to not take it seriously? A possible way to make this a parody is to treat it as one, like Tumbleweed and the crew immediately playing mindgames with Longhorn in a Bugs Bunny-Yosemite Sam kind of way. If Tumblweed's flicked to a poll, he jumps off the poll (with some cartoon physics, like warping the wood like a spring) and kicks his ass.
   
   If Sugar Belle showed any awareness of Big Mac's advances and presence, then the parody could work. Something like pretending to sleep, teasing Big Mac with a joke-y line like "Pass me the sunscreen" or "I know you're there, Mack-y" would help shape the parody together better? Why? Because it suggests consensuality among both side, fixing the implications in the process.

For those who suggest either the implication doesn't exist exist or it's okay because the humor was at Big Mac's expense:

1. Watch the scene in full. Pay attention to how Big Mac behaves and how Sugar Belle reacts. All of this helps shape up the implications.
2. Big Mac being the butt of the joke doesn't make the implications disappear.

To tell me otherwise suggests that I should turn off my brain. Two words: never happening.

While Hard sucks, it had a decent start. But when Stereo Pop (screw "Feather Bangs"! The other name applies better) appears, the plot sinks.

And Stereo Pop himself is nothing but an episodic accident.

1. As a character, what character? As a personality, he has as much dimension as Flash Sentry: almost none. There's nothing engaging or charismatic about his character. Each line he spews is flat and stilted. Nothing he says represents anything a realistic person would say.
2. Outside from being a contrived antagonist (more on this below), his whole purpose is to be a 100% parody of Bieber…back in his early days as a singer. His haircut, suave behavior, and song all scream early-days Bieber more specifically and stereotypical interpretations of boy bands back in the 1990s and 2000s.
   
   And the jokes surrounding him suck. Why? Because this whole thing is surrounded by dated pop culture references. There's no effort being put into this joke, and every skit related to him (from the voice to hair swaying to the autotune in his song) is one-dimensional.
   
   Not even his intentionally phallic cutie mark (there's a reason why his tail covers most of it most of the time) is funny. It's just "it's an erect penis mark. Laugh." Jokes don't work that way.
   
   Pop culture jokes in themselves are really, really difficult to get right. Why? Because what could be cool and funny today could become tacky tomorrow. There's no one right way to make a good pop culture joke, but the better techniques that I've seen are to make sure the core of the joke isn't the pop culture reference, written with enough effort to make it timeless, or keep it really subtle to the point of the audience not having to get the reference at all to make it work. This joke fails.
3. Clearly he's written to be an antagonist, yet they never properly build him up to be an antagonist. I don't know what went on behind the scenes, but it feels like the writers were reminded that a conflict's needed, and they plug him in very suddenly to fill this in. We never heard of him at any point in the show, and you can educationally guess that he won't appear again.
   
   The ending where he admits to be nervous around others…that was the best part of the whole episode. Why? Because it gives him some character. Unfortunately, it's too little, too late. As a whole, Stereo Pop contributes nothing but the nosedive of its quality and can be written out entirely.

On top of that, this whole episode directly contradicts the continuity of the show. In Hearts & Hooves Day (which this episode directly references), the CMCs stated that it was bad for them to force romance between two ponies. They're doing the very same thing here, only without the love poison and with Big Mac as the vessel. DHX's blatant disregard ruins the moral's weight.

Lastly, one important question. How long did Big Mac's have crush on Sugar Belle? When did it begin? The episode hints that it began that week, but you only truly get to see the part where Mac's crush developed. What would help really improve this episode is if we get to see Big Mac's crush develop from beginning to end.

Another problem is other than the bedroom eyes in Act 1, Sugar Belle never reciprocates it until the end. When you have the mutual admission happen this quick, the pacing feels rushed, and the weight of the crush falls flat.

As a whole, the episode is a mess and clearly the first bad episode of the season.

---

This whole episode would've worked much better if it was completely retooled. Here's an idea of mine below:

1. After Applejack can't make her apple delivery due to being under the weather, Big Mac takes over her job by bringing the shipment of apples to Sugar Belle's home, where they meet for the first time.
2. He and Sugar Belle exchange acquaintances and pleasantries, and Big Mac wonders what's going on with him. He wonders what feels funny.
   
   Sugar Belle begins to feel the same.
3. Over the rest of the week, as Applejack recovers from her cold, Apple Bloom feels suspicious about Big Mac's continuous adventures to Starlight's old village. They know something's funny with Big Mac and try to figure out what.
   
   The other ponies from Our Town notice the same with Sugar Belle, as she's been jotting recipes for killer apple treats, something she hadn't done before.
   
   But they both keep it a secret.
4. One day, Starlight decides decides to make a visit to her old village, where she's shocked that apples are stored and organized outside Sugar Belle's home.
   
   Suspicious, she knocks on her door, and she answers. Soon, they rib each other. Not long after, she discovers interesting recipe titles, all related to the McIntosh apple that's grown so much in the SAA orchard. Starlight eavesdropping the titles upset Sugar Belle, and she reveals to having a crush on Big Mac. She asks Starlight not to tell anypony about it, which she promises.
   
   Back in Ponyville, Apple Bloom prodded Big Mac after noticing a behavior change, and he reveals to her about his crush on Sugar Belle. She promises not to tell anypony, either.
5. Silence for the next couple of days, but Starlight spent a portion of the second day continuing to be re-acquainted with the village and had a little gossip talk with Sugar Belle as they co-planned a recipe. She asked Sugar what she liked about Mac, and she explained about his wonderful personality, including the ability to care and help. When Starlight asked what would mean a lot to him, she isn't sure. Starlight explains a bit of his family, and what they do to transport items. Here, Sugar Belle recalls how  some wagons were falling apart and getting beaten up and has an idea of giving him (and the rest of the family) new ones. Fortunately, Starlight knew of a neighborhood carpentry, and they agreed to go there tomorrow. Starlight decided it was time to leave, but Sugar Belle invited her to stay for the night.
   
   That evening, Big Mac's hard at work designing a brand-new display shelf and counter for Sugar Belle. The structure would have three tiers to place her baked goods and an icebox underneath to store refrigerated fruits, vegetables, and other perishables. Apple Bloom watches from the doorway.
6. Next day, both of them visit a carpentry near Town Hall, and came up with a brand-new wagon design for Big Mac. The wood was smooth, nailed, and polished. Sugar and Starlight painted his wagon with yellow on the wheels, green on the side, red bed, and orange straps. It was also sturdier, squeak-free, and easier to pull. Just in case, there's an attachment for extra goods. The other orders will be coming the next day.
   
   Big Mac and Apple depart SAA for Sugar Belle's house and encounter many troubles, from treacherous roads to collapsed trees to his wagon ready to fall apart on the next stop or bump.
   
   Starlight and Sugar Belle arrive at SAA, but AJ reveals he and Apple Bloom weren't home. He and Apple Bloom left. They knew where he was going and followed his tracks. They journeys several miles till they approached near the arid village.
7. CRASH!!
   
   About 300 yards away, they see Big Mac and Apple Bloom standing in the middle of the road, their wagon destroyed, and both of them trying to keep everything in the same pile.
   
   Sugar Belle helps clean up the mess and puts their supplies on the bed of the new wagon, which she gave to him. It was a gift since he needed it.
8. Big Mac thanked her and revealed that he was headed to her house to help renovate her pie shelves. She hugs him and thanks him with a kiss on the cheek.
   
   At the village, all four construct her new shelf and icebox. She really appreciates what he did and thanks him. And with a small nudge from Starlight, she reveals she has a crush on him and asks if they can go on a date. Blushing, he accepts, and they share a nose nuzzle.
   
   To conclude, AB and Starlight walk away with them both splitting the lesson.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Dark Qiviut

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

This episode was pretty good. CMC still put cringe in here, but still, hearing Big Mac's song was good...at least it wasn't as bad as the terrible thing that Newbie Dash was...

EDIT

After watching the episode from the halfway point again, it was better. I like the realism in the episode of Big Mac having to deal with the peer pressure of the CMC trying to get him to win Sugar Belle. Featherwing turned out to be better as well, as he was displayed as the stereotypical boy who chases after a girl but has no idea about how to talk to girls 

Still...this episode was just...meh...

Edited May 19, 2017 by C. Thunder Dash

[Conred 274]

On 13.05.2017 at 7:01 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

Suffice it to say it's the worst moment of the season so far.

Sexual harassment is NOT FUNNY!

Well the writers was probably from old school cartoon industry in which Bugs Bunny just forcebly kiss men for comedic effect. But yeah, foced kiss in modern times is mostly a an untastefull joke just like any racial jokes and stereotypes.

[ggg-2 3,550]

This episode brought up CheeriMac and referenced Hearts and Hooves Day extensively. In fact, as far as Big Mac's previous ships went, this episode ONLY seemed to bring up Hearts and Hooves Day, even ignoring Big Mac's behavior towards Marble in Hearthbreakers (which DID also resemble a crush). Makes me think that HAHD was Becky's only previous exposure to Big Mac's character.

[Connie 319]

On 5/13/2017 at 8:35 PM, Lambdadelta said:

Wtf is this episode? This episode is so stupid, i kinda enjoy it but its so stupid. I like that Justin Bieber pony, his songs are so Bieber.

This ep is so wierd, i dont know what to think about this ep, something wrong with the writting. 

R.i.p MarbleMac, CheeriMac, and FlutterMac... 

Something about this ep turned me off, i need to rewatch this ep to organize my thought. My first impression is 5/10.

 

Yes, our ships just got destroyed. I am so disappointed :|

Geez, I thought that the last episode made me feel uncomfortable, but this time my cringe-o-meter is off the charts.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

This episode was a swing and a miss with me. Feather Bangs was a cute name, but they should have called him Justin Bridal or something. It's obvious he was a ponyfied Justin Bieber. Things got questionable really fast. Sugar Belle saw Big Mac stop the "alleged" purse snatcher robber and witnessed Feather Bangs snatch the saddlebag right out of Big Mac's hoof to take credit for the recovery. She knowingly heaped praise on the wrong pony. That made her vapidly shallow in my book. 

Now, the attempted kiss.

NO!

Just no. Why did they have the CMC urge Big Mac to molest, yes, molest a sleeping mare? Guys, this is just wrong any way you look at it. Non-consensual kissing a sleeping girl is just a short step from "He's going to jail!" I don't condone censorship. but if Hasbro ordered that to be altered a tiny bit, I would not complain.

Spoiler

Did anyone else think of Bill Cosby at that scene?

One other thing. It's a bit of a stretch I know, but the writers seem to be intentionally throwing in fan-fic fuel. Big Mac built a new display case. Sugar Belle gushed "You made it bigger!" Yikes! I guess size matters in Equestria. This isn't the first bit of double entendre they've thrown in this season. Remember this? Just what are they hinting about with Rarity and Sweetie Belle?

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

In closing. I didn't care much for this episode. It doesn't reflect well on the rest of the series. If this was my first episode, there probably wouldn't have been a second for me. Yeah, I didn't like it that much!

Edited May 23, 2017 by cuteycindyhoney

[Daring_Do 552]

17 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

This episode was a swing and a miss with me. Feather Bangs was a cute name, but they should have called him Justin Bridal or something. It's obvious he was a ponyfied Justin Bieber. Things got questionable really fast. Sugar Belle saw Big Mac stop the "alleged" purse snatcher robber and witnessed Feather Bangs snatch the saddlebag right out of Big Mac's hoof to take credit for the recovery. She knowingly heaped praise on the wrong pony. That made her vapidly shallow in my book. 

Now, the attempted kiss.

NO!

Just no. Why did they have the CMC urge Big Mac to molest, yes, molest a sleeping mare? Guys, this is just wrong any way you look at it. Non-consensual kissing a sleeping girl is just a short step from "He's going to jail!" I don't condone censorship. but if Hasbro ordered that to be altered a tiny bit, I would not complain.

  Hide contents

Did anyone else think of Bill Cosby at that scene?

One other thing. It's a bit of a stretch I know, but the writers seem to be intentionally throwing in fan-fic fuel. Big Mac built a new display case. Sugar Belle gushed "You made it bigger!" Yikes! I guess size matters in Equestria. This isn't the first bit of double entendre they've thrown in this season. Remember this? Just what are they hinting about with Rarity and Sweetie Belle?

  Hide contents

 

 

 

 

In closing. I didn't care much for this episode. It doesn't reflect well on the rest of the series. If this was my first episode, there probably wouldn't have been a second for me. Yeah, I didn't like it that much!

I don't know, what are they hinting? I really don't think there's any double entrende at play in the dialogue you quoted, either.

But I completely agree with you on the "kissing" part. Really bothersome. :/

[Meeps 297]

First off, while I was excited to see Big Mac as the focus of an episode (and get in some speaking roles!) he seemed rather out of character to me... same with the CMCs. At no point in the series, aside from being on the silent side now that he's older, has Big Mac been painted as inept. I can't believe he went along with his little sis, Sweetie, and Scootaloo's plans! in my memory, he's quite wise in his interactions with his friends and family. Seeing him following blindly behind these three little foals just felt... weird. Particularly after they screwed him over with the love poison beforehand, and after he saw the plans go south from the get go in this ep, I feel he should've been deeply suspicious.

Regarding Feather (or Big Mac later) ending up with Cheerilee, I wonder if the fact that Cheerilee is rather content being by herself for the moment is the reason the creators aren't bothering her too much in the relationship department. I actually rather like the idea of a character who is fine with not having a very important somepony at the moment.

Thinking back to the CMCs, I also can't believe that they came up with these ill conceived plans based on a fairytale children's book. These fillies have been shown to have made strides in growth and maturity in recent episodes... I mean, they're dang near professional in helping other ponies with their cutie mark woes, so I find it even harder to accept that they would push such dumb ideas onto Mac regarding his love troubles.

I found it hard to get through the middle portion of the episode, but the ending was actually rather sweet. It looked like the creators tried to shove some last minute character into Feather, which I appreciated, but it wasn't enough to flesh him out enough to care much about just yet. 

 

[PoisonClaw 8,153]

Well, it's that time of the week again! Time for the rest of us to get caught up with S7!

[Truffles 2,033]

Now I know where Spike got his disguises from when he last went to the Crystal Empire. It makes sense they all belong to Rarity.  XD

And of course Apple Bloom is the pirate. Big sis rubbin' off on ye, arrrrr?

Lol, that "come hither" look Sugar Belle gave Big Mac when they entered her store. If this were a different show, the CMC would have spied through the window and seen more than they bargained for. XD

...and Scootaloo is now a confirmed criminal in the eyes of the village. Okaaaay.... X3

That musical number. That has to be one of the weirdest sequences ever in MLP history...

Edited May 27, 2017 by Truffles

[ggg-2 3,550]

.....And we get to season 7's first big crash and burn. Big Mac is one of the show's most developed supporting characters, especially following Brotherhooves Social. How the buck do you screw him up this badly?

[PoisonClaw 8,153]

Maybe it's just because I have Persona 5 on the brain... but is that Goro Akechi? 

[cmarston1 5,951]

When I first read the synopsis I was looking forward to this episode as I have been enjoying the extra focus that Big Mac has been getting sense season 5, but I have heard a lot of bad things about the episode before watching it, so I wasn't really sure how I was going to feel about it going in.

Ultimately I thought the episode was okay, attempted kiss aside.

Big Mac was pretty cute in it, and the episode started out with some enjoyable banter between the CMC, and I am still enjoying the amount of continuity we have been getting this season.

I also thought it was nice to see Sugar Belle of all ponies get an episode outside of the season 5 premiere where she actually does something.  I wonder if this means the rest of the Equal 4 could get episodes as well.

Also did anyone else notice Belle from Beauty and the Beast as a pony?

P.S. MarbleMac is now officially dead.

Edited May 27, 2017 by cmarston1

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

Admittedly the attempted kiss scene we could've done without, but I'm surprised  to say that I largely enjoyed this episode.Yeah, some areas were a tad cringe, but not as bad as I was expecting, and the conclusion really out a cap on it all. Nicely done.

Also...is Feather Bangs gonna have a harem with the help of the CMC? o_O

[BrawnyCharger 511]

I enjoyed the episode. Although this is for a much stronger Big Mac ship than others before it, I'm not ruling out other Big Mac ships such as Fluttermac and Cheerimac. I've always had the impression that Big Mac always preferred the kinder mares. Sugar Belle certainly fits that element. Plus it's nice to see him get more character development. Now we just have to see if he gets to do anything heroic in any future episodes.

[PinkiePie97 913]

I liked this episode. I'm glad that the CMC were able to help Big Mac with Sugar Belle and didn't ruin his chances with her after all.

[Dubwave Nightshadow 340]

I like this one a lot and it was really cute. It is nice to see Big Mac finally found love in all that chaos, but what was with the singing part? Jeez! Lol. It made me cringe so bad. I mean it was funny, but still there were times I could not look at the screen or even at least had to look though my hands on my face with one eye to force myself to watch it.

Over all though, it was good. Anyone also get a feel of Justin Bieber with Feather Bangs?

[PoisonClaw 8,153]

Well, looks like Big Mac's taken. Sorry shippers, this eligible stallion is off the market.

Seriously, this was an okay episode. Some moments were a tad cringe like the kiss scene and the entire musical battle between Big Mac and Akechi-kun Feather Bang (who might I add is a real tool right up until the very end?) It was nice to visit the village again, but they really need to come up with a proper name for the place! It's only ever The/This/Starlight's former village. 

Edited May 27, 2017 by PoisonClaw

[Truffles 2,033]

23 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

Admittedly the attempted kiss scene we could've done without, but I'm surprised  to say that I largely enjoyed this episode.Yeah, some areas were a tad cringe, but not as bad as I was expecting, and the conclusion really out a cap on it all. Nicely done.

Agreed, I was expecting the worst from what comments I could glean for this episode, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. It really only lost itself a bit with the outlandish ways the two stallions were competing for Sugar Belle, (which I imagine was the point) but everything else was pretty heartwarming.

25 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

Also...is Feather Bangs gonna have a harem with the help of the CMC? o_O

It seems like it, doesn't it? <_<;

Harems are canon in the show - well alright then! XD

 

Big Mac's parts of the song were giving me flashbacks to the Camel singing "Blue" from "Raggedy Ann and Andy A Musical Adventure", both in terms of musical style and vocals: 

Except Big Mac had a lot of trouble coming up with lyrics for his song. X3

Coincidentally, Raggedy Andy pretty much sums up how I felt about the song in in this episode:

Yeah being a little kid in the 70's made for some interesting times. XD

[ChB 18,532]

Well, there goes my favorite ship. That said, I am glad that Big Mac now has a significant other.

Love the Justin Bieber reference. 

Big Mac's song kind of reminds me of this fan song: