S07:E09 - Honest Apple

[ManaMinori 4,145]

3 minutes ago, cmarston1 said:

As someone who isn't really too keen on the whole Rarity and Applejack pairing this episode wasn't one that I was looking forward to, especially seeing how next week is the real episode that I actually want to watch instead.

But I guess it was okay.  It at least had an actual plot unlike Applejack's Day Off, so I can't say this was the worst Rarijack episode.

This is the second time this season Coloratura was mentioned, so I am really hoping she can actually get an appearance sometime later this season.

Although I also have to admit that Spike's crush on Rarity is pretty old at this point, and I think it is time for it to be put to rest.

I did really like the short bit of Rarity rocking out on the guitar, that was definitely the highlight of the episode.

Plus Inky Rose had a pretty great character design, besides that I don't have a lot of other things to say about Honest Apple.

Inky has a fanclub, btw.

 

[Batbrony 16,054]

Well, it certainly wasn't perfect, and I have plenty of critiques, but it wasn't the shit show that last week's episode was, so for that alone I give it plenty of credit.

[PinkiePie97 913]

I thought it was okay. I didn't think it was bad and I'm glad things worked out for everyone in the end, but I just didn't find myself that into this one.

Edited June 3, 2017 by PinkiePie97

[ChB 18,550]

Are Starstreak, Inky Rose, and Lily Lace references to any particular people? If so, who?

 

[FizzyGreen 909]

Well, it had a really good point that is especially important right now. The characters had an overexaggerated behavior meant to get that point accross as clear and obvious as possible. Which went onto the cost of the characters, as, in my opinion, they all acted very stupidly. Rarity was even pretentious, she couldn't even tell Applejack to not be so harsh right off the bat, all for the plot.

Though, i like i said the characters acting weirdly just for the plot can be justified by the importance of said plot/moral/point. Which is why this episodes still gets away with generous 3/5.

[Shrug 9,953]

Man. Applejack was Applejack-ass in this episode.

I liked the first time I watched, but I am going to have to change my mind. She was just way too unpleasant here. There is honesty going too far and then there is...this.

[Sonic5421 423]

While it was nice to see both old and new faces in this episode, I'm not sure I enjoyed how Applejack gave her honest opinion regarding the designers' work before being given a reality check by a friend of Rarity in seeing how one's opinion, no matter how honest, should always consider the time, effort, and love that a person puts into their work before jumping to conclusions.

It wasn't until Applejack was given a dose of her own medicine that she truly realized her error and was deeply remorseful for her actions, and even worked as hard as she could to make it up to Rarity, the critics, and the designers.

I mostly enjoyed this episode, despite some cringe-inducing moments for me, and give it an 8/10. Plus, it was nice to see Photo Finish's eyes for the first time since she normally keeps them hidden behind her glasses whenever we see her previously. Also, after further thought, I did love the one dress from Lily Lace that Applejack modeled for her.

The one above was a screenshot.

This is the full vector without part of the dress cut off by the screen.

Applejack doesn't look half-bad in Lily Lace's dress. I really like her in it.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Sonic5421
Just some new details and an image or two

[Shrug 9,953]

On a more positive note, I think most of us can agree that this was better than HtSA. That one is a level of cringe (and terribleness) that just doesn't belong in this world.

Edited June 3, 2017 by King Clark

[Misty Shadow 7,861]

I swear I didn't plan this, I'm siding with the devil's advocate again and saying that I liked this episode and last week's. This episode fixed the main problem I had with Fluttershy Leans In. It has plenty of conflict and shows exactly where Applejack was in the wrong, even though she had reason to believe she was in the right. Last week's episode was just decent, nothing grand. I liked how it had some amusing moments and avoided the "love interest goes off with a third suitor instead" cliche in most love contest stories.

[Dark Qiviut 22,393]

I only watched this episode after Canada released it, and I haven't budged. This episode is an effin' mess.

The characterization is really poor, starting with Rarity:

1. Rarity is a strong and intelligent businesswoman. Remember, she runs and owns three fashion boutiques: Canterlot, Manehattan, and Ponyville. An in-character Rarity would not only understand what she's doing, but also preplan everything before setting it forward. So, why would Rarity plan the fashion show before all three judges signed on to this contest? This type of act comes across as someone who doesn't know what she'd doing?
   
   Speaking of not know what she's doing, it's still contrived to choose Applejack out of thin air. She claims it's because she understands practicality/functionality better than the others. But Applejack doesn't have any fashion sense; her only vision of fashion is if it's good enough to wear. Kinda ironic considering Faust's original pony design of her had her wear plenty of clothes. (Speaking of which, Apple Bloom's tied-down hat is so stupid. Given her history of watching Applejack buck those apples, she oughta know that it wouldn't work. Wait, if that didn't happen, the plot would probably fall apart, and DHX would have to come up with a cleverer way to approach it.)
   
   On top of that, she didn't give AJ any chance to study practicality or warn her to study the clothing's quality. She agreed to take part, and the contest begins the next day. This lack of advanced planning and studying makes Rarity look really incompetent. As if she has no idea what she's doing. That's not her.
   
   Also, it makes no sense for Rarity to understand how crucial functionality works. (She wouldn't be okay with the disco ball dress; the costume looks really uncomfortable to wear and walk in.) Yes, fashion is treated more as an ancillary possession rather than a mandate, but functionality. Episodes like Suited for Success, ACW, Suite & Elite, Boutique, and Rarity Investigates! show how much she gets it. For her to not comprehend it degrades her character.
2. Two of the three fashion designers sound like complete caricatures. Inky Rose was fine. Starstreak is over the top with his obsession with futuristic trends.
   
   But Lily Lace… *plugs my ears* Stereotypes are a complete bane in this show; Lily Lace is the valley girl stereotype. Her literally obnoxious drawl and voice don't work as a joke, because her valley girl accent IS the joke. You need some context behind it. If not, your joke is shallow and, thus, becomes cringeworthy. Her voice is faker than Shadow the Hedgehog.
3. Even though Coco Pommel wasn't seen in the episode, she, too, is out of character. That disco ball costume makes no sense in any way, including practicality/functionality. Rarity put her in charge of the Manehattan boutique because of her strong creativity and fashion sense. The disco ball doesn't feel like work she'd do with a straight muzzle.
4. Applejack…what the hell happened to her?!
   
   Despite Rarity not providing much sense with Applejack being a judge, one thing she understands about her friend is how she can be honest while simultaneously caring about other pony's work and feelings. Her initial comment sharply criticizing Coco Pommel's disco ball dress makes sense, because it's absolutely absurd.
   
   Afterwards, her characterization goes completely down the toilet.
   1. She bashed Inky Rose's dress for being too black, because it's completely depressing. If she criticized her choice of color because the pony within it would get really sweaty, then it'd make sense.
      
      Then he bashes Inky Rose's dress because she intentionally put holes in her fabric as she's making them. Lots of clothing intentionally has holes. Her manufacturer wouldn't be able to make her favorite cowcolt hat without one.
   2. Then she bashed Lily Lace's original draft of her dress because it could get dirty.
      
      As for her worst moment, where she destroys Lace's feather stitching on her hat, let me initial comments describe it:

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

      Quote

      Lily: I attached each feather individually. Ha! It took me literally forever. *puts hat on mannequin*

      Hoity: Ohhhh, you used hoof-crossed, double-over stitches! *chuckle* They're perfect.

      AJ: Who cares if it's stitched perfectly! You don't need feathers on your head! *grabs it and shakes it off to everyone's horror, revealing the bland hat*

      WHAT THE FUCK?!!!!!!

      Lily worked OVERNIGHT to stylize that damn hat from a bland, white piece of fabric to an interesting, complex piece of design. And in a few seconds, all that hard work gone! That's not being Honestyjack anymore. That's being an asshole! Applejack may not have the best manners or most polite language, but why the hell would she want to DESTROY someone's hard work?! I don't care what reason she has. This isn't Applejack. It's a complete bastardization of her!

      Excuse me while I go get Advil…

      Quote

      AJ: NO! There is no choice! *slams hoof down* They're the exact same belt! This is so silly! Fashion. Is. Ridiculous!

      On second thought, give me some fried Applejack to go on a bagel.

      An in-character and likeable Applejack would understand how important their hard work is and respond accordingly. She understands tact. She's NOT abusive! Her decision to destroy Lily's hat and be proud of it is by far her worst moment of the entire series.
      
      And on top of that, she stereotypes the art of fashion as pointless and useless. HELLOOOOOO!!! Applejack understands how important fashion is to Rarity, Coco, and many others. Even though she can't critically study fashion and color theory to save her life, she knows others can and listens to them. If she truly respected Rarity (on top of that damn hat), she'd give fashion a long, critical introspective why it's so important to Rarity, Coco, and many others. Look at episodes prior, and look at how much the Mane Eight (then Mane Six) grew. Both AJ and Rarity understand each other and respect each other.

      Quote

      Rarity: But you said "fashion is ridiculous"!

      AJ: But it's my opinion, and I'm not gonna lie!

      AJ, fuck your opinion!

Remember what I wrote about Sunrise's argument with AJ?

On 5/15/2017 at 1:17 AM, Dark Qiviut said:

Well, finished watching the Argument Off the Internet between AJ and Sunrise.

AJ's characterization's still trash. She wouldn't thrash someone over different tastes. If she would, then why would she be friends with Rarity in the first place? We're not in fanon territory here. She'd be fine with folks not liking apples.

Simultaneously, Sunrise's mocking of AJ worked as a joke. Why? Because AJ got what was coming to her! After the way she treated everyone else, she deserved a verbal plot-kicking.

I still stand by that. Applejackass needed to be shown and told directly to her face that she was being abusive, because she was too stupid to figure out the lesson ahead of time.

On the other hand, is the way it's handled really necessary, particularly for a show that's supposed to teach valuable lessons (of friendship) to impressionable kids? Absolutely not.

1. When Friendship Is Magic gets really good, it creates a welcoming, uplifting atmosphere. Each of the Mane Eight are welcoming characters who are supposed to be role models to children. Episodes like Lost Mark are really, really amazing, because they shoot up. The audience is treated as intelligent beings. They could've done a "Turnabout Is Fair Play" scenario, but they don't. The Cutie Mark Crusaders care about Diamond Tiara's well being and want to help her. Their actions mark a complete sense of maturity beyond nearly everyone's years. Their ability to be selfless and care about their nemesis, especially when she's at her lowest point, is crucial for this show.
2. The way this scene is completely written shows Rarity at her worst. Rather than show her how her words affected her and tell her through her pain how hurtful AJ's words are, she thought it was a good idea to play "eye for an eye," as if she wanted to get back at her. FIM is well above teaching lessons through pure spite. When they try this shit, the episode's quality hurts.
   
   It also really hurts when Strawberry Sunrise is an unlikeable bitch herself. @Ganondox pinpointed the problem — Sunrise accused apple farmers like Applejack of selling apples to either intentionally poison her or rip her off. That's really cruel, and by how coolly Rarity reacts to the argument and Sunrise's vile stereotypes of apples, she knows this. That puts Rarity as part of the problem, even though the episode completely portrays her here (and the rest of the episode) as completely in the right. Rather than playing their best off each other, Rarity and AJ act like they can't stand each other. Their terrible approach to friendship here further accredits Rarity's and AJ's backstabbing each other in PPOV.

The only way for this plot to work is by disregarding blatant continuity. This episode as presented only works if you disregard episodes such as Suited for Success, ACW, and their sense of maturity leading up to this point. Season seven is not the time for Applejackass to finally learn a lesson about tact. If she didn't know at the time, then why the hell did she become the Bearer of Honesty in the first place? It wouldn't have chosen her if she wasn't a good pony.

There were some good moments here. Rarity randomly jamming to the guitar (and Pinkie's hair straightening in response) is randomness done correctly. Pinkie Pie is completely in character and likeable here. When AJ learns her lesson, she's contrite and works to make things right. Unfortunately, those things can't save Honest Apple from being a terrible episode.

Now, is it worse than Hard to Say Anything? Very hard to tell. Originally, I said Honest Apple's worse, but Hard to Say Anything is pure trash all the way to the end. Right now, it's a coin toss.

Edited June 3, 2017 by Dark Qiviut

[GoldenGumdrop 164]

I really liked this one because my opinions on fashion are pretty similar to AJ's in that I don't get it and find it ridiculous. However, I appreciate that some people enjoy it and put work into it. I liked seeing Inky Rose as she's a goth pony and I like the goth culture (I had a lot of friends who were into it). However, I was getting a little annoyed because AJ didn't realize she was being hurtful rather than helpful. I can understand why AJ did judge the show, because her and Rarity are friends and she didn't want to hurt her feelings. However, I can understand why AJ wouldn't want to do it. I would be useless as a modern art judge because I don't get it either.

It was nice to see that AJ started to understand why she was hurting Rarity's feelings and I really was surprised and amused by Rarity's hard guitar riff! I really have never been big on the whole Spike crush thing with Rarity, it seems rather silly. Someone said this made them hate AJ. The thing is AJ knew she wasn't a person to judge fashion because she's into function and practicality. I am the same way when it comes to fashion: give me my jeans and a t-shirt and I'm happy.

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

13 minutes ago, GoldenGumdrop said:

Someone said this made them hate AJ.

A bad episode made them hate an interesting character?  They must by now hate all the characters because I believe they have all had real stinkers by now. Oh well, their loss.

I already gave my opinions higher up in the thread, but needless to say I am not a fan. I did not loathe the episode like some, but Applejack being so badly out of character made it difficult to get through... which is sad because it had the potential to be an enormous laugh riot if they had played on Applejack and her discomfort instead of her brutal bluntness and her malicious stomping on a bunch of innocent fashion designers dreams.

Holy Crap! And you guys stuck me in Tartarus! I didn't go stomping on any poor fashion designers dreams! I'd love a hat with feathers! And the jacket with all the buttons is too die for! Rarity should have made me a judge!

 

That'll do Tirek...

That'll do.

[Ganondox 899]

8 hours ago, King Clark said:

Man. Applejack was Applejack-ass in this episode.

I liked the first time I watched, but I am going to have to change my mind. She was just way too unpleasant here. There is honesty going too far and then there is...this.

*Assholejack

EDIT: Just noticed the pun you were making, in that case there shouldn't be a hyphen between jack and ass, so Apple-jackass I guess? Still think her behavior is more that of an asshole than that of a jackass. 

10 hours ago, ChB said:

Are Starstreak, Inky Rose, and Lily Lace references to any particular people? If so, who?

 

I don't think so, they're too stereotypical. 

Edited June 4, 2017 by Ganondox

[Truffles 2,033]

Y'know, once AJ started destroying those ponies' designs I couldn't help but think this episode was aimed at viewers who go beyond mere criticism of the problems in the episodes and go into personal insult territory aimed at the show runners. It's like they were saying to that particular group, "Don't like AJ in this episode? Maybe you should look in the mirror." <_<

At least that's how the underlying message felt to me - which I don't have a problem with because being critical and being cruel are two different things, and AJ was a perfect example of what it's like to be a critic who takes things too far and too personal.

Suffice to say, it wasn't enjoyable seeing AJ act like this (again). When she started destroying those dresses she crossed over into "Cart Before the Ponies" territory back when she destroyed Apple Bloom's additions. The only solace I can take away from THIS time is at least she had a more believable reason for doing it, and it isn't related to the lesson the episode was trying to convey:

@GrimGrimoire touched on this in his comments in one of his messages: AJ was basically on a power trip. You could see it happening early on with her change of heart to become a judge after initially balking at the idea. Later, once she got going she couldn't stop herself. It's funny because when I noticed this I couldn't help but think back to Spike's conversation with Cadance in that episode where he went on a rant about being "a decision-making master" to validate the actions he'd taken over the course of the episode.

I wish Spike hadn't been jettisoned from the story early in the first act, because this was another missed opportunity for him to give one of his friends some advice that he had already learned. (And it would have given "Princess Spike" some tangible reason for actually existing... <_< )

Also, I was disappointed he didn't emcee the fashion show like he's done in the past. It's been so long since he's emceed anything that it would have been really welcome here. Unfortunately, after having some great appearances in the first two episodes of the season, he's pretty much been shoved back to background status again this season, just like he was in S5 aside from the finale. I guess things could change past episode 11 (not including his one focus episode) but it's not looking good.

So, back to AJ: Yeah, she was OOC in many ways, but at least I could plot a path to give her OOC behavior some reasonable explanation for happening. For that reason, I don't hate her as much as I did in "Cart Before the Ponies," (and that's really the only reason the bad stuff didn't completely sink the episode for me) but she triggered me all the same and it's not fun to see.

What else is there to talk about? Metal Rarity was great. That is probably the episode's shining moment, though every time I hear it I keep getting the end of "Hotel California" stuck in my head because the two melodies are so similar, with only the tempo and rhythm being substantially different.

Except for the really rough patch with AJ destroying stuff, the rest of the early parts of the episode were okay. (Stalker Spike being the only brow-raising moment, but I've already spoken about that at length earlier in the thread. I was glad to see a bit later he seems to still react romantically to her and not just lustfully. o_o )

I didn't understand why AJ was destroying all those dresses in the first place. Since when do judges go in and rip apart the things that are being evaluated? She should have simply stated she didn't like it (and gave her reasons why) but not touched them. Seems like something that should have gotten her kicked off of any panel.

Speaking of which, I agree with those who have said Rarity seemed to see this problem almost immediately after she signed on and she should have told her right then this wasn't working out and booted AJ out. I guess there'd be no episode, then, though.

I enjoyed seeing AJ get insulted by Sunny after all that crap she pulled, but it wasn't particularly clever to essentially invent a new pony who hated apples. I realize she's supposedly a real character, but I'd certainly never heard of her, so it was a bit of a deus ex machina for me designed for nothing other than to resolve the conflict.

But what I don't understand (aside from AJ kidnapping everyone to "fix" things <_< ) is if she voted for all of them (sympathy votes, I guess?) what was the real difference if she'd not voted for any of them due to "practicality concerns"? Putting the destructive behavior aside, if she'd just been like one of those skating judges who consistently gives low scores, her evaluation would have been the same as it was after she learned her lesson - essentially leaving everything as a tie with Rarity stuck in the position of having to decide what to do. It wasn't really a satisfying way to end the episode, IMO.

 

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 0:44 PM, A.V. said:

 

Personally, the only vegetable I dislike is celery -- tastes like printer-ink, IMO.

The implication there is there must be a story as to how you know what printer ink tastes like.  Care to elaborate? 

 

6 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

AJ, fuck your opinion!

You know what they say about opinions: They're like assholes - everybody has one. But in this episode AJ seems to completely be her own asshole. =/

 

6 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Now, is it worse than Hard to Say Anything? Very hard to tell. Originally, I said Honest Apple's worse, but Hard to Say Anything is pure trash all the way to the end. Right now, it's a coin toss

Interestingly, you and I are in the same boat - I can't decide which of these two episodes is worse. Though in my case, I have them both somewhere between "meh" and "liked", and you have them both much, much lower... So once again this week no vote from me because I can't decide how to finalize a rating this episode yet. =P

[Music Chart Fan 819]

1 hour ago, Truffles said:

What else is there to talk about? Metal Rarity was great. That is probably the episode's shining moment, though every time I hear it I keep getting the end of "Hotel California" stuck in my head because the two melodies are so similar, with only the tempo and rhythm being substantially different.

Ha ha, I hadn't made that connection, but listening to it again, if you slow down the riffs Rarity is playing, they do bear a resemblance to the three-note arpeggiated chords at the end of "Hotel California". Plus, I have to appreciate any reference to '70s hit pop singles, since that's one of the main music eras that I listen to and look up music charts for!

[takai 1,060]

A great bounce back from last week's iffy episode. This had a good lesson about honesty, and it felt refreshing that Applejack was in the wrong this time.

That scene with Strawberry Sunrise was pretty funny.

Inky Rose is the best new pony so far.

[Thaliel 116]

Someome please have Libman sign a contract to never do whatever she did when voicing lily again, I can't even

[Vocal Analyst 665]

Haven't finished the episode yet... but one thing keeps bugging me:

WHY DIDN'T RARITY ASK FLUTTERSHY TO BE THE JUDGE?

I harken back to Suited For Success in Season 1, where Shy Animal Horse noted her knowledge of high fashion and the astute critical ability to inform Rarity of issues with her gala dress to the most finite of degrees. Not to mention, thanks to said knowledge she pretty-much single handedly sewed Rarity's gala dress together in time... so WHY is she not considered? Hell, why was that personality trait such a throwaway for that episode six years ago if there's a purpose for it here? It just makes me think the Applejack as a judge conflict for the designers and judges is there for conflicts sake just to give this episode something to work with and feels unnecessary. Therefore, outside of potentially building a character in AJ's case... I don't see the point of it.

Edited June 4, 2017 by Vocal Analyst

[Truffles 2,033]

6 hours ago, Music Chart Fan said:

 Plus, I have to appreciate any reference to '70s hit pop singles, since that's one of the main music eras that I listen to and look up music charts for!

When a was a lot younger I told my family and friends all music past 1986 sucked. I've become older and wiser since then to know that isn't true, and looking back I sounded a lot like AJ in this episode there, lol. But it's still a lot easier for me to hear something and tie it to something I liked back in those days than most modern music.

 

22 minutes ago, Vocal Analyst said:

WHY DIDN'T RARITY ASK FLUTTERSHY TO BE THE JUDGE?

I harken back to Suited For Success in Season 1, where Shy Animal Horse noted her knowledge of high fashion and the astute critical ability to inform Rarity of issues with her gala dress to the most finite of degrees.

You're absolutely right, her amazingly detailed knowledge of the construction of clothing made her a better candidate to be judge. At the very least she should have been brought on to judge the technical merits of each dress.

As to why it didn't happen, I guess this writer just really wanted a Rarijack episode.

[Megas 27,612]

5 hours ago, Vocal Analyst said:

Haven't finished the episode yet... but one thing keeps bugging me:

WHY DIDN'T RARITY ASK FLUTTERSHY TO BE THE JUDGE?

I harken back to Suited For Success in Season 1, where Shy Animal Horse noted her knowledge of high fashion and the astute critical ability to inform Rarity of issues with her gala dress to the most finite of degrees. Not to mention, thanks to said knowledge she pretty-much single handedly sewed Rarity's gala dress together in time... so WHY is she not considered? Hell, why was that personality trait such a throwaway for that episode six years ago if there's a purpose for it here? It just makes me think the Applejack as a judge conflict for the designers and judges is there for conflicts sake just to give this episode something to work with and feels unnecessary. Therefore, outside of potentially building a character in AJ's case... I don't see the point of it.

Why do revisit that old pair when we can shit out more rarijack episodes?

For real though, this episode feels like it this episode was written for someone other than AJ(like RD, due to her nature of being more blunt and tactless with her opinions, or the aforementioned Fluttershy), but they decided to switch it with AJ at the last second because, they just absolutely need that rarijack episode

Edited June 4, 2017 by Whompy Whomperson

[Music Chart Fan 819]

28 minutes ago, Truffles said:

When a was a lot younger I told my family and friends all music past 1986 sucked. I've become older and wiser since then to know that isn't true, and looking back I sounded a lot like AJ in this episode there, lol. But it's still a lot easier for me to hear something and tie it to something I liked back in those days than most modern music.

Going a little off-topic from this episode thread (again, ha ha), that also sounds like me when I was first getting into looking up older music. There's definitely much more music that I like and am familiar with from the early and mid '80s than from the late '80s, although I can still pick some diamonds from the rough in that time period. I'm less familiar with music from the '90s onward, but what I've found that I like (and have heard of) is mostly songs that charted on the Modern Rock (i.e., alternative) charts and a chart Billboard calls Adult Top 40 or Hot Adult Contemporary, on which artists like Matchbox Twenty, the Goo Goo Dolls, late-era Santana, Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, Five For Fighting, The Fray, etc. were especially popular.

[Zachary 5,521]

I really Hate this Episode.

Applejack was Being a Jerk in this episode.

Rarity Playing the Guitar part is Awesome!

I really like Inky Rose and I Don't like Lily Lace.

So, I'll give this episode a 3/10.

 

[Thrond 3,263]

3 hours ago, Vocal Analyst said:

Haven't finished the episode yet... but one thing keeps bugging me:

WHY DIDN'T RARITY ASK FLUTTERSHY TO BE THE JUDGE?

I harken back to Suited For Success in Season 1, where Shy Animal Horse noted her knowledge of high fashion and the astute critical ability to inform Rarity of issues with her gala dress to the most finite of degrees. Not to mention, thanks to said knowledge she pretty-much single handedly sewed Rarity's gala dress together in time... so WHY is she not considered? Hell, why was that personality trait such a throwaway for that episode six years ago if there's a purpose for it here? It just makes me think the Applejack as a judge conflict for the designers and judges is there for conflicts sake just to give this episode something to work with and feels unnecessary. Therefore, outside of potentially building a character in AJ's case... I don't see the point of it.

Rarity wanted an outsider perspective. I would argue she should have employed someone with more knowledge, but right or wrong, she wanted someone who could evaluate practical merits without letting technical knowledge get in the way. Which is rather silly for a fashion show, but whatcha gonna do. 

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

 

I'm only 9 minutes in and it already snaps: Fashion is all about aesthetics! Practicality? Not really applicable, is it?

I'm not a fashion person myself and I've already figured this out just by connecting the dots. Practicality tends to be an application-specific talking point. What is impractical in one given situation can be a non-issue in other circumstances. Aren't fancy clothing and costumes mostly just for show? The most practical they have to be is allowing for unhampered mobility.

Now I'm asking myself just how out of hand are things going to get before these ponies figure this out.

To be fair, though, I can forgive Rarity on this for being so out of touch with jobs and situations that demand practicality above all else -- dirty jobs in particular. For some reason she can't seem to bridge the gap between places where one needs to look their best and other places where all that matters is finishing tasks, doing them right and do so on time. Maybe this will end up being what she learns but who knows...
As for Applejack, she's also very out of touch with the fashion world but what's bothering me is that she jumps to conclusions and judges practicality without any consideration whatsoever for application purpose. Is she truly expecting these clothes to be worn during farm work? Can't she at least stop and think: "Hold on a sec'. I'm not so sure I understand how practicality applies to fashion."

I could go on a rant about how recent episodes have been disturbingly lacking in common sense and metacognition on the ponies' part but I'll save it for after I'm done watching the episode myself. Crossing fingers now.

[Music Chart Fan 819]

Overall, I'm on board with many others here in not liking this episode. Applejack is made to be arrogant, myopic, tactless, and even cruel for the sake of driving the conflict, and the moral lesson seems like one which Applejack shouldn't really need to learn at this point. Frustratingly, Rarity picks Applejack to be a judge and sees Applejack's bad behavior escalating, but doesn't stop and help Applejack to be a better judge and give constructive criticism until after Applejack drives off the other judges and designers. Finally, I get the sense that we in the audience are supposed to relate to Applejack in finding the designers, their fashions, and the other judges to be faintly ridiculous, and in some cases, that does happen - the disco ball outfit, Lily Lace's accent, the argument over the belts for Starstreak's outfit, etc. However, many of those cases seem overly exaggerated in order to achieve that effect, and Applejack's behavior as described above overwhelms any sympathy I might have for her position. At least Lily Lace is a cute character, Valley Girl accent aside, and it's kind of strangely interesting to me to see the outfits the designers end up making.

One of the main issues in this episode is that Rarity recruits Applejack to be a judge for the fashion contest, even as Applejack would have little knowledge about what to judge and how to judge well, but Rarity doesn't really stop and help Applejack as she continues to give embarrassing, offensive, unhelpful, and eventually even cruel responses to the other designers. The first time this occurs is when Applejack scoffs and laughs at the disco ball costume. Even if that response is understandable, Rarity might have said something to Applejack afterward about how to critique outfits appropriately. Later, as the three designers are introducing themselves, Applejack just stares with a confused frown and only gives a non-understanding "Uh...huh". Yet, despite that, Rarity puts Applejack on the spot again, even after she had just given an apparently embarrassing/offensive response to the disco ball costume.

Next, after the designers' introductions are finished, and Applejack gave her opinion, she says to Rarity "I don't think they liked what I had to say". Since this is now the second occurrence of Applejack giving an embarrassing/offensive/unhelpful response, this would seem like a good time for Rarity to clarify what she wants Applejack to do as a judge and to help her to do it. Instead, Rarity gives Applejack a wink and says "Ah, well, that's why you're here. Fashion needs a healthy dose of practicality now and then". And Rarity's doing this might fuel Applejack's later behavior in the episode; Applejack is unsure here of whether her responses are appropriate, but after this, Applejack's arrogance grows and she takes bigger steps to criticize the designers' work. Even after Applejack's third round of insensitive remarks, Rarity is obviously stressed and distraught and trying to do a little bit of damage control, but she apparently still doesn't talk to Applejack directly about it. "Shredding" on the guitar might relieve some of Rarity's stress, but that's not helping to solve the problem. Only after Applejack drives off the judges and designers and puts an end to the contest does Rarity finally intervene in a significant way to get Applejack to change what she's doing.

A big part of the problem with Applejack's judging of the designers' outfits is that she's supposed to be evaluating practicality, but only seems to do so for herself, rather than for the clients and occasions for which the outfits might be used. For example, Applejack's observations that Lily Lace's dress has a lot of fabric and that it could get dirty/damaged from dragging on the ground seem like legitimate concerns, at least in some circumstances. But then that would lead me to ask what occasions the dress would be worn for. If the dress will only be worn indoors, and the wearer isn't intended to do much walking in it (like, e.g., a wedding dress), then those might be less of concerns. Or, for another example, there is a bit of a point to Applejack's remark that it could be a hassle for a non-unicorn to have to button all the buttons on Inky Rose's outfit. However, it looks as though many of the buttons on Inky Rose's outfit might be for optional adjustment or looks, rather than being strictly necessary to unbutton and rebutton just to put the outfit on. Besides, who's to say whether some ponies who would buy the outfit wouldn't mind doing that, anyway? And apparently all of the judges just stand and stare as Inky Rose removes all of the buttons from her outfit. Applejack is just one of four judges; if the other three judges are fine with the buttons, why does Inky Rose feel compelled to remove them?

But the biggest example of this problem with Applejack's judging is obviously when Applejack takes it upon herself to remove all the individually-attached feathers from Lily Lace's hat, clearly crossing the line (if she hasn't already) into being needlessly cruel. In this case, Applejack's only stated rationales are that "you don't need feathers on your head" and that Apple Bloom "tried to add some flair to her hat" and it only got her "an extra hour of work pickin' apples off the ground". But of course, Applejack isn't considering on what occasions Lily Rose's hat and the accompanying outfit would be worn. And in those occasions, how would the feathers on the hat impede the practicality of it or be any problem at all? Whatever Apple Bloom attempted to do with her hat while working on the farm earlier has essentially nothing to do with Lily Rose's outfit. And I think Applejack's myopic method of judging the outfits only for her own circumstances contributes significantly to her "Fashion is ridiculous!" outburst.

On a different note, the whole encounter with Strawberry Sunrise is a bit weird. Rarity takes Applejack to Strawberry Sunrise's house apparently knowing that Strawberry will willingly state her dislike (and even disdain) for apples immediately to Applejack's face. It's a bit strange that Rarity knows another Ponyville resident this well, while Applejack apparently doesn't know her at all. Furthermore, after Strawberry says she doesn't like apples, Applejack could say "Okay, fine" and the conversation would be over. It's only after Applejack pushes for a reason that Strawberry offends Applejack by dissing apples. And after Rarity asks Applejack why she's angry at Strawberry, Applejack is upset that Strawberry isn't respecting the work her family puts into making perfect apples. But was Strawberry insulting the Apple family's apples in particular? Strawberry and Applejack only seemed to be talking about apples (and strawberries) in general. This all just seems like a contrived way to get Applejack to (finally) learn the lesson of the episode.

Following that, in Applejack's zeal to reinstate the contest and make things up to Rarity, she essentially kidnaps the other judges and the designers. Applejack simply takes the platform on which Photo Finish and Hoity Toity are riding and runs in the opposite direction while declaring "you're not goin' back to Canterlot yet". And the three designers, upon seeing Applejack approaching them, actively run away from her, but Applejack apparently lassoes them and ties them up. Only AFTER forcibly bringing all of them back to the boutique does Applejack explain herself and ask them to hold the contest again. Of course, if Applejack were acting morally, the asking would come first, and she would either convince them to voluntarily reinstate the contest or they would be allowed to go on their way. But the reveal of the designers being tied up and asking to be untied is treated as a gag, and all of them are surprisingly willing to hold the contest again, with none of them seeming particularly upset at Applejack for her kidnapping them.

Finally, after Applejack apologizes for copping out and not breaking the tie vote, Rarity says she agrees that they all deserved to win and tells Applejack "I told you your perspective would be beneficial". However, I can't help wondering just how beneficial Applejack's perspective as a judge was in the end. While we see Applejack assisting the designers with making their final outfits, we don't see her give any constructive criticism of them. And then, on top of that, the final outcome of the contest - all three of the designers being winners - is probably the same as what would have happened if Applejack never was a judge in the first place.

Now for the rest of my miscellaneous observations:

It seems that Rarity doesn't need Spike to carry the stack of flyers for her, since she could probably levitate them herself. In that case, is Rarity being nice and humoring Spike by letting him come along, or is she just stringing him along some more?

In one of Pinkie's recurring gags that I don't find amusing, she sees the flyer on the door and says "Whatcha got here?" before beginning to rattle off a list of possibilities. Instead of doing that, why doesn't she just read it? It's right there!

Why does Pinkie boo when Applejack says she doesn't think she's the right pony for the job of being a judge? The last we heard, Pinkie said that the choice of Applejack to be judge "still doesn't make any sense".

When Apple Bloom tells Applejack that it would be fun to be a judge "gettin' to see all those pretty outfits", Applejack tells Apple Bloom "Well, you're the exception in our family, sugarcube. You know about that kind o' stuff". Since when has that been the case?

After fixing Apple Bloom's hat, Applejack says "You know what? I am gonna help Rarity judge her show! I think my sensible 'everypony' take on fashion is exactly what the pony community needs!". Just a few lines ago, Applejack said that she still wouldn't know what to say even if she just had to focus on practicality. But now, apparently, Applejack knows enough to have her own "take"  on fashion that she thinks the pony community "needs".

Having three characters say the name "Miss Pommel" in such a short period of time, especially when we would think that Rarity and Applejack would be on a first-name basis with her, just emphasizes the awkwardness of how the show can't use the name "Coco Pommel" any more for "legal reasons".

When Applejack dismissively says "I'm not sure how you wear singin' birds or the future", I think that goes too far in making Applejack obtuse. Lily Lace and Starstreak seemed pretty clearly to be describing the imagery that their designs would evoke, not saying that wearing their designed outfits would literally be wearing singing birds or the future.

Pinkie's guitar has the capability to have four strings, but for some reason it only has two on it. Also, having two strings should make the possible range of notes/chords to play on it pretty limited. And it's clearly not an electric guitar, but never mind.