S07:E13 - The Perfect Pear

[Jeric 46,851]

1 hour ago, takai said:

Of course, we still don't know if they're alive or not.

Sure we do, unless you are in the camp of people that believes they faked their own death, were abducted by aliens, became sinister circus clowns hell bent on world domination, or any other insane idea I've seen lately. 

They are dead. It was englished yo!

[Oleks 1,993]

I don't have much to say about this episode. Just, after so many seasons this kids show is still able to make me feel real emotions. 

I was eagerly waiting to see AJ's parents, I was excited that MLP had William Shatner, and I was hoping they won't screw up. 

Now I can say that the episode was amazing, for me at least. It featured everything I'd hoped to see, it was very well-written and the designs of the characters were really good.

So, I'll just go rewatch it for the 5th time and try not to cry.

 

[Truffles 2,033]

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 7:08 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

I think what makes me a little skeptical of and cynical about the flashback story of Bright Mac and Pear Butter is that the two of them are portrayed in the episode as essentially perfect in every way. Their friends and family recall them with nothing but the greatest fondness.

...

I suppose that Bright Mac's and Pear Butter's friends and family could be (intentionally or unintentionally) remembering and telling the Apple siblings only the positive memories they have, or maybe Bright Mac and Pear Butter just didn't tell anyone else about any issues they might have had with each other.

I tend to think it's what you describe above - a "respect for the dead" thing. Though it's equally as likely their friends simply forgot a lot of the negative stuff since anything negative that isn't long-term relevant in our lives tends to get buried, anyway. It's easier to live with the good memories than the bad ones.

I'd imagine they did have some arguments couples usually do, but as you say they could have done their fighting in private where there'd be no one else to relate the tale. Though considering the length of their romance (literally starting when Bright was a toddler, however that could be an exaggeration I'll get to below) it doesn't seem likely they could totally avoid being seen at odds with one another, so the first paragraph is the more likely scenario.

I suppose if this had been an Equestria Girls-length movie instead of a 22 minute episode, the flashbacks would have covered both the ups and downs in their personal relationship, the bad stuff related to their families' feuding aside.

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 7:08 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

On a related note, the scene where the two of them meet as babies/toddlers and Bright Mac first coins Pear Butter's nickname, plus the fact that the two of them remember that meeting and even base an anniversary on it, all seems to me a little too precious for its own good.

The scene of them "talking" with one another when they look to be even younger than the Cake twins was kind of amusing. As @Jeric mentioned in a later post, the story of how they fell for one another could just be a narrative technique used by the ponies telling the tale, and the flashback is essentially an exaggeration of what really happened. Kind of like how many tall tales are exposited. In this case, it's something like, "They were so much in love they knew they were meant for each other before they were even out of diapers!" (Yeah, I realize they had no diapers on, but you get the point. =) )

Having said that, it would be pretty cute if they really did have crushes on one another at such an early age. If it's true, Bright at least probably holds some kind of record for "earliest shipping" in the MLP universe. XD

It was kind of startling to see a couple of solid pupil-styled characters talk given how they have yet to show Pound and Pumpkin talking. I guess the show doesn't want to give them voices even though they are a good few years old by now.

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 7:08 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

But then, at the wedding, when Pear Butter says she's choosing to be an Apple and staying in Ponyville, we see Granny Smith seemingly sympathizing with and comforting Pear Butter. Going by that moment, then, it might appear that Granny Smith isn't upset that her son is in love with, and married, a member of the Pear family.

After you pointed that out, I had to go back and rewatch that scene and you're absolutely right. It makes a lot more sense now that Granny was willing to welcome Pear Butter into the family now that she and Mac were married, and solidifies the idea that she was getting upset over the bad memories and not the feud and AJ and Big Mac were simply under the wrong impression.

I have to admit, I guess I missed her reaction because I was walloped by the reaction of Mayor Mare. I don't think I've ever seen a character in this series look so uncomfortable and shocked when the whole scene with Grand Pear effectively disowning his daughter went down.

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 7:08 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

Is her initially suspicious reaction to Grand Pear at the end of the episode a result of her being upset with Grand Pear personally, and perhaps believing that Grand Pear might still adhere to the feud, even as Granny Smith herself is willing to forget about the feud otherwise?

That seems very likely, especially considering Granny probably had long talks with her daughter-in-law over the years and how much the events at the wedding hurt her, and the fact that in the end she was never able to reconcile with her father because he was so stubborn.

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 7:08 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

It might have been nice to hear a little of Granny Smith's side of the story, but then, there might not have been time in the episode to do that.

Indeed. This is the part where I thought the ending was rushed. There needed to be some dramatic moments between Granny and her kin to really drive home how she really felt. But like you said, there didn't seem to be time and I'm at a loss like with so many other good episodes as to what parts of the story could be jettisoned to make room.

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 7:08 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

Grand Pear could have other children running the farm in Vanhoover, I suppose, but it's hard to imagine that Grand Pear would then move away from them to live in Ponyville. It might make more sense that Grand Pear's wife passed away, and he has no other children or immediate family, and so he realized that his only remaining family is the Apples in Ponyville.

That would definitely be a bittersweet aspect of his life if the only family he ever had was the one he tossed aside. I suppose, however, if he did have any other kids it could be that he told them fixing things up with the Apples (particularly his grandkids) was just something he had to do before he passed on and they understood, knowing how much pain he must have felt when Pear Butter died.

7 hours ago, Jeric said:

The Apples would have the full force of the Elements of Harmony and four Pony Princesses available to stop any threat to Pear Butter and Bright Mac. Even if they did 'fake their death' they would certainly have endured that their kids would have known about how they met. Granny wouldn't be so grief stricken that she couldn't talk about that story.

For that matter, one would think the Map/Tree of Harmony would alert AJ to a "friendship problem" if her parents were still alive and needing to hide out due to some evil force. Doesn't make sense for it to not want an Element Bearer to not be reunited with her long-lost parents.

And I just realized something: If I follow that logic, I guess that means Spike's parents are dead, too, since he is just as important part of keeping harmony going as the Mane 6. For the same reasons as the map revealing where AJ's actually-not-dead parents are, it would make sense for it to reveal Spike's as well.

Though I suppose if it knows he has some sort of destiny to fulfill first, then that might be a reason it's still hiding the truth from him since a dragon's lifespan does allow him some leeway to get to know them before they die of old age if they really are still alive.

But I suspect now they're dead. 

 

6 hours ago, Jeric said:

Two explanations. One is the one that is directly stated before they were interrupted. They knew the tree would outlast them, and always be a symbol of their love. 

That's what I thought when they planted the seeds. Just like how their marks were carved into the rock so others would remember their love, the two trees represent the love they had as a family and others visiting the grove could feel that love by their act of planting the seeds.

[Music Chart Fan 819]

3 hours ago, Truffles said:

It was kind of startling to see a couple of solid pupil-styled characters talk given how they have yet to show Pound and Pumpkin talking. I guess the show doesn't want to give them voices even though they are a good few years old by now.

This calls to mind how we both thought that Flurry Heart was acting more mature than her looking, being called and being treated as a "baby" would suggest in "A Flurry Of Emotions", and this is another case where seeming "babies" are acting (and talking) more mature than they look. So maybe pony babies mentally develop more quickly than we would expect, or maybe the show just lacks a different pony model for ages between "baby" and "CMC-aged".

3 hours ago, Truffles said:

I suppose, however, if he did have any other kids it could be that he told them fixing things up with the Apples (particularly his grandkids) was just something he had to do before he passed on and they understood, knowing how much pain he must have felt when Pear Butter died.

I like that idea, and in fact, that might be a more plausible scenario. The Apples and Pears do appear to be running family farms, and it would be a bit strange if Grand Pear was running a family farm with almost no immediate family to help him. I think old-fashioned family farmers like the Apples and Pears would tend to have a fair number of kids to help run the farm. I guess we don't see any siblings of Pear Butter obviously pointed out in the episode (or, for that matter, any siblings of Bright Mac, whom we might also expect to have siblings), but then, those siblings wouldn't have been directly relevant to the story at hand, and again, there's a limited episode run time.

And in considering these other family members, I thought of something that I hadn't quite realized with this episode's focus on the three Apple siblings' immediate family - that the Apple/Pear family feud may still be alive and well among the more extended members of the Apple and Pear families. When the Apple siblings go to see Goldie Delicious, Apple Bloom suggests that the feud might have been a misunderstanding and that they could fix it; however, Goldie Delicious replies with "Oh, well, I don't know about that, little one". Goldie Delicious also says that nobody called Pear Butter by her given name, and that her cutie mark didn't really reveal that she was a Pear. So I can imagine Granny Smith, Bright Mac, and Pear Butter keeping Pear Butter's status as a Pear a secret at Apple family reunions and such to keep the peace in the Apple family, even if they personally no longer believe in the feud between the families. If that is the case, I wonder if it would be possible for Grand Pear, Granny Smith, and the Apple siblings to facilitate a wider reconciliation between the two families.

On 6/21/2017 at 8:57 PM, Truffles said:

Now you're bringing out the critic in me as well.

Haha, I'm pretty sure that, in all my conversations and shared viewings with them, I've pushed my two younger sisters who also watch the show to view it more skeptically and analyze things as they watch. They might have been inclined to do that anyway, though; I think my siblings and I all share some degree of skepticism and a desire to analyze and explain things.

[simba86 1,541]

I really liked this episode, it was a great love story and probably the best episode of the season so far

 

[Truffles 2,033]

4 minutes ago, Music Chart Fan said:

If that is the case, I wonder if it would be possible for Grand Pear, Granny Smith, and the Apple siblings to facilitate a wider reconciliation between the two families.

With Grand Pear living in Ponyville now, it sounds like the ultimate side character map episode. If it could call on those two, it would answer once and for all whether any pony can be called on by the map!

[Dark Horse 12,961]

I am a great appreciator of the works of William Shakespeare, so I'll admit that I was more than a little skeptical when I heard that this episode is basically yet another retelling of the timeless Romeo and Juliet tragedy. As something that has been homaged, parodied, rewritten and retold in countless ways already, I wasn't really sure how this scenario used as a backdrop for the long-awaited episode featuring the Apple parents could give it the emotional impact it deserved.

Oh how wrong was I.

This is by far one of the most beautiful and well written episodes I have seen of FiM thus far. It manages to spin the tale in a way that is both heartfelt and deeply saddening at times, but without straying too far into one extreme. It avoids the outright downer ending of the original tale, but still makes your heart wrench in just enough places to be enough of an impact, and will most certainly mark this episode as a memorable one. For anyone whom has lost loved ones of their own in particular, this episode is a beautiful reminder of how even though they are no longer with us, their memory and impact that their lives made stretches far beyond what you might even realize yourself.

Overall, I'm very glad that this episode exceeded my expectations. It was a long road to finally see the story of the Apple parents, but it was absolutely worth every moment of it.

Spoiler

Best couple!

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

10 hours ago, Jeric said:

Sure we do, unless you are in the camp of people that believes they faked their own death, were abducted by aliens, became sinister circus clowns hell bent on world domination, or any other insane idea I've seen lately. 

They are dead. It was englished yo!

Which is why i said earlier in the thread I wish they had shown something... just to hammer that point home. Personally I like the way they did it, but the moment it ended I knew we would get the inevitable "But they never said they were dead!... They are just off on the longest vacation in recorded history!"

Some people just will not accept a hint, or an explanation or foreshadowing or anything less than a morbid image or a blunt statement... they want proof beyond a shadow of a doubt. And as much as it annoys me to say it, I wish they had given it just to put it all too bed once and for all and avoid the speculations and conspiracy theorists.

Also, I really really really wanted them to show a scene, if not that a photo from an album or something of Pear and Bright holding Applebloom. Because that would put the nail in the coffin of another disgusting rumor that keeps getting circulated from time to time when some of the questions about Applebloom start.   

[CypherHoof 26,483]

9 minutes ago, GrimGrimoire said:

Which is why i said earlier in the thread I wish they had shown something... just to hammer that point home. Personally I like the way they did it, but the moment it ended I knew we would get the inevitable "But they never said they were dead!... They are just off on the longest vacation in recorded history!"

Missing, presumed fed?

I recall PTerry describing death that way in the tooth fairy realm, because when you are a child, people don't die, they just go away and never come back....

[Meeps 297]

Very well written episode. I honestly sighed when the whole "farmers fueding" thing was brought up, and was afraid I'd run into just another run of the mill love story when it began... but my, I was in for a lovely surprise. 

I loved the new characters' designs and enjoyed that I was able to appreciate their personalities quickly, instead of having them be cardboard-cutout-quality. Some parts of the story were a little forced, like the water tower incident, but the arch of the story overall is great enough to easily forget and move on. I'll definitely watch this one again sometime!

Also, very random note, but for some reason I love it that while Big Mac's pop has a full length tail, Big Mac himself has his shorter, cropped one 

Edited June 24, 2017 by Meeps

[bwrosas 252]

Review of  My Little Pony : Friendship Is Magic Season 7 Epsiode "The Perfect Pear"

Hopefully I don't give much away.

 

Comments are Welcomed

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

15 hours ago, Truffles said:

I tend to think it's what you describe above - a "respect for the dead" thing. Though it's equally as likely their friends simply forgot a lot of the negative stuff since anything negative that isn't long-term relevant in our lives tends to get buried, anyway. It's easier to live with the good memories than the bad ones.

I'd imagine they did have some arguments couples usually do, but as you say they could have done their fighting in private where there'd be no one else to relate the tale. Though considering the length of their romance (literally starting when Bright was a toddler, however that could be an exaggeration I'll get to below) it doesn't seem likely they could totally avoid being seen at odds with one another, so the first paragraph is the more likely scenario.

I suppose if this had been an Equestria Girls-length movie instead of a 22 minute episode, the flashbacks would have covered both the ups and downs in their personal relationship, the bad stuff related to their families' feuding aside.

The scene of them "talking" with one another when they look to be even younger than the Cake twins was kind of amusing. As @Jeric mentioned in a later post, the story of how they fell for one another could just be a narrative technique used by the ponies telling the tale, and the flashback is essentially an exaggeration of what really happened. Kind of like how many tall tales are exposited. In this case, it's something like, "They were so much in love they knew they were meant for each other before they were even out of diapers!" (Yeah, I realize they had no diapers on, but you get the point. =) )

Having said that, it would be pretty cute if they really did have crushes on one another at such an early age. If it's true, Bright at least probably holds some kind of record for "earliest shipping" in the MLP universe. XD

It was kind of startling to see a couple of solid pupil-styled characters talk given how they have yet to show Pound and Pumpkin talking. I guess the show doesn't want to give them voices even though they are a good few years old by now.

After you pointed that out, I had to go back and rewatch that scene and you're absolutely right. It makes a lot more sense now that Granny was willing to welcome Pear Butter into the family now that she and Mac were married, and solidifies the idea that she was getting upset over the bad memories and not the feud and AJ and Big Mac were simply under the wrong impression.

I have to admit, I guess I missed her reaction because I was walloped by the reaction of Mayor Mare. I don't think I've ever seen a character in this series look so uncomfortable and shocked when the whole scene with Grand Pear effectively disowning his daughter went down.

That seems very likely, especially considering Granny probably had long talks with her daughter-in-law over the years and how much the events at the wedding hurt her, and the fact that in the end she was never able to reconcile with her father because he was so stubborn.

Indeed. This is the part where I thought the ending was rushed. There needed to be some dramatic moments between Granny and her kin to really drive home how she really felt. But like you said, there didn't seem to be time and I'm at a loss like with so many other good episodes as to what parts of the story could be jettisoned to make room.

That would definitely be a bittersweet aspect of his life if the only family he ever had was the one he tossed aside. I suppose, however, if he did have any other kids it could be that he told them fixing things up with the Apples (particularly his grandkids) was just something he had to do before he passed on and they understood, knowing how much pain he must have felt when Pear Butter died.

For that matter, one would think the Map/Tree of Harmony would alert AJ to a "friendship problem" if her parents were still alive and needing to hide out due to some evil force. Doesn't make sense for it to not want an Element Bearer to not be reunited with her long-lost parents.

And I just realized something: If I follow that logic, I guess that means Spike's parents are dead, too, since he is just as important part of keeping harmony going as the Mane 6. For the same reasons as the map revealing where AJ's actually-not-dead parents are, it would make sense for it to reveal Spike's as well.

Though I suppose if it knows he has some sort of destiny to fulfill first, then that might be a reason it's still hiding the truth from him since a dragon's lifespan does allow him some leeway to get to know them before they die of old age if they really are still alive.

But I suspect now they're dead. 

 

That's what I thought when they planted the seeds. Just like how their marks were carved into the rock so others would remember their love, the two trees represent the love they had as a family and others visiting the grove could feel that love by their act of planting the seeds.

About the scene with Pear Butter and Bright Mac as toddlers, it might be that to the adults they are making babbling goo goo type noises but can understand each other…kind of like in "Rugrats"

[Ganondox 899]

17 hours ago, Music Chart Fan said:

This calls to mind how we both thought that Flurry Heart was acting more mature than her looking, being called and being treated as a "baby" would suggest in "A Flurry Of Emotions", and this is another case where seeming "babies" are acting (and talking) more mature than they look. So maybe pony babies mentally develop more quickly than we would expect, or maybe the show just lacks a different pony model for ages between "baby" and "CMC-aged".

I like that idea, and in fact, that might be a more plausible scenario. The Apples and Pears do appear to be running family farms, and it would be a bit strange if Grand Pear was running a family farm with almost no immediate family to help him. I think old-fashioned family farmers like the Apples and Pears would tend to have a fair number of kids to help run the farm. I guess we don't see any siblings of Pear Butter obviously pointed out in the episode (or, for that matter, any siblings of Bright Mac, whom we might also expect to have siblings), but then, those siblings wouldn't have been directly relevant to the story at hand, and again, there's a limited episode run time.

And in considering these other family members, I thought of something that I hadn't quite realized with this episode's focus on the three Apple siblings' immediate family - that the Apple/Pear family feud may still be alive and well among the more extended members of the Apple and Pear families. When the Apple siblings go to see Goldie Delicious, Apple Bloom suggests that the feud might have been a misunderstanding and that they could fix it; however, Goldie Delicious replies with "Oh, well, I don't know about that, little one". Goldie Delicious also says that nobody called Pear Butter by her given name, and that her cutie mark didn't really reveal that she was a Pear. So I can imagine Granny Smith, Bright Mac, and Pear Butter keeping Pear Butter's status as a Pear a secret at Apple family reunions and such to keep the peace in the Apple family, even if they personally no longer believe in the feud between the families. If that is the case, I wonder if it would be possible for Grand Pear, Granny Smith, and the Apple siblings to facilitate a wider reconciliation between the two families.

Haha, I'm pretty sure that, in all my conversations and shared viewings with them, I've pushed my two younger sisters who also watch the show to view it more skeptically and analyze things as they watch. They might have been inclined to do that anyway, though; I think my siblings and I all share some degree of skepticism and a desire to analyze and explain things.

In order for Braeburn to be Applejack's first cousin Bright Mac would have to have siblings. 

16 hours ago, Dark Horse said:

I am a great appreciator of the works of William Shakespeare, so I'll admit that I was more than a little skeptical when I heard that this episode is basically yet another retelling of the timeless Romeo and Juliet tragedy. As something that has been homaged, parodied, rewritten and retold in countless ways already, I wasn't really sure how this scenario used as a backdrop for the long-awaited episode featuring the Apple parents could give it the emotional impact it deserved.

Oh how wrong was I.

This is by far one of the most beautiful and well written episodes I have seen of FiM thus far. It manages to spin the tale in a way that is both heartfelt and deeply saddening at times, but without straying too far into one extreme. It avoids the outright downer ending of the original tale, but still makes your heart wrench in just enough places to be enough of an impact, and will most certainly mark this episode as a memorable one. For anyone whom has lost loved ones of their own in particular, this episode is a beautiful reminder of how even though they are no longer with us, their memory and impact that their lives made stretches far beyond what you might even realize yourself.

Overall, I'm very glad that this episode exceeded my expectations. It was a long road to finally see the story of the Apple parents, but it was absolutely worth every moment of it.

  Reveal hidden contents

Best couple!

I'd hardly call Romeo and Juliet the original: Pyramus and Thisbe is MUCH older, it's one of the archetypical plots. It's not even that similar to Romeo and Juliet anyway. 

[Truffles 2,033]

6 hours ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

About the scene with Pear Butter and Bright Mac as toddlers, it might be that to the adults they are making babbling goo goo type noises but can understand each other…kind of like in "Rugrats"

The idea that they were communicating ala "Rugrats" had crossed my mind as well, and in fact was my initial thought. But I liked @Jeric's narrative theory so much I've adopted it as my headcannon for that scene.

Though I can't entirely discount the possibility that the story being told was accurate and that they really were toddler sweethearts. 

2 hours ago, Ganondox said:

In order for Braeburn to be Applejack's first cousin Bright Mac would have to have siblings.

Hmm, I'm going to have to go back and watch that episode to see if there's a specific statement as to how they are related to one another as cousins. That would definitely mean Bright had siblings if they're first cousins!

Plus I don't need much of an excuse to go watch Huffy the Magic Dragon get some respect by the buffalo again. 

[bwrosas 252]

 Why "The Mane Attaction" and "The Perfect Pear" Are Two of the Most Realtisc MLP Episodes There Are   @lady_writers @feliciaday @KeatingRogers @Fyre_flye @MMeghanMcCarthy @goldenrusset @M_A_Larson @mlp_Applejack #MLP

[Music Chart Fan 819]

1 hour ago, Truffles said:

The idea that they were communicating ala "Rugrats" had crossed my mind as well, and in fact was my initial thought. But I liked @Jeric's narrative theory so much I've adopted it as my headcannon for that scene.

Though I can't entirely discount the possibility that the story being told was accurate and that they really were toddler sweethearts. 

I don't think I was ever a fan of Rugrats, even when I was ostensibly in the target demographic back in its heyday, so I personally would prefer explanations other than that one, haha.

4 hours ago, Ganondox said:

In order for Braeburn to be Applejack's first cousin Bright Mac would have to have siblings. 

1 hour ago, Truffles said:

Hmm, I'm going to have to go back and watch that episode to see if there's a specific statement as to how they are related to one another as cousins. That would definitely mean Bright had siblings if they're first cousins!

I totally forgot about Braeburn being the Apple siblings' cousin, so good catch! Looking through the transcripts for the main episodes he was in, I only see him and Applejack refer to each other as "cousins", without any qualifiers, so it's probably safe to say that they're first cousins, which would confirm that Bright Mac had at least one other sibling.

[SBaby 660]

20 hours ago, GrimGrimoire said:

Which is why i said earlier in the thread I wish they had shown something... just to hammer that point home. Personally I like the way they did it, but the moment it ended I knew we would get the inevitable "But they never said they were dead!... They are just off on the longest vacation in recorded history!"

Some people just will not accept a hint, or an explanation or foreshadowing or anything less than a morbid image or a blunt statement... they want proof beyond a shadow of a doubt. And as much as it annoys me to say it, I wish they had given it just to put it all too bed once and for all and avoid the speculations and conspiracy theorists.

Also, I really really really wanted them to show a scene, if not that a photo from an album or something of Pear and Bright holding Applebloom. Because that would put the nail in the coffin of another disgusting rumor that keeps getting circulated from time to time when some of the questions about Applebloom start.   

I do agree that it probably would have been better if they at least mentioned that they had died, or that they were their 'late' parents, or something.  They had several opportunities in the episode where they could have mentioned it without the episode missing a beat in the pacing. 

But this episode was still really great.  Although I will say it felt like it was as much an episode about the grandparents as it was an episode about the parents (especially since the grandparents reconcile at the end, and most of the plot of the episode centers around the elders with the parents just kind of being stuck in the middle).

Now this is a long shot when it comes to this issue.  But there might be one reason they're still keeping their deaths or at least the cause of their deaths ambiguous (it could have to do with a 'certain shape-shifting character' and what would be a truly excellent way to make her a credible villain again, and that's all I will say, but anyone who knows me knows that it's something I would do if I was writing the show).

But I did call it that William Shatner would be the VA in the episode regarding their parents (he used the phrase 'very special episode', and there really was only one thing they could make that kind of episode about).

Edited June 24, 2017 by SBaby

[CastletonSnob 3,074]

Kinda worried that with an episode as good as Perfect Pear, the upcoming episodes will be bad by comparison.

Can’t believe we’ve had 2 great episodes like Perfect Pear and Discordant Harmony in a row. Fame and Misfortune is probably gonna look meh after them.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

48 minutes ago, VG_Addict said:

Kinda worried that with an episode as good as Perfect Pear, the upcoming episodes will be bad by comparison.

Can’t believe we’ve had 2 great episodes like Perfect Pear and Discordant Harmony in a row. Fame and Misfortune is probably gonna look meh after them.

Episode quality is always a mixed bag. You can just enjoy the great ones and look for good moments in the ones that struggle....

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

2 hours ago, VG_Addict said:

Kinda worried that with an episode as good as Perfect Pear, the upcoming episodes will be bad by comparison.

Can’t believe we’ve had 2 great episodes like Perfect Pear and Discordant Harmony in a row. Fame and Misfortune is probably gonna look meh after them.

I advise to keep your expectations in check. Expect good episodes, but never expect another Perfect Pear. Trust me that many times, the enjoyment of things are dependent on your state of mind. It's easier to find a second Perfect Pear if you don't expect 

[Meeps 297]

3 hours ago, SBaby said:

I do agree that it probably would have been better if they at least mentioned that they had died, or that they were their 'late' parents, or something.  They had several opportunities in the episode where they could have mentioned it without the episode missing a beat in the pacing. 

 

3 hours ago, SBaby said:

Which is why i said earlier in the thread I wish they had shown something... just to hammer that point home. Personally I like the way they did it, but the moment it ended I knew we would get the inevitable "But they never said they were dead!... They are just off on the longest vacation in recorded history!"

While I also like the way they went about the Apple trio's parents' deaths, I can also see why the show has been outright avoiding saying it for certain. There are always those select parents that have a mental conniption about having to explain death to their children, instead of viewing it as an opportunity. There are also a few individuals who outright refuse to deal with death, and would rather convince themselves of any other fate for the characters, no matter how magical.

I still remember the lava storm that followed the death scene in How to Train Your Dragon 2. While much more graphic, I was actually astounded at how many parents felt the need to explain to their children that "the character isn't dead, they just had to go away and the dragons will bring them back later." Seriously?!??

[Jeric 46,851]

3 hours ago, VG_Addict said:

Kinda worried that with an episode as good as Perfect Pear, the upcoming episodes will be bad by comparison.

Can’t believe we’ve had 2 great episodes like Perfect Pear and Discordant Harmony in a row. Fame and Misfortune is probably gonna look meh after them.

While this doesn't effect me episode to episode, it can sneak in differently. It happened to me after season 5. I had a harder time enjoying season 6 because of how much I adored 5. 

[Red Cedar 1,408]

23 hours ago, GrimGrimoire said:

 

Also, I really really really wanted them to show a scene, if not that a photo from an album or something of Pear and Bright holding Applebloom. Because that would put the nail in the coffin of another disgusting rumor that keeps getting circulated from time to time when some of the questions about Applebloom start.   

I imagine this is why they made Bright Mac exactly the same colours as Apple Bloom.

[Jeric 46,851]

18 minutes ago, Meeps said:

I still remember the lava storm that followed the death scene in How to Train Your Dragon 2. While much more graphic, I was actually astounded at how many parents felt the need to explain to their children that "the character isn't dead, they just had to go away and the dragons will bring them back later." Seriously?!??

How old are we talking about? An average five year old cannot typically grasp certain realities of death anyway. It's kids of this age (not parents) that naturally connect death with sleeping since they haven't made the leap to more abstract ideas like permanence. In this case the parents are actually doing more damage in trying to explain something a child of that age cannot fully comprehend. Over-explaining to young children creates resistance to new ideas and concepts that may be challenging when they have the ability to grasp abstract concepts because they associate that with frustration. 

If we are talking about a 10 year old, an argument can be made that it's redundant. They have likely explored the concept of death internally, provided they were NOT force fed it too young. 

Don't get me wrong, kids are often talked down to when they shouldn't be by media, but it's often because media creators are typically ignorant of childhood neurology and development. 

5 minutes ago, Red Cedar said:

I imagine this is why they made Bright Mac exactly the same colours as Apple Bloom.

If that is the case, it was a great example of sublimity through visual representation. 

[Meeps 297]

Just now, Jeric said:

How old are we talking about? An average five year old cannot typically grasp certain realities of death anyway. It's kids of this age (not parents) that naturally connect death with sleeping since they haven't made the leap to more abstract ideas like permanence. In this case the parents are actually doing more damage in trying to explain something a child of that age cannot fully comprehend. Over-explaining to young children creates resistance to new ideas and concepts that may be challenging when they have the ability to grasp abstract concepts because they associate that with frustration. 

If we are talking about a 10 year old, an argument can be made that it's redundant. They have likely explored the concept of death internally, provided they were force fed it too young. 

Don't get me wrong, kids are often talked down to when they shouldn't be by media, but it's often because media creators are typically ignorant of childhood neurology and development. 

Anywhere from toddler age up to about 10 was what I saw. A few parents even walked out of the theater, although I only saw a couple of walk-outs in the 3 showings I went to (I know, I know...) but they were with younger kids.

The parent of one young boy went on about how it's not fair for a children's show to take out such a well known and liked character, which was interesting to me because death typically isn't very picky.