S07:E19 - It Isn't the Mane Thing About You

[heavens-champion 1,905]

The pre-opening scene for this episode was the longest one ever. Yep, definitely a Haber episode.

[Justin_Case001 4,883]

I'm just happy that Zecora was on screen.  I don't even care what else they do.  I don't care if it's good or bad, I'll take it if we can have a bit of Zecora.  It's so rare...

Mare's Day?  Interesting.  That basically just means "woman" to them.  So they have a holiday called "Woman's Day".  Interesting...

So, I have a lot of little things to pick at about this one, but I actually really enjoyed it too.  In fact, it kind of gave me that lighter-than-air, giddy sort of feeling.  I'll try to explain why at the end, so stick around.

Let's get the airing of grievances out of the way, first.

Sneezaversary?  Okay, Pinkie does some goofy things, some things that may seem dumb to others, and she makes up goofy holidays for an excuse to bake sweets, but give me a fricking break.  Celebrating a sneeze.  You're not that stupid, Pinkie.  Knock it off.  And the sticky string seemed ridiculous to me.  Even Pinkie wouldn't use something so obviously fraught with horrible consequences.  Why not just use f*ckin silly string?  I just think they should have worked a little bit harder to come up with a more plausible accident to wreck Rarity's mane.

So, I also thought the basic premise for the conflict--the mixing up of the vials--was too predictable and silly.  I mean, firstly, what are the odds the two liquids would look identical?  And why couldn't Zecora have labeled them?  After knocking them over, why didn't Rarity even think about the possibility of mixing them up?  You'd think she'd be concerned about that.  Who would just randomly grab one vial and assume it's the right one?  It's a good thing the vials weren't Koolaid and cyanide.  Why didn't Zecora say, "Hey, make sure you grabbed the right vial, there!"  Maybe she hesitated cause she couldn't think of a rhyme...  It was just too implausible for me.  I think it would have been better and more plausible to go with the simpler premise of taking Pinkie out of the equation altogether (and have Rarity mess up her mane some other way), and just have Zecora accidentally put the wrong ingredient in the shampoo and not realize it until long after Rarity left.  That eliminates all the cliché goofiness.

What was with the townsponies not recognizing Rarity without her mane?  I mean, even when she spoke to them, they didn't know it was her?  Come one.  First they trash her for not being "believable" or whatever in the friendship journal, and now they don't even recognize her!?  These townsponies are dumber than a bag of hammers sometimes.  Or perhaps this is a clever jab at the fact that the ponies all share the same model, and if you take away their manes and tails, they basically have no identifying characteristics....  But the voice!  You can't explain away the voice!

So...."You can't just make a mane with magic.  It has to come from somewhere."

...

...

You can sure as hell make a moustache from nowhere.  I believe it's "Trick #25".  So...the hell?  Why is a mane so different?  It's a bit of a continuity error, I suppose, but I'm actually glad they said they can't make manes from nowhere, because if they can conjure up anything from nothing, then their horns would double as Star Trek replicators, and there'd be no reason to ever buy or make anything, which would be kind of overpowered.

My only other gripe (it's more of a question, really) is how in the heck Rarity made that punk mane?  Like...the green and yellow parts were not her hair, right?  They couldn't have been.  So what were they?  Where did they come from?  How were they attached?  How did she do that in literally two seconds?  My best guess is that she took some of leftover hair from the experiments at the castle back to the shop and tried to use it make her mane the way it was before, and failed, of course.  But until talking to her friends, it didn't occur to her to make something completely different than her old mane.  But again, how was it perfectly attached so that it looked like her real hair?  I'm probably being overly persnickety.  Also, she didn't take the bathrobe off before putting the punk jacket on.  Seriously, watch it again--the robe never comes off. 

Let's talk about the good stuff, now.  I loved when Zecora came into the castle to tell Rarity that her hair would have to regrow naturally.  It made me laugh because I instantly pictured a Professor Farnsworth moment:

Zecora: "Good news, everypony!"

Rarity: "*Gasp!*  You can fix my mane?!"

Zecora: "Oh my, no!"  *Cackles maniacally.*

That scene when all the mane six were laying on the couches in the sofa and quill shop was adorable.  I watch this show for moments like that.  Omg, Twi laying in that equine position with her front hooves crossed!  Precious!! 

I was pleased and surprised that they skipped through so much time to have Rarity's mane regrow.  I was really glad they said that.  Made it more realistic.  I thought they might just leave it until the next episode, and then it's regrown, but you don't know how much time has passed.  One thing worth pointing out is that pony manes obviously grow about ten time faster then human hair.  It would take several years for a human to regrow that much hair.  But at least they had months pass, and not just a week or something.  It's interesting to think that several months passed during that episode.  What adventures happened during that time?  I'd be stoked if it turned out that the movie happened during that time, and Rarity's mane is a half-grown, shaggy mess during the whole movie.  But alas, we already know that isn't the case...  Are they gonna wrap up this season early so it's done before the movie?  If not, I wonder what their plan is.  That would be awkward if the movie is supposed to happen in the middle of the season.  I haven't watched trailers to avoid spoilers, but my prediction is that the movie will be like the JJ Abrams Star Treks, i.e. merely based on FIM, and essentially having no continuity whatsoever with the show, i.e. you could watch the movie and not the show, or the show and not the movie, and you wouldn't be lost, i.e. it's gonna be stupid.

BUT I DIGRESS.

I loved when Pinkie shoved the magazine in Rarity's face and yelled, "READ IT!"  That was laugh-out-loud funny.  And Rarity's face, omg, that was probably my favorite meme face of the series.  So much potential with that expression.

Here, this is the one:

Best face ever.  So much caption potential.

But the reason I really liked the episode (this is what I said I was gonna get to in the beginning) was Rarity's punk outfit.  See, (and this is difficult to explain) I love beauty.  I don't consider myself shallow or superficial, but I love fashion and beauty, just like Rarity.  I can love those things and be deep, just like her.  I make a lot of my own clothes, and wear completely outlandish and awesome outfits.  I dare to be different, but it's never easy.  I've suffered from poor self-esteem and confidence my whole life, and there's always a negative voice gnawing at the back of my mind telling me that I look ridiculous, and that I'm an idiot for dressing differently, even why the logical part of my brain knows that's not true.  I guess Rarity's vastly different look just hit me in a very personal way because it made me feel a bit more confident about what I do.  She thought she was hideous, and it never occurred to her to try a completely different look, but once she did, she rocked it so hard the ground cracked in Griffonstone.  The punk outfit was so far from what Rarity would normally wear, but it was absolutely amazing.  It made be feel like being different is great.  It made me feel like I really do look good in the things I wear, and it made me feel a little less crazy for doing so.  That's what it meant to me.

Until next time.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Justin_Case001

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

1 hour ago, Justin_Case001 said:

So...."You can't just make a mane with magic.  It has to come from somewhere"

Material Conservation. That Starlight line gave me one theory about how magic create thing from no where, it actually take something that already existed and put them into your place, like when Twilight create crystal hair for Rarity, she actually steal that hair from somepony else, i dont think she want to target that crystal pony specifically, its because the rule of conservation. That why you dont use magics to create things because you actually steal it from somewhere else. Another proof that magics shouldnt be the solution of the conflict. Starlight had gave us some insights about magics since she joined the show. That single line made me rethink every magic that actually create things of the show, Fullmetal Alchemist, everyone!? Or i am just overanalyzing stuffs...

Edited September 18, 2017 by Lambdadelta

[Truffles 2,033]

6 hours ago, Justin_Case001 said:

But at least they had months pass, and not just a week or something.  It's interesting to think that several months passed during that episode.  What adventures happened during that time?  I'd be stoked if it turned out that the movie happened during that time, and Rarity's mane is a half-grown, shaggy mess during the whole movie.  But alas, we already know that isn't the case...  Are they gonna wrap up this season early so it's done before the movie?  If not, I wonder what their plan is.  That would be awkward if the movie is supposed to happen in the middle of the season. 

Huh. That's a really good observation. I don't really know when the movie is supposed to take place either, but I presumed it was sometime during or shortly after S7. It would make sense for her to not have a full mane in the movie, unless they pushed the time all of the remaining S7 episodes take place that much farther into the future.

That creates conflicts with the whole sneeziversary idea presented in this episode, however, and the Cake twins still looking like newborns.... 

 

5 hours ago, Lambdadelta said:

That single line made me rethink every magic that actually create things of the show, Fullmetal Alchemist, everyone!

That would be the second time this season MLP has referenced FMA if that is the case! 

Edited September 18, 2017 by Truffles

[mylittlebrony13 1]

This episode gives me a poner 

[BlinkZ 1,151]

So why didn't she just trim it? like it's not that bad. just trim it down and go with a short mane look?  I hate punk

Edited September 18, 2017 by BlinkZ

[CypherHoof 26,483]

7 minutes ago, BlinkZ said:

So why didn't she just trim it? like it not that bad. just trim it down and go with a short mane look?  I hate punk

<gestures with hoof> Because she is a fashion leader darling, not a follower

[BlinkZ 1,151]

14 minutes ago, CypherHoof said:

<gestures with hoof> Because she is a fashion leader darling, not a follower

still look just as stupid...bleh

Also as a side note, if she infected herself with poison joke, then cut off the excess mane(assuming it can be cut in that state), then took the cure. Would she be able to make her old mane as a wig. or maybe the cure for poison joke restore her mane. just a side thought.

Edited September 18, 2017 by BlinkZ

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Just now, BlinkZ said:

still look just as stupid...bleh

Also as a side note, if she infected herself with poison joke, then cute the excess mane off, then took the cure. wou she be abld to make her old mane as a wig. or maby the cure for poison joke restore her mane. just a side thought.

There is that, yes, and her tail regrew the first time they used elemental magic, not to mention the spectacular mane she got when they used the Rainbow Bitchslap of Harmony on Tirek....

So yeah; ponies good with the zappy with magic bit, lateral thinking, not so much....

[BlinkZ 1,151]

4 minutes ago, CypherHoof said:

There is that, yes, and her tail regrew the first time they used elemental magic, not to mention the spectacular mane she got when they used the Rainbow Bitchslap of Harmony on Tirek....

So yeah; ponies good with the zappy with magic bit, lateral thinking, not so much....

Mans can't grow with magic my ass -_- Sorry just the premise for this episode huurts my eyes. 
Sounds like a fanfic, the contrived kind...oh shut up flawless song , a bad premise is bad premise period.

 

IF zecora has a potion to regrow teeth she would have one for the mane yet? no? how convient...again

[CypherHoof 26,483]

9 minutes ago, BlinkZ said:

IF zecora has a potion to regrow teeth she would have one for the mane yet? no? how convient...again

Not really as important though. A pony with missing teeth has a serious issue, one that has to wait for their mane to regrow, not so much.

[DonMaguz 1,023]

Hello everyone.

Wow, I must say this episode is great, I enjoyed its jokes and the amazing use of almost every character on it.

I got the feeling that Rarity had been waiting for the photo shoot a long time and her excitement over it drove her to plan things to be perfect, that is one of the things I love the most about Rarity, she really goes all-in when envisioning a goal or a dream.

The whole issue with Pinkie Pie was frustrating for me, I'll just acknowledge the super sticky party string moment as the way to get the plot where the writers wanted, but I think it could've been a different way to do it, one that didn't make Pinkie a total moron. I liked how they showed the transition towards Zecora's place, although the ponies are more confident now to not be scared when going through the Everfree forest they still feel uneasy to travel across it, which feels like a natural progression.

I would say that Rarity's urge to get her mane cleaned and her focus on getting everything perfect for the photo shoot is what made her forget about the detail of checking if she had taken the correct bottle, she is usually not as careless as to let a detail like that passing by her keen eye.

The episode made me feel for the poor Rarity when she saw her mane after that dreadful shower, everyone was right when they saw her, she looked terrible. I didn't think Rarity would be the kind of pony who lets her confidence fade after an accident like the one she had, especially when she's so amazing at styling things, but then I remembered how focused she was about her photo shoot, she even tells so to Zecora when she went for an explanation, she wasn't as shocked about her mane being destroyed as she was about not having it back by the time of the photo shoot, she was expecting that moment with joy and planned accordingly, but the accident so close to her deadline was what made her forget about her own skills to make things work out.

The rest of the episode was kind of predictable and derivative, but the good moments and humor made it through without falling into boredom. Twilight and Starlight's combo was nice, I loved Twi's and Rarity's reaction when Starlight said her mane was "messed up", I also liked how the rest of the mane 6 tried to help her on their own way. Rainbow's cloud bending skills are beyond awesome, and this time she didn't even gloat about it! When Dash is helping somepony her best self shows off.

The resolution of the conflict was really touching, the way they slapped Rarity with their thoughts about her and how she's much more that just a mane made me grin wide. Now, about the punk look, she looked fine but it seemed like a costume to me, what she gained back in confidence, she lost in elegance in my opinion. Then again, for the plot's sake it was an awesome come back to confident Rarity.

When I thought the end was going to be a soft reminder of the lesson, BAM! They show how the mane 6 arranged back the photo shoot, including the amazing camouflaged Photo Finish, and showed Rarity that, after all, she had her moment. What an amazing ending! For an episode that was incredibly predictable, the last scene was a great surprise.

I'll give this episode a solid 8.5/10, it has some big details setting up the premise, but the overall feeling I had during the episode made those issues fade into minor flaws that could've been better but didn't brought the episode down.

If nothing awful happens on the next 7 episodes, I think it's safe to say that this will be my favorite season so far.

Cheers!

[Dynamo Pad 11,286]

I found this episode to be really enjoyable. The celebration for the cake twins was funny and cute. The super silly string was pretty hilarious, but I wonder how Rarity could use magic with silly string on her horn. I thought it would block her magic, or something along those lines. It was nice seeing Zecora after not seeing her for a couple of seasons. I also liked how Rarity told the glowing eyes to take a picture. I was surprised on what happened after Rarity used the remover potion. I was also surprised when it was said a whole day had passed when Rarity last visited Zecora. I honestly thought it was the same day when it happened. It was a surprise to see how Rarity seemed invisible to the other ponies without her mane. I guess using the cloak was sort of a representation of her losing her confidence. I liked how Starlight and Twilight tried to use magic to help Rarity's mane to come back. I was surprised how Spike didn't play a bigger role in the episode. He really cares about Rarity, so it would make sense to give his opinion, or to help her to the best of his abilities. It was good to see Big Mac and Sugar Belle again after not seeing them for a couple of episode. It was nice of Fluttershy, Rainbow and Applejack to help Rarity with her mane problem for the photoshoot. I also liked how the gang helped Rarity to regain her lost confidence and to try a new look. The punk look was interesting and looked cool, in my opinion. All in all, I liked the moral and the episode as well. I look forward to seeing what's next for this season.  

[Star Petal 215]

I really liked Rarities new look, and I really disappointed that the new look didn't stay for at least a couple of episodes. 

[powerpuff-tsubasa 448]

this episode is just as flawless as rarity. i loved how this episode teaches us about self-confidence and inner beauty, no matter how ugly we may look on the outside. i give this episode 10/10 <3

rarity's punk appearance is HAWT! and it's great to see diamond tiara again, this time not acting stuck-up like her filthy-rich dad

Edited September 19, 2017 by powerpuff-tsubasa

[bwrosas 252]

MHO , I Think this script was originally intended for S1 or S2, but was glossed over, till recently. That's why some get a S1/S2 Vibe, IMO.

[Ganondox 899]

On 9/17/2017 at 11:59 PM, Justin_Case001 said:

Let's get the airing of grievances out of the way, first.

Mare's Day?  Interesting.  That basically just means "woman" to them.  So they have a holiday called "Woman's Day".  Interesting...

 

Why is this a grievance? 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women's_Day

[Ganondox 899]

On 9/18/2017 at 6:47 AM, Truffles said:

That would be the second time this season MLP has referenced FMA if that is the case! 

What's the first? 

 

On 9/18/2017 at 11:23 AM, BlinkZ said:

So why didn't she just trim it? like it's not that bad. just trim it down and go with a short mane look?  I hate punk

That's good, because punk hates you too.

[Truffles 2,033]

15 minutes ago, Ganondox said:

What's the first?

The transmutation circle Starlight and Sunburst cast in Twilight's fantasy in the season opener.

[GiFTGewEhrSCHutzen-4 8,828]

Gotta say, I kinda dig Rarity's punk look, wish she stayed with that look. But I guess she has to go back to her 'default' look just to avoid confusion or something. And also, it's good to see Zecora back again. Let's see, what am I missing? Oh yeah, also liked the scene in which her mane was switched, and the colt screaming like a girl. That made me laugh so hard there. XD

It's a nice episode, if not the best IMO.

[TigerGeekGuy 4,662]

I thought this episode was great! It was also the first episode where I really appreciated the higher attention to detail and more detailed backgrounds. I know it's been that way for awhile now, but this is the first time I've actually really appreciated it.

Nice to see Zecora again, Rarity's punk look is great, and the overall episode was incredibly entertaining. Pinkie's shenanigans and Rarity directly addressing the creepy eyes in the Everfree Forest were just the cherry on top.

[Ganondox 899]

17 hours ago, Truffles said:

The transmutation circle Starlight and Sunburst cast in Twilight's fantasy in the season opener.

Oh yeah, I remember that now, and that is more likely to be a reference. Not positive it is though, because visually similar magical circles are very common in pop culture, they didn't originate with Fullmetal Alchemist. They were originally inspired by the salt circles that summoners used to protect themselves from the demons they summoned, mixed with the aesthetics of symbols from Judeo-Christian Mysticism. Here are several examples in chronological order: 

Kabbalah

 

Satanic

 

Shin Megami Tensei

Full Metal Alchemist

Castlevania

Pony

Maybe there is subtitles with the aesthetics which are specific to Fullmetal Alchemist, especially with the activation animation, but I don't know for sure. 

[Red Cedar 1,408]

Okay, I know this was supposed to be an episode about not letting your appearance or anything else out of your control affect your self-confidence or self esteem. And that's a good message. Unfortunately, there seemed to be one gaping hole in the way they did it. We've seen the effect Poison Joke has on Rarity and we've seen on Fluttershy that the effect tends to repeat itself when the same pony encounters Poison Joke a subsequent time. So why didn't they use the same sort of Poison Joke potion they used on Fluttershy to recreate Rarity's massive hair growth and they cure her to normality, needing only a trip to the manedresser?

[Dark Qiviut 22,393]

14 minutes ago, Red Cedar said:

Okay, I know this was supposed to be an episode about not letting your appearance or anything else out of your control affect your self-confidence or self esteem. And that's a good message. Unfortunately, there seemed to be one gaping hole in the way they did it. We've seen the effect Poison Joke has on Rarity and we've seen on Fluttershy that the effect tends to repeat itself when the same pony encounters Poison Joke a subsequent time. So why didn't they use the same sort of Poison Joke potion they used on Fluttershy to recreate Rarity's massive hair growth and they cure her to normality, needing only a trip to the manedresser?

When she was poisoned, she had a full head of hair that blocked her vision, and both her mane and coat were affected. Here, with her mane damaged by remover potion, there's no guarantee whether the poison joke will carry the same effects or not.

[Fluttershutter 2,447]

So magic can bend time and space, transmute matter and do instant teleportation but it can't grow hair? 

Other than that glaring problem, good episode. As somebody losing their hair I can totally relate. And Rarity's rocker look in the end was awesome.