S07:E20 - A Health of Information

[Pastel 7,627]

They were in such desperate situation it felt like a season finale lol.

I liked this episode, but I found Fluttershy quite different from usual (she was very hasty).

Also I loved that line: "Anypony living in a tree is OK by me."

Edited October 1, 2017 by Blobulle

[CypherHoof 26,479]

Just now, Blobulle said:

They were in such desperate situation it felt like a season finale lol.

I liked this episode, but I found Fluttershy quite different from usual. Also I loved that line : "Anypony living in a tree is OK by me."

Perhaps ironic, given Fluttershy was turning into a tree at this point

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

On 9/30/2017 at 6:54 PM, Truffles said:

You would think she would be angry at Twilight for condemning an entire hive of bees to death just so she wouldn't turn into a tree

...what did you say?

On 9/30/2017 at 6:54 PM, Truffles said:

so she wouldn't turn into a tree

Oh my god...

On 9/30/2017 at 6:54 PM, Truffles said:

she wouldn't turn into a tree

SHE WANTED TO BE A TREE!!

By the gods....they never should have cured her...

LOL.  I crack myself up.

[Thrond 3,257]

10 hours ago, Justin_Case001 said:

...what did you say?

Oh my god...

SHE WANTED TO BE A TREE!!

By the gods....they never should have cured her...

LOL.  I crack myself up.

Not like this, though. Not like this.

[ImpctR 155]

A late comment but.. This episode was purely AWESOME! Not only because it was a Fluttershy episode being my fave but in combination with Twilight that I havent seen doing anything for quite a while and not only that, the way Fluttershy acted here, so decisive, with so strong will and (not OOC, I think she was fine) and so cute! There has been such big gaps of her episodes especially last season that I forgot her awesomeness! And that all happens in a really nice adventure episode! As biased as it may be when I liked 5/5 every Fluttershy episode, the truth is the one with Discord was not as great and 'Fluttershy Leans In' I never considered that one bad but this one isn't just better than all the rest I 5/5 this may be the best Fluttershy episode for me, the best of all! Kudos to the new writers, they made a really nice ep for 20 mins. I will show where I especially liked her and what else in the show just below (btw the last episode of Fluttershy+Twi was "The Hooffields and McColts" and the latter was not as good as this one even though it had more comedy and was also quite fun, well it was from the best too.

 

Now for this episode:

Something happened to Zecora... I found it funny how she fell into the swamp before it became clear what she got from it, of course.  Also look at her mane style:

 

Twilight cooking? She soo got the idea from the story of Starlight about Luna and Celestia and their breakfast in "A Royal Problem". Got to love that emptied book shelves, happens a lot 

Loved the waking up of Twi and the dragging Fluttershy did on Twi to go on the trip, I think it all went natural for both! Well, something new is learnt - Fluttershy can make connections with the books almost as good as Twilight. Anything wrong with that? I would say NO! When Fluttrershy is on to something, she can go many miles far. 

Then there is that swamp village, a new place discovered.  Looks very interesting too yet abandoned.

 

The tree was interesting and no, I do not think that Fluttershy was silly because she forgot to use the handle. It can happen and is in her nature when she wants to enter by any means. The 'housekeeper' whose name I did not hear did not impress, I thought we would see the actual sorceress. But having a Fluttershy episode and an adventure one raises the points a lot for me. There was even some nice music heard when Fluttershy was trying to get the honey.

 

Yes Fluttershy, look at how cute she is here  <3

 

And this is where she shows what she can do when she wants to help someone. Interesting idea of the bees even her skills cannot make them agreeable and this is also well done. I think Fluttershy is almost the best and most rational of the Mane 6. And yet there are split votes about the episode. I think it was executed great, that's why the best for me from all past Fluttershy episodes!

 

Edited October 2, 2017 by ImpctR

[Batbrony 15,994]

Good evening, everypony, and welcome back to another edition of "Batbrony Reviews"!  Goodness me, at this point the amount of exceptional episodes this season has become so commonplace that it's almost starting to lose its effect.  But just almost.  This past week we had yet another delight of an episode in "A Health of Information," and easily Fluttershy's best episode of the season.  It was well-paced, well-written, had great appearances from new and old characters, and a side of its main character that we rarely get to see.  Without further ado, let's begin, this is "A Health of Information."

"Ya'll ready to learn all about the magic of... the perfect gumbo recipe?"

So first things first, even though she appeared in this episode less than last week's, I'd say this was easily the better of Zecora's two appearances this season, so far at least.  For starters, we got to see her helping somepony *gasp* outside of her damn hut!  OK, fine, I know this is hardly the only time she's stepped outside of her house, but still, it's a rare enough occurrence that it stood out to me, plus it was interesting that she wasn't helping somepony brew something like she usually is.  She was specifically helping Fluttershy track down a moss for some oxen visiting her animal sanctuary whose location in the Everfree Forest she was familiar with, though I have to admit this opening scene raises to points of concern.  (1) Does this mean that oxen aren't sapient in this universe?  If so that's fairly confusing considering both yaks and cows are.  (2) Why the hell was Zecora fetching the moss when she ended up falling into the water in order to get them?  Look, I know it set off the whole plot in the first place, and it even tied into why Fluttershy felt so bad about everything, but still, let me reiterate a common sense point that both Fluttershy and Zecora should have been well aware of... FLUTTERSHY CAN FLY!!!  Like, I know Fluttershy doesn't like flying that much, but it's not like she would've been flying over a mountain, she would've had to hover like two feet over the water while she was gathering moss!  It's not something that breaks the whole episode, but still, I kinda found it to be a silly oversight by both characters all the same.

Why does Zecora look so bucking cute in this still image? 

Wings.  You have them.  USE THEM!!! 

Anyways, it's not long before this episode goes from being a pleasant bit of slice of life to a medical drama.  Oh wait, my mistake, it doesn't become JUST a medical drama... IT BECOMES BUCKING NIGHTMARE FUEL!!!  Why, you may ask?  Well because of the disease in question which Zecora (and later Fluttershy and Doctor Horse) catches from a mysterious flower pod called Swamp Fever.  I don't know what sick bucker on the MLP writing staff came up with this disease, but get a load of this... you've got silly symptoms like it causing you to exhale bubbles or causing you to break out in spots (which aren't exactly pox so much as polka dots), but it also gives you fatigue, confusion, causes you to eventually start sneezing lightning apparently, and worst of all is the end result.  This bucking disease causes its victims to eventually TURN INTO THE TREES THAT DROP THE FLOWER PODS WHICH SPREAD SWAMP FEVER?!?!

Well, I think it's safe to say that this is the appropriate response to that...

 

Holy. Bucking. Shit.  THAT IS THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES!!!  I mean, let's wrap our heads around what this disease in a children's television show does to ponies.  It transforms their entire biological structure into a form completely unnatural to their own, and assuming they lose sapience, more or less kills them in the process of slowly transforming them into a bucking tree.  That sounds like some bucked up idea that you'd find in a 1980's children's television show or film, and again, I have no idea who the buck came up with it for here, but it's bucking terrifying in concept alone.  Not that I'm complaining, it certainly raised the stakes from the very beginning for everypony involved, but still, definitely wasn't something I was expecting here.

Once Zecora's been diagnosed, we get to the real meat of this episode where Fluttershy shines, and on top of that a very solid, subtle moral is delivered as well.  Feeling guilty for putting Zecora in a position to come down with Swamp Fever in the first place (and she's not wrong technically, which is possibly the only thing that KIND OF takes away from a still very powerful moral), Fluttershy throws herself into frantic efforts to find a cure.  She sifts through Twilight's library even more ardently than the alicorn princess herself, and in the process (through some excellent research) discovers exactly where they need to go to find a cure, Hayseed, the old village of Mage Meadowbrook, a legendary sorceress and healer (some question how an earth pony was a sorceress, but we know that earth pony's do have their own type of magic and the ability to interact with and use magical elements, so I certainly think it's possible for an earth pony or a pegasus to be a sorcerer/sorceress in their own way).  Once there, they track down her old home and even stumble across her descendant (seemingly sole descendant by the looks of things), Cattail, and also hunt down information recorded by Mage Meadowbrook in her old diaries leading them to conclude that the key to a cure for Swamp Fever is the honey produced by Flash Bees, who are immune to the effects of the Swamp Fever flower pods.  During all of this, Fluttershy foregoes getting any rest for herself, and soon it becomes apparent that she too is coming down with Swamp Fever.  In desperation, she frantically attempts to use her natural charm on animals, and when that doesn't work the Stare itself, to get honey from the Flash Bees, but neither works, and after getting stung by them, Fluttershy faints from her fatigue and remains unconscious for three days while nothing Twilight or Cattail do to retrieve the honey works.  When she awakens, Fluttershy realizes that in not getting herself any rest, she not only endangered herself but also Zecora as well, since if she'd been fully rested she might have managed to retrieve the cure sooner.  Realizing that Mage Meadowbrook successfully got honey from the Flash Bees by wearing a healer's mask with a stripe pattern similar to those of Flash Bee queens, who the males are subservient to, Fluttershy uses the mask to get the honey and heals herself, Zecora, and Doctor Horse of Swamp Fever, in the process also rediscovering the cure for Swamp Fever for good (very odd that Mage Meadowbrook only recorded the cure in her personal diary, but given that she seems to have lived centuries ago long before printed works in Equestria, we can give her a bit of a pass for not more widely publishing her medical knowledge).

Fluttershy's character arc in this episode is at the heart of a very mature, subtle moral, especially personal and meaningful to people who can relate to it (such as at least one very dear friend of so many of us on the forums here).  People who've had a loved one get diagnosed with a bad disease or debilitating medical condition in general often go through hell to help them get through it, if they can.  They try everything they can to make it better, whether that be financially or just anything at all they personally can do for the one they love.  They might drive themselves to such lengths that they even start blaming themselves for what's happening in the first place, or keep convincing themselves that they're not doing enough.  Again, this message was just slightly undercut by the fact that this was technically Fluttershy's fault, but again that is easy enough to ignore when you consider just how good the message is.  It is not good for one to neglect their own needs when trying to care for another, no matter how much you love them or how bad things may be for them.  They wouldn't want you to do so since they love and care for you as well, and on a more pragmatic level, not looking after your own needs might actually make it more difficult for you to take care of them, much less yourself.  While such perseverance and determination to aid another as Fluttershy displayed is certainly admirable and capable of achieving much, it needs to be tempered and balanced if one hopes to sustain such a drive in the long run.  This is a mature message both on an intellectual and emotional level, and I am sure those who can personally relate to Fluttershy in this episode were very much affected by it and knew exactly what the show was doing.

Beyond these core elements, the episode had a lot of other great things to offer viewers as well.  Twilight had one of her best supporting roles in sometime, and a true one at that.  Oftentimes a risk with having Twilight as a supporting character is that, by the sheer nature of who she is as the show's main character, she will dominate the screen time.  Heck, we've seen her paired up (rarely) with Fluttershy in past episodes, such as when they visited the Hooffields and McColts, and while they were both supposed to be main characters in that episode, one could argue Twilight stood out far more than Fluttershy.  Here, however, she was firmly a supporting character; Fluttershy took the lead on most things, while Twilight offered good support and mature advice the whole time.  It wasn't even out of deference to Fluttershy or anything, Fluttershy just had a better handle on the situation from the start than Twilight did and she knew this.  Her intro with Spike in which they were having a cooking competition was also rather cute and funny, a more normal side of Twilight we don't get to see nearly as much these days like we used to, plus it was fun seeing her do something not related to her love of intellectual pursuits like baking (also, those sweet potato muffins honestly sounded REALLY good if I'm being perfectly honest).

OK, Twiley looks ridiculously adorable with flower on her little hoovesies and her horn! 

Remember kids, this is what baking too much does to you.  Before you know it, you're having fever dreams about pans!!! 

Cattail was another fun, new element added to the episode.  The entire village of Hayseed seems to have had an Equestrian version of Cajun-bayou culture, which was pretty unique to see in this show.  While the real world parallels could only go so far, the show has never made a habit of stereotyping other cultures when it does have shades of cultures similar to ones in our own world, and the same was true here.  In addition, his willingness to simply help Fluttershy and Twilight as soon as he learned what they were after was admirable to see seeing as he'd just met them, not to mention he basically opened his home to them as well (well, after they inadvertently broke into it, though in their defense they had no idea it was occupied to begin with).  The lore with his distant relative and ancestor, Mage Meadowbrook, was quite cool as well, and it was nice learning about the last of the Legends of Magic (though I still think it would have been cool if Fluttershy's allegory among them were Somnambula).  But all in all, the best elements of this episode that will stick with me going forward are those relating to its message and just how great of an appearance Fluttershy herself had.  That's not to say the episode as a whole wasn't exceptional, it really was.  It's just that these elements in particular are what make it particularly unique in its own way as an exceptional episode, especially in a season like Season 7 where there have been so many great episodes already.

Well, that's all I've got for you everypony.  I feel fairly certain that by the end of Season 7 this episode will still stand out as Fluttershy's best of the season, so it was a pleasure getting around to finally reviewing such a great episode.  Until next time, this is Batbrony signing off.  I'm off!!! *cue dramatic exit*

[Brainstorm 4,092]

Fluttershy's determination to heal Zecora is incredible. 

[Violet Bookish 349]

For me, this episode was just okay. I was glad to see Zecora again and I enjoyed the comedy revolved around her. I also like Fluttershy and Twilight's role in the story and it was nice to hear about another legend and learn some more history. However, I really couldn't enjoy this episode because of its message. It taught that you should make sure to take care of yourself so you can better take care of others, but during the episode, it was completely understandable that Fluttershy did not have time to rest as Zecora was beginning to turn into a tree and I was honestly on Fluttershy's side on this one. It made sense why she was rushed. It wasn't like she was barely getting any rest because she was taking care of a sick friend, she barely got any rest to save her friend because she was turning into a tree! I really can't agree with the message when Fluttershy was justified for not getting rest and who knows what would have happened if she had rather than looking through the library all night. If she had rested, Zecora would probably almost be a tree by the time she found what she was looking for!

Along with that, this message has been done to death. It's not a bad message but the latest episode, Once Upon a Zepplin did it a lot better. For me, this episode was the equivalent of my mom lecturing me to go to bed on time when I was younger. Everyone's heard it a million times and for this episode, the message didn't really feel like it fit the situation. Now, in Once Upon a Zepplin, we get a nice message about working too hard and needing time for yourself every once in a while. It teaches the message about taking care of yourself way better and the message fits the situation.

So, in conclusion, I can't say I hated this episode because of the legend and background history included in it that I really enjoyed (seeing that there used to be a town in the ever free forest intrigues me), but I can't say I loved it either because the message has been done to death and it didn't feel like it fit the situation. However, I still believe you can pull off having a message like that if you do it right, this episode really didn't. Fluttershy's reasons were justified and if she had gotten rest the same good results might not have happened. It was an urgent situation and the message did not blend well with it. So, not the worst episode but not the best.

[blackstarraven 142]

...

My Six year old Niece watching after they explain the part about Zecora turning into a tree.
"Well... That got dark quick."

[FizzyGreen 908]

Wow, a parasitic eukaryotic virus. Haven't seen that in like

Ever.

Flashbees are damn cool. But stupid

The whole thing was a fun adventure.

And Fluttershy was damn inefficient.

4/5

[blackstarraven 142]

On 10/8/2017 at 1:20 PM, Kreamer said:

For me, this episode was just okay. I was glad to see Zecora again and I enjoyed the comedy revolved around her. I also like Fluttershy and Twilight's role in the story and it was nice to hear about another legend and learn some more history. However, I really couldn't enjoy this episode because of its message. It taught that you should make sure to take care of yourself so you can better take care of others, but during the episode, it was completely understandable that Fluttershy did not have time to rest as Zecora was beginning to turn into a tree and I was honestly on Fluttershy's side on this one. It made sense why she was rushed. It wasn't like she was barely getting any rest because she was taking care of a sick friend, she barely got any rest to save her friend because she was turning into a tree! I really can't agree with the message when Fluttershy was justified for not getting rest and who knows what would have happened if she had rather than looking through the library all night. If she had rested, Zecora would probably almost be a tree by the time she found what she was looking for!

Along with that, this message has been done to death. It's not a bad message but the latest episode, Once Upon a Zepplin did it a lot better. For me, this episode was the equivalent of my mom lecturing me to go to bed on time when I was younger. Everyone's heard it a million times and for this episode, the message didn't really feel like it fit the situation. Now, in Once Upon a Zepplin, we get a nice message about working too hard and needing time for yourself every once in a while. It teaches the message about taking care of yourself way better and the message fits the situation.

So, in conclusion, I can't say I hated this episode because of the legend and background history included in it that I really enjoyed (seeing that there used to be a town in the ever free forest intrigues me), but I can't say I loved it either because the message has been done to death and it didn't feel like it fit the situation. However, I still believe you can pull off having a message like that if you do it right, this episode really didn't. Fluttershy's reasons were justified and if she had gotten rest the same good results might not have happened. It was an urgent situation and the message did not blend well with it. So, not the worst episode but not the best.

Actually I'm going to disagree on the point of the episode.

This is not a discussion of "You should not work hard to help some one in bad trouble"
its more a matter of "You should be able to operate effectively while helping someone."

Not a matter of "Doctors should drop what they are doing for a nap"
A matter of "Doctors should get enough sleep that they are not making mistakes.

[Violet Bookish 349]

1 hour ago, blackstarraven said:

Actually I'm going to disagree on the point of the episode.

This is not a discussion of "You should not work hard to help some one in bad trouble"
its more a matter of "You should be able to operate effectively while helping someone."

Not a matter of "Doctors should drop what they are doing for a nap"
A matter of "Doctors should get enough sleep that they are not making mistakes.

 

True, but again, the situation was very urgent in this case. I wasn't saying it said they should drop everything their doing nor did I claim it was saying you shouldn't work hard to help others. You misunderstood. There is a big difference between saying something is making a certain claim and simply saying the claim would have worked better if applied to a different scenario. While this one didn't do a terrible job of showing the lesson, using a different scenario would have made the lesson shine a bit more and felt more fitting. Let me explain. I don't think Fluttershy would have gotten the results as quickly as she did if she had gotten rest. Zecora was literally turning into a tree and it seemed like Fluttershy got the remedy right in the nick of time, making me wonder what could have happened if she had spent time resting, and I would argue they would have been too late. Again, good message but would have been a lot more effective if applied to a different scenario, like a friend simply being sick as (An idea I mentioned briefly in my original post) with Fluttershy overworking herself because she tends to put others happiness before herself, which can be a good and bad thing, rather than a disease with a time limit. I get what you're saying, but, again, I felt like this episode's scenario didn't fit that lesson very well and a different scenario would have helped it shine a lot better.

Edited December 28, 2017 by Kreamer
Clarifying stuff

[blackstarraven 142]

58 minutes ago, Kreamer said:

 

True, but again, the situation was very urgent in this case. I wasn't saying it said they should drop everything their doing nor did I claim it was saying you shouldn't work hard to help others. You misunderstood. There is a big difference between saying something is making a certain claim and simply saying the claim would have worked better if applied to a different scenario. While this one didn't do a terrible job of showing the lesson, using a different scenario would have made the lesson shine a bit more and felt more fitting. Let me explain. I don't think Fluttershy would have gotten the results as quickly as she did if she had gotten rest. Zecora was literally turning into a tree and it seemed like Fluttershy got the remedy right in the nick of time, making me wonder what could have happened if she had spent time resting, and I would argue they would have been too late. Again, good message but would have been a lot more effective if applied to a different scenario, like a friend simply being sick as (An idea I mentioned briefly in my original post) with Fluttershy overworking herself because she tends to put others happiness before herself, which can be a good and bad thing, rather than a disease with a time limit. I get what you're saying, but, again, I felt like this episode's scenario didn't fit that lesson very well and a different scenario would have helped it shine a lot better.

Maybe.

But she also did get knocked out for three days.

She might not have made that mistake. (Or maybe have recovered quicker) If she had taken better care of herself.

I would agree that there are / could be better ways to explain that lesson however.

 

[Thrond 3,257]

11 hours ago, blackstarraven said:

Maybe.

But she also did get knocked out for three days.

She might not have made that mistake. (Or maybe have recovered quicker) If she had taken better care of herself.

I would agree that there are / could be better ways to explain that lesson however.

 

I also think it’s significant that Fluttershy herself contracted the disease, which she might not have had she taken care of herself. She tried to hard to save her friend that she wound up putting others at risk.

[Violet Bookish 349]

2 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I also think it’s significant that Fluttershy herself contracted the disease, which she might not have had she taken care of herself. She tried to hard to save her friend that she wound up putting others at risk.

Good point, though I don't feel like we were given enough information about the disease to know for sure if that was truly the reason.

 

13 hours ago, blackstarraven said:

Maybe.

But she also did get knocked out for three days.

She might not have made that mistake. (Or maybe have recovered quicker) If she had taken better care of herself.

I would agree that there are / could be better ways to explain that lesson however.

 

That's a good point but I feel like it's not clear if lack of sleep, her disease, or the bee stinging her is what made her faint which ended up getting her knocked out for three days. We also, as I stated before, don't know enough info about the disease to know if her lack of rest is what made her contract it. If these things were explained, I think I would agree with the lesson. But as is, her getting the disease could have just been bad luck and we don't know what was the cause of her fall for sure, since atm we were giving multiple possible causes for this (her sickness, the sting, her lack of sleep). If the episode took time to explain these things I'd be a lot more excepting of the lesson being applied to it. I can agree her getting rest would have helped but there are so many other factors that are thrown in that it's hard to say and everything just got jumbled, at least for me. So yes, she probably would have had enough time to rest and should have, but do we really need all of these elements mixed in for that lesson? Also, how long would it have taken her to find where they needed to go if she did rest? Why couldn't she have just passed out because she was tired, why did the bee sting and disease need to be added in? What would have made it better would be more explanation of these things, or the removal of these unnecessary factors for Fluttershy's inability to work and think properly (which made the whole thing seem a bit exaggerated in my opinion), or just a different scenario. Adding an urgent scenario just really made the lesson fall flat on it's face for me as well. I'm supposed to feel like Fluttershy should have done things better but, instead, I understand why she did all those things and since she solved the issue in the end, I don't feel like a change in action was necessary. I understand her hurry and it's unclear how shorter or longer it would have taken her if she had gotten rest, so I personally don't feel like I can say, "yeah, you should have rested instead of searching for answers.". Why couldn't Zecora just be sick? Why did there have to be a time limit? So, sorry, but for me, it's still just a C+. Not awful but it's still got it's issues. Basically, just decent.

Edited December 28, 2017 by Kreamer
Clarifying stuff

[blackstarraven 142]

59 minutes ago, Kreamer said:

Good point, though I don't feel like we were given enough information about the disease to know for sure if that was truly the reason.

 

That's a good point but I feel like it's not clear if lack of sleep, her disease, or the bee stinging her is what made her faint which ended up getting her knocked out for three days. We also, as I stated before, don't know enough info about the disease to know if her lack of rest is what made her contract it. If these things were explained, I think I would agree with the lesson. But as is, her getting the disease could have just been bad luck and we don't know what was the cause of her fall for sure, since atm we were giving multiple possible causes for this (her sickness, the sting, her lack of sleep). If the episode took time to explain these things I'd be a lot more excepting of the lesson being applied to it. I can agree her getting rest would have helped but there are so many other factors that are thrown in that it's hard to say and everything just got jumbled, at least for me. So yes, she probably would have had enough time to rest and should have, but do we really need all of these elements mixed in for that lesson? Also, how long would it have taken her to find where they needed to go if she did rest? Why couldn't she have just passed out because she was tired, why did the bee sting and disease need to be added in? What would have made it better would be more explanation of these things, or the removal of these unnecessary factors for Fluttershy's inability to work and think properly (which made the whole thing seem a bit exaggerated in my opinion), or just a different scenario. Adding an urgent scenario just really made the lesson fall flat on it's face for me as well. I'm supposed to feel like Fluttershy should have done things better but, instead, I understand why she did all those things and since she solved the issue in the end, I don't feel like a change in action was necessary. I understand her hurry and it's unclear how shorter or longer it would have taken her if she had gotten rest, so I personally don't feel like I can say, "yeah, you should have rested instead of searching for answers.". Why couldn't Zecora just be sick? Why did there have to be a time limit? So, sorry, but for me, it's still just a C+. Not awful but it's still got it's issues. Basically, just decent.

Agreed. We are more or less on the same page here.

I would also agree and make the point that is was not lack of sleep, her disease, or the bees that knocked her out...

It was all three...

 

And ya I'm totally fine with a C+ that sounds perfectly reasonable for a grade on this episode. I liked it a bit more then that. But nothing above solid B or even B-

Its not pony shakespear..... Flankspear? Ya we are going with that...

But its solid. Definitely not the best but I know way worse episodes. (From a show that really its bad episodes are not really all that bad)

2 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I also think it’s significant that Fluttershy herself contracted the disease, which she might not have had she taken care of herself. She tried to hard to save her friend that she wound up putting others at risk.

Ya this is kind of my point put into a much less wordy point.

Maybe, maybe not.

I totally got the message in the episode. As a person that deals with a pretty aggravating medical problem, I can totally sympathies with the message.

Was it super on point? No. But it wasn't bad ether.

[blackstarraven 142]

Actually on a re-watch.. well a re-re-re-watch.

It occurred to be that fluttershy was walking into doors and forgetting how doors worked even by the time she got to MedowBrooks home.

If we can take any other points form this episode its also just that she was not thinking all that strait by the time she got there.

Might have taken her less time to actually figure it out. And maybe without mistakes.

[Thrond 3,257]

6 hours ago, Kreamer said:

or the bee stinging her is what made her faint

I find this unlikely. Lack of rest weakens one's immune system, and because she only contracted the disease later despite being right there with Zecora, it makes sense to me that this exhaustion was the main cause. Which, then, means it makes sense that her exhaustion would be why she eventually succumbs to her exhaustion. 

6 hours ago, Kreamer said:

I'm supposed to feel like Fluttershy should have done things better but, instead, I understand why she did all those things and since she solved the issue in the end, I don't feel like a change in action was necessary.

I think understanding Fluttershy's motivations helps us sympathize with her more, so when we see her wearing herself down later on to no end, it makes the moral more surprising and thus more effective. And I'm not sure whether resting at night would have made up for those three days, but she was clearly not in the right state of mind even before falling off the tree, and simply might have been more productive were she not severely exhausted and sleep deprived. 

Although Twilight could have been a bit more worried. 

[Violet Bookish 349]

6 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Although Twilight could have been a bit more worried. 

 

That's another thing that personally bothered me. I didn't feel like Twilight put much effort into trying to get Fluttershy to rest. I didn't feel like she put in much effort the first time and just left on a flimsy promise. I kind of just wish we could have seen her put in a little more effort. Then later she basically rolls her eyes at Fluttershy not noticing the door handle. Would have been nice if she had at least tried again to suggest maybe they should stop to rest. The only time I felt like she made a good effort was when Fluttershy was sick and insisting on going to the flash bees, though I am a bit peeved Twilight didn't just go with Fluttershy anyway. Her friend is sick and probably going to fail, she knows this. I feel like Twilight should have been assertive and told Fluttershy she wasn't going to let her go on her own and she can protect herself. I mean, we've seen Twilight make plenty of magical force fields to protect herself, she would have been fine and might have been able to protect Fluttershy.

6 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I think understanding Fluttershy's motivations helps us sympathize with her more, so when we see her wearing herself down later on to no end, it makes the moral more surprising and thus more effective. And I'm not sure whether resting at night would have made up for those three days, but she was clearly not in the right state of mind even before falling off the tree, and simply might have been more productive were she not severely exhausted and sleep deprived. 

 

For me, it didn't make it more effective, and in fact, for me, these are the reasons the lesson felt dull to me. I feel I already stated this and more in my previous post, though I still respect the way you personally see the episode.

6 hours ago, blackstarraven said:

Actually on a re-watch.. well a re-re-re-watch.

It occurred to be that fluttershy was walking into doors and forgetting how doors worked even by the time she got to MedowBrooks home.

If we can take any other points form this episode its also just that she was not thinking all that strait by the time she got there.

Might have taken her less time to actually figure it out. And maybe without mistakes.

I think this shows another issue I had with the episode. It felt overexaggerated. I've spent my fair share of late nights or just staying up almost all night, yet I've still been able to go to school and do work just fine. And yes, I remembered how to use a door handle. I could accept it if Fluttershy had issues thinking straight or overlooked some details due to her lack of sleep, but forgetting a huge detail like how to open a door seems like a big over exaggeration, especially since at that point she was just tired and not sick yet. I guess it could just depend on the person, but I still would have serious doubts they'd forget how to use a door unless they had gone several days without sleep. Fluttershy only had one sleepless night as far as I'm aware. If she had searched several days I could understand that, but otherwise, it seems like a terrible over-exaggeration.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Kreamer
Fixed Spelling and Grammar Errors

[blackstarraven 142]

On 12/29/2017 at 2:14 AM, Kreamer said:

That's another thing that personally bothered me. I didn't feel like Twilight put much effort into trying to get Fluttershy to rest. I didn't feel like she put in much effort the first time and just left on a flimsy promise. I kind of just wish we could have seen her put in a little more effort. Then later she basically rolls her eyes at Fluttershy not noticing the door handle. Would have been nice if she had at least tried again to suggest maybe they should stop to rest. The only time I felt like she made a good effort was when Fluttershy was sick and insisting on going to the flash bees, though I am a bit peeved Twilight didn't just go with Fluttershy anyway. Her friend is sick and probably going to fail, she knows this. I feel like Twilight should have been assertive and told Fluttershy she wasn't going to let her go on her own and she can protect herself. I mean, we've seen Twilight make plenty of magical force fields to protect herself, she would have been fine and might have been able to protect Fluttershy.

For me, it didn't make it more effective, and in fact, for me, these are the reasons the lesson felt dull to me. I feel I already stated this and more in my previous post, though I still respect the way you personally see the episode.

I think this shows another issue I had with the episode. It felt overexaggerated. I've spent my fair share of late nights or just staying up almost all night, yet I've still been able to go to school and do work just fine. And yes, I remembered how to use a door handle. I could accept it if Fluttershy had issues thinking straight or overlooked some details due to her lack of sleep, but forgetting a huge detail like how to open a door seems like a big over exaggeration, especially since at that point she was just tired and not sick yet. I guess it could just depend on the person, but I still would have serious doubts they'd forget how to use a door unless they had gone several days without sleep. Fluttershy only had one sleepless night as far as I'm aware. If she had searched several days I could understand that, but otherwise, it seems like a terrible over-exaggeration.

You kind of hit on the point for me right there.

We have no ideal how long all this takes.

But on a side note.

I have insomnia and can (Do often) stay up 30+ hours before I can get to sleep.)
I at one point could do this pretty well (Army) Now however, I am walking into doors.

Because I'm more or less worn down, yes it took to little time in the episode. But at the same time..

It is a kids show.

[Violet Bookish 349]

9 hours ago, blackstarraven said:

You kind of hit on the point for me right there.

We have no ideal how long all this takes.

But on a side note.

I have insomnia and can (Do often) stay up 30+ hours before I can get to sleep.)
I at one point could do this pretty well (Army) Now however, I am walking into doors.

Because I'm more or less worn down, yes it took to little time in the episode. But at the same time..

It is a kids show.

I suppose but it's still an issue for me. I understand it's a kids show but I don't think that excuses it's faults. Also, I'm sorry you have to deal with Insomnia man. That sucks.

[blackstarraven 142]

On 12/31/2017 at 12:52 AM, Kreamer said:

I suppose but it's still an issue for me. I understand it's a kids show but I don't think that excuses it's faults. Also, I'm sorry you have to deal with Insomnia man. That sucks.

Agreed, in that being a kids show is not a good go to excuse for pacing issues.

I was more just saying that pacing issues are understandable. Not excusable.

[Violet Bookish 349]

2 hours ago, blackstarraven said:

Agreed, in that being a kids show is not a good go to excuse for pacing issues.

I was more just saying that pacing issues are understandable. Not excusable.

Alright, got you. Thank you for the clarification. 

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Fluttershy: "Is there anything you want before I find Meadowbrook's place?"

Zecora: "There is actually one thing you can do for me. Will you please sing me Soft Kitty?" :3

[Nye 1,652]

You know Zecora is I’ll if she doesn’t rhyme when she speaks.