S08:E03 - The Maud Couple

[Sh Pie 65]

13 hours ago, Buttonmash1973 said:

I have autism.

Ditto.

This was a humorous Pinkie focus episode. It introduced Mud Briar, a new background pony who I think is extremely agreeable and likable. Everything he says makes a lot of sense. In a way, the lesson is the same as the one from Maud's debut episode where nopony but Pinkie could understand her. Except now it's Pinkie who has to learn that lesson. Due to her biased connection to her sister, she couldn't see how similar she and Mud were. Even going as far to insult Mud's stick, who had done nothing to offend her. Maud and Mud have their differences as well, of course. Maud lacks expression while Mud seems to lack understanding of emotions. Rocks, sticks and grammar are easier to understand than emotions.

Eventually, Pinkie learns to accept Mud for the stallion he is and the boyfriend with whom Maud is "in like", thanks to help from her other sisters and a rock related metaphor. I hope to see more of him in the future and his relationship with Maud. This character is exactly what the modern age needs with so many people online making the most egregious of grammatical errors and even misusing basic punctuation (no offence)! See, this show is proof that education can be fun and now there's the friendship school. Progress is being made even as we speak.

Most humorous part of the episode was Pinkie imagining her friends as opposites.

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

deleted

Edited April 11, 2018 by Buttonmash1973

[Thrond 3,263]

On 4/3/2018 at 4:04 AM, Justin_Case001 said:

I'm sorry for being "one of those fans", but is Pinkie getting stupider as the show goes on?  She used to be weird, eccentric, but brilliant in her own, bizarre way, like in Swarm of the Century.  Now...she just seems like an airhead sometimes.  Did she really think that Maud and Mudbriar had nothing in common?  Could she really not see the similarities?!

She's too close to Maud and can see the warmth beneath the emotionless exterior. She doesn't know Mud well enough to see that in him. 

On 4/3/2018 at 7:07 PM, Music Chart Fan said:

After Maud's set, Pinkie gets up on stage and says "Isn't my sister Maud the most hilarious, entertaining, amazing comedian ever?", after which the audience bursts into laughter. But why? These same ponies were giving confused or annoyed looks at Pinkie's cackling during Maud's set, so if they're supposed to be laughing as a favor to Pinkie or something, why not do it then? Did they need to be specifically told by Pinkie that Maud is hilarious in order to get that they were supposed to laugh? Is Pinkie's question in itself supposed to be funny?

They're laughing derisively at the idea of Maud being a great comedian. It's really quite rude. 

 

[Wonderbolt Slipstream 263]

To be honest, I don't like Mud Briar, but I guess he'll do.

[Pastel 7,630]

Much better than I expected. I thought Pinkie Pie was going to be annoying as usual, but fortunately her sisters quickly helped her understand the situation.

I liked that Mud Briar added some character development to Maud Pie, as I was getting tired she was just featured as "Pinkie Pie's sister". I hope they won't make any more episodes with just Pinkie and Maud from now on.

Just one thing that disappointed me, is that Pinkie Pie still hasn't realized she was idealizing her sister. I thought seeing Mud Briar would have helped her understand that, since he's basically the same as Maud, but nope.

[blackstarraven 142]

I actually haven't watched this one yet.. I really hope its Zephyr.... That would make my day.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

I rewatched "Rock Solid Friendship" and I actually thought Pinkie's behavior was once again so similar to how she behaves in "Maud Couple" not reading her sisters desires well etc. 

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

I been waiting for this episode in months

Spoiler

After seeing the The Break Up Breakdown.

 

[cuteycindyhoney 13,306]

Mud Briar is so perfect for Maud. It sounds silly, but I'm glad she found a perfect somepony. I loved how she came dangerously close to displaying emotion when Twiggy and Boulder were playing so nicely together. Their agreeing to disagree about petrified wood was so cute! Pinkie was a little odd, in the episode, but she settled down and accepted that perhaps others saw what she did in her sister. As soon as I saw it, I started to giggle when I noticed that Mud Briar's cutey mark was, A stick...In The Mud!

 

[Luminance 2,186]

Pinkie once again doubts her sister Maud. She then becomes repulsive and denies Maud's new boyfriend which she doesn't like (ironic as Pinkie is the most friendly, welcoming pony around). She has to learn to let her sister go and to be who she is whether making new friends or in this case with Mudbriar. 

[JCKane 345]

So this is probably one of the few times the series covers Romantic based love.  (not counting showing character's parents).  I mean you have Spike's crush on Rarity, Rarity's crush on that writer/blogger, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, Big Mac and the love potion , Big Mac and dang forgot her name, and now this one.  Though, I'll admit, I'm surprised they used the term "boy" Friend.  Instead of some pony based equivilant.  I mean, they rearly use the words boy or girl and use Stallion and Mare.  (and other pony terms).

So, aside for that, am I the only one who kept on thining of Sheldon Kooper (is that spelled right?) From big bang theory with Maud's BF?  Might of even been the same actor doing the voice.  (PS: I've only seen like an episode or 2 from Big Bang theory, but I've heard enough of his voice via commercials and the like.)

[Here No Longer 5,276]

Honestly, the whole concept was flawed, but the execution was just slightly better than expected.

The first 6 minutes aside from Maud's sense of humor making me cringe was full of Pinkie stalking her sister because she doesn't know where she is every moment of every day. Mud Briar is better than Flash Sentry or I probably forgot who on purpose (from Hard to Say Anything) when it comes to fitting the ship, but I still get that "Hard to Say Anything" feeling. Like it was originally a shipfiction, and a poorly written one at that.

 

Overall, a 4 out of 10. Season 8 better pick it up. 

Edited June 2, 2018 by Barik

[Allen 1,387]

Maud Pie have a boyfriend name of Mudbriar but undesirable for Pinkie Pie, although Pinkie Pie is still a sister with Maud Pie which she have things in common with her boyfriend. They set up a party and have them in good hands in part of interest. Hearts will not be broken but they'll be together once again.

[Dynamo Pad 11,259]

I thought this episode was pretty enjoyable. I remember seeing this episode during the weekend of BABScon. I remember the episode stopped playing and the staff was able to get the episode back up and running, but we missed a good portion of the episode. I really like the new updated intro. It's cool to see smaller changes in the intro from season to season. This one feels truly different, with so many things to look forward to this season. It was great to get a chance to watch the episode once more. It's cool to see that Maud is still doing her stand up comedy. I know Pinkie can break the fourth wall, but I wonder if she can change the flow of time, so that night can turn to day. I also like how Derpy had a missing photo of Maud on her cutie mark. It was pretty cool to see that Maud had gotten herself a boyfriend. It's also nice to see the show to bring up relationships. There are a few episodes that tackle relationships, but it's nice to see them from time to time. Mud Briar was a pretty interesting character and I liked the dynamic that he and Maud shared. I think it was interesting how Pinkie couldn't really understand Mud Briar. It feels like the Mane 6 and other ponies not understanding Pinkie, Maud and other ponies from time to time. Here, it feels like the opposite and it felt like a nice change of pace. The comedy was pretty spot on and I like how we get to see Limestone and Marble again. For some reason, I felt that Marble was going to talk in this episode. I thought the moral was pretty good and I like how Pinkie and Mud Briar handled the party at the end. It felt as if Mud Briar had the same voice as Sheldon Cooper, from the TV show, Big Bang Theory. All in all, I really liked this episode and I hope to see Maud and Mud Briar again throughout the season.  

[Chronicplane 58]

I liked it though not too sure on Mud Briar.

[gingerninja666 487]

I don't know if Marble is actually mute, but I'd kinda like it if she was. It's cute, and there could be fun/sweetness to be had in her body language and actions doing the talking for her.

 

She was a bit annoyed at Limestone, wasn't around anypony else but her family, and she still remained silent.

[Nye 1,652]

Watching this twice this weekend I’ve caught a lot of stuff I didn’t notice before, a big thing being that Pinkie says she checked the “Discord dimension” for Maud. 

[Lord Valtasar 12,690]

4 hours ago, Nye said:

Watching this twice this weekend I’ve caught a lot of stuff I didn’t notice before, a big thing being that Pinkie says she checked the “Discord dimension” for Maud. 

well she has done many discord-like stuff through the seasons,i'm actually surprised they don't hang out more

[Senko 459]

As someone with Asperger's syndrome I can confirm society is changing slowly at least in the medical field. When I was a kid the Doctor had no idea what was wrong with me though he knew there was something (they did brain scans and he could visibly see my brain didn't work like a "normal" persons) but he didn't know what it meant. Then when I was near the end of high school and it began to be more widely known he realized it was what he'd seen in me and actually contacted my family to let us know. The people I associate with most know there's a lot of social ques that I just miss until they start to get really obvious (annoyed vs actually angry raised voices that sort of thing) so they just tell me I need to stop to keep the situation under control before it reaches that point. Strangers though i still mess up on because I just don't get it until it becomes an issue a lot of the time. Online communication is actually easier for me because it strips away all those visual ques other people pick up on by watching the person and I miss so I can follow the onilne equivilent like a smile emoji or caps lock.

As for the episode most of what I'd say has already been mentioned but I did like in the new opening Discord lounging in the background when we see Fluttershy's animal sanctuary, I think I'll miss the old opening though.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Senko

[bigbertha 414]

This episode is half good and half bad. 

The first half is really annoying. Not much happens as many scenes and jokes drag on for too long. The only things that happen are Pinkie meets Mud Briar at the cake shop and then sees him with Maud. Also, Pinkie is really screechy. Like, even more than usual.

The second half is the best Pinkie episode in years. Her conflict is engaging and that metaphor from Limestone is a great way to teach kids the lesson. 

I think what I like the most about Pinkie's conflict is that it's kinda like A Friend in Deed done better. In that episode, Pinkie didn't have to face someone disliking her because she did one nice thing for Cranky and that overshadowed everything else she did. This episode doesn't do that. Pinkie doesn't suddenly discover that Mudbriar is actually really funny or whatever; she still doesn't like Mudbriar and has to accept him. Having the main character need to learn a lesson is always more interesting than having them be right the entire time. 

There are a couple issues with the second half like the episode trying to say that Mudbriar is really similar to Maud when there's a clear difference of Mudbriar being more pedantic, but that doesn't interfere with the lesson. Whether Pinkie has a valid reason to dislike Mudbriar or not, she still has to accept him as Maud's boyfriend. 

I overall think this is a good episode, but the first half really brings this episode down from what it could've been.

Score: 7/10

Edited March 24, 2019 by bigbertha

[Varrack 1,080]

I'm glad Pinkie could understand Mudbriar (and by extension, Maud) a bit more. I thinking having the bubbly and outgoing personality that she does can be a double-edged sword in the sense that some empathy gets lost in the way...the fact that she never understood that Maud isn't really into parties makes that apparent. 

[Larrydog 320]

this episode was very strange to me I didn't really see the point of Maud of having a boyfriend who is exactly like her and I didn't really get the moral of the episode either since it just made me feel like Pinkie actually dislike everything maud does but doesn't notice she does because of there family but *shurgs* good news is I got the ship CheeseSanwhich x Briar out of this lol

[qwerE 96]

I sure was a bit surprised to see Pinkie mad at somepony, but the episode was enjoyable. Although this wasn't her first time being angry at somepony else,(she was furious at RD for not eating her pies) I'm always quite amused when Pinkie shows emotions other than pure joy. I really like moments like those because it makes the character feel more real, and also just because they're hilarious!  Pinkie doing weird stuff is funny, when it's done right.

[Splashee 28,563]

On 3/16/2018 at 3:15 PM, Xe__or said:

  Reveal hidden contents

I'm actually surprised about Pinkie apparently not being able to stand this boyfriend; any ideas of why?

I put this in spoilers; wasn't sure if I should just write it normally

 

Yea, she was acting kinda childish for Pinkie Pie standards

[Xe__or 4,377]

5 hours ago, Funtime Splashee said:

Yea, she was acting kinda childish for Pinkie Pie standards

Here is the grave digger again