S08:E03 - The Maud Couple

[ggg-2 1778]

During a promo for season 8, they showed a clip of Maud's presumed boyfriend at the counter of Sugar Cube Corner, with his cutie mark being a literal stick in the mud. So, yeah. A party pony like Pinkie not being able to stand him makes perfect sense.

[RyanMahaffe 952]

40 minutes ago, ggg-2 said:

During a promo for season 8, they showed a clip of Maud's presumed boyfriend at the counter of Sugar Cube Corner, with his cutie mark being a literal stick in the mud. So, yeah. A party pony like Pinkie not being able to stand him makes perfect sense.

I think the joke will be he is just like Maud, and while Pinkie can see the personality behind Maud, she won't be able to see it for this dude.
Maybe..

[Lexamena 379]

WHOLE NEW INTRO woah!! love it!! 

Lol AKSHUALLY....

Lol technically .... 

Lol AKSHUALLY.... that's funny.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Lexamena

[ggg-2 1778]

.....'Kay, does Mud Briar remind anyone else of Sheldon Cooper? 

[cmarston1 5372]

When I first heard the synopsis for the episode I was a little intrigued given that I never thought someone like Maud would have a boyfriend.  So because of that I was at least a tiny bit interested in seeing how things would play out, even if I was slightly worried it might be a repeat of Rock Solid Friendship with how Pinkie Pie would behave.

After seeing the episode, my thoughts are that it was a decent episode.

Let's see we got some continuity to Make New Friends But Keep Discord by having Maud performing standup in the cold opening.  Starlight's friendship with Maud and love for Kites from Rock Solid Friendship returns.  We finally got a fully remastered opening, one that I really like if you ask me.  Starlight got some much needed one on one interaction with a member of the mane 6 (Pinkie) which is helping to make her feel like one of their friends.   I thought Pinkie's opposite day hallucination was amusing, and unlike in Rock Solid Friendship, she didn't annoy me in this episode.  Pinkie getting Limestone's metaphor wrong was pretty funny.  Also the episode surprised me by making me like Limestone a bit more, now I kinda want to see her again.

[YoshiAngemon 87]

12 minutes ago, ggg-2 said:

.....'Kay, does Mud Briar remind anyone else of Sheldon Cooper? 

Actually, he reminded me of Fastidious Beaver.

[VG_Addict 1544]

Gonna be honest, S8 isn't off to a great start. 

[Goat-kun 1467]

Alright, which glorious writer gave Pinkie the white dust again? Oh look, she's so loud and stupid and we're using geology words and he's a nerd and we're so random xD and Starlight is playing the sane mare ... [Rips the episode and throws it in the corner] This was a chore. Not worth the lesson. And your new LPS sucks too.

 

I'll be washing my eyes with FranXX while Poniverse continues to shit the bed. Cya nerds

[Nightmare Muffin 3711]

the episode was "meh". It would've been more realistic if the boyfriend was someone who had previously antagonized Pinkie, for her not to like him- such as Svengallop. I would've certainly appreciated Limestone's metaphor if it HAD been him, rather than some randopony we've never seen before.

 

also, the I can already see the shippers throwing Limestone at somepony, since she's jealous about Maud getting a boyfriend, and she doesn't have one. I'll start- what about that pony who runs the Salt Lick, in Appleloosa? Aren't limes good with salt?

[ShootingStar159 1923]

Holy Crap, Limestone returns?! I didn’t think I’d ever see her again!

[Twilight Luna 11897]

The episode was "meh". Not much substance to it. I've seen better from previous seasons.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Twilight Luna

[gingerninja666 334]

So happy Limey had more screen time.

[Buttonmash1973 927]

deleted

Edited April 2, 2018 by Buttonmash1973

[Tacodidra 20215]

This was a fun episode. It reminded me a little of "Secrets and Pies" last season.

I liked the various character appearances: it was nice to see Lyra, Bon Bon and Derpy, but the best thing was the Pie sisters finally making another appearance. Marble was cute as always, while we got more insight into Limestone's character – I never thought there'd be a romantic side to her! Many entertaining moments again: Maud's comedy act (though I expected the other ponies to find her funnier, especially after "Make New Friends but Keep Discord"), Mudbriar was an entertaining character, as one-note as he was, and I loved the part where Pinkie imagined the Mane 6 as their opposites (especially Twilight's part was funny). And of course the part about cracking Mudbriar open like a rock – how did they get away with that? The new intro was pretty cool. A lot of characters to spot, DJ Pon-3 appearing was a positive surprise. Poor Trixie still missed out, though...

All in all, I found it a very enjoyable comedic episode. I rate it 9/10.

[Truffles 1588]

Yay, I get to be the stick-in-the-mud, just like Mud Briar. XD

Oof. The "jokes" between Pinkie and Mud Briar were tedious and repetitive. They must have used that "Yes, yes" joke at least twice and a couple others during their scenes together. The scene at the cake store was worse than having Twilight make you watch paint dry. X3

Also not sure why Pinkie didn't bake the cake herself? Or maybe she was just there for cooking supplies?

Anyway, everything was so much better after (and including) the "opposite day" visual with the Mane 6 hallucinations. Twilight's line had me in stitches. The switch to the Pie farm with Marble and Limestone was refreshing and funny, while being heartwarming at the same time. I wish that feeling had been carried through the first two acts. Even the cold open at the comedy club was dull.

I was wondering if Mud was going to bring up Starlight's evil past when they first met at the kite flying. It seems like the kind of thing he'd do. XD

It seems like Fluttershy must have been tasked with doing the artwork for the Maud cutout at the party. It certainly resembles her manga style. =)

I haven't decided how to vote on this episode. It would be a definite "meh" if it weren't for the last act which may have raised it to a "like". But I'm not sure I like it enough to want to watch it a third time. It's not as bad as how I felt about "The Cart Before the Pony" for example, where the episode did something to make me actively dislike it. But I don't know if the last act is good enough to make up for the first two that I found disappointing. Maybe some other reviews on here will help me decide?

Anyhow, I'm glad we finally get the new intro at last. No need to keep it behind spoilers anymore for those of us who had already seen it. I like how it opens with the fast-action of the Wonderbolts and even promotes shipping like SugarMac, and we even get cameos by fan-favorites like Ember and Thorax.

[Dark Qiviut 13010]

*cringe* One Maud is enough. Mudbriar being drier than her (with an obnoxious, Sheldon-esque tone) is too much.

[Kyoshi 24927]

Yeesh...I really don't know about this episode. The main thing I like is the message, accepting someone despite their obvious quirks, I can get behind that, but...everything else just felt off. The jokes were about as awkward as...well, Maud's comedy at the beginning. It didn't land for me at all. Pinkie Pie was annoying, sure, but honestly, she sorta had a right to be irritated at Mudbriar. His little showcase in the cake shop thing was pretty obviously his fault. Again, I get the message here, but Mudbriar not once ever considered Pinkie's feelings...at all, so it doesn't go both ways here. It just makes Pinkie look really judgmental and not much else. Their reconciliation was also extremely fast and didn't have much weight behind it considering how Pinkie was still annoyed to the very end. Also...that party at the end was...what? A surprise party Maud didn't have to go to? Oooookaaaaay...I really don't understand. Also, Maud not being honest with Pinkie but being totally honest with Muddo seemed weird to me too.

Thinking about this episode is actually making me feel as irritated as Pinkie was. I want to like the message a lot because I get it, I have so many quirks that I probably put a lot of people off but the delivery of said message was quite annoying in itself. Everything was too one sided.

In the end, I can't say I liked this one. We did get more Limestone and Marble, which is really cool, but it was so short that it cannot save it. More complexity for Maud? Also cool, but she was still as uninteresting as ever either way. Now we have TWO entirely uninteresting one note characters! Yay. If they would have AT LEAST had Mudbriar acknowledge that his way of speaking might put some ponies off, that would have made it better. Not by much but it would be something. Instead he just seemed like a dick most of the time.

[Dark Qiviut 13010]

OK, the little sticks/rocks debate between Maud and Mudbriar was pretty good.

[FlareGun45 1620]

BAZINGA! They put Sheldon Cooper in the show! XD

I give this episode a 4 outta 5! It was mostly really good, but the second act felt pretty slow, but that's alright! We'll be getting more Nick this season anyway!

My guess is that Nick wrote Breakup Breakdown!

[Marimo 534]

3 minutes ago, Kyoshi said:

A surprise party Maud didn't have to go to? Oooookaaaaay...I really don't understand. Also, Maud not being honest with Pinkie but being totally honest with Muddo seemed weird to me too.

I don't think Maud was dishonest. She legitimately enjoys doing things with Pinkie and doing things that make her happy, even if she doesn't enjoy those things herself (see also the rock candy necklaces they make in her debut episode). Pinkie's just always been oblivious to it because she's always blinded by how much she loves her sister. It's like how she somehow doesn't see any similarities between her and Mudbriar when she's talking about them with Starlight. Mudbriar's a lot more similar in personality to Maud, so it was probably easier for him to get that Maud doesn't like surprise parties. Not to mention his attention to little details and his "technically" habit allows him to understand things better than Pinkie.

And the surprise party she didn't have to go to is basically Pinkie gets to still plan and throw a party like she wanted (the other ponies are probably willing to humor Pinkie because hey it's still a party they get to enjoy), and Maud gets to enjoy Pinkie's enjoyment while still having a small, quiet moment with her and Mudbriar.

[Kyoshi 24927]

Also.....I just realized the comparisons to Sheldon from Big Bang Theory with Mudbriar and...I think that will make me forever hate him. What an awful, AWFUL show and character to take inspiration from. Now I see why the humor was terrible and didn't land. You put Big Bang Theory into anything and that's gonna make it shit. I should have expected a stupid laugh track in here somewhere.

I think my final grade for this one is a 3/10, maybe a 2. A good message and a tiny bit of Limestone and Marble Pie cannot elevate this one.

[AlexanderThrond 2184]

Appreciate the moral and liked some of the jokes, but I miss when the mane six were more sensitive and introspective. I was too hard on season 4, but we're 2/2 enjoyed so far. Point by point:

• So am I the only person who thought Maud's stand up was terrific? The dry delivery makes her witty punchlines all the better. 
• Pinkie just seems socially inept in this one. I understand that she's frustrated with Mud Briar, but surely it wouldn't be so hard to meet him halfway. I find her hyperbolic anxieties, such as that Maud just doesn't need her anymore, somewhat annoying and cliched. I still find her general good nature and hyperactivity charming, but the show struggles to balance that with maturity, and I'm starting to get tired of it. 
• Starlight telling Pinkie that Maud just forgot about their shopping is fairly rude. 
• Mud Briar's schtick made me laugh quite a few times, but the episode repeats that far too much. Gets kinda old by the halfway point, and doesn't really reflect well on either of them, who don't seem to be making much effort to understand how the other approaches social interactions. 
• There's really no excuse for the lack of LGBT representation in this show aside from cowardice at this point. 
• Maud and Mud Briar flirting is absolutely adorable and I could have watched an entire episode of that. For a show which doesn't do romance very often, it's become very good at coming up with inventive forms of flirting. 
• I get that the parallel between Pinkie's reactions to Mud Briar and her friends' reactions to Maud are part of the point, but I don't find that terribly funny, so I wasn't really into how it seems to be mined for comedic value here. 
• Shout out to the return of Starlight's kite interest. 
• The thing where Pinkie has an existential crisis and imagines that everything she knows is wrong is just hilarious. You heard it here first, folks: Twilight never learned to read. 
• More Marble and Limestone is greatly appreciated, though it took me a few seconds to adjust to Limestone's gruffness just being her personality and not, as I had assumed, a product of her stress over the Hearth's Warming Eve celebration. Loved hearing about Limestone being jealous, though; rev up those fanfictions!
• Speaking of which, is Limestone okay? That offhand comment about how she feels "all the time" makes me worried. 
• That Maud has never told Pinkie how she really feels makes me wonder about their relationship. It's nice that Maud cares about seeing her sister happy, but does that not go both ways? Does Maud feel she needs to placate her sister all the time? I don't like that implication. 
• But I appreciated the moral, and I can imagine others can relate to it better than I can. I understand how all of Pinkie's behaviour feeds into it, and it feels less forced than much of season 7 did. I wish she was able to contemplate this in a slightly less hyperactive manner, however. 

Score:

Entertainment: 7/10

Characters: 6/10

Themes: 8/10

Story: 6/10

Overall: 68/100

[ThE-DESpEraDo_4 8453]

The episode was okay, I guess. Though, I did like the scene with Limestone Pie giving some advice and stuff to Pinkie.

[AlexanderThrond 2184]

Also: 

• Starlight's part in this made sense to me, because she's Maud's best friend and doesn't have Pinkie's biases, but I still find it kinda annoying when she's more socially competent than the mane six. Nonetheless, Starlight felt employed in a way that was relatively entertaining and felt unique to her, so I can't complain too much. 

[AlbaTross 1236]

Not a perfect episode by any stretch, but I enjoyed it for what it is.  It kind of hit close to home too since my sister recently moved in with her boyfriend who I only met a few weeks ago.  It's almost worse in my case as I actually kind of like the guy.  Noooo....my sister moved out and it's simply unacceptable that I accept this!  FYI it's worse for a guy because guys are really protective of their sisters.  Seriously, if you ever want to get on a guy's bad side really quickly, mess with his sister.  Anyways, yeah, I kind of relate to this episode.

Pinkie's antics do go over the top, but this part of the episode isn't quite as cringey for me as it is with Pinkie Pride.  I mean, yeah, I do think only Rarity gets drama right and I stand by that, but at least in this episode Pinkie's accurately portrayed as overreacting.  In Pinkie Pride I get the sense we're supposed to take her drama seriously and feel sorry for her as the party who's in the right.  Here, not so much.  I also like that in the end, she's willing to put up with Mudbriar, but it's clear that she still doesn't like him.  It portrays a realistic situation, which is that not everyone necessarily likes one another, but can be willing to put up with each other for someone else's sake.  

I was cuddling with my Maud plushie the entire episode.