S08:E17 - The End in Friend

[TheTaZe 24135]

I actually really liked this. Even through all their differences, there is still something they can find in common with each other. This is a really good lesson for everyone. Even if someone may not almost anything in common with you, you should at least give them the benefit of the doubt and find something in common together.

[AlexanderThrond 2663]

This just felt perfunctory, like the writers don't actually have any interest in it and just wrote the story out of obligation. It's like "Yakity Sax" in that it feels like inexperienced writers being allowed to get away with way too much. This show needs a regular writing team before it's too late, and it needs to hold that team to higher standards. That said, whereas "Yakity Sax" was interesting but didn't make much sense, this one is more or less believable but is just not interesting whatsoever to me. The adventure stuff in the back half is fun, at least, and it's better than "Non-Compete Clause," but if there's a good episode to be made out of having two main characters act insensitively towards each other, I'll be very surprised. 

• There's not a whole lot in the way of humour here. I occasionally chuckled at the way some things were described, and briefly got excited at the prospect of Rarity and Rainbow Dash going treasure hunting together, but the jokes are all really mild. It really does feel like the episode is just trying to get its plot beats over with in the least offensive way possible. That said, this has a somewhat slower pace than something like "Non-Compete Clause," and its bickering is a bit more well-written, so it's not nearly as exhausting, if still a touch boring. 
• The main issue here is that these two just don't seem to be putting much effort into their interactions. Did Rarity not bother to learn how buckball is played? Why didn't Rainbow warn Rarity that she wouldn't be able to help with clothes? Why didn't Rainbow and Rarity clarify the purpose of their gem hunt? Most significantly, why couldn't they just be honest about not enjoying each other's books enough to finish reading them? That seems like such an easy thing to do. And then when they find something to do at the end, it just seems so easy, so what caused them so much trouble? We know from past episodes that Rainbow secretly enjoys going to the spa, and that Rarity has at least some interest in watching the Wonderbolts, so why did they have to keep forcing the other to enjoy their own interests?
• If this episode were about Rainbow and Rarity learning to find common ground rather than push their own hobbies, it would have been way stronger. That may still be the moral here, but it's incredibly muted, and comes across as little more than "people with nothing in common can still be friends." Hasn't the show done this already? And couldn't there have been a more interesting way to get to that conclusion? It all just feels so tossed-off.
• And I can't stand the fact that Rainbow and Rarity had to have someone else lead them to learning whatever it is that they learned here. Part of what made "Buckball Season" in season 6 interesting was that Rainbow and Applejack learned their lesson there almost immediately after they noticed something wrong, and it's a massive shame that the show has so rarely done anything like that since. And what did these two learn, anyway? That they don't actually hate each other? This episode wants us to believe they knew this from the start, but if they did, I believe they would have handled their time together differently. 
• Rainbow and Rarity are two of the most extroverted characters in the show, so their dynamic perhaps inevitably improves once they're finally given something external to react to. Watching them both find resourceful solutions to the problems is fun, even though their individual personalities are downplayed in the more adventure-focused second half. It's no "Rarity Investigates!," but it'll do the job in a pinch, and it's the main reason why I didn't entirely hate this. The adventure stuff here is generally imaginative and charming, and I liked seeing these two work together. 
• There's just such an extreme gulf in quality this season. The best stuff is delightful and moves the show forward, whereas the weaker stuff seems to have been written by people who don't know what they're doing. I don't like when they screw up characters I like for a crappy moral. This particular episode might not have been so bad if it weren't for the counter-example of "Rarity Investigates!" to show what fun these characters can be if they're allowed to put their differences aside. This show has never been consistently enjoyable, and it might be too late now to improve its quality control, but it's sad to see it sink to this.

Score:
Entertainment: 6/10
Characters: 3/10
Themes: 5/10
Story: 3/10
Overall: 43/100

Edited August 11, 2018 by AlexanderThrond

[Senko 392]

Well since we do seem to be discussing it a few points . . .

1) Considering I've been reading the comics the interactions between the two that drive them apart really seem odd to me. In one comic ark Rarity goes to the Griffon kingdom and competes in a hoofball (I think) game with Gilda to help out another Griffon. She not only played properly but rather enjoyed it so to me she should have done well in that Buckball game. Not entirely her cup of tea but still focused enough to play the game properly. Similarly with shopping Dash has been willing to be involved with that e.g. the Grand Gala if not the most cooperative. Then with the gem's they actually started off both enjoying it. They really to me should have not been such a "We do nothing the other likes because we're selfish" in their attitudes there. They really could have presented a better demonstration of different interests working together while still being driven apart by a "Is it enough" concern.

2) What was with all Rarities gems shattering when they fall on the ground, even glass costume jewelry doesn't do that?

3) I did love the mounting stress and panic in Twilight's voice as it went along though.

4) Rarity seems to be double jointed considering sometimes the boot's tip is pointing at her muzzle and sometimes away from it.

5) Rainbow Dash not realizing the glowing blue trail of glitter wasn't Rarity's red boot glitter seemed odd especially when she knew what the amulet was made of.

[AlexanderThrond 2663]

It's not something that this episode had to cover, but I don't feel it touches many of the things that I see Rarity and Rainbow Dash as having in common. For instance, it never brings up how they both have high ambitions in life, and that just seems like an obvious point of connection for the two. That just hones in on how this episode seems to put the least amount of effort into imagining their dynamic. It doesn't even clarify what, exactly, they have in common. 

[Drunkfrank 1080]

On 7/13/2018 at 9:47 AM, Goat-kun said:

Inb4 it's another "Starlight knows better" episode

WELP

Congratulations!

Except, Twilight also knew better.


Now for the episode itself. I thought it was fun, Rarity and Rainbow have a fun dynamic and we saw a really cool looking new creature and there was plenty of laugh-worthy moments. That said, the episode writing sucked in terms of the established characters and continuity, Rarity and Rainbow are very season 1 and should not be having a fall out like this after YEARS of being friends, it's jarring. Once again the students come across as wiser and more developed than these main characters (just like Non-Compete Clause) and it is distracting. Why are the main 6 being regressed to paint the students in a better light. We have hardly seen them learn anything and they are supposed to be the ones bad at friendship. I almost feel like an outsider would think the students are the teachers if they just looked at a recap. 
8B ratings so far
A Matter of Principles: 89/100
The Hearths Warming Club: 93/100
Friendship University: 90/100
The End in Friend: 70/100
Yakity Sax: 64/100 

[AlexanderThrond 2663]

Somehow forgot that the moral was "don't disrespect others' interests." That's still something we've seen before, so I still don't know why this episode needed to be made. 

[R.D.Dash 8211]

The episode was okay, but we quickly went from Raritydash episode to the Starlight episode and then I felt like they fell for an extremely obvious scavenger hunt that Twilight quickly set up under the false pretense that the important artifact is lost. I can understand that clothes shopping can be extremely boring for people like Rainbow Dash, but its not like they suddenly flip and stop being friends with each other. On another hoof I really felt like Twilight forced an entire friendship lecture on them even though they probably had different plans entirely. Probably even if they pretended to be nice with each other Twilight wouldn't freak out because her lecture wouldn't go as smooth as she wanted it.

Edited August 11, 2018 by R.D.Dash

[Dark Qiviut 15109]

*AHEM!* YO!

New poll's ready!

[gingerninja666 430]

11 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

This just felt perfunctory, like the writers don't actually have any interest in it and just wrote the story out of obligation. It's like "Yakity Sax" in that it feels like inexperienced writers being allowed to get away with way too much. This show needs a regular writing team before it's too late, and it needs to hold that team to higher standards. That said, whereas "Yakity Sax" was interesting but didn't make much sense, this one is more or less believable but is just not interesting whatsoever to me. The adventure stuff in the back half is fun, at least, and it's better than "Non-Compete Clause," but if there's a good episode to be made out of having two main characters act insensitively towards each other, I'll be very surprised. 

• There's not a whole lot in the way of humour here. I occasionally chuckled at the way some things were described, and briefly got excited at the prospect of Rarity and Rainbow Dash going treasure hunting together, but the jokes are all really mild. It really does feel like the episode is just trying to get its plot beats over with in the least offensive way possible. That said, this has a somewhat slower pace than something like "Non-Compete Clause," and its bickering is a bit more well-written, so it's not nearly as exhausting, if still a touch boring. 
• The main issue here is that these two just don't seem to be putting much effort into their interactions. Did Rarity not bother to learn how buckball is played? Why didn't Rainbow warn Rarity that she wouldn't be able to help with clothes? Why didn't Rainbow and Rarity clarify the purpose of their gem hunt? Most significantly, why couldn't they just be honest about not enjoying each other's books enough to finish reading them? That seems like such an easy thing to do. And then when they find something to do at the end, it just seems so easy, so what caused them so much trouble? We know from past episodes that Rainbow secretly enjoys going to the spa, and that Rarity has at least some interest in watching the Wonderbolts, so why did they have to keep forcing the other to enjoy their own interests?
• If this episode were about Rainbow and Rarity learning to find common ground rather than push their own hobbies, it would have been way stronger. That may still be the moral here, but it's incredibly muted, and comes across as little more than "people with nothing in common can still be friends." Hasn't the show done this already? And couldn't there have been a more interesting way to get to that conclusion? It all just feels so tossed-off.
• And I can't stand the fact that Rainbow and Rarity had to have someone else lead them to learning whatever it is that they learned here. Part of what made "Buckball Season" in season 6 interesting was that Rainbow and Applejack learned their lesson there almost immediately after they noticed something wrong, and it's a massive shame that the show has so rarely done anything like that since. And what did these two learn, anyway? That they don't actually hate each other? This episode wants us to believe they knew this from the start, but if they did, I believe they would have handled their time together differently. 
• Rainbow and Rarity are two of the most extroverted characters in the show, so their dynamic perhaps inevitably improves once they're finally given something external to react to. Watching them both find resourceful solutions to the problems is fun, even though their individual personalities are downplayed in the more adventure-focused second half. It's no "Rarity Investigates!," but it'll do the job in a pinch, and it's the main reason why I didn't entirely hate this. The adventure stuff here is generally imaginative and charming, and I liked seeing these two work together. 
• There's just such an extreme gulf in quality this season. The best stuff is delightful and moves the show forward, whereas the weaker stuff seems to have been written by people who don't know what they're doing. I don't like when they screw up characters I like for a crappy moral. This particular episode might not have been so bad if it weren't for the counter-example of "Rarity Investigates!" to show what fun these characters can be if they're allowed to put their differences aside. This show has never been consistently enjoyable, and it might be too late now to improve its quality control, but it's sad to see it sink to this.

Score:
Entertainment: 6/10
Characters: 3/10
Themes: 5/10
Story: 3/10
Overall: 43/100

Thing is, this was written by GM Berrow. Someone who's been with the staff since season 5. And who's written multiple MLP books. She's done the One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, Fluttershy Leans In, Daring Done, and Grannies Gone Wild. So I don't know what happened here. Though I do attribute that experience to why I consider this a "bad" episode to a lesser degree than some others.

 

 

Unrelated note: After hearing the descriptions of both Shadow Spade and Daring Do. I honestly think Shadow Spade sounds like a series I'd like to read more than DD. It actually sounds interesting. Crime mysteries based around different aspects of fashion and clothing, where the intricate descriptions of character appearances actually matter.

Edited August 12, 2018 by gingerninja666

[Senko 392]

38 minutes ago, gingerninja666 said:

Unrelated note: After hearing the descriptions of both Shadow Spade and Daring Do. I honestly think Shadow Spade sounds like a series I'd like to read more than DD. It actually sounds interesting. Crime mysteries based around different aspects of fashion and clothing, where the intricate descriptions of character appearances actually matter.

Its an interesting concept.

[AlexanderThrond 2663]

5 hours ago, gingerninja666 said:

Thing is, this was written by GM Berrow. Someone who's been with the staff since season 5. And who's written multiple MLP books. She's done the One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, Fluttershy Leans In, Daring Done, and Grannies Gone Wild. So I don't know what happened here. Though I do attribute that experience to why I consider this a "bad" episode to a lesser degree than some others.

That actually explains a lot, as I tend to consider her one of the show's weakest writers, "Grannies Gone Wild" aside. 

[Dethde 17]

On 8/12/2018 at 5:17 AM, gingerninja666 said:

Thing is, this was written by GM Berrow. Someone who's been with the staff since season 5. And who's written multiple MLP books. She's done the One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, Fluttershy Leans In, Daring Done, and Grannies Gone Wild. So I don't know what happened here. Though I do attribute that experience to why I consider this a "bad" episode to a lesser degree than some others.

 

Imo Fluttershy Leans In, Daring Done, and Grannies Gone Wild (To a lesser extent) are episodes where the character development takes a step backwards while the characters feel dumbed down and bland, i did find her books to be more interesting though, the more you know.

[gingerninja666 430]

45 minutes ago, twichlove said:

Imo Fluttershy Leans In, Daring Done, and Grannies Gone Wild (To a lesser extent) are episodes where the character development takes a step backwards while the characters feel dumbed down and bland, i did find her books to be more interesting though, the more you know.

Interesting, I've seen some people describe Fluttershy Leans in as one of Shy's best portrayals. In fact it's the only saving grace of the episode.

[Dethde 17]

33 minutes ago, gingerninja666 said:

Interesting, I've seen some people describe Fluttershy Leans in as one of Shy's best portrayals. In fact it's the only saving grace of the episode.

mhm, that is a common opinion indeed, however the way the episode forces assertiveness in such a way that it makes fluttershy look to be ignorant and rude felt out of character to me.

[AlexanderThrond 2663]

2 hours ago, gingerninja666 said:

Interesting, I've seen some people describe Fluttershy Leans in as one of Shy's best portrayals. In fact it's the only saving grace of the episode.

I found her dignity there came at the expense of the qualities that make her relatable, so perhaps it fits.

[PathfinderCS 14199]

All righty fellows; for those who haven't seen it yet this episode premiers in the US on Saturday! Get your hype machines pumping!

[Luminance 2125]

Much better than Non Compete Clause which this episode reminds me of. Not as annoying, aggravating and the student's lives were not endangered just for the lack of responsibility of said teachers. Twilight and Starlight helped more in this instance and should really as both of them have their prominent roles as head-mare and guidance counselor respectively. Good thing to utilize that in order to devise a plan to bring Rarity and Rainbow Dash back into decency. 

[Lambdadelta 1342]

This ep is very enjoyable to watch, much better than I expected from G.M Berrow, but it looks like not everyone like it, oh well. I hate to compare this ep to that awful Non-compete Clause but this ep look like a good version of its evil long lost twin sister, it just did everything that Clause should do and so much better.

What I like:

Twilight and Starlight try to solve the problem in epic ways, not just some mundane communication solutions.

Some nice callbacks like Sonic Rainboom, Rarity Investigate and Buckball Season.

This pairing episode is better than any recently AJ/Rarity episodes. 

Super entertaining Act 3, with new place and new creature. 

Guidance Counselor has some jobs to do.

Rarity and RD are very competent in this ep, unlike Non-compete Clause. 

Even the bickering parts of these two characters take about 10 minutes to sit through, but I don't find it annoying or anything. Twilight/Starlight try to fix the problems. Rarity and RD at least are willing to sit in Guidance Counselor room to let Starlight fix their problems even she failed. These two pissed at each others but they don't do any harm to the students (unlike Non-compete Clause) and when they have a mission to do, they put their personal bickering aside to solve the case TOGETHER. 

The episode end in a good note. Especially, that Starlight face in the end... Some friendship problems need a bit... manipulation, I guess

What bother me:

The bickering is bit over the top but exaggerating is a thing in cartoon, so I don't mind it at much. 

The Act 3 is too predictable, we can see it coming from a mile away. At least Twilight acting is not terrible and the adventure is fun, right!?

The moral looks familiar... Did ponies forget what they learn again?

The sparkle trail things are over their head and they CANNOT SEE IT. Technicolor Ponies has many problems, they sometimes are delusional, tunnel-vision, mind-absence, color-blind and sometimes being too cartoonic Ponies need help.

Very enjoyable episode. I give it a 8/10. I wish I could give a higher score but ponies are stupid, man. 

[bwrosas 183]

Also, is it me, or did Rarity and RD not notice something was off, when they entered that final door that convently lead back to the school, could they not see the Elements of Harmonty shield logo on the door. Just saying, how could they not see that.

[Senko 392]

2 hours ago, bwrosas said:

Also, is it me, or did Rarity and RD not notice something was off, when they entered that final door that convently lead back to the school, could they not see the Elements of Harmonty shield logo on the door. Just saying, how could they not see that.

Well considering it was stolen from the school maybe they thought someone at the school took it/doubled back to take the others?

Still want to know why the school has a secret tunnel to the swamp in the first place.

[ggg-2 2025]

And after his big heartbreaking character development, Gallus is back to instigating the plot albeit indirectly. Fan-bucking-tastic.

[Hierok 11724]

This was a great episode. I actually wondered about the bonding activities myself. 

[Brainstorm 3111]

I like how this episode shows that Friends don't have to like the same things in order to be friends. They can find things they have in common and still be friends.

It was funny how Rarity and RainbowDash found out Spike had the artifact in order for them to learn to work together.

I also like how the students where taking notes.

[cmarston1 5566]

I am always up for more Raridash interactions, and so I was ready to see what this episode had to offer.  After watching it, I can say that it was an enjoyable episode, and I hope we get to see more interactions between the two of them. 

Edited August 18, 2018 by cmarston1

[Sparklefan1234 81946]

THE END IN FRIEND EPISODE SPOILERS

Spoiler

You'd think Rarity would get along better with Rainbow Dash

considering they're both friends with Applejack.