S08:E20 - The Washouts

[gingerninja666 487]

20 minutes ago, Truffles said:

Thanks, I missed that bit of dialogue! In fact, I did a cursory review of both "Wonderbolt Academy" and "Top Bolt" and Rolling Thunder is in neither of those episodes. Whenever her recklessness occurred, it wasn't something shown as far as I can tell.

Yeah.

Quote

"Name's Rolling Thunder. I got booted out of Wonderbolt Academy because of "flagrant disregard for hazardous weather". Pfft! If doing barrel rolls through nine hundred million volts of electricity in a raging thunderstorm is wrong, then I don't wanna be right."

 

[ShootingStar159 2,156]

Apparently Scoots somehow completely forgot who Lightning Dust is.

 

Cheerilee is disappointed in you, Scoots.

[colt .45 259]

So, the Washouts, who display a flagrant disregard for safety, wear helmets. Whereas, the Wonder Bolts, who are sticklers for safety, don't wear helmets.

 Interesting...

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

35 minutes ago, ShootingStar159 said:

Apparently Scoots somehow completely forgot who Lightning Dust is.

 

Cheerilee is disappointed in you, Scoots.

In PG, Scoot treated Dust like she was Dash's rival the whole time and not Dash's partner, suggesting that Dash didn't give her the full details of what happened at the Academy. Confalone took advantage of it.

[Ganondorf8 11,303]

Thoughts in the spoiler tag.

Spoiler

 

For starters, I have to admit that I was freaked out by how Spitfire tried to get it into Scootaloo's head what can happen when a stunt goes wrong. I know Spitfire has a penchant for shouting but she went completely over the top. Even Rainbow Dash was surprised at her approach. I'd say that I'm legit scared of Spitfire whenever she goes into a tangent like that in the future. On a more interesting note, Lightning Dust returns for the first time in five years, and I see that she hasn't changed at all. She is someone who lives for the moment and doesn't care what happens to anyone else--even herself--just so long as she can indulge herself in the adrenaline that she craves. I will say that her exit was underwhelming and a bit comical as you'd think she would've noticed that rope, but I suppose the staff simply ran out of time and went with something rather obvious.

On the subject of the Washouts being former Wonderbolts who got kicked out of the academy, I was expecting more than just three members as I'm certain the idea of wanting to show off rather than follow any guidelines would have resulted in many ending up where Lightning Dust and her crew were. In fact, the premise behind them is flawed. Why did it take the staff five years to present an episode like this? If anything, this episode and its scenario should've come up around season five, and perhaps included Wind Rider as the group's leader in addition to the others. It's hard to imagine it took Lightning Dust this long to form her own team of former bolts. If anything, she would've done so within weeks of being kicked out. This is perhaps the one drawback this episode has aside from the usual cringe-inducing dialogue here and there.

Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash on the other hand were in top form this time around. For Scootaloo, she was beginning to make her own life's decision on account of wanting to be more independent and not being forced to remain as Rainbow's shadow. Granted, she did fall for the glory that Lightning Dust represented and it almost cost her everything, but then kids do have a tendency to want to fall in with those who buck the rules and establish themselves as rebels. I felt sorry for her when she brought up the fact that she can't fly--I was genuinely surprised that they would bring it up to begin with--and it served as an additional driving force for her wanting to forge a path in life. For Scootaloo, I'd say that maturity looks good on her but at the same time, she still has a ways to go.

Rainbow Dash utilized humility and was being overly protective much like how an older sister or even a parent would be. Sure, she was at first making herself look bad by trying to deny Scootaloo a chance to expand her horizons, but she quickly took Twilight's words to heart and was able to see things in a way that had previously been hidden from her. Rather than be driven by ego, Rainbow was driven by being an adult and wanting to keep Scootaloo safe. Tough love is effective but it needs to be done carefully and not all at once otherwise it can and will backfire on you. It can also be said that Rainbow was jealous of Lightning Dust not because of her freedom from the rules but from pulling Scootaloo towards something that could've resulted in several worse case scenarios. Should she have handled the situation better? Of course but I'll give Rainbow credit for realizing her mistakes and wanting to fix things before it all got out of control.

Twilight proved effective in helping Rainbow Dash make the right choice and Spitfire--in her own way--also proved effective, but I think the rest of the Mane Six didn't need to be in this episode at all. Pinkie was there for comedic sight gags--which worked--whilst Applejack was there for one or two verbal jokes. Rarity and Fluttershy weren't needed given that neither had any dialogue. I will admit that Short Fuse's gimmick was funny and actually does fit well with Spitfire's usual means of handing things. Overall, I'm going to give this episode an 88%.

 

 

[Thrond 3,263]

In general, I came out of this having a little more trouble than usual articulating why I found it so enervating, so I'm holding out on a re-watch where it suddenly clicks, like "The Break Up Break Down" earlier this season. Indeed, I enjoyed several parts of this - there are some funny exchanges, I generally enjoyed the Washouts' personalities, and the Spitfire scene was funny at first. But I do have specific problems, and they mostly have to do with characterization. I find it disappointing that Lightning Dust wasn't given more sympathy or complexity, and I'm not sure this finds the right balance for Rainbow Dash, who often comes across as just plain self-centred. Again, though, I did have certain hopes for what this episode would do, so maybe I'll enjoy this more when I can look past them. 

• I felt this shuffled through Rainbow's motivations a bit too much. That she's concerned for Scootaloo's safety is sympathetic, but her jealousy of the Washouts isn't, really, and I mostly found it annoying, because I don't care whether Rainbow Dash remains Scootaloo's idol. I care about Rainbow being someone Scootaloo can look up to, but who cares if she finds others interesting as well? She has lots of nice moments, but I feel that implied jealousy weighs down the plot while making her less sympathetic than she otherwise would have been.  
• Admittedly, I also found it annoying that Scootaloo completely dismissed one in favour of the other. I felt that made the conflict a bit too simplistic, and when she actually gets some depth - the speech about how she wants to be a Washout because she can't fly is particularly powerful - the episode is almost over. She has some funny scenes, though. 
• The Washouts were generally fun on their own. The actual show was exciting, especially with Rainbow Dash being so enthusiastic about it, and each of their individual personalities was very charismatic and entertaining. I can't help but be disappointed by the direction they went in with Lightning Dust, here.
• I think my main issue with the episode as a whole is how dismissive it is to the Washouts. For one, this is a wasted opportunity to make Lightning Dust a more fleshed-out character; here, recklessness is her sole character trait. She's not been given the chance to mature, and in the end she's just a bland villain. I would have liked her to question if Scootaloo is sure she's ready for the task. I fully admit that a large part of what bothered me about this episode is that I was really looking forward to her redeeming herself. 
• And there's nothing wrong with doing this kind of stunt. Rainbow herself seems to enjoy them. As said, I just think the whole conflict between Rainbow and the Washouts needlessly weighs down the plot. The stuff about Rainbow smothering Scootaloo has resonance, and is also way funnier than the rivalry stuff. We could have had Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash learn their own respective lessons without dragging Lightning Dust through the muck to get there.
• And that's why, even though I'm sure I'll come around to the rest of this, I don't see how the ending is defensible. It turns a potentially interesting character into a cardboard cut out, and takes Scootaloo's own autonomy out of the equation. Rainbow has to make a decision for her, even though there's a strong thread here about letting Scootaloo do her own thing. Like a lot of this episode, it paints bland hero-vs-villain tension over something which should be way more complex.
• Scrubbing through later, I feel like I missed some important bits, and I'm certain I was upset because it didn't do what I wanted it to. There's certainly a lot of funny scenes, and the moral is great. As such, I'm looking forward to revisiting this at a later date, but I still don't think I'd call it one of my favourites this season. There's just way too many misjudged notes of characterization which I think detract from the main point. And I think the Spitfire scene went on too long. 

Score:
Entertainment: 7/10
Characters: 5/10
Themes: 8/10
Story: 6/10
Overall: 65/100

[Misty Shadow 7,866]

I'll dare to say that The Washouts are easily some of the most likable minor antagonists we've had so far. I mean, discounting the obvious vice of not caring for a child's safety, it's pretty badass of them to live to risk their lives for the amusement of others. And at the risk of sounding like a jerk, I can't fault Lightning Dust too much when Scootaloo initially agreed to the stunt, was fully willing to do it, and tried to back out in the middle of a show.  That's the episode's main weak spot for me, Scootaloo seeing Dust's true colors too quickly and wrapping up her conflict so abruptly. After all, there's still the problem of her never being able to join the Wonderbolts because she can't fly, plus the fact that Scootaloo's dream has always seemed to be living on the edge. It really is impossible to not empathize with her frustration, especially after Rainbow Dash proudly tore down all the posters in her room, boasted about wanting to tear them up and throw them off a cliff, then wanted to hang framed pictures of herself to try to make herself "look humble". Rainbow's the only one who can be so hilariously unlikable in a scene like that and still be heartwarmingly likable in the end with how she started a fan club for Scootaloo instead of herself in the end. Now that was truly touching.  

[Thrond 3,263]

One thing that I love about "Wonderbolts Academy" from season 3 is how Lightning Dust is presented as an extension of the environment. It wasn't so much that she didn't care whether anyone was hurt as that she thought highly enough of herself to dismiss the consequences as unlikely. It's not an evil viewpoint so much as an immature one, and one which was reinforced by the Wonderbolts' emphasis on results. That nuance is... not here. 

I might have enjoyed a modest admission from Rainbow that she felt jealous, but am I wrong to think that asking her friends to tear up posters is a bridge too far? 

[Megas 27,624]

Rewatching this. The episode is up there with WBA as one of my favorite RD episodes, and considering that that episode is my second Favorite episode in the entire show, that’s not small praise 

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

30 minutes ago, This Whomps said:

Rewatching this. The episode is up there with WBA as one of my favorite RD episodes, and considering that that episode is my second Favorite episode in the entire show, that’s not small praise 

For me, it honestly edges out "Top Bolt' and "Parental Glideance" for my top spot.

[JCKane 345]

So many things to talk about with this. Starting with, I noticed the site changed up the voting thing for the episode.  

Anyways, first of all, the washout's attire, I think it pretty cool, and I kind of like it more than the Wonderbolts.  Next, I called the Washouts being Wonderbolt wash outs as.  Anyways, it was an interesting episode and I felt a little more tame than some of the other 'life lessons'.  Rainbow Dash jealous of them and a return of Lightning Dust.  I dunno, I thought Spitfire's 'pep talk' was a bit 'over the top' I mean was that on purpose?  I dunno.  And a few times Lightning Dust sounded like Starlight.  Britt Irvin's not the name of Starlight's voice actor is it?

I did want to touch on something else.  I found it interesting that they brought up Scootaloo's "I can't fly" thing... yet, there wasn't a 'You're just not old enough' remark that was used after it.  So was this possibly them acknowledging Scootaloo's handicap?  or they just didn't think it was needed at the time?  Still think they should address it again.  And this would of been an interesting time to have done it.  But ah well.

[Sonic5421 423]

Well, we finally got Lightning Dust to make her comeback for being kicked out of the Wonderbolt Academy back in Season 3, and it is clear she was doing pretty good for herself with forming the Washouts to still be able to perform as extremely as she normally does, but now in a way that seemed more comfortable to her and her teammates.

Also, gotta give Lightning Dust credit with how she tried to break Rainbow Dash this time by having Scootaloo change her loyalty from Rainbow Dash to the Washouts, right up to even inducting her into the group. It was only once Scootaloo saw how dangerous her first stunt with the Washouts was going to be that reality hit her hard and she realized that she shouldn't have switched loyalties. Not to mention every attempt she tries to get out of it at the last minute is met with ignorance from Lightning Dust. Thank goodness Rainbow Dash came in to save Scootaloo and finally prove to her how stupid she had been acting after seeing for herself what she had gotten herself into.

Lightning Dust may have declared her and Rainbow Dash to be rivals for life, so it is possible we may see her again next season. Until then, great episode that focused on Rainbow, Scootaloo, and Lightning Dust, so I'll give it an 8.5, maybe a 9/10 for my score.

[ImpctR 155]

Ahh, I don't like putting lines that I disagree with next to that vote points I would give, here is why.

Nick Confalone makes some quite nice episodes and this one was written well for its plot, the slight dislike I have about it is the plot itself. I never cared much about CMC episodes and since the introduction of the Student Six, I like the latter much more, a member of the hyppos one of my fave places in MLP, a cool dragon (Smoulder) who enjoyed the show since being into fire and extreme shows, performances and alike and overall they are much more interesting than CMCs.

The love or closeness of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash has been done over and I am tired of seeing Scootaloo's fanpony season after season. I liked (Parental Glideance was it) for showing some of RD's history of wins and how she's got to be competitive/since when. But again, Scootaloo is probably my least fave of the CMCs exactly because of that tiresome cheering behavior.

What I really liked was the introduction of (new?) wonderbolt antagonists, these Washouts would make really interesting episodes if they had to compete against the Wonderbolts in contests or other way. I liked Lightning Dust (I dont remember if I've seen her?) since the beginning and looked really cool to me, the other two with her were nothing special. She looked like Spitfire's evil form? So, a lot could be made out of the Washouts.

It was good to see the Mane 6 again. Spitfire's angry tone was something that doesn't tell the full story in the past with how the Washouts got kicked out of the Wonderbolts but it is all a new interesting topic.

Scootaloo's 180 degrees change of being fan to someone else does not impress me or bother me, nor I feel sorry. I would agree with Spitfire and it is something that one has to accept and this is what felt Spitfire was yelling about. All these 'Feel sorry for Scootaloo, do this for her, do that. baby sit her, not fan of these'.

The episode is a 5/5 exactly because I like RD episodes in general that tell more of her story and if something new, than pure focus on a Scootaloo and I liked it more than the previous episode as well.

26 minutes ago, Sonic5421 said:

Lightning Dust to make her comeback for being kicked out of the Wonderbolt Academy back in Season 3

Ok I've seen her it's been a long ago..

Edited September 8, 2018 by ImpctR

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

27 minutes ago, ImpctR said:

Ahh, I don't like putting lines that I disagree with next to that vote points I would give, here is why.

Nick Confalone makes some quite nice episodes and this one was written well for its plot, the slight dislike I have about it is the plot itself. I never cared much about CMC episodes and since the introduction of the Student Six, I like the latter much more, a member of the hyppos one of my fave places in MLP, a cool dragon (Smoulder) who enjoyed the show since being into fire and extreme shows, performances and alike and overall they are much more interesting than CMCs.

The love or closeness of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash has been done over and I am tired of seeing Scootaloo's fanpony season after season. I liked (Parental Glideance was it) for showing some of RD's history of wins and how she's got to be competitive/since when. But again, Scootaloo is probably my least fave of the CMCs exactly because of that tiresome cheering behavior.

What I really liked was the introduction of (new?) wonderbolt antagonists, these Washouts would make really interesting episodes if they had to compete against the Wonderbolts in contests or other way. I liked Lightning Dust (I dont remember if I've seen her?) since the beginning and looked really cool to me, the other two with her were nothing special. She looked like Spitfire's evil form? So, a lot could be made out of the Washouts.

It was good to see the Mane 6 again. Spitfire's angry tone was something that doesn't tell the full story in the past with how the Washouts got kicked out of the Wonderbolts but it is all a new interesting topic.

Scootaloo's 180 degrees change of being fan to someone else does not impress me or bother me, nor I feel sorry. I would agree with Spitfire and it is something that one has to accept and this is what felt Spitfire was yelling about. All these 'Feel sorry for Scootaloo, do this for her, do that. baby sit her, not fan of these'.

The episode is a 5/5 exactly because I like RD episodes in general that tell more of her story and if something new, than pure focus on a Scootaloo and I liked it more than the previous episode as well.

Ok I've seen her it's been a long ago..

I don't see Scootaloo's admiration for the Washouts as a 180. It makes sense as to why she'd be drawn to them since they're more inclusive than the Wonderbolts.

[Senko 459]

7 hours ago, colt .45 said:

So, the Washouts, who display a flagrant disregard for safety, wear helmets. Whereas, the Wonder Bolts, who are sticklers for safety, don't wear helmets.

 Interesting...

Probably because the wonderbolts safety methods mean they get hit in the head fewer times by the crushinator.

[Music Chart Fan 819]

I'll be making a normal episode post later, but I've been working on this and wanted to post it separately to give it more space. I noticed some strangeness about the rope that wraps around the wheel of Scootaloo's rocket - specifically, the length of the rope, the way in which it uncoils, and the amount of time that elapses between when the rope firsts wraps around the wheel of the rocket and when the other end of the rope wraps around Lightning Dust's leg. So, just for fun, I took some screenshots and made some rough calculations to look more closely at the behavior of the rope in that scene.

To start, here's a screenshot of the piled rope on the ground just before Scootaloo's scooter/rocket runs over it; note how relatively short the rope is.

After the rope gets wrapped around the wheel of the rocket, I tried to estimate the rate at which the rope was being pulled by the rocket, so I tried to count the number of rope "segments" that had traveled past the base of the ramp over time. I went frame-by-frame for a few frames and estimated that the rope was being pulled up the ramp at a rate of ~2 rope segments/frame, and because the video is 30 frames/second, that would come out to ~60 rope segments/second.

With that in mind, if we look at the screenshot of the original coiled rope, we might guess that the number of segments in that rope is in the vicinity of 60, and thus, that the rope might become fully uncoiled in around 1 second.

However, about 20 frames after we see the rope first wrap around the wheel of the rocket, we get this wide shot showing Scootaloo going up and off the ramp, and a significant pile of coiled rope is still on the ground.

For about 20 frames after the above screenshot, the rocket continues to travel, and we see the pile of rope on the ground uncoiling. This is what the rope looks like after those 20 frames.

If the rope uncoiled this much in 20 frames (2/3 second), again, we might estimate that the rest of the rope should uncoil within a second or so. However, after this frame, as the rocket continues to fly away, for about 1 second, the rope in the air kind of wiggles around, but the coiled rope on the ground stops uncoiling and stays still before we cut to a crowd reaction shot.

A few seconds after this, Rainbow Dash flies down the path and up the ramp to save Scootaloo. However, as shown in the example screenshot below, the rope is never seen, either in the air or on the ground.

The next time we see the rope on the ground is in this screenshot, after Rainbow picks up Scootaloo and they hug, and just before Rainbow and Scootaloo land on the ground. Notice that the pile of rope on the ground appears to have gotten larger in the ~14 seconds or so since the last screenshot of the rope on the ground, even as the rocket has still continued to fly away.

After this screenshot, we see the rope being pulled to the right and up out of frame, but the pile of rope on the ground stays coiled and doesn't move. 

Finally, about 25 seconds after the rope first wraps around the wheel of the rocket, we get the below screenshot, where the rope finishes uncoiling and wraps around Lightning Dust's leg.

So, if the rocket was pulling one end of the rope as it blasted off into the sky at high speed, and the rope just finishes uncoiling about 25 seconds later, we would expect that to be a very long rope. To get an idea of the order of magnitude, if we multiply the ~60 rope segments/second rate estimated above by that 25 seconds, then the rope would need to be about 1500 "segments" long, and the pile of rope we see on the ground in various shots during this scene doesn't look to be anywhere near that length.

To conclude, I'll reiterate that this is just for fun; I'm not saying that this ruined the episode, and I'm not hating on the animators or anything. I just thought that it's interesting that I noticed these little details that might otherwise blow by in this suspenseful, action-packed scene. Thanks for reading!

[Senko 459]

26 minutes ago, Music Chart Fan said:

I'll be making a normal episode post later, but I've been working on this and wanted to post it separately to give it more space. I noticed some strangeness about the rope that wraps around the wheel of Scootaloo's rocket - specifically, the length of the rope, the way in which it uncoils, and the amount of time that elapses between when the rope firsts wraps around the wheel of the rocket and when the other end of the rope wraps around Lightning Dust's leg. So, just for fun, I took some screenshots and made some rough calculations to look more closely at the behavior of the rope in that scene.

To start, here's a screenshot of the piled rope on the ground just before Scootaloo's scooter/rocket runs over it; note how relatively short the rope is.

After the rope gets wrapped around the wheel of the rocket, I tried to estimate the rate at which the rope was being pulled by the rocket, so I tried to count the number of rope "segments" that had traveled past the base of the ramp over time. I went frame-by-frame for a few frames and estimated that the rope was being pulled up the ramp at a rate of ~2 rope segments/frame, and because the video is 30 frames/second, that would come out to ~60 rope segments/second.

With that in mind, if we look at the screenshot of the original coiled rope, we might guess that the number of segments in that rope is in the vicinity of 60, and thus, that the rope might become fully uncoiled in around 1 second.

However, about 20 frames after we see the rope first wrap around the wheel of the rocket, we get this wide shot showing Scootaloo going up and off the ramp, and a significant pile of coiled rope is still on the ground.

For about 20 frames after the above screenshot, the rocket continues to travel, and we see the pile of rope on the ground uncoiling. This is what the rope looks like after those 20 frames.

If the rope uncoiled this much in 20 frames (2/3 second), again, we might estimate that the rest of the rope should uncoil within a second or so. However, after this frame, as the rocket continues to fly away, for about 1 second, the rope in the air kind of wiggles around, but the coiled rope on the ground stops uncoiling and stays still before we cut to a crowd reaction shot.

A few seconds after this, Rainbow Dash flies down the path and up the ramp to save Scootaloo. However, as shown in the example screenshot below, the rope is never seen, either in the air or on the ground.

The next time we see the rope on the ground is in this screenshot, after Rainbow picks up Scootaloo and they hug, and just before Rainbow and Scootaloo land on the ground. Notice that the pile of rope on the ground appears to have gotten larger in the ~14 seconds or so since the last screenshot of the rope on the ground, even as the rocket has still continued to fly away.

After this screenshot, we see the rope being pulled to the right and up out of frame, but the pile of rope on the ground stays coiled and doesn't move. 

Finally, about 25 seconds after the rope first wraps around the wheel of the rocket, we get the below screenshot, where the rope finishes uncoiling and wraps around Lightning Dust's leg.

So, if the rocket was pulling one end of the rope as it blasted off into the sky at high speed, and the rope just finishes uncoiling about 25 seconds later, we would expect that to be a very long rope. To get an idea of the order of magnitude, if we multiply the ~60 rope segments/second rate estimated above by that 25 seconds, then the rope would need to be about 1500 "segments" long, and the pile of rope we see on the ground in various shots during this scene doesn't look to be anywhere near that length.

To conclude, I'll reiterate that this is just for fun; I'm not saying that this ruined the episode, and I'm not hating on the animators or anything. I just thought that it's interesting that I noticed these little details that might otherwise blow by in this suspenseful, action-packed scene. Thanks for reading!

Soooo you're saying Rainbow as lurking in the bushes and swapped the rope out for another one as well as wrapping it around lightning dust's hoof? We have seen she can literally move at near flash speeds in the pie episode.

Edited September 9, 2018 by Senko

[gingerninja666 487]

7 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

One thing that I love about "Wonderbolts Academy" from season 3 is how Lightning Dust is presented as an extension of the environment. It wasn't so much that she didn't care whether anyone was hurt as that she thought highly enough of herself to dismiss the consequences as unlikely. It's not an evil viewpoint so much as an immature one, and one which was reinforced by the Wonderbolts' emphasis on results. That nuance is... not here. 

I might have enjoyed a modest admission from Rainbow that she felt jealous, but am I wrong to think that asking her friends to tear up posters is a bridge too far? 

That's kinda how I read LD here honestly. She comes off like she doesn't think bad things are ever likely to happen, because either the person involved is good enough to pull off the stunt, or something else will happen and no harm will come from it. Her final line before being blasted off was "If I had known you were going to bail I would've done the trick myself." which makes me think that she honestly thought Scoots could've done the trick and wasn't going to bail, she just needed a bit of a push. I don't think she doesn't care if someone is hurt, she doesn't seem to think that being hurt will ever realistically happen.

[Thrond 3,263]

Just now, gingerninja666 said:

That's kinda how I read LD here honestly. She comes off like she doesn't think bad things are ever likely to happen, because either the person involved is good enough to pull off the stunt, or something else will happen and no harm will come from it. Her final line before being blasted off was "If I had known you were going to bail I would've done the trick myself." which makes me think that she honestly thought Scoots could've done the trick and wasn't going to bail, she just needed a bit of a push. I don't think she doesn't care if someone is hurt, she doesn't seem to think that being hurt will ever realistically happen.

Well, that seems like a strange thing to think re: Scootaloo, who Lightning had just met. It’s also stagnation. 

[gingerninja666 487]

7 minutes ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Well, that seems like a strange thing to think re: Scootaloo, who Lightning had just met. It’s also stagnation. 

Well, they had her doing a scooter based stunt, so they knew what her specialty was. We've seen her do tricks, it's possible she showed them some of what she can do.

 

I was thinking a few hours ago that I can actually kinda see why LD would be annoyed by Scoots at the end. Scoots would've stormed up to the Washouts, furious about how Dash was behaving at the club house, likely really pushing to be involved in the Washouts, showing them what she can do. And then after announcing the stunt and taking Scoots all the way up there, Scoot starts to flake. She was basically wasting LD's time.

 

Also, I get that it's stagnation in a way, but I just like something about the idea that after being kicked from the Bolts, LD didn't learn, she just found a new way to validate herself and her methods. Surrounding herself with people who believe her philosophy.

Edited September 9, 2018 by gingerninja666

[Senko 459]

24 minutes ago, gingerninja666 said:

Well, they had her doing a scooter based stunt, so they knew what her specialty was. We've seen her do tricks, it's possible she showed them some of what she can do.

 

I was thinking a few hours ago that I can actually kinda see why LD would be annoyed by Scoots at the end. Scoots would've stormed up to the Washouts, furious about how Dash was behaving at the club house, likely really pushing to be involved in the Washouts, showing them what she can do. And then after announcing the stunt and taking Scoots all the way up there, Scoot starts to flake. She was basically wasting LD's time.

 

Also, I get that it's stagnation in a way, but I just like something about the idea that after being kicked from the Bolts, LD didn't learn, she just found a new way to validate herself and her methods. Surrounding herself with people who believe her philosophy.

I'd hope more reasonable ponies would have had Scootaloo try practicing the stunt at least once before making her do it for real in front of a crowd and given her age tested her on progressively more difficult ones till she proved she could handle something awesome enough for their show.

[Draxon 214]

16 hours ago, JCKane said:

I dunno, I thought Spitfire's 'pep talk' was a bit 'over the top' I mean was that on purpose?  I dunno.

Spitfire's pep talk was a spoof of the classic Saturday Night Live "in a van down by the river" sketch featuring Chris Farley.  I definitely recommend looking it up on YouTube.  I was laughing so hard when Spitfire went off like that.

[Thrond 3,263]

12 hours ago, gingerninja666 said:

Well, they had her doing a scooter based stunt, so they knew what her specialty was. We've seen her do tricks, it's possible she showed them some of what she can do.

 

I was thinking a few hours ago that I can actually kinda see why LD would be annoyed by Scoots at the end. Scoots would've stormed up to the Washouts, furious about how Dash was behaving at the club house, likely really pushing to be involved in the Washouts, showing them what she can do. And then after announcing the stunt and taking Scoots all the way up there, Scoot starts to flake. She was basically wasting LD's time.

  

Also, I get that it's stagnation in a way, but I just like something about the idea that after being kicked from the Bolts, LD didn't learn, she just found a new way to validate herself and her methods. Surrounding herself with people who believe her philosophy.

I don't have the clearest perspective here, because I was really looking forward to her getting a nice reformation, or at least some indication that she'd matured. I did feel this episode hinted at something like that from time to time, but I still wished for a bit more. 

And, alas, the episode still ultimately made her the villain through Scootaloo's moral. 

Edited September 9, 2018 by AlexanderThrond

[YoshiAngemon 223]

3 hours ago, Draxon said:

Spitfire's pep talk was a spoof of the classic Saturday Night Live "in a van down by the river" sketch featuring Chris Farley.  I definitely recommend looking it up on YouTube.  I was laughing so hard when Spitfire went off like that.

Well, Spitfire wasn't gonna go all Bill Cosby, and do it that way. Why, I'll bet her rookie name was "Splintfire!" due to being in a splint, herself.

[TransitPony 238]

Note: I originally saw the episode on Facebook.

I gotta say, Lightning Dust's return with her own group is one of the best things I've seen yet. A smile went on my face when I saw her on screen. The episode in general, it was pretty good. The Washouts welcoming in Scootaloo reminds me of a thing in tv shows and movies where a group that goes beyond the limits (what the Washouts are) welcomes in people who have developmental issues or have numerous issues with the establishment.