S09:E09 - Sweet and Smoky

[Oleks 2,003]

This episode reminded me why Fluttershy is my favorite Mane Six pony. She was so awesome in it!
Even though the plot twist was predictable (I wish Smolder’s brother was this guy), I think it was generally a good episode. I like Spike’s attitude, dynamics between Smolder and Gar-Gar, and how Ember consistently can’t tell ponies apart (Appledash strikes again!). Bonus points to Ember for trying to coo the eggs – it made me laugh. But still, Fluttershy was the best part of the episode, in my opinion. Kindness, motherf@#$r!
Also, there are not many episodes where cringe saves the day, and I’m totally OK with it in this one.

[KH7672 1,604]

I....I don't think I'm ever going to be satisfied with Fluttershy like everyone else is, and you know that's okay but allow me to give some perspective on this mindset.

From the beginning Fluttershy as a character has a niche appeal, introverts, shy people, you name it she's easily relatable. For me I don't watch a show to relate to characters, that may be an afterthought but I mainly want to be entertained by them. So having a pony who is always shy and slowly opens up, can for some people not be the most entertaining thing as was a common complaint of her in the first four seasons. But then something changed there was glimpse in Tank for the Memories then starting with Scare Master, and then Flutter Brutter, then Buckball Season, they actually gave Fluttershy's character purpose outside being the shy one. But the shyness didn't go away right?

Well for me I noticed what I call reverse-static characterization on Fluttershy. Before you would go into an episode expecting her to be quiet and timid, now it seems she won't make it through an episode without being loud and assertive and show "she's not shy anymore" and I'm just not entertained by it. The smugness, the ferocity, it doesn't strike me as entertaining coming from Fluttershy, perhaps that comes from me not being too entertained by her to begin with.

It's just retreading the same formula just in the opposite direction. She's incredibly relatable to those introverts wanting to share their voice, to show to world how proud of themselves they are, to be wonderfully assertive! But that's all she is now every appearance from Fluttershy Leans In, to the endof Discordant Harmony, to Fake it Til You Make It, to parts of Sounds of Silence and this episode, she doesn't mess up, doesn't faulter she is the solution after so early on always being the problem, and that's not supposed to be an issue that's character growth but for me the transparency of the writing and the patterns get to me as I analyze Fluttershy's character. There's no surprise with her anymore, and maybe that's why I latch onto new characters much easier, there's so much potential to be explored like seeing Smolder and Ember actually interact with Dragons was great and felt much more entertaining than the Fluttershy routine.

I'm probably not alone to thinking this way but I know it's a minority opinion that I'm open to share.

Edited May 25, 2019 by KH7672

[Will Guide 21,376]

2 hours ago, Brainstorm said:

Smolder, calm down. Some characters take longer to redeem than others.

Maybe later in S9, we'll see Smolder, Garble and Spike having fun, even if it's a small segment, it'll still count.

That proves the point Fluttershy tries to make to her haters in Fame and Misfortune: Everyone goes through their "character growth and development" at their own pace.

[Brainstorm 4,124]

16 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

That proves the point Fluttershy tries to make to her haters in Fame and Misfortune: Everyone goes through their "character growth and development" at their own pace.

I agree. Everyone's character growth and development is different. Not everyone learns at the same pace.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Brainstorm

[OptimisticNeighsayer 479]

Mind if I recycle my Equestria Daily review here?

Spoiler

Well, this was definitely an improvement for Ms. Beyer-Johnson. Fluttershy was especially written well here—what better character to get Garble out of his “ponies are weak” thinking than her, and she stayed strong throughout.

But something about the worldbuilding in this episode felt a bit off. The underground lava lake heats the eggs, and was getting drained for the “real” mean dragons’ fun. I’m not sure what the breeding cycle is for dragons, but if the teen dragons have been teens for this long, it just seems that the lava deficit should have been a problem before. I’m somewhat not believing this is the first time they thought of taking a bit of extra lava from the reserves.

Like some elsewhere, I’m also not completely taken by Garble being Smolder’s brother (I would have rather had some new character who is especially close to both Smolder and Garble), but especially always having this soft side. Garble seemed to be the ringleader of the teen dragons in previous episodes, initiating and encouraging the bullying of Spike, not showing even a hint of insecurity in doing so. Here, however, the episode tries to frame him as a mere tag-along who just wants to be accepted in more mainstream dragon culture. I understand this series works only on a season-by-season basis at best, but I felt there should have been a better way to reconcile this new soft-side with his more established, much stronger tough side. 

The way Garble’s softer side got accepted by the rest of the dragons also gave me vibes of Troubleshoes’ rodeo clowning in “Appleloosa’s Most Wanted” in that both were more dependent on a mean-spirited amusement than an actual appreciation of his talents. Of course, here Garble’s beat poetry doesn’t fundamentally misunderstand the entertainment value of what he is doing, he just noticed something in the situation and used their mocking to the Dragonlands’ benefit. And too, the other dragons do appear to genuinely appreciate them in the end—even if it took having the survival of their species at stake to do so. Maybe Garble’s smart manipulation was supposed to reconcile his old “ringleader” role with his new soft side.

In some ways, this episode and “She’s All Yak” are companions. Both involve a cultural exchange of sorts, both give a significant role to non-ponies in testing and introducing the “friendship culture” aspects, and both have a “be yourself”-type moral that springs from this cultural exchange. Here, however, there is more emphasis on introducing, and pony culture is still implied to be unquestionably superior (while “Yak” challenged some pony culture aspects), but at least it flows just as much from Smolder as it does Fluttershy (if not more so, though Fluttershy’s role was more involved). The continuity with yet a different episode makes this yet more tolerable: “Father Knows Beast” implied that Smolder’s experience at the School made her rethink various aspects of dragon culture, and it is nice to see them coming to fruit here. 

Some stray observations:
1. That’s a lot of eggs. If they were all supposed to hatch at the same exact time, that implies that breeding is tightly regulated in the Dragonlands, a stark contrast to the dragons’ otherwise anarchic and individualistic society. (If so, then that makes my point about the lava deficit only now being a problem even more strange, as such a regulation as this would have put the dragons more on notice of their responsibility not to abuse public resources.) Or maybe this is solely due to natural cycles, but even then it wouldn’t explain so many eggs hatching on the same day. 
2. Having such a large amount of eggs also calls back one of the most innovative aspects of “Molt Down”—putting dragons more in the middle of the food chain than usually depicted. I wonder if Ember had to shoo away big rocs or other predators who might find dragon eggs tasty.
3. Many reptiles IRL have temperature-dependent sex determination. If dragons work this way too, hopefully the teens weren’t taking lava during the critical period, or else the sex ratios might have already been messed up. 
4. So it’s not just purplish-pink unicorns that Ember can’t tell apart. 

While one of the season’s weaker episodes, it still is solid with a number of subtle aspects to give it color, especially for a writer with a notorious reputation. If she burned the marshmallow the first time, she was more careful with the fire this time, giving us something charred in parts, but overall crisp and still soft to the core.

 

Edited May 25, 2019 by OptimisticNeighsayer

[Lord Valtasar 12,711]

fluttershy reprised her dragon intimidation role, which was fun to see, and even had it contrast by her taking care of the eggs, a person can have more than one traits and she's a great example of that, even if they've taken both ends to extremes, but it's a cartoon, it's supposed to be like this

Spike is the first dragon Brony and he's abused for it, this episode was about coming out i think, being proud of who you are, with a bully gets reformed sprinkled in, but that was not the focus, the problem is, it doesn't work like that, the reactions from the dragons in the end is totally not the reaction people will have

i'll give it a star for effort, but still, it gets a meh out of ten

[Rushing cash 845]

Well, after re-watching this episode my mind did not change, the main problems in the episode is the rushed ending, the whole thing of laughing fire that came out of no where and was forced specifically to make the episode work(this actually is the worst aspect of the episode for me), some cringy moments like the ending and to some extent spike abuse(if it was meant comically then it was completely off, it was to over the top then was necessary but it showed spikes patience and how mature he is so I don't think it was actually that big of a problem). The same problems were present in NCC, this time what saved the episode is the well written interactions between ember, fluttershy and the dragons. The best moments in the episode was ember and FS interactions(I love the fact that ember always confuses the ponies, her saying appledash is my favorite moment and FS asking ember if this is her eggs was great to), and FS standing up against the dragons.  It was much better then NCC, however it was probably my second least favorite of the season so far(still better than uprooted). 7\10, it was okay overall, could have been better.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Rushing cash

[Dark Qiviut 22,656]

3 hours ago, TheTaZe said:

Only thing you really didn't mention was that it basically was another Spike abuse episode. Haven't had one of those in awhile.

2 hours ago, Brainstorm said:

I mean, it's about facing your problems and making amends with your enemies.

I didn’t have a big issue with Garble mistreating Spike for a few reasons.

1. His mistreatment of Spike, both past and present, was integral to the conflict. Garble tries to “look” tough by being a stereotypical bully, but Spike tries to be the bigger and better dragon by not retaliating. But no matter how much he tried, Garble’s mistreatment of him made him feel down.
2. In his meeting with Ember, he discovered that the lava lake ran dry, hence the cold soil in the nests, leading Spike to who accidentally caused it.
3. Both Smolder and Fluttershy are quick to stick up for him and defend him. They treat him as an equal and embrace him for being who he is. They don’t appreciate assholes treating him like shit. When Smolder found out he picked on Spike behind her back, she was furious, and after they tried to make him play a game against his will, she gave them the riot act.
4. When Garble realized their laughter fire was heating the ground enough to cause the eggs to crack, he embraced his poet side and worked to help hatch the eggs. Before he did, he called Spike “Spike-Wikey,” and Spike supported him all the way. With his quick-thinking, he turned his feud with Spike into a friendship and saved a generation of dragons from freezing to death.

[Sparklefan1234 185,202]

4 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

• When Smolder found out he picked on Spike behind her back, she was furious, and after they tried to make him play a game against his will, she gave them the riot act.

 

Awesome! My favorite part of the episode by far. 

Also, seeing Fluttershy get ticked at Garble was awesome, too. 

[Dark Qiviut 22,656]

Quote

What I appreciate is that the episode doesn't tell us to forgive Garble for all the harm he's done, just understand him a bit more. There's a difference between relation and understanding.

And, once again, I'm in awe at how far Spike's willing to go to help someone in need, regardless of personal harm. That's what makes him a man.

Agreeing with MarikAzemus here, and it’s a really sneaky strength here as I think about it. Garble did some really bad things over the seasons. Tried to bully Spike into destroying a Phoenix egg, become Dragon Lord to declare war on Equestria, intimidated Rarity and Twilight, and so on. Spike didn’t have to forgive him. However, like the CMCs with Diamond Tiara four years ago, Spike tries to understand him and show his maturity. Started slow, but his patience paid off.

[Misty Shadow 8,286]

Another very unique episode. Not Frenemies quality, but at least predictable was the last word I could use to describe it. It honestly surprised me how they made Garble Smolder’s brother and gave him a sensitive side, though I have to say that if he’s sensitive by Dragon Kingdom standards, they are in trouble.  The episode’s highlight is towards the end where after Fluttershy beautifully roasts Garble with facts and logic, he saves the day through his will to humiliate himself in front of the entire dragon population and finally brings some likability to his character. Just like in To Change a Changeling, once again, the day is saved thanks to bullying. Life’s cruelty is essential for repopulating our species, perfect lesson for a pony show to teach the kids. I am not even kidding when I say that the undertone is why I like the “be yourself” moral here more than in She’s All Yak. It’s packed with gritty realism, but it’s also not mean-spirited to the point where it just feels like a sick joke. This is an easy candidate for the best episode about the dragons.

[Thrond 3,272]

I don't think this has a significantly different moral from, say, "She's All Yak." That version had a little more to it, but this version isn't as embarrassingly misguided, so I guess it's a wash. In this case the uncomfortable racial charge has been replaced with unnecessary high stakes and a general lack of energy - at least half of this episode is characters obviously doing things wrong with obvious consequences, as this particular plot formula always dictates, except that this particular version is incredibly bland. I still get a kick out of Fluttershy being shouty and assertive, but this is not a very unique spin on that, and the show seems to have lost the balance of kindness and assertiveness that she had in season 6. Garble as a beat poet is the sole gag which really worked for me in the episode, but it's funny enough to keep the latter half of this sort of afloat, and I like the whole concept of dragon eggs heated by lava. Smolder is a really fun character, and I wish that this episode were more focused on her, because both Spike and Fluttershy are just sort of here to stumble upon things and force revelations which would have happened way earlier if everyone just talked to each other. And Ember barely does anything, though I find her confusion about which pony is which very funny. To me this is the kind of superfluous, tossed-off episode which is least interesting to me in this show, and that we're still getting these in the final season is disappointing - though not as disappointing as the fact that we've now had the same moral repeated three times in the first half of the season. No, My Little Pony, changing the context isn't enough, especially when you use the exact same story structure each time. This just feels lazy to me. 

Spike and Fluttershy barely even interact in this! What a waste. 

[RDDash 19,285]

Spike was such a beta dragon and I liked that. Fluttershy was so sweet today, it was really amazing.  She is no dragon expert that was unfortunate. 

Of course  Garble would be Smolder brother, who else would that be? 

[Dynamo Pad 11,906]

I just got done watching the episode and I thought it was pretty awesome. I liked how Spike, Fluttershy and Smolder were going back to the Dragon Land. It's also pretty interesting how Fluttershy wanted to go as she was always afraid of dragons in the past. I'm glad to see how she was still able to get over that fear in being able to meet baby dragons. I had a feeling that Garble was Smolder's brother, but I was still pretty surprised. I remember watching someone's thoughts in a video about the upcoming episodes and I was beginning to think the same thing. It also makes sense on how Garble acts the way he does. Maybe he gained this tough guy act because of being kicked out from going through the molt. That, in turn, had sent him out into the dragon migration to meet his friends and run into Spike. I really felt bad that Spike had been treated the way he did by Garble and the others, but I'm glad to see that he wanted to try to be the better dragon, instead of retaliating. 

It was interesting to see how dragon eggs were taken care of and how they needed to be hatched. It feels like we are getting a lot of world building from places we've recently visited and I like that a lot. It was both great and nice how Fluttershy was able to stand up to Garble and his gang, while also helping Garble to be himself and defend Spike. Even how Fluttershy and Smolder defended Spike was pretty heartwarming, in my opinion. I like how we get to know Garble on a more personal level throughout the episode. Even how he's into poetry is pretty interesting as he's mostly seen as a bully/antagonist in the series. I liked how Garble and Spike worked together in order to help save the dragon eggs. While it would have been nice to show Garble was redeemed/reformed, I think it's good the way things are. It gives us a chance to have our own interpretation on what happens next after that story. All in all, I really enjoyed the episode. The comedy was pretty funny, Fluttershy was cute in certain parts and I thought the moral was pretty good, as well. I look forward to seeing what happens next for the dragons in the Dragon Land. 

[ImpctR 155]

Lately the Mane 6 have more of assisting role but that's fine since all past season they have been learning. So this was not a Fluttershy based episode, mostly Spike ep who gets more attention recently but when I mentioned for Common Grounds that there was better and more common ponies to make the epilogues of, that is what I meant. Written by a writer of the forgettable 'non complete clause', I think this episode went well and apparently dealt with the reformation of Garble, something I didn't care about but still felt more on point having been in several seasons compared to Quibble Pants.

Spike was a punch bag again, aww. But the ability to keep cool from all this is not something anyone can do. Fluttershy's studying the dragons like a zoologist she is, she could need that knowledge for the future.

 

Spoiler

 

I like Smoulder as 2nd best from the School Six and Fluttershy so that makes it two of the 3, also very nice seeing Ember again.

Garble is not a dragon I care about and with his behaviour and that of friends, one I have always hated, does not change my mind even after his reformation. The news that he was brother of Smoulder was a surprise, since Smoulder is my 2nd for a reason, always been of the awesomest students. This was a cute scene:

 

Spoiler

 

The type of character that Garble bears is very common but I do not relate to the complexes Garble had is all that needs to be solved to let go of such behaviour.

Props to the animators again for a nice scenery, this time in lava, looked better than other times when they show the dragon lands afair. And they are surfing like in the Shadow Play.

 

Spoiler

 

Garble's poetry was ugh... but that's the dragon thing it doesn't have to be pretty. So a 4.4/5 for me, just be objective since every ep cant be super amazing.

 

Oh and what happened to the Cutie map, it informs who has to go where no more? It's liike in MLP there are so many things that some after being used as tools for a season no longer seem to be needed.

Edited May 25, 2019 by ImpctR

[Zestanor 99]

4 hours ago, KH7672 said:

I....I don't think I'm ever going to be satisfied with Fluttershy like everyone else is, and you know that's okay but allow me to give some perspective on this mindset.

From the beginning Fluttershy as a character has a niche appeal, introverts, shy people, you name it she's easily relatable. For me I don't watch a show to relate to characters, that may be an afterthought but I mainly want to be entertained by them. So having a pony who is always shy and slowly opens up, can for some people not be the most entertaining thing as was a common complaint of her in the first four seasons. But then something changed there was glimpse in Tank for the Memories then starting with Scare Master, and then Flutter Brutter, then Buckball Season, they actually gave Fluttershy's character purpose outside being the shy one. But the shyness didn't go away right?

Well for me I noticed what I call reverse-static characterization on Fluttershy. Before you would go into an episode expecting her to be quiet and timid, now it seems she won't make it through an episode without being loud and assertive and show "she's not shy anymore" and I'm just not entertained by it. The smugness, the ferocity, it doesn't strike me as entertaining coming from Fluttershy, perhaps that comes from me not being too entertained by her to begin with.

It's just retreading the same formula just in the opposite direction. She's incredibly relatable to those introverts wanting to share their voice, to show to world how proud of themselves they are, to be wonderfully assertive! But that's all she is now every appearance from Fluttershy Leans In, to the end of Discordant Harmony, to Fake it Til You Make It, to parts of Sounds of Silence and this episode, she doesn't mess up, doesn't faulter she is the solution after so early on always being the problem, and that's not supposed to be an issue that's character growth but for me the transparency of the writing and the patterns get to me as I analyze Fluttershy's character. There's no surprise with her anymore, and maybe that's why I latch onto new characters much easier, there's so much potential to be explored like seeing Smolder and Ember actually interact with Dragons was great and felt much more entertaining than the Fluttershy routine.

I'm probably not alone to thinking this way but I know it's a minority opinion that I'm open to share.

I basically agree with you. I don't dislike Fluttershy's portrayal in this episode, but I don't think it's particularly outstanding. You correctly point out all the times starting in season five where Fluttershy is no longer shy at all. She's now lacking the archetypal flaw she had at the beginning, and so now she's basically flawless. I don't think this was a bad change necessarily, but neither do I think it warrants such high ratings whenever she is the main character in an episode and acts this way. Discordant Harmony, for example, is one of the most acclaimed episodes, and I like it too, but it wasn't exactly a very daring episode, because Fluttershy exhibits no flaws and is flat in it. The episodes where two characters share the main role are difficult to pull off, but they greatly simplified one half of the equation by making Fluttershy perfect.

She has begun to remind me of Twilight in season 1, where, barring a few obvious exceptions, she is the voice of reason. Her season 1 premiere archetypal flaw was that she was antisocial and didn't like friends, but this disappeared by the end of the second episode. In season 2 starting in episode 3, they introduced her hyperventilative obsessive complusive side but before this she was lacking an obvious flaw/quirk like the others. In season 1 the Mane 6, besides Twilight, exhibited flaws ranging from slightly irritating (Rarity and Applejack slightly stuck up) to downright anti-social (Rainbow, Fluttershy). Twilight just calmly collected their friendship lessons, and gave advice, as a frame for every episode. When she occasionally entered the action (Feeling Pinkie Keen, Winter Wrap Up, Bridle Gossip), if she made any mistakes they were all due to ignorance and not due to a real flaw in her character. Twilight was totally re-characterized for season 2, but the others, except Fluttershy, have retained some of their original flaws. Fluttershy, as I said above, has become flawless without her shyness. Again, I don't think it's a bad change, nor an unrealistic one, since there are lots a people in real life who are totally put together; but I don't think it's a reason to praise the writing. It's much easier to write a flawless character than a nuanced one.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Zestanor

[Ganondorf8 11,774]

Wow... Never would I have guessed that Garble of all characters could end up being likable in addition to being a heroic character. Him being Smolder's brother... somehow, I think most fans expected this to happen, which means he has been retconned as a result. Not only in having Smolder for a sibling but also him having a sensitive side that revolves around poetry. If anyone doubted as to whether or not Garble would get any kind of development, this episode gave it to him and in spades. Maybe he should consider getting some new friends given how they caused the main problem as well as made him feel insecure about his true feelings.

At least we now know why he picked on Spike all those times over the years. He was lashing out because he felt ashamed to express himself in front of other dragons and needed a punching bag in order to vent. Again, those friends of his are to blame though Garble should've come clean much sooner.

When it comes to best face, Fluttershy has got this one especially with all the cooing she does in an attempt to get the dragon eggs to hatch. By the way, the baby dragons were so adorable. Ember continues to prove her worth as Dragon Lord and despite her size compared with other dragons, she knows how to put those who screw up in their place with the right words, and having a loud booming voice. Kudos to Spike for being what he called 'the better dragon' for not allowing Garble to get to him and for figuring out why the eggs weren't hatching. Smolder was effective in getting her brother and Spike to come to terms with one another and especially with Garble knowing that her time at Twilight's school had been well worth it.

Were there problems? Oh sure, but then most episodes aren't perfect. Garble's friends almost caused the end of the dragon eggs by taking away their source of heat just so they could soak in a lava pool. I wish they had been given more of a punishment but I suppose being scolded by Ember will have to do. Spike and Flutterhy needed more scenes together given that these two have never been on a mission together. Finally, the conclusion felt rushed and could've done with some reworking to make it better.

I'll give this episode 88%.

[Sonic5421 429]

I gotta admit, I enjoyed this episode that focused on Spike and Fluttershy as they escorted Smolder back to the Dragon Lands to help out with the dragon eggs. Not to mention the revelation that Garble, for all his bullying of Spike, was Smolder's big brother, but did not want to show off his softer side under fear of being ridiculed by his fellow teen dragons.

Still, I loved how Ember asserted her power as Dragon Lord against Garble's three buddies when she caught them draining the underground lava lake for their own selfish needs, risking the dragon eggs never hatching because of their tomfoolery. They were quick to sober up, apologize, and try to remedy their mistakes.

In the end, once Spike noticed and remembered how a dragon's fire breath changes color and becomes stronger due to laughter, Garble is able to induce the dragons into laughing hard enough through his beat poetry to warm up the eggs and get them to hatch, thus allowing Ember to declare him a hero, and together with Smolder, convince his buddies into asking him for advice regarding his poetry. This actually solidifies Garble's turn from a bully to a valuable ally now that he was no longer scared of what others would think of him because of his love of beat poetry and having the support of Smolder, Ember, and Spike behind him.

This episode definitely earns a full 10/10 from me.

[RDDash 19,285]

Well let's see I felt that Ember confusion over who Fluttershy was felt really forced. She might forget her name but it's not really an excuse if she could remember her by some other characteristics Fluttershy should have replied "I am meek and yellow"

Then there is Ember she is a dragon right? So why she doesn't know that dragon eggs need heat to hatch? Spike is the only one who points it out to her. So, like dragon mating is so rare Ember doesn't know how to take care of the eggs? 

I don't see Garble pushing around Spike as bullying, it's like come on Spike you've spend your whole life with ponies that "babying" him that he doesn't know what's dragon's life is like. Grow a spine Spike.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

*Watching this episode*

Wow, a lot of Fluttershy cute faces in the first few minutes already. I can watch them all day.

Ember cant still recognize and remember her pony friends name...

Here come Garble again. That hateful dragon piece of shit, a dragon land episode without that guy isnt that fun anyway so i like it.

"Garble is my brother."

NANIIII !?

How could that cute Smolder has any relation with that guy?

Dont tell me the show trying to reform him..........  Oh no....

*screaming from inside and keep watching*

*To be continue*

 

 

[BastementSparkle 20,335]

24 minutes ago, R.D.Dash said:

Well let's see I felt that Ember confusion over who Fluttershy was felt really forced. She might forget her name but it's not really an excuse if she could remember her by some other characteristics Fluttershy should have replied "I am meek and yellow"

Then there is Ember she is a dragon right? So why she doesn't know that dragon eggs need heat to hatch? Spike is the only one who points it out to her. So, like dragon mating is so rare Ember doesn't know how to take care of the eggs? 

I don't see Garble pushing around Spike as bullying, it's like come on Spike you've spend your whole life with ponies that "babying" him that he doesn't know what's dragon's life is like. Grow a spine Spike.

Ember forgetting pony names and getting ponies confused is just a gag, like how she kept getting Twilight and Starlight confused with each other back in "Triple Threat".

Ember does know dragon eggs need heat, she just didn't realize the hatching grounds were cold in the first place.

Lastly, Garble pushing around Spike is absolutely bullying him. He insults Spike on the regular, steals the blanket Spike made and plays keep away with it, pushes Spike into the lava or just knocks him around in general whenever he feels like it, despite the fact that Spike is obviously uncomfortable with all of this. I've experienced all that stuff myself as a kid, it was bullying when it happened to me, and it's bullying when it's happening to Spike.

Edited May 26, 2019 by BastementSparkle

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

*Watching the episode continues*

So Garble has a soft spot? They try to do a 'Diamond Tiara' here, how could they convince me that...

Garble just lose his friends because playing with pony dragon make him look gay.

Those dragons casually throw lava balls at pony, it's fucking deadly!!!

Fluttershy sure is packed with kindness alright. Best scene so far. I love Fluttershy when she get mad.

Talking about mad, Ember is really scary when she's mad, she is Torch's daughter afterall. 

When singing to the eggs is not working, Ember tries her to comfort the eggs by screaming at them...... Dragons are hardcore even before they were born for that reason.

*To be continue, love it so far*

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

*Watching the episode, the last act*

So, Garble did something productive for the first of his miserable life: Hatch dragon eggs with poetry. 

Have any pony hobby might make Garble looks gay in the eyes of his friends but Poetry is an awesome hobby and it's definitely not gay. 

The newborn dragons are so cute, let hope the next generation of dragon is less ugly as Garble and friends.

Now, Sludge is the most hateful dragon character in the franchise and his competitors just leave the room.

This episode tried to make Garble likable, what is this? That guy secretly like pony things all the time???? That topic may be for another days.

And Fluttershy cute faces in the end completed this ep. She's not very useful beside making cute faces in this ep and I'm fine with that. 

*Finished watching*

The first student 6 episode which is really good. I love it. Still not sure about Garble's reformation but it's still not totally impossible. 

Bullying is an act to hide your insecurities. People bully you and you bully others. Hum, sound convincing. 8/10

[FlareGun45 2,221]

So this season concluded 2 of Spike arcs! His family arc, and his dragon arc! Now to finish his other 2: the Rarity crush, and his destiny of becoming the official Seventh Mane! 

[Ganondox 899]

I don't think this episode was bad, in the very least I found it to be better than Uprooted, but it felt very clunky. It had a lot of parts that worked in the end despite not quite fitting. The worst offender was the laugh fire, but even some of the assertive Fluttershy bits felt forced. I was disappointed that Smolder's brother wasn't a new character, but I wasn't the least bit surprised when it turned out to be Garble. I was also disappointed that Spike's own egg troubles weren't mentioned, though at least we got a throw back to Fluttershy loving baby dragons.

One thing is I I found this episode's theme to be a bit more interesting than the other "be-yourself" episodes, as it focused more on what strength of character, and actually showed real pressure to conform. In retrospect, maybe Garble's portrayal here is consistent with his original appearance. Dragon Quest sucked, but if I recall correctly Garble was initially friendly towards Spike, he only took issue with him after he refused to join in their cruel games. He was still their leader though, and in order to make him sympathetic here they had to somehow up the jerkiness of his friends, so I'm still struggling to accept this characterization. I do accept him being into Beatnik poetry though. 

Edited May 26, 2019 by Ganondox