S01:E05 - Griffon the Brush Off

[Cash In 22,180]

Decent episode. I've definitely warmed up to it over time. The friendship issue here is very straightforward, but I'll give it credit for being something that a lot of people can easily relate to. 

Let's get one thing out of the way first: Gilda is very one dimensional, but it doesn't bother me too much, since the overall plot is pretty black and white to begin with. At this point, she's just a one and done antagonist. Having something more complicated wouldn't have really worked, unless she was planned to be a recurring character.

The episode itself is your standard jealous episode. I think it's got some pretty good moments. Pinkie being impervious to any sort of logic will always be funny. The scenes at Gilda's party were the best in the episode. Everything else was kind of okay. Enjoyable, but nothing amazing.

Also, one thing that confused me, is that Pinkie and RD have already been established as friends, so I don't really get why she was avoiding her at beginning of the episode. That always bothered me. Oh well.

Anyways, I'll give this episode a 6/10.

Edited February 26 by Cash In
Updated thoughts

[Dabmanz 2,139]

I liked this episode Pinkie pie was so random with her flying machine and jumping through the clouds with the trampoline.

[bigbertha 414]

Oof. This one really decreased in my eyes. Gilda being one dimensional really hurts the lesson.

The lesson is in identifying toxic influences, but Gilda is so over the top that it could never apply to real life. Most toxic friends wouldn't be this up front about it.

I also find this to be a missed opportunity to have a lesson taught to Pinkie, kinda like A Friend in Deed. Pinkie thinks Gilda is a bad influence, and is proven right. Maybe it would've been more interesting to have Pinkie learn not to judge people right away. The beginning sets the episode up like Pinkie is being clingy and is going to learn to accept that her friends have their own friends to hang out with and that's okay. She could've learned both lessons! Instead we get a lesson that can't even apply to real life. I think the best way to have done this episode would've been to either make the lesson they went with more nuanced my making Gilda more nuanced, or to have gone with Pinkie learning a lesson. 

That said, I do like the beginning. Rainbow and Pinkie's interactions are a lot of fun and Pinkie really isn't too bad here. Her characterization is solid and really like the subversion with the party. It makes sense and it's pretty clever.

Overall, this is a disappointment for me. I don't think it's that bad, but it does fail in a lot of ways.

Score: 3/10

[TheAnonymousP 3]

Oh, Gilda, you lovable rascal.

[kazamacat 64]

I have mixed feelings, but I lean toward like. I find Pinkie Pie rather annoying, not particularly in this episode but in general. I am a little bothered by the chase after the opening since Rainbow clearly wants to be left alone and has already been established as being super fast but okay, whatever, she's caught, and they start getting along later with their prank bonding. My favorite part of that is at the pond where Pinkie convinces Rainbow NOT to prank Fluttershy and they playfully prank each other instead.

Watching Rainbow have fun flying and catching up with Gilda was fun too.

I didn't develop any specific love nor hate for Gilda, perhaps some annoyance and frustration. It was nice to see Rainbow admit she did the pranks and made the effort to double-check Gilda was okay with them even if Gilda didn't know. I also liked that Rainbow asserted that she didn't like her old friends mistreating her new friends. I'm glad these three (Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Gilda) made up later in season 6.

 

 

[FIMFanatic 1]

This episode is interesting to watch post Season 5.

[MondoPon3 1]

The episode that made Gilda public enemy #1.

[MuddyHooves 0]

A mini Johnny Test reunion.

[Pondsumo 10]

I think it still holds up. A perfectly likeable episode that i'm somewhat nostalgic for now.

[ayvidreader 5]

My mane (lol) question would be why is Rainbow Dash running away from Pinkie Pie? Haven't they been friends for a while? I mean I know we don't know when or how they met, but it seems pretty established that before Twilight comes along that Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie are all friends. Course I could be wrong and they all became friends at the same time. That being said I love how they know who to trick and how much each of their different friends can handle it. I loved seeing how certain ponies interacted with each other and how their friendships were already established. I am glad that Rarity didn't take offense or make an issue about Gilda being such a jerk about the tail that she wanted.

I really appreciated seeing Pinkie Pie try everything she could to make friends with Gilda and that she didn't go with her first reaction of "She's a jerk." It's true, but she at least gave her the chance to prove that she wasn't/isn't.

[Lucky Bolt 35,061]

I LOVED this episode and still do to this day. Mostly because of Rainbow Dash. After watching this episode the first time I hated Gilda but over the years I've grown to like her. 

[Dabmanz 2,139]

I liked this episode except for gilda being mean to fluttershy that was hard to watch. Also when gilda eats the apple and Pinkie says she might give it back....

[Justin_Case001 4,876]

This was a fun, satisfying episode.  I liked when Dash gave Gilda the old what-for at the end.  Nothing quite as satisfying as seeing a bully get their just desserts.  And this episode also had one my favorite funny one-liners of the series--when Fluttershy told her "auntie Pinkie Pie", "I'm a year older than you."  Delightful! 

[qib 695]

Definitely one of my least favorites, the twist at the end though was very surprising, I just thought Pinkie was a good liar 

[Gorgan 33]

Not a prunk on Flattershy!!     

[Reality Check 629]

I'll just be straight, I don't like this episode. It feels like it's two episodes combined into one.

The first part about Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash doing pranks on their friends is something I feel like can be an episode on its own. Sometimes you should judge a friend or person by face value and go along if they want to hang out, it may lead to experiences that you would enjoy. I can also appreciate that both of them have standards on pranking and that the pranks are taken well by the mane 6. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the last half.

The second part introduces the first griffon of the series being Gilda. I can tell why plenty of people don't like Gilda, she was mean to others, stole an apple, selfishly kept Pinkie out, took the pranks horribly, yelled at Fluttershy, need I go on? But I can't side with Pinkie either, sometimes friends want to hang out with old friends and you should respect that instead of being all clingy and intrude their time together. And I can't help but notice that she and RD purposely led Gilda to where the pranks are during the party, so 'It was just dumb luck that you set them all off' my flank. Not only that, I don't think it's a good idea to prank and/or laugh at someone who's coming to visit Ponyville since it'll just make a bad impression.

In the end, I can appreciate that the episode wants to address the moral of avoiding bad people and pranking in a way people can enjoy, but at the same time, I just wished that they showed that friends, even old ones, can change overtime, including their personality, tolerance, and interests. If Rainbow said something like 'What happened to the friend I knew at junior flight school?' or something, we would know that she wasn't always like this early on and can sympathise more with Gilda, but alas, it seems that's not the case. Thank god that they addressed it after a few seasons, better late than never I suppose.

Edited June 10, 2021 by Dusky Wings

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Looking back at this episode, I could still say that it is one of the best, because it really shows what happens when you have a "false friend" in your life. What's even better is the follow up to this episode, which I'll discuss in another thread. 

Firstly, we see the relationship between Rainbow and Pinkie develop. A really huge detail that stuck out to me there was how Pinkie kept Rainbow in check when Rainbow said she wanted to prank Fluttershy, who is extremely sensitive. 

Later, we are introduced to Gilda, who we find out she met Rainbow at Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. We then see the two perform the Junior Speedsters Chant (Gilda being quite unenthusiastic about it...). The first sign of Gilda's little thing comes when Rainbow turns her back for the first time and Gilda tells Pinkie to buzz off (because Gilda thinks Pinkie is annoying.)

As the episode progresses, we see things starting to get worse, as Gilda starts to bully others behind Rainbow's back, Pinkie getting the brunt of it. 

The final straw is pulled when Gilda roars at Fluttershy for simply bumping into her. I felt like jumping into the TV and giving Gilda hell for that (didn't we all?). Pinkie decides to take measures and plan a party for Gilda, which results in some pranking to try and get Gilda to like Pinkie. 

However, this doesn't go so well and Gilda tells Pinkie just how lame she is and tells Rainbow to come with her. In the end, Rainbow stands up and tells Gilda off. 

False friends are tough to deal with, because they are unpredictable. You can't really trust them and need a true friend to be there for you when things arise between you and a false friend. This is why this episode is so impactful to me, because the portrayal of the situation and the desire of Pinkie to want Gilda to be her true friend despite everything was spot on. 

[Evil Pink One 13,505]

when it comes to pinkie.... we need to analyze .....

yes here we learn how OP pinkie pie is.

look at how she manipulated the flow of the plot of the story here... she practically danced around Gilda.... sure rainbowdash was the one making the pranks.... but Gilda was really on to pinkie and she was right to be afraid of her. it took her 6 seasons to show up again and she didn't even want to meet them. "pinkie is the mastermind"

[Rosy Moonlight 369]

I love the plot twist at the end. It really showed the spirits of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, and how they clashed with Gilda's attitude.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Rosy Moonlight

[Rosy Moonlight 369]

The fact that they made the "fake friend" a griffin and the only griffin we see for the rest of the season still rubs me the wrong way, even after I watched The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone.

[FloppyPony 1]

Continuing my reviews

 

Episode 5 - Griffon the Brush Off

 

EPISODE SUMMARY

An old friend of Rainbow Dash (a Griffon called Gilda) comes to hang out with her. Pinkie Pie wants to join in but Gilda isn't happy about Pinkie hanging out with Rainbow instead of her. Pinkie goes to Twilight to vent about how mean Gilda is and Twilight tells her she might be jealous of their friendship. Pinkie considers this and observes Gilda finding out she is very mean to other ponies and even Fluttershy.

 

Pinkie decides to throw a party and invite Gilda and all her friends. Gilda gets pranked a lot at the party until she loses her temper thinking that Pinkie set it all up to get rid of her in spite of her friendship with Rainbow but it turns out the pranks were Rainbows idea not Pinkie's. Rainbow decides she doesn't like Gilda's attitude and tells her she doesn't want to be friends with someone who is mean to her new friends and Gilda leaves in a huff.

 

Twilight apologises for misjudging Pinkie and writes about it to Celestia. The moral being that you should be careful how you act around a friend of a friend you don't like and try not to be a jerk if you don't like them. If they are a bad friend, they will show their true colours in the end.

 

MY THOUGHTS

One of the things I like about this show is the ability for it to teach morals which other shows often don't and this is a good example of this. A great moral which is a good lesson to learn and is not often shown in other kids shows. However, I do have a pretty controversial opinion here. I don't like Pinkie. I'm sorry I just don't like her character. I don't often find her antics funny and instead generally find her annoying. Also I find her confusing which is not good in a show where you need to understand the emotions of a character such as this. You'll see some of what I mean later. That obviously means this episode is going to be hard for me to like on the off set. Just making sure you are aware.

 

I do really like the premise of this episode but I do wish this story was told with different characters as I don't enjoy the parts which are not story specific but thats just me. I do appreciate some little extra moments such as checking if Spike wasn't hurt after a prank and saying it would be too harsh to prank Fluttershy showing they have clear boundaries to their pranks to not upset their friends which contrasts with Gildas pranks later. Its a bit subtle but I really like this. How to do a prank without hurting friends is something which really should be taught more in kids shows as pranks are often shown in a mean spirited way in cartoons which can leave a bad impression. This is one of the many things that elevates this above other kids shows for me.

 

I also kinda can't help but feel a little part of me wanting the whole jealousy angle to be the moral tho. Only because Pinkie isn't shown as being obliviously friendly to Rainbow but instead directly annoying her to the point of her running away from her over and over. I mean they can't expect us to really believe Pinkie is this dumb right? And when Gilda and Rainbow are clearly having fun together without Pinkie and Rainbow asks nicely to hang out with her old friend, Pinkie acts all left out when she literally was hanging out with her all day yesterday.

 

That seems pretty clingy to me and selfish. not really understanding at all which makes the whole thing of Pinkie being right about Gilda being horrible and not being jealous kinda undermines her obsessing over her and makes it look like they support that obsessive stalking of your friends which is obviously not ok. This is one big problem I have with Pinkie as a character in general to. She is often seen being very clingy and obsessive to her friends. Pushing them to do what she wants to the point of them being upset and yet the show never shows this as a bad thing when it obviously should be. You will see more of what I mean in later episodes.

 

Also Twilight being wrong about a characters feelings in this way isn't as impactful when this is an early episode and we haven't seen her be right many times yet. Yet again showing the episodes are acting like they much further ahead in the show than they actually are. I mean this episode introduces a new character when we don't even know the main ones yet.

 

Not much else to say except, great moral, great execution but Pinkie is a bit annoying and the whole jealousy angle could have been handled better. Overall, a pretty decent episode but not great. I think most of my issues with this episode are more personal rather than real quality issues and I accept that.

[Gale Wind 82]

Apparently Rainbow Dash forgot the lesson about not pranking Fluttershy. She got more into the pranks than Pinkie and we see where that went in 28 Pranks later. 

[StarHeart333 1,763]

Gilda almost killed Pinkie Pie a few times and instead of just accepting Fluttershy's apology after she saw what Flutters was doing she just stood there and Let Fluttershy back up into her.

 

Still sadly can't blame her character since. We later find out ALL griffins are like this lol.

[Twitchy-Tremor 297]

I loved that they were adding other mythic creatures. It made me really look forward to seeing more!

[HeavenSunset 1,867]

I kinda fee like Gilda was wronged in this episode, obviously when she is rude to Fluttershy and stealing the apple is not good on her part.

But she has reason to think Pinkie Pie was annoying, because she was. When she was trying to hang out with Rainbow Dash, Pinkie would relentlessly try to butt into whatever they were doing, which if i was in her position, would annoy me.

She does come off as a bit grumpy at the party, but that is to be expected after being annoyed by Pinkie Pie all day

Edited September 20, 2023 by HeavenSunset