S09:E19 - Dragon Dropped

[BornAgainBrony 2,395]

7 minutes ago, Splashee said:

And then we have Gabby! That was actually a quite okay appearance from her. But how many outside characters with perfect philosophy does this show need? Why can't they just write the Mane 6 to be perfect and the outside character flawed instead?

That's been my main gripe about a lot of these recent episodes. This all seemed to slowly fall away after the cutie map stopped being used. Once they gained back their elements a second time and the Tree gave them a legitimate quest, it really felt like they should be the true masters of those elements, and not screwing up, at least not THIS royally. I can't understand why these lessons aren't being taught with the Mane 6 guiding others along towards being better people.

[Splashee 28,537]

1 minute ago, BornAgainBrony said:

That's been my main gripe about a lot of these recent episodes. This all seemed to slowly fall away after the cutie map stopped being used. Once they gained back their elements a second time and the Tree gave them a legitimate quest, it really felt like they should be the true masters of those elements, and not screwing up, at least not THIS royally. I can't understand why these lessons aren't being taught with the Mane 6 guiding others along towards being better people.

Absolutely true!
We just have to accept that the Mane 6 might never be perfect in G4. I can live with that. I just don't want one episode to rewrite something we have been part of for multiple years, like the whole Rarity <3 Spike relationship. Something like that should have been cancelled many seasons ago (because it is odd, controversial interspecies stuff), but they kept adding it in, over and over again! And now in this episode, just "stop, never going to happen"!

[BornAgainBrony 2,395]

1 minute ago, Splashee said:

Absolutely true!
We just have to accept that the Mane 6 might never be perfect in G4. I can live with that. I just don't want one episode to rewrite something we have been part of for multiple years, like the whole Rarity <3 Spike relationship. Something like that should have been cancelled many seasons ago (because it is odd, controversial interspecies stuff), but they kept adding it in, over and over again! And now in this episode, just "stop, never going to happen"!

Well, controversial interspecies stuff still isn't over. Now instead of a Pony it's a Griffon. Yep... Spike is on his way to becoming the Captain Jack Harkness of Equestria

Something was going to go awry with this though and jeeze it's one of the reasons I think the writers have tried to stay away from romance as often as possible (Big Mac the Mare's Stallion aside) because there's no way you can please everyone. For every Rarity/Spike shipper out there, there's another who has been waiting impatiently for Spike to finally get over it and realize that Rarity obviously isn't going for it.

Really, it still leaves things open though. A while back I had the thought that if Rarity subconsciously had a thing for Spike, this was the ONLY way that she was ever going to realize it.

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

I always felt that MLP was afraid of some of their own subjects that they have been established. This episode was done way better than my worse case scenarios, and is an above average episode with a simple and straightforward plot. But in this far in the game, almost towards the end of the whole series, and no more need to preserve durability of the settings, I think some of the characters can pass the point that they can't turn back and don't need to be treated as if there are infinite episodes ahead. As long as they don't break continuity and the characters, they could have touched this subject more conclusively and less ambiguous. At least they could have been as bold as Secret of my Excess or Inspiration Manifestation without the actions and spectacles. There could have been more drastic changes and consequences at the ending than so to speak being reminded of common sense. Of course this episode is much more than just being reminded of common sense - don't take those words as their face values - and actually has more validity and relevancy to MLP, but they could have tackled the issue more uncompromisingly and upright.

And about how they portrayed and established dissonance between characters, the opening scene is a prime example of the typical bad MLP writing. This was a big turnoff for me. It felt very unnatural and contrived, ingenuine, unlike in Dragonshy when Twilight was hearing Fluttershy while reading the map.

It's a nice episode, but considering it's Rarity's last episode, it's relatively underwhelming.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Sepul-Coloratura

[Awkward Segway 301]

There are times when I think Rarity might be my fourth favorite of the Mane Six (or tied with Rainbow Dash for fourth), rather than my fifth favorite. Then episodes like this remind me of the aspects of Rarity that I dislike, and why she definitely deserves to be fifth.

That being said, it's nice to see that Spike has matured and is no longer completely infatuated with Rarity. Nice to see Gabby again too.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

I enjoyed this ep a lot, this ep is definitely the highlight of season 9 for me. Drama queen Rarity is back, in full force, i didnt realized how much i missed the drama couch.

This ep finally address that Rarity has taken Spike for granted for 8 freaking years in the show runtime. She unconsciously exploited Spike’s blind loyalty for years, get all his attention for herself then when he finally had his attention for something else, she realized how much she missed him and try to take him back. This ep feels like a deconstruction of Sparity. Rarity’s character flaws was emphasized in this ep but not in the distasteful way, not that awful 246G and definitely not Trivial Pursuit. Twilight character flaws in Trivial was over-exaggerated for the sake of comedy and the sake of her final last iconic crazy personality trait since Lesson Zero. Whatever Rarity doing in this ep works for the story context, it’s hilarious but it feels believable. I might disagree with her actions in act 2 but characters are not supposed to make me agree with them all the time, they challenge my outlooks in life.

About Spike, his chill attitude throughout the episode, especially the cold opening of this ep, is OMG. Maybe i get used to his excitement whenever Rarity is around him, maybe it feels like somebody has a fond of you and suddenly it looks like they dont give a damn about you anymore. Rarity needs to get used to changes, like Forever Filly, Spike has grown up, he doesnt have to follow her around anymore.

Friendship can be a obsessive sometimes, or love?! Wait, Rarity likes Spike, right, right?! Please tell me Sparity is not just a delusion...

It’s good to see Haber episode again, he did a great job with drama queen Rarity again since his last Rarity episode (It isnt Mane Things About You). Dramatic apology! Definitely someone was hurted by the random object during the apologizing. 

Great episode 8.5/10. Thanks Haber. 

 

Wait, i forgot to mention Gabby throughout this paragraph........

 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

While I can understand why some people had issues with this episode; I thought was great! Rarity's dramatic breakdowns, the relationship between Spike and Gabby (I NEED MORE OF THIS), and the conclusion were all just so wonderful. Admittedly I didn't like how Rarity disregarded Gabby's feelings, but in context I can see why she went that route.

Doesn't mean she was right, but I've seen this same shit happen in real life, so yeah.

[Veil 259]

This episode was awesome. I would make good friends with Spike and Gabby. I also come from a place with very unfriendly individuals.

[Oleks 1,983]

Rarity sure doesn’t like sharing her slaves friends. But I’m glad Spike finally broke free from her spell, and his own group of friends keeps growing. Spike really deserves all the appreciation, because, as Gabby said, he’s cool.

Overall the episode's theme reminded me of Make New Friends but Keep Discord. I really enjoyed Rarity’s drama and Tabitha’s overacting. And it’s good to see Gabby again, although I’m surprised she mostly hangs out with Spike, and not with the CMCs.

Some minor observations:
- Fainting couches never get old. I laughed at Twi’s reaction to them, and how she was about to throw one away with other trash.
- Rarity seems like a fun companion to play O&O with.
- Grampa Gruff really does care.
- Moondancer’s sister now lives in Ponyville.
- Cathy Weseluck’s “confession” about Rarity not being Spike’s real crush confirmed.

[cmarston1 5,951]

I really enjoyed this episode.  It was nice to get an episode that was sorta like Spike finally getting over his crush with Rarity, which is a bit of what I interpreted here.  Spike and Gabby surprisingly made for a cute friendship despite me never really thinking of the two as characters that would interact with one another before.  Rarity being overly dramatic is always a treat, and Twilight's frustrations with the fainting couches was pretty funny.  Overall I thought that was a pretty good episode.

[Cash In 21,471]

Good. Got some much needed development on Spike getting over Rarity that we needed as early as season 3. Some of the gags were good and Gabby's cool, so this gets my stamp of approval.

Edited November 6, 2021 by Cash_In

[Thrond 3,257]

I just don't like the mugging. This episode doesn't have that many jokes to begin with, and every attempt at humour just seemed obnoxious to me. I know Rarity's prone to melodrama, but the way she makes a big show of everything here rings false - she's making a way bigger deal out of all of this than it needs to be. More importantly, her desire to keep Spike around was never sympathetic to me, especially since it mostly seemed to be because he's good at doing work for her. And that she constantly bothers Spike with things that need to be done right now just makes it seem worse - just plan a day to hang out! It's so simple! The early seasons weren't like this - the ponies had actual reasons to be anxious, and there were actual jokes there as well. Her characterization isn't as nonsensical as Rainbow Dash in "3, 2, 1, Greaaat!," but it's still the most unlikable version of her possible. It also just seems so easily resolved, if only anyone - not just Spike, but Rarity and Gabby as well - had considered that, you know, maybe you don't need to see a friend every single day of your life. I also found the moral really unsatisfying; this whole story seems to imply way more than just "friendships change over time." We never even see this from Spike's perspective, so why does he learn something at the end? And what is it supposed to mean? It's like the episode tried to conclude an arc that doesn't exist. Even "3, 2, 1, Greaaat!" at least had a fitting moral. They did not need to drag Rarity through the dirt for something so vague and shallow. 

[Thrond 3,257]

If Gabby and Spike are supposed to be a couple, then the show should just come out and say it. It's not like it hasn't done that in the past. But if this is supposed to be about romance, then Rarity's relationship with Spike suddenly takes on several more icky layers, and I would prefer to give this show the benefit of the doubt; even this dubious season wouldn't go that far. 

[Veil 259]

It was nice being able to see Spike with Gabby. She seems like she treats Spike way better than Rarity. It also kind of showed how little Rarity really cared about the way Spike felt. Another part that made cringe a lot was when Rarity pretended to care about D&D just to get Spike to spend time with her instead of Gabby. I've seen people pull stunts like that before in the past. Gabby is the friend/ship that Spike deserves in my opinion.

[Sonic5421 423]

Honestly, I'm impressed that it was Gabby that Spike wanted to spend more time with due to them having so many things in common while she was busy delivering mail between Ponyville and Griffonstone regarding Gallus and Grampa Gruff.

As for Rarity, her reasons for wanting to have her Spikey-Wikey back are justified because of jealousy in that he was spending more time with Gabby lately, but I do appreciate how she convinced him to attend a couple of big events that he would have missed if he had been with Gabby at the time, and once Rarity saw how upset Gabby was over apparently being abandoned because of her, she quickly made amends with both Gabby and Spike and everything went smoothly after that.

Also, I do appreciate appearances by the rest of the Mane Six as they tried to fill in for Spike with helping Rarity out, especially the funny ending with Pinkie waking up the bats in the gem caves.

Overall, I'll give this episode an 9, possibly a 9.5/10.

[Brainstorm 4,092]

I think it's great that Spike made friends with Gabby Griffon.

[Quinch 1,119]

I rather liked this episode - it hits a few things that are obvious in hindsight, reaffirms certain aspects of Rarity's personality {and not in a bad way} and gives Spike some nice development when it comes to his relationship with her.

I might even go so far as to write a review. Maybe. If I can clean up my thoughts on it enough for something publishable.

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

I wonder what would it be like if it was Sweetie Belle instead of Gabby. (not because of the pre existing ship, but because of the characters.)

Edited September 9, 2019 by Sepul-Coloratura

[bwrosas 252]

Spoiler

Here in this bit of rambling/uncut video, I discuss the main issues fans have with the latest episode of #MLPSeason9, "Dragon Dropped" aka the final Sparity centric episode of the series.

Comments are Welcomed
 

(Runtime: 28mins, 50secs, Please take time with this)

 

 

[Snow 5,305]

But muh Sparity  I did not appreciate the undoing for one of my favourite ships, it was a good watch, a tad dramatic though.

[MalekPony 36]

Am I the only one who thinks that Rarity and Spike's relationship should go into full-on romance (and eventually, marriage) later on down the road?

[Ganondox 899]

I think this episode was the perfect way to resolve Spike's crush. He just gets over it on his own, but the dynamics are flipped so Rarity becomes the jealous one without being creepy. We then seen Spike form a much less problematic friendship with Gabby, and if there is any romance it's based on understanding each other rather than just attraction, and we see Rarity's friendship with Spike evolve into a non-toxic form. 

[Senko 459]

Ok my thoughts on this episode.

1) WAHHHHHHH only 7 more episodes left.

2) First gem cave exploration had me expecting Opalessence to be the one carrying Rarities basket.

3) So Rarities first port of call for help and solace is Applejack . . . interesting.

4) I expect a lot of people will like Spike's crush dissapearing and his being too distracted for her. I do find it interesting in the flashback sequences yes we see him doing things for her but we also see a lot of little responses like being relieved she caught him when he tripped coming out of the store or giving him the second cucumber slice.

5) I like applejack's headlamp

6) Ah Rarity even in Twilight's home you find a fainting couch, twice, so the first time you drag one in and the second was prepared are you stashing fainting couch's around ponyville for fainting emergencies?

7) I loved twilights "Ok, good talk" then the groan at the coach as autumn blaze said even with magic their hard to move alone. Plus later she's throwing it out with the trash (garbage collection and black garbage bags exist in Equestria apparently) and winds up with a second one so she uses it.

8) Agree on the humour in derpy closing the shutter on Rarities crate.

9) It was a nice touch that Rarity doesn't recognize gabby showing they never met.

10) Gabby's eyes in the pile of gifts was amusing and Rarities "Why does everypony keep harping on what I'm apologising for" plus Spike's constantly showing up at awkward times.

11) Another confirmation it's been years since Twilight and Spike first moved to Ponyville.

12) Comic conventions and sesonal events were nice even if we only get to see the aftermath.

13) Nice to see Rarities selfishness is still a part of her character "But then I'll have to share him" she say's to Spike's mother (or sister if you prefer that relationship) and Gabby is not all constant sweetness and giggles so nice characterization there.

14)

On 9/8/2019 at 5:53 AM, BornAgainBrony said:

This has been an ongoing theme this season. The exception of Summer Sun Setback (which is kind of understandable since it focused on the villains doing some meddling) that's four episodes in a row now. Dash forgets she's loyal, Twilight shuns Pinkie, Fluttershy has no patience with Angel, and now the Element of Generosity has a major brush with selfishness. It's going to be interesting to see if the other two get the same treatment before this is over.

However, like with "She Talks to Angel" I was more OK with this episode than I was with "2,4,6,Great" and "Trivial Pursuit." Maybe it's because the two most recent ones felt like fairer examples of situations that could push the characters into making huge mistakes, whereas the other two just felt kind of petty and under-developed? Dunno. I think a lot of this depends on how you feel about Rarity/Spike though. This episode is playing with romance in the same way that "Tanks for the Memories" played with death. It's treated as a friendship episode, but considering they used Rarity and Spike to set this off, and the fact that Spike clearly has a crush on Gabby now, it's pretty obvious that this story is a love triangle at its core. They pushed things just far enough to make this episode into the ultimate shipping war without revealing for certain if Rarity is harboring feelings for Spike, and it's bloody brilliant! Another good thing about it is that it gave Rarity ample time to apologize and atone for her mistakes instead of doing it all with just 60 seconds left in the episode.

Random things:

• LOL Derpy! Granted, anytime Derpy shows up is a treat though. I somehow could tell with the way Spike was acting, that this was going to be a pseudo-Valentine episode, and my first thought was, "OMG does he have a crush on Derpy?!"
• I'm a little bit disturbed that I could actually somehow actually read the title text on the Ogres and Oubliettes book. Apparently I've been in the TARDIS recently.
• Seeing Rarity going this far out of her element was fun, and it sounds like she actually enjoyed it.
• Spike created an O&O campaign catered to Rarity's interests. Aww.
• "Princess Shmarity" was an NPC in one of Spike's previous Ogres and Oubliettes games.
• It was refreshing for a woman to be the one going above and beyond to get the attention of a character. 9/10 times it's the guy trying all sorts of wild money-burning extravagance.
• Spike was helping Rarity make design choices? Dang, he's got some hobbies I didn't know about.

 

I have had several moments in this show where I'd swear I just read some of their writing it gives you a really strange feeling when you realize it.

15) Dash and Pinkie's attempts to help carry things were amusing as was Fluttershy's "Too close" moment with the pin cushion.

16) Fun callback with the bats.

17) I really want a short wtih Spike explaining how the various gems and crystaline substances taste to him, I wonder if that first one he rejected was really low quality if not glass given the storekeeps reaction?

[Splashee 28,537]

Can anyone explain to me how Rarity can move a drama couch using her magic with ease, while Twilight seem to have problems doing the same thing? (same scene, time 17:48 and 18:18 in the episode)

 

Yes, it is a joke. The animators placed two garbage bags on top of the couch that Twilight is dragging out of the castle (to make it look heavy), but by now, we know how much each magical pony/creature can lift in weight. Rarity just lifts a new couch in from nowhere using her magic.

[BBally 5]

I really enjoyed this episode and Gabby is still adorable.