S09:E23 The Big Mac Question

[Thrond 3,257]

Not a whole lot to say about this. Big Mac and Sugar Belle proposing to each other is really cute, and there's a bunch of individual funny moments, but I found the bigger picture kinda exasperating. It kinda seemed like everyone here kept making obviously bad decisions and should have known better, and when it was apparent that neither of these plans were working out, I really think they should have just went back to Big Mac and Sugar Belle and admitted as much. As always I wish this show were less predictable, and I don't think this took very good advantage of the mockumentary gimmick. And I don't find the moral about everything working out okay convincing at all; to me, it seems like it turned out like that solely because the stakes are so low. It sorta seems like they decided the wedding would happen first and then hastily slapped together a story to fit it. I dunno, I felt kinda similarly about "The Break Up Break Down" only to enjoy it a lot more on a second viewing, and I already found a lot of the jokes here pretty funny, so maybe that'll also happen with this one; for now I'm leaning slightly towards a thumbs up. 

Sugar Belle saying "eeyup" is some good stuff, though. 

Edited October 7, 2019 by AlexanderThrond

[Thrond 3,257]

Oh my god I totally missed the LyraBon proposal, aaaaaahhhhhh!

[BornAgainBrony 2,395]

Aside from a gripe about predictability, I can't think of anything else bad about this. It was fun, it was cute, touching, and a tear-jerker (in a good way).

• After the "Growing up" episode, I'm glad we saw the CMC have a role again. This felt like a much better sendoff for them. Also love that they're aware of how often this goes to Hell, and in fact they're trying to atone for it.
• Unexpected Discord episode. Kinda cute that when Big Mac needed help, he turned to his Ogres and Oubliettes buddies.
• Attaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack of the killler aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaplllleeeeeeeeeeeeeees!
• Lyra and Bon Bon!!! Somehow I feel like that dwarfs the front&center story, because that one has been such a long-time coming.
• Has Mrs. Cake EVER looked this frazzled before?
• Granny Smith dreams about DisQord. I... probably laughed at that a lot longer than I should've.
• Oh gosh, they're at THE tree. Cue "Niagara-falls."

[Senko 459]

Hmm a lot of what I'd comment on has been mentioned by other posters so I think I'll focus instead on the ring. This brings me back to something I've pondered a few times over the show and that's the odd mix ponyisms and humanisms. Pony adapted phrases and items that link up to human counterparts like manehattan/manhattan are one thing but then you have odd little human moments in a world where they make no sense. Not just the wedding ring but the whole concpet of a ring for a species with no fingers. Where did the idea come from? Why do pony's of different tribes give rings to each other? Is this a hint at somepoint in the distant past ponies and humans interacted with each other? Is this an earth pony adapation of a unicorn custom where since they have no horn they hang it around each others neck? I wonder what a pegasus would do around the neck or on a wing? Hmmm . . .

On other notes I did like the expressions in this one especially the crusaders at various moments where so expressive in this episode.

Bit odd that Mrs Cake messed up the cakes so badly when we've seen her manage equally big orders before, I did like her startled "What did I do?" in response to Discord saying her name and her getting angry at Spike ruining all her hard work on the deserts by setting them on fire. Plus it seems Spike can send his letters anywhere he wants not just to a pony but to an object and apparently their hot enough to burn hmmm makes Celestia receving a lot of them have interesting implications. I also liked his constantly commenting that the desserts were messed up before he sent the letters.

I found the group at the wedding a bit odd none of the mane 6 but sugar belle's old friends from our town were. Very nice symatry though.

I have to admit the scene in the spa with a mare screaming and throwing a towel made me think it was Dash screaming at her friends sister catching her in the spa.

Sugar Belle's lack of parents/family does make me wonder a bit about the other ponies that were drawn to Starlight's town and just why they were so interested in it. I feel like there's more and more evidence that a lot of ponies suffered mental trauma during Luna's absence as a guardian of their dreams.

Completely missed the Lyra/Bonbon proposal but I do like the fact in Equestria not only is it perfectly ok for a mare to propose to a stallion but for a homosexual couple to make a proposal in the town main street and not have anypony bat an eye. Though I suppose it is possible given the princess ruling for a thousand years that in Equestria its traditional for the mare to propose and Big Mac was the one breaking tradition.

The blue mare on the balcony reacting to the screams was fun.

Anyway I'll close with saying I did like Applejack dressing up for her brothers wedding and wiping away a tear at the story of their proposal being such a mess thanks to their friends and family just like real life.

Edited October 7, 2019 by Senko

[Shady Mist 55]

Lyra and Bon Bon proposed to each other! 0:06 

 

[Cash In 21,510]

Things certainly ended in a mess, though they were all due to coincidences and good intentions on Sugar Belle and Big Mac's part. Of course the situation took an extra crazy turn, thanks to Discord's shenanigans, though he meant well. I liked how the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Mrs. Cake involved in the plot, as it allowed for something humorous, yet with extra depth. The end result of Sugar Belle and Big Mac uniting as husband and wife was very heartfelt, particularly the callbacks to the previous episodes -  The Perfect Pear being the standout one. As for Lyra and Bon Bon proposing to one another in the background - that was cute. Good for those two. 

Regardless, I really enjoyed the content and I think it deserves its place as the final episode before the finale and epilogue. We're at the home stretch folks.

[Senko 459]

Something just occurred to me. As romatnic as Big Mac's geasture is scattering apples around a town full of ponies seems like a good way to get part of your scavenger hunt eaten by passing inhabitants. "Oh someone lost an apple" crunch. "Mmm that's hitting the spot" nom, nom.

Edited October 7, 2019 by Senko

[Nas 2,863]

Besides the premiere for this final season, I don't remember the last time I made a post in an episode thread. Though fitting, since this was the last episode ever before the finale, and the last morning premiere.

Other than the episode itself, which I did enjoy a good bit, I can't stop thinking about this.

The instant I saw this after the premiere (it was a background event that I missed so I had to first catch it when people were posting about it after), I about damn near cried. Way back in the beginning of my time obsessed with this show in 2012, Lyra- as well as Minuette and Berry Punch- were my favorite BG horses. Even had all 3 of them on a signature early on. 7 years later, after many years of being into pony, then out of pony, then sorta into pony again, this happens. Not only is a secondary proposal going on alongside the first one, one of the fandom's biggest ships from over the years was made canon, not to mention a gay couple is confirmed for the show (makes sense to including in a show like this, and it's perfectly subtle)! Quite a lot to take from this little scene, and for a little background event (that foreshadowed the ending of the episode, at that), it surely is huge. What an awesome thing to pull towards the end of the final regular episode of the show, all of the stuff I just mentioned really show how far the show has gotten over the decade. Background events are usually unimportant, and casual stuff going on amidst crazy stuff like the apple invasion are usually played for laughs, but this was both important and sweetly heartwarming, and really satisfying to see at the end of this show's incredible run. After all this time, one of the ponies that stole my heart when I was first watching the show back in 2012 ends up getting canonically, genuinely married. I never would have believed it if you told me that back then, but I wouldn't have believed a good number of incredible things that has happened in the show and fandom since then. This moment in particular fills my 2012 self with joy and tears, and I'll never stop being giddy that it's real.

They're really pulling out all the stops towards the end in this and many other ways. The big journey ends this week, I can't believe it. But I'm going to enjoy every single last bit of it.

[Senko 459]

3 more weeks of episodes for us here in Australia if we pirate more if we don't sigh. I feel sad knowing its coming to an end.

[River Daze 13]

Pretty dang good final "normal" episode! I loved the callbacks to The Perfect Pear and The Saddle Row Review (in terms of the narrative structure.

I didn't catch the Lyra/BonBon double proposal the first time, but that was just plain adorable.

[Rushing cash 824]

Great episode overall, it had some amazing moments like lyrabon(one of my favorite ships becoming canon), the apple thing or some of the references(the star trek one and the Jurassic park one with the water were great). Discord was at his best here and some really nice moments with big mac and sugar belle(the part when they proposed and the wedding was really nice).  Anyway, fantastic end to this arc, 9\10.

 

Edited October 8, 2019 by Rushing cash

[Shady Mist 55]

4 hours ago, Bas said:

@Nas Which ep is that?

This episode, "The Big Mac Question". 0:06

 

[WhoKnows 8]

This episode was great. I was happy they showed the wedding on screen, I was kind of doubting that would happen.

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

Spoiler

 

What's poning, ponles?

I love the idea of Big Mac getting married, but not to that airhead bimbo b*tch.  I hate Sugar Belle.  I never liked her.  Big Mac shoulda dumped her sorry ass to be with his f*ckin' soul mate:

Spoiler

Yeah, that's right--I'm one of those jackasses who's all sore and bent out of shape because they didn't make his ship canon.  What of it?!  I feel so sorry for her.  Especially now.  I knew the writers would never do it, but I was hoping against hope that they would have Big Mac break up with Sugar Belle and start dating Marble.  I still can't believe that Sugar Belle ever forgave him for trying to kiss her in her sleep in Hard to Say Anything.  Probably the single creepiest thing ever done on FIM.

But, that aside, it was actually a pretty great episode.  Really, really good.  Almost nothing bad I can say about it.  Big Mac's romantic plans are always kinda lame, but that's actually quite in keeping with his character.  He's kind of a dork.  Always has been.  He keeps quiet to create the illusion that's he cool, but he's actually a dork.  And Sugar Belle's plan was kinda lame, too.  She's also a dork.  I guess they're a perfect fit.  The execution of the episode was great, the humor was terrific, and the ending was sweet and heartwarming.  I really liked it.

Let me just get my couple of nitpickings out of the way.  First--it kinda bugged me that Sugar Belle didn't get an engagement ring for Big Mac.  And it also kinda bugged me that the ring wasn't for her horn.  I thought that's what unicorns typically did.  Like Shiny and Candy.  But since it was a necklace, then Big Mac shoulda got one too.  Oh well.  Not too big of a deal.  Second--why wasn't Pinkie helping Mrs. Cake with the apple treats?  She works there!!  Also, in the previous episode, did you notice that the CMC asked every single one of the mane to take them to the fair except Pinkie?  And now she's suspiciously absent from the bakery.  Did Pinkie die or something?

I think those were my only small gripes.  I loved everything else about it.  Y'know, apart from the fact that it had to be Sugar Bimbo and not Marble.  Discord's humor in this episode was great.  Hearing this terrifying apple monster say, "I love you, will you marry me?" actually made me lol.  I was surprised at how funny I found that.  And I actually love the fact that Discord ended up being better friends with Spike and Big Mac then he ever did with most of the mane six.  I mean, aside from Fluttershy.  None of the others really like him I think, especially Rainbow and AJ. 

Of course, the wedding was brilliant.  Having Mayor Mare marry them in the same place as the Apple's parents was perfect.  But the best part about it for me was that she asked him, too!    My life is complete.  I can die happy.

I always think it's really funny when someone, in any context, tries to think of the least likely place, or the least likely character, and so on.  Y'know, I'm referring to Apple Bloom checking the least likely places for Big Mac to be, such as the spa.  Even though those were establishments that Big Mac doesn't frequent, they were still in Ponyville, and anywhere in Ponyville is definitely not the least likely place for him to be.  The top five least likely places for Big Mac to be, from most to least likely, would be:

1) A.K. Yearling's cottage

2) Prince Rutherford's house in Yakyakistan

3) A cave deep in Bugbear territory

4) The undersea hippogriff kingdom

5) Tartarus

No, I don't overthink anything.  What're you talkin' about? 

Granny's Star Trek dream was definitely one of the best things in the whole show, hooves down.  "Discord was basically the same."  Lol.  Brilliant.    I had to remind my mom that Grand Pear is voiced by William Shatner.  Okay, so I definitely want to see some fan art of Grand Pear, Mud Briar, and Discord on the bridge of the Enterprise.  C'mon, chop chop!

I'm so glad that I loved that last normal, single episode.  Big Mac's wedding was a great note to end the normal episodes on.  It gave me some closure and a pleasant final memory, because it's pretty much guaranteed that I'm going to hate the finale.  I've been very vocal this whole season about how much I hate the Twilight-ruler arc for many reasons.  But who knows, maybe they'll do something really cool with the frenemies and Grogar.

Oh my Celestia, I can't believe the end is nigh.  This is it.  Holy candy-colored ponies, Batman!  Well, I'll see you all at the apocalypse.

[CinnamonSwirl 90]

I liked that big mac and sugar belle got married.  Love the happy couple!!

[Senko 459]

You know I just realized Granny's talking about Mud Briar in a manner that indicates not only does she know him but she expects the fillies to do so as well I wonder when and how they met?

[ImpctR 155]

On 10/5/2019 at 7:05 PM, PoisonClaw said:

Ahh how did I miss that, my favorite old times BG ponies proposing to each other, how cute!

[Truffles 2,033]

16 hours ago, Justin_Case001 said:

"Discord was basically the same."  Lol.  Brilliant. 

The meta is strong in that Granny.

That was my favorite line from the episode. I suppose that counts as pandering since its something the fans bring up all the time, but, eh, I don't care.

 

When the title was revealed for this episode, it was pretty evident this would be about a marriage proposal. The only question was who was doing the proposing in a matriarchal society (answer: both, lol) and which characters would appear. I figured Spike would be in it, and I hoped Discord would be in it as well since he appeared in the last SugarMac outing. Little did I know this episode would turn out to be a direct sequel to "The Break-Up, Break-Down!"

But it's more than a sequel to one of the best episodes from last season - it's the end of both the whole SugarMac storyline and Guy's Night Saga. And ending them as a trilogy somehow seems fitting. And making "Hard to Say Anything" the start of a trilogy somehow makes it seem better in retrospect. (As least for me, I kinda doubt many will agree, lol). It's easier to look back on the events of that episode and laugh when you know how good everything turned out in the end and the events of that episode now seem like wacky stories the two of them can tell to their kids.

 

Yeah... Spike can claim he wasn't going to eat the diamond in that ring, but unfortunately we know from "Just for Sidekicks" his tongue has a mind of its own. And that drool is a dead giveaway his stomach was getting ahead of his brain.

I wonder how long Big Mac had to save up for that wedding ring? I suppose the ubiquity of gems in Equestria probably makes wedding rings less expensive than they are here. It could also be the farm has become a lot more profitable since they started working with the fruit bats.

 

I liked all the callbacks to previous episodes. We got to see Spike's spooky Pinkie Pie-esque psychic powers again, the same ones he had in "The Break-Up, Break-Down." (Though I imagine Spike would just say he's being observant, and I suppose there may be merit to that having been raised by Twilight.) And we had Discord recalling his chocolate rain and long-legged "laporidae" from his first appearance. That was similar to his reminiscing to his hedge maze puzzle in "Dungeons and Discords," and having this continuity-of-callback was another nice way of tying the two sets of three episodes together.

It was funny how the episode switched things up by having Discord be the voice of reason in various segments of the episode, while Spike panicked over everything needing to be perfect in the name of romance. (But can you really blame a hopeless romantic, though?)

I also found it amusing how Discord can just teleport around town now and no pony even raises an eyebrow over it.

I'm trying to compare this Discord to Discord from "The Break-Up, Break-Down" and whether he's less likeable here. He did cause a lot of damage due to his apples-run-amok and applezilla, but he also meant well. But in the former, he was being pretty rude trying to get his pals to play O&O with him, even though it was their fault for tricking him into appearing. So I'm still on the fence.

When I saw this episode opening with a close-up of Spike talking to the audience, I was ready to give it a loved rating right then and there. (It's also the closest I'll ever come to having a face-to-face conversation with my favorite character, lol) I also loved the emotion they managed to coax out of his Flash puppet. The animators really have mastered their tools to the point it practically looks like fully hand-drawn animation. Many an animated TV series has usually suffered in terms of animation quality as the episodes stack up, so it's great to see the artists at DHX going out at the top of their game.

 

Who wants to have hand gestures made at them with their own hand?

Visual gag aside, I want to know if Spike knows how to manipulate Discord's claw from past experience of them playing O&O together, or does Discord's claw jump at any opportunity to show its disdain for its host?

 

I swear Big Mac looks chibi-fied in this "The Three Amigos" reference. He's so cute!

Spike, on the other hand, looks like he's having flashbacks to the hug he received from Starlight just a few episodes ago.

 

Ded dragon.

This initial exchange between Spike and Mrs. Cake was hilarious:
Spike:  "Eugh! Did somepony else bake these?"
Mrs. Cake: "No. Why?"
Spike: "No reason."

Spike tries his best to be diplomatic, but the sardonic tone in that last line shows he wasn't completely successful. Later, when Mrs. Cake yells at him for burning the food, his defenses go up and he doesn't mince words in regards to the quality of the baked goods. (I would have lol'd if he had referred to them as baked bads, even though back then he didn't have any issues eating such things.) I know some have criticized Spike for being rude to her, but I disagree because of the reasons stated above. (And that's not the Spike fan talking in me - I had no qualms about criticizing him over how he dropped the ball in "Dragon Dropped".)

 

This is my favorite visual gag from the episode. The comedy beat they inserted between Spike's "successful" teleportation and the ensuing inferno cracks me up every time I see it.

This scene finally establishes some ground rules for Spike message-sending power: He notices the notes are on parchment and says sending that material is his specialty. So it seems his power is limited to just that - he can't send objects or living things with his fire - which is something I wondered about all the way back when I started watching this show. Furthermore, his power isn't limited to sending notes to just the princesses. Since he had a random assortment of baked goods on the counter, it means he only has to visualize where he wants to send them.

So when he sends messages to Celestia, Luna, Cadence, or Twilight, he's really thinking about them appearing next to them. So he really is a kind of maildragon like he stated a few episodes ago since he can send letters to just about anyone or anywhere he is familiar with. And I suppose if he was feeling nasty he could visualize the parchment re-materializing inside some enemy's throat instead of next to them, but he's a nice dragon. (Right? Right??)

I still believe he was granted his power by Celestia, and presumably she also gave him the ability to receive messages through a spell she casts that activates that power.

 

Uh oh. Lesson Zero Mrs. Cake is emerging! XD

 

Looks like Apple Bloom has been taking leaning lessons from Discord! (Sweetie and Scoots are unimpressed.) I want to think this was another callback to "TB-U, BD."

 

Sweetie Belle has seen too much. The scrunchy mouth doesn't lie.

 

Discord has a heart! Who'da thunk it. (Fluttershy, actually. And Spike, too.)

Discord wasn't the only one showing off his liquid pride at the wedding. I got all choked up, and it was strange because up to that point the episode was all about the laughter. And yet, that background music, the wonderful callbacks to "The Perfect Pear" and invocation of Big Mac's parents all brought it to an amazing emotional climax.

 

I love AJ's dress and her braided mane. It seems like the costume she wore in the "Hearthswarming Eve" play, but I'd have to go and check.

It didn't go unnoticed that the ReMane 5 nor Starlight appeared here. Considering it would have been simple enough for the animators to add them in, I have to think the attendees we saw were by design. It would make sense knowing both Big Mac and Sugar Belle would want a very small wedding, and it appears they only invited a small number of family members and their closest friends. (Spike, Discord, and the trio of Our Town ponies should be honored.)

 

Anyway, amazing episode. Definitely my favorite of the season. Not a bad way for the series to go out before the finale!

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

Because Season 9 was its last, FIM was likely going to go out and try to deliver the best episodes possible. Out of the gate, Dubuc and Haber co-wrote Sparkle's Seven, one of the best comedic, animated, and written episodes of the series. Taking ideas from the lead voice actors, they blended together a tremendous script that never let up, delivered an excellent allegory of how well-made predictability transcends poorly-made unpredictability, and used that allegory to create an excellent plot twist. If you wanna read my review, it's right here.

Unfortunately, no episode review for The Last Crusade, but my love for it from the minute it debuted early never wavered. While Sparkle's Seven doesn't take itself too seriously, this was an emotional roller coaster from the minute Scoot realized her parents were coming home. Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter were, to put it bluntly, very bad parents for not being able to spend time with Scootaloo, and the parents (and episode itself) know it. Therefore, they come up with a solution that allows them to do the job that Equestria depends them upon while simultaneously taking care of Scootaloo. Unfortunately, it completely overlooked the fact that Scootaloo has hundreds of close relations back in Ponyville and all over Equestria. In trying to resolve a dilemma, they made Scootaloo even more upset and put her at greater odds with them. The only way they were going to let her stay is to show them that the CMCs truly changed their lives for the better; with help from Aunt Holiday, Auntie Lofty, and every resident they knew, they successfully convinced Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter that separating the CMCs would only hurt Equestria over the long haul. Letting her stay in Ponyville and promising to spend more time with her when the train let them was the right solution for the story, lessons, and characters.

Both TLC and Seven are outstanding and extremely close in quality, but by the skin of its teeth, Last Crusade overthrew it. No other episode came close to toppling it…until The Big Mac Question.

---

Line 'Em Up!

I long repeated this, and to write it again, the dialogue since Shadow Play has really improved, the verbal comedy especially. Since Dubuc relinquished her role as co-editor, the comedic dialogue has, sadly, been somewhat of a step down. Thankfully, I'm reminded through BMQ that the same wit never really left, and that when it's on, it's great.

Discord, for that matter, was the king of these great lines. Here are just a few:

1. Quote

   Discord: Regardless of what Spike might say, that little dragon begged me to help. And let me tell you, he can cause plenty of chaos all on his purple lonesome.

   The first line wasn't quite true, but the second completely was, historically speaking.

2. Quote

   Discord: [reading] "From the Sugarcube Corner, look for your next clue. Red, delicious, sweet like you. Find it; you'll know what to do." [groans] He should stick to bucking apples.

   
   (The line is doubly important for adding context to the episode's central lesson of how keeping things simple are what really makes things special, but I'll get back to that later.)

3. Quote

   Discord [gruffly]: Listen up! Each of you has a job to do! Take a look at your stems!

   [apples chittering, look at their stems]

   Discord: Tell me about it. But regardless, [pulls down map of wooden apples] go to your designated location, deliver your messages, and make me proud! Dismissed! [salute]

   Not a bad callback.

4. Quote

   Spike: I guess this can't get any worse.

   Discord: As the Lord of Chaos, I'd advise against saying things like that.

   Once more, Discord has a point. Every time someone hopes for the better, something goes wrong.

But Discord's the Lord of Chaos with a childish, immature streak, too. Since he wasn't alerted of Big Mac's proposal plan, he became giddy and impatient (with a great mariachi reference [taking a page from Star Trek: TNG]). As he read a message on a painted apple, he quickly realized something was awry in his own way. Big Mac's riddles were clumsily written, sometimes confusing, and easily gave away the second location. In trying to come up with the "perfect idea," Big Mac created a major flaw in his plan.

However, Discord still isn't completely accustomed to the "friendship" aspect of Equestria, and given his long, immortal, antagonistic history, he maintains a defiant, devious streak. After he uses his magic to lay every single wooden apple around Ponyville without fully looking at the riddles, he soon caved in to Spike's glares and doubt, agreeing to double-check. From the beginning, Discord believed this game was overblown and instead should give it to Sugar Belle instead, only to have it rejected for "not being romantic" and breaking BM's rule of discovery. Afterwards, when he missed his chance to actually get Sugar Belle to see an apple, he went about spreading "the love" in, once more, his own way: giving the wooden apples life and instructing them to their own posts.

Unfortunately, like Big Mac, his instructions and direction were also not quite clear, so the apples popped up whenever another pony passed by, leading to delicious, entertaining chaos. Without it, Discord's involvement in the episode would be out of character and as bland as Cart Before the Ponies. Chaos drives Discord, and his ability to create havoc and mayhem makes for a more entertaining conflict and story, especially around Big Mac and Spike. On the other hand, it puts him into fault. Instead of thoroughly double-checking and making sure everything goes right, he cuts corners and tries to be cute and creative (tho I don't mind ), leading him to become responsible for the spider-looking apple monster.

Also, I disagree with the criticism of Discord regressing. Sure, he may not have developed like D&D and TBUBD, but he understands how much Sugar Belle means to Big Mac. Despite his severe disagreement with the plan and Spike's commitment to it, he regrets worsening things and helps rectify the errors with everyone else offscreen as BM and Sugar proposed to each other. Furthermore, this episode shows some subtle growth from Break Down: After a lot of complaining over the lovey-dovey stuff and wanting to play O&O instead, he doesn't let his opinions interfere with Big Mac's proposal and tries to simultaneously help her solve the riddles and respect Spike's pleas.

The Time Is Right

Michael Vogel's among the best writers of the current crop. The Big Mac Question adds to his résumé, and with Hader co-writing, they co-created well-done, well-timed comedy.

1. Discord's spilling of littler, more innocent secrets works as a joke for a big reason. As written already, Discord still hasn't fully accustomed to friendship, notably keeping a secret. FS's fright of clowns, Twilight's sleepwalking, and Octavia's date have a more innocuous, lighthearted zephyr; yes, he's spilling them to Spike and Big Mac, but not maliciously.
   
   This joke leads to the punchline right before the intro: shouting excitedly that Big Mac plans to propose to Sugar Belle. Everyone's curious reaction to the echo is really hilarious, and even better as one of them — Shoeshine — hears it and shrugs it off.
2. Even better, they repeated the very same joke while keeping it fresh. It's 100% understandable that Apple Bloom's family will soon expand with Sugar Belle becoming her soon-to-be sister-in-law. Her giddy face sells her excitement well, so when she shouts out loud and everyone's as confused as before, you still laugh.
3. Every single "shocking" misadventure by the CMCs:
   1. Scoot heads to the bowling alley and accidentally causes a Lebowski stallion to throw a bowling ball into a lamp, breaking the wooden panels below.
   2. When AB heads to the sanctuary, she shocks a monkey into a sleeping canopy of Smoky and family.
   3. SB opens a sauna, where a relaxing mare throws a body towel over her head when she finds out her privacy's invaded.

4. Quote

   Discord: You know, thinking back, I probably could have been clearer which pony to deliver the messages to.

   Spike: You think?

   Spike has a point. Discord's poor directions made the apples believe that the next pony to come close will receive the poem, and it followed each pony wherever they went. In trying to make Sugar Belle see an apple, he — surprise surprise! — helped unleash a boatload of chaos at the Ponyville market. Relocating them back to Sweet Apple Acres was another unwise decision, as they merged into THIS monstrosity!
   
   However, instead of actually going on a rampage to find Sugar Belle, the apple monster with its six, spidery eyes successfully delivered the assigned message in its grossest, yet most sincere, message of marriage right onto Discord. Yes, all the apple spit's gross, but not done with any ill intentions, and Discord didn't do a lot to make the problem better.
   
   Secondly, notice how the large apple's voice is very similar to Big Macintosh's? A nice, little way to get Peter New to talk in his Big Mac voice while making it sound as garbled, menacing, and childlike as possible.
5. Whenever Granny Smith spoke, she was "spaced out," giving DHX plenty of leeway to pluck some great Star Trek references. Beyond "where nopony has gone before," she said this:

   Quote

   "And then Discord showed up and... well, you know, he was pretty much the same."

   >References Q
   >Inspiration for Discord
   
   …cheeky cheeky!

Yet, the timing of the humor alone wasn't just right. As the apples chased Ponyville in Act 1, the animation crew snuck in this tender moment:

Ever since FIM started, Lyra and Bon Bon have always been side by side, and the brony fandom established a long-time ship out of it. In Slice of Life, they teased the possibility despite hammering in the "best friends" line with the cheek caressing, couple-like arguing late, and the bedroom eyes. Over the last few seasons, their "friendship" began to really evolve, especially since S8 when DHX knew the finish line. Just a few examples:

1. Grannies Gone Wild: Everywhere they went in Las Pegasus.
2. Break Down: Exchanging Hearts & Hooves Day gifts.
3. Marks for Effort: Bon Bon buying a green cactus, presumably for Lyra.
4. End in Friend: Having lunch together.
5. Dragon Dropped: Sharing a milkshake together, ala Buttercup and Bright Mac.

After what happened in DD, you knew that the animators were just going to do something with Lyra and Bon Bon. From Season 5 onward, their evolving relationship was clearly no accident. While the main stories developed in front of us, their arc developed from the background. I guarantee you someone in this fandom will go back, find all the foreshadowing over the seasons, and build their story.

Why is their proposal so significant?

1. Representation matters. The TV debut to Auntie Lofty and Aunt Holiday introduced a same-sex couple for the first time in the show's history. While they're secondary characters, their presence in Scootaloo's life mattered, and they helped lead the CMCs' idea for a CMC Appreciation Day.
2. It demonstrates how significant the brony fandom truly was to the growth of this show. In the beginning, everyone was surprised by how good Friendship Is Magic truly was. Although viewership and overall size of bronydom has dropped over the years, it still has its viewers and dedicated bronies. The brony fandom created this popular fanon ship all the way back to season one…and animator Morgan Shandro made it canon.
    

Lofty/Holiday and LyraBon are special in their own rights. The former gave the LGBTQ+ community well-needed representation in a very popular family show and directly impacted the story. The latter came after years and years of development, and the animators decided that this was the right time to make it official.

BTW, how apropos for Lyra to propose by dropping on one knee like a human?

Drawing to a Close

A giant reason why Shadow Play's one of the greatest episodes of FIM is how it blended so many arcs into one. Changes of editors + writers = changes of direction. The team turnover means new people post and publish episodes that match their own vision of FIM, so you have a wide array of stories that sometimes go nowhere. This two-parter blended so many arcs (the Pony of Shadows, Star Swirl's lack of understanding friendship, the Pillars, Starlight's redemption) so seamlessly that it looks like the creators intentionally left them vague so that they can be completed at the right time. It's one of the most impressive feats this show has ever done. Big Mac Question blends so many arcs in a smaller scale and closes them.

1. Back in The Cutie Map, Spike explains his preference to be with Big Mac as the reason for skipping the Mane Six's first friendship quest. More than a season later, Nick Confalone expanded this little gag into its own story by including Discord in the Guys' Night Out duo. Two seasons later, they all acted like they knew each other since Spike hatched. BMQ added another chapter into this arc with one central goal.
2. Once Hard to Say Anything concluded, Sugar Belle and Big Mac became an item. Over this and the next few seasons, the writers and animators sprinkled in romance between 'em, solidifying their unity. This episode called back to how they became an item in the first place: Big Mac renovating her shelf to add more space for her desserts, and Scoot recognized the blueprint for it inside SAA.
   
   Also, great call by Vogel and Haber to have Sugar Belle plan to propose to him, too. Usually, the male proposes to her, and Big Mac planned to pop the question at some point today. However, Plot 1B had Sugar Belle plan her own with Mrs. Cake's and the CMCs's help, showing that Sugar Belle had some ideas and offer of her own to prove her own commitment as his wife. Speaking of the CMCs…
3. As the episode lampshaded, they earned a reputation of concocting schemes, either with success or failure, since they first met. After multiple tries, they finally got Big Mac to become an item with Sugar. Here, they felt guilty for accidentally contributing to the confusion that almost caused them to break up. (In Break Down, the delivery ponies mistook Sugar Belle for Sweetie Belle after smudging the address, leading them to believe she had a secret admirer.) For the first time all series, they're aware of the consequences. By working with Sugar and helping her to find Big Mac, they feel like they can make up for at least some of it. Yet, as what the episode showed, even their good intentions sometimes don't go according to plan.
4. All series long, Spike's romanticism has had an impact on everyone and himself. In Break Down, he hinted his romantic "expertise" by reciting a poem of his unrequited crush on Rarity, only to be hilariously interrupted when Discord ignored him. XD Here, he brags to an offscreen character how he's so romantic and tries to help Mrs. Cake deliver all the proposal messages to the desserts…only to have his idea burn to a crisp.
5. Lyra's and Bon Bon's series-long, evolving relationship, as explained before. Plus, notice how Bon Bon popped the question just after Lyra? Their dual proposal and rings subtly foreshadow Sugar's and BM's later on.
6. Sugar Belle was one of the four ponies the Mane Six met when they first arrived in Our Town, and led them into an underground rebellion so they can regain their magical talent and break free from Starlight's tyranny. At season's end, she forgave her, and later helped invite Starlight to return to the village for the festival. After To Where, DHX slowly incorporated her into the secondary cast. The time she became super-heartbroken over losing her boyfriend and then became super-happy when they reunited was the moment I permanently bought into their romance. When Big Mac talked about how he loves her snorty chuckle, you can tell they really love each other. When they were going to marry was only a matter of time.

Aside from being part of the timeline of Dungeons & Discord, Hard to Say Anything, and The Break Up Break Down, it is the perfect sequel to the franchise's greatest episode — The Perfect Pear — and references it in so many ways.

1. Decades ago, Buttercup suspected that Mrs. Cake — Chiffon Swirl back in the day — enjoyed baking, so she gave her ingredients and challenged her to be creative. Her instincts were proven right, as she got her cutie mark and became lifelong, close friends with BC, which continues long after her passing. Here, she's essential to the story by agreeing to take part in Sugar Belle's 21-dessert surprise proposal.
2. When the Pears were about to relocate to Vanhoover, their parents married in secret at the rock that borders the Pear and Apple orchards. (Notice how Bright and BC planted seeds in their opposing orchards, which directly contributed to the growth of the intertwining apple-and-pear tree around the rock in which they declared their love for each other. During their walk together, they find themselves at that tree, and as they talked, the sun sets perfectly within the iconic heart, spiritually indicating their support for Sugar Belle and their romance.
3. Knowing who his father was like means a lot to Big Macintosh. Here, he envisioned proposing to Sugar Belle at a similar desk like the one he built for her a few seasons ago, calling back to Bright Mac's own declaration of love to Buttercup at the rock, only to teasingly falter. Through this episode and his heart-to-heart chat with his girlfriend, we see he knows more about him now and how much his understanding of his parents matters so much. Now that he's older and wiser, he wants to respect their legacy. Sugar Belle’s poignant wisdom and subsequent glow also suggest agreement by them with her, too.
4. The first time Mayor Mare officiated a wedding, she worked with Bright Mac to rush one in before they relocated far away. That wedding was set up quickly and in secret from the feuding families with no certainty if they were going to be together. Bright Mac wasn't lucky just to get her to witness their surprise, but also complete the vows before the Pears moved. This doesn’t happen here. The wedding at the now-grown tree was well-planned and included the wanted decorations, guests, streamers, and so forth. From the start, Sugar and BM know they want to spend the rest of their lives together, a massive contrast from the pressure Pear Butter and Bright Macintosh felt then.
5. One of the two twists within the episode: everyone explaining to Applejack, the unknown narrator. (The other being the wedding, which I'll get to later.) She was the one who agreed to go on that expedition to find out about why the Pears and Apples feuded for so long, which introduced their parents’ pasts to them, brought them closer to them, and helped them forgive Grand Pear. Her tears show how touched she was of not only the story they told her, but her brother's marriage.
   
   Speaking of…
6. Grand Pear only had a couple of cameos here, but his biggest one was his appearance at his grandson’s wedding. The last time one took place there, he abandoned his own daughter and never saw her alive again. Several decades later, he returned to Ponyville. Their forgiveness and witnessing of the beautiful intertwined tree together began the long-awaited healing process. This time, he (and Granny) returns to the very same site, stands beside the other Apples and Burnt Oak, and gives Big Mac his unconditional blessings, closing another gap that caused a massive, increasingly bitter divide between himself and his mother-in-law.
7. How poetic is this sequel to have another marriage take place at their tree. Two seasons ago, the Apple kin rediscovered their parents’ legacy, how they introduced each other, and fell in love thru very bitter times. Come to the end of the episode, and that long-standing bitterness that divided the Pear and Apple families for so long is healed. Well, BMQ breaks a second, not-so-talked-about barrier: Sugar Belle’s the first non-Earth Pony to be part of the Apple family. (Also, recall AJ scolding Twilight for using magic unsolicitedly on her farm in S1? Intentional or otherwise, this episode implicates that the Apples welcome unicorn magic full-time on the property now.)

A Lesson in Execution

BMQ's primary lesson — "When you tend to make things complicated and make mistakes, the simplest things are the most desired and cherished" — is magnificent, but the way it's taught brings that home.

1. Before he takes out his ring, Big Mac wants to show Sugar Belle his commitment to being her husband matters by helping her find him. How? By using those painted apples with attached clues, she travels from one location to the next before meeting him at the hilltop near Sweet Apple Acres. Unfortunately, his plan never properly flourished. Not only did she miss the first apple, but he had to go back to his barn to pick up the screwdriver he left behind. When he realizes she wasn't coming, he walks to Sugar Cube Corner to find her.
2. Discord tries to help Sugar Belle find the first apple, but she misses it twice, resulting in his poor strategy of having the apples follow whoever sees them first. When he cleaned it all up, Sugar Belle still never saw it! Deciding to cut to the chase, he brought her to that same hilltop, only to realize he left. He blindfolded her and then brought her back to SCC.
   
   He may believe in romance now, but doesn't quite understand it still.
3. Instead of helping each other out, Spike and Mrs. Cake were so sworn to their own party's secrets that they created an imaginary buffer that prevented helping each other out. When Spike tried to help Mrs. Cake, he found out that Mrs. Cake messed up her desserts and later accidentally burned every one of Sugar Belle's messages.
4. Spike isn't always the politest dragon, and BMQ's no exception. In order to make Sugar's search for BM as perfect as possible, he got a little too worried over the arrangement, placement, and visibility of each apple, glared hard at Discord for not checking carefully, and refused to ease the game's difficulty. Why did he blow his magical fire on the remaining notes? Because he believed they would be able to get into the desserts quickly and easily, only to screw up badly. However, he didn't accept all of the blame, bluntly criticizing Mrs. Cake's terrible desserts.
5. Mrs. Cake accepted a very difficult challenge of baking twenty-one desserts. Immediately, things went terribly wrong. During the rush, she had absolutely no idea what ingredients she was using and whether she used them at all. Poignantly observed by Scootaloo:

   Quote

   Scootaloo: I think I've seen her add sugar to that bowl six times so far.

   Fortunately, no pony tasted them.
6. Sugar Belle orchestrated her entire twenty-one-dessert proposal with Mrs. Cake and added another one with its own message to call Big Mac down to the shop. The purpose of having just one word in each dessert was to help Big Mac solve the proposal puzzle after he eats each once, but to bake that many meant Mrs. Cake's margin for error significantly decreased and must work harder than usual to finish on time. On her end, discovering Discord and Spike at the doorstep meant overlooking the apple on the step and running off as quick as they can to find Big Mac.
7. The Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to find Big Mac to give him the dessert as promised. But when they couldn't find him at the barn, Apple Bloom called back Granny's advice and took it a little too literally, causing trouble of their own and annoying her friends in the process.

The fact that everyone's plans were too complicated is kind of the point. Every single pony's so focused in trying to create the perfect proposal, they overlook serious flaws. What everyone had to figure out was that by messing things up, they discovered the true worth of commitment and dedication. They never had to go over the top in order to fix it, either. Pairing it down the essentials was all they needed, something Discord comprehended well beforehand.

Sugar Belle was the first outside of Discord to truly figure it out after Big Mac felt upset for screwing up his own proposal and feeling that he let the legacy of his parents down. Because he doesn't talk much, his words matter a lot, so when he expresses his sadness, you really feel it. However, despite problems of her own, she understood that this was nothing compared to what they (and when she was controlled by Starlight) endured. To her, this was merely a blip. Mistakes happen; they can use 'em to grow closer and really show their love for each other.

I read a few comments on Derpibooru calling their dual proposal cute, and it really is. <3 Their solid chemistry sells the warmheartedness!

But I won't end my review until I call out two other things in this episode:

1. All episode long, Spike wore nothing. For all we know, the fourth wall or a character we had no idea existed until then interviewed all of them. What slowly began to change, though, was when he wore a suit and tie for the first time. As a result, the wedding surprise was kept under wraps from the audience; showing him wearing his suit and putting on his bow tie really makes their marriage all the more impactful. Had we knew they were eloping at episode's end, this whole journey would've felt completely pointless.
2. After a lot of great humor, chaos, and a little bit of drama, Discord alerting the apples to drop and sing "happy marriage, happy apples!" was perfect, heartwarming cuteness on top of already perfect cuteness! He might've added to the problems, but he respects their wedding ceremony and uses a subtle, Discord-y twist to show it. Consider this his own, special way to appreciate his friendship with everyone, their marriage, and their future lives.  

---

Conclusion

What else can I say about this one? The Big Mac Question is really funny, really cute, and really heartwarming. Vogel and Haber tackled all of the emotions at exactly the right time and provided a magnificent cap to several arcs, some of which date back to the first season. This is the new-best Season 9 episode and one of the ten best of the series.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Dark Qiviut
Cleaned up some grammar issues.

[ImpctR 155]

2 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Representation matters.

It does? As much as I like Lyra and Bon-Bon and enjoyed seeing them since early seasons, I can never say representation is needed when I watch something in general. It becomes as forced as movies in which there always has to be one representative of each race. In gaming communities (although it came as a joke where I saw it) some ask: can we please have lgbt reference in the game please ? Whether it would be a character skin or what not..

And im like (also some lgbt members too) raising eyebrow. It is turning from - it is nice to have into - must have, shove it on everyone everywhere and any time.

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

17 minutes ago, ImpctR said:

It does?

100 percent. Representation gives people of these group a sense of mattering and being able to do things and be a part of something beyond a stereotypical, whitewashed box. Having same-sex couples in FIM tells LGBTQ+ people and family of such that they're aware of their existence and that they're as important as anyone else.

[Senko 459]

I still say that was Rainbow Dash enjoying a pampered pony spa day which is why she was so upset at being found out by a friend's little sister.

[Music Chart Fan 818]

Overall, I would say that this is an okay episode. Part of the issue I have is that I don't like the idea of feeling obligated to buy an expensive engagement ring, or to come up with a complicated "grand gesture" proposal. So as the setting up and attempted execution of Big Mac's and Sugar Belle's proposal schemes were playing out, I couldn't help thinking of both the logistical issues of the schemes and how unnecessary they feel to me. Spike does say near the end of the episode that "when all the planning and grand gestures go wrong, it reminds you the most romantic things are usually the simplest", so maybe we can hope that everyone involved learned that lesson. I did like Discord's sarcasm and cynicism when interacting with Spike and the others, even as he does ultimately still care. It's nice to see that Sugar Belle was planning to propose herself, in addition to Big Mac. And there were some interesting and nice symbolism and callbacks throughout the episode.

-----

The first thing I'll talk about is these engagement/proposal schemes that Big Mac and Sugar Belle attempt in the episode. It seems to me that buying an expensive/impressive engagement ring, and proposing with some over-the-top/complicated "grand gesture", are traditions that many people feel obligated to do because they heard or were told that that's what you're "supposed" to do, or that that's the way it's "been done". But I don't see any particular value in buying expensive engagement rings or making some complicated plan and "grand gesture" to propose, so I don't think people should be pressured or feel obligated to do things like that. Thus, I can't help feeling some frustration when seeing Big Mac's and Sugar Belle's proposal schemes for that reason, and on top of that, I can see logistical issues with their schemes, and I'm not even sure how much value or enjoyment they would get out of them.

To start off, Big Mac says "I don't talk much, so I want to SHOW Sugar Belle how committed I am". But if he doesn't talk much, then wouldn't it be all the more meaningful for him to talk about his commitment to Sugar Belle? Or couldn't his commitment be shown by his day-to-day actions and nice things that he does, rather than making some definitive singular grand gesture? Looking at Big Mac's plan, the first thing that we see is that he'll make a picnic table to match the shelf that Big Mac made for Sugar Belle's shop. So will this picnic table be subsequently used for Sugar Belle's shop? Will the shelf end up being used elsewhere along with the picnic table? I'm just trying to think if there's any practical purpose to making this picnic table match the shelf, but I guess that depends on where and how this picnic table will be used later. (And hopefully it will be used later, and not just built and used for this one evening for the proposal.)

I also don't know how much enjoyment Sugar Belle would get out of this riddle-solving scavenger hunt that Big Mac planned, even if it were to go off without a hitch. Is Sugar Belle known to like doing scavenger hunts and solving riddles? I guess we don't really know, since we don't know that much about Sugar Belle. Spike says "Sugar Belle's gonna love it!", but I don't know if he can be trusted, since he's probably blinded by hopeless romanticism. But we'd better hope Sugar Belle likes it, because, going by the map of apple locations, she has to find 21 apples with 21 riddles all around Ponyville and the surrounding area. How long is this scavenger hunt supposed to take? An hour? All afternoon? How much physical and mental exertion is Sugar Belle being expected to undergo?

And this scheme feels like it's just asking for problems. Of course, what happens in the episode is that Sugar Belle is too busy and never even notices the first apple with the message to kick off the scavenger hunt. But even if Sugar Belle had seen that, what if she can't figure a riddle out? What if she takes too long to find all the apples and eventually go to Sweet Apple Acres? What if she just isn't in the mood for doing this scavenger hunt today? Yet Big Mac finishes the picnic table and then just sits there with a smile on his face, as though he thought this scheme would surely go just as planned. And then, about 15 seconds after we first see him at the picnic table, he apparently concludes that there must have been a problem, and gets up to investigate. I assume that Big Mac wouldn't have wanted Sugar Belle to show up before he had finished making the picnic table, so how long had Big Mac been sitting there? What was the time window within which Big Mac expected Sugar Belle to find all the apples and make her way to Sweet Apple Acres?

For Sugar Belle's part, she says that Big Mac is "a pony of few words. I love that about him. So, I thought I'd use as many words as possible to propose to him!". But does Big Mac like hearing or putting together needlessly verbose questions/statements? Also, I'm not exactly clear on what Sugar Belle's proposal scheme is. She wants 21 slips of paper spelling out her proposal to be put in 21 different desserts, and the CMCs are delivering a pie to Big Mac containing an invitation to go to Sugarcube Corner. So, assuming the pie is delivered, and Big Mac cuts the pie open right away and sees the invitation (not a guarantee, unless the CMCs are told to make sure that he does so or something), then Big Mac will go to Sugarcube Corner. And then...what? Are these 21 desserts just going to be out on a table or something? Is Big Mac expected to eat, or at least cut open, each of the 21 desserts, to discover all the slips of paper? Are the slips of paper numbered or something, so Big Mac will put them together in the right order? Is Sugar Belle going to be there as Big Mac eats the desserts and discovers the slips of paper, or will she perhaps be hiding somewhere to secretly observe his reaction? At least it seems like a pretty safe bet that Big Mac would enjoy eating baked goods (although, again, it's possible that he could not be in the mood or something), but I don't know that Big Mac would eat or sample 21 desserts in one sitting, at least without prompting.

-----

Another thing we see in this episode is that Spike's dragon breath to deliver "parchments" (as Spike describes it) apparently works by his thinking of the location he wants to send it, or something like that. But it's still not clear to me exactly how this works. Is it Spike's having a destination in mind that differentiates between his sending a scroll or whatever, and just burning it? Spike has burned books and newspapers before, and it's possible that that was because he had no thought of sending them anywhere. However, this still may not explain how, way back in "Griffon The Brush Off", Spike sends scrolls to Celestia by hiccuping fire on them, when he doesn't seem like he's intending to send them at that time. And I'm not sure if the material needs to be "parchment" specifically in order for Spike to send it. Spike sent and received tickets to the gala way back in "The Ticket Master", and the tickets were shiny and didn't appear to be made of just "parchment". And Spike has sent scrolls that are closed with ribbons and what appear to be metal seals, so those don't seem to be purely paper material.

I'm also curious about the specific mechanics of this sending ability. For example, let's say that Spike is asked to sent a scroll to the office of the leader of Saddle Arabia. Does Spike need to have gone to that office personally? Does Spike need to know the geographic location of the office? Does Spike need to have a mental visualization of the office? And could Spike get such a mental visualization from a picture or something, even if Spike hasn't been there himself and doesn't necessarily know its geographic location? Or does Spike only need to think the words "office of the leader of Saddle Arabia" when sending the scroll, and the "magic" of the fire breath takes care of figuring out where that is? Also, could Spike send a scroll to a person without knowing that person's location at that moment? And if so, again, does Spike need to have met that person himself, have a mental visualization of that person, or just think of the name of that person to send a scroll to him/her? And thinking about this episode, if there are 21 slips of paper to put in 21 desserts, does Spike actually have the geographic locations, interiors, and/or names of 21 different desserts distinctly in his mind?

Plus, Spike uses his dragon breath on all the slips of paper, even though there only look to be about 11 desserts on the table. Were there only the 11 slips of paper in the bowl, or all 21 (minus one that Mrs. Cake placed already)? Are there other desserts off-screen that also had slips of paper "delivered" into them and caught fire? And were particular slips of paper supposed to go into particular desserts? Spike never even asked before using his dragon breath to send them.

-----

Now I'll talk about a few other larger points. First, Big Mac plans this big proposal scheme, but apparently doesn't think to pre-order or buy or make food for this romantic meal until just before it. And apparently Sugar Belle doesn't think to pre-order or make 21 desserts prior to the planned day of her proposal, either. Plus, if Mrs. Cake is frantically trying to make 21 desserts, such that she's making mistakes in her recipes that both she and others notice (or at least suspect), then what's the rush? Why do all these desserts, and these proposal schemes, need to be done today, rather than in a day or two, or even a week? Is today an important anniversary of Big Mac's and Sugar Belle's first date or something? (That could explain why both of them coincidentally were planning to propose on the same day.) Also, I'm kind of surprised by how much Mrs. Cake messes up when making Sugar Belle's order. She says "I pride myself on baking under pressure" and "I do love a challenge", but Sugar Belle's order is too much? Is her order unprecedented in scope and urgency? Does Mrs. Cake not have contingency plans for dealing with sudden large orders, such as enlisting Mr. Cake or Pinkie or others to help?

When Big Mac tells Sugar Belle that he "wanted our love to be as perfect as my parents' was when they planted these two trees together", it called to mind what I noticed and wrote when I first watched "The Perfect Pear" - that Bright Mac and Pear Butter seemed to be portrayed as essentially perfect in every way. I did have a discussion about how it's understandable that people that remember Bright Mac and Pear Butter would want to remember the positive things about them, and that the two of them also may not have talked about many of their disagreements and mistakes. But this episode also shows that it's important for the Apple siblings (and others) not to put Bright Mac and Pear Butter so high on a pedestal that they forget that the two of them were people that made mistakes and had to deal with problems like everyone else.

I obviously get the point of Sugar Belle's analogy about the intertwined apple and pear trees that Bright Mac and Pear Butter planted, but at risk of being accused of "ruining the moment", I still can't help thinking: are the two intertwined trees actually "stronger together", and actually more likely to "survive whatever comes because they don't have to do it alone", as compared to the two trees just growing separately? Should the Apple and Pear families be planting more apple and pear trees to grow in this intertwined way, if that actually makes the trees stronger and more likely to survive? I'm not sure that this analogy totally works.

Finally, the wedding ends up being fairly small - none of the rest of the Mane Six, no Starlight, and none of the extended Apple family other than a few select members. I did wonder at first why there aren't more invitees, but perhaps Big Mac and Sugar Belle are putting into practice the lesson they learned from the disaster of their proposal schemes - to keep it simple. And of course, it could also be a remembrance of Bright Mac's and Pear Butter's wedding, which was pretty low-key. It's nice to see that all the ponies that told the Apple siblings about their parents in "The Perfect Pear" are present at the wedding - Goldie Delicious, Burnt Oak, Mrs. Cake, and Mayor Mare (as well as Grand Pear and Granny Smith).

And honestly, it seems to me like smaller weddings could often be better, anyway. I don't think people should feel obligated to invite nearly everyone they know and everyone to whom they're related to their weddings. When my siblings and I were younger, we were carted to many weddings of extended family or friends of our parents, and we siblings usually barely knew and had barely ever talked to the people getting married. So, at these wedding receptions, my siblings and I would inevitably just sit at a table in the corner so we could be left alone to talk to each other, mess with the candles, play cards, and try to find ways to entertain ourselves as we waited for the hours to pass by. (And we were often being well-behaved in comparison to other kids who were running around, throwing things, causing a ruckus, etc.) In retrospect, it probably wasn't worthwhile for my siblings and I to be going to all of these weddings, but it seems like we kids were invited, and our parents made us go, out of a sense of obligation that feels unwarranted.

-----

Now here are the rest of my miscellaneous observations:

When Spike tells Discord about figuring out Big Mac's proposal scheme, Spike says "If you were a hopeless romantic, you'd know that was the only logical choice". Somehow "logical" doesn't seem like the right word to be using there. Are hopeless romantics generally known or considered to be "logical"?

It's an interesting parallel that both Big Mac's and Sugar Belle's proposal schemes involve 21 things - 21 apples on the map to be hidden around Ponyville and found by Sugar Belle, and 21 desserts in which Big Mac will find the words of Sugar Belle's proposal. I don't know if there's any particular significance to that number.

Although we see 21 apple locations on the map, there are only 18 apples when Discord is giving them "orders", and when Discord changes the apple monster back into apples, it turns into about 100 apples, all of which look to have a heart painted on them and a message on the stem.

Why is Spike even sampling the desserts anyway? They're clearly not his, and being made for somebody else. I can't imagine going to a bakery and sampling a completed baked good that I hadn't bought and was not invited to taste.

If a big monster is coming, and Sugar Belle and many of the others weren't going to try to fight it, then shouldn't they run away or something?

Sugar Belle and the CMCs want to leave Sugarcube Corner without Spike and Discord figuring out what they're up to, so they bust the door open and go running out all at once, because that's not suspicious or anything.

How can Scootaloo tell that the black-and-white sketch of the picnic table "looks just like the shelf Big Mac made for Sugar Belle"? There's no color, and no depiction of the heart pattern or anything.

The CMCs check the barn for Big Mac, and not finding him there, give up and run off to the supposed "least likely" place that they would find him. So they're not even going to check the house or out in the fields?

Scootaloo's calling for Big Mac scares the bowling pony, so he throws the bowling ball (with a single arm) up to the ceiling and hits a light, because that's easy to do. And the light falls down and smashes a hole in the bowling lane, even though we might expect the floors in the bowling lanes to be pretty sturdy, in order to withstand the impact of bowling balls potentially hitting them day-in and day-out.

If Sugar Belle was planning to propose to Big Mac, was she also planning to give him an engagement ring, or some other symbol of their engagement? Or is that not a tradition in Equestria?

The necklace with the ring that Big Mac puts on Sugar Belle doesn't appear to have any hooks or clasps or anything, but somehow Big Mac is able to connect it together behind Sugar Belle's neck with his hooves in less than a second.

So Discord, Spike, the CMCs, and Mrs. Cake were telling this whole backstory to...Applejack, at the wedding? Did nobody tell Applejack about all of this earlier? And how much time passed between the proposal day and the wedding day without Applejack's knowing about all of this?

[Splashee 28,537]

On 10/7/2019 at 4:38 AM, AlexanderThrond said:

Oh my god I totally missed the LyraBon proposal, aaaaaahhhhhh!

Yay! Seriously what a nice way to confirm that they were a couple. Even with all the hints, there was still.... doubt?

[LucasB 195]

For some reason the episode felt really disconnected, the action just felt broken apart and wasn't immersive. Each piece was very well written, I especially loved the ending scene with Big Mac and Sugar Belle alone in front of the tree but the entire episode just felt disjointed.

Edited October 11, 2019 by Egg-3