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S02:E12 - Family Appreciation Day


Kenny

  

47 users have voted

  1. 1. Did you like it?

    • No, I hated it! >:(
      1
    • I didn't like it.
      4
    • Meh. It was ok.
      8
    • I liked it!
      22
    • I LOVED IT! <3
      12


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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...

i loved this episode, it was nice to see Granny Smith with her own episode, i also love the zap apples idea, i also love how Diamond Tiara's father makes her help after insulting the very pony who made him rich can anyone say "karma?"

 

btw WolfEdge? i LOVE your avatar picture~

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  • 2 months later...

I have to admit... when I first saw this episode, I was a litle confused... I mean... what do zap apples have to do with this Family Appreciation Day thing.... But as I watched it, I saw that Apple Bloom was going through something we can all relate to: being embarassed by your family. Amnd we finally got to see Diamon dTiara's dad and we can see why she's so spoiled. Sadly, Diamond Tiara and Silverspoon will always be bullies to Apple Bloom.....

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  • 1 month later...

I found this episode to be rather enjoyable to be honest. The only downside to this episode would have to be Diamond Tiara being Diamond Tiara <_<

 

Other than that, I found it to be quite epic :3

 

 

Who knew the Apple family would be the ones who founded Ponyville

I sure didn't see it coming

 

 

 

Also, I loved the end when Diamond Tiara got scolded by her father

Yep, she got what she deserved

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  • 4 months later...

umm...did anyone else notice how Granny Smith said it was Diamond Tiara's GREAT grandfather who bought her jam? so i have just ONE question. HOW OLD IS GRANNY SMITH?! o.o

Well, Granny Smith was a little girl when Diamond Tiara's great grandfather was an adult.

 

Anyway, now for my own review.

I loved this episode, and I found it hilarious how DT's father's name is Filthy Rich!

My favorite part is DT's scolding at the end!

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Another bronie type lesson, like Read it and Weep. It's about accepting who you are as well as your friends and family. Granny isn't my favorite character, but more background on pony life!

Who else noticed that Cheerile's cutie mark was 3 umbrellas when she was talking to sleeping Granny Smith?

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  • 5 months later...

mlp___family_appreciation_day___movie_po

 

Of all the episodes in Season 2, I would say that none turned out to be more surprising than "Family Appreciation Day".  The interesting thing about the episode is that, while most of it is largely average, it still contains one of the most beautiful scenes in MLP history, a wonderful addition to MLP canon that makes this episode truly standout when it easily could've just been a forgettable episode.  So let's jump right into this review!

 

Let's cover the standard fare of this episode first, that which deceives the viewer for most of the episode into thinking that it's just a fairly normal episode.  First of all, the lesson is kind of glaringly obvious from the start; you know once it's apparent that Apple Bloom is going to have to bring Granny Smith to Family Appreciation Day that, after some whacky shenanigans, she's going to learn a lesson about not underestimating anypony, especially your family, and having faith that they'll come through for you.  Second, the pacing for most of the episode is pretty rushed; to be fair, there's a lot going on, and the episode is also trying to leave plenty of time for the final scene, but still for first-time viewers it can just seem a bit rushed at times, at least for the first two-thirds of the episode.  Finally, the Apple Bloom-Diamond Tiara interactions in this episode get a little old in this episode, if only because Diamond Tiara really got unlikable in my opinion starting in this episode.  I mean, wow, we get it DT, you don't like Apple Bloom and you've apparently made it your sole purpose in life to torment her in whatever way you can possibly imagine!  Sheesh, give it a rest already!!! dry.png

 

OK, now that that's out of the way, what makes this episode exceptional despite these mediocre qualities.  Well first of all, placing the focus on Granny Smith.  This creative decision, like so many in Season 2, really came out of left field and threw many for a loop.  Granny Smith up until this point had been nothing more really than a minor supporting character, practically equivalent to a background character with a few lines here and there, usually only good for a quick laugh or two in an episode.  Here though, she's a costar alongside Apple Bloom, and in the course of this episode, we learn her backstory and more about her personality, and discover that she really is the matriarch of the Apple Family.  She may be plenty eccentric and have some kooky mannerisms, but by the end it's clear that she's a really remarkable pony who's led a remarkable life, and suddenly she just became one of the coolest supporting characters in all of MLP.  She's quirky, funny, quick-witted, isn't afraid to be who she is even if her mannerisms raise some eyebrows, but most importantly of all, she loves her family and would do anything for them.  All in all, this episode resulted in Granny Smith emerging as a far more interesting character than any of us could have ever imagined prior to its debut, and for that I laud it.

 

b7c.png

Don't let her age deceive you; this filly is one AWESOME granny!!! img-1379355-5-xtWXQl1.png 

 

Second, Zap Apple Season.  Like Granny Smith, Zap Apple Season starts off as something that just seems like it's going to be a plot point in this episode, not something all that interesting.  However, as the episode continues, we see more and more of it, without being given too much.  It's a strange phenomenon unique to the Ponyville/Everfree Forest area, and the viewer can't help but be drawn in by all the bizarre steps leading up to the Zap Apples blooming, wondering just what in the name of Celestia it's all about.  And then the ending comes and we suddenly learn that Zap Apples, it turns out, have actually been far more important in Ponyville's history than we ever could have imagined.  In fact, were it not for Zap Apples, there might not be any Ponyville.  At that point, Zap apples for me became one of the coolest additions to MLP canon in all of Season 2, and the only shame of it all is that we might never get to see them show up in the show again.  Ah well, still a cool bit of canon!

 

zap_apple_discovery_by_joeyh3-d4o031c.pn

ohmy.png Rainbow apples?!?!  What's next, a sonic rainboom??? vsTALhM.png  THESE LOOK AMAZING!!! (For the record, I really, really, really, really, REALLY wanna know what these taste like! happy.png)

 

Before I cover my final point that truly makes the episode stand out, I'll cover some miscellaneous points as well.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't like Filthy Rich, or the Rich family in general (besides Diamond Tiara of course).  Sure he may be from what we know about him a fairly negligent father who doesn't know what a brat his daughter really is, but besides that he seems like a cool dude.  He certainly appreciates Granny Smith and the Apples for all the hard work they do and the central roles both of their families have played in founding and building up Ponyville, he runs a successful business which I'm certainly not gonna knock him for, and all around he seems like a pretty chill, upstanding dude.  Animation is pretty spot on as well, especially during some of the impressive Zap Apple Season sequences as well as the recounting of Ponyville's founding.  The timberwolves make their first appearance in MLP in this episode, and they have certainly proven to be a cool addition to the extensive list of canon creatures.  Finally the humor's spot on, from Granny Smith's quirky mannerisms to the CMCs shenanigans.

 

Finally, however, I have to talk about the third act of the episode.  THIS is what truly sealed the deal and makes this episode a standout.  Granny Smith's retelling of Ponyville's history is a beautiful, fairly epic, and even somewhat awe inspiring sequence of events.  Hearing how so few ponies were responsible because of their bravery, perseverance, hard work and tenacity for founding a town that so many ponies now call home is really quite amazing, not to mention the whole sequence is treated with appropriate reverence and respect by the writers.  Besides a few physical gags, there's really no humor, and the writers just play it very straightforward.  It also sheds light on how the most seemingly normal of figures are really sometimes the most remarkable and just as easily capable of accomplishing some extraordinary things.  It places a great emphasis on the importance of history (discussed far more extensively in my review of "Hearth's Warming Eve" for those interested), and finally it shows not just what a remarkable pony Granny Smith really is, but also how humble she really is that she doesn't go about bragging about this all the time.  All she does is go on with her life, doing the work she needs to do and loving her family, cause in the end that's all she needs to be happy.  Overall, it's an extraordinary five minute sequence and one of the most beautiful in all of MLP, and it's largely responsible for making this episode as a whole exceptional at all.  First time I saw it, I was completely taken off guard and blown away, and to this day it still gets to me.

 

Princess_Celestia_directing_the_Smith_fa

I was going to give you New Jersey, but you're a handsome stallion whose view I enjoy admiring, so here, have an uninhabited swamp surrounded by a deadly forest!  I'm sure you, your wife, those two other stallions, and filly daughter will have not trouble at all settling it! derpy_emoticon2.png 

 

So that's "Family Appreciation Day".  While as a whole the episode is by no means among the absolute greatest in MLP canon, it is still very exceptional and contains a fantastic third act that qualifies it as well worth a rewatch any time.  If you're looking for an episode with some interesting canon about Ponyville, along with a seldom seen supporting character getting to go in the spotlight in the best way possible, then this might just be the episode for you! derpy_emoticon1.png

 

Granny_Smith_Apple_Bloom_hug_S2E12.png

Edited by Batbrony
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  • 8 months later...
(edited)

Last post was 9 months ago?

 

This episode should have focused a bit more on Granny Smith's story.

I really liked the lesson Applebloom learned, but it took too much time on this episode. I'd have preferred a longer story about the creation of Ponyville.

Granny Smith's story was easily one of the best moments of the show.

Good episode, but it could have been better.

Edited by Blobulle
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

This was a good episode. It involves Applebloom bringing Granny Smith to school for Family Appreciation day. My highlight was when Granny Smith told her story and how Applebloom tells Diamond Tiara off.

 

640px-The_entire_class_looking_at_Diamon

You tell her Applebloom.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 7 months later...

I thought it was a rather nice episode all in all. Was wonderful to see since I can relate :D

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  • 4 weeks later...

This is still one of my favorite episodes in the entire show.

 

There are lots of hilarious moments; mostly from Granny Smith's weird rituals. However, the funniest part of the episode was when the CMC were controlling Granny like a puppet. When she woke up and didn't even notice what was going on, that was the first time I literally laughed out loud at this show.

 

There is also a lot of very interesting backstory. We learn many things about Granny's childhood, the start of the Sweet Apple Acres orchard, and even the foundation of Ponyville itself.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Watching this episode, I actually felt a twinge of emotion when Granny was describing her youth, and you begin to realize how important this old “crazy, silly” pony was to the history of Ponyville, and that there was actually some method to her madness regarding the zap apples.  It was very good to see Apple Bloom’s shift from intense embarrassment, to intense pride, regarding Granny.

 

Anyway, I really like this episode.

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  • 10 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

Every time Granny Smith is onscreen, the show is better for her presence. One of the most purely entertaining supporting characters in the entire show, and a real badass to boot. She comandeers this episode, and as a result it's a total delight. Moar Granny Smith pls

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  • 5 months later...

Well as a young stallion who was partially raised by a (Now) 101 year old (And still in better health then most of my family) Great Grand Mother who lived through being Jewish in Germany in World War II. Being in Israel for the war for independence and then moving to the USA.. I can really get behind this kind of

"Your elders are not really weird, they just do things the way they do because that is how it got done back in the day"

That being said... This show goes a long way to solving one of my problems with granny smith. In that she goes strait into "Annoying old person" Territory. Now Mind you.. I like older people a lot more then most people my age. but it seams like if you take a annoying person and then they get old... It only makes them More Annoying, because now they think they are some how special because of it.

-

And.. no I am ranting...

 

The episode is good. I love that we get to see ponies in older times. and...



OMGGHOLSOISDUFLJHWELKRJWLKGS LDSLK PRINCESS CELESTIA! ~foams at the mouth~

 

 

ALL HAIL GODDESS EMPRESS CELESTIA!

-

 

Old Timey Celestia: "Yes yes.. I know I am THAT hot... Now dirty mud ponies.. go and settle this dangerous terrible swamp near the terrible dangerous forest so I have a better view from my City on the Hill.

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  • 8 months later...

This Episode was okay, i found Granny Smiths acting a bit to extreme at the beginning, but i guess the story writers really wanted us to feel emberassed for Apple Bloom, even though i never saw Granny Smith act so weird before, but okay. Or maybe i just forgot.

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  • 1 month later...

I find Apple Bloom's eternal self-consciousness rather dull. Granny Smith is a regular badass, so she saves as much of this as she can, and the whole Zap Apple concept is really neat, but I don't want to watch yet another plot about Diamond Tiara getting under Apple Bloom's skin. At least it's not cutie marks, but it's basically the same idea, and while I suppose it's realistic, I don't sympathize much with Apple Bloom being embarrassed by Granny Smith. 

But yeah, Granny Smith is phenomenal. She's so confidence in all her absurdity, and while sometimes it's a bit much, I find her behaviour ranges from pretty funny to genuinely kinda awesome. She just does not care what others think about her. And I love the story at the end - apparently, Ponyville has only been around for a couple of generations. That's not the sense I got, but all the whimsical magic and sepia-toned history is really interesting to me. The more of her is in this episode, the more entertaining it becomes, and she basically saves it at the end. 

Also, I don't see how "kooky old pony" and "most amazing pony" can't both be true. 

Score:

Entertainment: 7/10

Characters: 7/10

Themes: 8/10

Story: 6/10

Overall: 70/100

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  • 4 months later...

Granny Smith and Apple Bloom look adorable in those bunny costumes.

Given how particular the zap apples are, I would suspect there is more to discover.

Am I The only one who thought Granny was saying zab apples?

I liked Granny’s story, but there were too many antics to get there.

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