S01:E06 - Boast Busters

[CoconutCake 360]

I feel out of place saying this because of all the people saying they like/love Trixie... but... I didn’t like her very much! She just went on too much about how great she was for my tastes. Juuuust slightly annoying.

Sheesh, I thought Rainbow Dash was egotistical... I obviously wasn’t prepared for Trixie  hehe

But that being said, no hard feelings, the episode was awesome, especially when they lured the Ursa Minor and Twilight somehow got it to go back into it’s lil cave.  

Overall a good episode,

6.5/10 for me

[bigbertha 414]

I have nothing to add to this episode. All the problems people say this episode has, I agree with. The only thing I can add is that Trixie got a lot better as the show went on and Snails also got a good performance later... for some reason

Score: 2/10

[Shy 156]

I didn’t like this episode as much as the others. Especially Rainbow Dashes hypocrisy with bragging. 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

5 minutes ago, HappyCloud said:

I didn’t like this episode as much as the others. Especially Rainbow Dashes hypocrisy with bragging. 

The mane 6 are a bit more tolerant of this in their friend than they are in a stranger to town (you could also say that is true for their acceptance of twilight's abilities, over her fears, although twilight doesn't boast and can back up her words with actions; that is even more true of Dashie of course, who is literally the fastest pegasus pony in equestria, by a wide margin)

E16 is of course where Dashie gets to show just how fast she is, but S2E8 is where Dashie REALLY gets out of hand and needs her ego puncturing...

[Lord Valtasar 12,690]

this might get a bit extensive, here it goes

- to start things off, we she Twilight praxticing new spells(tricks?) and as always, bonding some more with spike, it's interesting to see how much his compliment's affect her, aswel as snip's and snail's mention of another, more powerful unicorn, i don't think she'll bat an eye if it happened now(it kinda did with Starlight)
- right after, we get introduced to The Great and Powerful Trixie, and what an entrance that was, is someone knows how to present herself, it's her
- and here starts the shitstorm, Rarity's and Applejack's reactions are Totally uncalled for, considering they're on a performance, of course she's exagerating. as Rainbodash herself just admits, it's something she does, so why react so differently when somepony else does it? Applejack basically bullied RD into booing the show
- Trixie of course, as any magician worth their salt would do, didn't just let the booing go on and ruin the performance, answered them, boasting some more to intimidate them, and giving them the chance  to just back down.
- at this point, Spike, like the others, just can't seperate reality from Showmanship, and that's basically what drives this whole episode, Twilight had every right to be worried after those reactions, and tbh, she seemed to have no problem with the show herself, i commend her for that
- then RD just decides to see this as a challenge, and goes on stage to confront Trixie, which in turn, answers with more boasts, to scare her away and move on.
- Spike, of course, continues being an ass, and not being able to tell reality from showmanship, until Twilight, even if for different reasons, does the right thing and shuts him up
- Trixie after all that trashtalk decides to challenge the audience, something many magicians do in our world aswel. and once you decide to step on that stage, you better be prepared to be ridiculed, or not go there at all, it's how it works, the show must go on, AJ being the confident and antagonistic mare she always was, takes the bait, and ends up humiliated,(worth noting is that Trixie wasn't able to top those kind of tricks, so she focused on stoping them in a funny way instead, if it was a contest i'd say she lost, but it was a show,her show in particular, her aim is to enertain and keep a good image)
- RD steps in right after, with a statement so wrong it defy's it's logic itself, but since it's a show, it acually has more logic behind it than AJ's complain or spike's. tallent has been challenged so RD goes to show hers, and once again, Trixie can't fly and do these tricks, but she has some of her own, and the same (===) applies that was in AJ's part, i have to commend whoever came up with that routine RD shoed though, it was pretty awesome and well thought. Trixie also counters with some pretty clever puns to top it all(seems like any pony with a Dash of good sense..)
-then everypony trying to force Twilight to go, as if their actions weren't stupid enough already, is just... ugh. but Rarity thinking it was all about her makes this little scene priceless, so i won't complain, not to mention her scolding of the other's actions and how easily she's goaded to go with a few words from Trixie, one of the best scenes of the episode imo.
beating Trixie with a lecture isn't how it's done, so she made short work of her, and i love how spike didn't take the hint and just blurted out "it's green"
- and of course, he goes on to try to bully Twilight into going on stage, which she wisely refused, not because she couldn't win, but because it was a stupid notion and was never about winning to begin with, she didn't take the bait, but run under the pressure of both Trixie and her friends(which btw acted pretty insensitive about it)
- now Trixie basks in the adoration of ponyvilles citizens which is what fuels her to begin with, but gets annoyed by snips and snails' constant banter and gets rid of them, while still accepting their gifts, but she still keeps that facade even off stage,
- and at this point, Spike's insistence of sabotaging Trixie's show becomes tiresome, he should be comforting Twilight,(though i'm sure in his mind he's standing up for her), and even later when he's back at the library, he still pesters her instead, he really can't take a hint
- Snips n Snails go wake an ursa, then go wake Trixie and expect a show, she keeps her facade up, but when she sees the Ursa her Reaction is Pricless, she just throws it all away, and runs, after some pressure, she does try her best, which is of course not enough, but hey, at least she didn't leave them there
let me take the time here to note that Trixie's wagon, just got destroyed, it was her home and her stage(job) it was probably all her fortune, and we can she how much it meant to her in a way by seeing her tell us about the next wagon in "a road to friendship", besides all that, she tries to stop the Ursa, she should be praised for her bravery instead of being chased out,
Twilight comes, and is just as shocked when she hears they brought the Ursa on purpose, and rightly so, Trixie admits she can't vanquish it, and by that point it should have been obvious but once again, this episode is fueled by the fact that some can't seperate show from reality
Spike, as clueless as ever, prods Twilight to handle it without understanding what he's asking, Twilight of course, is just as afraid to face the Ursa, but she went and face it anyway, like Trixie did, I loved the fact that Twilight didn't just beat the it with power, but used her mind and made a good strategy on the spot instead, we need more of that kind of solutions, she wasn't powerful enough, but her town and friends were in danger, so there was no running away, while in Trixie's case, her Image and two strangers were what was at stake, plus, she's not as strong, or as well trained as Twilight to begin with. the twist that it was an Ursa Minor, a baby, makes this whole endeavor that much more fun and ironic, and Trixie's boast that much more proposterous
and now comes the cringy part, where her friends tell her how magic is part of who she is etc etc, but my question is, why didn't they apply the same to Trixie, she also has a Cutie Mark for magic, Stage magic it seems, so it's a part of who she is, and they despise her for it, just because they don't know her personally, that's double standards, but lets not dwell on that
-Twilight instead of booing Trixie like the others, was intrigued and did some research(of course she did) it fits her perfectly, and it also makes her plan to save them from the Ursa more believable, go Twilight
- Trixie tries to save face, even if it's a loosing battle, she has to keep her image at all costs, so she makes a Great and Powerful exit, befitting her character. at this point, all i have to say is Twilight really did act levelheaded and just let her be/stopped RD from chasing after her, what i keep against trixie is that she came for her in her revenge instead of going after AJ, RD and Spike, who were the real reason everything went astray(i'm not saying that would be the right thing to do either, but it would make more sense if she did)
-Snips and Snails can't be held responsible, as they're clearly not very smart, and are just kids, but their parrents should be called, and at least don't reward them for it..

all in all, despite things happening just so that the plot can go on, this is one of my favorite episodes of the season, it introduced us to Trixie, it portrayed Twilight as a very levelheaded person, and was a blast to watch from start to finish, the only problem is it left a sting for AJ and RD, when i first watched it, you have to remember this episode is pretty early on, and we didn't know these characters very well. anyway, it's a 9/10 from me

[Dabmanz 2,139]

After rewatching this episode I realized something when Trixie turns Rarities hair green Spike does not seem to be offended though I guess they are technically Scales also it is a different shade of green.

[bigbertha 414]

Yeah. This episode still sucks. It's impressive how every character here is annoying. Twilight is acting stupid, thinking that she'll lose friends for standing up for them, the other mane six in the episode heckle a magic show and run her out of town just for putting on a show, Trixie is still annoying even if she's not in the wrong, Spike is obnoxious, and Snips and Snails are just the worst. There's really nothing good here. 

Score: 0/10

[kazamacat 64]

I think I liked this episode more when I first watched it. I don't hate it, but I'm likely to just watch the windmill/rainbow Rainbow Dash part, if I watch any of it, and then move on during a run-through where I sort of listen and watch episodes. When I first watched it, I did think Twilight knowing what to do to handle the Ursa Minor was pretty cool.

[FIMFanatic 1]

I did not care for this one.

[bigbertha 414]

The biggest problem for me is how barely anything happens in this episode. The first 2 acts are mostly just the same points being repeated over and over again. Twilight doesn't want to be seen as a braggart. Spike wants Twilight to show up Trixie. Trixie is a show off. It doesn't help that the entire first act takes place at one location, and not a very interesting location at that. 

Another problem is with  Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity, and Twilight being kinda annoying. Trixie does go too far in her boasting and that keeps this problem from being too bad, but even before Trixie gets that bad, Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity complain about Trixie showing off, despite that being a part of her job. As for Twilight, she goes on about how her showing up Trixie would be showing off when that's obviously not how it works. Trixie literally called out Twilight so Twilight showing up Trixie then wouldn't be showing off. This is pretty simple stuff yet apparently Twilight, who is supposed to be smart, doesn't know that. 

On the other hand, there are some positives in this episode. Trixie is a pretty fun antagonist, especially with Kathleen Barr hamming it up. And there are some pretty solid gags throughout. Not a ton, but they are there. And I like the design of the Ursa Minor.

Score: 3/10

 

[ayvidreader 5]

At first I didn't see much difference between Trixie and Rainbow Dash tbh. Rainbow is constantly pushing it in other ponies faces how amazing she is. She refers to herself as amazing quite often.  I do really like the message this episode sends though. I get why Twilight is so hesitant since I've been in situations where I felt I could help or have done a better job than someone else, but stood back because I wasn't sure if it would be bragging or be too much if I put my input in.

[Lucky Bolt 35,063]

I'm not exactly the biggest fan of this episode but it was alright. I still can't stand Trixie though.  "Worst Pony"

[Misty Shadow 7,863]

This episode has always been alright to me. Obviously, it's no Magic Duel or No Second Prances, but even long before Trixie had much better moments, I was never too crazy about her. 

[Cash In 22,301]

I thought the episode was solid. The introduction to Trixie was definitely something. On one hand, she was pretty one-dimensional, but on the other, she was an interesting antagonist. She was exaggerated, but didn't feel like a character who was bad, but more so misguided. I wish that this got built on during the episode, but it's nothing I ever lost sleep over. I was fine with how the other characters were handled, though Snips and Snails are certainly not the brightest of minds. I thought the gags were pretty good and the climax was quite clever. I did like the episode overall, but I can see why people don't like this one as much.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Cash In

[CypherHoof 26,483]

On 7/23/2018 at 2:08 AM, bigbertha said:

I have nothing to add to this episode. All the problems people say this episode has, I agree with. The only thing I can add is that Trixie got a lot better as the show went on and Snails also got a good performance later... for some reason

Score: 2/10

The show as a whole became a lot deeper and more nuanced with characters as it progressed - particularly trixie who went from a oneshot villain to a full-on secondary character; Here, Trixe is a pretty one-dimensional showpony diva, whose outward bragging isn't reflected by her circumstances. Trixie would appear to be a moderately successful B rank performer; she hasn't done badly - her costumes are in good condition, as is her cart, and her performance is popular - but she is still dragging a cart from town to town as a one-pony travelling show (contrast with A rankers like Sapphire Shores that have a full stage staff, supporting dancers, runs on broadway etc etc)

Which is fine. As this is an early episode, Trixie only exists here to give a foil to Twilight. Twilight is the hoof-picked protégé of the ruling princess of Equestria and is the literal, living embodyment of the Element of Magic. But instead of that going to her head, she is a modest, insecure and dilligent student for her princess, constantly afraid that she will be found wanting and sent away, despite the ample evidence she is one of the most powerfully gifted unicorns in all of Equestria.

sooooo yeah. Trixie uses her fairly limited magic creatively to humiliate Twi's friends, but Twi refuses to engage (you could argue it would be a noble act for her to stand up for her friends, but you could also argue they brought it upon themselves to challenge Trixie). Only when the town itself is in danger does Twi step up, and combines her book knowledge and wide ranging magical abilities to placate and return the baby Ursa to it's mother.

So I feel Trixie was how she should have been in this episode - yes, annoyingly one dimensional (or annoying AND one dimensional :D), but this is an early, first-season character sketch for Twilight, structured deliberately to both show her ground state, and allow her to grow (in confidence, in authority, and in reputation) in a single episode.  Trixie's elevation to a true secondary character will not occur for many seasons yet (her S3 appearance doesn't really count) which is fine - Ponyville is FULL of characters where the fandom (and in some cases, official paper media) has fleshed out their personalities and daily routines, but which the canon storyline has not. Trixie is not really THAT bad at magic; Twi (in this very episode) explains that most unicorns only have a littlte magic related to their talent, and it would seem those with more general abilities may get to attend Celestia's school for gifted unicorns BECAUSE having such wide-ranging talents is rare in unicorn society. Trixie and Starlight both are examples of unicorns that perhaps should have been at Celestia's school, but weren't. Contrast with Sunburst, who apparently made it though the application test to later flunk out due to lack of ability; I hope Queen Twilight is doing better at getting those unicorns that can better Equestria though their abilities, into her school.

[Justin_Case001 4,885]

Oh, Trixie, you marvelously wicked little b*tch, you.  How fervent my hatred was for you back in the old days.  How I longed to see you reduced to ashes by dragon fire.  I never imagined that nine seasons later, I would love you and respect your role as school guidance counselor.  My, what a wonderfully surprising world.

I always loved this episode, and Trixie was the villain I loved to hate back then.  What I loved most about this one was seeing just how powerful Twilight was for the first time.  Her big telekinesis scene reminded me of when Yoda lifted the X-Wing out of the swamp on Dagobah.

[Dabmanz 2,139]

Trixie was a bit of a show off on this episode but the real trouble makers were Snips and Snails. Since this is before magic duel.

 

[qib 695]

Okay, so I'll admit, when I first watched the episode I didn't like Trixie. Although the Mane 6 didn't give her much time to do her actual magic! (you never know, she could've just been exciting the crowd) But after watching it again its obvious to see that Trixie is just a poor pony who has faced many struggles in her life

So even though her lying isn't good, we all need to remember that she just needs help, not punishment 

Although, Twilight, what WHAT ARE YOU DOING!

I think she must've bumped her head in the morning because YOU'RE LITERALLY THE ELEMENT OF MAGIC, WHY ARE YOU SCARED THAT EVERYONE WILL CALL YOU A SHOW OFF!!!! 

[ivar 23]

I will say this, the moral of this episode is correct. Delivery is problem. I'd love to see a kinder version of the episode, but we got what we got. I love this episode purely because it gave us Trixie and all the content related to her.

[Gorgan 33]

I liked trixie is she on more episodes ?? 

[Thrond 3,263]

1 hour ago, Gorgan said:

I liked trixie is she on more episodes ?? 

yeah

[Gorgan 33]

3 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

yeah

nice!!

[Reality Check 631]

This episode is sorta in the middle of my list. I don't really find it interesting other than it shows that it's ok to show off your talent to others and be proud of it, but there's always a time and place for that and overdoing it can lead to having a bad reputation. As for the episode...

First is Twilight and Spike. Spike is more of a supportive character in this episode, he tries to get Twilight to stand up for her friends even though it's clear that she doesn't want to be hated and lose her friends. I also think it's kinda funny that he wants to keep the mustache for Rarity As for Twilight, she's against the idea of show off her talent at first, but when Ursa Minor arrived into the town, she gets the courage to step up and defend the town before anypony is hurt. She finally learns through action that her friends that her magic has nothing to do with why they don't like Trixie.

Speaking of which, early on, we were also introduced to Trixie, a magician/showpony who claims to be 'great and powerful'. It's pretty clear from her introduction that she is 'all bark and no bite', a self-proclaimed pony who says they are great at something but in actuality, is nothing more than a liar. It's really easy to not like her and there's plenty of reason's why. In the end, even after her lie was revealed, she still keeps her boastfulness and runs off with her dignity. It raises the possibility that we'll be seeing her again eventually.

If I have to point out my gripe for the episode, it's Snips and Snails. I didn't like it how they easily believed Trixie's story on a whim and didn't think about the consequences when bringing the Ursa Minor to Ponyville. Another is that, I can't help but feel that they were just there to create the conflict, you'd think that there'd be some people stopping them or question about what they are planning. I just don't really find them interesting in any way, that's all.

Overall, I don't hate this episode, nor do I like it or put it as one of my favorites, but I can still enjoy it for the message and the details it laid about how unicorns start out with a few spells as a foal, really leaves something for people to imagine.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Looking back at this episode, I can say that this episode has some extremely valuable and somewhat overlooked lessons. 

The one fault that I see people pointing at is Snips and Snails. I believe they were portrayed perfectly because of how much faith they put in Trixie, who was just a loudmouth who talked a big game, but didn't follow through with her actions. The fact that Snips and Snails were so gullible to the point that they were willing to risk everything (and everypony's lives) by bringing an Ursa Minor to Trixie. But, this gullibility served a purpose: to expose Trixie for talking a big game and not following through. 

In the end, this was one of the best S1 episodes. 

[JMTV99 1,353]

I don't hate this episode either. Sure, it has it flaws like Snips and Snails being completely annoying, AJ, Dashie, and Rarity had no business showing off their talent to Trixie, and Trixie herself, but it's not as horrible as people are making it out to be.

I don't really hate Trixie as a character from the beginning as she can be pretty entertaining at times. It has some genuinely funny moments like Twilight's door gag, Rarity's green mane, and Snails can have some funny one-liners once in awhile.

Plus, the design of Ursa Minor was pretty cool. I really like it.

Also, I'll cut Twilight some slack in this episode since she's just got into Ponyville earlier on in the show and she never had faced an incident in Ponyville until the Ursa Minor came along.

Overall, it's okay. Not great, but not horrible either.