S01:E21 - Over a Barrel

[NavelColt 22,880]

https://mlpforums.com/calendar/event/124-%7B%3F%7D/?module=events

Title: Over a Barrel
Air Date: March 25, 2011
Synopsis: The ponies work to settle a complicated land dispute between the Apple-loosans and a herd of buffalo fighting over the same territory.

---

"When we get to Appleloosa, do you think we'll have to carry that heavy tree all the way from the train to the orchard?"
"What tree? You mean Bloomberg?"
"No. Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy's not a tree, silly."
"What's going on?"
"Rainbow Dash thinks Fluttershy's a tree."
"I do NOT think she's a tree!"
"Did you SAY she was a tree?"
"Well, I..."
"Yooou know she's not a tree, right?"
"Hehe, she's not a tree, Dashie!"
"I'd like to be a tree :3" Edited May 27, 2014 by DashForever

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

I think this episode covers the issue of racial ignorance and differentiating cultures pretty well. Both species are pretty distrustful to the other at first due to survival needs, but then it turns into outright hostility when they become desperate for the land. But it just goes to show you that you can be friends with even your worst enemy, if you just cared for them, too.

[HomuraBL 851]

I really, really didn't like this episode. The only good thing about it to me was the tree joke. Again, it's the case of things would have been solve much simpler for the mane 6 if they took the easier route.

 

If RD and AJ Didn't argue maybe they would have actually settled the issue.

 

And the "war" scene. I know it's a kid show, and they didn't want violence so they used pies, but it came off as incredibly stupid. Especially at the end.

[Clarity 3,094]

I agree with @, the war was really dumb and I didn't really find the tree scene all that funny...the one that got me to laugh was the cooing part at the beginning, especially Rarity's line. "It's widdle WARITY who's all saddy-waddy!"

[AegisReflector 886]

I think this episode covers the issue of racial ignorance and differentiating cultures pretty well. Both species are pretty distrustful to the other at first due to survival needs, but then it turns into outright hostility when they become desperate for the land. But it just goes to show you that you can be friends with even your worst enemy, if you just cared for them, too.

 

I kind of disagree with that statement because what about the case of the Native Americans and the colonists? The colonists rightfully thought that their God wanted them to "rid the savages" of the "New World" so they took the Native Lands and enslaved all the Native Americans while raping, torturing, and eventually killing them off. When the first official colonies took shape, that's when they were basically downgraded as nothing but property. So was it "hostile" for the Native Americans to fight back for the land that was rightfully their home in the first place? Such as Custard's Last Stand, The Ontario Incident, and the occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969 - 1971?

 

Sorry, but one race who through-out history has outcasted and beat to death not only another group of people, but AN ENTIRE CULTURE, can truly never be friends. It's different with other ethnic groups like blacks, Asians, etc. because they don't consider themselves "homegrown" because they were born in the USA. The Native Americans were, and that's why the Reservations they have today are strict and very anal when it comes to outside relations.

 

EDIT: Also, it doesn't help that the white men's "compromises" with the Native Americans were all just smoking mirrors.

Edited October 18, 2012 by AegisReflector

[ping111 124]

Anyone ever notice how basically all the "bad guys" (Discord, Iron Will, Buffalo, etc.) have horns? Even the cows when they were stampeding had horns! Do you think this has a connection, or is it a funny coincidence?

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

RD crashing into the sign made me rofl. But honestly, the share care song Pinkie Pie sang, she was right, and although Cheif Thunderhooves said it was the worst song ever, Pinkie was still right. It was a battle for land and they had to share.

[AegisReflector 886]

Anyone ever notice how basically all the "bad guys" (Discord, Iron Will, Buffalo, etc.) have horns? Even the cows when they were stampeding had horns! Do you think this has a connection, or is it a funny coincidence?

 

What makes the Buffalo in this episode the bad guys?

 

Please explain, as it would be pointless to have the Buffalo as the force of evil in this scenario.

[ping111 124]

 

 

What makes the Buffalo in this episode the bad guys?

 

Please explain, as it would be pointless to have the Buffalo as the force of evil in this scenario.

 

From the target demographic's point of view, the buffalo would be the bad guys. Of course, we're supposed to support the ponies, and believe they're always right, because we've come to know, love, and trust them. It's supposed to teach the kids about not judging a book by its cover, but before the moral is learned, the buffalo can be conceived as antagonists.

[AegisReflector 886]

From the target demographic's point of view, the buffalo would be the bad guys. Of course, we're supposed to support the ponies, and believe they're always right, because we've come to know, love, and trust them. It's supposed to teach the kids about not judging a book by its cover, but before the moral is learned, the buffalo can be conceived as antagonists.

 

That's not the definition of an antagonist though. Both sides are opposing forces. The ponies want to steal the Buffalo's rightful herding grounds in order to survive for their own. That's not right. The Ponies should have thought of that before establishing a town where ingenious creatures have already laid claim there. The Buffalo are simply defending themselves. How does that make them the enemy?

 

Even as a 7-year-old, I could probably see that what the other Ponies are doing are just dick moves.

[GuillermoGage 246]

This episode makes me feel sorry for the Native Americans! If I had money, and I just gave away land to make their current rezs larger, would that make it better. I wonder what Cherokee and Iriquois and Plains Indian and Navajo and Pueblo people would have done if they were not interrupted and their cultures driven away? I think they could've defended themselves better if there was more widespread writing system, Sequoya's writing system came quite late.

[Icy Wonderbolt 34]

Pesonaly I would be on the buffalo side because, they hade the land first and should have not had it taken from them. Great episode, and no complants.

Edited March 6, 2013 by Icy Wonderbolt

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

Not so bad of an episode, and the memories of my first fic based upon this episode.

[True Rarity 1,240]

An awesome episode!

I loved how the buffalo felt "just awful" about kidnapping Spike by mistake.

Also I found it amusing how Rainbow Dash and Applejack fought over something they used to be on the same side about!

And when they treated the tree like a pony being!

[Starlight Song 43]

I know the animators thought they were playing on Rainbow Dash's loyal side when she joined the buffalo, but it really seemed like the opposite because she abandoned her friends.

Another awesome thing about this episode was the whole "tree" thing.

Huffy the Magic Dragon?

Edited April 21, 2013 by Starlight Song

[Batbrony 16,055]

Oh man, been awhile since I did an episode review, hasn't it?  Well, since we've got awhile until Season 4 starts, think I'll try to catch up on the rest of my episode reviews and get the rest of Season 1 and all of Season 2 reviewed before the season begins.  So, without further ado, let's review "Over a Barrel".

 

Honestly... this is probably my least favorite episode of Season 1.  That's not to say I don't like it, uhuh, far from it.  But at the same time, something's just off about the episode's execution.  So, I guess let's start with the pros.

 

First of all, this episode is extremely entertaining!  Applejack's adorable attachment to Bloomberg is both hilarious and kinda cute, especially seeing our favorite cowpony's softer side brought out for an apple tree of all things, the Fluttershy tree sequence is still one of the funniest scenes in all of Season 1, and Spike has quite a few funny moments of his own.  The buffalo and Appleloosans are both pretty cool as well.  Chief Thunderhooves especially shines; I'm glad that, despite some humorous moments, they played that character pretty straight.  I like Little Strongheart, Braeburn, and Sheriff Silverstar as well, but honestly, we don't learn a whole lot about those characters, especially Silverstar, so aside from not doing anything ridiculously stupid, I can't complain too much about them.  Finally, for a one-shot episode, the conflict in this episode escalated to quite a dramatic and epic climax!  The storming of Appleloosa by the buffalo herd had quite a bit of suspense building up to it and was actually a fairly dramatic scene; again, despite some comedy bits, I appreciate that the writers pretty much played the conflict straight, resulting in one of the larger battle sequences we'd see in the whole show until "A Canterlot Wedding" in Season 2, if you really think about it.

 

However, if there's a place where this episode falls short at all, it's in its themes and how the Mane 6 try to resolve things, or rather, fail to resolve things.  The conflict pretty much escalates because Applejack and Rainbow Dash prevent Little Strongheart and Braeburn from talking things out and trying to resolve each others differences in a peaceful, civilized manner and coming to a compromise that works for both groups.  I get that the writers were clearly trying to convey the irrationality and talking past each other that so often sadly characterized settler and Native American conflicts throughout American history, but the problem is using Applejack and Rainbow Dash to further escalate the conflict; they've just been introduced to the conflict, and so really shouldn't be taking it upon themselves to be the primary representatives of the Appleloosans and buffalo, respectively.  Sure, things escalate more on account of Sheriff Silverstar and Chief Thunderhooves, but they don't even really try to talk things out with each other, and that again happens only AFTER Applejack and RD prevented the two groups from talking things over.  The next way that the Mane 6 fail in trying to resolve the conflict really irks me to this day; Pinkie's song.  The theme of the song itself is not bad; what's bad is the very idea itself!  Pinkie trying to solve this type of conflict by singing a song feels too much like something that an episode of MLP in G3, or even a generic Disney feature, would try to do these days.  The writer's of MLP are smarter than that, so it just feels really lazy and poorly conceived; I'm not saying it's necessarily OOC for Pinkie, but the fact that the Mane 6 can't really come up with anything better than that is stupid.  In addition, "You Gotta Share" is probably to this day my least favorite song in the show, not counting any songs in EQG; I don't really think it's all that catchy and memorable is all, and just never get anything out of it.  After that, the Mane 6 just don't do anything at all; heck, the episode really is "Over a Barrel" in every sense of the word!  Over a barrel, according to the MLP wiki, means being in a helpless position where others are in control, and that pretty much describes the Mane 6 in the whole episode.  While that's kind of clever, and no doubt intentional, at the same time in execution it just doesn't work, because the Mane 6 just don't feel like they even belong there or have any point in being there, other than serving as helpless observers of this conflict.  In the end, the situation kinda resolves itself on its own in a way that it should've been able to resolve itself in quite easily in the first place without this conflict escalating as much as it did!

 

(my question exactly Twilight!)

 

Overall, however, I still like this episode.  I just have some problems with it thematically and in its execution.  Still, there have been far worse Western or Cowboys-and-Indians episodes in other TV shows than this, and I've said it before and I'll say it again, it gets the Cowboys-and-Indians conflict down far better and makes it far more compelling and believable than movies like "Pocahontas" or "Avatar" (the latter of which I hate with a passion and in my opinion is one of the most undeservably over-hyped and overrated movies of all time!!!) do, which is no easy feat and says a lot about the talents of the writers of MLP.  Still, its execution is far from perfect; its escalation is far from believable, in no small part due to its easy resolution at the end.  All in all, while I enjoy "Over a Barrel" for its entertainment, it's definitely my least favorite episode of Season 1 due to its thematic and execution problems and for containing my least favorite song of the series, and might even be my least favorite episode of the show, or at least close to the bottom of the list.

 

 

But yeah, no matter how many problems the episode may have, that scene will always be amazing!!! 

Edited August 4, 2013 by Batbrony

[Sleipnir Rising 115]

My main reason for watching this episode was to hear Scott McNeil's performance. I didn't expect him to voice act in the series.

 

The one issue I had with this episode was the fight scene at the end. I understand that the writers wanted to keep this scene suitable for children. But, understand that, according to the National Bison Association, a bison bull weighs around 2,000 pounds and can run up to 40 MPH. An animal running at that momentum could not possibly be knocked out from a simple apple pie; unless it was Superman who threw all of them pies and the audience couldn't see him on screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next way that the Mane 6 fail in trying to resolve the conflict really irks me to this day; Pinkie's song. The theme of the song itself is not bad; what's bad is the very idea itself! Pinkie trying to solve this type of conflict by singing a song feels too much like something that an episode of MLP in G3, or even a generic Disney feature, would try to do these days.

 

Wouldn't it be considered acceptable for Pinkie Pie to solve a conflict through singing? Singing songs, that hold a positive lesson beneath it, is one of her specialties. At least, that's what I have noticed in her character so far. So I think that it would be appropriate for her character to behave that way in that scene.

[NocturnalRainbow 248]

This episodes had decent humor and not to mention Braeburn (Aw Yeah) but for me it really fell flat. I don't know why but the buffalo, just in general, rubbed me the wrong way. The fight scene was terrible and they could have solved the problem so quickly if not for the stupidity of a few characters ._.

[Jokuc 8,173]

Once I saw that somepony posted in this topic on this episode, I just remembered something. This episode was actually the first episode that I showed to my friend who used to be a hater. He thought that is was quite funny. Haha oh I remember that moment so well

 

Personally, I don't like this episode a lot. But it's okay.

[Batbrony 16,055]

Wouldn't it be considered acceptable for Pinkie Pie to solve a conflict through singing? Singing songs, that hold a positive lesson beneath it, is one of her specialties. At least, that's what I have noticed in her character so far. So I think that it would be appropriate for her character to behave that way in that scene.

 

Well as I mention about a sentence later in my review, I did admit that it's not necessarily out of character (OOC) for Pinkie to try to resolve a conflict by singing a song.  However, I thought this was a bit too grave of a situation for that to seem like an appropriate or good idea, and what really bugs me (besides what I had mentioned earlier that you addressed) was that the Mane 6 couldn't come up at that point with really a better idea to try to fix things between the buffaloes and Appleloosans, and that just struck me as dumb.  Again, I like the episode, but that particular instance of Pinkie's singing, however, and the way it plays out just kinda irks me a bit.

Edited August 27, 2013 by Batbrony

[dekutree64 713]

The next way that the Mane 6 fail in trying to resolve the conflict really irks me to this day; Pinkie's song.  The theme of the song itself is not bad; what's bad is the very idea itself!  Pinkie trying to solve this type of conflict by singing a song feels too much like something that an episode of MLP in G3, or even a generic Disney feature, would try to do these days.  The writer's of MLP are smarter than that, so it just feels really lazy and poorly conceived; I'm not saying it's necessarily OOC for Pinkie, but the fact that the Mane 6 can't really come up with anything better than that is stupid.

Nice review, and I agree with you on most points. Pinkie's song, however, is pure satire of the classic girly genre. The entire point of it is to show that the writers of this show are better than that.

 

I do agree that the mane 6 could have come up with a better plan, but on the other hand it's nice that they gave Pinkie a shot without question, rather than treating her like a stupid clown. And you gotta admit, the song would have worked if it was still G3

 

Actually, maybe what irks me the most is when Pinkie tries the song again before the battle. I guess she was desperate and couldn't think of anything else, but I'd have thought she'd be smart enough not to do it again after it made things worse the first time. In other words... she kind of acts like a stupid clown

 

I think this is my favorite image from the episode:

The whole "war machine" scene is just dramatic enough that the stacks of pies almost look ominous... but then you realize that the thought of pies being ominous is hilarious

[Radiance64 7,053]

Yeah this is a really good episode.I think it's fun and adventurous with a lot of memorable moments. I don't much care for Braeburn or Pinkie's song in this one though.

[Rainbowhail 0]

I don't actually understand y Pinkie Pie song made the buffaloes mad.Totally clueless on that one

[Cwanky 17,579]

 

Alright, Over a Barrel wasn't THAT bad, but the episode definitely had some significant flaws especially one that was supposed to address controversial and big issues. I'll go over and list the most notable pros of the episode first though before I thoroughly eviscerate it and scalp and plunder it like a savage Indian.

 

The Good

 

The new sentient species introduced, the buffalo/bison are pretty well designed if not a tad generic. I loved Chief Thunderhooves mannerisms and you really could feel for his character in the plot of this episode. Little Strongheart was also a great supporting character, with great design, animation and sequences, particularly the train sequence. However she had far too few lines and screen time.

 

Braeburn and the Appleloosans are interesting and fun characters. Similar to Little Strongheart, Braeburn had a great opening scene to highlight his personality in song and mannerism even if he was a tad annoying. This however was overshadowed by excessive and unnecessary inclusion of Pinkie Pie and overall lack of screen time.  

 

Applejack and Rainbow Dash have great interaction here that could have been further played out. Its nice to see their character interaction, which like many things is often too limited, and builds off what Fall Weather Friends established. Applejack couldn't be more pro apple, and it was surprising and admirable that Rainbow would loyally stand by the buffaloes for their rights and ideas, even when she hardly knew them.

 

The Bad

If I didn't clearly state it earlier then here it is now: too many Pinkie Pies. No no the episode, but the character. While I like seeing her antics, pranks and catch phrases many were poorly executed in the episode and generally she got more screen time than she deserved or needed, more than Twilight even. Over a Barrel should have been an episode about Appleloosa the buffalo and the new characters Little Strongheart and Braeburn, interacting w/ Applejack and Rainbow Dash caught up in there conflict. Instead somehow it turned into a missed opportunity and was derailed by an overly obnoxious pink pony. 

 

Also the episode started on a great high note, w/ Applejack cozying up to her apple tree Bloomberg, the train scene between Rainbow Dash and Little Strongheart was exciting and fun, and Braeburn was great. But everything fell flat after that and the characters that should have had more screen time didn't or it was limited to a few lines and a poorly woven plot.

 

The only other thing I would have added is that I would have much preferred Applejack and Rainbow Dash to at least contribute to Twilight's letter, or write it themselves altogether, but seeing as it was Season 1, I could understand the use of Twilight's morality recap here.

 

The Ugly

I know a lot of you out there won't like to here this, but this episode was borderline racist, and it surpassed Bridle Gossip on that scale vastly. Of course, I understand the limitations of a children's show's morality but maybe they would have been better off making this a stereotypical Thanksgiving episode. The depiction of the buffaloes as Native Americans was actually fine. They are meant to depict Plains Indians if anything, their tendency to roam and migrate, the charging styles, and the choice of buffalo themselves which are revered by the Plains Indians indicates as much. Yes the Plains Indians are iconic so this may be a large reason why they're viewed as stereotypical.

 

The problem is the pie fight and the seemingly peaceful resolution. Unfortunately that's not how history remotely played out and if kids watched Over a Barrel, they may be very ill informed that thousands of Indians and settlers were massacred in brutal bloodshed and the Plains Indians lost out badly, have most of their land seized and forced onto reservations often w/ poverty and separated families. Even remotely suggesting that there was some sort of "equal" bargain between the buffaloes and white people ahem Appleloosans is a total joke and likely quite offensive or distasteful to many people including Native Americans. There's just no sugarcoating that. Perhaps a flashback to earlier tensions between buffaloes and the pony settlers like we saw in A Heartswarming Eve would have put a more accurate context and at least show that this a modern crisis that avoided past tragedies.

 

But aside from these overly glaring issues, I thought this episode had lots of potential and good characters and development too. Its a shame it fell very flat of what it could have done. Still I hope to see more of Little Strongheart, Braeburn the Appleloosans and the buffalo in the future.

[flutterfries 8]

would go gay for braeburn