S01:E25 - Party of One

[Sprite 9]

I really liked this episode but it was pretty sad seeing Pinkie all depressed like that. The episode was great well thought out and I liked the breakdown. If it weren't for Cupcakes I wouldn't mind seeing another episode like this in Season 4.

[Shawn Parks 1,798]

it was pretty sad seeing Pinkie all depressed like that

 

I know what you mean.  In a weird way, it is nice to see characters in situations where they are vulnerable.  I feel bad for the characters, but at the same time the fact that I can empathize with them makes me feel connected to them.  They become more "real" to me when I see a them experience a wide range of emotions.  When they are sad, I want to give them a hug.  And that makes me love them more. 

[hawkflame 3,308]

My second favorite episode from season 1 after Suited For Success.  It runs the gamut of emotions- hilarious, sad, heartwarming, and even disturbing.  The increasing paranoia and degree of mental breakdown she had here is something that I've never really seen before in a cartoon, but it never goes into full-on darkfic level scary. 

 

A lot of people have talked about the comedy aspects of this episode, as well as Pinkie's breakdown, but I'd like to talk about a minor part of this episode that I rather enjoyed.  I like it in the show when characters do something weird or strange, but I also particularly like it when other characters notice this and call them out on it.  It validates the viewers reaction.  It's like the writers giving a wink to the fans, saying, "yeah, this is as weird as you think it is, just go along with the ride".  Which is why I liked it when Dash is noticeably freaked out by Pinkie's behavior. 

[Ihei 711]

I always thought this looked like Pinkamena, since this was the only time we've seen what we assume is Pinkamena in this other than the rock farm.

[Righteous Fury 344]

I read cupcakes the other day. Oh man, that was horrible. If this episode didn't air, there would be no creepy pony-related stuff online.

though cupcakes came before this episode

 

I don't buy into the whole 'Pinkamena alternate personality' thing though. Pinkie's not an alien. She can feel sad and go crazy just like the rest of us.

[Shawn Parks 1,798]

I don't buy into the whole 'Pinkamena alternate personality' thing though. Pinkie's not an alien. She can feel sad and go crazy just like the rest of us.

 

I agree.  This might be the only "fanon" thing that actually bothers me.  Pinkamena is her name, and Pinkie is a nickname.  She doesn't change from one character to another when her hair poofs out.  She doesn't have a split personality.

[Cisco Cizko 5]

this reminds me very strongly of a ren and stimpy episode-'hermit ren' i think its called, where he goes crazy inside a cave and makes friends with a corpse...hehe yeah ren= (to some extent) pinkamena

[Swirl 90]

...and that's how the crazy Pinkie meme started.

 

This was definitely one of my favourite episodes of not only for Season 1, but the show in general. From the dullness of Gummy to the craziness of depressed Pinkie, it was hilarious and quite a good lesson about trust. It's one of the episodes I can watch over and over without it getting old. xD

[DubWolf 16,609]

Most notable about this episode is Pinkamena's first appearance. Not to mention Apple Jack had to tell a few white lies to keep Pinkie Pie from finding out about her party...Okie Dokie Lokie... (hey, that's another emoticon we need!).

 

Other than that, makes me feel sorry for Pinkie Pie with her misunderstanding about her friends............and I need to rewatch some episodes! Can't remember the last time I saw one!

Edited August 16, 2013 by Wingin'Wolf

[ipaintpurplerainbows 30]

I LOVE this episode, pinkie is so funny and of course Gummy... I love Gummy and he was.. Well, he was in this episode!!

When he's playing with a balloon.. It's so cute and Pinkie just wants everyone else to have a good time.. Aww.

[John 793]

Most notable about this episode is Pinkamena's first appearance. Not to mention Apple Jack had to tell a few white lies to keep Pinkie Pie from finding out about her party...Okie Dokie Lokie... (hey, that's another emoticon we need!).

 

Other than that, makes me feel sorry for Pinkie Pie with her misunderstanding about her friends............and I need to rewatch some episodes! Can't remember the last time I saw one!

 

Applejack didn't lie in that episode  She said they we're doing construction (which they were).  They were technically "constructing" pinkies birthday celebration room.  

 

 

And although she was misleading pinky to some extent, the fact that it made her so uncomfortable and caused her to do one of her infamous "lying faces" is a good sign that she was not OOC.  IMO, she's the most consistent character (personality wise)

Edited August 18, 2013 by John

[ThunderShock1 24]

Easily one of Meghan McCarthy's best episodes.

 

Now, for all of the bashing the woman gets, she can write well.  I just feel like she can write certain KINDS of episodes.  The smaller, slice of life stuff, she rocks at.  The big epic episodes, that's where she struggles a bit.  Personally, I would leave the epic to the other writers and have her focus on what she's good at.

 

Another thing I think happens is that now that she's in Faust's position, when she writes herself, she isn't critical enough of her own writing.  Maybe this will change in season 4, but that's just my two cents.

[Shawn Parks 1,798]

Applejack didn't lie in that episode  She said they we're doing construction (which they were).  They were technically "constructing" pinkies birthday celebration room.  

 

 

That is a good point.  And even if Applejack did lie, I thought the fact that she had the hardest time being dishonest was a nice touch.

[FNGRpony 655]

The episode was very...interesting.I blame it for cupcakes.

Well yeah lol.

 

I think it's not that huge of a leap.  If pinkee had a knife in that epsode i could see her stabbing someone LOL.

I don't think it was a huge leap to say she went nuts.

 

She did go nuts.  If you were a villian i think driving pinkie of the deep end would be pretty easy lol

[androba 0]

This episode was very interesting  

Edited September 24, 2013 by androba

[Batbrony 15,994]

As I said in the last two reviews, there are three of the last four episodes in Season 1 that I consider to be among the show's finest; "Party of One" is MOST DEFINITELY one of them!    Oh wow, where to even begin on this episode.  I guess let's start with the obvious: Pinkie Pie.

 

Of Pinkie Pie's episodes, I would definitely say with the utmost confidence that this is hands down easily her funniest episode to date!  Of the Season 1 episodes, it's a little trickier if this is the funniest; for me, I really can't pick between this episode and "A Dog and Pony Show".  They're both simply too funny!!!  That said, let's get down to Pinkie Pie and all things Pinkie Pie that make this episode the wild ride down the rabbit hole that it is.  AND AWAYYYYYY WE GO!!! 

 

 

This episode from start to finish is simply one big, delicious helping of Pinkie Pie!  Randomness, hilarity, and just plain insanity galore abound in this episode every second.  First, we get a lovely dose of Pinkie Pie doing what she does best of course: throwing a party, namely for Gummy (in probably his funniest role in the series to date as well, impressive considering he mostly just stares blankly at the screen ).  It's a great opening scene; we get to see Pinkie at her best doing what she does best, having fun with her friends, and still being whacky, random, and just plain Pinkie.  And then the crazy train starts pulling out of the station...

 

 

So Pinkie of course gets the not-so-good-idea that she should hold a "after-birthday party" for Gummy.  When her friends start mysteriously avoiding her and coming up with excuses as to why they can't be there (a very funny sequence of events like most in this episode, especially Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's increasingly insane excuse!), Pinkie comes to the conclusion that her friends are avoiding (which is right, but for the wrong reasons).  Increasingly erratic, Pinkie confronts Spike and, in a misunderstanding, he "confirms" her fears that her friends don't want to be her friends anymore.

 

Really though, wouldn't you have done the same as Spike if she was making THAT face at you?

 

That's when things get really scary.    We are henceforth introduced to the insane entity that is simply known as... Pinkamena, confirming once and for all that Pinkie truly is insane. 

 

And thus, Cupcakes and a million more grimdark fics were launched!  To this day, the debauchery is still being produced by peculiar, possibly unstable individuals worldwide with sick senses of humor!!!  

 

After a sequence that can only be described as insane, hilarious, and all-kinds-of-disturbing all at once, Rainbow Dash finally shows up, and, well, I think we all know where this is going...

 

 

NO NOT THERE!!!   Get your heads out of the gutter.    No, after experiencing the madness that is Pinkamena, RD finally manages to drag her (quite literally) to Sweet Apple Acres, where she is given... A SURPRISE PARTY!!!  Yes, it turns out that good ol' Pinkie Pie has just forgotten that her birthday was that very day (which means that she must've gotten Gummy as a birthday present if his birthday is the day before hers now that I think about it ), and once she realizes that her friends have simply been doing their best to throw her the best surprise party they could, she's back to her old Pinkie self and all is right with the world.

 

Now, hilarious as this episode is (and I really can't go over every point because there's simply too many great comedy bits to cover them all), after viewing it this time, I came to the realization that this is not only Pinkie's funniest episode, but also probably her best episode in general.  When you think about it, everything spirals out of control for a very big reason: Pinkie displays an extraordinary amount of anxiety and insecurity throughout the episode.  This shows from the very beginning; the whole reason she wants to throw an after-birthday party for Gummy in the first place is all because she wants an excuse to bring all her friends together again.  As events get more and more out of hand, it becomes apparent that Pinkie Pie, beneath the bubbly exterior, is, at least in a tiny corner of her subconscious, extremely insecure to the point that she believes that the only thing she really contributes to the group is great parties and that that's the only reason her friends hang out with her.  Of course, this is rubbish, but that just goes to show how terrible Pinkie's insecurity really is, even if it barely ever surfaces.  I mean, that kind of anxiety doesn't just come out of nowhere; clearly Pinkie treats being the bestest, bestest friend in the world for as many ponies as she can be like a full time job, HER full time job, and that seems to be quite stressful to her at times.  She obviously has some sort of deep-seated fear of losing her friends, of things going back to the way they were before she got her cutie mark.  And don't think I'm just grasping at straws here, we've seen signs of this since then in other episodes, like "Too Many Pinkie Pies".  So, that said, I have to say that I think this episode is a very revealing episode for Pinkie Pie, and goes to show that she's far more than a perpetually chipper, random, whacky character always ready to put a smile on somepony's face.  She's very well-rounded like the rest of the Mane 6 and, if anything, far more complex than some of them in that her fears and anxieties barely if ever surface even though they're quite clearly there and, if pushed far enough, can even drive her to the brink of real insanity as displayed quite clearly in this episode.

 

OK, well, with Pinkie covered there isn't too much else to look at.  The rest of the Mane 6 are really great in this episode; they make a really kindhearted effort to give their favorite party-planner a fantastic surprise birthday party of her own (really, really sweet gesture, I mean, seriously sweet), they all provide plenty of laughs (especially Applejack; I swear, every time she tries to cover up what's going on around Pinkie it's simply hysterical and I just lose it!!!), and in the end they show just what great friends they all are by this point in the show.  The comedy's gold, the writing's gold, the lesson is gold; what more can I possibly say in praise to an episode as good as this?  "Party of One", you're among the finest MLP: FiM has to offer, and I can't think of a better episode to serve as the penultimate episode to Season 1 than this one! 

 

[Praetorian Xenomorph 27]

This episode, Party of One, was my favorite episode out of all of Season 1. 

 

By far the cutest way to show psychological damage.

[Dowlphin 459]

Party of One - inspired by Dinner for One?

 

I just rewatched that episode and this is the first time I thought that it might have been inspired by a certain comedy piece that is traditionally aired on German TV on every New Year's Eve:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ-4OslOMtM

 

It could be a coincidence, but it's not just the similarities content-wise, but also in the title.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

This is one of my favorite episodes, although it sucked to see Pinkie all down. She's one crazy little pony.

I've had days like that too though, so I can sort of relate, aside from the whole party with inanimate objects of course.

 

Also, in relation to the above post. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the inspiration for the episode. I'm pretty sure they spoofed an "I love lucy" episode too. The cherry factory one.

Edited October 11, 2013 by Midnight Scribbler

[Lyrafinish 72]

One of my favorite Pinkie episodes... And that scene with her having that party without her friends was just... 

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

One of my favorite Pinkie episodes... And that scene with her having that party without her friends was just... 

I really loved that scene. It really gives you the impression, especially with the music in the background, that Pinkie has some things going on in her head that aren't exactly sane. It really brings her into a new light for sure. Great character development.

[Lyrafinish 72]

I really loved that scene. It really gives you the impression, especially with the music in the background, that Pinkie has some things going on in her head that aren't exactly sane. It really brings her into a new light for sure. Great character development.

I agree with that, thats probably my favorite pinkie scene of season 1.. although it was pretty creepy for a childrens cartoon, i think everyone was pleased with it 

[flutterfries 8]

Ah, yes. The infamous creepypie face. The scene where she goes completely bonkers and start talking to rocks is my favorite. 

[AfTeRwArDs 509]

Contrary to popular belief, this episode was not in fact the inspiration for Cupcakes. It was actually written before this episode aired.

 

That said, this is my absolute favorite episode in Season 1, and definitely in the top 5 of the whole series. Seeing Pinkie go mad (in every sense of the word) was the absolute best thing.

[WsConanRoyal 63]

So, when I first began watching this, I thought to myself, "Hmm, seems like a fun Pinkie party episode." BOY was I wrong! First of all, the progression of Pinkie's insanity in this episode is done brilliantly. It shows how her mental state slowly but steadily worsens over the course of the episode until she finally snaps. I really enjoyed her little interrogation of Spike and how she just made him say what she wanted him to. Then there came the After-Party Party...yeah...

 

I'll be honest here, that entire scene scared me a little. It wasn't just talking to the inanimate objects and making them talk back; it was the twitching, the faces she was making, and just how well the animators and the v.a. portrayed her slip into insanity. It was done so well and really grabbed my attention and held it hostage. Plus I love the end where it's revealed why her friends were avoiding her. A good wrap up after the craziness.