S03:E08 - Apple Family Reunion

[Reani 176]

The episode was very very fun to watch.... and painful to watch. Nonetheless, Applejack doesn't get many episodes to herself, so this is a nice add on. I can't wait for tomorrow's episode though.

[Wingnut 6,988]

 I remember Granny Smith saying that the Apple Family Reunion happens every 100 moons,and I have 2 questions to ask here.

 

 What is our time equilent of 100 pony moons?

 

 Wasen't there an Apple Family Reunion going on in Season One,episode one?

A moon is a lunar month or a lunar cycle, roughly 29.5 days.  100 moons would be about 8.1 earth years. 

 

There is nothing in the program to say that if an Equestrian lunar cycle is the same length as earth's or a different amount of time. 

 

In episode 1 itself, I believe the Apple Family gathering was not a reunion but done to prepare for the sun celebration.  However, in a subsequent episode, Applejack does refer back to this event as a family reunion.  My own opinion:  AJ made a minor mental slip by calling the sun celebration meetup a reunion. 

Edited December 29, 2012 by Wingnut

[Megas 27,569]

This episode wasn't as big for me as the 3 episodes, but this was still a great episode for me and shows how well Cindy Morrow is with the Apple Family, plus it was great to see some much needed development for Applejack. But in the end, I still had more problems here than in other episodes, I won't lie.

 

What I liked:

- Applejack wasn't overshadowed by her family, or by certain background characters.

- Applejack got great development

- Baby Applejack!

- The lack of Applejack's parents didn't really bother me much, and I liked the indirect confirmation of their fate without any depressing or sappy moments

- The return of certain family members like Babs Seed and Braeburn(did the Orange's Show up?)

- New members like like Apple Rose and Aunt Applesauce

- Applejack getting the solo she deserved for so long. She sounded amazing in it, despite the songs simplicity

 

What I didn't like:

- I had a couple problems with Applejack. How could she not tell that the rest of her family didn't enjoy the festivities, especially when two episodes before she was the only one who could tell that there was something wrong with Scootaloo

- I feel like Big Macintosh got the shaft. While Applebloom and Granny Smith had some beefy parts, Big Mac hardly did anything, which sucks considering what it was about.

- I was disappointed that Braeburn didn't have any speaking parts.

- We still didn't get to see AJ's parents, and while I don't mind if they're dead or not, I'd still wish we could've seen them

 

I still really liked the episode because it hit most of the expectations I was expecting, but there were a lot of problems in the episode that really irked me. While it wasn't as great as some of her other episodes, in all it was still a solid episode, the song was adorable and shows how Cindy Morrow continues to be my favorite writer.

 

Final Score: 7.5

[Virulence 254]

This episode was great! The whole reunion idea was marvelous. Seeing all the apple family was really neat and to see all the different type of apple related cutie marks. And don't forget... "Raise this barn!" That is such a catchy and fun song; I can't get over it! I've downloaded it on my iPod and have been listening to it daily. Gosh Hasbro, yer amazin!

[Spartan 433]

- We still didn't get to see AJ's parents, and while I don't mind if they're dead or not, I'd still wish we could've seen them

Yes you did.. well not them in person. But supposedly those shooting stars were them. Since they are considered dead. Ofcourse, they never said HOW they died, just on twitter someone with MLP confirmed their dead :/

[CrystalRose 636]

I did wonder if the stallion that found AJ under the table was her father, as he has the exact same mane colour as Applebloom, and in similar fashion to baby AJ who wore an apple the same style to her cutie mark in her hair, he had one on a necktie.

 

But then why would he ask who she was?

 

You know what, I saw him later on in the episode. Never mind.

 

But still, I love this episode. The song is so fun, and the stars thing made me tear up a little.

Edited December 31, 2012 by CrystalRose

[Cantankerous 106]

I'm going to admit something. I understand AnY's position painfully well. Earlier I called this episode elegant, but the transition between the barn getting destroyed and it getting rebuilt can't honestly be called that. I went along with it because the underlying ideas behind it are strong, as I explained earlier, but upon reflection I've found it nevertheless harder to buy this turn of events. In particular, AJ shouldn't have realized rebuilding the barn would turn out as it did, that wasn't natural. Since watching his video and taking in the opinions of others I've been going back and forth about this matter. I'm struggling to make up my mind whether this episode scrapes by with a 7/10 or if I should lower it to a 6/10. I think I'll stick with the former but my feelings have become less generous than when I initially watched it.

Edited January 3, 2013 by ByTheTides

[~Lawful Sturdy Wing~ 522]

I'm going to admit something. I understand AnY's position painfully well. Earlier I called this episode elegant, but the transition between the barn getting destroyed and it getting rebuilt can't honestly be called that. I went along with it because the underlying ideas behind it are strong, as I explained earlier, but upon reflection I've found it nevertheless harder to buy this turn of events. In particular, AJ shouldn't have realized rebuilding the barn would turn out as it did, that wasn't natural. Since watching his video and taking in the opinions of others I've been going back and forth about this matter. I'm struggling to make up my mind whether this episode scrapes by with a 7/10 or if I should lower it to a 6/10. I think I'll stick with the former but my feelings have become less generous than when I initially watched it.

 

Why do you believe the barn situation would not have gone the way it did?

[Thundershock 310]

i saw this episode and its pretty good. another episode that made me like applejack more.

[Aerial~Shot 177]

 I remember Granny Smith saying that the Apple Family Reunion happens every 100 moons,and I have 2 questions to ask here.

 

 What is our time equilent of 100 pony moons?

 

 Wasen't there an Apple Family Reunion going on in Season One,episode one?

I just guessed a 'moon' to them was the same as it is to us, but then this is a show where the sun and moon are controlled by magical ponies, so I really don't know anymore

 

Considering that this seems to be AJ's first "family reunion", I'd say the one back in season 1 was a reunion held for the Summer Sun Celebration, like maybe they have a slightly different reunion at that time, with the part of the family in that year's location hosting it and helping to get ready, when the real Family Reunion is always in Ponyville every 100 moons, as explained by Granny Smith

Edited January 13, 2013 by Aerial~Shot

[Cantankerous 106]

Why do you believe the barn situation would not have gone the way it did?

 

You know, I'm leaning back towards calling the whole thing fine today. I wonder how many more times I'm going to switch positions. Even given me least charitable interpretation, I think this is an episode worth defending since it's the kind of episode I watch this show to see... even if I do have difficulty defining precisely what that means to me.

[Lupus 127]

This was kinda fun, but not enough Braeburn! We could see him but he didn't speak! The lesson was cool, and the song very nice. 

[Syrchalis 40]

I didn't really like this episode like others, but the song was very nice. Not only could we hear Applejack sing, but it simply sounded better than a lot of the other songs in this season.

It does definietely not have masterpiece status for me like the "This Day Aria", but it is nevertheless one of the better songs.

 

Other than that I would have wanted a more... serious conflict. I mean that pressure in AJ is understandable but I feel like it's a bit overdone after a time and to be honest - as a the main conflict of an episode it seems a bit weak.

I prefer episodes with a bit more of a problem, like the one on the train with Pinkie and Twilight playing detectives or hell even Rainbow Dash wanting a pet.

Whenever I feel a situation could have been solved much easier with a loud "Stop! Listen to me please!" I don't like it. For example the Parasprite episode is such a case too - if Pinkie would have thrown out something to catch her friends attention it could have been solved much easier. Of course that would defeat the purpose of the episode, which is the lesson at the end.

 

I still say there could have been a better way to have the same effect - same for this episode.

[Two-of-Hearts 168]

I still like this episode even after letting it stew for a while. It makes a lot of Applejack's actions in previous episodes make sense. Like her stubborness to do all the work herself in Applebuck Season, and her weird over the top shame over not getting any blue ribbons in the Last Roundup.

 

Applejack lost her parents at a very tender age (assuming they died not long after Applebloom was born). No doubt she was raised to be the self-reliant carry on no matter how bad things get type, and losing her parents just made her go into that role 120%. With her parents gone she felt obligated to step up and take care of her family, especially Applebloom. And everything she does, she does because she feels that her families security is on the line, that any sort of failure on her part is in some way letting her family down. So when she does experience the inevitable failure, even with something as frivilous as not getting any blue ribbons, she immediatly goes into self-loathing mode, and becomes stubborn to the point of walling herself off from her friends.

[SCS 7,534]

I loved this episode. Something very interesting that a friend of mine pointed out to me that I didn't notice myself is that those two comets flying over the barn at both the beginning and the end of the episode might symbolize Applejack's parents. My friend told me that Lauren Faust had wanted to hint at the fact that her parents were dead, but didn't want to just outright say that in the show, because that would be too sad for a show intended to be appropriate for all ages. 

Edited January 20, 2013 by SCS

[moongarnet77 47]

Once i heard about this episode, I knew: more Braeburn and more Babs Seed. Buty I was surprised to find that Hayseed Turnip Truck is a member of the Apple Family.

 

Plus, the mystery of what color Granny Smith's mane was as a young filly, is finally revealed!

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

Applejack is one of my favorite ponies, and I had waited two years for AJ to finally get her solo song.

 

Hope for more Apple family flashback episodes.

[Princess_Molestia 1,460]

in the opening shot to raise this barn Cloud Chaser and Bon Bon were there...

fun fact that is the only song in MLP to make me dance (a ho down dance with a girl at a con)

[OtakuBrony 349]

Great episode.

 

All about AJ & the rest of the family & the return of Babs Seed.

 

Raise This Barn is really catchy.

Kudos to Ashleigh & Michelle.

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

That was the long awaited Applejack episode, and that had been all the waiting worth.

 

And finally Applejack got her own song.

[Nightgazer Starlight 4]

I'd like to **ck Apple Fritter then.

 

She makes an appearance in this episode.

 

She is one hot mare, oh yeah!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h40JA99Wz0

 

18:33 green mane and tail.

[hottemaxx 2]

I actually could find out something very interesting when watching this episode. I could put up a little theory about how much time passed since Twilight arrived in Ponyville. remember that granny smith said that it were nearly 100 moons since the last reunion? this statement lead me to the theory that twilight is in ponyville for nearly 100 moons now since apple jack said in the apple bucking season episode (season 1) that all the ponies twilight met at the farm in the first episode were there for the reunion. this means that twilight is in ponyville for at least 100 moons or around 8 years and 4 months. it could be longer if there was another reunion se dont know of. What do you think of my theory and did you thought about that too?

[Starlight Song 43]

Worst song ever? WORST SONG EVER? I loved Raise This Barn! Ponies plus country music equals one happy pegasister for me!

I downloaded that song on my nano also.

[Philosophy Pony 123]

Raise this barn is an okay song, but it's definitely not the reason why I love this episode so much! I love the apple family pony's, especially Apple Fritter, my favorite background pony! So cute! *squee*

[True Rarity 1,240]

This episode was just plain funny.

I loved the part when little bitty filly Applejack was seen under the table eating apple fritters by the dozen! SHE WAS SO CUTE!