S03:E08 - Apple Family Reunion

[Beth Sycamore 28]

 Any episode with a good song sung well,is a great episode for me.

 

 A baby pony/horse is called a foal,a filly is a young female pony at the child/teen stage of life. I hope to see a picture of Big Mac as a foal,in a future episode.

 

 I'm glad that I wasn't the only one to notice Hayseed Turnip Truck,at the Apple reunion. Is Babs related to Uncle and Aunt Orange as their daughter?

 

 Did anyone else see how pretty Granny Smith looked when she rearranged her face,when she was telling AJ she hosted the Apple reunion during her younger days? Could someone post a picture of that here?

 

 It was good that Applejack set up alot of fun activities,but she should have let the family do things at their own pace.

[WildCard 1,037]

One of my favorite episodes and I also liked the more down-to-earth atmosphere compared with Wonderbolt Academy.
I really love the Slice of Life  episodes and those were the ones that brought me to this show in Season1, therefore I really enjoyed the "old fashioned" season1 vibe that this episode had for me.

 

The song was nice and I really appreciated to see another letter to Celestia.

 

9,5/10 for me since episodes like this are what make MLP stand out from most other cartoons where the focus is on fun and overkill.

Edited December 23, 2012 by Wildcard

[Lost Profile 644]

Not one of the better episides... But AJ got a song! So in happy!

 

And the music was well suted for AJ but the lyrics could have been 20% cooler.

[Dark Qiviut 22,177]

Apple Family Reunion was a rather tame episode in comparison to the wackiness and adventure-esque episodes we've seen throughout the season, and it doesn't disappoint. Most previous Applejack episodes revolved around her being stubborn, but it was a completely different case. Instead, it was her eagerness to make this reunion the best one it can be. But sometimes, when you try too hard to make things grander, you run the risk of screwing up. This was one hard lesson Applejack learned after her ideas went horribly wrong one after another with the demolition of the barn being its climax. But she learned that lesson by having everypony teaming together to make things right again. Sometimes, it's not how you start; it's how you finish.

 

The little things that intrigued me in this episode:

1. The pairs of shooting stars in this episode as a symbolic hint to confirm that AJ's/AB's/BM's parents have passed away. While not in the script, it was a great piece of detail to hint it, particularly in a show where its minimum demographic is five to six years old. Death is a very difficult subject to treat right because of its seriousness and deepness. Some family educational shows like Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Sesame Street, and Arthur talked about death and handled them both really well. This was a great way to teach it without truly teaching it. Kudos to Sibsy for adding that in.
2. The photo album and its memories of the reunion. Granny Smith takes those reunions very seriously and has that passion for everyone in the Apple family to get together, tell stories, or just have quality time when they don't normally have.
3. Baby Applejack. Cutest moment in the entire episode. 'Nuff said!
4. Babs Seed and Braeburn returning. One of my peeves in this show is characters who have so much potential, only to last one episode only to never return. Like Trixie in episode 5 and Winona and Tank in Episode 3, this is absolutely refreshing to finally see "one-shot" characters returning. Although Braeburn didn't have any lines, it was great to see the close dynamic Babs Seed and Apple Bloom have. Since One Bad Apple, it looks like the two have become rather closer, and that reminds me of my closeness with my cousins.
5. Applejack's desire to have the best Apple family reunion. She wanted it to be grand, wonderful, exciting, and memorable for all the right reasons. She has a little bit of Rarity in her, for she wants to give to those and mean nothing except wanting to deliver the best to those she adores.
6. Nods of previous episodes, like the gold edible glitter (ala One Bad Apple) and the lightning electrocuting Applejack (ala The Last Roundup).
7. How sometimes being simple can create even bigger and better memories, and that's completely true. When you try to do something a little bit more complicated, you run the risk of having things go awry or making lives inadvertently miserable. We saw this in the obstacle course, quilt-making, apple fritters, and the fruit bats aiming at one of the characters' hats.
8. Getting the chance to make amends. Applejack wasn't willing to let the reunion end on a sour note, so she and the rest of the family were able to team up and rebuild it. But rather than having everyone do so miserably, they showed their pride, heritage, passion, and love for each other as a big family. And they built it all the while having a great time. It was a bit difficult, but they got the job done just in time.
9. Raise This Barn. For the first time, Applejack starred in a song, and as a result, we got to see Ashleigh Ball show what — she's — made — of— whoops, wrong song. Raise This Barn was an excellent tribute to the excellent Square Dance music and dancing itself from in the past. All the while, it's got a little distinct charm and style that makes it unique to the show, Applejack, and the dedicated roots of the Apple family.
10. My most favorite moment: How Granny said getting the whole family together is getting more difficult and how many of them may not be able to attend the next one. I think this somewhat hints the age of not only herself, but some of her relatives who grew up with her. Life isn't eternal, and Granny Smith, Aunt Applesauce, and Apple Rose know this. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if those words were partially responsible for Applejack to attempt to make this reunion grander: If it was the last reunion for some of her own generation, make it the best and most memorable it can be.

It's a completely different pace, but Apple Family Reunion did a really great job nonetheless. Great music. Fantastic animation. Nice nods to Applejack's parents. And an overall fine episode.

Edited December 23, 2012 by Dark Qiviut

[Qty - Cutie 20]

Aww yeah. I love this episode! AJ is my favorite pony of them all! This episode was kinda funny and thoughtfull. Like all other episodes.. But this thought me, that I shouldn't change that what is good for everypony (one), because they might be unhappy.

[irobern2857 95]

The episode was not a bad one but I was not all that impressed with the song. I would give this one a 7/10 not all that great but still above par.

 

And the time it took them to raise that barn would impress even the amish. 

[moneyshredderofdeath 414]

It wasn't the greatest episode but still solid. It was nice to see Babs return considering I quite like her plus other minor characters tend to be shelved for longer. Filly AJ was what stole the show for me, though. Simply d'aww. <3

[spas-ticShotty 3,582]

Anywho, look, a BG pony episode, Clarity, your favorite 8D

Hey, what the fuck about me ?

 

Anyways, now I've decided to say mah opinion on this episode. Of course, it's mah favorite episode of the season . I mean, the song was a disappointment (Even though AJ's voice was angelic , the tune of the song was just too repetetive for me), but other than that, I really liked it, especially the whole baby AJ scene x200, and that sad little nod to AJ's dead parents with the 2 shooting stars .

Edited December 23, 2012 by spas-ticShotty

[EpicMuffinTime 212]

"My name's Appew Jeck, mow fwittews?" My heart exploded twice that moment. That was the cutest thing I have seen in the show, yet. The episode itself was great! I'm looking forward to more AJ ones ^3^

Edited December 23, 2012 by EpicMuffinTime

[Jessper 735]

The best part is when Pinkie burps and bee flies out of her mouth. That being said, I don't think this will be one of the most memorable episodes or songs for me.

[Redthir 42]

I thought this episode was good enough until the last 5 minutes. Very often, these final 5 minutes can make an episode for me (Hurricane Fluttershy and Sonic Rainboom come to mind very quickly).

 

I'm very happy with the way in which they portrayed Applejack here. Arguably, because Applejack's the middle one among her brother and sister, she's kind of... not thought much of. This may explain why she likes to prove herself. We've seen before, in Applebuck Season and The Last Roundup, that she has a very strong sense of duty. However, in those episodes, her mistake was believing she was capable of something she wasn't. Here, Applejack took everything Granny Smith told her on board, and made the unfortunate mistake into believing she should stick by it (and as a result of this the family reunion became too rigid and boring). We can see very clearly how none of the characters are enjoying themselves (Apple Bloom and Babs Seed make it most obvious), yet Applejack is not listening because she's doing an Apple Family Reunion by the book (which, judging by Granny Smith's comments, are generally very successful).

 

Applejack's mistakes became apparent reasonably early on, and one could clearly pick out a moral: Social gatherings should not be done by the textbook, but rather by listening to the wishes of others and allowing them to do what they wish to do. This should've been the moral of the episode, but that got completely sidelined, and they somehow managed to make raising the barn enjoyable. Meanwhile, you've got ponies dancing and whatnot, having a merry time, but they're not raising the barn at that moment! Unfortunately, raising a barn is hard work, and not fun, and any kids who've watched this episode have been given a dreadfully misleading message. Even worse, they were forced into raising the barn, rather than doing it out of their own choice. Those final 5 minutes felt rather like the last 5 minutes of Winter Wrap Up, except that vaguely made sense (Twilight Sparkle was able to very efficiently organize everything). This, in contrast, didn't.

[Guest]

Can't wait for the next episode! Wonder what it will be about? Hopefully the next one will be something good...and I hope that leaks won't get out again!

[Nightmare Tsubasa 25]

I thought this episode was great! It was cute and funny. I was glad to see Applejack get some character development. I felt she was lacking in that department. It's nice to see that she can still grow as a character. And seeing baby Applejack was adorable! I believe she is the first one out of the main 6 to be shown as a baby in the series. I also like how they went with depth with the two stars being Applejack parents (I wondered what the two starts meant). Even though it’s sad to think about AJ not having parents, I’m glad we finally get to know what happened to them.  Also, for AJ’s first song in the series, it was really catchy.  Overall I really enjoyed the episode. I’ll give it an 8/10.

 

I think season 3 is really proving itself to be a great season overall.

[Wingnut 6,733]

"Dagnabbit!  Horse apples!  An ah jus finished raisin' that thar barn almost by myself.  And it took me three seasons to do it too!" 

 

Of course, everypony knew they weren't going home until they rebuilt it.  And Apple Bloom, who's a very good builder, will be a great builder someday.  It's in her genes! 

 

Even though I like Applejack, I do find her countryness irritating and overdone at times.  Case in point...this episodes' song.  The last few new songs were well done and clever.  But Raise this barn 1, 2, 3, 4?  Maybe it's just me.  Or maybe country music isn't the Hub's forte.  New episodes will always be a pleasure, but I can't tell a lie:  This episode was a hit but not a home run for me.  It was nice to see Babs again and it was even nicer to see Applejack finally tell Princess Celestia that she learned something. 

[~Chaos~ 3,966]

I enjoyed this one, I found the song to be quite catchy actually, and it was sweet to see Babs again, overall a great episode in my book.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

Wow! Well, this was definitely a good episode. It's not Sleepless in Ponyville, but it's up there. And it was all about Applejack and her family--she was the only one of the Mane 6 to appear. Some funny stuff that jumped out at me:

 

*Applejack is more like Twilight than I thought, the way she gets caught up in organizing a ton of activities, overdoes things and forgets to have fun.  

*Apple Bloom can buck apples! I was wondering about that. She must be pretty strong for a filly.

 

*"I imagine you think I have forgotten what you did to my parasol six reunions ago!" I thought the Apple family reunion happened once every hundred years. Apple Sauce is 600 years old?

*The fruit bats were a funny creation.

 

*She finally got a song! Andrea did a great job on it too. That was my favorite part of the episode.

 

*We got our first letter to the princess in quite a while.

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

Wow! Well, this was definitely a good episode. It's not Sleepless in Ponyville, but it's up there. And it was all about Applejack and her family--she was the only one of the Mane 6 to appear. Some funny stuff that jumped out at me:

 

*Applejack is more like Twilight than I thought, the way she gets caught up in organizing a ton of activities, overdoes things and forgets to have fun.

*Apple Bloom can buck apples! I was wondering about that. She must be pretty strong for a filly.

 

*"I imagine you think I have forgotten what you did to my parasol six reunions ago!" I thought the Apple family reunion happened once every hundred years. Apple Sauce is 600 years old?

*The fruit bats were a funny creation.

 

*She finally got a song! Andrea did a great job on it too. That was my favorite part of the episode.

 

*We got our first letter to the princess in quite a while.

It happens every 100 moons actually, so roughly every eight years. I noticed that Apple Bloom can apple buck too She's growing up

[Tall_But_Short_37 233]

I thought this episode was good enough until the last 5 minutes. Very often, these final 5 minutes can make an episode for me (Hurricane Fluttershy and Sonic Rainboom come to mind very quickly).

 

I'm very happy with the way in which they portrayed Applejack here. Arguably, because Applejack's the middle one among her brother and sister, she's kind of... not thought much of. This may explain why she likes to prove herself. We've seen before, in Applebuck Season and The Last Roundup, that she has a very strong sense of duty. However, in those episodes, her mistake was believing she was capable of something she wasn't. Here, Applejack took everything Granny Smith told her on board, and made the unfortunate mistake into believing she should stick by it (and as a result of this the family reunion became too rigid and boring). We can see very clearly how none of the characters are enjoying themselves (Apple Bloom and Babs Seed make it most obvious), yet Applejack is not listening because she's doing an Apple Family Reunion by the book (which, judging by Granny Smith's comments, are generally very successful).

 

Applejack's mistakes became apparent reasonably early on, and one could clearly pick out a moral: Social gatherings should not be done by the textbook, but rather by listening to the wishes of others and allowing them to do what they wish to do. This should've been the moral of the episode, but that got completely sidelined, and they somehow managed to make raising the barn enjoyable. Meanwhile, you've got ponies dancing and whatnot, having a merry time, but they're not raising the barn at that moment! Unfortunately, raising a barn is hard work, and not fun, and any kids who've watched this episode have been given a dreadfully misleading message. Even worse, they were forced into raising the barn, rather than doing it out of their own choice. Those final 5 minutes felt rather like the last 5 minutes of Winter Wrap Up, except that vaguely made sense (Twilight Sparkle was able to very efficiently organize everything). This, in contrast, didn't.

I disagree with you on those last crucial minutes. Applejack's mistakes came from turnig things that should have been fun family bonding into a chore, or just plain dangerous. I think raising the barn showed a perfect contrast to that because they took something that should've been a chore and made it FUN. Instead of being on a tight schedule like with the fritters, they danced and sang and had fun with it! They demonstrated that when you all work together as a family, you can do tasks that would take others days in little time at all, and enjoy yourself all the while! That's the moral I got out of it. They weren't forced to raise the barn, they did it not only to have a better reunion for themselves, but to pick up one of their own who'd fallen, and help her back up! That showed the true dedication of the Apple family to me.

[bunnybuzki 45]

I agree that even in this episode, it felt like it wasn't totally centered on Applejack, but Applejack's character is so unique! She is not an individual. Part of her write-up is her family. You can't have AJ without the Apple family. She's much less individualistic than the rest of the ponies, so I think it still does her justice in terms of focus and attention. 

 

I felt like this episode was nice and light-hearted, and then had a lesson about how and what to enjoy with your family right before our human holidays!. 

 

I think it's better not to get to get too ahead and look at show titles because when you see a title, then you get expectations...it's better not to have any expectations and just be passive and enjoy : ) I thought this episode was really fun and I felt all warm and fuzzy after. That thought about the two shooting stars is pretty sweet too! Totally satisfied.

 

Oh and just a thought, maybe the Apples should start spending more than five minutes building a huge barn, and then it wouldn't constantly get knocked down so easily!   JK JK

Edited December 24, 2012 by bunnybuzki

[Mile high 61]

Best episode ever and the song was awesome the thing thay said were awesome and we learnd more about apple jack she doesn't like to do the bare minimum of things witch is awesome AJ is best pony

[BlackWater 53]

I thought this episode was great! It was cute and funny. I was glad to see Applejack get some character development. I felt she was lacking in that department. It's nice to see that she can still grow as a character. And seeing baby Applejack was adorable! I believe she is the first one out of the main 6 to be shown as a baby in the series. I also like how they went with depth with the two stars being Applejack parents (I wondered what the two starts meant). Even though it’s sad to think about AJ not having parents, I’m glad we finally get to know what happened to them.  Also, for AJ’s first song in the series, it was really catchy.  Overall I really enjoyed the episode. I’ll give it an 8/10.

 

I think season 3 is really proving itself to be a great season overall.

 

I guess if I thought about then I'd realize that AJ hasn't gotten the same level of character episodes as the others - at least till this one (such matters require a careful eye). She's a hard worker so I can totally see why she ended up with the episode's main issue. AJ might not be my favorite character but I still like her for all that she is.

 

And baby AJ gave me diabeetus.

[roptiriolg 49]

The episode was okay but I guess nothing special going on... Yeah Applejack did reveal some more of her character during the episode and that was nice.

[Cantankerous 106]

Season three thus far has been something of a departure from the show's roots which has given it trouble endearing itself to me. Especially with the last two episodes having been written by Corey Powell and Merriwether Williams respectively, mlp has been stylistically different as of late and it's taken me some time to warm up to their episodes. But not this time, Apple Family Reunion was written by Cindy Morrow and it feels much more familiar. Of course, her other episode, One Bad Apple, also carried with it a sense of familiarity though not as much as that episode's plot was driven forward a lot more forcefully then season one episodes were (certainly not a bad thing having a tightly focused and driven plot, mind you). Of all season three it's this episode that harkens back most to the show's origins. In itself, that isn't necessarily either a good or bad thing. Personally, I'm inclined to call it a good thing given my preference for season one over the newer stuff; even so, I'm not going to seriously argue this episode to be better than Wonderbolt Academy. Whether it's better than Sleepless in Ponyville I've yet to make up my mind* but it surely is significantly better than the mediocrity that was The Crystal Empire, Too Many Pinkie Pies, and Magic Duel. It's simple, it's elegant, it's a true Applejack story. Everything she does here falls in line perfectly with what's been established about the character and the episode ends on a great lesson that shows her growing as a pony. Next to the rest of her episodes it's somewhat above Last Roundup and a little below Applebucking Season putting it's score at a seven on a ten point scale. Color me pleased.

 

*It's not.

Edited December 28, 2012 by ByTheTides

[DerpyFanatic 114]

It was great seeing Big Macintosh again. Big Mac is awesome pony, how can more of him be a bad thing?

 

Best parts of this episode:

 

Baby AJ. SQUEE

Granny Smith and her face-morphing trick when they were discussing her age.

Pinkie and her glitter. First we get golden Sweetie Belle, now golden Applejack.

AJ using Spike as a barbecue lighter. That was totally inspired!

AJ getting shocked a la Derpy while Rainbow Dash does the fake innocence whistle. If that's not a nod to Derpy fanatics like me, I don't know what is!

[Stellafera 3,835]

A lot of people say that this had the feel of a Season 1 episode.

 

I disagree. Season 3 episodes so far all have a sense of grandness, like the stories are something more and something big. And this episode felt thoroughly Season 3, enhanced by the idea of the shooting stars being Applejack's dead parents. I thought that the closest episode to an earlier season was Too Many Pinkie Pies, which felt much like mid Season 1/early Season 2.