S02:E14 - The Last Roundup

[Starshine 16,330]

Never in my live I saw a fanbase got this stirred up just because a background character

 

Loved all the jokes, fluttershy being startled is the best

[hwrogers 168]

For those complaining that AJ wasn't being honest, I think that if Rarity has episodes where she goes against her own element, then the other ponies should have those kinds of episodes, too.

 

?!? which ones? discord don't count

[RockinRarity 1,605]

?!? which ones? discord don't count

 

Pretty much any episode where Rarity is supposedly being selfish. An example is in Sisterhooves Social where Rarity wasn't willing to spend time with Sweetie Belle and didn't want to do what Sweetie Belle wanted to do, etc. In Sweet and Elite she opted to do what Fancypants invited her to do rather than make Twilight's dress and come home for her birthday party.

 

I think there are reasonable explanations for all these that don't go against her character, but just because they're forgivable instances it doesn't mean that she never did anything wrong. Just like with AJ in this episode. There's a reasonable explanation for her being dishonest, but that doesn't mean that she was doing the right thing by hiding what happened at the competition.

[hwrogers 168]

guess i can see what you mean, just a lot less obvious given her overly OCD character type as it fits her character as a whole to act as she did. aj however couldn't even reduce how obvious her lies were when under discord's spell, for her to lie so easily, and hide it so well is strikingly out of character.

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

I disagree. She didn't lie, at least not directly. She didn't tell the whole truth. While, granted, that is a lie of omission, it's not the same sort of lie, and not one I feel goes against her character at all.

 

Look at the expectations heaped upon her by Apple Bloom and the rest of Ponyville. She felt pressured, and then felt like she would be scorned beyond belief when she returned with a less than stellar performance. It's a perfectly understandable reaction.

 

She also lived up to her own philosophy by trying to fulfill her promise of sending the money in a different way. Should she have explained what she was doing and why she had to do it in order to send the money? Perhaps she should have, but I can understand why she didn't.

[hwrogers 168]

the promise to tell at breakfast was an outright lie, promising to do something at a time and place is both to do that and to be there to do so. she bailed on breakfast and thus also her promise.

 

i'll admit the "change of scenery" remark was a half lie, but she did say "i just thought cherries would be a good change of scenery" which would imply that there was no other reason for her leaving... but i also gotta tip my hat to the animators for having a proper lier's twitch response, watch for it, she twitches when she says that line...

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

I can see her refusing to show up at breakfast in one of two ways. Either

 

A. She never intended to show up at breakfast at all and thus it was indeed a lie.

 

Or

 

B. She originally intended to show up at breakfast and wasn't lying when she made the promise, but as breakfast neared she became too nervous and worked up and bailed rather than going through with her admission.

 

I prefer the answer of B, and it's one I can understand so well, because it makes sense and ties right back to the moral at the end of the episode. Applejack may be a strong pony, but even the strongest of us can falter. Applejack is no different.

 

That's not to say she didn't act a little bit out of character with her lying, but it was understandable lying, because of her emotional state.

[Demonology 2]

The best thing about this episode to me is that Derpy talked (Had some sort of overload of excitement when she did). And her flank destroys everything. EVERYTHING.

[Electrobolt 2,068]

I just got finished with this episode and... I... I will NEVER break any Pinkie Pie Promises I make... Seriously... Pinkie freaked me out there o.o But then she became her old self again... But jeez... o.o And Derpy spoke... When I found that out, I was like, "Wha--- Really? They... They named her Derpy AND gave her a voice? That... That's awesome..." Add a few chuckles in there and that's me in a nutshell... But still... Pinkie, you can be scary at times o.o

[Vinyl Scratch 260]

It took me half a week to put my thoughts on this episode into words, but I think I'm ready.

 

While I don't think this episode is the #1 episode of the season, it's among the best. The jokes were a plenty, lots of neat animation freeze-frames were to be found, and we even got an action-packed chase scene. I resisted the temptation to watch the I Love Lucy scene prior to my first watch, but it was a real treat when I got to it.

 

In case you aren't already aware, I'm a Pinkie Pie fan through and through, so it should come as no surprise her expert use in this episode had me grinning from cheek-to-cheek. I was actually a bit irritated Rarity was the one who got stuck with her on the ride home, because I would love to ramble aimlessly about food names with her. My preference is Chimicherrychanga, btw, though I'll go with Cherrychanga if there's a letter limit. Oh yes, and there's no forgetting what happens when you break a Pinkie Promise.

 

As much fun as I had with this episode, I have to come down on it for being yet another Applejack episode where her key role is being a victim of her flaws. I expected her to be conflicted enough to be gone in the first place, but I'd assumed she'd have some kind of redeeming moment in that 22 minutes. More than anypony outshining her, I believe this was her main problem. The lesson is well-stated that your real friends won't stop loving you even if you fail, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a grander ending for her. I'm certain most AJ fans are still waiting for an episode where Applejack basically saves the day, and I think Apple Cider said it best in his fantasy episode where they Apple Family fixes a crisis lickedy-split that nopony else can. This doesn't get brought up as much, but one of the most diminishing factors to Applejack's central role is the fact that this essentially a Mane-6 adventure episode. Perhaps if they sent the Apple Family instead, seeing as they had more of them at the ranch which I was stoked about , that would have helped. I thought Brushin Bones from Everfree Radio had a point when he said Apple Bloom should have snuck off at least to see her sister.

 

Finally, we come to Derpy. In the time she's been used, I'd gotten used to her being the silent character who provided physical comedy. Though this eliminates that, (paraphrasing a Joni Mitchell song) something's lost and something's gained in watching every Saturday. I, for one, had no real issue with Tabitha's execution here, but maybe repeat performances can help her hone the voice. I'm also glad that BaldDumboRat has chosen to keep working with her original voice despite this episode.

 

Again, I consider this one of the best episodes of the season so far. Let's just hope The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 fills the void I spoke of (btw, that's still the best episode name they've ever come up with).

Edited January 26, 2012 by Vinyl Scratch

[Rainbowdashisawesome 0]

i read this post after the episode past, fail.

[WolfEdge 75]

HASBRO JUST GOT 200% COOOOOOLER.....

 

 

also..... APPPPLLLLEEJJJJAAACCCK.....WWHHHHHYYYYYYYYY!

 

Applejack!! Y U NO GO HOME!??!

 

Also, Hasbro's coolness level is now immeasurable. This episode just had so much win it went beyond numeric capacities. YES, IT WAS THAT MUCH WIN. XD

[Zero000 435]

Pretty old episode, but I felt like this needed to be posted..

 

Check out what I noticed:

 

[hwrogers 168]

maybe she took pinky to seriusly at the mention of extra sass and was pondering AJ with even more than her usual? interesting spotting there

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

What about it? I don't see anything unusual in that screencap.

[hwrogers 168]

fluttershy's borderline horrified expression

[WolfEdge 75]

Lol, she's having a vision of the future... and can see the impending doom of the cherry sorting fiasco.

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

fluttershy's borderline horrified expression

 

She's just staring...she doesn't look that horrified to me.

 

Maybe I'm just not seeing it.

[Eenohay 318]

yeah, she looks normal when you see the whole picture

[hwrogers 168]

but if you focus on her she looks like a deer in the headlights, dilated pupils and eyes wide open with an otherwise stark expression, it's the face of someone in the moment of deciding whether to go with the fight or flight fear responses.

[Tupin86 195]

I know, I know, big bump. Has this episode ever been rerun on The Hub at all? I've never seen it in the schedules...

[The Enduring Man-Child 22]

So far as I know, last sat. and this morning is the first time the Hub has re-aired this episode since The Great Derpy Controversy.

 

Now that tempers (including mine) have cooled a bit, I realize that the new voice isn't really that bad (Tabitha gave her a colt's voice the first time because she thought Derpy was male). No, this second voice is kinda cute. Not as cute as BaldDumboRat's Derpy voice, but cute.

 

Now if only they would re-derp her eyes (they're still slightly derped, but they were most definitely changed) and (most of all) restore Rainbow's line calling her Derpy, think I'd be perfectly satisfied. Unfortunately, we all know they aren't going to do this.

 

She'll always be Derpy Hooves to me.

[Pinkiepie7 1]

so happy apple jack was in this one! she needs more episodes!!

[Finesthour 7,284]

Its weird.

I didnt like the episode at first.

Now its a favorite .-.

[BetaWolf 97]

So far as I know, last sat. and this morning is the first time the Hub has re-aired this episode since The Great Derpy Controversy.

 

Now that tempers (including mine) have cooled a bit, I realize that the new voice isn't really that bad (Tabitha gave her a colt's voice the first time because she thought Derpy was male). No, this second voice is kinda cute. Not as cute as BaldDumboRat's Derpy voice, but cute.

 

Now if only they would re-derp her eyes (they're still slightly derped, but they were most definitely changed) and (most of all) restore Rainbow's line calling her Derpy, think I'd be perfectly satisfied. Unfortunately, we all know they aren't going to do this.

 

She'll always be Derpy Hooves to me.

 

The Netflix version is edited as well, to all those curious. I'm actually fine with the edit, to be honest. The show's producers should keep the fan references subtle, and in the background. The show's original target audience should come first, and we should come after. That's how they've kept it a quality show thus far. The day when they start creating episodes targeted mainly for the fans is the day I stop watching.

 

I loved the use of Pinkie in this episode, as many did. The conversation between her and Pinkie while setting up the party was absolutely hilarious ("Oh Pinkie, you startled me!"), and the scene where Rarity is stuck with her, and curses Rainbow Dash is just great!