S02:E14 - The Last Roundup

[CC_Maud_Pie 6,431]

I can't help but think how epic that one Pinkie Pie scene was (the one where Pinkie says "nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise!). Overall, good episode, liked how the rest of the Mane 6 tried to find out what was going on with Applejack.

[big dan 7]

Why didn't apple apologize for breaking that pinkey promise, the episode would have been so much better

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

Why didn't apple apologize for breaking that pinkey promise, the episode would have been so much better

Because of loophole abuse. She promised to reveal her secret at breakfast... she never promised she'd be AT breakfast. 

[big dan 7]

Does that mean you can break a pinkie promise whenever you find a loop hole, apple jack is the element of honesty, I like that the main six aren't perfect and they have trouble living up to their element, it makes them relateable but would it be too much to ask for applejack just to say "I'm sorry". What if she breaks another pinkie promise?

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

Does that mean you can break a pinkie promise whenever you find a loop hole, apple jack is the element of honesty, I like that the main six aren't perfect and they have trouble living up to their element, it makes them relateable but would it be too much to ask for applejack just to say "I'm sorry". What if she breaks another pinkie promise?

Why are pinkie promises any more binding than ordinary promises? Applejack thought she could get away with it. Of course, Pinkie didn't entirely buy it, and nor should we the audience, but for Applejack, it was "ends justifying the means".

[big dan 7]

I guess I kind of understand, people act strange when they feel under the pressure, as long as she doesn't break another one, and if she does as long as she apologizes , then that's fine, I just woulnt like the element of honesty breaking 2 pinkie promises or any promises.

[StealingShad3Z 52]

NEVER BREAK A PINKIE PROMISE!!!

[powerpuff-tsubasa 448]

now that episode left me curious. wonder where did applejack disappear off to...?

[twiia 1,843]

No offense, but it was very boring... :/

[cmarston1 5,959]

This episode was pretty funny.

Plus Pinkie Pie was really great in this episode.

[Thrond 3,263]

I could go on forever about all the nuance in the margins of this, probably, especially with regards to Rainbow Dash, who is almost as great as Applejack here. She seems to consider Applejack's decision not to return as some sort of betrayal, and takes it very personally - that "element of loyalty" thing is shown off very clearly here. She also gets particularly intense in the chase scene, which to me seems to be directly related to how upset she is about Applejack not coming back. At the end, the way she "acts all mushy" is one of the earliest cracks in her "tough" image - and one of the first steps towards her shedding it entirely and becoming much more comfortable with being "uncool." 

 

Of course, she's not as great as Applejack, because AJ here is better than most characters in most episodes. Her fear of disappointing others is really deep, and her character arc here has almost an epic scope. She stakes her pride on her win, but she also bases the hopes of her hometown on it. Whether she's happy with her performance is irrelevant; what matters is that those back home are proud of her. That promise to donate the prize money only solidifies that, and while simple lesson episodes are nice, grounding a character's flaws and fears in something understandable and even relatable makes for some of the best conflicts in the show. Applejack is motivated by shame and pride, placing the weight of the town on her shoulders far more than is necessary. The financial motivation seems less important than that of shame, because it's the shame alone which prevents her from telling her friends about it. She can't allow herself to fail, and the stubbornness which defines her is seen in how she ignores how her actions are affecting her friends. Fantastic. 

 

The episode is fast paced, not only because of the (absolutely brilliant) chase scene, but also because of how the initial search for Applejack is communicated solely through montage. It builds tension and mystery, first around Applejack's whereabouts then around her reason for staying behind. It's also really funny, especially because of Pinkie Pie, here operating at her ridiculous best, but she's also slightly more grounded. Her biggest laughs here come from silly decisions and from how startlingly furious she gets at a broken promise, not from any break in the laws of reality. The episode never takes itself too seriously, and the background score remains bouncy even as the story drifts further into drama. Those dramatic scenes are also balanced with humour, and although the episode verges on melodrama, this show happens to be really good at melodrama. It can wring so much depth and emotion out of these interpersonal conflicts, and it's episodes like these where the ponies seem to experience the most growth. 

 

Shame about the Derpy scene, though. Wish the re-recorded performances weren't so stilted; they're pretty clearly a rush job. Still, it does very little to harm what is otherwise a truly outstanding episode. 

 

Score

Entertainment: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Themes: 10/10

Story: 10/10

Overall: 100/100

[blackstarraven 142]

I think I have talked about this before. But I love episodes that basically revolve around the ponies losing there shit....

 

And this is interesting in so much as its one of those episodes but it does not actually revolve around AppleJack doing something against her nature.

-

Like for instance a epsiode where Rarity is selfish. Ya.. Because even the most generous people are selfish some times. Even the most honest people are dishonest some time.

This one is a episode where Applejack actually simply refuses to be honest.. but refusing to be dishonest.

She actually avoids the issue all together.

And that's a pretty good story/lesson to be honest.

 

I give it 3 out of 5. not because its bad, but because... well its a little boring...

[Moony the Cat 3,702]

This Episode was meh. Not sure what i should write about it. Sure, the Story made sense but...eh.

[Meushell 52]

On 5/2/2014 at 9:15 PM, Justin_Case001 said:

("Don't forget to come back with all that money!"  That was kinda f*cked up of the mayor).

In her defense, she seems to suck at her job.

On 10/23/2013 at 9:31 AM, Batbrony said:

I did it Rainbow Dash, I talked, I finally talked!!! 

Awww. That’s cute.

———

The end was predictable, though Applejack did better than I expected based on her behavior. Er, Applejack, the first meal you have in the day is breakfast. The meaning (break fast) is in the word for Celestia’s sake! 

I want to see a pony toilet. That outhouse didn’t look quite big enough to er, really “go” comfortably.

Horses pulling horses will never not be strange to see. Was Applejack whipping them? I know she really wasn’t, but that’s the feel I got from that scene.

Love the train having just that one little section blocked.

Lastly, the Derpy scene. They dubbed out her name, but it lives on in closed captioning. I actually thought her name was still there until I saw the complaints here. I probably just read her name and thought Rainbow said it. I watched the original scene on YouTube. I find myself liking the new voice better. Since I saw that first, Derpy suddenly sounding masculine was just wrong. The voice itself sounded more...stupid? Like the voice actor was playing what he thought a low IQ character should sound like. I like innocent, charming voice better. 

[bigbertha 414]

This episode was fantastic. The comedy was top notch, the story was interesting and engaging, the chase scene was awesome, and all of the characters were at their best.

Score: 10/10

[Phosphor 11,528]

It's an Applejack episode. Of course I loved it! 

My observations:

I felt that Applejack made some really steep promises and that may have messed with her during her performance, which wasn't shown. Mayor Mare certainly didn't help by mentioning the money before she got on the train. I did seem to find Applejack leaving her family behind to be out of character for her. 

I laughed a good bit during this episode. Pinkie Pie was great. The lesson in this episode was also great. Never run from your problems, or break a Pinkie Promise. lol 

Also that moment where Rainbow Dashed teared up near the end... loved it!  

[bigbertha 414]

This episode has everything. The jokes are really funny, all of the characters are at their best, there's a fun action scene. It has everything. There's nothing to complain about except for that rerecorded Derpy scene. I don't blame the episode for that though.

Score: 10/10

[Rushing cash 836]

Great episode, the comedy was on point(especially the part pinkie jumped right into rarity and they fell and dash didn't bother to pick them up, and the ending scene was hilarious), AJs reasoning was understandable but for someone who values family as much as she does, she surely did not think how they would feel if she didn't return without giving a reason. Pinkie can catch RD whenever she wants but not AJ, why? Also since when fluttershy can run so fast? but these are mostly just nitpicks, I really enjoy watching this episode. 8.5\10  

[Lucky Bolt 35,062]

This episode is one of my all time favorites. 10/10

[North Star 5,220]

Rewatching through Season 2.... this ep has some great moments in it, including this one

Forgot how good the lesson was "Instead of running away from your problems, you should turn to your friends and family." <-- has a lot of resonance for me  

[Astralshy 26,421]

Very good episode in my opinion. This episode is primarly about Applejack but If I remember anything first from this episode is that "Nopony is breaking a pinkie promise". Pinkie is really on point in this episode :) The lesson in this episode is also a great one. Cherry Jubilee is a great character and she and her farm is not only mentioned in later episodes she even reappears in a later season.

[JMTV99 1,352]

The Last Roundup is the most underrated Applejack episode of the series and it's just plain fun and it's so heartwarming.

[Bimbola2005 15]

cough cough best episode cough cough

 

This is a really great one.

 

Everyone that says AJ was OOC really, really missed the point in this one. It’s an episode about Applejack breaking her element, but done without being unnatural or forced for her character:

The episode sets up really well how everyone respects and glorifies her abilities and doings. Everyone expects the best from her, and Applejack knows this, and she tries to do her best to live up to everyone's expectations and her past Rodeo achievements. There's a huge amount of pressure on her.  Then, when she doesn't win any blue ribbons, two traits of her emerge as affected: First, her Pride; she is a very prideful pony, so not being able to win any blue ribbon after so much expectations leaves her devastated. It was a huge humiliation, which only she was present at, so she still has the pressure in return to home, defeated, and face everyone and tell them about her failure; lastly, there’s the other important characteristic of her affected, her own Element, Honesty: she ended up not keeping her word, failing to win first place in anything, failing to receive the money she had promised to repair the Town Hall. She failed her Element, her word and her people. For her, it would be pretty unfair returning without the blue ribbons and the prize money after their send-off plus the high expectations they had on her, that she thought she should fulfill.

But she still tries to find a way to compensate for all of this: Taking advantage of the fact that nobody witnessed her immense shame, she decides to work on the cherry ranch, sending money to them, while not having courage to return home. So she sends a vague letter, and hopes that this is enough to justify her not returning. It can be said that her actions are pretty immediate and ill thought, looking like she did not considered how her family, friends and town would be devastated, but it’s still understandable considering her damaged pride and the feeling of shame: they were the things that prevented her from coming back and telling them sincerely what happened. It was a hard moment for her and so she chooses this path, driven by all these conflicts mentioned earlier.

However, her plan doesn't work, and when her friends find her and demand an explanation from her, she tries her best to dodge and hide the truth from everyone. The own Element of Honesty hiding the truth from others, however it was already broken when she failed everyone and her promises at the rodeo.

Then, when she's forced to promise to tell the truth sometime, she decides to run away. That might seem a little weird, like, where would she run after all? Here's the thing: all the attempts to hide the truth have failed. Her letter failed: her best friends still went to get her back; her attempt to raise money in the cherry business also fails: her friends are still there to pester her;  she's forced to tell everything at breakfast, so she doesn't attend it, still trying hard to hide the truth, but that doesn't work either: she got caught. Her damaged pride and element makes her desperate at this level.  Even if Applejack had managed to outrun the others in the pursuit, she would have nowhere else to go: Obviously she wasn't going back to Ponyville; nor for Cherry Jubilee, her plan to work there discreetly also failed. She wouldn’t have anywhere to go: she reached the limit of her escape.

All of this is meant to show that even if we do our best to hide our problems, there will always come a time when we can't hide them anymore, and the best thing to do is face them and be honest with everyone about them. That happens to Applejack when she’s caught by RD. She has to reveal everything, and that's the best option, that's what she learns. Not matching everyone’s expectations and promises are nothing to be ashamed of, your family and friends will still like and love you no matter what.

This conflict suits AJ really well, it’s believable for her character, and it’s also a really relatable one. She’s not nearly as out of character as people claim her to be.

The other Mane six were also great too, specially Pinkie and Rainbow: Pinkie was funny and entertaining, I like how she’s portrayed and used here. And then we have Rainbow, who, just like Aj, has her “breaking element” moment: When Aj writes that she won’t come back, she feels betrayed by the pony she really cares as both friend and rival and has great consideration for. Her element of Loyalty is affected here. During the chase, when Pinkie and Rarity fall and get behind, she puts her friendship with Applejack above the other two: she needs to resolve this issue with Applejack immediately, she can’t waste her time getting them back: It’s their Loyalty or AJ’s. This is also a good conflict that suits our hot-headed and determined Pegasus well too.

This episode is Marvelous, I don’t have any shame in calling this one Top 5 material for the entire series. It’s a really shame this episode usually gets recognized as the “derpygate” or the “Aj OOC” one. This episode deserves way more praise than it gets.

Bravo Amy Keating Rogers, Bravo

Edited March 12, 2023 by Bimbola2005
some things (probably I’ll come back to this comment frequently if I think I should update it as my view updates too)

[Cash In 22,216]

I always looked at this as a sequel to Applebuck Season. :p

I really liked Applejack's portrayal here. Her struggle was very in character and I thought it was a pretty interesting angle overall. Even though AJ was the main focus, I did like how the rest of the Mane 6 each had a fair amount of time in the sun.

The episode itself was very enjoyable. I found Dodge Junction an interesting change in scene and I thought Cherry Jubilee was a pretty interesting character.

The chase scene at the end was my favourite part, but of course, I'm not gonna ignore the amazing/dreaded scene of breaking a Pinkie promise. To be honest, the entire episode was very entertaining. I can't think of a dull moment.

I love this one. Has to be my favourite Applejack episode of all time.

[Hadrien 950]

The episode where AJ learns it's ok to not live up to your own hype. But of course, since she's so stubborn and proud, she prefers to ditch everyone without notice and work for another farm instead of coming home and talking with everyone. JUST TALK PEOPLE, SAY WHAT YOU FEEL AND THINK, IT'S NOT THAT HARD.

Cherry Jubilee was a nice little one off character, putting AJ to work immediately and helping her getting some coins. The factory scene gave me ptsd of when I used to work in a cheese factory, it's honestly mindnumbingly dull.

The chase scene is the best part of this episode, Pinkie Pie just letting AJ off the hook on a technicality and then jumping off was hilarious.

7.5/10, better than mid. RARITY, CATCH ME !