"The Last Round Up" Train/Chase Scene Plot Hole [Spoilers]

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

Now call me a critic... oh wait I am! But I may have just found a plot hole that at least worries me about today's episode (Season 2, Episode 14) "The Last Round Up."

 

Normally I'd say My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is a well written show, but now I'm worried if it might be declining. Usually episodes go plot hole free, but today's episode had a plot hole glaring right at me in the face, even when I watched it the first time.

 

I see that the fans here REALLY love this episode. I do too! I love the overall story and the characters seem really strong here (well Twilight and Rarity took a back seat this time but it's a change of pace). However, the episode was REALLY REALLY good, one of the best ever... until the end.

 

It wasn't a lackluster ending. It went almost exactly as I predicted, but it's a kid's show so predictable plots and lessons are to be expected. The issue I had with the ending is more in the writing and the logic behind it.

 

Cut to the chase scene where we see 5 of the Mane 6 in one cart chasing Applejack in her carriage. We get some banter, a rather humorous "I'll pay more if..." joke running, Applejack outsmarting the Pinkie Promise/Pinkie Pie Swear (guess Hasbro/Studio B thought Pinkie Promise sounded cuter) which I thought was great (I love a good Loophole!), and then Pinkie being Pinkie and knocking Rarity off the cart! Beautiful scene!

 

Then the train comes along. Applejack's last ditch effort to, "Get the heck outta Dodge!" (I see what you did there!) She decides to beat the train leaving the other ponies behind. It works out. Then something happens that bothers me...

 

...She stops and jumps out of the carriage... WHY? The point of out running the train was to cut off the other ponies and get a HUGE lead and lose them. So Why stop? Even worse she let's the carriage leave without her (I could see why they wanted to leave, she's certainly trouble). She only runs when she sees that the Ponies jumped the train as she stands PERFECTLY still saying, "Try and catch me now!" Logic? I'm not sure... did she plan on beating them on foot, you know out run Rainbow Dash? (Don't get me started on why Rainbow Dash didn't just fly after her in the first place...) Did she count on the train being infinite? There are a few theories I have.

 

1.) Lazy/Crunched Writing: Either they really didn't care (which I DON'T think this is the case, but who knows) or they had some sort of deadline to catch. Perhaps they had some kind of scene where Applejack's Carriage breaks down, but the animators didn't have time or something. I suppose that could be forgiven seeing how great the rest of the episode was.

 

2.) Applejack is Unbelievably Stupid: Now this goes hand in hand with the above Lazy/Forced Writing. There is no reason for her to jump off the carriage. You could argue that she got excited and wanted to gloat... why not do that from the carriage? Why let the carriage leave if you are so desperate to get away from them? Her being stupid would be fine if that was a running character trait which it really isn't.

 

3.) This is Where Applejack Scares Me: Perhaps her plan was to out run the train and have the other ponies get hit by it... WHAT? Yeah that's really the most intelligent explanation I can come up to fill the plot hole! Think about it in a non-Pony Wild West theme. The Outlaw (Applejack) would try to get rid of his Pursuers (Other Ponies) by ANY means necessary! If that means making the Sheriff and his deputies take a one way ride on the 3:10 to Yuma then I'm sure the Outlaw would do so without second thought! Back to Ponies. Now Applejack loves her friends! She wouldn't want them hurt no matter how desperate she is, but when it comes to logic... this is the best explanation! She panicked! In desperation and panic she tried to violently kill the other ponies by train... NOT a Pony-like explanation by ANY means, but I prefer it over Lazy Writing!

 

4.) Since Derpy is Now Cannon, Everypony is Now 20% Dumber: Derp... that'll be all!

 

As you can see from above I HATE Loopholes, especially in great things like MLPFiM, but I DON'T give free rides to anything if a plot hole is THIS obvious to me! I certainly hope this is just what happens when too many awesome things are packed tightly into 22 minutes and not a reflection on the show's writing decline! Here's to many more MLPFiM episodes! Hopefully Plot Hole free!

 

[TL;DR] Explain to me why Applejack jumps off the carriage after she out runs the train!

[Finesthour 7,287]

It was bothering me too.

 

Why the hell get out of the wagon when she was getting away?

 

The train would not be there forever.

 

So why bail?

[Doctor XFizzle 8,669]

I don't remember exactly the scene but are we sure that it was AJ who stopped the carriage herself or was it the stallions?

 

I could see the stallions stopping as protest to AJ's crazyness like "You almost killed us. We're not going to take you any further."

 

But if it was AJ who stopped the carriage, then yeah I don't know. Just one of those stereotypical cartoon moments where there's a break and the character pauses for a rest break or a "ha, you can't get to me" break.

Edited January 21, 2012 by Doctor XFizzle

[HomuraBL 851]

If you noticed the stallions who pulling it got tired. She got out since they were resting to brag. The stallions saw an opportunity to ditch her and left. Applejack seeing that she no longer could use the carriage, felt like bragging a bit more... but then remembers Rainbow can fly and is then shocked so she can't move. She then did a last ditch effort.

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

If you noticed the stallions who pulling it got tired. She got out since they were resting to brag. The stallions saw an opportunity to ditch her and left. Applejack seeing that she no longer could use the carriage, felt like bragging a bit more... but then remembers Rainbow can fly and is then shocked so she can't move. She then did a last ditch effort.

 

Alright not bad...

 

Still kinda chalks it up to Applejack being really stupid! "...but then remembers Rainbow can fly" she forgets the one biggest characteristic of one of her best friends that she brags about almost as frequently as Pinkie talks? Some pony is not using the old noggin!

[HomuraBL 851]

Still kinda chalks it up to Applejack being really stupid! "...but then remembers Rainbow can fly" she forgets the one biggest characteristic of one of her best friends that she brags about almost as frequently as Pinkie talks? Some pony is not using the old noggin!

 

She is the pony that said "don't use your fancy mathematics to muddle the issue."

[Page.Turner 940]

Well, I think it was a classic scene.

 

Seeing that she beat the train, the carriage ponies stopped and after proclaiming her to be trouble decided not to take her any further. I guess almost dying was enough for them to also not take her money either that she promised to pay for them to leave the other ponies in the dust. So, while the train was going by, I'm sure that classic Apple Jack just assumed the ponies on the other side had to make a quick breaking stop in order to not hit the train. I highly doubt AJ would deliberately MURDER her best friends just so they didn't know she won second place.

 

Anyway, back to the plot. It is very common for people to stop when they think they've won. I mean, how many horror movies have you seen and NOT said, "Are you kidding!? Why did you stop!? If that was me I would have kept running!". It's not lazy writing, I think it's more realistic. The adrenaline of the chase and barely missing the train probably left AJ in a very euphoric state, a bit of a God complex, and thus wasn't thinking straight.

 

She's not stupid, she's just normal. All the time I would like to think I would do the right thing in certain situations but you never know until you're in them.

[Zacharius The Prosecutor 46]

Personally I think the episode was pretty good.

It's better than the sisterhooves social. Good reasons:

Derpy has proper lines. (mlp notices fan movement)

Rainbow cries. (representing most bronies when they watch the end of a show.)

Pinkies ULTIMATE RAGE! (lolwtf? She gets a demon voice xD)

Showing weaknesses and strengths of the mane six. (aj's overconfidence, the bailing cart, fluttershy stopping at the rabbit, pinkies annoyingness as a weapon, even though id never call her annoying! , ect)

Plus, cmon. It wasn't delayed for ages like some older episodes.

 

Cumquat....all I could think about when she said that was: oooh pinkie you dirty pony! xD

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

Personally I think the episode was pretty good.

It's better than the sisterhooves social. Good reasons:

Derpy has proper lines. (mlp notices fan movement)

Rainbow cries. (representing most bronies when they watch the end of a show.)

Pinkies ULTIMATE RAGE! (lolwtf? She gets a demon voice xD)

Showing weaknesses and strengths of the mane six. (aj's overconfidence, the bailing cart, fluttershy stopping at the rabbit, pinkies annoyingness as a weapon, even though id never call her annoying! , ect)

Plus, cmon. It wasn't delayed for ages like some older episodes.

 

I'm not saying it was a bad episode. I'm saying I am disappointed that the episode was SO great that it kinda had to stumble over the finish line and ruin the momentum it had. I was REALLY cheering for it. I thought it might have been better than "Cutie Mark Crusaders," "Sonic Rainboom," and maybe even tied for my all time favorite "Cutie Mark Chronicles!"

 

Alas it tripped over it's own two feet er... hooves and fell victim to what I consider a large plot hole!

 

If the ending would've been tied up a little better, with the inclusion of Derpy Hooves being canon, best episode! Unfortunately, much like Applejack it has to shamefully take the 2nd place ribbon in an almost overpowering symbolic way, but much like the Mane 6 does we will still LOVE this episode!

[Zacharius The Prosecutor 46]

To be honest I wouldn't find pinkie that annoying. I mean that little thing she went on about, that wouldnt annoy me. I love pinkie too much.

 

 

Hm. I see your point. Ah well. I shall not argue. The only point I could say bout derpy was a little too much on the destructive side.

[Champion RD92 8,658]

I was thinking the exact same thing, I was thinking like "why the heck did she get out of the carriage when she was getting away???"

[Jokuc 8,173]

Well, I think it was a classic scene.

It is very common for people to stop when they think they've won. I mean, how many horror movies have you seen and NOT said, "Are you kidding!? Why did you stop!? If that was me I would have kept running!". It's not lazy writing, I think it's more realistic. The adrenaline of the chase and barely missing the train probably left AJ in a very euphoric state, a bit of a God complex, and thus wasn't thinking straight.

 

I was thinking exactly the same thing. This is VERY common for movies.

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

I don't see why you're worrying so much about this. I think it's just an anxiety that the show's getting worse that's getting into your brain. Not so much a plot hole as a moment played for comedy. They did it for laughs, not something that one needs to look into too deeply. Applejack probably just wasn't thinking straight. That's all. I wondered this too, but it really didn't bother me. I just shrugged and was like "eh." I do like Raccoon's explanation though. And Sky Song's. Also, if it was me, I probably would've had a brainfart too and forgotten that Rainbow Dash could fly. You don't tend to think in moments like that.

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

Maybe she wanted to get out and hide? With the train stalling the other five she figured she could run off somewhere they wouldn't expect her to be. Now, that didn't work of course because RD and Fluttershy can fly, which AJ temporarily forgot.

 

In any case, silly things like this happen for the sake of comedy. You shouldn't think too much about it. Cartoons aren't supposed to make sense.

[HanPolo 151]

I agree with theory 2!

 

I actualy remarked out loud about this when i saw it. I think i said something along the lines of "Uh, we can just wait for the train to pass, derp."

 

Seriously AJ, what were you thinking?

 

But alas, its was done for comedy. Id sooner laugh at it that poke holes in it anyday. Its a show for little children afterall (although im pretty sure my neice will have noticed how stupid this is ).

[Pony Joe 583]

I just thought that the stallions pulling the cart stopped because they felt used and offended, and not to mention had their lives risked against their will. It is highly doubtful that Applejack could convince them to play a part in any more of her antics after something like that.

 

As for why she didn't just keep running, the episode had me stumped until I read SkySong's post.

I think it's more realistic. The adrenaline of the chase and barely missing the train probably left AJ in a very euphoric state, a bit of a God complex, and thus wasn't thinking straight.

 

 

 

I feel like a bigger plot hole was when the 5 chasing her were convinced that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy pulling the rest of them was somehow faster than all of them running at top speed.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Pony Joe

[Eenohay 318]

I don't see why you're worrying so much about this. I think it's just an anxiety that the show's getting worse that's getting into your brain. Not so much a plot hole as a moment played for comedy. They did it for laughs, not something that one needs to look into too deeply. Applejack probably just wasn't thinking straight. That's all. I wondered this too, but it really didn't bother me. I just shrugged and was like "eh." I do like Raccoon's explanation though. And Sky Song's. Also, if it was me, I probably would've had a brainfart too and forgotten that Rainbow Dash could fly. You don't tend to think in moments like that.

 

You know, If for example, she would just have waited for the train to pass like an idiot, and then after it passed, she would have realized that she had made a terrible mistake, and said something like, D'OH!, then it would have been something for the laughs. But the show had Rainbow and Fluttershy fly other the train, wich of course is something normal, but it technically made us think, that if they weren't able to fly, applejack would've gotten away, and that's why this error is so terrible.

[Twi Rubix 726]

Looks like those guys wern't getting payed quadruple....

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

I feel like a bigger plot hole was when the 5 chasing her were convinced that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy pulling the rest of them was somehow faster than all of them running at top speed.

 

Yeah I suppose this is a slightly bigger lapse of logic.

On ground running, Earth Ponies have stronger legs therefore they should be faster runners then Pegasi. Pegasi are faster than Earth Ponies because they can fly but the cart limits their flying ability so they are reduced to lesser Earth Ponies. The 5 Earth Ponies should've been MUCH faster than Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on ground.

 

Though jumping the train is something that the Earth Ponies couldn't have done so I guess it paid off eventually.

 

Oh and if we want to argue abilities, Twilight could've stopped the cart with magic, but now I am definitely thinking too much into it!

[Eenohay 318]

Yeah sure, but they wanted to have a car chase, and that would've ruined it

[Mr. Wobbels 664]

I was like "WTF AJ! Y U NO KEEP GOING!?" It was a pretty dumb plot hole, but a good Applejack episode with one plot hole is still better than a Rarity episode with no plot holes.

[Kyreth 194]

The majority of episodes have plot holes involving Twilight's magic. In Nightmare Night we see Twilight levitate Fluttershy against her will. Why didn't she just lift Applejack out of the cart and stop her?

 

Don't get me started on the amount of situations Twilight could solve all their problems by teleporting.

 

I try to ignoring it by just shouting MAGIC at the screen. Its probably magic.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

Call me blind but I didn't see the end coming.

 

Perhaps I was too busy enjoying the show to predict it.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Blue

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

The guys pulling the wagon slammed on the "Brakes" after Applejack made them risk death by crossing in front of the train. The way I see it, AJ knew they were fed up with her. She showed no real surprise when they declaired her trouble and took off. Besides, she wasn't running for her life or anything. It wasn't like she feared she would be killed if her friends cought up. It was just a slight mistake on her part. No fault of the writers or animators.

 

Now, at the risk of making waves. I hardly call hopping out of a wagon that she knew wasn't taking her anywhere any more a plot hole.

 

I think you may be over analyzing things just a tiny bit. I love the show dearly, but IT IS a cartoon aimed at young girls! It isn't presented as an entry for a best screenwriting award or something.

Edited January 24, 2012 by cuteycindyhoney

[Eenohay 318]

The guys pulling the wagon slammed on the "Brakes" after Applejack made them risk death by crossing in front of the train. The way I see it, AJ knew they were fed up with her. She showed no real surprise when they declaired her trouble and took off. Besides, she wasn't running for her life or anything. It wasn't like she feared she would be killed if her friends cought up. It was just a slight mistake on her part. No fault of the writers or animators.

 

Now, at the risk of making waves. I hardly call hopping out of a wagon that she knew wasn't taking her anywhere any more a plot hole.

 

I think you may be over analyzing things just a tiny bit. I love the show dearly, but IT IS a cartoon aimed at young girls! It isn't presented as an entry for a best screenwriting award or something.

 

Even if the guys pulling the cart stopped, she should've kept running by herself