How to defend Boast Busters?

[Cantankerous 106]

Boast Busters is an episode I like. Or, at least, I did like it. To my dismay, I'm no longer sure. Always at the back of my mind I knew it was kinda dickish the way AJ, RD, and Rarity heckled Trixie but I didn't think much of it. I still defended the episode as great despite their portrayal. What changed is I came across three reviews which each made largely the same case against the episode... and that case is frightfully compelling. I don't know how to defend the episode. Their arguments are better than mine. I looks like I'm going to have to reduce my score for Boast Busters from an 8/10 all the way down to a 3/10 and I really don't want to do that. Those reviews were by Strebiskunk, DigibronyMLP, and Brony Nutcase. If anyone can think of agruments I can use to defend the episode, I'd appreciate it.

Strebiskunk's negative review:

DigibronyMLP's very negative review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TTWv2PXTHc

Brony Nutcase's extremely negative review:
http://blip.tv/ncbnutcase/brony-nutcase-boast-busters-6227448

Edited January 9, 2013 by ByTheTides

[ShyForever 284]

I liked it. The only thing that really grinded my gears was Snips and Snails.

 

When I first watched the episode, I stopped watching about 12 minutes in just because of them.

 

But, I gave the episode another chance and actually liked it. If Diamond Tiara was involved, then fogettaboutit.

[~Lawful Sturdy Wing~ 522]

You don't need to defend it, it can stand on it's own. If you are trying to insist to other bronies the quality of the episode, just look at it from the perspective of Twilight Sparkle. I think that it's really important to see what she was thinking and look at the situation from her eyes.

[Just some guy 1,070]

Who gives a flying hoot about who likes this episode or who doesn't like that episode?It's their opinion,no need to go out and force them to like it.I personally enjoyed that episode and I also enjoyed the Mare-Do-Well episode.It's a personal preference,nobody really cares if you like a certain thing or not.

 

Though I will say that the voice-reading panel of that episode with DiMaggio was hilarious.TGAP Bender 4 lyfe. <3

[Fender 1,283]

Snips and snails are a way of saying people tend to instantly jump on new fads or things that seem appealing to the general public, in my opinion, and they exaggerate that with purpose. Anyway, yes, they scold Trixie for being such a bloody showoff, it's simple human nature to be annoyed by that, even excessively annoyed. Trixie was a fraud, simple, she told and showed people what they wanted to hear and see, to show that people can easily use others for self-admiration and self-glorification, thus granting them power whether it be political, social, or emotional. I'm too tired to check if I worded this correctly, oh well.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

We're rating episodes now? We can't just say what we did or didn't like?

 

Always at the back of my mind I knew it was kinda dickish the way AJ, RD, and Rarity heckled Trixie

Seriously? Trixie waltzed into a town where nopony knew her, made an obnoxious spectacle of herself and dared them to challenge her! AJ, Dash and Rarity all responded in ways that were very much in character. Trixie gets no sympathy from me here.

 

Boast Busters was a pretty good episode. I don't see how someone could call it lousy unless they're over-analyzing or like Trixie so much they couldn't handle it when she got her just desserts.

[ToridAkbolto 170]

We're rating episodes now? We can't just say what we did or didn't like?

 

Seriously? Trixie waltzed into a town where nopony knew her, made an obnoxious spectacle of herself and dared them to challenge her! AJ, Dash and Rarity all responded in ways that were very much in character. Trixie gets no sympathy from me here.

 

Boast Busters was a pretty good episode. I don't see how someone could call it lousy unless they're over-analyzing or like Trixie so much they couldn't handle it when she got her just desserts.

Well to be fair, that's her job. As a performing magician, she moves from town to town showing off her magical power in a big spectacle, or else she wouldn't be able to make a living. 

 

It's kind of like how at the circus, the "strongest man in the world" challenges others to lift his barbells. 

Edited January 9, 2013 by jwutheheadcase

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

Well to be fair, that's her job. As a performing magician, she moves from town to town showing off her magical power in a big spectacle, or else she wouldn't be able to make a living. 

I get that. What I disagreed with was OP calling AJ, Dash and Rarity "dickish" for how they reacted to her. It makes no sense to me at all.

Edited January 9, 2013 by TailsAlone

[Flutterbee 92]

As you can probably tell from that picture right over there <- I like Trixie quite a bit.  I think like that first review it is in big part because of the facial expressions show shows on stage.  I pretty much agree with that first review.  I never saw Trixie as a villain at all in the first episode.  In the 2nd episode having that amulet I could see my image of Trixie being possessed by it and becoming a villain much like 1000 years ago Luna's jealousy turning her into Nightmare moon.  Regardless I like Boast Busters quite a bit even if the mane 6 are out of character and acting in a way that made no little sense.  Well actually I think it did make sense because we see time and time again that they can all go a little (or a lot) crazy.  They simply are not perfect characters, they are realistic.  Perfectly fine normal people could have responded in the same way in real life, so I think it works just fine.  I wasn't really happy with the way Trixie acted at the end of Magic Duel though.  I really have to pick Boast busters as the better of the two Trixie episodes.  No matter what though you should not let someone elses review of an episode determine what you think of it.  If you think Boast Busters is an 8 then give it an 8.  Personally I gave it a 9.7 and 9th place over all in my top 10.  

[Cantankerous 106]

If you are trying to insist to other bronies the quality of the episode

 

I'm trying to insist to myself the quality of the episode.

 

 

 

I get that. What I disagreed with was OP calling AJ, Dash and Rarity "dickish" for how they reacted to her. It makes no sense to me at all.

 

Well, it's really more immature then dickish, if you find that better.

 

 

 

I don't see how someone could call it lousy unless they're over-analyzing

It doesn't take much analysis to see what's wrong with the episode, I'm afraid.

 

 

or like Trixie so much they couldn't handle it when she got her just desserts.

 

What she deserved was to not make any money for being bad at her job, not to have her home destroyed.

[~Lawful Sturdy Wing~ 522]

Why are you trying to insist to yourself the quality of the episode? Either you sit down to watch it and you like it, or you don't and you don't. MLP Is beautiful for it's simplicity, and you can find irreconcilable faults in all episodes if you analyze that deep. 

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

 

I'm trying to insist to myself the quality of the episode.

The fact that you've made a thread which (1) gives the negative reviewers the benefit of the doubt and (2) imposes on us to "defend" an episode most of us don't see anything wrong with implies that you've already decided it's bad. Either you like an episode or you don't. That's all that really matters IMO, and you don't need them or us to decide that for you.

Edited January 9, 2013 by TailsAlone

[Cantankerous 106]

Then what's the point of asking us? Unless the title was just a roundabout way of saying you don't like Boast Busters anymore either. I give up. -_-

 

You seem to have taken my statement to mean "I'm trying to convince myself it's a bad episode". That's all I can figure, anyway. How you managed to get that backwards with such clear context, I don't know.*

 

 

The idea of this thread is to salvage my opinion of Boast Busters. I hate not liking the episode. Intellectual honest compels me to admit all three of these reviews (especially Brony Nutcase) brought up very good points that I don't know how to refute. That's why I'm asking you for better arguments I can counter their arguments with. But, when it comes down to it, I'm not trying to convince them they should like the episode, I'm trying to convince myself.

 

* removed because his comment has since been edited

 

Either you like an episode or you don't. That's all that really matters IMO, and you don't need them or us to decide that for you.

 

I'm the only one who gets to decide whether I like an episode or not, that's true. At the same time, I can't like an episode my rational faculties tell me is bad. There's always hope though. Some argument out there somewhere could be waiting to be thought up that will demolish the points these three made. I'm asking for help to find that argument.

Edited January 9, 2013 by ByTheTides

[Veylon 255]

AJ, Dash, and Rarity were the marks. Trixie is a wandering strongman archetype who travels from town to town showing off. Boasting until some arrogant rube is foolish enough to challenge her and then showing up said rube is her stock in trade. I mean, there have got to be a lot of ponies in that audience who got a kick out of seeing ever-bragging Rainbow Dash or vain Rarity laid low.

 

I think both of these reviews kind of miss the mark. Claiming that Trixie is a poor villain would be a point - if Trixie were a villain. Like a lot of antagonists on this show, Trixie is a foil. She isn't meant to be a real obstacle or challenge to the characters. They could've just sat there and enjoyed the show. What she does is catalyze the main characters into acting stupid. And that ego-based stupidity is what the episode is ultimately about.

[dad george 105]

You don't need to defend yourself for liking something. I thought it was a pretty good episode actually. Trixie is not a villain anyways - not until the magic duel episode - she was just an annoying asshole. Being an asshole is not a crime!