S03:E11 - Just for Sidekicks

[Radiance64 7,053]

I have to say Winona and Tank are the cutest pets- being a dog just makes Winona cute already, but the scene with the industrial-sized pet hair dryer just killed me! And Tank, the way he bumps into stuff all the time is rather hilarious, not to mention his lick to Dash, which made even her blush. Actually, there's been quite a bit of blushing this season, hasn't there? Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Applejack had blushed in The Last Roundup last season... I hope Rarity blushing happens soon, I would die.

[Saint Jimmy 5]

am I the only one who doesn't care if Derpy shows back up? probably. Oh well.

 

I loved the entire thing. I got up late though, so I had to wait til youtube had it on. I thought it was the best spike episode thus far. I loved angel' s role in it as the demon bunny. 

I'm posting from a kindle, so please forgive repeating words and spelling mistakes.

Edited January 27, 2013 by Saint Jimmy

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

Okay, finally I have some time to watch this.    I'm a bit leery of the premise and I don't want Spike portrayed as a bumbling sidekick anymore like in Ep. 9. He deserves better than that, especially after what we saw of him last season.

 

First impressions

Did anyone else groan as soon as they saw Owloicious? I did. And I think Fluttershy was deliberately leading Spike on toward the end there. Passive aggressive or not, the way she hugged him with her hair was just adorable.   Also cute is Dashie trying and failing to hide her affection for her turtle.

 

Gees, Spike. I know Angel is evil, and if you can't destroy him for the good of Equestria you can at least fob him off on someone else, but dumping ALL the pets on the CMC is a bad idea and not really in character. Twilight raised him better than that. You can see from a mile away that he's going to lose all his jewels as punishment for his poor planning. Hey, there's Screw Loose. But I only noticed her because I happened to pause the video. xD

 

The train

The unintended journey to the Crystal Empire is pretty surprising though. Angel's being evil again. But Spike goes out for the long pass...it's complete! (Not the first time he's showed a good arm.) Lucky the Mane 6 brought way too much luggage for a one-day visit. Actually, that gag was the ONLY reason they had that much luggage for a one-day visit. I know Merriwether didn't write this, why does it feel that way? =_=

 

Why don't they hear Spike talking right under the bench, but they can hear his stomach growling? Oh well. Angel shows he's only 99.9% evil, instead of 100% like previously thought. That's something. And Spike is right back to where he started at the end. Well, this wasn't up to par with Sleepless in Ponyville, but it was safely middle-of-the-road. I wasn't fond of the beginning, but the ending sort of made up for it.

 

Secret of my character

The problem with this episode--and moreover, with Spike--is that the writers have no consensus on what kind of character he is, like they have with the Mane 6. Is he responsible (most side appearances)? Thoughtful (Dragon Quest)? Constantly struggling with greed (Secret of My Excess)? Incompetent (Spike At Your Service)? Insecure (Owl's Well That Ends Well)? Or lazy and deceptive, as he looked a few times here? I know he's the comic relief guy but I wish they'd choose what kind of comic relief he's supposed to provide.

 

Also, no Lyra for two weeks in a row.   And finally, I loved the idea of Spike and the CMC on an unsolicited visit to the Empire. That should have been the episode! xD

Edited January 27, 2013 by TailsIsNotAlone

[Lost Profile 644]

Another spike episode... I don't know what to think about this one... It's a good lesson to do what your supposes to do... But what eves...

 

We know now what happened to peewee...

 

And rainbow has a soft spot for tank XD

[Jay 32]

Remind me who is Pee wee? By the way I don't care if Derpy is on there I just asked.

Edited January 27, 2013 by Jay

[Malakili 165]

The train

The unintended journey to the Crystal Empire is pretty surprising though. Angel's being evil again. But Spike goes out for the long pass...it's complete!  (Not the first time he's showed a good arm.) Lucky the Mane 6 brought way too much luggage for a one-day visit. Actually, that gag was the ONLY reason they had that much luggage for a one-day visit. I know Merriwether didn't write this, why does it feel that way? =_=

 

All those luggages were probably Rarity's, remember all the ones she had in Sleepless in Ponyville?

 

 

 

She also had a dozen in Sweet and Elite... 

 

Edited January 27, 2013 by Malakili

[Radiance64 7,053]

Remind me who is Pee wee? By the way I don't care if Derpy is on there I just asked.

Peewee was Spike's pet phoenix that he got at the end of Dragon Quest, but at the beginning of this episode we got a little image montage at the start that showed that he gave him back to his parents.

Funny, I remember speculating here at the possibility of Spike doing something like that some time ago, but others said they didn't think that would happen... well, I don't know if anyone else remembers that, but if they do, well, it did happen, so I told ya so.

[Wingnut 6,992]

@@TailsIsNotAlone, @@Dark Qiviut,

 

Both of you have hit the nail right on the head.  Spike's character has been consistently inconsistent mostly for the sake of comic relief throughout the series.  I do believe, in this instance, Corey was trying to strike a balance between the Spike that knows better and the Spike that just wants to pig out on gems all day.  That's why some viewers disagree on whether the Spike in Just for Sidekicks was truly in character or not.

 

The most brilliant thing Corey did was to have Spike encounter Zecora in the Ponyville marketplace.  This was a direct allusion to Zecora's role in Secret of My Excess and how she diagnosed Spike's greed problem back then.  She saw it happening again, and giving the gem he handed her to charity was an attempt to nip it in the bud.  Thankfully Spike snapped out of it before he started another greed induced growth spurt. 

[kirbyboi 588]

I'm not usually a fan of Spike episodes, but this one really amazed me! I actually enjoyed the episode a whole lot, and I liked Spike and Angel in this episode. The plot was cool, and I loved it! I now have a more respected feeling for Spike. :3

 

But really, this episode revealed a lot about the ponies relationships with their animals. I like how RD was a bit embarrassed to say bye to Tank, but did so when nopony was watching. X3 Cute! Angel also kept me smiling throughout the episode. All and all, this was a great episode, one of my favorites out of season 3! Now, I can't wait for the finale! Sounds like it's gonna be good!

[JH24 385]

Just watched the latest episode. It was a good one although not the best in the series. IMHO definitely one of the better Spike episodes though. (Best for me still "Secret of my excess".

The first half was especially good. I laughed several times and loved those moments with Zecora and Granny. Second half started to drag a bit but overall still got the job done. Animation was also especially good this episode.

[SCS 7,537]

This was an excellent episode, as they all are. I love all of the episodes. 

 

It was great seeing all of the pets in one episode. They are very cute. It was also especially great to see Tank and Owlicious again, who don't show up very often. 

 

Spike also learned a very important lesson about putting others before yourself. I used to have a problem with the fact that the mane 6 didn't find out what he had done, but while writing this post I think I now understand why that happened. Spike realized what he had been doing wrong, himself. This is evidenced by the fact that he told Angel Bunny to do his worst, in other words to alert the mane 6 of his presence in their train car. Angel Bunny decided not to do so, and gave him a gem to eat to quiet his rumbling stomach so that they would not discover him. If he had been discovered, he might have still learned his lesson, but it wouldn't have been as powerful a lesson. Yes, he would have been very embarrassed, the mane 6 probably would have been very upset and lectured him for it. But that's just not the same as learning the lesson yourself. This way, Spike knows the importance of putting others before himself, not because he was embarrassed or lectured, but because he learned the importance of that himself. 

[Music Chart Fan 819]

Overall this episode was decent. It had several good moments and was entertaining to watch. Spike's singular obsession with obtaining gems to make a cake seemed a little too intense, but it didn't detract from the episode too much. Learning more about the pets and their personalities was enjoyable, especially Owlowiscious, who is shown to be smart and responsible (for the most part).

 

Here are some of my random questions/observations I had while watching the episode:

 

Considering the work Spike had to go through to get six gems, where did Spike get his initial cupful of gems? Was that his savings? If so, how does Spike have the self-control to save so many gems yet NOT have the self-control not to eat them all while preparing the cake?

 

Why does Spike STILL think that Owlowiscious is saying "Who?" rather than "Hoo"? Twilight has already told him that "Hoo" is all that owls say, and I would think that Spike would have learned that after living with Owlowiscious for so long. I think that it's probably just a cheap joke that has already been overused.

 

I think one giveaway that Fluttershy is being deceptive to Spike is that he shows Spike the jewel, then asks if he'll do "it" and only tells him what "it" is after he says yes. The way that Fluttershy puts her hair over Spike as she rubs cheeks with him is rather cute, though.

 

Considering how badly Tank flies, does Tank actually have any control over where he flies? If so, how? Does the propeller magically read his mind?

 

Rarity keeps the Carousel Boutique at 81.4 degrees (assuming Fahrenheit)? First, Rarity must have some expensive thermostat, since I don't think a standard thermostat is that accurate. Second, I would hate to be paying Rarity's heating bills, especially in the middle of winter. Her A/C bills might even be higher since in order to maintain that accurate of a temperature, there is no possibility of, say, opening the windows.

 

Why does Pinkie pretend to listen to Gummy and pretend to carry on a conversation with him when Gummy isn't moving his mouth or even looking in her direction? I guess it's just another indication that Pinkie has mental problems. Also, what point is there in flossing gums with no teeth? Wouldn't that hurt? Couple these with Pinkie yelling at Gummy for no good reason and there is a case to be made that Gummy might be being abused.

 

While Rainbow Dash's little interactions with Tank are rather cute, I actually agree with Rainbow Dash's policy of keeping public display of affection to a minimum, although less because it's "uncool" and more out of respect for other people (myself included) that don't really want to see that kind of thing.

 

Sweetie Belle's forced "cuteness" continues to get more annoying to me every time I see it.

 

Spike would have less of a problem with his gems being used/taken if he weren't carrying them with him everywhere he goes. Maybe his dragon greed is making sure that he has them where he can keep an eye on them.

 

I wouldn't think Granny Smith is the type of pony whose silence could be bought. I would think that she would be more honest like Applejack. I also thought that she would give him a scolding of some kind, but she didn't.

 

I like how the second time Spike says "Angel." with the red background, the other five pets also put on an "angry" look along with Spike.

 

As was pointed out in this thread already, it is rather silly that Spike's talking to the other animals isn't heard by the Mane Six, but the growling of his stomach is.

 

I guess Angel was somehow able to exit the train, go on the roof of the train station to retrieve Spike's gem, and get back on the train within about 5 seconds. Quite impressive, but quite implausible, too.

 

When the pets/CMCs are reunited with the Mane Six, we do see Scootaloo standing nearby Rainbow Dash and looking at her as though she were wishing Rainbow Dash would acknowledge her back, but alas, Rainbow Dash is content to stand still and look elsewhere.

[Scootaloo Is Best Filly 578]

When I first watched this episode I didn't really like it as much I thought I should but after watching it again I realize that this episode was pretty amazing. I just love Winona and Rainbow Dash and Tank's relationship.

[weegeez 150]

Probably my favorite episode this season by far, so much was done right this episode. Not without flaws but the what made this episode good some less flawed episode. 

 

Unlike most people, I really like Spike's character in this episode. It shows that despite all that Spike has learned, dragon instincts can still kick in, even if it's much less excessive and he still knows how to plant his authority when needed.

 

The pets....HOLY SHIT were they awesome! Owlicious was given a responsible and intelligent character, Tank a very affectionate and hard working yet clumsy character, Gummy was a rather relaxed yet moral and cute as always, WInona an energetic but loyal and friendly companion even to Spike, Opal was fairly obedient but as always seems to not care too much about others, and Angel...the ironically named asshole.

[Batbrony 16,055]

WOO!!

 

First line is a Bill Cosby reference

 

 

Oh wow, I didn't notice that the first time, so when I saw your comment yesterday I wasn't sure what you were talking about, but after just rewatching the episode I totally caught it!!!!  What a phenomenal reference, definitely one of the most clever and obscure of Season 3, that's for sure!!!     Kinda dates us just a bit that we actually got that reference though.    Eh, buck it, it's such an awesome reference that I don't even care! 

 

JEWEL CAKE, COMING UP!!!  FOUR SLICES *SHOMP SHOMP SHOMP SHOMP*!!!  AND GRAPEFRUIT JUICE!!!!!!!!

 

[Zygen 6,066]

This was a great episode! I loved the so many of the random moments in it, it even had continuation like Donuts joe and all the ponies pets, including tank .

 

Nothing I can say that was bad about the episode really. I mean I think it was an episode that had alot of nice humor in it, and I'm not very critical about episodes most of the time anyways.. So yeah.. I'm gonna go rewatch it again Later!

 

Oh and I really like how they have this episode as kinda a different perspective of the next one. An interesting idea, and it sounds like its really cool, I'm hoping for a random crossover almost. If just a little bit of one. .

[dreaper 136]

Sigh... After the disappointment of Spike at your service, I had low expectations for this episode... and after watching it... it left me with a bittersweet taste on my mouth.

 

First the good things:

 

- The pets were hilarious to watch, each one of them had a clearly distinct personality and unique interactions with their owners (Rainbow Dash and Tank were specially adorable)

- Angel is still a gigantic jerkass, but in the end, he showed is not evil.

- I liked that the CMC played a part here, they were cute and funny, and I loved that they finally interacted with Spike.

- The Industrial sized hair dryer, 'nuff said.

 

But now the bad things....

 

- It was really necessary to showcase more of Spike's negative traits again? Spike has already more than enough negative traits: his cowardice, natural greed, his sometimes pessimism, being ineffectual, physically weak and a doormat. And the only redeeming quality of him, that is being a good assistant, has been butchered. The last two Spike episodes have turned him from "Competent assistant of Twilight Sparkle" to "Twilight Sparkle's burden"... who is also a selfish asshole, and I don't like it. I think he is suffering from the opposite effect of what Applejack suffers.

 

It is sad that in the past two Spike episodes, Spike was the character has who never shined. Sigh... I sometimes wonder if I ever going to see this character shine. 

 

Despite this, I consider this an improvement over Spike at your service, but still it doesn't make Spike's character justice.

Edited January 28, 2013 by dreaper

[Evilshy 5,090]

Oh wow, I didn't notice that the first time, so when I saw your comment yesterday I wasn't sure what you were talking about, but after just rewatching the episode I totally caught it!!!!  What a phenomenal reference, definitely one of the most clever and obscure of Season 3, that's for sure!!!     Kinda dates us just a bit that we actually got that reference though.    Eh, buck it, it's such an awesome reference that I don't even care! 

 

JEWEL CAKE, COMING UP!!!  FOUR SLICES *SHOMP SHOMP SHOMP SHOMP*!!!  AND GRAPEFRUIT JUICE!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

I was hoping somebody else would get it

 

That has to be one of my favorite Bill Cosby bits.

 

 

WHERE DID THEY GET THE CHOCOLATE CAAAAAAKE??!?!

[Batbrony 16,055]

I was hoping somebody else would get it

 

That has to be one of my favorite Bill Cosby bits.

 

 

WHERE DID THEY GET THE CHOCOLATE CAAAAAAKE??!?!

 

I'VE ALWAYS HEARD ABOUT PEOPLE HAVING A CONNIPTION, BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE... YOU DON'T WANNA SEE 'EM. 

 

HER FACE... SPLIT.  THE SKIN AND HAIR SPLIT AND CAME OFF OF HER FACE UNTIL THERE WAS NOTHING EXCEPT THE SKULL!!!!  AND ORANGE LIGHT CAME OUT OF HER HAIR, AND IT LIT ALL AROUND!  AND FIRE SHOT FROM HER EYE SOCKETS AND BEGAN TO BURN MY STOMACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 Wait a minute...

 

 

 

Oh, so that's where they got the idea for that scene!!!

 

       

 

Oh man, I'm having a major nostalgic flashback here!!! 

Edited January 28, 2013 by Batbrony

[AlexanderVulpes 1]

So I got to thinking, the element of generosity, Rarity, gave Spike the smallest jewel of all. But then, I noticed it bought a huge industrial dryer! I guess the tiny gem was valuable after all.

 

And where is Derpy? I can't find her. Closest thing I find is Cloudkicker getting off the train at the end. Where is wonderful Derpy??

 

I heard one of the silhouettes on the skydiving poster was of Derpy... but I'm not sure if that's true.

 

And you're right -- we need more Derpy!

 

Also: Okay, I think next time Owlowiscious should babysit Spike. I got nothing against that dragon, but I'm just sayin'...

Edited January 28, 2013 by AlexanderVulpes

[Cantankerous 106]

Spike's greed is something he'll have to deal with his entire life. If he got over it as soon as he realized what a problem it is following the events of Secret's of My Excess that would be out of character. It makes sense that Spike didn't have a greed problem back in season one but does now, he hit the dragon equivalent of puberty back in Secrets of My Excess. Indeed, this episode is a superb follow up to that one.

 

My verdit: More Corey Powell episodes please!

[Guest]

There was a G1 episode that went under the title of "Just for Kicks"...the plot was absolutely different however.

The (new!) episode was fun to watch, I do enjoy some Spike now and then, though it wouldn't end up on my list of favourite episodes.

[Batbrony 16,055]

I heard one of the silhouettes on the skydiving poster was of Derpy... but I'm not sure if that's true.

 

And you're right -- we need more Derpy!

 

Hmmm... went back and checked out that poster, and it looks like they might've used her outline for all 3 figures.  Hard to say, though, considering Derpy's outline is very close to RD's; still, considering how little Derpy we've had this season, I'll take it!!!  I want more Derpy so badly!!! 

[Lando 80]

I enjoyed this episode and it suited Spike much more so then the last episode. I felt a little bad for the guy when he kept having to give all of his gems away( why would Granny Smith even need a gem?) Also a slight bit OT, but why has there been so few songs in this season? IIRC there have been only two and the songs are one of my favorite parts of the show. 

[BoffinMexican 13]

I really enjoyed this episode!! so sad Spike couldn't do his cake D:

 

and Rainbow dash and her turtle yaaay! Kawaii!!!