S04:E04 - Daring Don't

[LieutenantMLP 0]

This was by far my favorite episode of season 4. that face RD made me laugh so hard.

[Hdc 155]

Here's my take on this ep:

 

After a rewatch, I like this episode more than I did the first time, and I still enjoyed it the first time.

 

I feel like a lot of the complaints about this episode are about how it doesn't make much sense. There seems to be a difference in how much suspension of disbelief people are willing to give MLP. Some people are very picky when it comes to stories making sense, with the argument that if world isn't believable, the characters are hard to relate to. That is true to some extent, and Dave Polsky as a writer sure makes some of the most "off-the-hook" episodes.

 

This is an episode where RD's dreams come true. Not some bleak "realistic" realization about reality being different than one's dreams or something like that. The moral of the story involves RD's dreams coming true by her realizing her own self-worth, and her own ability to rise to a level of the ones she look up to. That is a pretty good moral about self-confidence I would say. No, it is not a plausible or logical storyline, but it is gratifying and makes the viewer happy. For example, how can one find the image of the book cover at the end of the episode anything other than super-sweet and awesome.

 

Dave Polsky seems to be willing to sacrifice a lot of logic and "realism", in favor of underlining the moral and theme of the episode. I think it works fairly well. Some people seem to think differently.

 

Also, Polsky writes some of the funniest gags on the show (Pinkie's red map line thing, the geeky conversation between RD and Twilight etc.) Again, this often happens at the expense of "realism" and consistency.

 

All in all: the moral and the theme makes sense, even if the actual chain of events in the episode doesn't.

 

Some are saying RD's depressive phase in this episode is out of character. I don't see how that is true, as her self-doubt and anxiety when she has to face her idols was made clear as early as Sonic Rainboom. As goes for most tough and sassy/nonchalant characters (or real life people), RD's attitude is partly a facade.

 

The animation in this season is still awesome. This episode, the thing that stood out the most were all of RD's fangirl expressions. They must have had fun coming up with all those silly and adorable faces. 

The only thing I disapprove of is RD making the "Dreamworks Face".

 

I heard two Wilhelm Screams this episode... Enough! It's old! You've already got the "Squee"   sound as a running gag, and that is more unique (even though that is also a stock sound effect). Other than that small detail, the sound mixing for MLP is another thing that always impresses me. I don't think it gets enough appreciation.

 

(Sorry if I come off as a bit aggressive. I don't know if I do, but this post reads weirdly to me. That is not my intention.) 

Edited December 10, 2013 by housedoc

[~Silver Essence~ 2,621]

My thoughts.

 

Very great episode! I forgot how funny and awesome rainbow dash can be, as well as being a cutie at times.

 

It surprised me realizing the whole daring doo thing was real, but then again, I wasn't surprised when she was real as soon as I saw the author.

 

Great episode, good pacing, and nice cannon is proof that season 4 is going better than expected.

 

PS: I KNEW rainbow dash's face was going to gain attention as soon as I saw it. XD

PSS: As a flutterdash fan, I loved the first few minutes of it. X)

[Cantankerous 106]

Four small things I like about this episode:

 

1) The visual gag in the teaser

 

2) The line "Yeah, I can vouch for that"

 

3) The line "My mind is officially blown"

 

4) The geek conversation between RD and Twilight

[notdog1996 315]

I disagree with this mindset, a story must have a quality standard that it is held to (and this is regardless of the age group it's intended for). They shouldn't just be "for fun", that's what video games are for. So nitpicking flaws is a perfectly valid thing to do, if there's a serious flaw it could ruin the entire story (and possibly the entire continuity of a series).

 

I really don't like the idea that we should turn off our brains to enjoy stories.

 

All I was trying to say was that this episode is not that much enjoyable when you think about how much it doesn't makes sense overall  It's just that I didn't realize it at first and that I had much more fun watching it that way.  I'm not saying we shouldn't analyse episodes at all, that would be silly.

[Fluffy The Dragon 46]

Is it just me who LOVES A.K.s design? Her hipster glasses, SO FABULOUS!

[Cantankerous 106]

People have pointed out how RD could have pointed out how they're all heroes and Twilight is an alicorn princess in order to try to get Daring to accept her help, but I'm so used to the main six not even seeming to be aware of their own importance that it would have been more of a surprise to me if she had done that. I don't consider it a flaw because I've long since accepted this lack of awareness on their part as part of my suspension of belief. 

Edited December 10, 2013 by ByTheTides

[FNGRpony 655]

I've finished my reveiw and after 3 failed attempts to up load the GOD DAMN THING,

i noticed u tube won't play any sound if you have two sound files for voice,

 

hope this works.

 

nope.... this use to work LOL.  sound use to work on u tube for me up loading from vegas but no it's decided it hates me.  BUCK MY LIFE

Edited December 10, 2013 by FNGRpony

[Cantankerous 106]

I have a question. Since RD is such a big fan wouldn't she already know how staunchly Daring refuses to work with others?

[Sholem Itzhak 84]

I just watched “Daring Don’t” online, and I thought it would be appropriate to share a review of my own:

 

I must say that it’s a very good episode; it’s very interesting, and armed with “eye popping” moments like a typical episode of MLP:FiM should be. The Story is (of course) also very robust and filled with action.

 

You’ll probably notice one flaw: When Rainbow Dash’s head is close to the ground, she put her hoofs on her head and doesn’t fall on her face (she hovers in mid-air).    Then again, she is a Pegasus; but was she flapping? Someone should remind the artists to be a little more “horse conscious”.

 

One of my favorite moments was at the beginning when Rainbow Dash crashed and got dizzy with the 2 baby birds flying around her as if they were imaginary as part of Rainbow Dash being dizzy (a common cartoon mechanism when someone gets dizzy and imaginary birds fly around their head); I got a laugh out of that. Another favorite moment of mine is when Pinkie Pie hula-hoops with the ring, that was very cute and silly (and a tad eye-popping). I for one am looking forward as to what amazing things Pinkie Pie has in store for everyone.

 

By the way, did anyone else notice that Daring Do’s full name was inspired from the name J.K. Rowling (the author of the “Harry Potter” series)?

[FNGRpony 655]

 

well sense we're on that topic have my review.^^

There's quite the divide among fans about this one.

[Winona the Dog 1,981]

So far this episode seems to have split the fandom the most.

 

Regardless that Daring Doo is real. It's safe to assume that her adventures are on the far edges of Equestria and since she doesn't really tell anyone outside of her area; nobody really knows about her conflicts. besides her books which were her only way of communication.

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

So far this episode seems to have split the fandom the most.

 

Regardless that Daring Doo is real. It's safe to assume that her adventures are on the far edges of Equestria and since she doesn't really tell anyone outside of her area; nobody really knows about her conflicts. besides her books which were her only way of communication.

I bet it will be worse next episode... 

 

If Scootaloo flies or is capable of, half the fandom is pissed, if not, the other half. If they avoid this, all the fandom is at least frustrated.

 

I would be okay with this explanation that Daring's adventures is so far off nopony cares about the REAL Daring Do. But when she is fighting against 800 years of sweltering heat... It kind of becomes a problem. I just think that it is stupid that in a world where magic is studied like an actual science, all these artifacts are just laying around and those interested in keeping the land safe don't seem to care.

[flutterinmyheart 38]

 

PS: I KNEW rainbow dash's face was going to gain attention as soon as I saw it. XD

PSS: As a flutterdash fan, I loved the first few minutes of it. X)

 

Another Flutterdash fan? Yay~♪   I couldn't help but squee in delight in the beginning of the episode as well. Also, Rainbow's face was certainly going to get everyone's attention. That face was epic.

 

I guess, maybe I'm just easy to please, but I really enjoyed the episode as well. I was a little disappointed at first at how Daring Do was real---but it played out rather nicely. At least, I enjoyed it! It's also always nice to see more of Rainbow Dash's personality, not just one facet of it. I like seeing more to the ponies than their designated character traits. So again, I really liked fangirl Dash. It made my Saturday 20% cooler.

[Winona the Dog 1,981]

I bet it will be worse next episode... 

 

If Scootaloo flies or is capable of, half the fandom is pissed, if not, the other half. If they avoid this, all the fandom is at least frustrated.

 

I would be okay with this explanation that Daring's adventures is so far off nopony cares about the REAL Daring Do. But when she is fighting against 800 years of sweltering heat... It kind of becomes a problem. I just think that it is stupid that in a world where magic is studied like an actual science, all these artifacts are just laying around and those interested in keeping the land safe don't seem to care.

 

Yeah im pretty sure the next episode will stir up some nasty controversy if she flies or not.

 

I have my reasons why I don't want her to but if she does; it won't affect  what  think of the episode.

[spacestorm 183]

Not very bad, but at most average episode.

Too many bad things.
That was stupid when mane6 instead of help Darig Do when she was in trouble they just watched her, being exited that they meet pony they believed to be a fictional character -_-.

Rainbow Dash stalking Daring Do like from a crummy comedy. I had hope that she is more mature.

Twilight almost not using her fancy magic to defeat bad guys.

 

The point is that this episode would be much better without whole mane6, in my opinion. Only Rainbow Dash was needed here, the rest was an unnecessary burden.

 

I had mixed feelings about Daring Do being real, but now I think that this gives opportunity to make some spin-off series with her and also to introduce some interesting different places of Equestria.

 

It's just my or Rainbow Dash on this book cover looked a little derpy?

Edited December 10, 2013 by spacestorm

[Thaliel 116]

man, that was good stuff

 

 

so many funny faces of RD in this ep

[flufflederpmuffinz 2]

Pinkie's fez made the episode 20% cooler. Any whoovians out there would know EXACTLY why.

but that want all that hooked me! Daring do is seriously like, the BEST pony out there (Next to derpy of course)  

anypony else think this was THE BEST episode so far.

[Koelath 444]

This was a decent episode. I totally called the author actually being Daring Do. Called that as soon as I heard the episode would feature Daring Do.

 

Parts of it did seem rather bland for what was basically trying to be an Indy reference. And I absolutely could not stand the parts where Dash was just acting like a total jackass (it's the only way to describe her in this, honestly).

 

But I gotta be honest...One moment made it all worth it because at 7 AM and 23 years of age, when this moment occurred, I literally (and loudly) went "AWWWW!"

 

 

 

DAT NUZZLE!
 

[Koelath 444]

anypony else think this was THE BEST episode so far.

 

Three entire seasons, this one the best? Not a chance.

[Dzastur 1,719]

There's a lot of ambition going on thus far this season. New locations, character build-outs, all sorts of stuff...and lots of catering to the fandom. I don't know how I feel about all of that but, for me, I see the glass as half-full in the following ways:

 

*These episodes make for excellent repeat viewing because they're so chock full of stuff to see

*They make you believe that upcoming episodes like Scootaloo's flying one were probably handled with great care and a "knock it out of the park" approach, which gets me excited

*The voice actresses are doing the most complex work with their characters to date. They didn't just "break Tabitha"; it sounds like they're all going for broke.

 

BTW, I liked this episode. I was yelling "Did you see that?" every 2 minutes.

[Pixel Stick 927]

 

 

anypony else think this was THE BEST episode so far.

 

Well, it certainly seems this episode fits in well with most of the rest of them, in that some folks loved it and some didn't.   I'm glad that they haven't yet made an episode that EVERYONE agrees was terrible.

[SanityNotIncluded 335]

Well, I guess I'm doing this now.

 

'Twas alright. I've noticed that a lot of people didn't like the idea of Daring being a real person, but personally I really didn't mind. In fact, I personally found the original Read it and Weep to be a bit boring (mostly because they took the Indiana Jones tropes and just played them straight), so in a way, making her real allows them to do more with her character. Someone previously mentioned that your acceptance of this depends on how far you're willing to suspend your disbelief, and I'd agree with this.

 

However, I'd like to suggest that it also depends on your interpretation of Equestria itself. For an example, the point has been made (can't remember where now) that it seems silly for Equestrians to not know about Daring Do given the sheer population density. However, this seems to assume several factors:

1.) That people live around areas where Daring is likely to show up

2.) That information can be spread quickly enough for this to become common knowledge

3.) That people would honestly believe someone if they claimed to have seen DD in real life

4.) That all of DD's adventures actually take place within Equestria

 

Looking at the following map:

 

 

I'd think it fairly plausible that there are certain areas which ponies don't usually habit and where shady dealings and adventures could take place. Indeed, one of the characters mentions that Yearling/DD's house is really out of the way. I do agree that the whole 'using the sun for one's evil plot thing' was silly given Celestia's role though.

Edited December 11, 2013 by SanityNotIncluded

[Sectus 246]

As usual, I've posted my review of this episode. It can be found on my blog at http://www.sectussection.tumblr.com as per normal as well!

 

Story - Once you get over the ungodly amount of fangirling that Rainbow Dash does, it turns out to be a pretty good episode. The story for this episode branches from a previous episode (Read It and Weep) where Dash became addicted to the Daring Do book series. She actually gets to meet the author, who turns out to be Daring Do herself.

 

While the story was done well, I honestly wish (along with a good portion of the fandom) that it had turned out to be some sort of fan fiction that Rainbow had written. Something about Dash meeting her hero is both wonderful and depressing at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, the story we got was wonderful. It had some pretty solid action sequences, a good moral, and a few silly (and, admittedly, cute) Dash faces.

 

Overall, this episode had a pretty solid story to it. I’m always a fan of episodes that pay tribute to Indiana Jones movies, and this one definitely delivered in that aspect.

 

Animation - The animation, as always, was solid in this episode (aside from one very upsetting smear error involving Daring Do). They had some pretty interesting and creative new innovations, such as Daring Do using her tail in one dream sequence to fling away arrows from enemies. 

 

Also, I felt like I had to mention the hilarity of Daring Do having a typewriter with two buttons on it. It was absolutely applause worthy.

 

Characters - My primary complaint with this section is the constant obsession Rainbow seems to harbor over Daring Do. Honestly, it’s getting to the point where I am convinced that they are trying to canonize Rainbow being homosexual. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with her being a fan, but the episode’s moral seemed to put a stop to her obsessiveness. 

 

The show stressed that even though you like someone, look up to them, even seem them as a role model, it doesn’t make them better than you or worthy of your constant obsession (mainly because they probably don’t want it in the first place). In my opinion, a very original, solid moral that definitely deserved a place in the series.

 

Continuity - My favorite part of this was the J.K. Rowling joke they made by relating her to Daring Do. It was really good to see this episode carry on from the previous Daring Do episode, mainly because it seems similar to the fall-back they did with Trixie. 

 

Message - The double moral of this episode was pretty impressive. I can definitely appreciate the show’s ability to give a subtle nudge to the fans to calm down a little bit; the only thing that could possibly make that ironic is if season four was actually the series finale. 

 

Story: [17/20]
Animation: [18/20]
Characters: [17/20]
Continuity: [19/20]
Message: [18/20]
—-
Final Score: 89/100 - [89% B]

[River 59]

Pinkie's fez made the episode 20% cooler. Any whoovians out there would know EXACTLY why.

but that want all that hooked me! Daring do is seriously like, the BEST pony out there (Next to derpy of course)

anypony else think this was THE BEST episode so far.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Benjamin's fez was RIDICULOUS. I'd shoot it a million times off of his head and it still wouldn't be enough.