S04:E04 - Daring Don't

[Argumedies 1,748]

Things have gotten bad if even the analyzers are finding it hard to find something good about this episode.

 

This makes two big holes in the season 4 ship but I'm not ready to abandon it yet.

 

There's still enough goo being let loose by the Dash/Do/silly face fans to keep us a float

[Heatwave 177]

Time for the best line in the episode!

srs bsns.

 

On another note, I've now calmed down, and will watch this episode again sometime later today. I'll probably be able to provide a better review on it then.

Well, I watched it again...

New avatar, sig, and name tip anyone off to what happened? xD

[roptiriolg 49]

Okay thanks to the link that I posted above I watched the episode, I can say I loved it! I am into adventure episodes and so far all the episodes of MLP Season 4 were such. It was very nice episode, I liked that the ponies were once again into another quest (and that is to help Daring Do). I like seeing the ponies in such action and that's what made me enjoy the episode.

 

To the critics about remaining into fiction, I could agree partially because of the logical fallacies that were mentioned (like how could no one know she was real - too sudden twist of the MLP lore). But somehow, despite this 'hole' in the lore, the idea seemed nice and favorable. Yes things like how she wrapped her injured hoof and how it was then gone - well it worked pretty well obviously since they've made the viewers focus on  the rest and I did focus on the rest, never saw how the splint was gone and that speaks a lot since I usually pay attention to details (most of the time) and this evaded me. I was too focused on the adventure part and I loved it. Does that mean we will be seeing Daring Do more often? Like Zecora?

 

I really liked this part of the episode (rub cheeks) awww so cute <3

[TheGr3ml1n 57]

I enjoyed this episode. However, I would've preferred that it take place outside of Equestria. It seems odd to me that the show has yet to explore the idea of entering new lands outside of the main borders, and the Daring Do storyline (as well as many of it's characters) strike me as characters that live quite disconnected from the Equestrian lifestyle. Plus, if you take into account the aztec-style temples and mythology, at the very least I would assume that Daring Do's adventures take place in the pony equivalent of "south america".

 

I'll withhold my judgement on how they're handling the Daring Do storyline (which I sincerely hope they continue), because I see multiple ways that they could explore the concept in a way that makes logical sense. My reasoning for this is because this episode was written by Dave Polsky, whom wrote the Discord reformation episode (an episode which was also met by mixed reactions). For me, the worst thing they could do is never return to the Daring Do storyline to explain how her character gets away with these things, yet manages to keep her life a "secret".

Edited December 8, 2013 by TheGr3ml1n

[Silanda 24]

I liked it but with reservations. Overall this episode was decent but for me it was probably the weakest of the season so far. The danger of action episodes in 25 minute long shows is that the pacing can feel rushed, and in my opinion it did here. Since it had to go at such a pace for most of the episode there was pretty much zero character development: we know nothing more about Daring Do than we did before other than she's not just a character in a book. I really find it hard to criticize the show for this kind of thing considering the primary target audience, but usually FiM episodes don't bother me in this regard but for some reason this one did.

 

Now, despite the episode being fluff I was impressed by the artwork. So far I'm liking the effort that has been put into new facial animations so far this season. Good job, keep it up!

Edited December 8, 2013 by Silanda

[Sir Wulfington 276]

... Then there are the Wilhelm screams.  I counted two of them.  I think Wilhelm screams are extremely lazy on the part of the sound crew.

 

Ya...I'm starting to think they may be overdoing it with the wilhelm screams now.....

[JustAnotherBrony 90]

This episode is in my top 5 favorite overall. 

 

I like how this episode actually included them being together. (IM NOT SAYING WHO BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THE EP MAY BE GETTING READY TO WATCH.)

 

I also thought it was great to see the fighting scene, always love those.

[Nature's Spell 526]

Things have gotten bad if even the analyzers are finding it hard to find something good about this episode.

 

This makes two big holes in the season 4 ship but I'm not ready to abandon it yet.

 

There's still enough goo being let loose by the Dash/Do/silly face fans to keep us a float

I think the next episode about Scots will be a good one and I'm still hoping they start to do something with Twilight! Episodes 1 and 2 were a good start, but to make what happened to her meaningful they need to do something with her in each episode.

[Emperor Posh 360]

Yeah...... I didn't like this episode very much. I don't know if I am just growing out of the show and the fandom, or if it is something else. I do agree with some of what Digibrony and Tommy Oliver had to say about the episode. The show just seems to be getting more and more frustrating for me. I can go back and watch all of the episodes through season 1 to 3 and I still love all of them, but season 4..... It is just annoying and frustrating for me to watch. I hope the rest of the season isn't frustrating for me.

Edited December 9, 2013 by Emperor Posh

[. eris . 1,661]

Being the Goddess of Chaos, I of course adore a good mixed-up episode, but this was taking it a bit too far, even for me. I know the Mane Six, and as annoying and pesky as they are, they're too much of goody-two-horseshoes to sit calmly outside a window while someone they know is getting beat up. Plus, Rainbow Dash, not liking herself? What alternate universe is this, and does it have guacamole?! (Note to self: make guacamole later.)

 

All joking aside, this episode didn't improve upon Read It and Weep, which is what a good follow-up episode is supposed to do. By making Daring Do a real person, they take away some of the specialness we feel with Rainbow Dash, experiencing reading a great book for the first time. They made it very clear in Read It and Weep that Daring Do was essentially Rainbow Dash living through the character. I'm sure if it had been Twilight reading the Daring Do series for  the first time, then Daring Do would have looked very different. 

 

Overall, a 2/5 for me. Not horrendous, but not great either.

[Flutter's lover <3 8,205]

I loved the end bit of Daring and Dash hugging with the cheek rub. it was just so adorable.

 

I also found out why I love Daring's voice so much, the VA voiced "Piper" from one of my other fave shows "Stormhawks" She has also done previous works in older gen MLP stuff and done work on Bionicle movies.

[notdog1996 315]

It's part of my top 5 of season 4...  Okay, I'll shut up now.  Seriously, Read it and Weep didn't really interest me that much, so this one didn't make me too excited either.  Overall, I don't really care for it much, but it wasn't bad.  I enjoyed it, but you really mustn't pick on the flaws to have fun while watching. 

[FlutterDash4072 189]

This episode was a bit of a let down for me. I'm still kind of mixed on how to take Daring Do being a real pony (leaning slightly more towards liking it though.) And there were parts where the mane six weren't doing enough. Like . Eris . said above me, they would not have just watched a bunch of thugs beat up on anyone. But that wasn't my only problem with it. For an adventure episode with a legendary explorer, it just didn't seem epic enough. The conflicts were kinda lame, and the last battle with Ahuizotl was very anti-climatic.

 

However, one thing this episode did really well were the little fangirl fights between Rainbow and Twilight, and the clueless faces of the rest of the cast in the last one made it absolutely perfect.

[BlinkZ 1,151]

Daring Don't. A.K.A. EVERY SINGLE FANDOM EVER!!!!!!!!!!! Anyways...how has nopony figured out that A.K. Yearling and Daring Do are the same pony. Aren't there mailponies who bring her mail? What about the publishers that she has to talk to? 

I kind knew it was daring from the the start i mean same tone as daring for one and then cover in a cap + its a cartoon = its daring do.  Kind of ovious

[Hyper Tumble 1,483]

 

meh, it had some ok moments, but I didn't like it.

 

 

[Captain Brony (MG11) 218]

This episode single handedly destroyed the theory that Twilight Velvet is the Author of Daring Do as inferred in the IDW comics.

 

Btw to anyone saying that Daring Do is supposed to look like Rainbow Dash because she imagined her that way I refute this. 2 minutes and 42 seconds into Read it and Weep the cover of the book is shown which displays Daring Do's design before Rainbow even sat down to read it.

 

#ReaditandWeep

Edited December 9, 2013 by Captain Brony (MG11)

[Megas 27,649]

This episode single handedly destroyed the theory that Twilight Velvet is the Author of Daring Do as inferred in the IDW comics.

I'm pretty sure Andy Price himself said that the award Twilight's mom got was named after Daring Do, not an award for writing the Daring Do books

[Captain Brony (MG11) 218]

I'm pretty sure Andy Price himself said that the award Twilight's mom got was named after Daring Do, not an award for writing the Daring Do books

Im wondering if he's referencing something or just naking up weird stuff because I've sure never heard of a Harry Potter Award in the real world.

Edited December 9, 2013 by Captain Brony (MG11)

[Pixel Stick 927]

(Not having followed much of the discussion here...)

 

I'm in the camp of "not sure what I think" on this episode.  Having the author of the Daring Do series actually BE Daring Do seems awfully far-fetched, along with the apparent existence of Awizoto (I know I've gotta be misspelling that - sorry) and his diabolical plot to bake the world, etc.  If they're saying that this villain really DOES exist, and Equestria is about to be broiled for 800 years at the hands of this weird blue dog thing, wouldn't you think Celestia and Luna would have known about it?

 

I mean, I do realize that Equestria is a magical place, but I have a couple problems with this twist, one of which is that not only was Daring Do a bit of a jerk to Rainbow Dash, but if she really is going and saving the world repeatedly, then writing books about it, doesn't that put her in serious pompous jerk territory?  "Look at how awesome I am, everyone, and now you can pay me lots of money to read about it too!"

 

It leaves me thinking that there's something here they're really not telling us about this character.  And then, on top of that, I felt the Mane 6 were awfully brain-dead through most of it - Dash was the only one who did anything at all of any significance, Twilight was the only one who provided any significant voice of reason (aside from when Dash was punching herself in the face), and the rest just felt unnecessary. :/

 

Which leads me to the even bigger problem I have with this episode: I was afraid that Season 4 was going to be all about fan service, and this episode feels like the start of it to me.  Don't get me wrong - there are some other episodes I still dislike more, but I really hope they don't get too far into the cultural references and reusing old favorite tropes - especially if it's at the expense of the charm that brought people like me to the series in the first place.  To me, that would be a sign that they really have run out of ideas, and I would find that quite sad.

 

Here's hoping this was just a blip in that direction.  Still looking forward to a good Rarity episode and to see how they address Scootaloo's apparent inability to fly.

[Metemponychosis 1,261]

 

 

Here's hoping this was just a blip in that direction.  Still looking forward to a good Rarity episode and to see how they address Scootaloo's apparent inability to fly.

 

 

Next episode is going to be Alicorn Twilight all over. 

[Sir Wulfington 276]

but you really mustn't pick on the flaws to have fun while watching. 

 

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.

 

Which leads me to the even bigger problem I have with this episode: I was afraid that Season 4 was going to be all about fan service, and this episode feels like the start of it to me.  Don't get me wrong - there are some other episodes I still dislike more, but I really hope they don't get too far into the cultural references and reusing old favorite tropes - especially if it's at the expense of the charm that brought people like me to the series in the first place.  To me, that would be a sign that they really have run out of ideas, and I would find that quite sad.

 

 

Wasn't season 3 the beginning of fanservice? I recall it being written to be "The Brony Season of MLP". As for the bolded line of your post, I don't know if I'd say it's a sign their running out of ideas, but I do believe it to be a sign that they're loosing touch with making quality episodes in favor of catering to things bronies want to happen, which is what a writer should NEVER do. Write your story how you want it to be, don't write based on what your fans want. Why? Because if you aren't just trying to write a good story, why the hell would you think anyone would enjoy it? That, and fans can want really really stupid things to happen in the story. Really, REALLY, stupid things.....

 

As for the episode, I'm on the fence about it as well. But if what you fear is true, that they really are running out of ideas, than I think it's time for this series to come to an end. Season 4 should probably be the last season of this show. I was gonna say that I wanted the show to end without any serious plot holes, and still a good series, but that ship may have already sailed unfortunately.

Edited December 9, 2013 by Sir Wulfington

[Noodles 109]

I am waiting for other episodes, perhaps with luck they are just having Problems coming up with good filler episodes.

Or this is just one of the ideas that was tried and fell a bit flat? not every idea is a good one. hoping the next episode or 2 deals with the keys again. its about time for one. I hope they at least have the last six or seven entire episodes devoted to it and not find all the dam keys in the two part ending.

Edited December 9, 2013 by Noodles

[Pixel Stick 927]

 

 

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.

 

Well put, in my opinion.  To some extent, shows like this DO ask you to just enjoy them without a critical mind - after all, keep in mind the target audience.  But IMO, if they ARE going to do fan service, they should do it well, and I'm not convinced that Daring Don't was a good example of that.

 

 

 

Wasn't season 3 the beginning of fanservice? I recall it being written to be "The Brony Season of MLP". As for the bolded line of your post, I don't know if I'd say it's a sign their running out of ideas, but I do believe it to be a sign that they're loosing touch with making quality episodes in favor of catering to things bronies want to happen, which is what a writer should NEVER do. Write your story how you want it to be, don't write based on what your fans want. Why? Because if you aren't just trying to write a good story, why the hell would you think anyone would enjoy it? That, and fans can want really really stupid things to happen in the story. Really, REALLY, stupid things.....

 

If Season 3 had been earmarked for Bronies, I missed that - it just felt more like a continuation of the series, and of course the build-up and climax of Twilight's ascension to princesshood.  But I felt that, for the most part, they did a good job of being subtle with their fan-service moments - the ones that were overt made sense (such as the bond between Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash), and with a few exceptions, the rest were neatly inserted into the episodes such that they felt "good", even if they were a little out of place.

 

Unfortunately, they were a lot more obvious about the fan service in this episode, which is why I'm concerned that the rest of the season might follow the same formula.  I also felt that Episode 3 was a bit too formulaic, with moments you could see coming a MILE away, so IMO we're not off to the best of starts here.

 

And again, well put.  I really couldn't have said the last part of that better myself.

[Noodles 109]

I believe that the tree of harmony currently needs them to recharge and is not much in the mood to lend them out again. last time it did so It didn't get them back for 1,000 plus years and that almost cost it's life. the box is a test  for the new holders of the spirits of harmony. that's my two bits worth anyway.

[Pixel Stick 927]

After discussing this episode a bit with my wife, I wanted to add a couple of thoughts that I'm sure someone's probably already mentioned in this thread earlier:

 

One thing FiM does well is that it deals with real-world situations that kids will eventually find themselves needing to deal with in some way.  And certainly, anyone who's ever gone to a book signing or a live appearance by a person they really admire will know how Rainbow Dash felt about the prospect of meeting A.K. Yearling face-to-face.  So, in a way, the fact that this episode IS fan-service could also be a statement about fan-service itself.

 

The fact that Daring Do is annoyed by Rainbow Dash's fangirling is certainly something any celebrity could identify with - you see it all the time, that the hotshot celebrity really can't stand his or her fans.  They lampoon it all the time, so in a way they're not really doing much new here.  But I had a thought partway through the episode: Was it possible the writers were giving us, the show's fans, a subtle hint that perhaps this is how we come across to them as well?  It's a possibility, though I'm sure nobody from Studio B would come out and say that directly.

 

Just the same, if at least part of this episode's purpose was to address the issue of fanboyism as a real-world issue, they did do it some level of justice.  I remain reserved about how WELL it might have worked, but it would at least set my mind at ease to think of it that way.