S04:E04 - Daring Don't

[Zygen 6,065]

I really liked the episode, it was my favorite i think of the season so far, just because it just felt really good. It had lots of stuff i enjoyed in it. It was just awesome.

 

First of all it had no pacing issues in my eyes really. And thats good .

 

I also for some reason really liked watching twilight do magic with her hat on ;p. It was just cool for some reason..

 

All the adorable dashie faces .

 

And the return of daring doo was pretty awesome, lots of action from this episode overall. 

 

Fluttershy had some really great lines despite how little she had. 

 

Oh and watching Twilight and Dash fan filly over the Daring doo books was pricelessly entertaining, dunno why just was.

 

Its kinda hard to explain why exactly, but i just loved this episode.

 

The ending felt nice and resolved, especially with the journal and stuff.

 

so yeah i liked it, of course that doesn't nessarily mean much as i'm easily impressed, but still i was very impressed with this episode. 

 

Also the moral was really nice i found.

 

I hope i enjoy all of S4 this much. Its been good so far.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Zygen

[Blique 211]

Well still, she had that jerky attitude, which proved to hurt Rainbow Dash's feelings. 

 

That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's very possible that Daring Do made friends in the past, and it only served to turn them into hostages or put them in danger (and that did end up happening to Rainbow almost immediately). We've already seen how many injuries Daring Do's adventures cause her, and she's an experienced fighter and adventurer already. Her "jerky attitude" may have hurt Rainbow Dash's feelings, but it also may have been intentional, to keep Rainbow from getting involved and actually being physically hurt. It's not like words would have gotten through to her, after all.

 

Gilda's attitude is born of selfishness, and Daring Do's is born of selflessness. Just look into their actions and you can understand their natures.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@@Blique,

 

Still, to me, it just doesn't justify on how Daring spoke to Dash. There were so many ways for Daring to talk to Dash, but Daring conveyed herself, in a rather harsh way. Personally, I believe Dash taught Daring Do a little about humility.  

[Stancet 674]

For the record...

THIS IS THE MOST FREAKING AWESOME EPISODE I'VE EVER SEEN

 

 

Just for reference, I'm a very tough critic. I don't freak out about ANYTHING, but I could not believe my excitement when I saw this episode. Provided, I haven't read any spoilers and didn't even know it was a Daring Do episode until the day it aired. When I watched it, I couldn't control myself when the plot unfolded before my eyes.

 

Counting the number of times I was surprised:

1) It's a Daring Do episode

2) A.K. Yearling is a J.K. Rowling reference

3+4) Daring Do is real (that counts as two)

5) Random action changes this from a slice-of-life story into an adventure story

6) Rainbow Dash and Twilight have their nerd-talk scene

7) Over the top action

8) Lots more unique animations 

9) Ahuizotl is real too!

10) Rainbow Dash gets her heart broken

11) Rainbow Dash saves Daring Do's life

12) A friendship lesson with multiple levels of meaning

13) They save the day (what can I say, I was excited)

 

I absolutely ADORED this episode. Everything about it was amazing.

 

In response to everyone's accusations of Daring Do... I'm not sure what to say. I guess that's the only take-it or leave-it thing about this episode. Personally, I believe Daring Do has been used to doing things her own way for too long and has forgotten than her fans mean something to her. Whichever way you look at it, I'm glad that Daring Do swallowed her pride in the end and warmed up to Dashie. Daring Do isn't the only pony in this show who's been a jerk to somepony else on ocassion. I look forward to more appearances from her in the future. 

 

squeeeeeeeee

Edited December 8, 2013 by Stancet

[Blique 211]

@@Blique,

 

Still, to me, it just doesn't justify on how Daring spoke to Dash. There were so many ways for Daring to talk to Dash, but Daring conveyed herself, in a rather harsh way. Personally, I believe Dash taught Daring Do a little about humility.  

 

Hmm...I have the opposite impression. I don't understand what about Daring Do isn't humble. For one, she is a famous author who never tries to bask in media attention, for two, she's the one and only amazing Daring Do and doesn't tell anyone that she's writing about herself, and for three, she just protected all of ponykind from eight hundred years of unrelenting, sweltering heat without expecting any thanks from anypony.

 

Rainbow did teach her something though, and that would be that it's okay to put your trust in others sometimes, because they may be strong enough to handle what gets thrown at them.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Blique

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@@Blique,

 

Yep, you're right about the last part. Better to open up than to stay cloistered in your shell.  

[Fluttershutter 2,122]

Also, who other than me thinks that Twilight, with her new princess authority and everything, must've used Equestria's equivalent of the NSA to find A.K. Yearling's (hehe, dat J.K. Rowling reference  ) address?  :comeatus:

Yeah I was thinking she's abusing her power already.

Hopefully she just wrote to the publisher. If Equestria has an NSA I might have to stop watching. 

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

While I liked Daring Do actually being the author of her books, I have a minor nitpick with this: in Read It and Weep, when I saw Daring Do looking just like Rainbow, but with different color, i thought "Cool. Dashie is projecting herself into the character."

 

But then they found A. K. Yearling and she is exactly like Daring Do, who is way too similar to Rainbow... Serisouly, if I was Twilight, I'd be freaking out over this.

 

Did this bother anyone else?

[Winona the Dog 1,981]

I do like the idea that Daring Doo avoids everyone to  avoid getting them in trouble.Like what happened to Rainbow Dash almost being a hostage; it's no wonder she lived all alone in the woods.

[Music Chart Fan 818]

The biggest thing on my mind while watching this episode was that I couldn't believe that all of the absurdities and contrivances that occur in Daring Do's adventures are supposed to be actually occurring in the "real world" of Equestria. Just think of all the things that that entails: a cliche villain whose apparent motivation is simply "EVIL!!!!", Ahuizotl's overly complicated traps intended to slowly kill Daring Do which she "amazingly" escapes from in the nick of time, unexplainable ancient magic and prophesies, Daring Do smearing mud and leaves on her face and smashing her hat as a "disguise" and it actually working, Daring Do performing impossible physical feats while beating up several nameless henchmen, and the list goes on and on.

 

All of these things occur in a world which otherwise, for the most part, seems to strive to be "realistic" and internally consistent in its own way. The whole time after A.K. Yearling revealed herself as Daring Do, I was expecting all of the events to be a dream or a fanfiction or something else that wouldn't be actually occurring in Equestria, but no, they're all real apparently.

 

Rainbow Dash's and Twilight's "fangasming" came off to me as awkward to watch and a little creepy, especially the way that Rainbow Dash interacted directly with Daring Do. But that's probably partly because I don't feel like there's anyone or anything (e.g. a book series or TV show) that I idolize to such an extent that I would act that way. Sure, there are a few things that I enjoy and get excited about, but not so much that I have emotional outbursts and can't control my behavior in front of other people. I will admit that that's likely just a reflection of my personality, though.

 

I found it a little strange that, fangasming aside, Twilight and Rainbow Dash don't seem to have any concerns about how the events in the Daring Do series could have actually happened in real life. Did they already know or think that the Daring Do series is nonfiction? Does Twilight really not question any of the absurdities and contrivances in the books and wonder how or why they would happen in the real world?

 

But that wasn't the only potentially inconsistent characterization going on in the episode. Twilight tells Rainbow Dash several times to respect Daring Do's/A.K. Yearling's wishes and her privacy, but then when Rainbow Dash makes a similar argument later, Twilight and company reject it, yet change the subject and don't really address why Rainbow Dash's argument isn't valid. Also, Daring Do indicates several times that she works alone and doesn't want help, and displays obvious annoyance with Rainbow Dash, but immediately after Rainbow Dash says "Have I mentioned yet that you're lucky I don't?" Daring Do seems to have a sudden and total change of heart. She smiles at Rainbow Dash, enlists Rainbow Dash in her plans to foil Ahuizotl's evil plot, and even goes so far as to not just hug Rainbow Dash back, but rub cheeks with her (for lack of a better phrase).

 

Now for some of the more specific oddities and contrivances in the episode:

 

Why do Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack all just unquestioningly go along with Rainbow Dash's plan at the party to help A.K. Yearling with her everyday chores? Wasn't Applejack just condemning Rainbow Dash's obsession with the series earlier? Would Fluttershy really have no reservations about intruding in A.K. Yearling's affairs, especially if she actually isn't that excited about the upcoming book (if she is at all)?

 

At her house, the first thing Daring Do does is check that the ring is safe. But after that, why doesn't she put the ring back in the book? It apparently was a pretty good hiding place, and even if Dr. Caballeron and his henchmen figured out that it contained the ring, the book would at least provide some obstacle to using the ring.

 

Ahuizotl's trap for Daring Do just makes very little sense to me, for several reasons. Why do the pillars have spikes on them? Realistically, how do those spikes contribute to the trap? Why are the cuffs binding Daring Do attached to blocks that conveniently just slide out of the wall with a little effort from Daring Do? And the big question is, why even have this overly complicated contraption in the first place? If Ahuizotl wants Daring Do dead, why not just kill her with surer and simpler means, especially when she's escaped from such contraptions in the past? It's not like he even sticks around to watch her be eaten alive by the piranhas.

 

Why are the other bigger rings so heavy that Rainbow Dash and Daring Do are struggling even to lift them when the top ring is so light it's easily thrown around? Are the other rings really that significantly larger in diameter or thickness than the top one? Furthermore, how is it that no one notices Rainbow Dash and Daring Do struggling to remove all the rings and noisily throwing them down on the ground?

 

Of course, the whole "removing the bottom ring will make the whole fortress collapse" makes no sense - another one of those things that should only occur in a story, not in actual Equestria.

 

Why do Rainbow Dash and Daring Do have to carry the bottom ring away from the fortress? Moreover, when they throw the bottom ring down, why does it shatter into pieces as though it were a brittle material?

 

Finally, what's the deal with the white pony on the right in the picture below? Is he supposed to be wearing a full body suit with a shirt and tie underneath, or does he just have a collar and a few cut-off inches of the top of a shirt and tie swinging around his neck?

 

[N.W. 3,619]

A good episode in my opinion , many parts I recognized from Indiana Jones (mentioned them in the spoiler below as to not spoil, hue)

The 3 henchman, and the thief - from the Last Crusade
Temple Collapse-Opening scene of Raiders of the lost Ark
Even the hat reference

Have some appropriate music

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

Another thing that bothers me to an extent is that Daring's adventures seem fit to the realm of fiction (within the show's universe) because of all the contrivances of the stories exemplified by these two episodes, that I don't feel fit the other episodes.

 

It seems that the Mane Six were not the only ones saving Equestria. I mean... That thing of 800 years of "whatever heat" sounded serious. I want to know where was Yearling during Return of Harmony and Dragonshy. And are ponies reading books about how the Mane Six defeated Discord and Nightmare Moon? Because it seems like they should.

 

And I also want to know what the hell is the Royal Guard's and Wonderbolts jobs, because they just as elusive as the princesses when trouble starts! XD

Edited December 8, 2013 by moonlightavenger

[Flutter's lover <3 8,204]

This episode was awesome.I love Daring Do. The Indiana Jones References were awesome...I'm a fan of Indiana Jones too,so maybe that's why I like Daring Do so much.And to find out she's actually the author of her own books is kinda of awesome too.

 

I think it's my fave episode so far out of S4....

 

Also dat Dashie face.

 

[Blique 211]

Finally, what's the deal with the white pony on the right in the picture below? Is he supposed to be wearing a full body suit with a shirt and tie underneath, or does he just have a collar and a few cut-off inches of the top of a shirt and tie swinging around his neck?

 

 

I dunno if they have another name for when guys do it, but putting things around one's neck and calling it a choker has been a fashion choice for centuries. I would post some examples, but the only males I can find doing it would be Chippendale dancers. Looks good to me.

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

If anyone knows a site where I can watch the episode in HD (missed the live-stream) I would really appreciate a link

Nevermind, found it. Last time I used TPB was for season 1.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Bucky_McGillycuddy

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

Finally, what's the deal with the white pony on the right in the picture below? Is he supposed to be wearing a full body suit with a shirt and tie underneath, or does he just have a collar and a few cut-off inches of the top of a shirt and tie swinging around his neck?  

 

 

Blueblood wears one too. Must be a "jerk thing" in Equestria. 

Edited December 8, 2013 by moonlightavenger

[Jammo 986]

I'd give to a C+.

There's some good ideas, good humor and animation.

What keeps it from being a great episode is the lack of tension.  Anyone else feel that while they throw a lot at the audience to make it feel like things are at stake.. but you never feel like anythings at stake.  When Auizotl has a ring that would create a thousand years (or whatever) of scorching heat..  that's a big freaking deal.  Worse than the problems brought in many key adventure episodes.  It feels like Daring Do is playing a situation from out of her books... but she's in her books.  The tricky thing with taking a character like this, a fantasy within a fantasy out of her own seperate universe, is that you have to write her stories in a way that fit the main shows narrative.  None of the Mane Six react to endless heat like "Holy crap girls this is big, we need to help her"...  They just witnessing Do and Dash solve the problem...  But this isn't a book anymore.  Act like this is important.

[Oblivion 20,265]

Here ya go, if anyone wants to use this as their avatar...

Edited December 8, 2013 by ~SadisticOblivion~

[MadDoggyca 710]

Rainbow dash was funny and yes not so funny at the same time...

and a bit creepy to

 

DHX or what ever had to seen my mascot to raise the bar on the rape face..

Edited December 8, 2013 by MadDoggyca

[VenomTrixie 57]

I liked this episode and thought it was cool with all the action scenes. I saw the whole Daring Do working alone kinda how a superhero won't let people get too close for fear that the villains will go after them. I liked how Rainbow Dash was handled in this episode and all in all was well pleased with how it turned out.

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

In this episode, Rainbow Dash was every fan of the Song of Ice and Fire books ever. Not exaggerated in the slightest. They write fanfics about what George R. R. Martin does instead of finishing the next book .

 

Gazes wistfully off into distance, remembering that The Winds of Winter doesn’t come out until at least 2015

 

Like a lot of others, I’d have preferred it if Daring Do had stayed fictional, but I can roll with it. The first thing that came to mind when watching this episode was the tried and true undeniable fact that Fangirl Dashie is cutest pony Anytime you get to see her drop her bluster and attitude is a real treat.

 

I have to say that after hearing some of the complaints people had about Dash in this episode, I didn’t have them to that extent shocker shocker. Rainbow Dash’s life and a lot of her episodes have actually revolved around heroes. Her goal in life is to impress and join the Wonderbolts, and when she finally embraced reading, it was because she found somepony to idolize through that as well. There’s a good chance she wouldn’t have taken to the series in the first place if they didn’t have that element. I’ll admit that her fangirling over Daring/Yearling was grating, but it was supposed to be. And it’s a somewhat understandable response when meeting an idol, yet alone one you’d thought was completely fictional.

 

I actually liked the moral quite a bit as well. We’re meant to realize that they both had points, for one. Was Dash’s incessant fangirling helpful? Not really, no. Neither was Daring/Yearling’s attitude about going solo that would’ve just resulted in her failing all the same. But those weren’t the parts I loved. The best part was the moral about hero worship, easily. As mentioned before, a load of Dash’s episodes and her character arc tend to revolve around heroes, and as full of herself as she is, I think she still divides the world into ponies who are heroes, and ponies who aren’t, and puts herself into the latter category. The one time that she clearly thought of herself as a hero and one to be admired, things didn’t end Mysterious Mare Do Well for her. Perhaps that’s a source of her continued lack of self-confidence. But, recent episodes like Wonderbolt Academy and this one have had an element of her realizing that her heroes are people too, and can be flawed as well. A necessary step on her own journey to heroism.

 

Not that it was flawless, of course. As I think Hawkflame mentioned earlier, the timeline was kind of wonky and confusing at the end of the episode (I believe this is the first time they’ve used months instead of moons, too ). The idea that Yearling has been running around and having all of these adventures in real life was also quite a bit to swallow. On top of that, the sudden flip in the Mane Six's attitude towards helping Yearling kind of came out of nowhere. Overall though, there were plenty of funny moments like Twilight and Dash's nerd fight and Yearling's line to Ahuizotl. A very cute and fun episode, and easily my favorite of Season 4 so far.

[Sunny Fox 5,933]

I have to wonder... what exactly does the title have to do with the episode? Apart from mentioning Daring Do, of course.

[Party Cannon 874]

What a relief! After the disappointing first 3 episodes, I thought Season 4 was surely sunk. Luckily Dave Polsky (who's writing is real hit or miss) wrote a Hail-Mary-of-a-Pass of an episode with this one. It was quite entertaining and finally took the spolight off of Twilight to focus more on another of the Mane Six. How fun that Daring Do is 'real' in the poniverse now.

 

Still looking forward to Pinkie's episode, but this is absolutely the best S4 episode yet.

 

 

Can't friggn wait for all of the Rainbow Smirk image macros.

 

 

Edited December 8, 2013 by Party Cannon

[Galen 1,353]

It doesn't surprise me at all that Daring Do is a "real" character as opposed to a fictional one tbh. I wouldn't have cared either way tbh, and I may have even thought at some point that Daring Do is in fact real (as real as RD is at any rate). Also, I don't find Daring Do's adventures to be entirely out of synch with what goes on in Equestria. Consider the adventures of the mane 6 up to this point. Daring Do's adventures might even look pretty amateur compared to what the mane 6 have already been through, such as taking on a Dragon, Chrysalis invading Canterlot, Sombra taking over the Crystal Empire which had been forgotten over 1000 years, Discord, etc. With those things being in perspective, Daring Do's existence doesn't bother me in the slightest.

 

The ep definitely had a lot of fun moments too. Twilight and RD fangasming and recalling every bit of detail from older books was really funny and entertaining. I have to wonder about those people who're bothered by this when they often do the exact same thing about this show or any other show/book they really like. I thought it was something we, as fans, can absolutely relate to, which is yet again another nod from Hasbro to the adult fans, I think, which I find quite pleasing.

 

Daring Do is exactly as I thought she is: a cross between Lara Croft and Indiana Jones. I enjoyed how she was portrayed and liked it when she warmed up to RD and worked together to stop Ahuizotl. And the moral was definitely really good because once more, it's something us adult fans can relate to: we often have such high admiration of our fictional heroes that we sometimes forget how awesome we are or could be. I know I do because it's happened to me as well on some occasions.

 

Overall, really nice episode

 

Also, that Dash face.

 

Also, I involuntarily fangasmed when I saw Dash on the cover of the new book with Daring Do.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Freedan

[Octavia's Melody 128]

What a relief! After the disappointing first 3 episodes, I thought Season 4 was surely sunk. Luckily Dave Polsky (who's writing is real hit or miss) wrote a Hail-Mary-of-a-Pass of an episode with this one. It was quite entertaining and finally took the spolight off of Twilight to focus more on another of the Mane Six. How fun that Daring Do is 'real' in the poniverse now.

 

Still looking forward to Pinkie's episode, but this is absolutely the best S4 episode yet.

 

 

Can't friggn wait for all of the Rainbow Smirk image macros.

 

 

Do you mean something like this?