S04:E05 - Flight to the Finish

[The Crystal Maiden 221]

This was a good episode. I thought it was a tad predictable, seeing as bronies have been constantly saying they want a 'Scootaloo-can't-fly' episode. I guess CMC episodes just don't excite me as much as Mane Six episodes.

 

I enjoyed it though. The "professionalism" thing was hilarious. And what is with Ms Harshwhinny's mouth? It's all over the place when she talks! XD

I did get some feels over Scootaloo being sad. I was hoping for a bit of ScootaDash bonding but there wasn't quite enough of that. Hopefully that'll come up in another episode.

The song was good, although I'd rather there was a song from one or more of the Mane Six next time.

[Sig Hoovestrong 838]

I so love it, good have cheerful episode like this one. It brings joy into my heart.

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

Another scene I really liked was when Ms Harshwinny broke into excitement / adorableness after seeing the Crusaders perform. 

Edited December 15, 2013 by Bucky_McGillycuddy

[. eris . 1,661]

Okay, I'm seeing a lot of people saying this episode is rushed. Which it is. But frankly, I enjoyed this episode more than any other episode in the season thus far--it squeaks by Castle Mane-ia by a narrow margin. I thought they were very neat in keeping people's headcanons intact, seeing as most people have a clean cut definition of "Scootaloo will fly when she gets older" and "Scootaloo will never fly because she's disabled". 

 

I thought the song was visually wonderful--that moment when the CMC are marching, and their shadows form a stallion? A bit predictable, but very nicely done. And don't even get me STARTED on how catchy that song is. I think I'm going to be humming it for days. "We've got hearts...as strong as horses!" I have a fondness for a good beat. ^^

 

I also liked that Diamond Tiara is kind of forming a distinct personality now--she knows that she's not better than everyone else at everything, but she knows she's better at manipulation. That's very diabolical, and very nice to see in a young, up-and-coming villain. 

 

All in all, I really liked it. This could have turned into a big, schmultzy mess with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, but...am I the only one who found Sleepless in Ponyville just a tad overdone? I kind of thought RD was a jerk in it, and she only accepted Scootaloo's friendship because it was an ego stroke. This felt like a really solid episode of showing Scootaloo trying things through herself, and then Rainbow Dash stepped in to give advice.

 

((Also, I like the idea of Scootaloo not learning how to fly.))

[TheStareMaster 45]

A bit of a meh episode for me, could have been better. Miss Harshwhinney was the best thing in it ^.^

hB3A03035 by Xenol - Westinghouse - G.I. - BSA, on Flickr

[Guest]

Overall, a pretty good episode that made me hate Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara even more...

It had very good-looking scenes.

And seriously, THAT SONG. I mean, Smile and Cafeteria song are not safe anymore on my favorite song list ! It aired yesterday and there's already a remix of it

[Rocky 68]

I enjoyed this episode quite a bit.

 

The CMCs are cute and likeable as ever, and Rainbow Dash does a great job representing her element this time around.

 

The song number was all right in my book. A good start overall for Season 4 in terms of song numbers.

 

Gotta admit while I did enjoy her in this episode, I kinda found Miss Harshwhinny's mouth movements kind of distracting. Though to be fair, it's probably fitting for the accent they gave her.

 

One last thing. Can someone please kick Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in the face after what they did this episode? Seriously. Are they EVER going to be punished for what they do?

 

7.5/10

[Megas 27,624]

All in all, I really liked it. This could have turned into a big, schmultzy mess with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, but...am I the only one who found Sleepless in Ponyville just a tad overdone? I kind of thought RD was a jerk in it, and she only accepted Scootaloo's friendship because it was an ego stroke. This felt like a really solid episode of showing Scootaloo trying things through herself, and then Rainbow Dash stepped in to give advice.

 

((Also, I like the idea of Scootaloo not learning how to fly.))

I don't see how RD was a jerk at all in that ep, all she did was tell scary stories, nor did she accept to take Scoots under her wing to stroke her own ego, as this episode showed that she genuinely cares for her

[skylights 127]

I only just watched it (took a while for me to actually get it), but it was a pretty good episode overall. I didn't care much for the song though, the lyrics seemed a little contrived and Scootaloo and Apple BLoom sang on-key. I prefer the idea of Sweetie Belle being the only one of the bunch who can carry a tune.

 

I wasn't expecting them to actually win the contest though. After seeing Snips and Snails in the beginning, I expected the CMC to come in second behind a totally awesome performance by those two.

[Stancet 688]

I really adored this episode. Maybe I'm weak for a bit of sentiment but I really love the meaning and the moral behind the story and its characters. Scootaloo seems to be the real focus even though the equality of all three CMC is what ultimately matters in the end. The song was amazing and the reprise was a nice emotional finish. 

 

I'm glad the CMC are finding other things to do besides getting their cutie marks. Not that I want them to be fillies forever, but until the show's staff decide to make it happen I'm still quite impressed that CMC episodes are not boring. Some people seem to think this episode is rather lackluster. I don't know why, compared to most of the episodes in the series already. 

 

The show's staff is not trying to reinvent the wheel. They are giving us the same good-old MLP that we know and love, and finding ways of keeping it fresh episode after episode.

[Bright Honor 2,671]

Just watched it...and I loved it! Especially when the CMC sang.

[FlutterDash4072 189]

I didn't really care much for this episode, or the song honestly. Maybe because I'm not much of a CMC fan, and even amongst them Scootaloo is my least favorite. So the episode just seemed kind of boring.

[Okeen 49]

I liked the song during the episode.

The ending felt a bit of a troll though.

[Confetti Nova 58]

It was okay, it was all I expected from a CMC episode. We saw Scoot's house but of course we didn't see if she has parents or something. Glad kept to it until the end. The song was not bad either. Of course the CMC were great. Just an average episode.

Edited December 16, 2013 by CowBob RanchPants

[TorqueEffect 112]

Can't say that I liked this episode at all, and quite frankly the song was the worst I have ever heard out of this series so far. I just though the vocal harmonies were terrible, and lyrics just made me cringe to the point I just skipped ahead so I didn't have to listen to it. I don't think anything is going to top the songs used in the Finale of last season. Really hearts as strong as horses? That is like a midget saying they have a heart as strong as a humans. Out of ANY of the mythical creatures in this show they could have used in this show, they chose a horse for the analogy.

 

But we all have different tastes, like everyone seemed to hate Magic Duel, but I quite enjoyed it.

 

I honestly am one of the four who voted the "Hate it" option. So this episode goes straight to the bottom of my list along with Spike at your service, and Just for Sidekicks.

 

I sure hope Spike doesn't ruin the Power Ponies episode next week.

[JonPear 209]

Really hearts as strong as horses? That is like a midget saying they have a heart as strong as a humans. Out of ANY of the mythical creatures in this show they could have used in this show, they chose a horse for the analogy.

 

The show has mentioned horses before, actually:

 

[Pixel Stick 927]

(I read through the first 6 pages and gave up, so here's my review. )

 

Once I heard this episode was about Scootaloo, I was filled with a mix of anticipation and dread, and my wife said "Well, I guess it's good that they're getting this out of the way sooner rather than later."  But I cleared my mind of preconceived notions and just watched it, and I'm glad I did.

 

We're not the biggest fans of the CMC, so the CMC song immediately made us go "Oh god, song cue!".  But I agree with others here, it was a decent song with some great visuals, and it served its motivational purpose quite well.  And the bullying from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon definitely crossed the line in this episode - I *really* wanted to go up to both of them and smack 'em a good one.  It's one thing if you're going to pick on someone because they haven't figured out their career path yet.  It's entirely another to pick on someone because of a physical disability, and I'm properly ticked off at those two characters for crossing that line, especially so deliberately.  Good job, writers - I sincerely hope one of the Mane 6, or another older pony with some level of authority, will finally put them in their place sometime this season.

 

*ahem* Moving on...

 

I thought it was maybe a little unclear how Scootaloo made the leap in logic that she suddenly HAD to fly in order to succeed, but they did a good job of conveying just how important this had become to her, to the point that her failure to fly equated to her being a failure in everything.  First off, I know that feel really well - I was that kid in school that could never do a single pull-up in PE.  And I tried so hard time and time again, and got ridiculed for it.  I don't think I sunk as low in my self-esteem as Scootaloo did when I finally came to grips with not being able to achieve it, but I definitely identified with that scene.  And second, when Rainbow Dash came back to cheer her up and motivate her, and to tell her that it didn't matter if she could fly or not, I gave a thumbs-up - THAT is the kind of big-sister relationship I wanted to see between them.  Well done, writers.

 

I was a little disappointed that we didn't get a chance to see any of the other flag-carrier routines at the tryouts - I know they were running out of time, but the travel scene leading up to the brief glimpse of the CMC's routine and then the winner announcement, just felt jarring to me.  (Also, the CMC winning that was a foregone conclusion from the start of the episode, I'm afraid.)  But I'm glad it worked out as it did.

 

And yes, I see what you did there, Meghan.   Well played.

 

Overall, I'm satisfied with Scootaloo's development in this episode.  I'm glad that Scootaloo had to confront what is now confirmed to be a physical disability, and I felt they did this topic justice.  I'm also glad that Rainbow Dash managed to get through to her and let her know that she's still special whether she can fly or not.  Dash has been a similar inspiration to others in the past (especially Fluttershy), so she earned a few more points of respect from me here.  And finally, I'm glad that they didn't cop out and give Scoots her cutie mark yet - it was a nice troll, but I think it would have closed the door on her (and possibly the CMC as a whole) if they'd done it.

 

Overall, one of the better CMC episodes, and a good shot at the topic of disability.  Starting to restore my hope in the rest of the series.

 

...but WHAT IS UP with the Power Ponies preview??

[JonPear 209]

If there's anything I was disappointed in, though, it was this guy:

 

 

Sheesh, what a wuss 

[TorqueEffect 112]

The show has mentioned horses before, actually:

 

 

So that is basically saying horses and ponies are the same, it is just size is the only difference. So my complaint still stands.

Edited December 15, 2013 by TorqueEffect

[VeroxVitrus 70]

Episode 5 was an okay episode, not one of the strongest of the season. The ending was far rushed IMO

[Champion RD92 8,658]

Hmm it was an ok episode, I suppose. Admittedly I was a little bored at parts, but I wouldn't say it was bad. I was never too into the CMC, but I still kind of enjoyed seeing them together. Felt really bad for Scoots screw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for messing with her head. The CMC drama in this episode was kind of new, which was pretty interesting to watch. The song was kind of meh :/ and I think the episode could've used a bit more Scootalove as well. Oh, and my favorite part was seeing Scootaloo's Rainbow Dash poster lol :3 I wish I had one. Yes I know I jumped around a lot in this post haha. Just stating random things I felt about the episode.

 

I thought the song was meh too, I don't get why everyone loves it so much. I was never too into the CMC either. But yeah, the CMC drama was interesting. I basically agree with like everything you said in this post xD

Edited December 15, 2013 by Champion RD92

[fimdash 1,196]

I thought the song was meh too, I don't get why everyone loves it so much. I was never too into the CMC either. But yeah, the CMC drama was interesting. I basically agree with like everything you said in this post xD

great minds think alike bro

[Pixel Stick 927]

So that is basically saying horses and ponies are the same, it is just size is the only difference. So my complaint still stands.

 

I realize there really are breed differences, but horses and ponies are so closely related to one another that saying they're equivalent (except in size) is a fair assessment.  I don't see what the problem is with the Flim/Flam lyric, or the lyric in the CMC song.

 

(Also, we're up to 4 Rainbow Dash avatars in a row now. )

Edited December 15, 2013 by Pixel Stick

[ColtofPersonality 855]

The episode was good.

Liked:

We finally see Scootaloo's bedroom. (Parents? If Orphanages have single rooms for their kids then their economy must be doing okay.)

Anytime we see Snips and Snails

RainbowDash getting owned at the end.

Disliked:

The song felt flat and repetitive.

 

[Away 2,077]

Basically, what I loved the most about this episode was the message. Scootaloo will always be awesome as long as she just keeps being herself, regardless of whether she will eventually fly or not.

 

Seeing poor Scoots tear up was so heartbreaking