S02:E19 - Putting Your Hoof Down

[bigbertha 410]

There are definitely problems here, but they aren't that major. Fluttershy's transition into mean Fluttershy is very rushed and she doesn't get the blame for what she becomes. Iron Will does deserve some of the blame since his lessons were too extreme, but he's not nearly as bad as the episode makes him out to be. The reason these problems aren't major is because there are so many other positives to distract from them.

Really, the first act is pretty solid. Fluttershy only meeting terrible ponies is a bit contrived, but it's not a deal breaker. And Rarity's manipulation of that guy is bad, but she does pay him for the asparagus so it's not the worst. Everything else is done well, establishing Fluttershy's problem and flowing very naturally. 

The mean Fluttershy scenes aren't as good because of the rushed transition, but mean Fluttershy is fun to watch and her going on that rant on Pinkie and Rarity is done really well. 

The third act is where the biggest problems come in, but even then Iron Will is still fun and there are some good gags. 

This is an Okay episode overall. The jokes and the fun of Iron Will keep me from disliking this episode, but there are too many issues to call this a good episode.

Score: 6/10

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

Lol, Iron Will is certainly a character. 8/10  

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

For reasons I will never understand, this episode seems to be one of the most hated by the fans.  Y'know, out-of-character complaints and all that.  I very much liked the episode.  There's a big difference between a character acting in a way that they never would, in any circumstance, for any reason, in a way that doesn't even have a good plot justification, such as Fluttershy in Fake It Til You Make It, or Rainbow in Newbie Dash, and a character acting differently than they normally would for an understandable or justifiable reason with a good explanation.  Fluttershy's behavior in Putting Your Hoof Down was fine, because it stemmed from two things: 1) Receiving really bad advice from an authority figure, which she then felt compelled to follow, and 2) Finally getting a taste of authority herself, and enjoying not being a doormat for the first time in her life.  These things made her behavior understandable.

I can actually attest to this personally--I was always the kid who got picked on in school.  Small(ish), weak(is), smart, nerdy--a natural bully target.  I got bullied heavily throughout all of school.  In elementary school, there was a kid who was even smaller and nerdier than me, and he seemed to make it his business to be annoying to others, myself in particular.  Instead of ignoring him like I should have, I actually turned into a bit of bully myself.  One day, in a dark moment that completely belied my kind, quiet, gentle nature, I lashed out and did some rather cruel things to him.  Oh, don't worry, no real damage was done, but I'm not proud of myself today.  I bullied the kid, and I liked it in the moment because it felt sweet to finally be the one on top, to get some revenge, to have some power, to not be under someone else's shoe for a change.  It was petty, it was selfish, it was small, it was totally unlike me, and it was completely human.  I felt bad about it pretty soon after, and I still do to this day.  Remember: real people don't always behave according to some strict, unchanging character traits, never varying an inch from their set personality.  Real people are complex and messy, and sometimes lash out or go nuts or do things that they would never normally do.

Fluttershy's behavior was absolutely understandable and realistic.  Remember: there is a big difference between a character acting "out of character" for a good reason, versus acting o-o-c due to bad writing.  For instance, Rainbow's impersonations of her friends in Newbie Dash made me wonder if the writer had ever seen a single episode of the show, whereas Dashie's totally uncharacteristic self-doubt and lack of confidence in Daring Don't was brilliant because it had a proper reason.  Fluttershy's bullying was also realistic and believable.  The piece that made it most believable was the fact that in the last act, she became as horrified by her behavior as everyone else, including the audience.  She couldn't freaking believe she had acted that way.  That's how you know it was the good kind of uncharacteristic behavior, and not the lazy kind from bad writing.

It was a good episode, and I don't want to see any more whining about Fluttershy acting "out of character".  Understand, rubber band? 

[North Star 4,540]

Love this ep  Iron Will, the goats, assertive shy. Just so much fun.

Never thought this was OOC of Flutters - same reasons as @Justin_Case001says.

[LonelyYugi 59]

I'm kind of surprised at all the hate that this episode gets. I think that it does a good enough(for the target audience)job of saying that you shouldn't be a doormat, and sometimes you need to assert yourself, but at the sametime you can assert yourself without turning into a complete jerk.

 

[JMTV99 1,348]

I do get what the episode is trying to go for and I do admit that Fluttershy's over the top assertiveness can be entertaining at times, but I don't know, something about this episode does not really sit right with me.

[Cash In 21,509]

I think the idea of seeing a more aggressive Fluttershy, is actually quite interesting. I'll give the episode credit for that.

The trio dynamic of Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rarity was neat by itself and their scenes together were some of my favourites. I thought a lot of the jokes were pretty funny. Iron Will was also a pretty enjoyable character and I wish we got to see more of him.

My main issue is that Fluttershy does a complete 180° halfway through the episode. She goes straight from a doormat to being super aggressive. I would've liked to have seen her actually training with Iron Will. I think that would've been a neat way to flesh that aspect out. Also yes, Fluttershy did go too far, but I that was more of a product of the episode trying to bridge itself into a resolution.

I did like this episode. This is one of those cases where I can see why people dislike it, but I enjoyed it personally.

[Ryuuko 146]

i really enjoyed this episode. looking back at it now, it felt a bit detached from the preceding entries in that it felt more like a dramedy. i hadn't remembered ponyville to be, well, that callous towards fluttershy. poor girl.

 

i have a rather differing view on this episode as a whole, namely that it wasn't fluttershy who actually kept my interest. it was everyone else and their attitudes toward her. from pinkie pie's aggressive haggling and rarity's slick use of her charms, to iron will's egotism in releasing fluttershy's clearly pent-up resentment towards everyone else. even if the overall atmosphere made me feel uncomfortable, i still really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this entry.

[Props Valroa 26,039]

I really enjoyed this episode. Iron Will was a funny and amusing character, and I quite liked seeing Fluttershy being more assertive and mean. Shows a different side of her I feel is always there but rarely ever comes out. My favorite part was the mail pony being mailed away in the mail though, that scene took the cake for me. I wanted to see more of Iron Will and her interacting independently with each other, however. Iron Will is a cool guy.

[Hadrien 937]

I think I'd need an Iron Will in my day to day life, to push me to do the things I need to do, and be the best that I can be. I don't really need his confidence seminar, I good on that front, but if he ever comes up with a motivation seminar, I'll sign up immediately. I liked the idea of a minotaur self-help guru, that's really on point. And the hedgemaze center was just the cherry on top.

Fluttershy's confidence is turning her into Ms. Hyde and I'm here for it. Even Discord couldn't turn her crazy like that. She def has a monster inside her just waiting to be unleashed at a moments notice. That's probably where the power of The Stare comes from, Fluttershy inner monster just lashing out and paralyzing other with fear. Flutters did overreact a lot for pretty mundane stuff, wronf mail delivered, overwatered plants, asperagus guy scamming ponies. But I guess all the years of pent up rage and suppressed emotions made her lash out like crazy, poor tourist, she didn'T ask for this. YEET !

7.5/10, would get stepped on by confident Fluttershy......wat ?