S04:E10 - Rainbow Falls

[Acchan 232]

A certain member has just rocked my day with that picture of my avatar.

I actually did my picture on MS Paint which even measures in pixels so everything I do is pixelly. EVERYTHING.

Anywho, I haven't gotten to see the episode yet. Have to wait until tomorrow to download it to watch it.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Rinne

[Flash Fire 386]

How the whole plot could have been solved in 30 secs. 

[spezzzzzhdafuigb 49]

This was actually really good. When she had to pick between the two teams I genuinely felt bad because  I know how it feels to be in that kind of position. Although I do have two questions. Didn't Blue Fast make it into the wonderbolts? I only saw like half of season 3 but according to the Wonderbolts academy episode, she stayed in the wonderbolts, right? Also, just a logical question here, why is every key for that box in the season 4 premiere just a (relatively) normal object given by some random pony all the time? shouldn't they be hidden across Equestria? In some ancient well hidden place maybe? I mean it is ancient from the tree of harmony. I dont know could someone tell me the true properties of the box? Thanks.

 

   -Cheesy

Pic is of me lookin at soarin' in dissappointment.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Cheesythumbs

[Renon Strike 67]

so this episode marks a point in MLP:FIM and Brony history of the return of Derpy Hooves i feel like things are coming in full circle now after the incident 2 years ago , is this way of Hasbro trying to show the fanbase they are not the heartless greedy corporate beasts the fandom thinks they are/were?

Edited January 19, 2014 by Renon Strike

[Hdc 155]

I watched this episode less than one hour ago, and the only thing I can remember is DERPYYYY!!!!!!!!

 

So, I guess... 10/10 ?

 

Story could have been handled a bit smoother. Perhaps too much time was spent on gags instead of Rainbow's moral dilemma.

 

But y'know, the TRIUMPHANT return of Derpy (not to mention with more screentime than ever before), automatically earns this episode a perfect score!

 

Season 4 is best season.

[Metemponychosis 1,261]

This episode is like those chapters in a story which only purpose is to advance the plot.

 

I get the message. And I like it. But what a fucking mess.

 

EDIT: The gryphons. Damn, those guys (girls?) looked nice!

Edited January 19, 2014 by moonlightavenger

[Shawn Parks 1,798]

 

 

I am jealous of Bulk Biceps here.

[UserNotFound 964]

When derpy walked in.., my face was like... xD I was just sat there like... It's Derpy! Actual Derpy! Like... DERPY!

 

Also... Soarin... Is becoming one of my favourites...

 

I guess Hasbro just can't decide on what they want him to be

... He's a timepony... Regeneration? (Like David tennant did... When he regenerated into himself again...)

Edited January 19, 2014 by JellyBean

[hdylta 42]

ok, I loved it.

It's my new favorite episode in all the series.

SO MUCH AWESOMENESS!!

[Blossomshy 39]

I loved the episode and it was probably my favourite in season 4 and one of my all time favourites. This is just be but there were so many great things about it. To start with I saw a variation of blossomforth near the start and she had a speaking role. Apparently she is called helia. The rest of it I just thoroughly enjoyed, especially he derpy scenes. So funny. I can see that some people don't like the episode much as it seemed a bit predictable however I didn't find it that way mostly. Just my opinion. Overall it was great even it the ending was a bit obvious. I will definitely have to watch it again

[theadventuretimefan 11]

One word... Derpy.

 

Finally she's in an episode without being censored or incredibly hidden!

[DubWolf 17,263]

This was actually really good. When she had to pick between the two teams I genuinely felt bad because I know how it feels to be in that kind of position. Although I do have two questions. Didn't Blue Fast make it into the wonderbolts? I only saw like half of season 3 but according to the Wonderbolts academy episode, she stayed in the wonderbolts, right? Also, just a logical question here, why is every key for that box in the season 4 premiere just a (relatively) normal object given by some random pony all the time? shouldn't they be hidden across Equestria? In some ancient well hidden place maybe? I mean it is ancient from the tree of harmony. I dont know could someone tell me the true properties of the box? Thanks.

 

 

-Cheesy

Pic is of me lookin at soarin' in dissappointment.

I didn't notice that those objects they've been getting are the "keys" o.0, like the rainbow thread. How sure are you about this (I mean, string won't fit into a keyhole to unlock solething!).

 

Are you egoraptor?

Edited January 19, 2014 by Wingin'Wolf

[Motion Spark 7,807]

This episode was absolutely great! Every episode is getting better and better starting off by 'Rarity takes Manehattan' and so on. Ok, even if I had some complaints that doesn't mean that I wouldn't qualify it as nearly perfect because it was THAT great and made me really enjoy Rainbow Dash's character more. Let's see the pros and cons

 

PROS

 

- new location! Seeing new locations brings to life the land Equestria and inmerse it into the storytelling even more deeply, I throughly enjoyed Rainbow Falls. I wonder where it could be? close to Cloudsdale?

- Engaging storyline, even tho the conflict of 'choosing between good and evil' was a little cliche, to be really honest I didn't noticed it.

- Talking about storyline, this was a 'rainbow' key episode, meaning that I wasn't expecting it to be so close to the main storyline, I really enjoy how the mane6 will 'rediscover' their elements by facing certain situations and being reminded by a 'rainbow' glow that it's reflected on their eyes accompanied with a very mysterious bg music that fits the moment of 'realization' perfectly. I like the fact that at the ending of each episode they will be given items by ponies who were 'changed' by their elements and then the camera zooms in to said object while it glow with rainbow colors with the same mysterious bg music.

Sorry for that guys, but I just love these details Too much that I've got goosebumps when I saw they rainbow glow reflecting on the glass jar and then back to Rainbow Dash eyes.

- Background ponies with roles, this episode is full of other secondary ponies with roles and dialogues and it makes much vivid the pony society.

- Comedy was OK. Perhaps not crazy like 'Pinkie Apple Pie' but ok

- Bulky Biceps? Umm what can I say about him? haha he's quite funny, I really like how adorable he can really be despite all the yelling and the yeahs!! 

- Twilight Sparkle. I've enjoyed Twilight's role in this episode, she was super mature about it and actually I really liked the part when she let Rainbow Dash to decide on her own instead of telling her that she should stick to the Ponyville's Team.

- Pinkie be crazy.

- Rainbow Dash was cool. Was arrogant yes, but she was toned down in arrogance which is good, and the lesson that she learned was valuable.

- Moral. The moral of the episode was very good, and it can be aplied to both kids and adults, to me it was like never abandon your friends, because they worth more than you may think, even if they make mistakes.

 

CONS

 

- Soarin. I don't know I don't like Soarin's VA, he sounds like a teenager, also he seemed ...like...idiot. I didn't like the fact that he let pass so easily Spitfire's betrayal, I've felt that the part of the realization and confrontation was rushed because if a teamate betrayed me like this I would do more than just a mad face that last 1 second.

- Spitfire. I didn't like the fact that she was the antagonist of the episode. If she's like the captain of the Wonderbolts how come she would act the way they did? she was very reckless and the fact that she lied to get rid of one of her teamates was a low move, something that someone as respected as her should not do.

I would have liked if the other lightblue wonderbolt pony with the white mane was actually the one that lied, and Spitfire not knowing about it. That would have been a better argument in my opinion.

 

---

That's all for my analysis  but this face tho.

 

[Dalek Derp 18]

The episode summed up in one picture:

[spezzzzzhdafuigb 49]

I didn't notice that those objects they've been getting are the "keys" o.0, like the rainbow thread. How sure are you about this (I mean, string won't fit into a keyhole to unlock solething!).

 

Are you egoraptor?

Well, for some reason, thats what everyone in the comments and on alot of different forums led me to believe. And if they aren't linked to the keys, and they're always emphasized at the end of each episode, then what are they? I'm not sure, its just what everyone has been interpreting it as. So what do you think the items they get at the end are?

 

And sorry, I'm not egoraptor. I wish I was though

 

-Cheesy 

[SBaby 660]

I didn't notice that those objects they've been getting are the "keys" o.0, like the rainbow thread. How sure are you about this (I mean, string won't fit into a keyhole to unlock solething!).

 

What makes you think those objects are showing their true appearances?  For all we know, they might transform into actual keys once all six are gathered.

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

Yeah, I didn't like it a lot.

[H.P.Lovecolt24 107]

I'm I the only one who was thinking this when I heard his name for the first time?

 

I'm now Hoping MST3K Pony crossovers happen!... well at least more often.  

[Metemponychosis 1,261]

So, re-watching the episode improved my opinion about it. But it's still nothing special.

 

We got a new town. At least I think it is a town. And a "pony town" not some ponified human city. A really like the place. Another thing I like is that they are doing trials for the Equestria Games. I like to see it's being constantly brought up. Also, I liked the griffins. They looked... Cool. But they were a whole team. So is there a griffin city within Equestria? I'd like to see that.

 

I think that the moral of this episode could have been handled better. It was "blunt". After Rarity Takes Manehattan, where she seemed to go beyond expectations because she is generous, Dashie's loyalty felt tasteless to me. She did nothing more than what was expected of her. It felt like one of those chapters in which the only reason for it to be is to advance the plot. It's okay, but I think that I expected more.

 

My biggest complaint about this season is when the Mane Six appear on an episode where they are not really required to be. They become annoying. Twilight was pretending to be wise while Rainbow was being obnoxious along with all the other ponies so that she could deliver some "wisdom" to Dashie. Rarity was being useless. WTF happened to her? Pinkie was being annoying. Applejack was being stupid. Why not put Scootaloo to cheer for RD? Silly nitpick, I guess... But i felt like it was important enough to mention... It had no influence on the narrative.

 

What the hell is wrong with Bulk Biceps? Why wasn't he flying the same way he did on Wonderbolt Academy? He did a decent job there. Another stupid stereotyped pony for me to gag over now. Disgusting... As bad as "feminine is frail". For the love of Celestia DHX...

 

Now, I wanted to say something about the Wonderbolts... Shouldn't they be "hors concours"? Best flyers in Equestria... It's like they are supposed to be a "Dream Team" already. Well, I can't complain about Spitfire and Fleetfoot because we don't know how they are as characters, but wasn't it a bit overboard for them to treat Rainbow and Soarin' the way they did? Feels like breaking character for the sake of the plot, in a way, because the Spitfire from this episode might very well have sided with Lightning Dust in Wonderbolt Academy.

 

This is so simple to solve. Instead of shoving the Wonderbolts into the episode, why not put Lightning Dust herself and two minions in there?

 

And we got another "rainbow whatever that is, most likely the keys to the box". I hope I live long enough to see what's inside it.

 

In the end I liked this episode for the new location, the little bit of continuity and Some funny joke here and there, but it should have been way better. It's almost like continuity ended with S3E13 and this is one big "official fanfiction" with some good and some bad chapters. Oh, and welcome back Ditzy. Missed you.

[Smashboi7 12]

I hope im not the only one seeing the build up the season finale  is going to be the equestrian games cause in the cmc flag carrying one they  only showed the qualifiers and they did it in rainbow falls to and all the like mystery ending stuff will make it go all wrong

 

JetoJet calling season 4 finale 

[Giggle@theGhosties 9]

Still hyped about the DERPYNESS!

<3

But cheerleader Pinkie will always have a place in my heart.

[DubWolf 17,263]

What makes you think those objects are showing their true appearances?  For all we know, they might transform into actual keys once all six are gathered.

Well that would make sense. Better idea than to have the mane 6 literally go searching far and wide for six actual keys.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

It was a pretty good episode. Nothing great, but it was still good.

 

Good to see Derpy back and that one big pegasus got a name and a voice.

[Batbrony 16,055]

And the streak continues, my gosh is Season 4 on a roll!!!  Though "Rainbow Falls" may have been the most divisive episode of the last three, largely because of its theme and the execution of said theme, after having watched it twice and put quite a bit of thought into it, I actually think this episode wasn't as bad for Rainbow Dash's character as some people seem to think it was (though I understand why they would think so).  We've got A LOT to cover in this one, so let's get going; seeing as there are so many characters to cover in this one, rather than cover the overall story, I'm just going to split this one up into a look at the characters, and then, as usual, go over the aesthetic elements to round everything out.

 

So first off-

 

*ahem*

 

What the-

 

 

Oh hey Derpy, how's it hanging?  So, as I was saying-

 

*ahem*

 

What?!

 

 

Now listen here missy, you just wait!  I'll get to you in a little while, but first I gotta cover some other stuff here.

 

 

HEY, don't give me that look!!!   Think of it this way; I'm saving you for last just like the writers did!  So just sit there and be patient, I'll do you justice, don't you worry.

 

 

Good.  Now then, where was I?  Oh yes, characters.  Well, seeing as she was the star of the episode, let's start with Rainbow Dash.  It seems that so far peoples' #1 complaint of RD in this episode was that it covered retread ground in an almost Fluttershy-like manner, that is, we've seen RD's loyalty get tested before, we've seen her have to learn to put her friends before glory.  On the surface, one might easily get this impression from the episode.  BUT, look at it more closely, and I think you'll find that Corey Powell actually put together a rather original conflict for Rainbow Dash, even if it tested her loyalty yet again.  To start, let's reflect on conflicts RD has faced in the past, particularly those related to her element in some way.  In "Sonic Rainboom", Rainbow Dash had to learn to overcome her own insecurity and self-doubt in order to not only do her best, but save her friend and role models in the process.  In "May the Best Pet Win", while RD did learn a lesson about not measuring others by shallow and superficial qualities, that episode was specifically about learning what one should look for in a pet, even though the lesson was applied to friends as well.  "The Mysterious Mare Do-Well" gave RD a much-needed lesson about humility and doing something just because it's the right thing to do, not for the sake of glory and praise.  "Wonderbolts Academy" was more a case of RD applying lessons she'd learned in the past than actually learning one, and while one could argue that that is the episode that proves RD didn't need to learn the lesson that she did in "Rainbow Falls", consider the following; in "Wonderbolts Academy", aside from their pairs, the cadets are not technically on one big team with each other.  They're all sort of competing with each other, and Rainbow is only forced at the very end to once and for all rebuke Lightning Dust's methods (which she'd been uncomfortable with the entire episode) in a split second decision when her friends' very lives are at stake.  So why is this episode actually different from all of those?

 

Well let's look at how this episode starts, progresses, and ends for Rainbow Dash.  First of all, we learn from the get go that RD has taken it upon herself, voluntarily, to lead the Ponyville relay team at the Equestria Games tryouts.  She could have EASILY decided to just be a sprinter instead like Thunderlane and some of the other Ponyville pegasi, but I get the feeling that she took the relay team for two reasons: (1) she likes taking the more challenging of the two, pushing herself to her limits, and (2) she wants Ponyville to be represented in as many events as possible, and as such loyally took the harder of the two events that less pegasi wanted to volunteer for, not to mention it's the event that gets less glory for an individual in the sense that it's a team event, whereas sprinting is an individual event.  This from the get-go shows a remarkable amount of maturity and character growth on RD's part since the series first started.

 

So what else does RD do as the episode progresses?  Well, she starts by trying to keep her teammates focused on their training, which is made all the harder by the fact that her well-intentioned friends keep distracting them (especially AJ and Rarity, they were a little off in this episode in the logic department).  At the same time, she sees how professional the Wonderbolts are training and vies for that kind of skill and effort from her own teammates, and when one of them gets into a life-threatening situation, she saves Soarin's life (yet again) and, with his spot open, receives an offer to train with the Wonderbolts after turning down their initial offer to join them.  Wanting to at least improve her own abilities through said training, even though she still plans on competing with the Ponyville squad, RD accepts their tantalizing offer and begins secretly practicing with them as well as the Ponyville team, though it's clear which she enjoys working with more.  It's very understandable why even the Element of Loyalty would get sucked into this situation: (1) the Wonderbolts are her idols, so it would be crazy for RD to get an offer to train with them and turn it down, plus she still thinks she's going to end up competing with the Ponyville relay team anyway, (2) she's there to qualify (not win, qualify, she knows very well that's the best they can do with what they've got), while her teammates and friends seem to just be there to have fun, and for a competitor that kind of attitude can honestly be frustrating, even for the most patient of ones, and it's taken A LOT for RD to get as patient as she is (which still isn't a lot), and (3) while it might seem to be only logical that the Wonderbolts would later offer her another chance to compete with them, RD has never been the thinker of the Mane 6, and I'm not saying she's stupid, just that in the excitement of being given an offer like THAT, it's easy to see why RD wouldn't consider or draw the conclusion that the Wonderbolts would try to entice her to join them again.  So given all these circumstances, I am more than willing to cut RD some slack for the choices she makes in this episode.

 

So naturally, after training extensively with the Wonderbolts, Rainbow gets an offer to compete with them instead of Ponyville's team yet again.  Now here's where people seem to have the biggest problem with RD in this episode; instead of sticking to her guns and firmly staying committed to the Ponyville team, RD decides to, as Twilight aptly puts it, not choose at all and feigns an injury, putting both the Cloudsdale and Ponyville teams' hopes in jeopardy (though to be fair the Wonderbolts should've just then and there gone to Soarin' since they knew he was OK, but that's stupidity on their part, not RD's).  Now, let me give Rainbow the benefit of the doubt here; she didn't want to say no to Ponyville because that's her hometown and where her friends are from, AND she didn't want to say no to the Wonderbolts because they're her idols who she hopes to someday compete with (though aside from age this episode very much further raised the question why, aside from plot convenience, she isn't one already).  This is really a conflict she's never faced before when you think about it.  The closest parallel was the conflict she faced in "Wonderbolts Academy", but there she was uncomfortable the entire time with LD's methods, and only had to decide to do things the right way in a split second decision when an unexpected emergency arose.  Here, she was sucked in by the older and prestigious Wonderbolts, and after tasting how good it would be to be one of them, in fact coming closer to being one of them than she ever has before, RD was presented with the choice of almost certain glory or betting it all on two very unathletic ponies instead.  This wasn't a split second decision, she had time to think about this, and that made the decision all the harder to make because RD could consider what she'd be giving up if she made one choice or the other.  Being the Element of Loyalty, I can see why RD wouldn't want to let either Ponyville or Cloudsdale down (let's keep in mind that that's who the Wonderbolts were representing, RD's very own hometown which she has quite a lot of love for just like Ponyville, as we've seen in episodes like "The Return of Harmony" and "Games Ponies Play"), because she never wants to let anyone down and after the opportunity she'd been afforded by the Wonderbolts in getting to train with them, one can see why she'd feel just as obligated to them as she would to Ponyville.  So all in all, I can see why RD came to the conclusion that making no choice was the best option of them all, because she'd feel bad either way (though she certainly felt bad doing nothing as well).

 

Thankfully, after realizing that the team she'd committed to in the first place, not to mention the team in which her friends and fellow townsponies were a part of, was the team she should stick by (as well as straightening the Wonderbolts out with their teammate Soarin), RD did the right thing and stuck by her friends.  Bing, bang, boom, lesson learned, as you would assume it would be.  The genius of this episode for RD, in my opinion, is not in the lesson learned; as many have pointed out, that is certainly retread ground, RD HAS had her loyalty tested in the past and had to learn what it means to embody loyalty.  The genius is in the execution; aside from when Discord threatened all of Cloudsdale, I cannot think of another time that Rainbow Dash has faced a more complicated or understandable test of her loyalty.  On one side she was being asked to compete with ponies who didn't seem to be taking their training all that seriously and were not naturally gifted flyers to boot, but were still her friends, while on the other side she was being offered the opportunity to instead train, and later, to compete, with her lifelong role models.  For a competitor like RD who's also the loyalest of ponies, that's a TERRIBLY taxing quandary, and I say bravo to Corey Powell for coming up with one as complex as this was for Rainbow Dash.  Overall, I thought the episode presented Rainbow Dash faced with a terribly difficult choice to make, and I give great credit to the writers for showing her struggling with it as much as she was, because I think that's understandable, even when you take into account how much RD has grown as a character since Season 1.  For me, this qualifies it as one of my all time favorite Rainbow Dash episodes, even if on the surface it appears clumsy or retread.

 

OK, well that certainly was long enough.   Bear with me ya'll, still got a lot to cover here.  Let's talk about the Mane 6 next.  I'll go down from those who performed best to those who, well, didn't have the strongest of episodes.  First up, let's talk Fluttershy.  Good Lord, was this a good Fluttershy episode!  Usually Fluttershy is one of the less capable members of the Mane 6 in a supporting role, because, given her quiet nature, she's easily overwhelmed while in a supporting role by other, more, shall we say, loudmouthed characters, be they in the Mane 6 or otherwise.  But here, my gosh, here she was ON!!!  Honestly, I think this might be Fluttershy's best turn in a supporting role ever!  So from the start we knew that she was on the Ponyville relay team.  Oddly enough a lot of people seem to have assumed that she was bullied into joining it; yeah, I know that in the past in episodes like "Hurricane Fluttershy" that Flutters has been pressured into doing things by RD, but I really don't think that was the case here.  Fluttershy, even though she was well aware that she's not the most physically capable flyer, was excited the entire time to be a part of the relay team and was proud to be competing for the chance to represent her hometown at the Equestria Games.  This is a far cry from the Fluttershy of Season 1 or 2 who would never imagine attempting something like this, and it bespeaks the wonderful character progression she's made since she met her friends.  Fluttershy is no longer a pony unwilling to do that which frightens her; yeah, things might still scare her, but that doesn't mean she's not willing to give it her all as she tries to overcome her fears and do her best, and it's thanks in large part to her friends' support, including RD's, that Flutters has gotten to this point.  On top of her own confidence, Fluttershy was extremely supportive of her teammates the entire episode, not to mention hilarious and adorable in her own usual way.  All in all, there's not a single bad thing I can say about Fluttershy in this episode, and I stand by my assertion that this was her best turn in a supporting role ever.  Good on you butter pony!    

 

Next, Twilight had probably the second best turn in a supporting role of any member of the Mane 6 in this episode, and it was one of her better supporting roles all season.  I think it was very mature of her as a friend and de facto leader of the Mane 6 to advise Rainbow Dash while at the same time not trying to butt in and resolve RD's problem on her own.  She didn't even reveal RD's feigned injury at the end, and might've even kept up the facade for RD's sake up to mere seconds before RD revealed it herself for what it was (although that might've just been a goof on the writers part; I mean, it felt just a bit odd hearing Twilight say "Is that Rainbow Dash?" when she was the one who was most skeptical of her injury in the first place, to say the least).  She was also quite cute and funny throughout, especially in her turn as a cheerleader (although up until then, I wasn't quite sure what she was doing to support the relay team besides her advice she was giving to RD).  All in all, Twilight did a great job as the voice of reason without stealing the spotlight from the episode's main character, and like I said, it was one of her better turns in a supporting role this season, if not one of her best supporting roles in the show as a whole.

 

Pinkie Pie did what she's done a lot this season, just take up a comedic supporting role, but here, unlike previous episodes, it didn't feel needlessly stupid.  She was exuberant and energetic with plenty good reason, because, well, she was filling the role of relay team cheerleader, and she brought an appropriate amount of energy to the role.  Don't feel the need to say much else beyond that; she was funny and had some delightful running gags, and it was definitely one of Pinkie's better supporting roles this season, though she hardly stood out or stole the spotlight.

 

Applejack and Rarity I'm kinda split on.  On the one hand, they were both pretty funny throughout and genuine in their support.  On the other hand, they were also, for their characters at least, kind of, well, stupid.  Applejack started throwing food at characters for no good reason without warning them, and Rarity designed some of the ugliest outfits I've ever seen her make (seriously, they looked nothing like uniforms, and while I know Rarity has a penchant for making stuff fabulous and more feminine, she still takes WHAT type of outfit she's designing and making into account when she does so and so should've made something that looked more like an actual uniform, even if it was bedazzled, instead of those ugly as sin dresses that even as dresses would've been ugly).  They weren't in the episode enough to do anything that was unforgivable, but still, they definitely had the weakest turn in supporting roles of any of the Mane 6 this episode.

 

Well that's the main cast out of the way (and I just realized Spike was nowhere to be found in this episode, guess the little guy got left behind, HA!  ).  Next, let's start by covering the Wonderbolts.  It was great overall getting to learn more about how that group conducts themselves, as a lot of what we saw this episode had never been established in prior episodes.  I gotta call BS on anyone who says they were OOC, because all we've seen of them in previous episodes has been (1) flying for competitions or stunts, (2) attending social events like the Grand Galloping Gala, and (3) in Spitfire's case, taking a turn as drill instructor, which is hardly the same thing as actively participating as a Wonderbolt.  I understand that, maybe as a result of RD talking up the Wonderbolts so much in the first three seasons, people might've idealized them just a bit; heck, I myself was surprised by how they turned out.  But overall, I don't think it was that surprising in hindsight to learn that, at least a number of the Wonderbolts are actually very fierce competitors who, although certainly well-meaning, are willing to do whatever it takes to win, at least within the boundaries of an event's rules.  It's not like they were cheating or anything; having been saved by her once, and having numerous times been treated to her exceptional flying abilities, Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Soarin were all well aware from the very start how great a flyer Rainbow Dash was and said as much (a nice bit of continuity if I do say so myself).  So when Soarin was hurt, even though it turned out to just be a minor injury, Spitfire and Fleetfoot simply did what any single-minded competitor would do and found a pony who, under normal circumstances might even be faster than Soarin, and so tried to entice her to join their team.  They weren't even really doing it to go after Ponyville, they were more doing it for their own benefit; I'm not trying to defend their actions, because they were in the wrong and they knew it by the end, but I'm just trying to make sense of them.  Professional athletes have to have a competitive instinct to get to where they are, so it just makes sense that some of the Wonderbolts would act that way.  Thankfully, they were reminded that they should've just stuck by their teammate instead (especially when he was only minorly injured and it was a qualifying round of all things  ), and learned a valuable lesson about loyalty to one's friends themselves.  Nice to see that Rainbow Dash continues to teach her own role models a thing or two.

 

As for the individual Wonderbolts, they were all great in their own way.  I usually never describe any ponies as sexy, but my gosh I gotta agree with CD on this one that Spitfire once again reinforced her reputation as sexiest pony (I don't know how she does it, but she does!).  But besides that, Spitfire was great as team leader, plus it was nice seeing her participating in an actual competition and getting a feel for her athletic side.  On top of that her training sequences were pretty cool.  Soarin was a lovable goof as usual, and definitely the most grounded and personally likable of the bunch (even if he was easily distracted by the ladies  ), and it was a lot of fun getting to see and hear him for the first time since his speaking debut in "The Best Night Ever" wayyyyy back in Season 1.  Finally, Fleetfoot was a fun and welcome addition to the group.  If any of you have read the MLP comic books, then you know that in the two Big Mac issues she had her own fun little subplot there that was quite a delight, so I was especially happy to see her getting a speaking role after that fun little appearance.  Her lisp was quite hilarious, even if it did make her sound a bit like Twist (who I loathe), her design was great, and she definitely had a distinct personality of her own.  In fact, I honestly think she was even more competitive than Spitfire, as it seemed she was the one who kinda goaded Spitfire to an extent to extending their invitations to RD, or at least was more aggressive in her attempts to entice RD.  Overall, all three had great appearances, and I can't wait to see them again; they weren't really antagonists, at least the two mares weren't (Soarin doesn't count, he did nothing wrong except flirt at the wrong time), they were just well-intentioned ponies doing the wrong thing for not necessarily bad reasons, just pragmatic reasons.

 

OK, now we gotta talk about Snowflake, or as his apparently canon name is, Bulk Biceps!  As far as speaking supporting characters go, this guy stole the show, especially the first two-thirds of the episode!  I mean, my gosh, he was talking up a storm and he was hilarious through and through!  The guy was a beefhead, yeah, but he was a lovable beefhead; he was exuberant and just as excited to be representing Ponyville as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were, he was a goofball in every sense of the word, and all in all he was just plain likable.  He and Fluttershy, oh my gosh, BULK BICEPS AND FLUTTERSHY... I don't ship main characters that much, but my gosh, these two are EASY to ship after the episode they had together!  They were one of the cutest pairs I've ever seen in the entire show; not once did Bulk get frustrated at Fluttershy's timidness, not once did Fluttershy show any fear of Bulk's, well, bulkiness, and the entire time it was just a blast watching those two together.  He was also equally supportive of RD, friendly to the rest of the Mane 6, and proved himself all in all to just be a good guy and good pony in general.  It was especially nice seeing him and another certain pony from Ponyville actually contributing to the plot of the episode, because too often supporting characters in episodes are just there for exposition or to be saved by the main characters; that doesn't seem to be the case this season, seeing as we already had Coco, and now Bulk and a certain other pony to boot.  But yeah, obviously the biggest impression Bulk left was the humor he brought to the episode; every second this guy was on screen I was laughing my flank off, and I couldn't have been happier with how he turned out.

 

Well, we've just got one other character left to cover, so you all know what this means.  Brace yourselves ya'll, cause this is gonna be... intense, to say the least.  OK... here we go.  So unlike a lot of people, I did not actually see Meghan McCarthy's tweet from yesterday until after the episode today.  Given that I knew this would be an episode involving pegasi, I was optimistic that a certain beloved character of mine might show up at least in a cameo.  What I couldn't expect, however, was... well, what we got.

 

Suddenly Derpy... just there... right bucking there... in plain sight... waving a flag... I think my heart just stopped.

 

When I saw what we got, this was my reaction for the first second:

 

 

Then this was my reaction for the rest of the seconds, and, well, that basically carried on into the next two hours, give or take.

 

 

This... I mean, wow, this... THIS!!!  THIS bucking piece of amazing was NOT Derpy's best cameo ever.  Why do I say that?  Because I can't call this a cameo.  Let me make one thing, ONE THING, clear: this was a motherbucking SUPPORTING ROLE!!!  Derpy, with full, derped up eyes and without saying a word, was in a supporting role!  You can't call it anything else, you just can't!  She actively contributed to the plot (i.e. stepped in for Rainbow Dash), was addressed by members of the Mane 6 and reacted to said members, and even ended up in the team photo (as any second string member of a team should).  She was in the entire third act of the episode for crying out loud, over 5 WHOLE MINUTES!!!!  This was a supporting role, the first time a background pony as prominent as Derpy (let's be honest, Bulk is awesome, but he's nowhere near as famous as Derpy) has gotten an actual, honest-to-Faust supporting role!!!  THAT I did not see coming this season, it legitimately shocked me!  Upon my second watch I noticed that Ms. Hooves actually showed up a couple of times prior to her supporting appearance in small, hard to spot cameos which I missed the first time, which only increased my joy, but it still comes nowhere near to being as awesome as THAT was.  This... I friggin' love DHX for this, I really do.  I don't even care that she didn't talk, if Derpy doesn't talk again that'll just be fine by me, because she was there, she was a character, she wasn't even just a cameo or a running gag, she was an actual character who DID SOMETHING!  She interacted with the Mane 6 for crying out loud and was ready to step up for her hometown like the rest of them.  That, I, I can't express just how happy I am about that, it practically made me cry.  Of anything that could've happened this season, I did NOT see Derpy in a supporting role coming, and now, who knows, I suppose it's entirely possible that the background pony-centric episode the writers have mentioned this season could very well be about her.  It would actually be really interesting if they had an entire episode in which she didn't even speak that she starred in, and I'd certainly buy it; it would be something different.  But this episode, even more than the Season 3 finale, showed quite clearly that Derpy is here to stay, and even better, it showed that the writers are willing to try to actually expand upon and build her character, give her something more than just a cameo here and there.  That is bucking amazing, and I love DHX for this from the bottom of my heart, as does our lovable little muffin mare.  She was adorable, she was funny, but most importantly, she was a character who did something, who was ready to step up when needed and actually help ponies around her.  Derpy, you rock.  Not much more to say besides that.  You rock... woohoo. 

 

OK, can we all just agree that she's basically the seventh member of the Mane 6?   

 

OK, we're nearing the end of this super gigantic review, I promise you!  Not too much else to cover at this point.  I loved the continuity with the Equestria Games story arc, and can't wait to see when that event actually takes place!  The other pegasi who showed up were all cool, like Thunderlane, Cloud Kicker, the Cloudsdale cheerleaders, and the Doctor Whooves-doppleganger pegasus (he did have a different cutie mark than the Doctor, if you noticed, so it was definitely not the same pony, though I did spot a Carrot Top pegasus at one point which was weird  ).  The griffons who showed up as competitors was a nice touch, even if we didn't get to see much of them.  Besides the extremely cool setting at Rainbow Falls (I love the fact that apparently rainbows are a physical, liquid material in Equestria, which was also shown in "Sonic Rainboom") and the great flying effects during training or competition segments, there wasn't too much particularly notable about the animation (not that it was bad, it's just, there wasn't anything that really, really stood out).  Music as well wasn't too notable.  The humor was spot on in this episode, and although Bulk might've been responsible for the majority of the laughs (along with Fluttershy), it was really spread around, with some great laughs coming as well from Pinkie, Twilight, AJ, Rarity, Derpy, even the Wonderbolts!  Aside from that, I don't really have much else to say about this one (thank the Lord, right?).  While I understand why it would be the most divisive episode of the season so far, for me, after putting much thought into it, this episode has only carried on the fantastic stride established two episodes ago by "Rarity Takes Manehattan", and it's definitely my favorite Rainbow Dash episode this season (and OK, maybe I'm just a little biased by the fact that Derpy showed up for over 5 minutes, so sue me!  ).  In short, I loved it, and that's that.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Batbrony

[Xero1 124]

I haven't been to this forum since before season 3.... But I've got to let out all this excitement somewhere!

 

SWEET CELESTIA! DERPY! SO MUCH DERPY! DERPY IS BACK!!!

Let me hear that soothing voice again, even if no one mentions her name please just let her speak. Oh I chose not to read anything about his episode in

advance so I was appropriately surprised when I finally had time to watch it. I freaked the crap out. I just hope she continues to get more attention and better treatment.