S04:E16 - It Ain't Easy Being Breezies

[Ragland Tiger 3,386]

OK, well, this review should be pretty short.  Not that the episode was bad or anything, it accomplished what it wanted and needed to just fine.  But for a key episode, or an episode in general, "It Ain't Easy Being Breezies" was just pretty boring and forgettable, despite doing some things quite well.  So, without further ado, let's get started.

 

First I guess we'll cover Fluttershy and the Breezies, seeing as there's not much to say about either of them and they were pretty interconnected in this episode.  Both groups learned good lessons (will cover those more extensively in the next section) and learned something from one another.  It's strange that, for her key episode of all things, Fluttershy didn't really do anything that was incredibly adorable or noteworthy (besides the bee costume I suppose, that was pretty cute).  I did sort of like how grounded she was and that she was also in full-on animal caretaker mode and displayed no timidity whatsoever; it just gets old sometimes when Fluttershy's biggest recurring problem is her insecurity and fear of doing something (take your pick, there's a lot of things she's afraid of  ), so I did appreciate that here she faced a dilemma in showering creatures with too much kindness instead.  The Breezies themselves actually weren't that cute, at least I didn't think so; the cutest thing about them was actually their Scandinavian accents of all things!    Now don't get me wrong, they didn't do anything unforgivable either, again, like Fluttershy here they just didn't leave that much of an impression on me, that's all.  That's not as bad as being, well, just plain bad, but still, any film or television critic who knows their stuff knows that a cardinal sin of any form of media is to not really leave an impression of any kind, be it good or bad feelings, on the viewer.  I know some people seem to think this episode was great, so if you saw something that you found particularly endearing, good for you, but for me, this episode just didn't leave that much of an impression, most notably in its two main characters, Fluttershy and the Breezies.  Don't really have anything bad to say about them, but I don't really have anything good to say about them either.  They were just all very forgettable here, and I have mixed feelings about that.

 

The lessons learned here, on the other hand, actually save this episode from being a bad one in my eyes.  Not only were they executed very handily, with plenty of time devoted to both of them, but they were just plain good lessons in general.  On one side you had Sea Breeze (who is awesome by the way, just gotta get that out there, that guy is hands down best Breezy!  ) teaching Fluttershy about "tough love" and why sometimes it's actually more harmful than helpful to coddle someone with unconditional, endless love and adoration, and on the other side you had Fluttershy teaching Sea Breeze how, even though there is a time and place for tough love, one can't let it get out of control, otherwise it'll devolve into just plain nastiness and mean-spirited put-downs without any kind of meaningful, helpful support.  Good lessons all-around, and even better, there are a lot of real-world parallels where these lessons could be applied, both in big or small scenarios (including U.S. politics, believe it or not, if you think about it a bit).  Definitely one of the most smartly-written and executed lessons in awhile on this show, and easily my favorite aspect of this episode.

 

As for the rest of the cast here, I guess we'll just lump all the supporting characters and background characters in here in one section.  Like Fluttershy and the Breezies, the Mane 6 didn't do anything terribly offensive here, they just didn't leave much of an impression.  No matter how tense or worried RD tried to be during the Breezy sequences, I just couldn't really get into those scenes myself; not trying to sound mean or anything, but I just wasn't convinced or sold on how high the stakes were.  That has nothing to do with the small size of the Breezies really (though that aesthetic aspect doesn't help), but more really with the fact that we didn't know that much about them, and so it was a little difficult caring about something we the viewers didn't know that much about, at least I thought so.  And can I just say that there was WAYYYYY too much time devoted to Rainbow working on getting those breezes just right?  It may have been crucial to the plot, but it got so boring at times that it seriously felt like filler, it really did.  Pinkie and Rarity both had some fun moments, but overall, like I said, none of the Mane 6 left that much of an impression either.  Spike's goof up was hilarious just because it was so predictable (seriously saw that coming from a mile away  ), but he just kind of disappeared from the episode after that.  The other background ponies didn't do too much of note either, aside from Doctor Whooves and Roseluck showing up together later in the episode in a pretty clever Doctor Who nod (though I still have mixed feelings about those two showing up so much together, after all, the Doctor is DERPY'S WAIFU!!!  ).  Overall, like Fluttershy and the Breezies, no other character really left much of an impression, and I just found that boring in general.

 

Nothing too noteworthy to talk about concerning animation, comedy, or music, everything was pretty standard fare here.  The one thing that was really notable were those Breezy-transformations at the end, and those were just plain terrifying.  They worked in the plot I guess, they didn't feel too phoned-in or anything, but I still didn't really care for them and it was also a poorly-veiled move to launch a new toy line, which I'm guessing Hasbro has every intention of doing.  Ah well, at least these transformations, even if I didn't find them aesthetically appealing, had far more of a purpose than those terrifying and pointless human-horse hybrid transformations in "Equestria Girls" *shudders recalling that bad memory  *.  Overall, this episode's biggest sin is that it's boring, forgettable, and didn't leave much of an impression, at least not on me.  It handled the lesson and Fluttershy's receiving her key just fine, but nothing else here really moved me.  All in all, I'm sad to say it, but this might be my least favorite episode of the season so far.  Sure it was okay, and other episode's might've been worse, but at least those episodes made me feel something.  This episode just didn't make me feel anything, so overall, all I have to say about it really is "meh".    Sorry Flutters. 

True, it may not have been as flashy as " Pinkie Pride", but, thematically, it was covering something a bit more subtle and complex.  For the show to treat it any differently would have been trivializing, in my opinion.  The way they presented this story caused me to stop and reflect on the sometimes sad way I was raised and educated.  The more reflective tone of this episode is one of the show's greatest overall strengths.  It may not have had a lot of fireworks, but I don't think it has to.

[Mr. Critical 434]

Okay, so Twilight knows a shapeshifting spell... that's a thing now. I thought the fact that the breezies spoke with Norwegian or Sweish accents was adorable. But it was still enjoyable, regardless of some glaring issues. None the less, still enjoyable.

[OtakuBrony 349]

Howdy all!

 

Saw the episode and its so gosh darned cute.

 

Fluttershy was great.

 

Twilight has a new spell too.

 

 

Give credit to Natasha Levinger in writing the episode

And bonus kudos to Brian Drummond as SeaBreeze.

 

I didnt even recognize the voice I was like wow that was Brian?

 

 

And yes a Key scene too so that was pretty good.

 

See ya!

[Fluttershyfan94 5,742]

I liked it, the breezies were cute. This episode was good but mostly because they opened up the possibilities of them being able to shape shift. Maybe we'll see griffons that is if they'll transform again. Guess we will be seeing breezy toys, lol.

[Silverwisp the Bard 2,353]

OK, well, this review should be pretty short.  ...

This.

Not bad as such but, apart from a few bits, very forgettable.

Cheers for the the Doctor's glasses and RD wanting to be a griffon.

Also, I think Tilight's horn is getting longer...

[Carbon Maestro 1,003]

Good bits of this episode:

• Introduces a new sentient species
• Seabreeze
• Fluttershy twerkin the bee suit
• Lesson was alright.

Bad Bits of this episode

• Overuse of Stares. Pacing is off with the amount of stares.
• Twilight's spell. Well with a spell that powerful, why haven't the unicorns take over Equestria by now?
• The need for the entire main 6 to transform. C'mon, only FS is needed. Everypony else is just there to sell toys.
• Many forgettable moments that I wished weren't so forgettable.

You can imagine what I think of this episode after I tell you that having everypony become another species is just ridiculous beyond the core. Like, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT.

 

Rarity is a member of Nudist Beach. Just needs Aikuro Mikisugi to teach her how to glow purple more.

Edited March 1, 2014 by Carbon Maestro

[The Crystal Maiden 221]

This episode was SUPER!! The breezies were adorable and I wasn't expecting the Mane Six to change into them at the end so that was an awesome surprise! I liked the lesson Fluttershy learned, i.e. being cruel to be kind. The flower she got is almost definitely her key.

 

Oh and Fluttershy went "yay" again! Woohoo! 

Rainbow Dash made me laugh at the end: Could you turn me into a griffin or a dragon, Twilight? Please? Omg she's hilarious. xD

[Rainboom Dash 1,056]

Eh. It was a good episode, but didn't leave me with much to remember. The Breezies were good but I felt the mane 6 becoming them to help was a cop-out. Loved the appearance of Doctor Whooves, I totally fangasmed.

[galaxysquid 2,122]

Spike, stop being such a mess up. You're really making me mad. 

 

Also, APPLEJACK PLS STAHP BEING SO CWOOT! 

 

 

Give me a minute to compose myself.

[Noodles 109]

 

 

Antismurf9001, on 01 Mar 2014 - 08:13 AM, said: Well, that was a pretty good episode. I wouldn't say that it was the greatest thing ever, but it was cute. I suppose that now they're able to make Mane 6 breezy toys... That was a little bit annoying, but otherwise, I like the breezy design, and the message was good. Now, I'm sure most of you have figured this out by now, but the key episodes seem to have two requirements: one, the character teaches someone else about their element and receives some sort of gift, and two, the character learns a lesson about the corruption of their element (Rarity's generosity caused others to take advantage of her, Rainbow Dash couldn't be loyal to everyone, Pinkie Pie overdid it with fun, and Fluttershy was too kind). That makes me think that Applejack's key episode will have to do with being brutally honest, and Twilight's.... Spoiler

sorry for quieting like this but I lost my original post.

Flutters Learns the value of tough love. about the corruption of the elements I agree. about Twilights element being corrupted ahem. deep breath "EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! HAAAAAAA" but seriously if Twi ever goes full on villain equestrea is screwed big time.

[Anilewe 2,178]

Spike, stop being such a mess up. You're really making me mad. 

 

Also, APPLEJACK PLS STAHP BEING SO CWOOT! 

 

 

Give me a minute to compose myself.

 

 

Awww. Little cute breezie AJ.

CUTENESS OVERLOAD 

[Flutter's lover <3 8,205]

Being a huge Fluttershy fan. I had a lot of hope for this episode...I have mixed feelings about this episode. But I feel it could've been much better.Also it didn't have her name in the episode, so I didn't think it was gonna be her "key" episode. So I was kinda disappointed with that too...I feel Flutters got jipped on this episode. I mean the other "key" episodes were so awesome with music and stuff. This episode didn't have the same vibe as the other "key" episodes. There were no songs.I was rather disappointed in it.

 

As for other stuff in the episode, I totally caught the Dr. Who reference. Which was kinda awesome being a Dr. Who fan.

 

Also the breezies themselves...interesting characters. Seabreeze seemed to have a Swedish accent.  Also new merch to make....yay.

 

And Rarity...wtf. I get you're a fashionista and stuff. but why such a blindingly (Literally) bright outfit? It was rather humorous though.

 

 

Also, just when I thought my waifu couldn't get any more adorable...

 

 

...my shyabetes kicked into overdrive.     

 

 

Overall I give this episode a 7.5/10

Edited March 1, 2014 by ~Flutterdash~

[man dude man 555]

I feel like they played it safe, put the plotline on fan favorite fluttershy, and tried to play it cute so they couldn't really go wrong, and dint go to in depth, and stuck to the "being to kind" as a common theme. Couldn't go wrong, and you can't go to right, not taking a big risk, but not messing up in my book. I like it. I lov eit because its cute and I love fluttershy, but I want more background behind the breezies. They just kind of dropped them on us.

[OptimisticNeighsayer 471]

I'll repost a review I put elsewhere:

 

I really have mixed feelings about the episode.

Sometimes the dialogue seemed a bit stilted and obvious at times, even when Fluttershy had to "talk down" to the Breezies. Especially in her talk after saving Seabreeze, since it was clear that there was no need to do that.

I originally thought Twilight's spell was a bad case of "new powers as the plot demands", although I then realized it was just a variation on what she did in "Bats!" and thus seems somewhat more credible as far as her ability is given. Given that, why didn't Twilight need to have access to another normal pony to change them back? (Yes, I know that she didn't need one in "Bats!" but that spell was not meant anyway to transform anypony, so I figured that the need for both species was an absolute necessity.)

On the other hand, I liked the story premise, even though I thought the Breezies didn't go far enough in taking advantage of Fluttershy's kindness. I also loved how it was another Breezie that made Fluttershy feel conflicted about her kindness, it helped 1) avoid the more predictable path of Fluttershy's friends taking the role of the truly active complainers, and 2) blunted the potential of creating sweeping generalizations of the Breezies. (I came in thinking that the Breezies would be monolithic in taking advantage of Fluttershy's kindness, so this felt refreshing.)

Given that, however, it seemed rather odd that all of the Breezies that were caught in their own breeze would for the most part be a bit duller than average (I was actually both amused and confused that the Breezies would so blatantly work against their self interest-- perhaps it never really mattered to them to get back home?) especially since most of them were caught by the unfortunate position of being in back.

Also, I got the feeling that the overall sequence of events was ambiguous enough to make me wonder if the Breezies's demands to stay were really all that bad. It was good that they did get home, mind you, but perhaps a little bit more exposition would have clarified how far away the portal was and how necessary it was for them to keep on moving.

Seabreeze stole the show for me and made it worth watching. I loved how she questioned the whole idea of having to use the breeze to get home, it really established her character and made the show humorously self-aware of its own premise (which I actually wasn't expecting). And her impatience and cynicism for her fellow Breezies was great-- as I said before, it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

Oh, and Fluttershy with the bees? I could swear parts of it were taken from Winnie the Pooh. Probably the funniest moment of the whole episode.

End scene was one of the first true moments of Tastes Like Diabetes in the whole show.

If it weren't for the cheesy and obvious dialogue at times, this would be a 7/10, but I'll have to settle for a 6/10. Levinger did better for Pinkie Apple Pie, but perhaps she wanted purposely weaker dialogue here to recall G3 (I've never seen a second of G3 but I wouldn't be surprised if the dialogue there was on that level)-- sorry, but it doesn't work.

 

Bonus just for this edition:  The Dr. Who reference did nothing for me.  It was completely pointless to have a random pony walking around with 3D glasses.  It was one of the worst-placed references I've seen in the entire show.

 

Good bits of this episode:

• Introduces a new sentient species
• Seabreeze
• Fluttershy twerkin the bee suit
• Lesson was alright.

Bad Bits of this episode

• Overuse of Stares. Pacing is off with the amount of stares.
• Twilight's spell. Well with a spell that powerful, why haven't the unicorns take over Equestria by now?
• The need for the entire main 6 to transform. C'mon, only FS is needed. Everypony else is just there to sell toys.
• Many forgettable moments that I wished weren't so forgettable.

You can imagine what I think of this episode after I tell you that having everypony become another species is just ridiculous beyond the core. Like, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT.

 

Rarity is a member of Nudist Beach. Just needs Aikuro Mikisugi to teach her how to glow purple more.

"Only FS needed"?  For some reason I doubt that the breeze mechanics would have worked if only Fluttershy was turned into a Breezie.  The transformation never struck me as an excuse to put the Mane 6 in a new toy line.

Edited March 1, 2014 by JustFairness

[~Rule 63~ Lyeco 527]

The episode is really awesome and here what I say about it:

 

-Reverse cheer scene

-More transformation spells

-Another Key!

-Hnnnnnnggg

 

Well, now there is breezies

 

Brace yourselves, OC versions are coming

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

That episode... Was fantastic.

[man dude man 555]

I just think that we can say it;s really good, like a lot of other episodes that were less than perfect, but that is the line for it. Just really good..

[roptiriolg 49]

Oh another episode focusing on Fluttershy! Nice from what I skimmed but soon will be time to watch it. The episode on youtube, 1080 FHD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiapgD1QuUU

Edited March 1, 2014 by ImtR

[man dude man 555]

You can watch it on Anime Flavor righ tnow if you want to.

[rjrgmc28 130]

As with last weeks episode, this post episode write up is going to be short and sweet and might be a little off course from my usual fare.
 
To sum up my tweet from this morning:
 
"Wow! They promised cute, and we got cute! Cuteness overload all round! An outstanding episode!"
 
What can I say? The hype and anticipation for this episode was spot on when they promised "cuteness overload" and they were right, everything from Fluttershy to the Breezies really sums up this episode as a whole for me.
 
I went into the episode knowing nothing about the Breezies or what they do in the world of Equestria, so this was a crash course for me and seeing them for the very first time produced many a D'Awwww moment throughout, especially towards the end of the episode where the mane 6 take on their form to assist them getting home.
 
The episode also saw Fluttershy at her very best despite being under pressure from the Breezies trying to stay over at her cottage due to their confidence being shot down and also seeing her assertive side when took charge of the bees situation was a bit of a mood booster for me. 
 
Apart from that, there isn't much else to cover this week.
 
I also have written my full thoughts on the episode itself on my blog, which can be viewed here.
 
Also as a side note, It seems Spike has been on the short end of the stick as of late and I think this episode might have been the breaking point for him. Why are they doing this?!

[Rocky Doo 39]

Spike y u do dis to da Breezies?

Anyway episode was great except for the Breezies design, it's not my favorite

[OptimisticNeighsayer 471]

Also as a side note, It seems Spike has been on the short end of the stick as of late and I think this episode might have been the breaking point for him. Why are they doing this?!

Precisely what do you mean by this?  I'll admit I was faceplaming his behavior here but I'm not sure it is part of a trend.

[Shawn Parks 1,798]

Spike y u do dis to da Breezies?

 

 

I was very happy that they did not have Pinkie Pie do something to mess things up for the Breezies.  I do not want to see more complaints from other Bronies about Pinkie Pie.  I love her so much, and I hate to see her being disparaged.

[Metemponychosis 1,259]

I was very happy that they did not have Pinkie Pie do something to mess things up for the Breezies.  I do not want to see more complaints from other Bronies about Pinkie Pie.  I love her so much, and I hate to see her being disparaged.

Agreed. If someone has to screw up things, I'd rather it be Spike rather than Pinkie. At least there is the excuse that he is a child and has his moments of being childish. Although, in this episode, it was more an accident and not really a mistake on his part.

[Life Giver 1,063]

I gotta say I liked it... maybe because we got to see more Fluttershy.