S04:E17 - Somepony to Watch Over Me

[GreatTornado 21]

I'm sorry but this episode was really boring and Applejack felt so out of character...

Edited March 9, 2014 by GreatTornado

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

I'd give the episode a 6/10. Not much happened in the way of story telling, no new grounds broken. But it did what it was trying to do rather well, even if all it was trying to do is hammer out the over bearing mother cliche. 

Pros

It did introduce two new areas of Equstria, and world building is always a plus in my book

It did the "overbearing mother" cliche rather nicely, as it got the cliche across without AJ locking AB in a closet until the devil gets out of her.

Cons

Nothing really huge to speak of, but like twilight time, this was a perfect filler episode, nothing amazing happened, but it wasn't a magical mystery cure either. 

[Orablanco Account 3,707]

But doesn't the Aesop break once Applejack is vindicated for being overprotective? How does rescuing Apple Bloom in the swamp prompt Applejack's revelation that she needn't smother her younger sister? The dialogue afterward implies that the survival of the pie cart proves to Applejack that Apple Bloom is responsible. I don't quite follow the logic.

 

Yeah, that's a bit weird. Again, I totally understand why people would dislike this outing.

 

The real question is when did HBO start airing the MST3K movie, and why wasn't I informed?

Edited March 9, 2014 by CITRUS KING46

[GoldenCal 52]

Good job although suffered from a similar problem with It ain't easy being breezies 

7/10

Edited March 9, 2014 by GoldenCal

[Flutterdork 4]

I didn't really like this episode, mainly because it's a combination of the (IMO) two most boring types of MLP episodes:

 

CMC episodes, and Apple Family episodes.

 

 

[ManaMinori 4,145]

 

But doesn't the Aesop break once Applejack is vindicated for being overprotective? How does rescuing Apple Bloom in the swamp prompt Applejack's revelation that she needn't smother her younger sister? The dialogue afterward implies that the survival of the pie cart proves to Applejack that Apple Bloom is responsible. I don't quite follow the logic.

I think Apple Jack comes to that realization not because she sees the pies are safe- though that may have been part of it, but rather, because she sees that Apple Bloom is safe, and that she got as far as she did into the swamp, without Apple Jack's help and protection, and came out unscathed.  I originally thought that this episode was terrible and didn't fit AJ's character, but if you catch that one line in the beginning of the episode before AJ "leaves", she says that she doesn't think that she's (referring to herself) quite so ready to deal tith the fact that AB's growing up and doesn't need her quite so much anymore.

I have an analysis on my blog that goes more in depth about the episode, if you're interested.

http://discipleofthedark.weebly.com/2/post/2014/03/mlp-fim-somepony-to-watch-over-me-analysis.html

[Cloud Runner 26]

I'm glad that the CMC are back.

[ManaMinori 4,145]

I'm glad that the CMC are back.

we JUST saw them in Twilight Time

[Starlight Sky 374]

When I first watched the episode last night, AJ seemed pretty overbearing. Didn't appear out of character, just overplayed. Was a tad too sleepy to give it much thought though, so I let it silently settle as I went to bed.

 

After reading other's opinions about the episode, hearing interpretations about Applejack's behavior, I ended up re-watching "Apple Family Reuinon" before revisiting this one. Main reason for that was to see the scene that  hints at their parent's death, but also for a fresh reminder of how AJ has often overdone things. The former could certainly add extra immense depth, yet everything still flows well without it.

 

Plus, AJ expresses how seriously she takes her role as a big sister and how she was the one who wasn't ready (rather than Apple Bloom) from the beginning.

 

All in all, the episode was thoroughly enjoyable the second run through. Really wanted to enjoy it, and now I do 

Edited March 10, 2014 by Starlight Sky

[Vertigo_95 572]

Totally forgot to formulate an opinion on this episode, but before I start, I find it very strange that I got the Class of the Cutie Mark set with Apple Jack, Apple Bloom, and Diamond Tiara the day before the episode aired.

 

Now for my opinion:

If it wasn't for Applejack at the end, the episode would have been the worst for me. Apple Bloom getting a chance to stay home by herself would have been a great thing to see if Apple Jack wasn't overprotective and decided to return home. She also went to the extreme with it and "baby-proofed everything." The one thing that bothered me though was that it seemed like that song had potential if it continued, but Scootaloo shot it down. My rating for the episode? 6/10.

[VenomTrixie 57]

Only problem I had was the plot was pretty predictable, other than that I thought it was pretty good. AJ seemed out of character but I justified it with her going through a ''my little sister is growing up'' crisis.  

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,177]

Very cute episode. Action, adventure, Tiger-Goat-Snake thingies....yeah it was awesome

[Singe 2,111]

Applebloom is like the Dennis the Menace of FIM. Which would make Cranky the Mr. Wilson.

[Music Chart Fan 819]

Overall, this was another episode that wasn't very good and has a pretty low rewatchability. Scenes throughout the episode often seemed to drag on much longer than necessary, and once again, it seems like almost nothing of significance happens in the episode, particularly in the first half. But probably the biggest issue was Applejack's behavior toward (and ignoring of) Apple Bloom, which was painful to watch, repetitive, nonsensical, and seemed unprecedented in its excessiveness.

 

As mentioned above, probably the biggest issue with the episode is Applejack's behavior. It seemed like a massive and unexpected overreaction without real precedent in the show, and also seemed contrary to what we've seen of Apple Bloom's maturity. To me, Apple Bloom seems like the equivalent of an older elementary school student. She does her share of chores around the farm, and she apparently completed 173 chores while the rest of the Apple family was gone. We've seen her spend quite a bit of time with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders without adult supervision - she and they walk to and from school, hang out at the clubhouse, and go around town and elsewhere doing (sometimes potentially dangerous) activities to try to find their special talents.

 

With all of this in mind, Applejack's smothering, overprotective behavior in this episode seems particularly excessive and baffling. Why does Applejack think that Apple Bloom doesn't know to open a drawer first in order to get a utensil out of it? Why does Applejack think that Apple Bloom doesn't know how to eat soup? (Surely this isn't the first time she's ever done so.) When Applejack returns, why does she find it necessary to "babyproof" the whole house when Apple Bloom has been living there for years with no apparent issues? Why does she make Apple Bloom's bed into a crib when Apple Bloom has already been sleeping in a normal bed without a problem? Additionally, Applejack repeatedly asks Apple Bloom if she needs things like a hoof massage or a glass of water in bed, which don't seem to be related to keeping Apple Bloom safe, unless Applejack believes Apple Bloom is incapable of getting these things without harming herself. (It doesn't help that, frustratingly, Apple Bloom just happens to fall over and make a mess when Applejack is there to see it, even though Apple Bloom seemingly completed her laundry list of chores without issue.) How is all of this an appropriate reaction to Applejack's unfulfilled and unfounded fears or to anything that actually happened to Apple Bloom at their house (i.e., no injuries, just a mess in the kitchen)?

 

Besides all of the above, regardless of your position on whether Applejack was acting out of character or whatnot, the back-and-forth between Applejack and Apple Bloom quickly became repetitive and dull. Just look at how many times Apple Bloom says "I can take care of things/myself!" and "I don't need you/somepony watchin' over me!" and how many times Applejack says some variation of "I'm not going to leave you alone again!". It only became more and more painful to watch as Applejack smothered Apple Bloom and refused to listen to her time and time again, even when it seemed like the point had been made.

 

One other strange thing in the episode is the time scale of all of the events. Granny Smith says that they're leaving Apple Bloom home alone to take care of the chores for the afternoon. Yet Apple Bloom seemingly manages to complete 173 chores in the time between when the rest of the family leaves and when Applejack comes back. How far away was Applejack when she decided to turn around? How long did Applejack's trip away from and back to Sweet Apple Acres take? Then, later in the episode, Apple Bloom is supposedly gone for hours before Applejack notices she's gone (at about 6:15). Applejack then goes all the way out to get her and they still have to complete the trip after that. How long were Applejack's and Big Mac's trips supposed to take? Was one or both of them really supposed to get back sometime later that day? Given that Apple Bloom didn't complete the journey even though she had been traveling for hours, how much slower was Apple Bloom really traveling on the pie delivery path than Applejack would have done?

 

Now for the rest of my random observations:

 

I couldn't help noticing that the door knobs in the Apple family's house look just like our human door knobs, that is, made to be opened by gripping and turning the knob. How is this a convenient design for ponies without hands and fingers to use? Wouldn't ponies have come up with some other method of keeping doors closed more amenable to using hooves to operate?

 

Big Mac seemingly has a "magnetic" hoof when he holds the map to his destination in his hoof.

 

Applejack says that she takes her job as big sister seriously, but what does that job actually entail? It's understandable that that job would include keeping your little siblings safe, but why should it mean to tend to your younger siblings' every little need, as Applejack was trying to do in the episode? I would think that it would be more helpful to teach your little siblings to learn delayed gratification, to prioritize their wants, to learn to get things they want themselves, etc. After all, you're not always going to be instantly available to your younger siblings, and they will probably eventually have to live on their own.

 

Why does the Apple family have a hats and bows closet? Why wouldn't Applejack and Apple Bloom keep their individual hats and bows in their own rooms, rather than haphazardly stuffed in a communal closet? In fact, we see that Apple Bloom does already have bows in her own room. Further, why would it not be stocked, and why would that be an issue?

 

Applejack says that family is more important than pies, but what about the family business on which they depend for their livelihood? What about Applejack's and the business's reputation as being dependable and delivering the goods in a timely manner when they say they will? With this is mind, why doesn't Applejack try to get a babysitter for Apple Bloom and then go and make the promised pie delivery?

 

When Sweetie Belle is pretending to be Apple Bloom in bed, apparently Applejack doesn't see that the color and shape of Sweetie Belle's fur and hair doesn't match Apple Bloom's, even when Applejack is rubbing Sweetie Belle's head. Further, it's fortunate that Applejack apparently never expected any vocal response from Apple Bloom in all of the times Applejack checked up on her.

 

Why is Applejack acting tired when the clock says it's 6:15? When does the Apple family go to bed? Given that Applejack is tired at that time, could she have actually made the delivery and come back that day without becoming too tired?

 

Scootaloo's thinking out loud evoked a "Seriously?" reaction. Scootaloo knows that she needs to stay quiet, and she already has been for hours, but apparently that thought is just so exciting that she forgets all about that and has to blurt it out.

 

It occurred to me that it might be a little strange that the chimera speaks same language as ponies (along with other singular creatures we've seen in the show so far). After all, we see that other animals like the breezies, vampire fruit bats, beavers, etc. are apparently comprehensible only by Fluttershy. Why do only certain other animals speak the same language as ponies?

 

Was Applejack's plan for the chimera the whole time to get it stuck in that position? The tiger head bit right through the chair, and she didn't mention or seem to have anything else to stop it.

[Pixel Stick 927]

Once again, it looks like I'm sitting here being kinda contrary to many others' opinions.  I actually rather liked this episode, and I was surprised at that given that Applejack is still my least favorite of the Mane 6 (though Pinkie's been diving down that way this season as well).  It was definitely not the best of the season, but I feel it's right at about the same level as Pinkie Apple Pie.

 

Given what's been hinted at about AJ and Apple Bloom's parents, it's not surprising that AJ would be overprotective of her sister.  And this is far from the first time she's been that way (first seen in Bridle Gossip).  AJ's tendency to be extremely stubborn and to take things to extremes also shines through in this episode, and those two traits combined actually made her quite relatable and character-consistent this time around, IMO.  (As I said in a different thread, I believe that many people are made uncomfortable by character flaws such as these because they hit pretty close to home - who here HASN'T either had or known someone who had an overprotective parent or sibling?)

 

Yes, AJ's overprotectiveness is hugely exaggerated, but in a way, that makes it all the more real to me.  And I think that once they revealed the chimera, it became clear WHY AJ had been so protective of Apple Bloom: Perhaps the chimera scared the heck out of her.  In fact, they never REALLY explained why AJ aborted her route to go home and take care of AB, but I'd be willing to bet that she'd been unprepared for the chimera and ran away, and instead of owning up to being scared, she channeled her fear into protecting her little sister to an unhealthy degree.  This is not an uncommon behavior in parents, actually.

 

Bear with me.  When Apple Bloom sneaks out and takes on her sister's route (also unprepared), AJ is clearly shocked and truly frightened by this prospect.  At first, it looks like this is just because she's losing control of the situation, but the writers inserted a very clever hint about the cause of her fear when she asked about all the things AB should have taken with her (and didn't).  I thought those seemed really random right at first, but they made perfect sense when AJ arrived to defend AB from the chimera.

 

Now, you may ask, why did AJ show no fear when standing up to that creature?  Well, two reasons: One, she had all the right equipment this time, and two, instead of being afraid for herself, she was there to defend her sister.  It's well-documented that mothers (both human and animal) will FIERCELY guard and protect their children, almost entirely without fear, when someone is directly threatening them.  (Threaten the mother herself, and it comes down to the fight-or-flight response, but threaten the child and the mother almost universally will stop at nothing to defend him or her.)  Since AB doesn't have a mother to defend her, AJ is the next-closest thing, and she takes this mothering role very seriously.

 

So really, I think the writers did something pretty darned cool here.  In typical MLP fashion, the fight with the chimera was comedic and only mildly violent (though that chimera took a real beating compared to other villains and monsters in the past).  But they drove at a very specific portion of AJ and Apple Bloom's relationship that I think really needed to be addressed - the fact that AJ took on the role of AB's mother in the absence of their true mother, and AB was tired of being treated like a baby.  Secondarily, the episode strongly hints at, but never fully expresses, that AJ had a major fear of her own to overcome, and that she managed to do so.

 

I think AB and AJ both grew up a bit here, and I for one really liked to see that.

 

Other positives: I liked the Princess Bride reference (the fire swamp), and I was actually somewhat pleased with the chimera.  MLP has had quite a few one-shot monsters (the manticore, the hydra, the Ursa Minor, Cerberus, the cockatrice, the timber wolves, the bizarre tentacle-plant thing in Three's a Crowd, and the gas plants in PTS-2), but the chimera was the first one who could talk, and who wasn't a villain (eg. Discord, Chrysalis, etc.).  Because it could talk (and they played well with the individual heads not being able to agree with one another gag), they gave it a bit more depth than a simple creature that just wants to eat everything.  I kinda liked what they did with that.

 

And finally, I personally LOVED the aborted song.  You could tell that Apple Bloom's heart really wasn't in the singing, and I immediately went "Oh dear, this is going to be TERRIBLE."  As soon as I finished that thought, they cut it short.  Well done, folks, well done.

 

I still think Rarity Takes Manehattan and Filli Vanilli are my two top episodes this season, but this one is a strong contender for #3 at the moment.  I'm going to need to go back and watch the rest again to see how I feel about them.

[MatrixChicken 879]

So this episode felt really... Different... To me...

 

At least in comparison to a lot of this season. Which is good! Different is good. Doing the same thing over and over won't work. I really got a fan-animation vibe from this episode, though, especially during the part where the CMC are in AB's room devising a plan for her to escape. The sheer amount of new assets (those faces :L) created for this episode was both odd and awesome. It was really funny when Applebloom is about to sing a song (not another musical...), and then Scoots shoves her hoof in AB's mouth and says there's not time. xD That's probably what saved this episode for me; the humor. Lots of funny stuff going on.

 

I mentioned earlier that this felt like a fan-animation... That's partially because of how suddenly AJ switches from hesitantly leaving Applebloom on her own to HOLY COW SHE'S A TEENY BABEY CAN'T LET ATHING HAPEN 2 HER DUDEZ GOTTA (catch 'em all) STRAP A PILLOW ON DAT RAKE etc. etc... It was just very jarring to me for that transition to happen so fast. Eh, maybe I'm being too harsh.

 

It was an enjoyable episode, just like all most of the episodes in this season so far. Just like the rest, it has its flaws, but that doesn't keep me from enjoying it.

 

 

Man, I've noticed that I forget a lot of stuff about episodes when I do these little "review" thingies... If I keep on doing this, I need to write down notes or something so I can talk about ALL THE THINGS.

 

 

EDIT: Saw this amazing GIF...

 

Edited March 10, 2014 by MatrixChicken

[notten1 18]

I thought this was a "Meh" Episode. Mainly for Applejack acting kinda... over-bearing. Although 3 things I loved about it. 1) Applebloom Episode. 2) Cajun Ponies 3) Applejack in Socks (Whatever, boots, it looks like socks).

[joecal97 340]

Don't hate me for this, but I thought this episode was kinda bad

 

AJ was completely out of character ( way too overprotective)

I usually watch the episodes with no breaks, just straight through, but with this episode, I stopped watching about 5 times before I got through, it just didn't entertain me the way most episodes do

Oh well, hopefully the next episode is better

Edited March 10, 2014 by joecal97

[RockinRarity 1,605]

When I first watched the episode last night, AJ seemed pretty overbearing. Didn't appear out of character, just overplayed. Was a tad too sleepy to give it much thought though, so I let it silently settle as I went to bed.

 

After reading other's opinions about the episode, hearing interpretations about Applejack's behavior, I ended up re-watching "Apple Family Reuinon" before revisiting this one. Main reason for that was to see the scene that  hints at their parent's death, but also for a fresh reminder of how AJ has often overdone things. The former could certainly add extra immense depth, yet everything still flows well without it.

 

Plus, AJ expresses how seriously she takes her role as a big sister and how she was the one who wasn't ready (rather than Apple Bloom) from the beginning.

 

All in all, the episode was thoroughly enjoyable the second run through. Really wanted to enjoy it, and now I do 

 

I may try doing what you did and see if that changes my opinion on the episode.

 

The thing is that she didn't seem very OOC at all in Apple Family Reunion. Her motivations had more buildup and believability to them. But I can still try it when I have the time.

[Cloud Runner 26]

we JUST saw them in Twilight Time

*facehoofs* yeah I totally forgot about that

[Singe 2,111]

Ponies are still prey to predators if they wander out of their safe zones.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Singe

[Bhending the Rules 697]

It's been awhile since I've been able to post here, but I had to return after seeing this episode. I'm a little surprised to see most of the discussion revolving around whether or not Applejack is "out of character" here, because that wasn't an issue for me at all.

 

The problem isn't that AJ is OOC. No, the problem is that she's FREAKING ANNOYING.

 

I mean, really. I get what they were going for. The setup has potential. It's a much better idea than "Breezies" was. I'll even go along with anyone saying the third act payoff is genuinely awesome. But the two acts (13 minutes or so) I had to slog through to get there? My god...

 

To address the OOC discussion for just a moment, yes, the characterization of AJ is quite poor here. Sure, she's displayed similar irrational tendencies related to family issues before, but in "Apple Family Reunion" and "Applebuck Season" her motivations were at least grounded in something fairly understandable and she never held the Idiot Ball in the way she does here.

 

Oh, and take a shot every time you hear a variation of "I'll never leave you alone again" or "I can take care of myself". You'll be wasted in no time, and that kind of repetition is just the most annoying kind of dialogue writing there is. I know it's all in service of the over-arching theme of AJ being overbearing, and I'm not inclined to outright demand subtlety from a kid's show (though I was drawn to FiM in the first place PRECISELY BECAUSE it wasn't "just a kid's show"), but this episode was like having a musician be asked to name drop a product and having them come up with a song where they say the product name 50 times before the first verse starts. (Incidentally, this has actually happened. It's called "Versace", and I'm not posting a link because I don't hate anyone that much. lulz)

 

TLDR version: This was half of an awesome episode. Unfortunately, it was the wrong half. And the half that wasn't awesome was just... awful.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Bhending the Rules

[Mars Caramel 319]

I think the main problem with this episode was that Applejack's overprotectiveness was heavily heightened up simply for comedic effect. I wouldn't say Applejack was out of character, but I really can't believe how overboard the writers made her go. Also, the moral. It left me confused. It left me really confused. The best way to gain a family member's trust is to do something recklessly dangerous? And somehow...it actually worked?

 

Coming from an Applejack fan, this possibly has to be my least favourite season 4 episode, and definitely the worst Applejack episode.

[Pixel Stick 927]

 

 

Coming from an Applejack fan, this possibly has to be my least favourite season 4 episode, and definitely the worst Applejack episode.

 

...and once again, I find myself wondering if I was just completely wrong in how I interpreted things.   Am I really the only person who sees subtle nuances to the plot?  Am I totally just not getting it?

[Wingnut 6,990]

I just got finished watching this a few minutes ago. Here are my thoughts.

 

-I really enjoyed hearing AJ call somepony sugarcube the first time for a while! 

-"Home Alone!"  If that's not a nod to the legendary Macaulay Culkin movie, I don't know what is. 

-AJ chewing her hoof like a fingernail??

-Of course AJ comes back at the most inopportune time and is partially responsible for the broken glass and the mess in the kitchen.

-Refrigerator? I thought they still used ice boxes. It's hard to keep track of what's current technology in Equestria. They're all over the place with that.

-I don't think AJ is out of character but I can see why people think she's OOC. They did get a little carried away with her for comedic effect.  I may chime in on the thread that addresses this later. 

-But didn't she successfully buck apples in an earlier episode?

-Bubble wrap everything.

-How do you follow up a running helmet gag? A second helmet! 

-Why that sounds deLIGHTful! Best Sweetie Squeak yet this season.

-Songus interruptus...but that still counts as a song against the season total, right?   

-At first I thought that was a crib but it appears AJ added bars to a regular bed.

-Now that we've had an Applebloom episode, it's obvious her voice has gotten lower as well.

-Flames.  Great. 

-How do you top a two-headed monster? With a THREE-headed monster!

-Apple Bloom does very well defending herself and the cart against that monster but now it's time for big sis to step in. 

-And AJ gives Apple Bloom credit for being a big girl after all. She got that cart so far safely after all. Some nice feels at the end too.