S04:E19 - For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils

[Argumedies 1,748]

I know why they do it... but the oddity of this struck me oddly...

 

Sweetie Bells home had a hand rail on the stairwell

[Moonlight 7,286]

Yeah, this is easily one of my favorite season 4 episodes and one of my overall favorite episodes out of the entire show. Everything about it was so good and enjoyable to watch. The nightmare sequences were done nicely as well. I still enjoy how the show staff knows how to pull off a correct younger-and-older sister type relationship (and being the younger sister myself, I could understand why Sweetie was doing the things she was doing). So, yes, it was a great episode. 

 

 

Seriously, look at these cuties... 

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

Very well done episode IMO.

 

I can easily relate to it being the third sister, two of them above me and every now and then I felt what Sweetie Bell felt, heck what Luna felt too, interesting how the two of them connected on that scale right?

 

I also loved the fact Luna as well as Sapphire made a view for this episode. Seeing new or even previous faces is always great in this show.

[SomeReallyRandomGuy 137]

I enjoyed this episode, and it was nice to see Luna again. Shame she does not get many lines

 

Overall this was a great episode.

[Antismurf9001 1,271]

Well, I just got through watching the episode, and... it was alright.  It was very strangely paced in my opinion.  I'll attribute that to the fact that it has to be condensed into 22 minutes.  Other than that, there was nothing that I particularly disliked about the episode, but nothing really stuck out either.  It was a good message and all, and all of the characters stayed in character.  Even so, I feel like this is going to take the route of Look Before You Sleep, where I oftentimes don't remember that it exists until reminded, even though I don't hold any ill will towards it.

 

But oh well.  It was still a perfectly fine episode, and perhaps I'll appreciate it more upon repeated viewings.

[Pixel Stick 927]

I enjoyed this episode, and it was nice to see Luna again. Shame she does not get many lines

 

Overall this was a great episode.

 

I would LOVE to see Luna have more lines - more dialogue in general.  HOWEVER: I felt that her relative lack of lines was one of this episode's greatest strengths - by simply being present and directing Sweetie Belle's attention to the things she needed to see, Luna was an extremely effective moral guide.  Back in the Breezies episode, multiple people mentioned that the show's been telling us more about why things happen than just showing us.  This was definitely much more show than tell, and I was very pleased with Luna not saying much.

 

(I mean, look at me.  I talk a lot, but I don't say much. )

[SomeReallyRandomGuy 137]

I felt that her relative lack of lines was one of this episode's greatest strengths - by simply being present and directing Sweetie Belle's attention to the things she needed to see, Luna was an extremely effective moral guide.

Very good point there, sometimes show is better then tell, but as you said, it would be great to see a episode where she has more lines.

Luna seems very calm & relaxed, she does not have to speak a great amount to get her point across.

[Batbrony 16,052]

Apologies once again for the delayed review ya'll, I had work yesterday from 11-5 and didn't get around to watching the episode until late on Saturday night.  After watching it twice already, however, I am pleased to say that I have nothing but good things to say about "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils" (except maybe for the terribly punny episode title; seriously, worst ponified title since "Sleepless in Ponyville", but hey, that episode rocked as well  ).

 

Anyways, let's get going with this thing.  I have to start by giving major props to DashForever for his excellent insight following my first viewing of the episode.  He and I spoke some afterwards, and we agreed and came to the conclusion that, while this wasn't necessarily the best episode of the season thus far, it was a flawless episode.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that, "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils" was just about flawless in every single way.  So if that's the case, you might be wondering why it wasn't the best episode of the season?  Well here's why: this episode simply did not leave as much of an impact as other episodes this season.  There have been more important episodes this season, episodes that contributed to this season's overarching plot considerably more than this episode did.  Most of them may not have been as flawless as this episode was, but they were still great episodes all the same that affected the show more overall than this one will in the long run.  That said, as I said, this was a flawless episode in the sense that it perfectly fulfilled what it wanted to be.  It knew what it wanted to be, it set itself goals to achieve, and it accomplished those goals perfectly from start to finish in its execution.  That in itself is damn impressive, and "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils" now joins the prestigious list of the handful of episodes in MLP history that I have pretty much nothing to complain about whatsoever.  So what are the specific elements that make this episode work so well?  Well I'm going to focus on four in particular, followed by some more general episode elements: (1) Sweetie Belle, (2) Rarity, (3) Princess Luna, and (4) the episode plot in general.

 

So I'm just gonna flat out state it, this was Sweetie Belle's best starring role ever, hands down.  Besides this episode, in all of her other starring roles, with the exception of "Sisterhooves Social", Sweetie Belle's been a part of the CMC.  This isn't a bad thing, and she's certainly made her fair share of mistakes with the group, but (1) usually the group as a whole makes a mistake together, even if one member in particular is more responsible than the others, and (2) the shenanigans they get into are usually not of the most serious nature.  Not that they haven't made big mistakes before, but probably the worst mistake they ever made concerning personal relationships would have to be when they ran their gossip column and almost alienated themselves from the rest of Ponyville.  As for "Sisterhooves Social", Sweetie Belle was quite obviously portrayed in a positive light there, and almost always in the right in that episode, despite some of the mischief she got up to.  Here, however, we got to see Sweetie Belle portrayed in a light we've never seen before.

 

In every previous episode that's ever focused on it, we've always gotten the sense (unfairly in my opinion) that Sweetie Belle gets the short-end-of-the-stick in her relationship with Rarity.  Even in comical situations, Rarity has almost always been portrayed as the less sisterly of the two, the one who has had a far harder time being a good sister to her little sister, whereas Sweetie Belle has almost always been portrayed as the precocious, energetic, accident-prone little sister who just wants some attention and love from her big sister.  I'm not saying that's not true to her character, it worked to great effect in "Sisterhooves Social", but there was simply an imbalance in their portrayals.  Rarity made all the mistakes in their relationship, Sweetie Belle always suffered for it, etc., etc., you get the picture.  With this episode, however, their relationship officially feels more real than it ever has before.  Here, Sweetie Belle did not just make an innocent mistake, she deliberately did something quite cruel in a fit of rage, more or less, and the episode went to some dark places as a result.  While her anger was obviously misplaced, as a sibling myself (albeit an older sibling), I can say with confidence that this whole scenario felt very, very real.  I've felt that level of anger Sweetie Belle felt here before, I've been that mad at members of my family that I just lock myself in my room, rage more than loud enough for them to hear, and can't even get to sleep and instead just scream into my pillow because I'm just that mad (granted, that was more when I was younger than now, but I'm sure plenty of other siblings have felt the same as well).  So again, while her anger was obviously irrational and even selfish, it still made sense.  Sweetie Belle has always lived in her sister's shadow (which cannot be said of Apple Bloom, since the Apple Family shares out of necessity in their family-oriented work quite equally, they're very much team based and not individualistic in that regard, nor Scootaloo, who has no actual siblings, despite Rainbow Dash taking her under her wing as a surrogate sister last season), and Rarity, with her eccentric, larger-than-life personality, fabulous lifestyle, and attention-grabbing career, most certainly has always cast a very big shadow (not to be mean of course, that's just who Rarity is).  Sweetie Belle clearly wants to be more than "Rarity's little sister", and that too is a very realistic, believable reaction to expect from a younger sibling, and it was conveyed excellently here.

 

As for her action itself that led to all the episode's problems, I gotta say that Sweetie Belle's attempt to sabotage Rarity was one of the cruelest, deliberately ill-intentioned actions we've ever seen in the show from anyone (and that's not even taking into account the implications of said actions if Sweetie Belle hadn't corrected them).  It was driven by nothing but anger, fury, hatred even (spur of the moment, yes, but still, that hatred was very raw and very real), and it was quite jarring to see all of that coming from the normally sweet and innocent Sweetie Belle.  Even better was the punch to the gut she received when she saw the potential consequences of her actions, which, just like her earlier anger, was very raw in itself, and not watered down in the slightest.  DHX went no holds barred here in the dark territory, and I love, love, loved that Sweetie Belle was forced to witness just how bad the consequences from her act of hatred could be.  Basically, she came a few seconds away from ruining her sister's life; sure it might seem a bit melodramatic, but realistically speaking, sometimes all it takes is one act of anger or hatred to ruin a relationship, even between the closest of family or friends.  Besides learning the dangers of unbridled anger, I loved what Sweetie Belle learned about her sister as well: (1) Rarity loves her dearly and has genuinely watched out for her numerous times in her life, and (2) Rarity's life is hardly perfect, she works extremely hard and earns everything that she gets.  By the end, she no longer felt animosity towards her sister (despite the genuine difficulties that come with being a little sister sometimes); rather, she not only loved her sister more than ever, but wanted to strive to be as good a pony as Rarity is.  Probably my favorite part of the conclusion was that she actually told Rarity what she did; she originally had planned, it seemed, on trying to fix her mess without Rarity knowing, but in the end she fessed up, and that bespeaks the love between those two.  Truly loving siblings, heck, family in general, love and trust each other enough to tell each other when they've screwed up, when they did something they shouldn't have, because they know that their family will forgive them and still love them.  That Sweetie Belle told Rarity displayed a lot of maturity and character growth on her part, and their reconciliation was a very sweet way to round out the episode.

 

I seriously love these two and their relationship more than ever before after this episode.

 

Speaking of Rarity, let's talk about her next (thankfully her section shouldn't be nearly as long as SB's was, if only because Rarity wasn't in the episode as much).  Honestly, Rarity was at her best here, especially the best I've ever seen her as a sister.  She was more than generous with her time to Sweetie Belle, she put in real effort on those great costumes for Sweetie's play (not to mention worked her plot off on her own order for Sapphire Shores), and basically was all around just acting as a true, loving older sister to Sweetie Belle this whole episode.  We saw her great work ethic, her generosity, her love for her little sis, all at their best and truest form here, and I loved every minute of it.  It's about time Rarity got portrayed in a positive light from start to finish in her role as a big sister, and it truly worked wonders here.  Some might say that Rarity was responsible for Sweetie Belle's insecurity, but that was indirect at best; Rarity, being an older sister, simply can't understand Sweetie Belle's genuine insecurity derived from living in her older sister's shadow.  It was a nice touch seeing how both sisters share the insecurity that comes with being perfectionists, plus it was a whole lot of fun getting to yet again see Rarity actually working as a fashionista, I mean filling out a real, major order for none other than Sapphire Shores (which was a nice bit of continuity itself, very cool to see that Rarity is still Sapphire Shores's favorite designer).  It was also wonderful seeing how Rarity actually had a history of looking out for her sister prior to their reconciliation in "Sisterhooves Social" (which both (1) suggests that in the time in between SB's 5th birthday and "Sisterhooves Social" that Rarity simply got too caught up in her work and independent, adult lifestyle and (2) illustrates nicely that Rarity is probably one of the oldest members of the group, I mean, heck, she had to be at the youngest in her late teenage years in that flashback, that's a pretty wide gap between her and SB age-wise).  Finally, even though Rarity was her fabulous, eccentric self, and even though some of the time it worked to comedic effect, it really wasn't played up for comedic purposes at any point in the episode.  Rarity was pretty much straight-laced the whole time, and really just worrying about truly pressing matters, like Sweetie Belle's costumes or her own order.  I love it when Rarity is played straight like that, reminds us nicely that not only is she a normal character, not just some drama queen, but is also actually one of the more mature members of the Mane 6 believe it or not.  Overall, Rarity was just at her best here, as a fashionista, a sister, and just a pony in general.

 

Get out of her way random Crystal Pony, the episode can barely contain all of Rarity's fabulosity here as it is!!!

 

Finally, let's talk about what really made the episode for me as far as characters go: Princess Luna (a.k.a. MOTHERBUCKING BEST PRINCESS AND DON'T YA'LL FORGET IT!!!  ).

 

Aw yeah, Best Princess has arrived!  :comeatus: 

 

Oh me, oh my, was Luna good here.  No, wait, good doesn't do her justice... Luna was bucking perfect here!  Seriously, this was probably her best appearance since "Luna Eclipsed".  I loved seeing how Luna has continued to grow as a character since "Luna Eclipsed", even beyond "Sleepless in Ponyville", because she's really learned how to become her own sort of teacher to ponies, developed her own way to impart lessons to them.  Keep in mind that her sister, Princess Celestia, has 1,000 years more experience than she does interacting with and mentoring ponies, and so has no trouble whatsoever interacting with any or delivering lessons in a straight-forward manner.  Luna, on the other hand, is still learning present-day social customs, and on top of that still just recently got back from a 1,000 year banishment; add all those factors together, and you get one very shy, socially awkward pony.  But she's made great progress since "Luna Eclipsed", as evidenced by this episode, and has really come into her own as her own unique kind of mentor and teacher.  She seems to favor directly helping younger fillies so far (maybe it's because she relates more being a younger sister, maybe she just finds them to be more easily accessible, hard to say), her primary medium seems to be through her power to control and go into and out of others' dreams, and most importantly, she seems to favor showing more than telling.  Yes, in "Sleepless in Ponyville" she kinda told Scootaloo a lot of what she needed to do, but she still employed visual mediums to make her point and help Scootaloo realize what was troubling her, but here she wasn't giving Sweetie Belle any direct answers and I LOVED IT!!!  Instead, she let events, both past, present, and future, speak for themselves, and silently escorted Sweetie Belle from one event to another.  I loved this indirect style of imparting a lesson, because it forced Sweetie Belle to realize the error of her ways on her own (for the most part) and like I said, it showed how Princess Luna stands apart from and differs in her own style of teaching lessons about friendship from her sister.  Finally, you could tell from start to finish, despite her silence, that this was a deeply personal lesson for Luna to teach.  She was angry when she came on the scene (in a very regal, serious sense that truly conveyed real gravitas), but that anger clearly wasn't directed at Sweetie Belle; rather, Luna was angry out of fear, for in Sweetie's hatred she saw her own past hatred that led her down the dark path to turning into Nightmare Moon, and she realized just what terrible things were at stake for both Sweetie Belle and Rarity if SB's hatred weren't dissipated.  As the episode progressed, you could tell that Luna truly understood Sweetie Belle's frustration, for she herself had once experienced it with her own sister (it was interesting that she even said that "I too have a sister who often shines more brightly than me" in the present tense, suggesting that this is still the case even now and that it's even something that Luna still struggles with).  By the end of the episode, a very regal peace and contentment had replaced Luna's earlier anger, satisfied and happy at seeing Sweetie Belle and Rarity reconcile before anything truly terrible had happened as it once had between her and Celestia.  Overall, this episode highlighted not only fascinating character developments in Luna's character, but showed her at her absolute best, a teacher and mentor for all of ponykind who, although still getting the hang of it, is really coming into her own as she learns how to impart lessons of friendship to others.  Basically, what I'm getting at is, this episode showed, as all her episodes do, that LUNA IS NOW AND ALWAYS SHALL BE BEST PRINCESS, AND DON'T... YOU... FORGET... IT!!!!!!!!!!  :okiedokielokie:  

 

It ain't easy being Best Princess... wait, what am I saying, of course it is, everything's easy when you got that much swag!  :comeatus: 

 

Finally, I've just gotta praise the plot in general.  I'm not going to cover each and every specific plot point, but I'm sorry, this plot was executed to perfection.  The pacing was phenomenal (seriously, DHX fit in a lot but wisely didn't try to fit in too much), the tone was incredibly edgy, slice-of-life with a lot of dark thematic elements, and the overall execution was just perfect.  Of particular note would have to be the dream segment; elements of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" and Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" were very present, but really despite those minor similarities this was an incredibly unique and creative segment in its own right, very original indeed.  The segues were flawless, the animation was stunning and even trippy in some spots, the execution of the entire sequence was just amazing!  Honestly, it was one of the best sequences I've seen in MLP in quite some time, and Princess Luna's silent presence is probably one thing that made it work so well.  She was the conductor of these sequences, and she moved along from one memory or future possibility to the next seamlessly, without dwelling on them too much, but just enough that they'd leave the desired impact on both Sweetie Belle and the audience.  So despite the fact that this was hardly the biggest story ever told in MLP, it was still a perfect story for what it was, and I give major kudos to the writing department at DHX on this one.

 

Just look at this visual segue to the next part of her dream, perfect, simply perfect I tell you!

 

Besides these four elements, everything else worked in this episode just fine.  Given the seriousness of the issue here, there actually wasn't as much comedy as in other episodes, but that worked just fine, and they still worked in enough laughs, especially from the CMC in general (favorite comedic bit had to be the train conversation, especially this bit: AB: "You seriously didn't know that?  Don't you listen to her songs?" SB: "I... prefer show tunes" *cue the look of disgust from AB and Scoots, priceless!  *).  The Mane 6, for their brief appearance, were their usual awesome selves, aiding their friend when she needed them most without batting an eye.  Five year old Sweetie Belle was simply ADORABLE, definitely one of the cutest bits this whole season.   The background ponies got a surprising bit of love at the start, with quite a bit of speaking from two of 'em and some extended appearances by a few others, most notably Carrot Top and Cloud Kicker.  The return of Sapphire Shores (yes I know she appeared earlier this season, but she wasn't speaking) was a pleasant surprise, and I give major kudos to DHX for retaining the same voice actress as she had in Season 1 three years ago, the last time she spoke!  We even got to learn a little bit more about her (who knew she loved dolphins so much, or that they were her lucky animal, but hey, I guess that's what happens when they swim with you in your dreams).  Finally, the animation, especially in the dream segment, was simply perfect, incredibly creative at times and some of the best we've seen in the show as a whole.  Overall, I have nothing but good things to say about this episode; it may not have been the best episode of the season, but for what it was trying to be and do, this episode was simply perfect.

 

When your heart has finished exploding, you have my permission to die (HA!  Still managed to work in a Batman reference in something completely unrelated to him in any way, shape, or form, dang I'm good!!!).

Edited March 24, 2014 by Batbrony

[Pixel Stick 927]

@@Batbrony - Very, very well-written review, and I agree with just about everything you said.   Just wanted to add a note to something in particular...

 

Of particular note would have to be the dream segment; elements of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" and Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" were very present, but really despite those minor similarities this was an incredibly unique and creative segment in its own right, very original indeed. The segues were flawless, the animation was stunning and even trippy in some spots, the execution of the entire sequence was just amazing!

 

It occurs to me that the dream sequence also bore some similarity to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (an EXCELLENT movie - especially if you like dream sequences).  That movie was extremely good at capturing the weird, sometimes random symbology that shows up in dreams - and then twisting it further as the main character's memories were slowly being erased.  I've watched it four times and have both gotten chills and burst out crying every time.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Pixel Stick

[Batbrony 16,052]

@@Batbrony - Very, very well-written review, and I agree with just about everything you said.   Just wanted to add a note to something in particular...

 

 

 

 

It occurs to me that the dream sequence bore some similarity to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (an EXCELLENT movie - especially if you like dream sequences).

 

I've actually never seen that movie, so I cannot say myself if there were similarities, but I have heard fantastic things about it and will take you at your word. 

[Pixel Stick 927]

I've actually never seen that movie, so I cannot say myself if there were similarities, but I have heard fantastic things about it and will take you at your word. 

 

Don't take me at my word.  Rent it, find it on Netflix, or otherwise make a point to see it.  It really is worth seeing.  You will love it.

[Batbrony 16,052]

Don't take me at my word.  Rent it, find it on Netflix, or otherwise make a point to see it.  It really is worth seeing.  You will love it.

 

I definitely intend on watching it sometime down the road.  Thanks for the recommendation, makes me want to see it more. 

[Steel Accord 6,660]

I utterly loved the dream sequence with Luna. Not only because of it's Christmas Carol feel but also because I feel like it was an act of redemption on both ponies' parts. Sweetie learning the consequence of her spite, and Luna repenting for the actions that Celestia might have forgiven of Her, but She may not have forgiven of Herself.

 

Oh and also this bloak:

 

 

-Blue mane and tail

 

-Cropped tail

 

-Lives in Canterlot

 

-Private security

 

All right DHX, I want royalties!

[Music Chart Fan 819]

Overall, this episode was okay. The general subject matter was relatively complex, relevant, and relatable. Sweetie Belle's whining and accusations of Rarity stealing the spotlight were grating and a little ridiculous, but I suppose that's not unexpected coming from a kid in elementary school. I also have issues with Luna's powers and the expansion of them in this episode (which I detail below), but I suppose I can see the appeal of Luna's role in the episode, and what Luna did served to get the point across, despite my concerns, which may not pertain directly to the lesson of the episode.

 

One thing to consider in the episode is the dispute between Sweetie Belle and Rarity over the dresses for the play. It is true that Sweetie Belle only asks Rarity to check the stitching and finish the buttons on the dresses she made, but Sweetie Belle also says she wants them to look perfect and she needs Rarity's expertise, and it's probably the latter two statements which Rarity followed. Sweetie Belle made no mention to Rarity of her desire to have everything about the play be made (mostly) by herself. Also, Rarity is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to her work, and she takes her reputation seriously, so Rarity probably couldn't help making the dresses perfect, and she probably didn't want her name associated with dresses which she didn't feel satisfied with. Maybe Sweetie Belle could have asked Rarity to call her in when she was going to work on her dresses, but Rarity likely would have had too much other work to finagle Sweetie Belle's dresses into something satisfactory, and Rarity may not have been able to work on Sweetie Belle's dresses when she was around. Maybe Rarity could have told Sweetie Belle something to the effect of "I think these dresses would need a lot of work, and I just don't have the time to work with them and explain what I'm doing to you, so if you want my help, you'll have to just take what I make for you. Maybe some other time I can help you with how to design and make dresses yourself." So, ultimately, it seems to me that if Sweetie Belle really wanted Rarity to work with her on making corrections to her own dresses, Sweetie Belle should have asked Rarity for help earlier, so they would have enough time. Since Sweetie Belle waited until the last minute, and since she didn't tell Rarity that she really wanted the dresses to be (mostly) her own, it seems like what Rarity does is the best thing she could do under the circumstances.

 

Sweetie Belle's accusation that Rarity made the dresses really good in order to steal the spotlight seems rather ridiculous, though. What purpose would there be to steal the spotlight at a play put on by elementary school kids that only members of Ponyville are going to see? Presumably everyone in the audience already knows Rarity and her fashion talents, and are there to see the kids, so why would Rarity need to draw their attention away from elementary school kids to herself? Similarly, it doesn't seem very plausible to believe that Rarity was deliberately "upstaging" Sweetie Belle at her birthday party, either. Why would Rarity, a grown adult, care about impressing a bunch of 5-year-olds or convincing them that she's better than Sweetie Belle? Is Rarity really supposed to be so attention-starved or egotistical that she needs to steal attention away from a kid? That seems rather petty and shallow for Rarity to do. There are other better reasons (mentioned above and in the episode) for Rarity doing these things.

 

Speaking of the play, I'm not sure why it's being put on or why only the Cutie Mark Crusaders act in it. Given that Miss Cheerilee is there, I would assume that it has something to do with school, but we don't know what that would be. Was this play a project for class? Was it some kind of extracurricular activity, like some elementary-school version of Drama Club? It also seems a little strange that so many members of Ponyville would go to see a play written and acted by elementary school students. Other than kids' families and other people who work at the school, would other ponies really enjoy watching this or think it's worth attending? Perhaps answering why the audience is there might help in explaining their behavior. They give the CMC a standing ovation, yet have nothing else to say to them at the reception? You might think that if the audience is there to be supportive of the CMC, they would come up with something to say about the performance other than "the dresses were good", maybe even a little constructive criticism.

 

It was already pointed out that Sweetie Belle pulling out the center stitch to Rarity's headdress is a bit of a plot hole. Sweetie Belle is not present when Rarity talks about the center stitch; in fact, as far as we can tell, she never sees the headdress at all. Yet Sweetie Belle knows that it's in the box and knows exactly what to do to ruin it. It is a cool bit of continuity to see that Sweetie Belle used magic to open and close the box. She didn't use magic to pull out the stitch, though, using her teeth instead; maybe "grabbing" a small thread with her magic is beyond her capability?

 

What might be the biggest issue I have in this episode is the further showing and expansion of Luna's powers. While I don't dislike Luna as a character or her getting more screen time and responsibilities, I was uncomfortable with Luna's dream-entering abilities when they were first presented in "Sleepless In Ponyville", and I even made a topic about my concerns at the time here. I don't think most of my concerns and questions there are addressed in this episode, and in fact, Luna's powers are expanded even further. Before, it was shown that Luna has the apparent ability to enter and see anyone's dreams at any time and to give them advice about their recent actions, apparently without their or their parents'/guardians' consent. But in this episode, on top of that, it's shown that Luna has the apparent ability to create a record of what anyone, anywhere, anytime is doing and saying in Equestria, and then Luna can play that record back to anyone else she wants, again apparently without that pony's knowledge or consent. I think Luna's powers raise significant concerns about privacy and consolidation of power in a single individual (or entity, as the case may be).

 

With Luna's recording power, nothing that anyone does in Equestria can be truly private; Luna either is or could be watching and making a record of anything anyone does, even, as we saw in the episode, in the supposed privacy of their own homes. Did everyone in Equestria actually consent to the ever-present possibility of being spied on by Luna, and having their private actions recorded and played back to anyone Luna decides? Did anyone have the ability to opt out, and even if they did, could they have any confidence that Luna wouldn't still be able to spy on them and record them anyway? What limits and oversight does Luna have with these powers, if any?

 

We also see again that Luna takes it on herself to monitor kids' dreams and, with her own methods, enter their dreams and try to get them to see what mistakes they're making and what they should do instead. That may sound well and good, but I can see some potential issues with it. First, again, have the kids and their parents/guardians actually consented to Luna doing this? Do they have the option of opting out, and even if they do, can they be confident that Luna doesn't still have the ability to see and enter their dreams anyway? What recourse do kids or their parents/guardians have if Luna gives harmful advice or advice that contradicts the parents' wishes, or if Luna's actions in a kid's dreams end up causing the kid harm, like psychological scarring? Even if Luna has only the best of intentions, these types of things could still happen.

 

I suppose that some of these questions and concerns could be answered by further use of Luna's powers. That is, the problem of Luna getting consent to make or share the records of someone's dreams/actions or consent to enter some kid's dreams could possibly be mitigated by Luna looking through that pony's prior actions (and even thoughts) and seeing if she thinks that pony would approve. The problem of Luna giving advice that would contradict what parents are trying to teach could be mitigated by looking through the parents' past actions and opinions to see if they would approve. Of course, these solutions don't address all the concerns, and they involve placing even more trust and power in Luna's judgment.

 

And that leads to the next point about all of this: is it really a good idea to entrust so much power to the judgment of one pony, and the co-ruler of Equestria, no less? Of course, such vast powers could be used for petty and ill-intentioned ends, and we've seen that Luna has been susceptible to such feelings before. But even if Luna uses such powers with only the best of intentions, she is still fallible and liable to cause harm with them. In this episode, Luna's use of her powers all works out; she uses her powers to record and play back Rarity's words and actions, to scare Sweetie Belle into acting right by showing her a nightmarish future where her actions cause the destruction of both Rarity's career and sanity, and to reveal a detail of Sapphire Shores's private life (which Rarity doesn't even know about) to help Rarity impress Sapphire Shores. (And Sweetie Belle gets a lot of attention and even a personal visit from the co-ruler of Equestria, to boot.) But I think it's possible to imagine Luna's use of her powers not going so well. For example, Luna might psychologically scar Sweetie Belle by trying to scare her into correcting her actions, or Luna might reveal details of Sapphire Shores's private life which she actually didn't want others to know. And finally, even if, in the fantastical world of Equestria, we're to believe that the co-ruler of the land can be completely trusted not to abuse her vast powers or cause harm with them, here in the real world, I don't believe that the government can be trusted with such vast and unchecked powers to spy on people and interfere in their private lives. Consequently, I wonder whether the portrayal of Luna having these powers is really realistic or appropriate.

 

With all of that serious commentary out of the way, here's a few smaller observations I had in the episode:

 

When Sweetie Belle asks Rarity to help with her dresses, she makes reference to the opening night of the show, which would seem to indicate that there's more than one performance. Yet at the end of the episode, Sweetie Belle tries to dissuade Rarity by saying that the play wasn't all that good. If she's going to have more than one performance, why not have Rarity go to one? Rarity would be exactly the target audience for it. Or were the rest of the performances cancelled because of bad reception of the first one?

 

In the opening, right after Sweetie Belle says "The dresses are right over there!", she emits some noises which I think are supposed to be giggling, but sound more like turkey gobbles.

 

At the reception to the play, after no one remembers anything but the dresses, Sweetie Belle screams and lays on the floor covering her head in frustration, but no one even notices or looks at her.

 

When the Rarity cloud in Sweetie Belle's dream laughs evilly, it sounds more like Nightmare Moon than Rarity.

 

In the dream, Sweetie Belle describes what's happening in the flashback to her 5-year-old birthday party, but doesn't Luna already know all of that? It seems she's only explaining it for the viewers.

 

After Rarity turns off the light in the dream, are they supposed to be in some kind of negative-scale nightvision mode?

 

In the vision of the future, if the headdress falls apart, why doesn't Rarity try to fix it? If she's prepared, she'll have a needle and thread around, and with her magic, it would probably only take a minute or so. It would be embarrassing, and maybe a little hard to convince Sapphire Shores that it will actually hold together, but it would be worth trying, especially since Rarity probably already has a good track record making Sapphire Shores's costumes in the past.

 

It seems a little unbelievable that Rarity's career goes down the toilet and she apparently loses her sanity because of a single oversight, a one-second thing that Sweetie Belle does in a fit of spite. Is this supposed to be an accurate portrayal of the future, or (as I suspect) is it hyperbolized by Luna to really scare Sweetie Belle into acting right? I have to wonder why anyone would want to go into fashion if one's reputation can really be totally destroyed by just a single simple oversight.

 

Sapphire Shores has to pull a Trixie and refer to herself in the third person. I guess that's apparently what ponies who think highly of themselves do.

 

When the CMC are trying to get into the building with Rarity and Sapphire Shores, they smack against the window, and then the window flips around as though it's on a central hinge, flinging Sweetie Belle inside. Of course, this is totally unrealistic and a deus ex machina solution to get Sweetie Belle inside in time.

 

As was pointed out already, during the game of "keep away" with Rarity, the CMC, and the headdress, why doesn't Rarity just use her magic to pick up the box?

 

When Sapphire Shores says this situation has bad luck written all over it, what situation is she referring to? Is it the situation where Sweetie Belle took the headdress and ran off with it? Is it the headdress being too big and precarious? I don't know.

[Metemponychosis 1,259]

 

 

Oh and also this bloak:     -Blue mane and tail   -Cropped tail   -Lives in Canterlot   -Private security   All right DHX, I want royalties!

C&D Hasbro, man. They're stealing from you!   

[Pixel Stick 927]

In the dream, Sweetie Belle describes what's happening in the flashback to her 5-year-old birthday party, but doesn't Luna already know all of that? It seems she's only explaining it for the viewers.

Keep in mind this dream is entirely from Sweetie Belle's point of view. She probably wasn't fully aware of what all Luna knew. But even more importantly, Sweetie had to work through all this herself - even if Luna knew everything, talking it out was probably cathartic for her anyway.

 

Is this supposed to be an accurate portrayal of the future, or (as I suspect) is it hyperbolized by Luna to really scare Sweetie Belle into acting right? I have to wonder why anyone would want to go into fashion if one's reputation can really be totally destroyed by just a single simple oversight.

I'd say this was a hyperbolization by Sweetie Belle. I don't think Luna was manipulating things quite as literally as you think - she guided things, but by this point in the dream, Sweetie Belle had already learned about Rarity's kindness and how wrong her assumptions had been. All Luna had to do was provide the mere suggestion, and Sweetie's guilt-ridden mind took off from there.

 

Speaking of the play, I'm not sure why it's being put on or why only the Cutie Mark Crusaders act in it. Given that Miss Cheerilee is there, I would assume that it has something to do with school, but we don't know what that would be. Was this play a project for class? Was it some kind of extracurricular activity, like some elementary-school version of Drama Club? It also seems a little strange that so many members of Ponyville would go to see a play written and acted by elementary school students. Other than kids' families and other people who work at the school, would other ponies really enjoy watching this or think it's worth attending? Perhaps answering why the audience is there might help in explaining their behavior. They give the CMC a standing ovation, yet have nothing else to say to them at the reception? You might think that if the audience is there to be supportive of the CMC, they would come up with something to say about the performance other than "the dresses were good", maybe even a little constructive criticism.

You evidently have never participated in or attended a school play. There are usually a lot of people who go to them who aren't parents of the kids in the play, and who aren't directly involved in the school. They go just because they enjoy this sort of thing. And it's generally polite to applaud enthusiastically even when the play is a disaster, because you wouldn't want to hurt the kids' feelings, would you? This is, for better or worse, how most school plays go.

 

Add to that the fact that Ponyville is a small village, and it's likely that live plays like this, whether put on by kids or adults, are probably one of their main forms of entertainment.

[joecal97 340]

Not that I think they're overdoing the 1 or 2 pony episodes, but they need more episodes about the mane 6 going adventuring, not just a family/cmc/lesson episode, a proper 'like old times' adventure!

Edited March 24, 2014 by joecal97

[SBaby 660]

I'll be brief here when it comes to this episode.  It's about time we saw a different side of Sweetie Belle, even if it was only for a short time.  It's nice to see the writing staff taking the cast in new directions.  Plus, it made the character development and resolution more effective by showing her the consequences of her actions.  Like I said before in a previous topic, kids can use some tougher material once in awhile.  As long as there's a happy ending, I'm pretty sure they'll be fine with it.

 

 

Not that I think they're overdoing the 1 or 2 pony episodes, but they need more episodes about the mane 6 going adventuring, not just a family/cmc/lesson episode, a proper 'like old times' adventure!

 

I've got a hunch we'll be getting a big adventure with the mane 6 soon.

Edited March 24, 2014 by SBaby

[CloudSeeker 23]

oh well, what bothered me a little bit, is the age of the mane 6 (yes the entire mane six) i mean, we could say, there all nearly

the same age due to the "sonic rainboom" episode. but it didnt seem like rarity had changed since sweetie bells 5th birthday.

 

on the other hoof, we saw a picture of cheerilee during her teenage years and the only thing that changed was her taste in fashion

(if you can call that mane she had fashionable ) i know, i know, it is said, that back then everypony looked like this (yea sure )

 

so in my opinion rarity doesnt have to be that much older as the episode suggests, maybe she just found her style very early (if i

recall right she had this manestyle already in "sonic rainboom"? when for example rainbow dash and fluttershy also had different manestyles)

 

but these are only my two bits on that matter

[roptiriolg 49]

I do not put anything lower than 'I liked it' for episodes even of not so favorite ponies like Rarity and Sweetie Belle but darn it, when in the episode is with non other than my number one favorite of all - Princess Luna! this becomes an instant - ILOVED IT! It was a normal development b-n Sweetie and Rarity and even better than the previous episodes showing their relationship. Luna here was for the first time seen as the helpful princess, in previous episodes I think her role was either too small or in episodes like 'Luna Eclipsed' she was usually featured as the one scaring everyone.

 

But this episode was focused on Sweetie and I would love to see another episode where Luna is on the focus! I think she doesn't get enough participation and she deserves a lot more than that! Though they should be careful to not ruin characters with showing somepony more times. So far  Luna's participation has been small but her character is well made, also indeed growing, as some mentioned.

[spacestorm 183]

Wow, just wow, this episode was just amazing!
The dream sequence, was incredible and eerie, especially the last truly nightmarish part. Darn how I love such dark themes, I want more, I want more...!
Very rarely happens to me to rewind a movie shortly after watching to watch again some scenes, but I just could resist myself to watch this dream sequence once again.

Also a very strong Rarity and Sweetie Belle character creation. And perfect Luna appearance - she was just how she supposed to be, like dream spirit who barely speaks, instead more shows, acts strangely and unclearly at first glance to emphasize the dreamy atmosphere.

 

Sweetie Belle, was meanie like kids sometimes are, a very ungrateful, demanding and selfish attitude, well because as it was shown she was just unaware of the truth.

Rarity showed a very adult attitude, even motherly I would said - patient, self-possessed, caring and with a lot of love for her little sister.

 

I see that this season the episodes where the action revolves around the Rarity are very strong ones. I'm so happy that one of my most favorite ponies benefits from very good writing.

[Singe 2,111]

This isn't going to be the end of Sweetie Belle's jealousy. Sometime after she gets past her cutie mark phase, she'll have an interest in boys. Then some of them will be attracted to Rarity, if she isn't taken yet. Sweetie Belle makes a potion that causes all of Rarity's hair and fur to fall out.

[FluffyGoat13 375]

All we need now to complete it is for Sweetie Belle to sing "For whom the bell tolls" by metallica. Maybe with Luna on guitars or drums?

 

Tried to find a fitting picture but this will do!

 

133733980588.jpg

One thing to say about your image there....socks

 

also did anyone else think when Sweetie Belle said to Luna IRL "Oh few, this is just a dream" you really wanted Luna to say "no this is not inception"

[Noodles 109]

 

 

Members Posted 22 March 2014 - 10:41 AM Argumedies, on 22 Mar 2014 - 10:37 AM, said: Actually don't see where she was out of character at all. shes always had this.. aggravation,,, of Rarity we saw this in Sisterhood Social and this continues that sibling rivalry. and this was a natural and most believable turn of events in that. I don't want to hear about how this was similar to Sisterhooves Social. In that episode Sweetie Belle actually had a legitimate reason and wasn't anywhere near as quick to anger. Even after being shunned several times she still made this: Whereas in this episode, she did something cruel for no good reason.

 

Um there was a reason Rarity over shadowed Sweetie Belle's big moment with her perfect dresses. Rarity herself did noting actually wrong, but From sweeties point of view it was her sister getting all the attention again! Kind of like Luna and Celestia. its a case of Unintentional harm and misreading intentions. like kids do!

[Argumedies 1,748]

Um there was a reason Rarity over shadowed Sweetie Belle's big moment with her perfect dresses. Rarity herself did noting actually wrong, but From sweeties point of view it was her sister getting all the attention again! Kind of like Luna and Celestia. its a case of Unintentional harm and misreading intentions. like kids do!

Why do people think I'm saying that Rarity was in the wrong or doin wrong!!!

 

Rarity did nothing wrong!

 

What I am saying is exactly what y'all are saying.

 

Ever since SHS and in other Sweetie Bell episodes I could see this rivalry between her and Rarity. They don't have this cozy little sisterly equality like Applebloom and Apple Jack.

 

And thats why I like Rarity and Sweetie Bell more then AJ/AB

 

The commonality of these two sisters is their desire to be independent, even from one another. Sometimes you have to read between the lines but its there.

 

That's been my whole point in my connection of both these episodes.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Argumedies