S04:E19 - For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils

[Nikkers 29]

This episode came really close to making sweetie belle my favourite cmc. I think evil runs in the family.

[AkiraLeeJounouchi 857]

So I saw this episode today and I have to ask, Luna will come in the Day to Help a child with a petty issue, so why didn't she do anything in the season 2 finally? I mean seriously was Sweetie Bell's lesson more of an importance than clones attacking Equestria? Good Episode though.

[Ember Scales 43]

2 things about this show

 

1. Sweetie Bell seems to have all the makings of a future villain

 

2. This further cements Luna as Best Princess.

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

This was a decent episode.We get Sweetie Belle putting on a play with Rarity's costumes and the costumes gain more attention than the play itself.

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

I was going into this episode expecting more meh.  After all, a CMC episode, what else could it be but meh?  I was surprisingly blown away.  Brilliant episode.

 

This episode was good because it explored both Rarity and Sweetie Bell's character through the relationship

The obvious analogous nature to celestia and Luna

Also the parallels between Sweetie and Rarity: both wanting to shine, becoming distraught etc

 

The 5th birthday party subplot made the whole thing seem not contrived. It also succeeded in making me care about Sweetie and wanting to see her succeed (the big pitfall of episodes like this is not caring about the protag when they've done something wrong)

 

It had great visuals with the nightmare sequence.

 

It was extremely well paced

 

The performances by Tabitha and Claire were great

 

It had good gags (Rarity almost saying bitch)

 

It was serious when it needed to be, lighthearted when it could be

 

It built on Rarity's character development from Sisterhooves, but it did not turn her into an infinitely understanding saint as she still got (rightfully) annoyed with Sweetie towards the end.

 

And it characterized Sweetie more than any prior episode. before she was basically Gidget (character played by Sally Fields).

Great post.  I agree 100%.  Rather than reiterate, I can just add to this.

 

First off, I'd like to state that I really love episodes where we see one of the mane six truly demonstrating their intelligence, maturity, and their element, as opposed to episodes where they behave out of character and act rather foolishly.  Maybe I'm biased that way.  I was so thrilled with how mature and generous Rarity was.  Not to mention genuine.  She was great in Manehattan, but this was truly Rarity at her best.  She's really something special.  I felt angry at SB for being such a brat in the beginning, but angry in a good way, if that makes sense.  I don't mind the CMC being immature at times, because they're young children and haven't learned these lessons yet.  SB is at an age where she is frustrated with being in her sister's shadow, so acting bratty is completely natural and believable.  And her genuine realization of her mistake brings you right back on her side as well, so you like her again by the end.

 

I felt so sorry for Rarity when SB was yelling at her that the costumes were too perfect.  When Rarity said, "B-but, I thought you wanted them to be perfect.  I was only trying to do what wanted."  Omg.  My heart a splode.  So touching.  So genuine.  Even though she was so busy with this important order, she always makes time for her loved ones.  She just gives and gives and gives, and then to be yelled at for making the dresses too good, oh man, I felt so bad for her.  But the resolution made it all perfect.  I find a common problem with many episodes is that they have a great premise, but the conclusion is a little shaky, the moral a little weak, and the audience is left feeling a bit confused, and that the potential was lost.  Not the case here at all.  SB's clear understanding and explicit statement of her mistake, and her genuine change of attitude towards her sister left me feeling very satisfied, excited, and all around heart-warmed.

 

To top it off, Luna's role was fantastic.  I loved her part.  She doesn't get enough screen time, so this episode was very welcome.  I love how her role in the dream was much greater and more active than in Scootaloo's in Sleepless.  I love to analyze, pick apart, and look for continuity errors (it's just me), but there are none to be found here.  I thought it was even very believable that Luna could show SB the past in her dream.  If Twi can drink a potion to see past historical events, why can't Luna use magic to show the past in a dream?  Very well done.  I say that the future scene was simply Luna crafting a possible scenario.  I.e. that scene wasn't actually real, but rather, Luna was just showing SB what she needed to see.  I also loved Luna's unexpected appearance irl.  And it was even plausible for her to be there.  She can enter dreams, so she knew that all this was going down, and where and when.  It was right there in Canterlot, so it's not like it was out of her way.  And since Celestia presides over the day, Luna probably has nothing better to do anyway.  She probably would have just been playing Portal 2 or Resident Evil 4 or something.  Like I said, not a continuity error to be found.

 

One thing, though: did anyone else think that Luna sounded like she was voiced by Nicole Oliver in the real life scene in Canterlot?  Maybe it's just me.  It's not a big criticism.  These kinds of things can happen.  I know in show business, it's common for a team to be scrambling to meet deadlines, realize they forgot to record a scene, and then can't get the actor/actress because they're sick or something.  Like when Peter Jackson was scrambling to get the last scenes of Return of the King shot, and they had apparently forgot the shot where we see Sam's arm holding Sting as he valiantly approaches Shaelob, but they couldn't get Sean Astin back in time, so Peter just used his own arm for that shot.  (True fact.)  Anyway, I just wanted to know if I was the only one who thought Luna's voice sounded off in that scene.

 

TL;DR: Spectacular episode.

[RainbowTashie 378]

 

Title: For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils

Air Date: March 22nd, 2014

Synopsis: When Sweetie Belle becomes angry with Rarity for stealing her spotlight, she deliberately sabotages a costume for one of Rarity’s most elite clients. Later that night, Sweetie Belle is paid a visit by Luna in her dreams.

 

---

 

I was really looking forward to another Luna episode. I'm really glad to see that it involves dreams as well.

luna be like i'm in your dreams solvin' ya problems :3

[powerpuff-tsubasa 447]

i kind of enjoyed this episode, but I don't like seeing Sweetie belle ruining Rarity's costume. I knew it has something to do with sibling conflicts, but I felt like it has taken a little too far

 

[cmarston1 5,951]

I really enjoyed this episode.

It is always nice to see more of Rarity and Sweetie Belle's relationship and seeing Luna mentor Sweetie Belle was also a nice treat.

[Thrond 3,257]

What I really like about this one is how Sweetie Belle's resentment of Rarity seems to come from ignorance of her own failures. In both instances where we see Rarity "upstaging" her, it's because she's overconfident and lacks self-awareness, and for a child like her, this feels realistic and appropriate. She doesn't grasp the whole picture, but she's still young. And she's a sweet kid, so once she really comes to get it, she immediately desires to set it right. Not sure any CMC episode writes its lead character better than Sweetie here; Scootaloo has a few episodes which are perhaps more sympathetic on a surface level, but I just don't connect to her quite as much. All of these CMC/Luna episodes are deep and truthful, though, so which one is the "best" hardly matters.

 

Speaking of which, Luna's role here is the most significant out of the three: Sweetie Belle's closed-minded attitude is causing her to lash out at her sister, and this is something Luna can relate to a whole lot. This is the episode where her appearance feels the most significant, as while Sweetie's misdeeds might not be as bad, it makes the most sense that Luna shows up as a guiding figure. Plus, as with all of these episodes, the nightmare imagery is fantastic, in this case not just being atmospheric but frequently being genuinely creepy. Sweetie Belle's hooves stuck to the ground, stretching like glue as she pulls them up? Rarity's complete mental implosion? The rising horror which accompanies even the more innocuous imagery? It's all very memorable, and it makes the episode all the more exciting for its inclusion. 

 

Quite possibly my very favourite of season 4; only the finale really stands out as competition. 

 

Score:

Entertainment: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Themes: 10/10

Story: 10/10

Overall: 100/100

[Moony the Cat 3,695]

This Episode was just okay for me, simply because of Lunas appearence, even though i dont understand, as to why its okay for Luna, to spy on other Ponys or tell Applebloom secret interests from another Pony, by stalking someone elses dream. She should keep private Information for herself.

Sweetie Belle also acted out of character for me. Sabotaging her Sisters dresses, because she thought, her Sister only made the dresses look good, to get all the fame? What else should she have done with the dresses, make the dresses ugly? I mean sure, Sweetie Belle missunderstood the Situation based on something earlier, but i just didnt see her in this Episode. It was like watching an evil Version of her. She got way to angry, in a very short amount of time, that made the character so unbelievable to me. It was still okay though, with all the Dream Sequences and the good moral.

[bigbertha 410]

This episode is really amazing. Sweetie Belle's struggle is relatable, Luna is great, and everything was done extremely well.

My only issue is that some of Sweetie Belle's dialogue during the dream sequences felt redundant. We don't need Sweetie Belle to narrate stuff that we're already seeing. Show, don't tell.

Score: 10/10

[Meushell 52]

I enjoyed the episode, but I agree with it going too far when Sweetie Bell intentionally messes with Rarity’s career. The Rarity/Sweetie Bell conflict was too one sided. Rarity came off as too perfect and therefore, unrealistic. Rarity loving the praise to her costumes would have made Sweetie Bell’s anger much more reasonable. Just something to even up the conflict. 

[qwerE 95]

Wow. I loved this episode. Sweetie Belle apologizing to her sister in this episode was one of the sweetest moments I've seen in MLP:FiM up to now. It had a touching story, intense moments, and a nice moral. I was actually teary eyed by the time everything was resolved. One of the best episodes ever!

[bigbertha 410]

Really fantastic episode. The conflict feels real and it stands out with the Christmas Carol-esque dream sequence. The story is constantly moving so it doesn't get boring and there's a good sprinkling of jokes throughout. 

My only issue is that Sweetie Belle gets a little annoying. Not just because of her narrating in the dream sequence, though that is annoying, but because her voice somewhat grates on my ears. It's not really the episodes fault, but there's something about her voice that annoys me. 

Score: 9/10

[Rushing cash 824]

A great episode, nice use of luna and it was nice to see more of the sisterhood between rarity and sweetie belle. The dream was the best part and got dark a bit with rarity going crazy while sweetie bell was forced to watch it, it was a harsh lesson but it was necessary(I think luna made it up to teach her a lesson and she can't see the future) and it did the job. 9\10 

[Props Valroa 25,967]

One of the best episodes I have seen so far! I love he way Princess Luna played in this and the plot was very interesting. Luna's lessons in the dream taught Sweetie Belle her lesson and Sapphire Shoals is attractive. Luna is always in the dark, but she has a way with very important things.

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

36 minutes ago, Califorum said:

One of the best episodes I have seen so far! I love he way Princess Luna played in this and the plot was very interesting. Luna's lessons in the dream taught Sweetie Belle her lesson and Sapphire Shoals is attractive. Luna is always in the dark, but she has a way with very important things.
 

Looking back all all those years, this is my favorite 'Luna is awesome' episode.

[Props Valroa 25,967]

2 minutes ago, Metemponychosis said:

Looking back all all those years, this is my favorite 'Luna is awesome' episode.

A lot of these episodes I am watching for the first time.

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

20 minutes ago, Califorum said:

A lot of these episodes I am watching for the first time.

Seeing them for the first time is always magical! 

[Props Valroa 25,967]

Moments ago, Metemponychosis said:

Seeing them for the first time is always magical! 

It sure is.

[Astralshy 23,442]

Great episode which I enjoyed much more in my second watch.

While I also agree sweetie bell messing Rarity's work up was going pretty far, this hasn't taken anything away from this episode for me.

I also loved how Luna was involved in this episode.

[Cash In 21,488]

I could gush about this episode all day. Sweetie Belle and Rarity's relationship was tested in a way that seems a bit by the numbers at first glance, but it's a lot deeper when you realise how an emotion like jealously can control your emotions and end up creating huge rifts in relationships. Humour was pretty solid overall throughout and the Luna sequence was a high point. It really made sense that she was here in the context of the episode and really plays into the message that actions do have consequences. Luna was jealous of Celestia and her actions ended up destroying her relationship with her sister for a very long time. Sweetie Belle could've made that same mistake. 

Edited October 7, 2021 by Cash_In

[Props Valroa 25,967]

This is a very well done episode to say the least. It's really deep, as it deals with the relationship between Rarity and Sweetie Belle within their dreams, with Luna helping Sweetie Belle make the right decision that she herself failed to in the past. I like seeing Luna's role in the dreams of the ponies, and it makes for a great moral lesson. Rarity and Sweetie Belle love each other very much and it's something that I personally cherish. 

[Hadrien 937]

Luna really is the greatest of Equestria's therapist, especially when it comes to family or siblings dynamics. being able to walk in dreams and perceive everypony subcounscious must help.

Here we have Sweetie Bell tired of Rarity stealing her spotlight which, to be fair, she does tend to do sometimes even without knowing it. The good thing to do would've been for her to talk to Rarity about those feelings, but being a kid it's not an easy thing to do when, instead, you can just get that sweet sweet revenge. I'm not convinced the vision Luna showed her to be entirely factual, there must have been some extrapolation and hyperbole to really hammer home the point that taking revenge is not a good thing to do.

In the end, Sweetie Bell takes the credit for the dolphin stitching (well well well, how the turntables), and everyone lived happily ever after in the magical land of Equestria. 

7.5/10, its a good episode. I always like seeing Luna in other ponies dreams, I would love to have that kind of help.

[Comrade Friendship 426]

6 hours ago, Hadrien said:

In the end, Sweetie Bell takes the credit for the dolphin stitching (well well well, how the turntables), and everyone lived happily ever after in the magical land of Equestria.

a. It's "everypony". Not sure how autocorrect didn't fix that 

b. I'm sorry to ruin your epic streak of owning all of the FiM discussions (good job btw ), but I just really like this episode.

I probably relate to it more than I should, but I also think that shows that it's important they made an episode like this. Obviously it would super nice if we could just have a cute poni princess mediate every dispute and offer pivotal words of wisdom while we look at what our subconscious shows us, but we just have to learn it the hard way or by watching kids shows. Seriously though, I don't know what it is, but it's just so poignant, at least for me (I'm normal )

Anyways, another great episode between Sweetie Belle and her "sister"