S04:E22 - Trade Ya

[Radiance64 7,053]

Still better than Rainbow Falls, dangit.

Coincidentally enough this episode also took place at Rainbow Falls!

 

I actually liked that episode more than this one though, sue me

 

[pony.colin 156]

 

 

I also have written my full thoughts on the episode itself on my blog, which can be viewed here.

 

 

I'll make a quick reply to a couple of your points.

"Why hasn't Equestria got a credit or debit card system like we do?"

I have two replies:

 

1.  I'm not sure, somepony jog my memory, has it been shown before that Equestria has any form of central banking or credit union system available? I don't think so? (If it has, post reply of instance).  It seems like Equestria sort of still works on the basic medieval exchange of barter and coinage.  Banking seems like it has has never occurred in Equestria yet. (No surprise, doesn't seem like it would be touched upon because it moves closer to modernity). My guess being, that in a world of fictional-fantasy talking technicolour equines, dragons, griffons and other mystical creatures, medieval barter and coinage would seem appropriate because it adds that flare of the far off world rather than the modern, that removal feeling at least. 

 

OR

2. The Rainbow Falls Trader Exchange – might be based on customary tradition. I.e. It might be tradition to always trade objects for other tradable goods/objects rather than based on monetary exchange. This might be the reasoning behind the custom observed in Rainbow Falls and hence why it's called a trader exchange.

 

“But this brings up a point, why didn't Rainbow stop and think before she did the deal?”

 

• I'm just going to chalk that up to, “your main character must act a bit illogical to advance the conflict” Sorry, I don't have a larger answer to that. From even a basic moral standpoint – it would not even be a remotely good trade. But you know, gotta act a bit illogical to introduce the conflict that happens right there when Dash realizes - “Wait, that was an awful trade” (no duh).

 

 

“Will Spike finally get a positive break and shake off the negativity at long last?”

 

- Honestly, I hope he finally catches a break. Spike's been getting hashed out lately and its quite disappointing to seem not really grow, change or develop as a character. I just feel he's getting severely underused, and it reeks even more when whole basis of 'Power Ponies' was that we treat Spike fairly and find him just as reliable as anypony of the group. Nothing really seemed to follow up from that, writers feel like they've given him more of the shaft sometimes.

[GhostPony750 959]

Pinkie was acting like a jerk, and Twilight somehow thanked her for that... and RD accidentally selling Fluttershy lol. I wonder why this mare wanted to have fluttershy anyway, quite weird.

 

But the episode was good, mostly with RD and Fluttershy.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

For me I'm putting this at it was ok.

 

There were good stuff in this one like the subplot with Rainbow dash and Fluttershy. It reminded me of an episode of Ed Edd n Eddy. Also Pinkie is best salespony.

 

Though some moments in this episode just felt a bit forced to me. I think I found a problem I have with Scott's writing style. It feels like he forces a lot of moments instead of letting it flow naturally

 

So yeah not amazing yet not bat so 7/10.

[Bright Honor 2,654]

Loved the episode. However, not the mare's voice in this part... lol

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFnKY8rE2TY

[00Pony 286]

FREAKING LUTECE TWIN PONIES IN THE BACKGROUND!! APPLEJACK EYEBROW RAISE!! ADORABLE LITTLE FILLY THAT PINKIE SCARED OFF!! RANDOM BACKGROUND CRYSTAL PONIES!! SO MANY THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT THIS EPISODE! Oh yeah, and a pretty good moral too. That was there.

[Bojo 1,172]

I loved this episode because it was a good! It had a nice plot and one of the best morals I've seen in the series. However, I don't like when Pinkie acts like a jerk, I don't know, it doesn't feel like her true self. It's always fun to see rivality between Applejack and Rarity, but heck, this time Rainbow Dash won the Jerk of the Year prize. Who trades Flutters for anything? NO PONY! Oh, and the handicapped pony was an awesome touch to the episode. Jerking ponies aside, we need more episodes like this.

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,177]

I absolutely adord this episode..... ADORED IT!!!!

 

Twilight got some excellent writing, pinkie wasn't just an annoying comic relief, Flutterdash ship fuel, Rarijack ship fuel, No extremely OOC characters, Spike wasn't a matre,.... AWesome!!!....... If I had to be nit picky, I'd say the only thing I didn't like about it was that Rainbowdash never explained what made the rusty horse shoe special to her.

[Winger7632 124]

I don't know about the rest of you, but in my opinion whoever voiced that pegasus in that pony-wheelchair contraption, (you know, the one with the trading stand of Discord lamps) is a terrible, and I mean terrible, voice actor. I could barely understand what the character was saying every time the pony opened his mouth.

Dude that pony is an OC of a kid who is dying from an illness...he voiced it and everything apparently. 

Edited April 20, 2014 by little gamie

[Batbrony 16,052]

Well, well, well, after a week off from our regularly scheduled dose of ponies, MLP returned with quite the treat for us with "Trade Ya"!  I for one adored this episode; I know it didn't have the most serious message in the world, and for some there might have been some pacing issues, but I for one love it when we have just plain ol' silly, random, nonsense once in awhile.  On top of that, this was a Mane 6 ensemble episode to boot, and in my opinion it was funnier than both "Castle Mania" or "Power Ponies", for reasons I'll explain shortly.  So without further ado, let's jump right into this review of "Trade Ya"!

 

Rainbow Falls... IT'S SO PRETTY!!!

 

Seeing as this episode was really all over the place, I think as far as the main storyline and characters go that I'll just cover the three bits themselves with Twilight/Pinkie, Applejack/Rarity, and Rainbow Dash/Fluttershy.  All three were fun in their own ways and had their own unique blend of humor going on.  In addition, I actually didn't mind the varying types of pacing and screen time all three got; I know we've had more well balanced episodes, but a lot of the time the reason those episodes are more well balanced as far as screen time allocation goes is because they're relying more on physical humor.  Here, the majority of the humor was actually dialogue-based, which is the probably the biggest reason that I think it was funnier than "Castle Mania" or "Power Ponies".  Now don't get me wrong, I love physical humor in cartoons, especially when it's done well, but for my own personal tastes, especially for this show in particular, solid comedic dialogue trumps physical humor any day.  It's also a far rarer occasion in MLP that we get an episode that largely relies on comedic dialogue alone, rather than trying to balance out comedic dialogue and physical humor, and it actually gave me some Season 1 and Season 2 nostalgia, when this happened far more often (though even then it was rare).  Anyways, point is, not only was the dialogue hilarious time and time again, but it's probably the main reason that some bits were longer than others and the pacing/screen time allocation was all over the place, and honestly I give the writers credit for doing as well as they did.

 

D'aaawwwwwww, embarassed Twily is so cute- wait, what the buck???  AJ, what the heck is up with that look of yours?!?!  It's very... suggestive, to say the least.   

 

Back to the bits themselves, let's cover each one briefly.  Twilight and Pinkie's probably left the least impression on me, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.  Twilight was adorable (albeit a bit of a doormat) throughout, and it was quite sweet seeing her decide to keep all her books after realizing how much they meant to her and reminded her of everything she'd learned and gone through since moving to Ponyville (though that message could easily be warped and twisted by people who are hoarders, which would not be a good thing at all, seriously, hoarding can be quite a serious problem for some  ).  Pinkie was hilarious as the world's greatest and simultaneously worst auctioneer, plus it was sweet seeing how she genuinely was trying to help her dear friend out, even if she was going about it the wrong way.  Still, besides the sweet lesson Twilight learned and Pinkie's randomness, there's not too much about their bit that I can specifically recall (other than the filly who I'm pretty sure was a younger cousin or niece of Derpy; I'd say it was filly Derpy herself, but this filly had purple and not yellow eyes... and yes, I notice that kind of thing, wanna fight about it?  :okiedokielokie:).  Overall though, they still had a fun bit.

 

Pawn Stars meets MLP.  Honestly, I'm surprised this hadn't happened already.

 

Applejack and Rarity was probably my favorite pair to watch, simply because, as I've said before, Rarijack is my favorite duo out of the Mane 6.  Sure they got probably less attention than the other two pairs, but their bits were seriously funny.  Not only did they start off all sweet and friendly with each other, but both wanted to get hilariously bad junk (seriously, a pie tin that speeds up cooking by 5 seconds and a vintage broach that looks just like one Rarity has already?!  ), but then they squabbled over whose item was more useful like only those two could (hearkening back to their squandering in "Look Before You Sleep"), and THEN they started squabbling over who was more mature and a better friend than the other!  That last bit was possibly my favorite of theirs, it was just so nonsensical and they didn't even realize how ridiculous what they were saying sounded, and the fact that those two really are probably the two most mature members of the Mane 6 only made it funnier.  Their resolution was probably my favorite as well; they both made up by compromising and getting a seemingly lesser version of the item the other wanted for each other, but in the process they both gave each other something far more meaningful because it was a testament to their true friendship.  Seriously very sweet ending, even if they had the least screen time of the three pairs.

 

Well, well, well, looks like I'm not the only one who's a fan of Rarijack; getting a bit excited there, aren't we AJ?  :comeatus: 

 

Finally, the pair that the episode was devoted to the most, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.  I got four words for ya'll: GREATEST FETCH QUEST EVER!!!  Their bit spiraled more out of control than any of the others into a swirling vortex of madness, and I loved every minute of it.  For one, RD fangirling over a Daring Do book was too cute, but much to her misfortune, as we learned, RAINBOW DASH IS THE WORST BARTERER EVER!!!  I think the problem was that RD has far too high an estimation of herself and all things Rainbow Dash, considering she decided that an rusty old horseshoe (and no, I don't care if it was her lucky horseshoe, IT WAS A RUSTY OLD HORSESHOE!  ) would be a fair trade for what is apparently the only signed first edition copy of Daring Do and the Sapphire Statue.  Great thinking RD, I see no problems in this logic whatsoever.  Anyways, her rapid descent into madness, despair, and unyielding determination to get that book at all costs was hilarious to see play out; she was like Bad Luck Brian in this episode, or, for a more cartoonish comparison, she actually reminded me of, say, Daffy Duck or Wile E. Coyote here, Looney Tunes characters perpetually cursed to misfortune.  The only point where I thought she got ridiculous to the point of being out of character was when she bartered away Fluttershy (though to be fair Fluttershy kind of volunteered) without a second thought, but in RD's defense, she'd been on a quest to get that book all day, so I understand if after all of that she was just a little out of her mind right then and there.  Speaking of Fluttershy, she was top notch as well.  I didn't think she was so much a Mary Sue, nor a doormat; rather, here, she was a Yes Man (or should I say, Yes Mare) in that she just couldn't refuse any of RD's requests out of the ridiculously high levels of kindness in her heart.  Combined with RD's crazed determination, the two made for quite a potent comedic duo (as they often do), and, unsurprisingly, we got quite a bit of cute Fluttershy as well being her adorable self.  The bear call whistle was cool (and I felt so bad for her when she lost it  ), she was adorable and hilarious with the orthros, and her sticking by RD in all of their shenanigans was both hilarious and admirable.  The only thing that kinda disappointed me about their bit was the resolution; Rainbow nearly bartered away Fluttershy into servitude in Manehattan for quite possibly months, and in return all she did was get Fluttershy a bird call whistle to replace the undoubtedly far rarer bear call whistle she had?!  Sorry, but Fluttershy kinda got the short end of the stick here.  Plus I wasn't exactly buying RD's fangasming over the normal old paperback edition of the Daring Do book that she got from Twilight; I know it's a meaningful item for them, but at the same time, I don't know, after everything she went through to get the first edition copy, it just didn't seem like she should be that stoked about it.  Besides the resolution, however, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash got up to some hilarious shenanigans that seriously had me in stitches. 

 

Dat moment when a pegasus is two seconds away from murdering somepony... this is that moment.   

 

Alright, main bits out of the way, I think the only thing I got left to cover are some miscellaneous items.  Let's see... it was very cool getting to see Rainbow Falls again; definitely one of my favorite Season 4 locations, has a very unique look to it.  The recognition of Twilight's princesshood was very cool to see, definitely a nice bit of continuity.  The trading fair itself was awesome, just seeing all the stalls and different items, as well as a unique concept as far as imaginative world building goes.  Some of the best vendors include the Daring Do vendor (her voice was quite funny, as well as her blunt mannerisms around RD, those cracked me up), the beast tent vendor (who reminded me of Khal Drogo from "Game of Thrones" for some reason, mostly in his design), and the antique chicken statue tent vendor (mostly because he bartered antique chicken statues, and that's simply AMAZING!!!).  We got the return of Jeff Lebowski pony working the food vendor cart (which pleased me very much seeing as "The Big Lebowski" is my favorite comedy of all time).  I spotted quite a few Crystal Ponies in the crowd, which was a very nice and subtle bit of continuity that I give a lot of props to the writers for doing.  The orthros was a very cool and very, very cute animal (at least when Flutters was around it), and its slobbering made for quite a few funny bits (though I was quite disappointed that RD didn't just give Fluttershy the orthros instead, she clearly loved it.  But no, you get her a bird call whistle instead... really RD, really?  ).  Finally, I loved both the Derpy-like filly who I'm pretty sure is related to her (like I said, not her because she had purple and not yellow eyes, but she didn't talk and wanted to trade a broken quill for Twilight's books, quite the derpyish character if you ask me!) as well as the quick little cameo Derpy made (she showed up in the crowd at the end there, not a big cameo, but seeing as I'm me I just had to note it  ).  And oh yes, Spike's little comic book subplot was both a nice bit of continuity from "Power Ponies" as well as just plain hilarious.  Even if we didn't get to see much of it, that hand off at the end was quite funny.  Overall, this was a great episode as far as side characters goes, and we got to see all sorts of new faces and characters interacting with the Mane 6.

 

Despite the fact that, again, there weren't very deep messages here, that worked just fine for me, because the episode wasn't trying to be serious.  It wanted to be a funny, nonsensical episode full of random and funny bits, and it did just that in my opinion, to a T.  Overall, for me, "Trade Ya" was one of the comedic highlights of Season 4 thus far, and I very much look forward to rewatching it!

Edited April 20, 2014 by Batbrony

[NavelColt 22,879]

This episode was litterally a writers' and animators playground. Send the ponies to what is basically an ambiguous outside Brony Convention Hall, and let the creativity, visual gags, clever inclusions, cameos, continuity opportunities and general goofiness ensue.

 

I mean come on. Yes, please.

 

 

Headcanon; Fluttershy enjoyed Discord's lamp, and suggested he make it into a barder business.

 

AND YAY FOR MORE CREATURES.

 

I really enjoyed it. One of the more creative slice of life episodes yet

[Thebronydog 19]

I liked this episode a lot. In my opinion better than testing 1,2,3.

 

Can you swim in rainbows? Do they have a taste? They seem to be more dense than water.

[Solar Cloud 493]

I liked this episode a lot. In my opinion better than testing 1,2,3.

 

Can you swim in rainbows? Do they have a taste? They seem to be more dense than water.

Not sure about being able to swim in rainbows. They, however, do have a taste. Rainbows are spicy. Just ask Pinkie Pie.

[Yellow Diamond 7,568]

You know what helped tipped this episode into "I LOVED IT!!!" territory? The fact they basically retconned "Spike at Your Service" through Twilight dismissively mentioning Spike's life debt business. To officially dub that incident as nothing more than Spike engaging in frivolous activity is music to my ears. Still, it doesn't change the fact that "Spike at Your Service" was a bad episode.

 

Oh, and this episode was walking ship fuel. Rarijack? Flutterdash? You can't lose!

[Spartan 433]

This season has alot of 'Meh' episodes :/

 

didnt hate it, and didnt love it.. i still want to see Luna and Queen Chrissy become friends, THAT would be amazingly awesome to see everyones reaction and Celestia's expecally

[windy_prance 114]

Personally I like the episode for having less cookie-cutter background ponies. I especially liked the fact that one of them is in a wheelchair. I always said people's lack of empathy towards any issue stems their lack of exposure to them in the children's media during their childhood. If it wasn't discussed or seen when you were a kid, the culture shock as a teen/adult might cause callous indifference or even hate towards that issue.

 

For example when I was 7 years old, my mother let me watch a lot of uncensored CLAMP animes. (My mom was Japanese and awesome that way) As a result, my teenage/adult self is more accepting of the existence of non-traditional relationships than my peers.

 

Just little touches like a pony in a wheelchair treated like a regular character without the disability shown as the source of conflict can help in raising children to be wiser adults for the next generation.

Edited April 20, 2014 by windy_prance

[crazitaco 596]

I thought it was a cute episode :3

I don't have much to say, other than "lol discord lamp"

[Singe 2,111]

Spike: Check this out. A mint condition comic. Protected from any damage.

RD: I'm impressed you kept it that way. Must have been hard since you're a dragon that breathes fire reading paper and you might have an accident.

Spike: That's because I traded for this last year also.

RD: That's just a small ball with a strap.

Spike: It's actually a fire proof mouth protector which I wear when reading a comic.

RD: Who did you get that from?

Spike: I got it from that lady over there who sells leather, whips, straps, chains, and other things. She's really cute.

RD: Bronies Dungeons Straps and Mares. Huh. I gotta check that out some time.

Edited April 20, 2014 by Singe

[Scootaloo Is Best Filly 578]

I really liked this episode. I know that some people are really upset that rd tried to sell Fluttershy but, I think it was one of those moments where she wanted something so bad, that she wasn't really understanding what she was doing until it hit her like a bag of bricks what she was really doing .

 

Rainbow might be considered a little selfish, but there is no way that dash could be that selfish where she willingly would try to trade her friend for a book.

 

I think there was one point in all our lives where we wanted something so badly, that we sorta look past the price and than once you realize what you're doing you say " I spent that much, on this stupid thing?"

 

That's what I see this as , dash was so wrapped up in what she wanted that she didn't realize what she was giving for it. In the long run, she came to her senses ( just like I knew she would, from the second I saw that scene).

[Moonlight 7,286]

I personally thought it was an alright episode, Pinkie got on my nerves, and Rainbow trading Fluttershy for a book was weird but it was a fine episode, certainly better than some of the episodes this season. I can understand where Rainbow was coming from, in being too wrapped up in it all and it's good that she learned her lesson at the end, but I'd prefer her to pay better attention to the options she chooses from now on. I really liked Twilight this episode and I'd probably give it a 4/5. 

 

 

Plus...

 

 

The Lutece Twins  

 

[Thaliel 116]

It was really nice to see Twily do more princess business. Also, I would like to give kudos to whoever made a handicapped pony appear on the show.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

This episode had a LOT of great character stuff!. Twilight being 'Princessy', Rainbow Dash throwing tantrums, Rarity and Applejack arguing on a shopping trip. Plus, a wheelchair-bound pony, and crystal ponies in the background!

 

But ugh, Pinkie Pie. Is it just me, or are the writers taking the whole 'zany random' act with her a bit too far?

 

I thought she was funny in Season One, and she's had a couple good episodes since. (I enjoyed her in 'Maude Pie'.) But lately; half her antics just come off as deranged.

 

I mean, Rainbow Dash accidentally trading her friend for a book before reality hits her like a freight train? Classic Rainbow Dash. And not unrealistic. I've known plenty of people who do monumentally stupid things before realising immediately afterwards how monumentally stupid they were. Plus, she fixed it, and made amends with Fluttershy.

 

But Pinkie with the books was just... ugh. Especially since Twilight tried to tell her multiple times to please stop. That's not zany/cute, that's just obnoxious.

[Rift enchanted 380]

Cliches.

 

Cliches EVERYWHERE!

 

What really disappoints me is spike was brought up at the very start but wasn't given any relevance but two scenes with no lines at the end.

[Rift enchanted 380]

Hi josh I know your knew here but the forums isn't really used for reviews.

 

If you want you can save it for blogs or other websites but here isn't the place.

 

Just a heads up for next time and hope you understand.

[Envy 6,144]

The little pony's tail wagging to get Twilight Sparkle to autograph was soooo cute!

 

I found it to be an enjoyable episode overall, although it didn't leave too large of an impression on me. Really, I'm kind of shocked it didn't, because usually I'm all over episodes with all of the characters in them, and this one was full of fun and humorous interactions.

 

I'll watch it again later.

Edited April 20, 2014 by Envy