Pick a Flaw: S1, E4 - Applebuck Season

[Dark Qiviut 22,653]

Welcome to the "Pick a Flaw" thread for the first Applejack-centered episode. In it, Applejack's main flaw in her character, her stubbornness, is introduced and played a gigantic role throughout, from the party to the hilarious shenanigans to finally admitting to wanting help at the very end. It's also a bit controversial because her main flaw was really explored to the depth it hasn't covered since, leaving some bronies (including other Applejack bronies) to wonder if they're at a standstill with her.

 

Like the others, pick the flaw that stands out to you or find to be the one that can determine the overall enjoyment or quality of the episode.

 

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My choice is going to the length of Applejack's stubborness. It's one thing to exploit it, but another to exploit it simply to plod the plot. The conflict lasted way too long, and several of the scenes were written more for the humor aspect. Although the scenes with Appljack hitting the seesaw and the baked bads are extremely funny, some like celebrating Applejack's deed to save Ponyville and then the overdramatic rabbit stampede are way too corny and disrupted the overall flow. In addition, Applejack was too stubborn for far too long, turning the episode into one where it's difficult not to watch the clock and wonder when it'll end.

 

Overall, it's a decent episode, but it could've served its time much better.

 

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For the other "Pick a Flaw" threads:

 

Season 1:

1. Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 & 2
2. The Ticket Master

 

Season 2:

1. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
2. Putting Your Hoof Down
3. Dragon Quest

 

Season 4:

1. Simple Ways
2. Filli Vanilli
3. Twilight Time
4. It Ain't Easy Bein' Breezies
5. Somepony to Watch Over Me
6. Maud Pie
7. For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils
8. Leap of Faith
9. Testing Testing 1, 2, 3
10. Trade Ya!
11. Inspiration Manifestation

Edited May 1, 2014 by Dark Qiviut

[baba_booey 4,304]

Applejack was 2stubborn4me

[Scootalove 10,692]

Applejack, we know that you are stubborn, but in this episode your stubbornness was basically there to further the plot though the comedy part of it was funny. The conflict could have at least ended a little early though.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Hey look my thread was linked here.

 

I just voted other. I really don't have much beef with this episode. I guess it could be that the stubbornness lesson was too early but really, I don't have much problems with it. The humor was great ad the story was interesting 

[Zhortac 1,475]

What about Twilight, and her sudden knowlege of needing others to help, when she's an introvert. She was just as stubborn as well in that episode.

[Yellow Diamond 7,579]

Overall, it's a decent episode, but it could've served its time much better.

 

By doing what, exactly? The whole point of the episode was to demonstrate how stubborn Applejack can be -- hence why the conflict drags on for quite a while. Nopony can get through to her until disaster finally befalls others because she simply won't listen.

 

 

Although the scenes with Appljack hitting the seesaw and the baked bads are extremely funny, some like celebrating Applejack's deed to save Ponyville and then the overdramatic rabbit stampede are way too corny and disrupted the overall flow.

 

I actually thought the rabbit stampede was genuinely funny for a number of reasons:

 

1. It's the kind of event one might expect citizens of Ponyville to consider a catastrophe. (And for an agrarian town, it isn't too far from the truth.)
2. We get a reference to Apocalypse Now! ("The horror! The horror!")
3. We get a subtle reference to Night of the Lepus, a cult classic horror film. (Fun fact: a clip from the movie can be seen playing on the television in The Oracle's apartment in The Matrix.)

Thus any corniness is mitigated by the referential humor adults can appreciate without disrupting the atmosphere for children. (Kids will find it funny that cute bunnies have overrun Ponyville.) It's one of the first scenes that flexes MLP's muscles as a show to be enjoyed by the whole audience (i.e., children and adults).

 

I honestly cannot think of a glaring flaw. "Applebuck Season" is a strong demonstration of continuity (e.g., Twilight uses her teleporation for the first time since the pilot), character building (Applejack remains stubborn, but she appears to learn from the experience as it applies to later episodes), and world building (we know more about the role of the Apple Family in Ponyville).

[Megas 28,331]

This is a hard one. I can't really find any glaring flaws with this episode

[OptimisticNeighsayer 479]

There wasn't really anything that was wrong with the episode, it just ended up not being memorable enough for me.

 

I guess I'd say that the pacing was a bit too slow at times and AJ's stubbornness went on for too long.

[Dark Qiviut 22,653]

By doing what, exactly?

Using it effectively. Impact Applejack's stubbornness in basically three (if not four, if three isn't enough) key ways: one where she's stubborn, but doesn't affect anyone in particular; another where it begins to affect the town; and another where her stubborness does hurt others.

 

The latter is where it was really witnessed: the baked bads. That should've been the catalyst for Applejack to let Twilight help her. Instead, it extended, and the bunny stampede offered nothing but humor to fill the final act. More or less, the rabbit stampede was very awkwardly placed.

 

She was just as stubborn as well in that episode.

Twilight was stubborn because she's the only one to witness Applejack's odd behavior and wanted to ask for help. The scenes were pretty repetitive, but purposeful. (It'd be better if the twists were far more varied and didn't result in the same results.) Considering she did help Applejack the episode before…

 

Honestly, anyone else feel The Ticket Master should've aired after Applebuck Season and not before?

Edited May 1, 2014 by Dark Qiviut

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

Applebuck Season is not only one of my most favorite season 1 episodes, but one of my favorite episodes in the entire series. This was the episode that really hooked me in and made me a staying fan of MLP and a huge admirer of Applejack as a character. Some people think that this episode exploited Applejack's biggest weakness far too soon and left little room for development. I don't think so. Applejack's stubbornness has popped up again in one way or another many times in later episodes. This isn't to say that AJ hasn't learned to ease up and accept help -- she certainly has, as seen The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 when she immediately accepted help from her friends in the cider battle, but much like how timidity is a constant struggle for the sheepish Fluttershy, Applejack's stubborn pride is a deep-rooted weakness that consistently gets her into trouble in one way or another.

 

Also, I don't feel that the humor detracted from the overall quality of the episode either. Neigh, I think the comedy made the entire thing more memorable, especially at the early point in the first season when the quality of the show had yet to really peak, at least consistently. Spoon already mentioned a few of the episode's more adult-aimed allusions, but another reason why I enjoyed the silliness of the bunny stampede was because of its reference to the wildebeest stampede from The Lion King. I think the rabbit stampede was a fitting and clever catalyst for AJ accepting help from Twilight. Think about it, the dependable AJ that Ponyville knows and loves stopped a stampede earlier in the story, but later when AJ was rest deprived and not in her right state of mind, she caused a stampede through her reckless actions. For AJ to go and do the exact opposite of what everypony would normally expect from her, I can't think of a better wake-up call for her to accept help than that.

 

And not to mention, the different dialogue exchanges between AJ and Twilight were hilariously brilliant, even if over the top.

 

"You need HELP!!!"

"Kelp? I don't need any kelp. I dun even like seaweed!"

 

The episode was funny, well-paced, and had a great moral. It was the first episode to focus on somepony other than Twilight, and it did a great job on building upon AJ's strengths, weaknesses, lifestyle, virtues, etc. While no episode is perfect, I can't think of any blatant flaws either.

Edited May 1, 2014 by Sugar Cube

[Pastel 7,630]

This is a good episode! Hard to pick a flaw.

Applejack is a bit stubborn in it, but just a bit.

Edited May 1, 2014 by Blobulle

[PoisonClaw 8,175]

Having re-watched this episode, it's actually better than I remembered. My only complaint would be how come nobody else besides Twilight noticed Applejack was wearing herself down? She comes into town half asleep and somewhat delirious, yet no one stopped to ask if she was OK when they needed her help with stuff. .

[Truffles 2,033]

My only complaint would be how come nobody else besides Twilight noticed Applejack was wearing herself down? She comes into town half asleep and somewhat delirious, yet no one stopped to ask if she was OK when they needed her help with stuff. .

 

My thinking is the others, having been around AJ for so long, were simply used to her being stubborn and looking tired from time to time. Twilight was still relatively new to town so she may have thought it very unusual. Also, she was the only pony specifically set on a task of discovering the magic of friendship (and we know how much she wants to impress Celestia ), so that's another reason she may have been paying attention to AJ's well-being more than the others.

[DryGuy84 (Inactive) 927]

The first sequential episode of the series I love! It's hard to pick, but I guess I could say that the pacing was off. It doesn't really bother me, though.

[Yellow Diamond 7,579]

Using it effectively. Impact Applejack's stubbornness in basically three (if not four, if three isn't enough) key ways: one where she's stubborn, but doesn't affect anyone in particular; another where it begins to affect the town; and another where her stubborness does hurt others.

 

The latter is where it was really witnessed: the baked bads. That should've been the catalyst for Applejack to let Twilight help her. Instead, it extended, and the bunny stampede offered nothing but humor to fill the final act. More or less, the rabbit stampede was very awkwardly placed.

 

To state that the episode should use Applejack's stubbornness "effectively" is entirely vague when placed up against the final result of the episode. Sugar Cube already went into detail about how the bunny stampede was a worthy bookend to the start of the episode when AJ and Winona successfully diverted the heard of cows. Thus the bunny stampede is not just humor to fill the final act: it unequivocally demonstrates to both the townsfolk and Applejack that she needs to accept assistance because she's failing to fulfill tasks at which she is considered most dependable.

[Dark Qiviut 22,653]

@, Sure it showed how much AJ needed assistance, but there are a couple of things.

1. Once more, this was already proven the conflict before when Applejack's stubbornness resulted in its worst: Her refusal for help got at least a dozen ponies very sick from food poisoning.
2. The rabbit stampede didn't result in Applejack wanting help. After the whole thing, Twilight went back to Sweet Apple Acres for the final time and told AJ bluntly she needed help. Once more, Applejack refused and tried to prove it by claiming she finished bucking the orchard. When Big Mac proved her wrong and said she only finished half the orchard, that's when she decided to ask for help. If Applejack agreed to have others help her immediately after the corny stampede, then it would've had more weight. The fact that AJ remained stuck in her ways until a few minutes later made the scene (and other shenanigans from AJ's pride, by association) empty.

Edited May 1, 2014 by Dark Qiviut

[Yellow Diamond 7,579]

Once more, this was already proven the conflict before when Applejack's stubbornness resulted at its worst.

 

To cite Jim Gordon, "What about escalation?" Consider Twilight's lines in her final confrontation with Applejack:

 

Your applebucking hasn't just caused you problems, it's over-propelled Pegasus', practically poisoned plenty of ponies, and terrorized bushels of brand new bouncing baby bunnies. I don't care what you say, you. Need. Help.

 

Each conflict caused by Applejack is a demonstration of the problem escalating. First AJ hurt Rainbow when she catapulted her over the horizon; then she got a group of ponies sick by screwing up the muffin recipe; finally, the whole town is overrun by bunnies. Likewise consider how Applejack is overstretching herself by helping her friends with their various chores in spite of the fact she needs to buck an entire orchard. The whole point of the episode is to demonstrate that Applejack has bitten off more than she can chew.

 

She's supposed to carry the whole town on her back -- remember the Prized Pony award? -- but falls short exactly because she tries to be the epitome of reliability without accounting for the help her friends can lend.

 

 

The rabbit stampede didn't result in Applejack wanting help. After the whole thing, Twilight went back to Sweet Apple Acres and told AJ bluntly she needed help. Once more, Applejack refused and tried to prove it by claiming she finished bucking the orchard. When Big Mac proved her wrong and said she only finished half the orchard, that's when she decided to ask for help. If Applejack agreed to have others help her immediately after the corny stampede, then the ordeal would've had more weight. The fact that AJ remained stuck in her ways until a few minutes later made the scene empty.

 

I think that assumes these incidents happened in isolation in terms of collective experience. Applejack's failure to buck the whole orchard is the straw that broke the camel's back (or pony's, as the case may be); but her failure in the field is further enhanced by all the damage she has wreaked in lieu of being exhausted. The irony is that she can help her friends yet will not allow them to help her. Hence Twilight's lesson:

 

My friend Applejack is the best friend a pony could ever have, and she's always there to help any pony. The only trouble is, when she needs help, she finds it hard to accept it, so while friendship is about giving of ourselves to friends, it's also about accepting what our friends have to offer.

 

In matters big and small, Applejack cannot do everything for everypony. For the sake of the show, that moral shines through best when AJ flubs a task she can otherwise perform exceedingly well, e.g., corrallin' critters. Again, it's about the bookend. The moral ties itself together through effective demonstration.

[shocker1991 32]

Applejack's stubbornness kind of bothered me as I thought it lasted way too long and some of the humour felt tacked on. Some of them I thought were funny but others not so much.

[Sir Wulfington 276]

I found it really REALLY difficult to believe that pinkie didn't notice the horrible things applejack was putting in the muffins, especially considered she announced them out loud, within earshot......

[Pinkiesister75 92]

I had no qualms about the episode and I think the "Bunny Stampede" wasn't meant to be taken seriously.

 

I loved this episode!