HOME | DD

Description
I like Spike. I do. But Spike always works best as a secondary character. A minor character who just gives his couple lines of cynicism and isn't in the foreground. Most people say, and most people are correct. Spike episodes tend to suck. And I don't like Rarity. So it was already easy to not like this episode. It's gonna suck and I can already predict what's gonna happen. Rarity's gonna overreact to something, and then things happen because of it. So, what happens?

What happens is, we get to play "spot the background ponies in the episode". Because right off the bat, it became clear that it was gonna be one of those episodes. The very first shot we got the Cakes and Applebloom. Who aren't "background" characters, but work as such in this episode. There's Thunderlane and his kid I guess. Gotta be honest, I don't know all the background characters that well. I don't pay attention to the fans' naming and personality creations. So if it hasn't made some kind of appearance in canon, I probably won't know. So there's a "Foal and Filly Fair". Ok. So, are we gonna see the adults working the booths, and see the kids having a good time? No, why would we do that? In my review of "For Whom the Sweetie Bell Toils", I said that a much better premise for the episode would have been Sweetie Bell's play. Her challenges with writing and all that jazz, and then performing. Here, we get the same. Instead of seeing any number of stories from the fair with multiple characters, we got another Rarity overreacting to nothing episode. Oh, speaking of background characters, looks like Rarity's dad is a unicorn after all. I think I cared the absolute least. Cheerilee, Bulk Biceps, and it looks like that filly that Pinkie scared in Rainbow Falls recently. All the while Pinkie is going crazy having fun at the fair. Good for her. Meanwhile, Rarity is putting the finishing touches on her puppet theater. I feel I should give a shoutout here, because as I was watching the episode the first time, I thought, "Mangameister did it first": mangameister.deviantart.com/ I don't know how to embed links here, sue me. Spike drools over Rarity's compliments, and then Rarity gets some bad news. Her puppet theater sucks. It's not practical enough, it's just there to look pretty. Which is weird, because when it comes to making clothing, Rarity has always considered things like mobility. Also, this is more a carpentry job really as opposed to, you know, fashion. So one wonders why she was commissioned to build it in the first place? You know who would have done well building it? Applebloom! She can be practical, and she knows how to work with lumber, so there ya go. So the puppet guy doesn't like it. Does anyone else think he resembles an older Snips? I said Snails before, but I was mistaken with the characters. Probably could be either's father really. But that's my headcanon. We still don't know Snips' actual special talent, so I'm gonna say this guy is his dad.

So Rarity freaks out, like she always does, because she never learns. Spike tries to cheer her up, with no success, so she starts downing buckets of ice cream. You know, when I can clearly hear the character say "omnomnom", I wonder if the writers might try to be a little less...trope-y? Internet meme-y? Just, come on. It's very clear, and it's annoying. And it continues. Also, why...does Rarity even care? It's not like some super-important fashion ponies are gonna be there judging her. I mean, you can be upset your design sucked, but she's acting more depressed than ever. It's a fair for kids. Not clothes your best friends are gonna wear to a high-class gala, and then shown to top designers. I mean, come on. (bonus points for the reference notice)

So, Spike heads to the old castle in the forest. Why? I don't know. How about doing a million other things that make so much more logical sense? Like, oh, going to your roommate, and saying "hey, Twilight, Rarity's feeling down and needs some inspiration. Can you help?" Or, hey, maybe not do anything at all? Rarity wasn't feeling unmotivated in the first place. She very clearly said she would do something else for the fair, but there wasn't enough time. Going to the castle is the last thing he should be willing to try. Was there a couple scenes that got taken out for time? This scene jump makes no sense at all. Oh, but Owlowiscious is there to give the same damn joke over and over and over again, til we wish that the stupid dragon and the owl were both dead. At least, that's how I felt. So Spike pulls a random book, revealing a staircase to a single book sitting on the edge of forever. The cool part about this is that Spike actually used his fire breath for something useful. Remember when he used it to send scrolls to Celestia? Doesn't do that anymore. And since he's so small, it's not really a decent weapon. But he can melt a lock. So good on him. Spike gets the ominous book and comically walks down the stairs, unaware that they're crumbling beneath him. So, this book sitting by itself, on a crumbling staircase, must be something really big and important, right? Well, it might be. There's a chance that there is more than just the one spell in that book. But based on the way it looks, I'm guessing it's just the one spell. So, what's the problem? A dark, ominous book sitting all alone by itself behind a locked door, JUST SO HAPPENS to be the exact spell Spike needs? Come on. It would make more sense if he just happened to find the spell in a random book. Unless actual dark magic placed the book there right before Spike got there. Which I don't buy for a second.

Spike returns to a Rarity who is sure to be sick after eating all that ice cream. He shows her the book, and Rarity's mind doesn't immediately think "wow, that book looks evil", so something is obviously wrong here. I know Rarity isn't big on magic in general like Twilight is, but anyone who sees that book must at least hesitate at the sight of it. So, do we have a case of people acting ignorant of something they ought to know about for the sake of plot advancement? Yeah, probably. Consider that Spike should also assume the book is evil. He has spent enough time with Twilight, that when it comes to magic, he would know more than most unicorns. But Rarity isn't that smart, I guess, so she recites the spell, giving her the ability to...create anything. Wow. Yeah, That's some powerful magic. She shows up the puppeteer with a new theater to his liking. Which, you know, again, is much more practical, and looks much easier to make.

Then the magic takes hold of Rarity. She decides to keep the book. Spike gets silently scolded by the owl, who...is surprisingly wise. Oh. Well. Owls are wise, yes? That makes more sense. Also, here's a problem that begins here and lasts throughout the rest of the episode. In the castle, Spike only hears the owl saying "who" and responds accordingly. Like the stupid joke didn't get old already. But after that, Spike can basically translate Owlowiscious' hoots and facial expressions to know exactly what he is "saying". It's inconsistent. It's even worse because it's not even inconsistent for a gag that is funny, or ever was.

Spike returns to Rarity's the next day to insomniac Rarity, who has created more clothing in one night than she probably has her whole life. We still don't see the evil side of the spell, but it's obvious something bad is going down. Oh. So, it's obvious at this point that I don't like Rarity, and Rarity episodes are usually really bad to me (off the top of my head though, Suited for Success was great, since it avoids a lot of the things that makes Rarity a bad character). I will say, that Tabitha St. Germain plays her amazingly well. I can say for certain that speaking from a voice acting perspective, Rarity is far and above the best. In this scene, we see so many cases of this, I'm not even going to list them. But insomniac Rarity is played so well here. Tabitha deserves an award for her role in the show, if she hasn't received one already. Anyway, Spike hesitates, but agrees gladly to let Rarity keep the book to "improve" Ponyville. While an almost sinister-seeming Owlowiscious gives a foreboding hoot.

And here's where Rarity starts losing it. Oh hey, it's Carrot...Carrot...um, whatever her name is. See, I told you. This is also where we actually get to see more than Rarity and Spike this episode. First, we get Applejack, and her cart getting "spruced up". Rarity decides that she and Spike and "the book" should not reveal who is doing these improvements. Which, coming from Rarity, is a very modest gesture. Maybe it's the book talking, but I don't think the dark magic of the spell gives out any kind of modesty. I would think it the very opposite. I would expect her to scream it from the rooftops, kind of like what she did in Sonic Rainboom when she flew up high and lost her wings. You know, at this point, I wondered why Rarity kept the book. Once the spell was cast, she should have the ability forever, shouldn't she? That made me wonder if there was some kind of sentience with the book. But then I laughed at myself, and gave up on that idea. More of a cursed magic item than an intelligent one. Rarity then gives Rainbow Dash an outfit while she's clearing clouds. Clearing them lazily I must say. That doesn't seem like ten seconds flat. Anyway, yeah, the dress sucks, and Dash tries to get it off. Which, I wonder. Was she having trouble because she's a pony, or was she having trouble because the magic keeps the dress on no matter what? If the book and the spell are cursed, is everything made with the spell cursed? It would make sense. Next up, Fluttershy and her birdhouse, which Rarity changes to be so big that the branch it is on droops down all the way to the ground. The weird thing is, Fluttershy tries to direct the bird through the birdhouse, but doesn't seem to give any thought as to how her birdhouse magically changed so quickly. Then again, she is the one who is friends with Discord. And then we get to the fair itself. Rarity fancies up the party, because she doesn't know how parties work. Oh, but hey, it's Octavia in the band that replaced the....mariachi ponies? Huh. Oh wait, we're not done. After Rarity declares her desire to change absolutely everything, she gives Spike a new...suit? I don't know. It's just a bunch of gems fused together to resemble a robot, or something. Mobility, down to zero. You know, I'd say that the spell is affecting Rarity's fashion sense, but given what we've seen from her this season, with clothing made from hotel parts, and a hat that made her look like Marge Simpson with diamonds, I wouldn't be surprised if the real Rarity would design something so stupid at this point.

Oh, THERE'S Twilight, fifteen minutes in. Yeah, that's seems about right. Show up late, try to find the problem. And...well. Here we have, I think, the first case of Mayor Mare interacting with Twilight as a princess. I know there was some discussion about whether or not the mayor still had some kind of authority in Ponyville with Twily around. And...we still don't know. This wasn't a really a "we need your authority", it was more of a "we need your magic and wings to save some ponies.

So, Spike gets the idea to swipe the book from Rarity. You know, just like Twilight, a little late. At least in Twilight's defense, she didn't know anything sinister was going on. Rarity has turned the town into what looks like Auria from Breath of Fire. With the help of Owlowiscious, Spike successfully steals the book. Huh. I was expecting that to be harder. I don't know. Spike eats the book, to keep Rarity from knowing he took it. Which, holy crap. So, the book as a physical object, whatever. Spike eats gems, I'm sure his digestive system can handle it. But what about the fact that the book is cursed and it's dark freaking magic? Isn't that going to have some kind of effect on Spike? I can see him turning evil, and I'm willing to bet that ends up being a thread in the season finale. But, even without the book, Rarity still has the magic of evil conjuration. Huh, I was right. Didn't really expect to be right.

So, after another Rarity proclamation, Spike finally sums up the nerve to tell her no, and that her shit sucks. And then...the spell stops? Ok, so it was in the spell all along, so I'm not gonna harp the writers for that one. That's...Chekhov's Gun, right? I mean, it's kind of a stupid spell in the first place though. Just saying she sucks made the spell stop? That's not really that evil. Plus, that could be something easily exploited. Just have Spike around to stop her when she goes overboard. She could be super famous before she knew it. So while Spike writes his lesson in his journal (not firebreathing THAT to Celestia), Twilight comes in and scolds him for causing so much chaos. Apparently she, Cadence, and Luna had to clean it all up. Makes sense. Dark magic is more powerful, and takes some alicorn magic. BUT, what about Celestia? She didn't have to help? Does this mean that Celestia truly is 100% more important and higher ranking than her sister? I don't believe that. Yes, Luna has to live in her shadow, because her reign comes at night when all the ponies are sleeping. But that doesn't make her any less important. Luna should be equal with her sister, and here we have a good example of that not happening. Ooh, and I got a very Timmy Turner vibe from her lines here. It comes out of Twilight every now and then. I didn't really realize how similar the voices were until I noticed it for the first time. And Spike isn't even phased by the scolding. Taking it in stride, like a champ.

Pinkie Factor: approved. She goes crazy over a town-wide party, and it isn't even over-the-top. Or, at least not over-the-top for her. She does some crazy stuff.

My favorite part of the episode? Owlowiscious. I said before that we need more Angel, and his non-verbal emotions were amusing. Here, Owlowiscious provides a very rare case of non-verbal lessons. He's the logical one here, since this entire episode could have been avoided if Spike wasn't in love with Rarity. There's something about the human-like actions from the animals that is just fun to watch.

I like the lesson in the episode at least. It's new, and it's something that should be remembered by people of all ages. Basically, don't enable your friends. Let em know when they're doing something stupid. But the premise of the episode is very thin, what with Rarity being too dramatic even for her, and the almost deus ex machina of plot devices in the book. Also, another single or dual character episode featuring characters that either don't work well in those settings or just aren't ones that I like period. It was doomed from the beginning. Not much else to say really.

Description
I like Spike. I do. But Spike always works best as a secondary character. A minor character who just gives his couple lines of cynicism and isn't in the foreground. Most people say, and most people are correct. Spike episodes tend to suck. And I don't like Rarity. So it was already easy to not like this episode. It's gonna suck and I can already predict what's gonna happen. Rarity's gonna overreact to something, and then things happen because of it. So, what happens?

What happens is, we get to play "spot the background ponies in the episode". Because right off the bat, it became clear that it was gonna be one of those episodes. The very first shot we got the Cakes and Applebloom. Who aren't "background" characters, but work as such in this episode. There's Thunderlane and his kid I guess. Gotta be honest, I don't know all the background characters that well. I don't pay attention to the fans' naming and personality creations. So if it hasn't made some kind of appearance in canon, I probably won't know. So there's a "Foal and Filly Fair". Ok. So, are we gonna see the adults working the booths, and see the kids having a good time? No, why would we do that? In my review of "For Whom the Sweetie Bell Toils", I said that a much better premise for the episode would have been Sweetie Bell's play. Her challenges with writing and all that jazz, and then performing. Here, we get the same. Instead of seeing any number of stories from the fair with multiple characters, we got another Rarity overreacting to nothing episode. Oh, speaking of background characters, looks like Rarity's dad is a unicorn after all. I think I cared the absolute least. Cheerilee, Bulk Biceps, and it looks like that filly that Pinkie scared in Rainbow Falls recently. All the while Pinkie is going crazy having fun at the fair. Good for her. Meanwhile, Rarity is putting the finishing touches on her puppet theater. I feel I should give a shoutout here, because as I was watching the episode the first time, I thought, "Mangameister did it first": mangameister.deviantart.com/ I don't know how to embed links here, sue me. Spike drools over Rarity's compliments, and then Rarity gets some bad news. Her puppet theater sucks. It's not practical enough, it's just there to look pretty. Which is weird, because when it comes to making clothing, Rarity has always considered things like mobility. Also, this is more a carpentry job really as opposed to, you know, fashion. So one wonders why she was commissioned to build it in the first place? You know who would have done well building it? Applebloom! She can be practical, and she knows how to work with lumber, so there ya go. So the puppet guy doesn't like it. Does anyone else think he resembles an older Snips? I said Snails before, but I was mistaken with the characters. Probably could be either's father really. But that's my headcanon. We still don't know Snips' actual special talent, so I'm gonna say this guy is his dad.

So Rarity freaks out, like she always does, because she never learns. Spike tries to cheer her up, with no success, so she starts downing buckets of ice cream. You know, when I can clearly hear the character say "omnomnom", I wonder if the writers might try to be a little less...trope-y? Internet meme-y? Just, come on. It's very clear, and it's annoying. And it continues. Also, why...does Rarity even care? It's not like some super-important fashion ponies are gonna be there judging her. I mean, you can be upset your design sucked, but she's acting more depressed than ever. It's a fair for kids. Not clothes your best friends are gonna wear to a high-class gala, and then shown to top designers. I mean, come on. (bonus points for the reference notice)

So, Spike heads to the old castle in the forest. Why? I don't know. How about doing a million other things that make so much more logical sense? Like, oh, going to your roommate, and saying "hey, Twilight, Rarity's feeling down and needs some inspiration. Can you help?" Or, hey, maybe not do anything at all? Rarity wasn't feeling unmotivated in the first place. She very clearly said she would do something else for the fair, but there wasn't enough time. Going to the castle is the last thing he should be willing to try. Was there a couple scenes that got taken out for time? This scene jump makes no sense at all. Oh, but Owlowiscious is there to give the same damn joke over and over and over again, til we wish that the stupid dragon and the owl were both dead. At least, that's how I felt. So Spike pulls a random book, revealing a staircase to a single book sitting on the edge of forever. The cool part about this is that Spike actually used his fire breath for something useful. Remember when he used it to send scrolls to Celestia? Doesn't do that anymore. And since he's so small, it's not really a decent weapon. But he can melt a lock. So good on him. Spike gets the ominous book and comically walks down the stairs, unaware that they're crumbling beneath him. So, this book sitting by itself, on a crumbling staircase, must be something really big and important, right? Well, it might be. There's a chance that there is more than just the one spell in that book. But based on the way it looks, I'm guessing it's just the one spell. So, what's the problem? A dark, ominous book sitting all alone by itself behind a locked door, JUST SO HAPPENS to be the exact spell Spike needs? Come on. It would make more sense if he just happened to find the spell in a random book. Unless actual dark magic placed the book there right before Spike got there. Which I don't buy for a second.

Spike returns to a Rarity who is sure to be sick after eating all that ice cream. He shows her the book, and Rarity's mind doesn't immediately think "wow, that book looks evil", so something is obviously wrong here. I know Rarity isn't big on magic in general like Twilight is, but anyone who sees that book must at least hesitate at the sight of it. So, do we have a case of people acting ignorant of something they ought to know about for the sake of plot advancement? Yeah, probably. Consider that Spike should also assume the book is evil. He has spent enough time with Twilight, that when it comes to magic, he would know more than most unicorns. But Rarity isn't that smart, I guess, so she recites the spell, giving her the ability to...create anything. Wow. Yeah, That's some powerful magic. She shows up the puppeteer with a new theater to his liking. Which, you know, again, is much more practical, and looks much easier to make.

Then the magic takes hold of Rarity. She decides to keep the book. Spike gets silently scolded by the owl, who...is surprisingly wise. Oh. Well. Owls are wise, yes? That makes more sense. Also, here's a problem that begins here and lasts throughout the rest of the episode. In the castle, Spike only hears the owl saying "who" and responds accordingly. Like the stupid joke didn't get old already. But after that, Spike can basically translate Owlowiscious' hoots and facial expressions to know exactly what he is "saying". It's inconsistent. It's even worse because it's not even inconsistent for a gag that is funny, or ever was.

Spike returns to Rarity's the next day to insomniac Rarity, who has created more clothing in one night than she probably has her whole life. We still don't see the evil side of the spell, but it's obvious something bad is going down. Oh. So, it's obvious at this point that I don't like Rarity, and Rarity episodes are usually really bad to me (off the top of my head though, Suited for Success was great, since it avoids a lot of the things that makes Rarity a bad character). I will say, that Tabitha St. Germain plays her amazingly well. I can say for certain that speaking from a voice acting perspective, Rarity is far and above the best. In this scene, we see so many cases of this, I'm not even going to list them. But insomniac Rarity is played so well here. Tabitha deserves an award for her role in the show, if she hasn't received one already. Anyway, Spike hesitates, but agrees gladly to let Rarity keep the book to "improve" Ponyville. While an almost sinister-seeming Owlowiscious gives a foreboding hoot.

And here's where Rarity starts losing it. Oh hey, it's Carrot...Carrot...um, whatever her name is. See, I told you. This is also where we actually get to see more than Rarity and Spike this episode. First, we get Applejack, and her cart getting "spruced up". Rarity decides that she and Spike and "the book" should not reveal who is doing these improvements. Which, coming from Rarity, is a very modest gesture. Maybe it's the book talking, but I don't think the dark magic of the spell gives out any kind of modesty. I would think it the very opposite. I would expect her to scream it from the rooftops, kind of like what she did in Sonic Rainboom when she flew up high and lost her wings. You know, at this point, I wondered why Rarity kept the book. Once the spell was cast, she should have the ability forever, shouldn't she? That made me wonder if there was some kind of sentience with the book. But then I laughed at myself, and gave up on that idea. More of a cursed magic item than an intelligent one. Rarity then gives Rainbow Dash an outfit while she's clearing clouds. Clearing them lazily I must say. That doesn't seem like ten seconds flat. Anyway, yeah, the dress sucks, and Dash tries to get it off. Which, I wonder. Was she having trouble because she's a pony, or was she having trouble because the magic keeps the dress on no matter what? If the book and the spell are cursed, is everything made with the spell cursed? It would make sense. Next up, Fluttershy and her birdhouse, which Rarity changes to be so big that the branch it is on droops down all the way to the ground. The weird thing is, Fluttershy tries to direct the bird through the birdhouse, but doesn't seem to give any thought as to how her birdhouse magically changed so quickly. Then again, she is the one who is friends with Discord. And then we get to the fair itself. Rarity fancies up the party, because she doesn't know how parties work. Oh, but hey, it's Octavia in the band that replaced the....mariachi ponies? Huh. Oh wait, we're not done. After Rarity declares her desire to change absolutely everything, she gives Spike a new...suit? I don't know. It's just a bunch of gems fused together to resemble a robot, or something. Mobility, down to zero. You know, I'd say that the spell is affecting Rarity's fashion sense, but given what we've seen from her this season, with clothing made from hotel parts, and a hat that made her look like Marge Simpson with diamonds, I wouldn't be surprised if the real Rarity would design something so stupid at this point.

Oh, THERE'S Twilight, fifteen minutes in. Yeah, that's seems about right. Show up late, try to find the problem. And...well. Here we have, I think, the first case of Mayor Mare interacting with Twilight as a princess. I know there was some discussion about whether or not the mayor still had some kind of authority in Ponyville with Twily around. And...we still don't know. This wasn't a really a "we need your authority", it was more of a "we need your magic and wings to save some ponies.

So, Spike gets the idea to swipe the book from Rarity. You know, just like Twilight, a little late. At least in Twilight's defense, she didn't know anything sinister was going on. Rarity has turned the town into what looks like Auria from Breath of Fire. With the help of Owlowiscious, Spike successfully steals the book. Huh. I was expecting that to be harder. I don't know. Spike eats the book, to keep Rarity from knowing he took it. Which, holy crap. So, the book as a physical object, whatever. Spike eats gems, I'm sure his digestive system can handle it. But what about the fact that the book is cursed and it's dark freaking magic? Isn't that going to have some kind of effect on Spike? I can see him turning evil, and I'm willing to bet that ends up being a thread in the season finale. But, even without the book, Rarity still has the magic of evil conjuration. Huh, I was right. Didn't really expect to be right.

So, after another Rarity proclamation, Spike finally sums up the nerve to tell her no, and that her shit sucks. And then...the spell stops? Ok, so it was in the spell all along, so I'm not gonna harp the writers for that one. That's...Chekhov's Gun, right? I mean, it's kind of a stupid spell in the first place though. Just saying she sucks made the spell stop? That's not really that evil. Plus, that could be something easily exploited. Just have Spike around to stop her when she goes overboard. She could be super famous before she knew it. So while Spike writes his lesson in his journal (not firebreathing THAT to Celestia), Twilight comes in and scolds him for causing so much chaos. Apparently she, Cadence, and Luna had to clean it all up. Makes sense. Dark magic is more powerful, and takes some alicorn magic. BUT, what about Celestia? She didn't have to help? Does this mean that Celestia truly is 100% more important and higher ranking than her sister? I don't believe that. Yes, Luna has to live in her shadow, because her reign comes at night when all the ponies are sleeping. But that doesn't make her any less important. Luna should be equal with her sister, and here we have a good example of that not happening. Ooh, and I got a very Timmy Turner vibe from her lines here. It comes out of Twilight every now and then. I didn't really realize how similar the voices were until I noticed it for the first time. And Spike isn't even phased by the scolding. Taking it in stride, like a champ.

Pinkie Factor: approved. She goes crazy over a town-wide party, and it isn't even over-the-top. Or, at least not over-the-top for her. She does some crazy stuff.

My favorite part of the episode? Owlowiscious. I said before that we need more Angel, and his non-verbal emotions were amusing. Here, Owlowiscious provides a very rare case of non-verbal lessons. He's the logical one here, since this entire episode could have been avoided if Spike wasn't in love with Rarity. There's something about the human-like actions from the animals that is just fun to watch.

I like the lesson in the episode at least. It's new, and it's something that should be remembered by people of all ages. Basically, don't enable your friends. Let em know when they're doing something stupid. But the premise of the episode is very thin, what with Rarity being too dramatic even for her, and the almost deus ex machina of plot devices in the book. Also, another single or dual character episode featuring characters that either don't work well in those settings or just aren't ones that I like period. It was doomed from the beginning. Not much else to say really.