Season 7 episode discussion - non-leaked/early version

@The Smiling Pony  
She’s slightly larger from the looks of it.

@EPPony  
Maybe Rarity shrunk. :o

I hope people actually remember this episode this time. The situation of the one last week was bad enough already.
 
Celestial Advice:9.2  
All Bottled Up:8.8  
A Flurry of Emotions:9.5  
Rock Solid Friendship:9.5  
Fluttershy Leans In:8.6  
Forever Filly:9.4
 
That’s a fantastic run we’re having there.
 

 
What kind of accent is that?

@Mildgyth
 
I actually think it’s the same accent she had last time? But she’s speaking slower.
 
Is that true? you’ve seen season 4 more recently than a lot of us.

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I went through puberty.”  
-Claire Corlette
 
Just before watching, I really, really hoped this wouldn’t be Somepony to Watch Over Me just with a different set of siblings.
 
It wasn’t.
 
That said…eh.
 
I…don’t particularly care for this episode that much? I mean it’s not bad, but I feel like it could’ve been better.
 
It really feels like Rarity went off to college and didn’t see Sweetie for years. I know they don’t live together like Apple Bloom and Applejack, but I feel like the whole root of the problem is pretty weak. I don’t see my little sister that much, but I know that her interests have changed, I know what fandoms she’s in and stuff, but that’s just personal experience.
 
But I get the issue. It’s hard to believe that some people have grown out of things, but that’s ok. It might not be the same, but you can still have fun times together.
 
I feel like it might’ve been better if Sweetie was having fun at first. Rarity’s giving her a trip down memory lane, and they reminisce about the fun times they had, but the longer it goes on, the less fun Sweetie’s having, and then tells Rarity that she’s not the little Belle she was before.
 
Also bullshit on that sideplot my dog still loved playing with the same toys he did when we first got him. Granted, we did have to get new toys because the old ones he destroyed, but the ones that withstood his teeth he still played with.
 
That said, it’s got good moments.
 
Rarity is delightfully hamming it up, and that’s usually entertaining. Sassy Saddles was a pleasant surprise, and I liked seeing her and Rarity interact with each other. Maybe they’ll do the same with Coco later?
 
Can’t really put one Crusader in without the other two that live in Ponyville. I have to say, the Cutie Marking process has gotten a lot more dramatic. It’s almost as if they increased the budget. Remember when it was just a flash on the flank, and they didn’t seem to reach transcendence?
 
Also, please supervise these children, they nearly killed someone/themselves…again.
 
You know, there are a lot of metaphors and parallels from the lesson we could draw about some of our real lives, but I’m not gonna make them.
 
“There are no cracks” she said, while being in the episode that shouldn’t be viewed by Americans yet.
 
…As a side note, unless your talent is related to Blue’s Clues, three paw prints as a cutie mark is odd because most dogs I know have four paws.
 

@gingerninja666
 
It’s not that i think it’s different from the last time; i really want to know what kind of accent is that.

@Mildgyth  
She has a bit of a Spanish accent.

@EPPony  
That sounds Spanish to you? It sounds like some kind of European accent to me.

@Applejack007  
It kind of sounds like it to me.

@Applejack007  
Uh… where do you think Spain is?

@Applejack007
 
Spanish is European…

@The Smiling Pony  
OKAY, I should have said it sounds like Russian or one of those countries.

Jesus christ

And usually (at least here) when someone says Spanish they’re not actually referring to Spain.

@Applejack007  
Russia is in Europe as well

@EotD  
That’s what I meant, I should have replaced European with Russia (or some country over there)

@Mildgyth  

That’s probably the simplest, but most truthful description of season 7 I’ve heard thus far.
 
It occurred to me today that the biggest advantage of being on the US schedule instead of the Canadian one is that I finally feel like I have time to think about an episode before coming here to discuss it. Too often the other thread is so filled with posts that anything meaningful can get buried in a slew of questions, comments, and the occasional bout of Starlight hate. That’s not the case here, however, and I’m quite happy to be able to give the episode featuring my favorite pony and favorite CMC member the attention it deserves.
 
And boy what an episode to give attention to.
 
It’s kind of a rarity (no pun intended) for a cartoon series to acknowledge any sort of time related development or aging. This has always, in my mind, made the CMC stand out from other recurring child characters. They have always been about that development into maturity, and regardless of whether their physical stature has changed, I think there are few people who would deny that (psychologically and emotionally) they are not the same young foals they used to be. And Rarity, like many a long term fan suddenly struck by how long we have been watching this show, it is an understandably shocking realization at how quickly time has passed.
 
Of course what makes the realization that much harder is that Rarity very much seems to not want to believe that herself. Her plan for the day is based on memories, not the present reality, and in doing so actively captures a moment I think even many more realistic dramas struggle with. Sweetie Belle is not depicted as aggravated because the trope demands she immediately turn sullen and withdrawn from adults the minute she hits a certain age. Instead, the conflict develops as real ones tend to do. She’s maturing, becoming more independent… somepony with her own mind. Yet the sister she clearly does care for only sees the filly she used to be, and it is that dichotomy, that appreciation for what her sister is trying to do while upset that her sister isn’t seeing who she is becoming that makes the final scenes (and Rarity and Sweetie Belle’s ultimate resolution) that much better.
 
A few slightly subtle nuances I appreciate about the episode are also how it is set up. The fact that Rarity’s success has meant less time for her family is a realistic facet of the story, as is her concern over not having had that time with someone she cares about. There’s also the interesting fact that Sweetie Belle has followed in her sister’s tendencies to throw herself completely into her life’s passion, and we end up (in some sense) with a reverse “Sisterhooves Social”, where Rarity is the one who wants nothing more than to hang out with a sister who has other things she wants to be doing. It also is a little touching that the influences Sweetie Belle and Rarity have had on each other are well represented here. Sweetie Belle, whether she realizes it or not, has in some ways become the group’s voice of professionalism. The guarantees of satisfaction, the assurances to clients, the dedication she shows to fulfilling a request, all speak to a young filly who has probably picked up a thing or two from her successful sister. And on Rarity’s end, we see beneath her dramatic entrances and grandiosity pride in her sister’s achievements, as well as a fierce desire to remain close to her, two things Sweetie Belle was prone to showing herself.
 
The conclusion is particularly emotional, but well done. It is intensely hard to realize someone close to you has changed, and harder still to reconcile that with the individual they are still growing into. As someone who has always had a problem with change this episode really spoke to me (especially coming, as it has, weeks before my own little sister is set to get married). Yet the realization that these things happen, and can be worked through, is a comforting one, and something I feel more shows should try to do.
 
Short answer… this was a great, emotional episode. I very much liked it, and I hope next week’s family development of Rainbow Dash is equally as well done.

@Applejack007
 
Eastern European.
 
@Applejack007
 
My bad; i was typing my reply while he was doing his.

@Mildgyth  
Yes, that works better, and maybe it’s just where I live (the south) but when someone says “can you speak Spanish” they’re definitely not actually referring to Spain.

When it comes to Zipporwhill, European was about as far as I could trace her accent.

@Applejack007  
It’s a bit like saying that someone from Boston has an English accent…

The wiki says Zipporwhill has “a slight Latin American accent,” which seems too vague to me considering the size of Latin America.
 
 
@Background Pony #5981  

 
That’s an interesting point. Until this episode, Apple Bloom has usually lead the CMC.