MLP:FiM 2x23 "Ponyville Confidential"
- Thread starter Kemaiku
- Start date
Fun episode, but not my favorite though. I was suffering from some rather bad neck pain when it was on, however, so that definitely affected my ability to enjoy it.
Good points:
Rarity was a hilarious hypocrite (again). Her frayed relationship with Sweetie Belle is becoming one of my favorite things.
I loved the spa scene and seeing Dash's almost physical revulsion to girly frou-frou stuff. It's so rare to see the entire cast together being friends this season that I'll eat up any chance we get.
Trixie shout-out!
Smarty Pants callback! Very surprised they went with the fandom interpretation of Big Mac keeping her and fawning over her in private, but there it is.
Also, "Family Appreciation Day" and "Baby Cakes" callbacks. This episode was just loaded with continuity.
And, of course, Applejack's "Eeeeyup" and "nnnnnope," while Big Mac goes on a long, wordy rant. Good stuff.
The not so good:
Scootaloo confirmed for can't fly.
I think I see what people have been saying about the CMC not being so great when they're actually crusading. Aside from the fact that it made them do really mean things this week, there's a fundamental problem that the crusading often involves them forcing themselves to do things they don't really want to do in order to get their marks. That's a lot less engaging than, say, "Hearts and Hooves Day," where they do what they do because they like it. It is off-putting to see them be that obsessive to their detriment and everyone else's.
This might be my physical discomfort affecting my attention span, but I though the episode felt kind of choppy, in terms of how they ended up on staff, writing a gossip column and having the paper become a town sensation.
I wasn't too hot on the ending where everypony shuns the CMCs until they apologize. I know the point the writers were making, but some of this seemed really immature. Twilight's reaction especially of sealing herself in a bubble; and she was the level-headed one earlier in the episode! Ultimately, the crusaders are still kids and everypony affected are adults. In real life, somebody would step in and have a talk with them about what's happened and enforce some kind of rules, not let them continue to run amok and act all hurt and petulant when they do. This one of the (rare) downsides to being a moral-driven cartoon aimed at kids; it was designed to make a point about school gossip, and so points out in no uncertain terms that gossiping hurts other kids and that's bad...but since the CMC are the only well-developed child characters on the show, the writers roped the Mane 6 into being expy schoolchildren, and it just didn't gel.
Good points:
Rarity was a hilarious hypocrite (again). Her frayed relationship with Sweetie Belle is becoming one of my favorite things.
I loved the spa scene and seeing Dash's almost physical revulsion to girly frou-frou stuff. It's so rare to see the entire cast together being friends this season that I'll eat up any chance we get.
Trixie shout-out!
Smarty Pants callback! Very surprised they went with the fandom interpretation of Big Mac keeping her and fawning over her in private, but there it is.
Also, "Family Appreciation Day" and "Baby Cakes" callbacks. This episode was just loaded with continuity.
And, of course, Applejack's "Eeeeyup" and "nnnnnope," while Big Mac goes on a long, wordy rant. Good stuff.
The not so good:
Scootaloo confirmed for can't fly.
I think I see what people have been saying about the CMC not being so great when they're actually crusading. Aside from the fact that it made them do really mean things this week, there's a fundamental problem that the crusading often involves them forcing themselves to do things they don't really want to do in order to get their marks. That's a lot less engaging than, say, "Hearts and Hooves Day," where they do what they do because they like it. It is off-putting to see them be that obsessive to their detriment and everyone else's.
This might be my physical discomfort affecting my attention span, but I though the episode felt kind of choppy, in terms of how they ended up on staff, writing a gossip column and having the paper become a town sensation.
I wasn't too hot on the ending where everypony shuns the CMCs until they apologize. I know the point the writers were making, but some of this seemed really immature. Twilight's reaction especially of sealing herself in a bubble; and she was the level-headed one earlier in the episode! Ultimately, the crusaders are still kids and everypony affected are adults. In real life, somebody would step in and have a talk with them about what's happened and enforce some kind of rules, not let them continue to run amok and act all hurt and petulant when they do. This one of the (rare) downsides to being a moral-driven cartoon aimed at kids; it was designed to make a point about school gossip, and so points out in no uncertain terms that gossiping hurts other kids and that's bad...but since the CMC are the only well-developed child characters on the show, the writers roped the Mane 6 into being expy schoolchildren, and it just didn't gel.
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Well, this wasn't as clever or laugh-out-loud funny as "Hearts & Hooves Day" (my favorite CMC episode), but it also wasn't as dull as "Family Appreciation Day" (to me, the weakest episode of the series).
Also, as someone working in journalism, I enjoyed seeing the CMCs enthusiasm for getting journalism cutie marks.
Now, notes and highlights:
On the whole, while not amazing, this was a fair enough episode. I'd put it on the lower end of the B range. To compare...
Episode Rankings (Subject to Change on Future Viewings) -
(A) The Return of Harmony, Lesson Zero, Luna Eclipsed, The Mysterious Mare Do Well, Sweet & Elite, Secret of My Excess, The Last Roundup, Read it & Weep, Hearts and Hooves Day, A Friend in Deed, Hurricane Fluttershy
(B) The Cutie Pox, Baby Cakes, The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, Putting Your Hoof Down, It's About Time, Ponyville Confidential
(C) Sisterhood Social, May the Best Pet Win, Hearth's Warming Eve, Dragon Quest
(D) Family Appreciation Day
(F) None So Far
Also, as someone working in journalism, I enjoyed seeing the CMCs enthusiasm for getting journalism cutie marks.
Now, notes and highlights:
- The teaser was enjoyable. Did anyone else find the visual of Scootaloo picking up the paper adorable? And, the montage of them checking for their marks was funny.
- "YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY" - The pony in the back row being excited about the paper was hilariously random.
- Something about Rarity saying "gum on their bum" was really funny. In fact, Rarity stole the show pretty much in this one. Her later freakout was hilarious! And, it was good to see her get more than a few lines in another episode so soon.
- A reference to Trixie! I'm sure a lot of her big fans enjoyed that.
- In fact, there were lots of cool references--really everything but Derpy. Smartypants reappearing was nice, for example.
- The bit with Rainbow Dash in the spa was amusing. As was, Pinkie Pie crying because she knew she had a problem.
- Expanding on that, it was good to see the Mane Six appearing all together in a CMC episode.
- I enjoyed the speech-type reversal of Applejack and Big Mac. Funny stuff.
On the whole, while not amazing, this was a fair enough episode. I'd put it on the lower end of the B range. To compare...
Episode Rankings (Subject to Change on Future Viewings) -
(A) The Return of Harmony, Lesson Zero, Luna Eclipsed, The Mysterious Mare Do Well, Sweet & Elite, Secret of My Excess, The Last Roundup, Read it & Weep, Hearts and Hooves Day, A Friend in Deed, Hurricane Fluttershy
(B) The Cutie Pox, Baby Cakes, The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, Putting Your Hoof Down, It's About Time, Ponyville Confidential
(C) Sisterhood Social, May the Best Pet Win, Hearth's Warming Eve, Dragon Quest
(D) Family Appreciation Day
(F) None So Far
Loved all the little shoutouts in the episode, including Celestia pigging out on that cake 
and a Trixie shoutout, so she didn't learn her lesson and is running around neigh-bouring towns doing the same thing.
Scootaloo though but I love her and Apple Bloom so I enjoyed it anyway, never cared for Sweetie Belle and her seriously annoying voice breaking.
The Applejack/Big Mac scene was great
and Dashie was hilarious this episode. The spa scene seemed very...decedant for some reason, oh well. No Derpy which was sad but then she got loads of screen time last week.
Feather Weight was adorable, Snips and Snails are "meh" but they were funny enough this week, couldn't wait to see Diamond Tiara get what was coming to her. And yet again Cheerilee sets them a tough assignment and trollolol's out the door, I swear at one point her voice was even "kthnxbai".
And Mayor Mare has pink hair? didn't see that one coming.
and a Trixie shoutout, so she didn't learn her lesson and is running around neigh-bouring towns doing the same thing.Scootaloo though
but I love her and Apple Bloom so I enjoyed it anyway, never cared for Sweetie Belle and her seriously annoying voice breaking.The Applejack/Big Mac scene was great
and Dashie was hilarious this episode. The spa scene seemed very...decedant for some reason, oh well. No Derpy which was sad but then she got loads of screen time last week.Feather Weight was adorable, Snips and Snails are "meh" but they were funny enough this week, couldn't wait to see Diamond Tiara get what was coming to her. And yet again Cheerilee sets them a tough assignment and trollolol's out the door, I swear at one point her voice was even "kthnxbai".
And Mayor Mare has pink hair? didn't see that one coming.
She's like a cross between Celestia and Pinkie Pie for some reason.
I liked the episode a lot. First of all, it was a CMC episode and I find them so adorable! Especially Scootaloo but they all had cute scenes. We finally found out why Scootaloo can't fly and my theory that it's because she's outgrown her wings was confirmed. That, however, raises the question how the bodybuilder pegasus from last week was able to fly. 
When Diamond Tiara handed out the assignments to the other ponies I changed it to this in my mind: "I want you to take pictures of everything. I want you to write about what other ponies do in private. I want you to be the Ponyville Stasi." And that's sort of what happened with her blackmailing attempts later on.
I loved all the little things we found out and the different reactions to the gossip, especially Pinkie Pie's ("It's true, I have a problem!") and Rarity's ("I'm going to destroy her!"). I felt sorry for the CMC when they got shunned but I liked the different ways ponies were doing it, especially Twilight's forcefield.
The teaser was really great. That Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo would go so overboard and overthink the newspaper thing is quite typical of the CMC.
When Diamond Tiara handed out the assignments to the other ponies I changed it to this in my mind: "I want you to take pictures of everything. I want you to write about what other ponies do in private. I want you to be the Ponyville Stasi." And that's sort of what happened with her blackmailing attempts later on.
I loved all the little things we found out and the different reactions to the gossip, especially Pinkie Pie's ("It's true, I have a problem!") and Rarity's ("I'm going to destroy her!"). I felt sorry for the CMC when they got shunned but I liked the different ways ponies were doing it, especially Twilight's forcefield.
The teaser was really great. That Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo would go so overboard and overthink the newspaper thing is quite typical of the CMC.
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Amaris
Guest
Rarity's sudden "I'm going to destroy her" was hilarious!
The CMCs antics were ever adorable, especially the Applebloom baby photo. That nearly killed me, it was so sweet.
The episode overall was fun, featuring a lot of Rainbow Dash, which makes me a happy, happy man. The Mane Six (+Spike) hanging out together was great to see, as we don't get to see them together enough. I would easily give this one an "A".
The CMCs antics were ever adorable, especially the Applebloom baby photo. That nearly killed me, it was so sweet.
The episode overall was fun, featuring a lot of Rainbow Dash, which makes me a happy, happy man. The Mane Six (+Spike) hanging out together was great to see, as we don't get to see them together enough. I would easily give this one an "A".
Also, this:
Was fuckin' hilarious. They didn't even metion it, either. It's like "O, HAI giant pedicure set!" And then in the next shot it's gone.
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Guest
I also like the use of the Manglish in the newspaper.
They've been using that quasi-Cyrillic almost-English all season. It was quite prominent on all the printed material back in "Sisterhooves Social." It's a good way of making Equestria feel relatable yet foreign.
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Agreed. I really like it!
I also give this episode an A and told my nieces that if one wants to be a quality journalist, one doesn't write like a tabloid.
Especially the Applebloom baby photo. That nearly killed me, it was so sweet.
That bit was really sweet
I was too busy squee-ing over the shoutouts to really appreciate the episode proper, so I'll have to re-watch it.
Yes, such a horrible thing, rewatching Ponies
As for the shunning of the kids: it's not like they went all Shirley Jackson's The Lottery on them, or threw them out of town. It was just enough to make them uncomfortable.
Yes, such a horrible thing, rewatching Ponies
As for the shunning of the kids: it's not like they went all Shirley Jackson's The Lottery on them, or threw them out of town. It was just enough to make them uncomfortable.
