Poll MLP:FIM S6E10 - "Applejack's 'Day' Off" - Grading & Discussion

[Amaris]

Episode Title: "Applejack's 'Day' Off"
Air Date: May 28th, 11:30 AM Eastern Time (3:30 PM GMT/UTC)

Summary: "While Rarity struggles to get Applejack to relax at the spa, Twilight and Spike find covering her “simple” farm chores to be a more difficult job than they anticipated."


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Ruminations:
Apples! Apples! Apples! It's an Applejack episode, and it's about time! We never get to see enough of Applejack, that's for sure, so it's great that an episode featuring her, at least as the subject of the episode. So Twilight and friends will be trying to take care of Applejack's chores as she spends a day relaxing at the spa. I imagine the tasks ahead for both Twilight and Rarity will be herculean, because getting Applejack to relax is darn near impossible, and with all the responsibilities she has, I imagine many hijinx will be ensuing this episode. Onward!


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[Peach Wookiee]

Coming on now!!!

 

[DarkHorizon]

Did... did the writers forget that it's Rarity and Fluttershy who have the regular spa date?

 

[Kemaiku]

Did... did the writers forget that it's Rarity and Fluttershy who have the regular spa date?

Honestly forgot there was an episode today, anyhoo.

Yes, like I said we have a lot of new writers this season, most of whom have said on twitter they haven't followed the show before working on it, they've been given more freedom to write episodes as they feel like.

 

[DarkHorizon]

Yes, like I said we have a lot of new writers this season, most of whom have said on twitter they haven't followed the show before working on it, they've been given more freedom to write episodes as they feel like.

I guess that explains why everyone felt rather out of character, and the story never really went anywhere.

 

[Kemaiku]

The whole season has felt "off" and unfocused, but that's what happens when you retire 60% of the core staff of a show.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

I think it was a really good episode, actually. And I can see, after the events of "Look Before You Sleep" that AJ decided to go with Rarity. Considering how much Rarity goes, I think she could have more than just Fluttershy go with her once a week. She goes with Fluttershy on Mondays...

 

[TrekAlliance92]

Coming of the brilliant humor of the last episode, and the awesome musical before that, this episode was not spectacular, but not terrible. It maintained the charm of the characters and settings that really makes the show work for me. I enjoyed the dialogue and banter, and the comic highlights included Rainbow Dash's secret love of the spa and Applejack's scary faces and chicken dance. I also must note the music used during the montages.

 

[Amaris]

I enjoyed the episode. It's pure slice of life, with nothing outwardly dangerous or noteworthy going on, aside from us getting a chance to see our friends dealing with the mundanities of day to day living. In this case, we get to see Applejack trying to actually relax for once, but burdened with a great many chores. Fortunately, Twilight and Spike are there to help, and so while they set off to feed the pigs and give Applejack a little time with Rarity so they can enjoy their spa day together, Applejack won't have to feel like she's just abandoning her chores on the farm. It's a common predicament many of us have been in. I feel that way all of the time.

Of course, once they get to the spa, there's a problem with the steam room, and Applejack ends up working out the mystery, resolving it with her blue collar, hard labor skillset, and so we get happy spa ponies, and a disgruntled Rarity, because once again Applejack has missed the chance to relax due to extenuating circumstances. So they head back to the farm and we see Twilight has followed the list to the letter, only to be foiled by the very odd sequence of events she's had to engage in just to feed pigs. Clearly the task isn't as simple as one thinks. Of course, as we discover, Applejack has been taking the harder road because it's what she's always done™, and we get a nice lesson about letting a friend offer constructive criticism with an objective view from the outside.

The end result is a nice, warm episode where we get to see some enjoyable character interaction, and a funny little sequence where Rainbow Dash clearly enjoys frou frou stuff more than she lets on. Also, bonus points go to Bulk Biceps for redefining the meaning of "deep tissue massage."

All in all, a fun slice of life that easily gets an "A" from me. Some of you may feel an "A" is a bit strong, but then you all know I simply adore slice of life episodes, and usually grade them a bit higher because of that, and this one fit that bill perfectly.