Welcome back fillies and gentlecolts to another FiM recap/review. I hope all of you had a great Nightmare Night. But now that we’ve completed that event, it’s time to move on to another. As for the first time ever, we witness the “Sisterhooves Social”.
We open the episode with Rarity in bed, slowly waking up to the smell of pancakes. But the happy awakening is changed to a panicked one at the sudden smell of smoke. She rushes out of bed, and falls down the stairs. However, she quickly learns that the offending odor is coming from her sister Sweetie Belle, who was trying to surprise her with breakfast in bed. And if the rude awakening wasn’t enough, Rarity’s parents inform her that they are leaving for their vacation, thus leaving her to watch after Sweetie Belle.
After their parents leave, Rarity makes herself and Sweetie Belle breakfast. Sweetie Belle offers to help, but Rarity does most of the work herself. However, when Sweetie finally does get to help out, she only ends up making a mess. And this becomes the running theme for the majority of act one. Sweetie Belle tries to help her sister, only to end up making a mess, and making Rarity angrier and angrier. She tries to wash the clothes, but accidentally shrinks Rarity’s one of a kind sweater. She draws a picture, but uses up rare sapphires Rarity needed for one of her outfits. Even when she cleans up a messy room, Rarity still gets angry at her because it was supposed to be messy.
A defeated Sweetie Belle meets up with Apple Bloom, and tells her of her problems with Rarity. Apple Bloom suggests the Sisterhooves Social. An event where sisters compete in all sorts of different games. Sweetie Belle loves the idea. However, her refined and dirt-hating sister, does not. This pushes Sweetie Belle to the point of frustration, and wishes that Rarity wasn’t her sister. Rarity agrees with the sentiment. Sweetie Belle storms off to end act one.
At Sweet Apple Acres, Sweetie Belle complains some more about her problems with Rarity. Applejack tries to convince Sweetie Belle that Rarity will eventually come around, much to Sweetie’s Chagrin. Sweetie Belle watches as Applejack and Apple Bloom work together on the farm by collecting bruised apples, making grape juice, and even herding sheep (oh that silly equine hierarchy, where the sheep are the horse’s slaves). Meanwhile, back at Carousel Boutique, Rarity slowly begins to come around, realizing that some of the things Sweetie Belle did weren’t such big messes after all. And after seeing the picture Sweetie Belle drew of the two of them, she finally realizes the error of her ways, and heads off to seek her sister’s forgiveness.
However, her apology falls on deaf ears, because Sweetie Belle informs Rarity that she has decided to adopt Applejack as her new big sister. Rarity asks Applejack for advice, and she tells her that sisterhood is about give and take, and Rarity has been doing far too much taking. Rarity comes up with an idea to win Sweetie Belle back.
The next day arrives, and the Sisterhooves Social is underway. Apple Bloom allows Sweetie Belle to be Applejack’s sister for the day (Just one day!). At the start of the competition, Applejack falls in the mud, and Sweetie helps her out. The two compete in competitions like jumping through buckets, pie eating, apple catching, and finally trying to race to the finish. However, despite their best efforts, they don’t win. Even though they didn’t win, Sweetie Belle hugs Applejack for still having fun. However, the embraces knocks off Applejack’s hat, revealing a white horn underneath. Yes, the pony covered in mud is in fact…
Wait? What do you mean I can’t do the Frank Stallone joke again? I don’t care about repetition, this is my review article. I should have some control over… fine.
Yes, the pony covered in mud is in fact…
Rarity!
Sweetie Belle learns that Applejack and Rarity switched places early on, and that it was the two sisters that competed together in the competition. Sweetie Belle is happy with her sister again, and the episode ends with the two of them writing a letter to Princess Celestia about the importance of sisterhood.
If I were to use one word to describe this episode, it would be: Adorable. It was a very lighthearted, very entertaining, and most of all, very adorable episode. But how do I rate it? Let’s look at the pros and cons.
PRO
Sweetie Belle is perhaps the most adorable character on the show, and that’s saying volumes. Since her first appearance back in season 1’s “Call of the Cutie”, she hasn’t had the opportunity to stand out among the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders. This was her episode to shine, and the character took the ball and ran with it. And ended up being a great child character, without being too overbearing, or annoying.
Applejack finally got a bit more of a push in this episode. Of all the ponies, AJ is usually the one who gets lost in the overall shuffle when it comes to development. Having her and Apple Bloom be the examples of a good sister dynamic was a smart decision, and made both characters look better in the process.
The Sisterhooves Social competition was a cool idea. An essential amalgam of contests, rolled into one. Again, it’s what I love to see on the show. More events throughout Equestria, and how they work.
And finally, no Twilight Sparkle. Now, you may be wondering why I put that in the pro section. Well, for the longest time, I’ve felt that Twilight has been shoehorned into most of the episodes because she needed to be the moral compass, and the one who eventually sends the letter to Princess Celestia. This episode proved that while the character is great, she isn’t needed for every major or minor thing in the show. Though, hopefully that won’t become a habit. She is one of my favorites.
CON
The pacing in the ep was a bit messy at times, and the episode didn’t flow all too well. Other than that, the episode was still well done.
For being the element of Generosity, Rarity was pretty selfish in this episode. While it was integral for the plot to move along, having the character who usually puts others first being so quick to anger at the help of her younger sister seems a bit too forced, and definitely out of character. While it doesn’t change my feelings for the character, it does come off as a bit annoying.
While the rest of the mane cast weren’t needed, not having them around in any way was still pretty surprising. Even the lack of Scootaloo was pretty shocking. It’s not like they were needed for the story, but again, it’s a case where you’re so used to these characters, that their absence is definitely noticeable.
Other than that, this was a great episode all around, and definitely one of my favorites this season. So far, the show has been 5 for 5 when it comes to quality episodes, and this was definitely no exception. While there were a couple of minor issues, the rest of the episode was solid from start to finish.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
Well, if you liked episodes centered around the Cutie Mark Crusaders, you’ll love next weeks episode. Apple Bloom finally gets her cutie mark. But, is it time to celebrate, or is it merely a case of “The Cutie Pox”? We’ll see next Saturday.
Until next time Bronies and Pegasisters.