As usual with these reviews, it will contain spoilers. Those who have not seen the episode yet, you have been warned.
The premise of the episode is that the Cutie Mark Crusaders, in an effort to earn their cutie marks, try to track down a wanted criminal in Appleoosa.
First of all, let me say how nice it is that we get a story returning to the roots of the CMC, them trying to earn their marks. I know I said back in "Bloom and gloom" that they touched upon it again, but that was more of a fear they were experiencing about the subject rather than outright trying to go for it. This is the first genuine attempt for them to find their marks for quite a few years now. As for the premise itself, it suddenly strikes me that this is very much a shift from the kind of perfect image we're usually given of Equestria. Now, I know this show has often depicted ponies doing questionable things, but it's rare we ever see anything resembling outright criminal action, or some kind of official justice system that we might recognise in the real world. It helps to flesh out this world as something other than a pristine and perfect place, which is always a welcome change. It also helps to serve as a reinforcement of this season's currently darker tone than previous years. Although, that kind of thing was somewhat undermined by the revelation that the "criminal" was just clumsy the whole time.
The character of Troubleshoes is an interesting one. I had a feeling going into this that there was something going on beyond what we were told. However, I didn't really predict that he'd just be a goof the whole time. In all honesty, he reminds me of Eeyore from the Winnie the Pooh stories a lot of the time. Actually, it would not have surprised me to learn that he might have originally been planned as a donkey in the early drafts of the story. His story was an interesting one as it seems to be reinforcing a theme that's been running throughout this season, that being that cutie marks aren't always a good thing. We saw this in the last CMC episode, and we see it here, that sometimes those marks can lead to problems. However, the problem here was all a matter of misinterpretation rather than outright bad talent, though it is a somewhat sad notion that this character spent his entire life depressed because of something he got wrong. Still, at the end of the day he was a decent character, even if his sad-sack routine did get tiresome by the end.
As for the other characters, they all did okay. The CMC are just as fun to watch as always, and actually seem to be showing some growth as a group. Sweetie Belle's use of magic for instance is a nice touch, given that it was established last season that she can finally use it. Applejack's overprotective tendencies may seem like a step backwards from her and Apple Bloom's episode last season, but I think it's understandable here. After all, Applejack was under the impression that her sister had been kidnapped by Troubleshoes, so it's perfectly reasonable that she'd act the way that she did. Actually, now that I think about it, that's a much more grown-up element that a lot of us are used to, to know that the concept of child kidnappings exist in this world, so kudos on that. Braeburn's return was a nice touch, and he was admittedly pretty funny to watch. As for the other characters, I don't really have anything to say, except that it's odd that, in all the time Troubleshoes was supposedly causing trouble, nobody ever tried investigating to see if he was deliberately doing these things.
Time to talk about the humour now and, as you might expect, it's largely based ion the CMC and their interactions, either with each other or the other characters who show up. However, the jokes that centre around them have grown considerably since those early days of MLP, to the point where I actually find them among the funniest characters of the show. And that s showcased well here, as we have them walking around, sometimes oblivious to the kinds of stuff their actions are causing, and when they are aware, it's all the more hilarious. Plus, as is often the case with many episodes of MLP, seeing character try to do something, only to have it crashing down on them, can, if handled right, be very funny to watch. And I think this is one of those well-handled humorous moments. Still, there were plenty of other good comedy moments here by other character, with my personal favourite being the harmonica clown. It was brief, but all the funnier because of it.
Onto the songs now, and this week we don't have any, which is a shame given all the good ones we've had so far this season.
As for the moral of the story, this week it seems to be that just because you think your talent in life isn't a good one at first doesn't mean that it can't be used in a good way, or have positive effects if done correctly. It's an interesting lesson, showing that good things can come from any ability if used right, which I think is a good thing for kids to learn, and even some adults for that matter. Though, I will say, that I think there was a good opportunity here for Applejack and the other adult characters to learn their own lesson, as they judged Troubleshoes without ever really getting to know the facts about his actions. That would be a far more profound message, especially when you consider all the stuff that goes in in real-life. Still, the message we did get was a good one, no question there.
So, how did the episode fare overall? Honestly, I found it to be something of a mixed bag. While there was plenty for me to like here, I considered it to be a relative downgrade compared to the previous CMC episode, "Bloom and Gloom". That episode had a very heartfelt message and core to it, while this one is played more for laughs and just general antics. That's not a bad thing, as it can be good to break up the more serious episodes we've had. And, like I said, I do enjoy seeing these characters and the way they work off each other. However, I'd be lying if I said I thought this episode was anything special in the grand scheme of things. I know it seems like I'm being light on this review compared to how much I usually write, but that's largely because I couldn?t find as much to write about as I can for other episodes. I'm glad I watched it, and I'd recommend others watch it too, but I don't think it's an episode I'll be putting on my must-watch-again pile anytime soon.
The premise of the episode is that the Cutie Mark Crusaders, in an effort to earn their cutie marks, try to track down a wanted criminal in Appleoosa.
First of all, let me say how nice it is that we get a story returning to the roots of the CMC, them trying to earn their marks. I know I said back in "Bloom and gloom" that they touched upon it again, but that was more of a fear they were experiencing about the subject rather than outright trying to go for it. This is the first genuine attempt for them to find their marks for quite a few years now. As for the premise itself, it suddenly strikes me that this is very much a shift from the kind of perfect image we're usually given of Equestria. Now, I know this show has often depicted ponies doing questionable things, but it's rare we ever see anything resembling outright criminal action, or some kind of official justice system that we might recognise in the real world. It helps to flesh out this world as something other than a pristine and perfect place, which is always a welcome change. It also helps to serve as a reinforcement of this season's currently darker tone than previous years. Although, that kind of thing was somewhat undermined by the revelation that the "criminal" was just clumsy the whole time.
The character of Troubleshoes is an interesting one. I had a feeling going into this that there was something going on beyond what we were told. However, I didn't really predict that he'd just be a goof the whole time. In all honesty, he reminds me of Eeyore from the Winnie the Pooh stories a lot of the time. Actually, it would not have surprised me to learn that he might have originally been planned as a donkey in the early drafts of the story. His story was an interesting one as it seems to be reinforcing a theme that's been running throughout this season, that being that cutie marks aren't always a good thing. We saw this in the last CMC episode, and we see it here, that sometimes those marks can lead to problems. However, the problem here was all a matter of misinterpretation rather than outright bad talent, though it is a somewhat sad notion that this character spent his entire life depressed because of something he got wrong. Still, at the end of the day he was a decent character, even if his sad-sack routine did get tiresome by the end.
As for the other characters, they all did okay. The CMC are just as fun to watch as always, and actually seem to be showing some growth as a group. Sweetie Belle's use of magic for instance is a nice touch, given that it was established last season that she can finally use it. Applejack's overprotective tendencies may seem like a step backwards from her and Apple Bloom's episode last season, but I think it's understandable here. After all, Applejack was under the impression that her sister had been kidnapped by Troubleshoes, so it's perfectly reasonable that she'd act the way that she did. Actually, now that I think about it, that's a much more grown-up element that a lot of us are used to, to know that the concept of child kidnappings exist in this world, so kudos on that. Braeburn's return was a nice touch, and he was admittedly pretty funny to watch. As for the other characters, I don't really have anything to say, except that it's odd that, in all the time Troubleshoes was supposedly causing trouble, nobody ever tried investigating to see if he was deliberately doing these things.
Time to talk about the humour now and, as you might expect, it's largely based ion the CMC and their interactions, either with each other or the other characters who show up. However, the jokes that centre around them have grown considerably since those early days of MLP, to the point where I actually find them among the funniest characters of the show. And that s showcased well here, as we have them walking around, sometimes oblivious to the kinds of stuff their actions are causing, and when they are aware, it's all the more hilarious. Plus, as is often the case with many episodes of MLP, seeing character try to do something, only to have it crashing down on them, can, if handled right, be very funny to watch. And I think this is one of those well-handled humorous moments. Still, there were plenty of other good comedy moments here by other character, with my personal favourite being the harmonica clown. It was brief, but all the funnier because of it.
Onto the songs now, and this week we don't have any, which is a shame given all the good ones we've had so far this season.
As for the moral of the story, this week it seems to be that just because you think your talent in life isn't a good one at first doesn't mean that it can't be used in a good way, or have positive effects if done correctly. It's an interesting lesson, showing that good things can come from any ability if used right, which I think is a good thing for kids to learn, and even some adults for that matter. Though, I will say, that I think there was a good opportunity here for Applejack and the other adult characters to learn their own lesson, as they judged Troubleshoes without ever really getting to know the facts about his actions. That would be a far more profound message, especially when you consider all the stuff that goes in in real-life. Still, the message we did get was a good one, no question there.
So, how did the episode fare overall? Honestly, I found it to be something of a mixed bag. While there was plenty for me to like here, I considered it to be a relative downgrade compared to the previous CMC episode, "Bloom and Gloom". That episode had a very heartfelt message and core to it, while this one is played more for laughs and just general antics. That's not a bad thing, as it can be good to break up the more serious episodes we've had. And, like I said, I do enjoy seeing these characters and the way they work off each other. However, I'd be lying if I said I thought this episode was anything special in the grand scheme of things. I know it seems like I'm being light on this review compared to how much I usually write, but that's largely because I couldn?t find as much to write about as I can for other episodes. I'm glad I watched it, and I'd recommend others watch it too, but I don't think it's an episode I'll be putting on my must-watch-again pile anytime soon.
