Tuesday 7 June 2016

MLP SEASON 6 REVIEW #5: Flutter Brutter

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 4/6/16 - Written by Dave Rapp & Meghan McCarthy

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

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When it has come to character development this season, so far Apple Bloom, Spike and Starlight Glimmer have excelled while mainstays such as Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie Pie have failed to add anything meaningful to their repertoire. It's now time for Fluttershy to get her turn, and in this episode as we know, quite a sizeable chunk of character development is going to drop.

We finally get her extended family added into the equation, specifically her brother, mother and father. With the episode focusing on her relationship with her brother and his attitude towards life and failure. It will be an episode that even from synopsis alone resonates with this reviewer a lot, considering my own problems with anxiety, fear of failure and my current living situation. Even with that amount of intrigue I have towards it, I still have my doubts as to whether this episode will be as deep and thought provoking as I am expecting it to be. Will it just be 22-minutes of Fluttershy arguing with her brother, failing to understand him until the last minute or will it be much like has been for Starlight Glimmer all season, with Fluttershy assisting her sibling as to where he can stand on his own two feet and keep positive connotations intact? 

It's the first time since before Gauntlet Of Fire that I've been this invested in an episode pre-airing, but now the talk is over. It's time to see if this episode can boost or flounder the progress of this season as we approach next weeks' halfway hiatus.

STORY AND NARRATIVE
The story of a 'slacker sibling in need of an attitude change' has been done before in mass media, usually with a lot of a series' time in order to flesh itself out. Anime comedy Himouto! Amaru-Chan has thirteen episodes to showcase Umaru Doma's character negligent personality and her brothers attempt to change it, BBC comedy Siblings has had two series of six episodes for Hannah and Dan to show how utterly inept they are at everything despite their rare attempts at reform. Unluckily for My Little Pony in this case, they only had twenty-two minutes as opposed to twenty-two episode run to tell the story. As a result, it may not surprise you that as a result of time constraints, this episode comes out the worse in conveying all it can with the potential this story of Zephyr Breeze and Fluttershy offered up in the first place.

The pacing of this episode while being positive with its use of cross dissolves to transition short stretches of time fluidly fails on almost every other facet. The story spent too long building up the negative traits in Zephyr's personality that by the time the latter stages came around, his reformation and change of attitude felt incredibly rushed. Even though those negative perceptions were justified in his character design and writing, there simply wasn't enough background to the character established before he arrived in, meaning that deeper elements were lost. Was his fear of failure stemming from a childhood moment, or a wrong interaction with a teacher (like young Snowfall Frost from "A Hearths Warming Tail" for example)? Some flashbacks to his and Fluttershy's childhood would have been great to add context but there was just not enough time. As a result, Zephyr's lazy attitude felt incredibly forced and therefore an episode that could have proven to be a profound character study was nothing more than a one-dimensional outlook of a cliche caricature, which is disappointing. That's not the end of it either. Thanks to these pacing issues and a lack of body, the story felt incredibly flat, which made the song feel even more out of place. It padded out an ending which concluded prematurely and was anticlimactic.

Even with all that though, there are still some elements that made me have some faith in the episode on a narrative level. Fluttershy's character progression and growth that had been done over the first five seasons had finally found a platform to exhibit itself. For continuity's sake, this was perfectly weighted with the stark lack of Zephyr's background to make her moral standing and position in the story seem more inflated than normal. Her parents stating that SHE had always been the assertive one (despite their attitudes highlighting how her original personality was nurtured in the first place) was lovely to see and proves that this formerly shy pegasus had seen one of her brightest episodes, even if she did little. The execution of the story and the character relationship between Zephyr and Fluttershy was well done in that even if we hated Zephyr for his mannerisms, we still had the reliability in taking Fluttershy's role, wanting to help how we can. Zephyr's strong will until it was too much proved the story had balanced itself to where it showed both sides of his emotional state well. It also allowed both Zephyr & Fluttershy's disequilibriums start separately but finish on equal footing, with neither taking importance, which worked out into Todorov's narrative theory nicely while the structure was a LITTLE top heavy in the first act for my liking.

My rating may feel quite kind, and I feel it is justified. While this wasn't the deepest, fastest or best executed story, in terms of narrative and continuity it holds up well. So I have to stop splitting hairs and give it a mark that almost mediates itself out. At least it TRIED to make things flow as best it could, but when a reference to Cast Away feels underwhelming given the context, it's not the best sign.

RATING: 2 out of 5.

WRITING AND VOICE ACTING
While the story fell below par thanks to not going further than the synopsis to substantiate itself, I will credit the writing team for doing the unthinkable: IT MADE ME LIKE A CHARACTER I ORIGINALLY HATED BY THE EPISODES' END!


That is a very difficult thing to do, considering how many characters I've hated on first viewing over the years. While Zephyr came across as an arrogant, egotistical, cocky, lazy douchebag thanks to his creative hipster personality, seeing the struggles he went through to find himself resonated with me on a personal level as I have gone through the same things. As a result, a character who I loathed on first viewing gained sympathy upon seeing him at his lowest knowing he could easily find his way out if the right direction was made available. While I wasn't a fan of the way in which Fluttershy & Rainbow strictly asserted themselves to re-enforce his negative, one dimensional personality; his witty, blunt and punchy dialogue pit me in fits of laughter, especially when it concerned his hilarious flirting with Rainbow Dash. To make Zephyr so hate-able is a job well done, but to make me care for him after all he said and did, that took a lot to do, and showed subtle but blunt character development, which I thank the writers for again.

Fluttershy's role as the assertive OLDER sister was somewhat refreshing given we haven't seen this dynamic on screen a lot. While Rarity/Sweetie Belle and Applejack/Apple Bloom have had multiple on-screen minutes to explore their relationship, to have a negative connotation come out straight away and have that mended was nice to show how much she'd grown around her friends. Rainbow's role as a supporting character was nicely held, balancing her loud and orderly personality traits. didn't overshadow Fluttershy, but still held importance to the flow of the story through her occasional dialogue. The other Mane Six ponies had fleeting cameos and brought nothing to the table, but it was a nice way of showing how the writers were trying to pad out where the story was failing. The introduction of Mr. & Mrs. Shy was disappointing though, as they didn't offer anything other than a regressive and submissive entity for which the viewer had sympathy for, played for our emotions and nothing else. I felt they needed to have a much bigger impact than what we had on show, as their dialogue was fleeting and non-consequential.

The writers also deserve credit for perfectly balancing the humour alongside the tense family drama that helped make this episode feel more watchable. The already noted flirting of Zephyr towards Rainbow and her dumbfounded reactions lead to some great laughs. Pinkie Pie even added her impatience and photo album of past names to bring the fun in when it was needed to break the ice. Finally, the use of peeved as a swear word was genius. Sure, it was a running gag but a satisfying one in helping understand what taboo is linguistically in Ponyville. In terms of voice acting, Andrea Libman showed a full range of emotions in Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, with this proving to be a great showing on her end. Bill Reid's debut run as Zephyr was well executed, showing a varied range while also being restrained in his delivery of emotional moments of the character, showcasing the vulnerability of his character while the one loud moment encompassed the inner pain coming to fruition. Once again, Mr. & Mrs. Shy (voiced by David Godfrey & Colleen Winton respectively) proved to be a let down, with restrained performances befitting Fluttershy's former personality to a tee. The rest of the Mane Six didn't offer too much vocally to the table despite Rarity's extended run midway through.

I will credit the writers for salvaging the poor story with well written characters that the voice actors performed to a satisfactory level. They brought the episode alive and were the best parts for sure. Sadly, the presence, dialogue and voice acting of Mr. & Mrs. Shy are where this category loses points. If only THEY were more assertive, this category would have received top marks. It just wasn't to be.

RATING: 4 out of 5.

ANIMATION
With this being the first time non-Wonderbolt that we've been in Cloudsdale for the longest period, the opportunity for breath taking animation set pieces was set. Sadly, due to the focus on Ponyville and the characters, this promise was never fully realised. However, that doesn't mean there wasn't positives I could take from it.

This comes through prominently in the design of the new characters, Zephyr Breeze in particular. In terms of most male adult ponies, he's the most radical design shown thus far. The short rough jawline, jacked physique clean shaved muzzle and a short mane have been replaced by a lean body shape, an unkempt man-bun and a five o'clock shadow to give the impression of his dishevelled character which with his cocky facade didn't give much away. Giving this much meaning without the use of clothing was great, and the way he smartened up with the neat bun and graduation robes was nice too. Even Mr & Mrs Shy had their design positives with the glasses and curled bob style resembling that of a doting TV mother (such as Kitty Forman from That 70's Show) for the latter, while with the sweater, moustache and ice cream swirl mane, the former presents himself as the homely, sweet father figure to match his personality shown on screen. The detail on the individual clouds in the collection looked meticulous and worth the time animating, and the stunned facial expressions of Rarity and Rainbow Dash thanks to Zephyr was wonderful to see. Hell, even Zephyr himself contributed a fair few. The facial expressions of shown by Fluttershy trumped them all however, as the sheer quantity put on show matched her emotional range echoed in the writing.

Finally, the screenshot above highlights what I sometimes forget to look for when scoping for this category: a perfectly composed shot. With every character sans Zephyr out of focus, the empty room implies how open his predicament could end up, yet he is constricted by his position in the top right of the frame compounding how much of a corner he is being backed into by this situation. This is all done while everyone watches on unable to really help, with Rainbow sitting off into the opposite corner to have her disinterest heightened more. It may be me overanalysing, but pausing here really made me smile and sit in awe at just how much meaning got sandwiched into this one shot. That and the fact it gave the artists enough of a reason to shove in as many rainbows as possible to show how wonderful the space is.

Again, I may seem kind, but with the sheer amount of facial expressions and character design qualities on show, combined with that wonderfully composed shot, I have to say this episode did more than enough to grab my attention. Don't get me started on that Wigford homage to Cast Away, that was gold as well, which goes to verify how much was in here despite so little executed in other areas. Lets hope next weeks episode in a new location helps back this category up a bit, it would be appreciated.

RATING: 2 out of 5.

MESSAGE
A message about not giving up and accepting a fear of failure is one that is so complicated to convey as it's subjective to the individual experiencing it. As a result, this episode relied on the character's interactions and exposition to help ensure it was told right. While it was done correctly in some ways, it didn't live up to its potential thanks to the story alluded to earlier.

The fear of failure as noted in the story/narrative category didn't factor in the episode until the aftermath of the failed work for Rainbow Dash. It felt incredibly weak and did little more than add padding to the episode when it was running out of ideas in how to express itself while re-enforcing Zephyr's negative personality tenfold. The way in which Fluttershy & Rainbow assertively forced this message onto Zephyr was also done poorly as this method of dealing with someone at their lowest in confidence can backfire (something I can attest to), therefore showing this submissive action showed Zephyr to be pathetic than it should have. When you add the sloppy execution of this message into a forced musical number, it feels like the song was the only way to convey the message's positive connotations properly, which felt contrived and unnecessary.

While I can praise its prominence in this message directing the story and coming through powerfully through Zephyr's growth as the episode progressed, it didn't do enough to make itself stand tall as a provocative, deep and thoughtful observation in how you can encourage a friend or sibling to get things done when they are showing a lack of self-confidence. That is the biggest crime of all and as a result, I'm left bitterly disappointed.

RATING: 1 out of 5.

MUSIC
So far this season, music hasn't shone as much as it should have. Sure, "On Your Marks", "Gauntlet Of Fire" and "A Hearth's Warming Tail" all did their part but to have three out of eleven episodes get above a three in this category is disappointing. I was afraid, especially with how low-key animation was behind the character writing, that we'd once again be laboured with another negative episode musically. Thankfully, those perceptions were proven completely wrong.

The music that accompanied Zephyr Breeze throughout was lovely, incorporating bongo drums, strummed guitar and a swinging jazz piano to further emphasise his carefree attitude, with the cleverly inserted rests flowed with the stop start nature of his dialogue giving the viewer and characters a breather before he started up again. This attention to detail meant that even as I heard it re-occur multiple times, it never became boring as a crescendo to his speaking role that made it ever more exciting to hear. It was also subtly in the background, low in the mix so that it wouldn't overwhelm the characters presence, which was well done. The low octave orchestral sections coupled with woodwinds complimented Fluttershy's stern, assertive attitude greatly, while also going hand in hand showing Zephyr's vulnerability on the other side of the spectrum. Rainbow Dash's intense authoritarianism was reflected in the snare drums coupling beautifully with a chance to try an intimidate Zephyr and contrast with his attitude on a level different to how he portrayed her in dialogue, while the use of maracas' on every note of SIESTA was a wonderful surprise.

'Can I Do It On My Own' is a song that I've already alluded to being a time-wasting song that didn't feel right in its place within the episode, as a result it felt flat in comparison with the songs played so far this season. In spite of that though, it was well made and I can't fault that. It was instrumentally subtle but thanks to restrained and powerful vocals by all concerned it gained strength and emotional resonance. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's harmonies never get old to hear and Ryan Beil's delivery got more confident as the song progressed in sync with the addition of brass to give this song the crescendo to cap of his complete character transformation perfectly. While the song is weaker compared to normal for this show, it comes through as a great highlight of what great vocal quality and sublime lyrical meaning can offer to a songs body being stronger than it feels.

If not for a lack of variance thanks tot he cameos of other characters and the weaker nature of the musical number, we'd be looking at full marks. Even with that disappointing, it still is refreshing to see an episode do music right for once. 

RATING: 4 out of 5.

FINAL THOUGHTS
This screenshot from the final part of the episode highlights my feelings of this episode nicely. While Zephyr has been proven a great character whose growth was worth seeing pay off, the looks on his parents imply that everything else around him had a hard time trying to justify itself despite their best efforts.

The use of music, character writing, tone and humour were nicely executed while the rest were held back for numerous reasons whether it be not wanting to overcrowd the scenes (in animation) or feeling shallow due to elements being missing, not fully explained or poorly executed despite some good set-ups (in both story & message). This was an episode that in one regard hit home in its stark reflection of myself, which made even the most intolerable of character worthy of my praise, but I do wish this episode didn't stand as solely a platform for Fluttershy's growth. Thanks to that, it overshadowed everything and pulled the episode down from being a much better showing if given the time to fully give us a comprehensive and interesting character study of her brother, who was the main attraction after all.

On first watch, I was too wrapped up in hating Zephyr's character to really give it a lot of my attention, but on a second watch this episode showed a lot of positives that I didn't think were possible. Alas, it's not the resounding success I was hoping for. Unfortunately, Flutter Brutter felt like Fluttershy arguing with her brother for twenty-two minutes as I predicted in the intro and even with some extra flourishes to help it along the way, I wanted more and was disappointed. It's a middle of the road, average episode that didn't quite do enough to stand out as special, despite trying. A commendable effort, but not good enough as we hit the seasons halfway point next week.

FINAL RATING: 13 out of 25.

LETTER GRADE: C

In relation to other Season 6 episodes, it lines up as follows:

A HEARTHS WARMING TAIL - 24/25, A
ON YOUR MARKS - 22/25, A-
GAUNTLET OF FIRE - 19/25, B+
THE SADDLE ROW REVIEW - 13/25, C
FLUTTER BRUTTER - 13/25, C
THE CRYSTALLING - 12/25, C-
THE GIFT OF MAUD PIE - 7/25, D-
NEWBIE DASH - 6/25, D-
NO SECOND PRANCES - 5/25, E+
APPLEJACK'S "DAY" OFF - 4/25, E+

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I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading. This has been an MLP Episode Review for The CC Network Blog. I'll see you all next week for the next review. Cheers!

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