ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 9/4/16 - Written by Josh Haber & Dave Polsky
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
There was no "The Gift Of Maud Pie" review due to WrestleMania week taking up my time, if you were looking forward to it, I apologise for not delivering. The final score and letter grade for the episode will be listed after the Final Thoughts.
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It's safe to say that the common themes showcased in Season 6 so far have been trepidation, hesitation and tension. The three episodes exhibited so far have relied on awkwardness and unease to drive themselves forward, with less than satisfactory results in this humble reviewers opinion. Luckily though, we didn't have to wait long to get an episode that had the potential to turn the season around.
With the conclusion of arguably Season 5's best episode, many were collectively asking themselves, what would become of The Cutie Mark Crusaders now they'd finally achieved their long enamoured goal? Many have come into this episode feeling the same tension and unease alluded to above, but at the same time are bringing a sense of joyous anticipation and bountiful excitement with them, unsure of what this rambunctious trio have in store for us hoping it won't disappoint. This isn't only the first episode of a new journey for these three young characters, but it's the first episode in this entire series that has none of The Mane Six or Spike making an appearance. Which knowledge of such a historic first for this series hanging over this episode added to the hype and pressure for it to deliver. It's now time to see if it did.
STORY AND NARRATIVE
Coming into this episode, I will admit I was a tad worried. Upon reading the synopsis, I feared the worst, thinking this episode would focus on the CMC's embarrassing themselves, reflecting the tentative attitude that I alluded to in the above introductory paragraphs. Thankfully, this episode was much more than I ever anticipated it would be, and I wouldn't have needed to worry.
The episode was paced superbly, transitioning time smoothly by not taking too much time on a single moment, this is complimented by the writing balancing the episodes tone well (which will be explained in detail later), and created ample place for the two aspects of the story to co-exist wonderfully and not feel out of place. While I expected the issues surrounding the CMC's new initiative and goals to be looked into, I didn't see Apple Bloom's personal dilemma coming, and it made the episode better for it. If the CMC's were to just go around finding out if ponies needed their help the entire episode it would have become a tired, tepid and tumultuous viewing experience. While Apple Blooms predicament did seemingly come out of the blue, it was entirely needed as it fleshed this episode out, making it a much fuller viewing experience. On top of that, enough time was being dedicated to them, with each plot point bookending the episode, meaning neither one of them felt forced or unnecessary With 5 seasons gone, I'd completely forgotten that Apple Blooms social life was non-existent until Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came along, and to have that familiarity (in her mind) be taken away, forcing her character to grow suddenly was a fantastic piece of storytelling and continuity that gave a lot of weight to the character and this episode as a whole. This meant that by the end, the plot development of the group and Apple Bloom herself while being different, ended up complimenting each other superbly.
When the only critique I can muster in this section is that it deviated from standard narrative structure for no real reason form the start, using the immediate follow-on in-media res disequilibrium to keep this episode in negative equity tone wise, then you know an episode's plot has been constructed and executed well. This was an episode that surprised me, and kept me guessing from the moment it started, blowing my exceptions into another lifetime. I couldn't have been happier with it.
RATING: 5 out of 5.
WRITING AND VOICE ACTING
I say it almost every time I review an episode that this show tries to balance drama and comedy evenly, which is something that is extremely hard to do at the best of times. When trying to do that with such heavy emotional weight surrounding Apple Blooms quandary and STILL make it come across as fun when needed made the task even tougher. I do have to say, that Haber and Polsky managed to pull it off by balancing the tone with the pacing to create something quite outstanding.
They achieved this by throwing comedic curveballs whenever a negative moment or tone proceeded it. There were a few examples of this throughout the episode: Firstly, in the aftermath of the montage scene the CMC's were worried about their future, and Bulk Biceps hilarious cameo was there to help break the tension. Secondly, the individual activities and their mixed results were followed up by some well written and funny anecdotes, combined with Apple Blooms revelation of being allergic to bees. Thirdly the fillies cutely finished each others sentences while complaining about their issues in the venn diagram scene. Finally, the opening scene had Apple Bloom get frustrated at her friends while faking out the viewer by disregarding her newly marked status, and resuming 'old business' as usual. These moments meant that one aspect of the tone wasn't overbearing and overdone, which unlike "The Crystalling" would not be drag this episode down as a result.
They achieved this by throwing comedic curveballs whenever a negative moment or tone proceeded it. There were a few examples of this throughout the episode: Firstly, in the aftermath of the montage scene the CMC's were worried about their future, and Bulk Biceps hilarious cameo was there to help break the tension. Secondly, the individual activities and their mixed results were followed up by some well written and funny anecdotes, combined with Apple Blooms revelation of being allergic to bees. Thirdly the fillies cutely finished each others sentences while complaining about their issues in the venn diagram scene. Finally, the opening scene had Apple Bloom get frustrated at her friends while faking out the viewer by disregarding her newly marked status, and resuming 'old business' as usual. These moments meant that one aspect of the tone wasn't overbearing and overdone, which unlike "The Crystalling" would not be drag this episode down as a result.
When it came to the characters, Apple Bloom stole the show, being written as a passionate character who in spite of her independence and strong will still has flaws in neglecting her individual social profile outside her core group, striving to build herself up as it progressed. Tender Taps provided perfect foil for this in the latter stages, as he was as talented as can be but not as confident in how others thought of him, just like Apple Bloom used to be. With both characters reflecting themes of social ostracisation and anxiety on different ends of the spectrum, they felt like a natural pair that didn't feel forced or have differences that made them clash when together. Tender Taps made me smile, especially seeing as he's a male character who didn't become irritating, and he's one character I would like to see more of. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were fine in their roles of being more socially confident and willing to explore their hobbies while still being unable to fully read their friends feelings properly, showing their lack of maturity that their bow wearing counterpart has gained more of. Scootaloo's bluntness came back in a damning way with description of the mundanity of their prior Cutie Mark goal, which supplemented the noticeable lack of growth that would spur this episode into life. Bulk Biceps appearance was wonderful and a great reminder of why he's a great in small doses to increase his impact.
While this section may seem glowing at this point, it isn't without its problems. The CMC's themselves forgot lessons they'd learnt in past episodes, primarily surrounding WHY they wanted to get a Cutie Mark so bad in the first place (which was avoiding social ostracisation if I recall correctly), having characters who could remember their escapades but not the reason why is quite concerning. Finally, while Bulk Biceps, Apple Bloom and Tender Taps showed range in their vocal performances on occasion, the episode felt quite flat in that area, especially with Hoofer Steps, the dance teacher was predictably voiced stereotypically with a Russian accent, which was grating for the minimal amount of screen time she got. This episode almost got everything right here, as the CMC's are now well-built individuals characters, but overall, this episode needed a louder voice or two to shine it through to the highest mark.
RATING: 4 out of 5.
While this section may seem glowing at this point, it isn't without its problems. The CMC's themselves forgot lessons they'd learnt in past episodes, primarily surrounding WHY they wanted to get a Cutie Mark so bad in the first place (which was avoiding social ostracisation if I recall correctly), having characters who could remember their escapades but not the reason why is quite concerning. Finally, while Bulk Biceps, Apple Bloom and Tender Taps showed range in their vocal performances on occasion, the episode felt quite flat in that area, especially with Hoofer Steps, the dance teacher was predictably voiced stereotypically with a Russian accent, which was grating for the minimal amount of screen time she got. This episode almost got everything right here, as the CMC's are now well-built individuals characters, but overall, this episode needed a louder voice or two to shine it through to the highest mark.
RATING: 4 out of 5.
ANIMATION
With the story and the characters writing doing a good job, I knew it was going to be tough for the animation to try to hold its own and stand out, as its been a problem in all the episodes so far, I've come to expect it. While it may seem I'm quick to write off this category, it's very much mistaken, as I'm only doing that so I can use the rest of the time to focus on all the little things it got right.
Firstly, the scope and lack of space exhibited by Bulk Biceps inside the CMC's clubhouse was a wonderful execution of framing an positioning, that made me howl with laughter at the sight of it. The simple drawing in the venn diagram and the elaborate map of Equestria within the clubhouse were surprising, adding a piece of charm to the base as a whole, which the combined with the variety of similarly executed hobbit suggestions, you'd be thinking how long it took to render ALL of those individual sheets of paper, but I do like the dedication put into them, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Out On My Own had a few good moments, as all MLP musical numbers need, with the art references and artist designs were wonderful to see, showing a lot of attention to detail was made in this small but significant parody, the refraction off the river under the bridge as the sun set in the songs closing show was poetic and wonderful, and while the transitions were nice, they could have been framed a little better to allow it flow smoothly, but that's a small complaint. Speaking of parody, Tender Taps movement in his reveal scenes were done without having frame rate issues and containing a lovely 'Singing In The Rain' reference that was a joy to see. The shadows and lack of light in Apple Blooms 'descent into madness' along with the flash transition really gave the scene meaning and scope that exacerbated her suffering nicely. Finally, when you add the costumes in the opening scene, the exploded faces in the potion class and the blur effects around Scootaloo's silhouette as she made that jump on her scooter, it all adds up into a nice collection of animation pieces.
Firstly, the scope and lack of space exhibited by Bulk Biceps inside the CMC's clubhouse was a wonderful execution of framing an positioning, that made me howl with laughter at the sight of it. The simple drawing in the venn diagram and the elaborate map of Equestria within the clubhouse were surprising, adding a piece of charm to the base as a whole, which the combined with the variety of similarly executed hobbit suggestions, you'd be thinking how long it took to render ALL of those individual sheets of paper, but I do like the dedication put into them, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Out On My Own had a few good moments, as all MLP musical numbers need, with the art references and artist designs were wonderful to see, showing a lot of attention to detail was made in this small but significant parody, the refraction off the river under the bridge as the sun set in the songs closing show was poetic and wonderful, and while the transitions were nice, they could have been framed a little better to allow it flow smoothly, but that's a small complaint. Speaking of parody, Tender Taps movement in his reveal scenes were done without having frame rate issues and containing a lovely 'Singing In The Rain' reference that was a joy to see. The shadows and lack of light in Apple Blooms 'descent into madness' along with the flash transition really gave the scene meaning and scope that exacerbated her suffering nicely. Finally, when you add the costumes in the opening scene, the exploded faces in the potion class and the blur effects around Scootaloo's silhouette as she made that jump on her scooter, it all adds up into a nice collection of animation pieces.
While they all may be small bits, when putting them together it makes this episode feel like the animation, while understated still tried to make itself be noticed against the grain. For that, I have to give the animators a lot of credit, as it would be quite difficult to match up to a narrative that is so well made and with writing that delivered a lot. So to have what little they could do be interesting enough to grab my attention is good enough for me.
RATING: 3 out of 5.
MESSAGE
I had a LOT of problems with "The Gift of Maud Pie" last week because it looked to re-use a message a previous episode had tackled better (in that case, "Maud Pie" from Season 4). In the case of this episode, we have the exact opposite happening. Last season's "What About Discord" had it's message and moral focus on your friends doing something without you and how it will effect that sole character in question. While the episode was flat and left a lot to be desired on the execution front, "On Your Marks" rectified a lot of its problems and delivered in spite of having to duel with story progression for core focus at the same time. Its safe say even with that, this episode prevailed with its head held high.
While "What About Discord" focused on the jealousy of missed events and friends flaunting it to your face, On Your Marks instead observed at ones realisation that without friends, they have nothing. Apple Blooms distinct lack of hobbies, and a lack of real meaning to her social existence without her friends was stark and surprising, and making her confront her individuality head on was superbly executed. It slowly crept up on the viewer as the episode wore on, and resolved itself with her finding a new activity, a new friend and proving that on her own, she will be okay. While the message of doing something that your usual group of friends won't enjoy and exploring new things was great to watch, it did have to compete with the CMC's core ideology and goal for screen time, which made the episode feel split into two halves, however in spite of that, the message carried itself through to be emblematic of both sides of the narrative and came through the episodes end without any problems at all.
With that in mind, it was a message and moral executed nigh on perfectly. It was able to connect all aspects of the story and characters together and come through not feeling shoehorned or needlessly drawn out. That's all I can ask from a message, and thankfully it delivered emphatically.
RATING: 5 out of 5.
MUSIC
The Cutie Mark Crusaders episodes of past season are well known for utilising musical variety to ensure they remain vibrant and light hearted, even when dealing with some heavy themes and messages at times While that does prove to be the case once again, they did it providing arguably the most tender, emotional and bluntly eye-opening song in this series run so far. To have it come from a character we've seen grow leaps and bounds since her Season 1 cameo, that says a lot as to how unexpected this show can still be. I will tip my hat to Dan Ingram and Michelle Creber for this one, as they crafted a surefire winner.
Out On My Own delivered to proverbial emotional kick to the balls that the episode was slowly building up to, taking us through Apple Blooms shallow social existence and that despite her growth, she's still empty inside. It was heart wrenching but a reminder of the deep flaws her character still has. To have that come across in a soft country ballad, backed without much pomp to ensure the emotion hit comprehensively made you really feel a connection, especially to those who cherish time with those they care about. Michelle Creber delivered an incredible, powerhouse vocal performance, being able to hit higher notes effortlessly without breaking the character voice, conveying her characters pain with the subdued orchestral and soft plucked acoustic guitar accenting it to make it a song that was tonally and audibly perfect. It may have just stormed its way into my Top 5 MLP Songs, it's THAT good.
Outside of the standout musical number, there was a lot of variety to keep an ear out for, something which the prior episodes this season had failed to deliver on. The orchestral sections of Tender Taps reveal scenes while simple changed in tempo and volume to accent his movement superbly, implying the grace he has as a performer. The same tempo and volume techniques were also applied well to the montage scene of the CMC's trying to find others to help, going in line with their frustration as the dialogue decreased into their facial expressions accompanying the music. Scootaloo & Zecora's activities offered up their tribal and rock genres to the table, Bulk Biceps appearance paired with slow tempo tubas to compliment his size and bumbling mental capacity. Finally, the contrast of simple piano and complex showpieces during the dancing scenes added variety in what was necessary to show how varied styles of dance need different styles of music to shine.
Overall, the musical variety this season has been lacking up until this point, and I'm so happy it has finally delivered here. This episode came across as important, fun and varied, and to think it was the music that had a major part to play in that is a great thing to know. While it did have a barnstormer of a musical number to help it along, I'm pleased that they had the wherewithal to not forget about William Andersons score, allowing to come together musically as quite a complete episode indeed.
Out On My Own delivered to proverbial emotional kick to the balls that the episode was slowly building up to, taking us through Apple Blooms shallow social existence and that despite her growth, she's still empty inside. It was heart wrenching but a reminder of the deep flaws her character still has. To have that come across in a soft country ballad, backed without much pomp to ensure the emotion hit comprehensively made you really feel a connection, especially to those who cherish time with those they care about. Michelle Creber delivered an incredible, powerhouse vocal performance, being able to hit higher notes effortlessly without breaking the character voice, conveying her characters pain with the subdued orchestral and soft plucked acoustic guitar accenting it to make it a song that was tonally and audibly perfect. It may have just stormed its way into my Top 5 MLP Songs, it's THAT good.
Outside of the standout musical number, there was a lot of variety to keep an ear out for, something which the prior episodes this season had failed to deliver on. The orchestral sections of Tender Taps reveal scenes while simple changed in tempo and volume to accent his movement superbly, implying the grace he has as a performer. The same tempo and volume techniques were also applied well to the montage scene of the CMC's trying to find others to help, going in line with their frustration as the dialogue decreased into their facial expressions accompanying the music. Scootaloo & Zecora's activities offered up their tribal and rock genres to the table, Bulk Biceps appearance paired with slow tempo tubas to compliment his size and bumbling mental capacity. Finally, the contrast of simple piano and complex showpieces during the dancing scenes added variety in what was necessary to show how varied styles of dance need different styles of music to shine.
Overall, the musical variety this season has been lacking up until this point, and I'm so happy it has finally delivered here. This episode came across as important, fun and varied, and to think it was the music that had a major part to play in that is a great thing to know. While it did have a barnstormer of a musical number to help it along, I'm pleased that they had the wherewithal to not forget about William Andersons score, allowing to come together musically as quite a complete episode indeed.
RATING: 5 out of 5.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As noted above, I was expecting "On Your Marks" to be the episode that brings Season 6 to life after a surprisingly lacklustre start. I'm delighted to say that it achieved that goal, but I wasn't expecting to have loved it as much as I did. Even after subsequent viewings in the days following its release in preparation for writing this review, it's grown on me even more. For an episode to do that is quite rare, so I have to applaud Haber & Polsky for a job well done.
Given this episodes emotional weight and occasional comedic relief, it was a roller coaster that never became overbearing and kept me on edge at every turn. When combined with its well written and paced story, characters, a great musical number, multiple references, some small but great animation elements and a great male character that looks to be sticking around, it came through as an episode that kept enthralling from start to finish. For the first time this season, I didn't leave the episode irritated or angry, mostly because it did what none of the previous three did well. It showed progression without being restrictive in dialogue and action, built on an existing storyline in a satisfying way and brought new character developments to the table without feeling forced or out of place. While it did end on a predictably happy ending, I was too happy to care as not only was I loving what I'd seen but also revelling that one of my predictions for the season could be ticked off too. The Cutie Mark Crusaders showed in this episode why there is a lot to look forward to from their subsequent episodes, as we are likely to see new things befitting of their position as ever growing characters. While The Mane Six are showing themselves to becoming tired entities who seemingly have no new avenues to explore, these three fillies adventures are going to be ones that I will anticipate with excitement, especially is this episode is any indication of their what their quality will be.
This was an episode that did what a great episode should do. It made me laugh, nearly made me cry and gave me substantial growth and story progression, all while presenting it together in an almost perfect package. "On Your Marks" was the episode I needed to keep my faith in the season alive, and I am very happy that it exceeded all my expectations. The question now, is whether from this, they can keep the momentum going. That will be answered by "Gauntlet Of Fire" this upcoming Saturday, as for now though, I will just sit back and congratulate Hasbro and DHX on a job well done. Hopefully this season hasn't reached its highest point yet.
Given this episodes emotional weight and occasional comedic relief, it was a roller coaster that never became overbearing and kept me on edge at every turn. When combined with its well written and paced story, characters, a great musical number, multiple references, some small but great animation elements and a great male character that looks to be sticking around, it came through as an episode that kept enthralling from start to finish. For the first time this season, I didn't leave the episode irritated or angry, mostly because it did what none of the previous three did well. It showed progression without being restrictive in dialogue and action, built on an existing storyline in a satisfying way and brought new character developments to the table without feeling forced or out of place. While it did end on a predictably happy ending, I was too happy to care as not only was I loving what I'd seen but also revelling that one of my predictions for the season could be ticked off too. The Cutie Mark Crusaders showed in this episode why there is a lot to look forward to from their subsequent episodes, as we are likely to see new things befitting of their position as ever growing characters. While The Mane Six are showing themselves to becoming tired entities who seemingly have no new avenues to explore, these three fillies adventures are going to be ones that I will anticipate with excitement, especially is this episode is any indication of their what their quality will be.
This was an episode that did what a great episode should do. It made me laugh, nearly made me cry and gave me substantial growth and story progression, all while presenting it together in an almost perfect package. "On Your Marks" was the episode I needed to keep my faith in the season alive, and I am very happy that it exceeded all my expectations. The question now, is whether from this, they can keep the momentum going. That will be answered by "Gauntlet Of Fire" this upcoming Saturday, as for now though, I will just sit back and congratulate Hasbro and DHX on a job well done. Hopefully this season hasn't reached its highest point yet.
FINAL RATING: 22 out of 25.
LETTER GRADE: A-
In relation to other Season 6 episodes, it lines up as follows:
ON YOUR MARKS - 22/25, A-
THE CRYSTALLING - 12/25, C-
THE GIFT OF MAUD PIE - 7/25, D-
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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, and I'll see you next week for the next review. Cheers!
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