For the people who say that the whole Generosity thing was done to OOC levels in the song: You do know that musical numbers in general tend to exaggerate things, right {And not just the ones for this show either}? And for the complaint about Spike getting treated like crap, Power Ponies has shown that he likes to feel helpful whenever he can, so chances are he probably volunteered to carry all those bags to begin with. Anyway, I thought this episode was great, and it's tied with the S4 premier as my favorite S4 episode so far. I only have one small complaint that's not even worth addressing anyway and is probably just nitpicky, so I'll leave it at that. I also think this is probably the best episode Dave Polsky has written yet, and it's a far cry from his more slap-sticky episodes.
We did get a dramatic, crying jump onto a piece of furniture. Don't know how I overlooked that one at the time.
Sombra was likable? Well, I suppose the raw evilness did make him interesting at least. Here... I don't want to know more about Suri at all. Also it's not a new location, Manehattan has been mentioned before, but it was nice to see an entire episode in a different place. That is always a good plus. Plus how this time the dramatic nature was well within Rarity's rights. Also you have to love it whenever Fancypants is wearing a hat.
Mentioned, but never shown. Also, how could you not like Sombra? He was an extremely effective villain. Single-minded, menacing, and unquestionably powerful.
Spoiler: I had to (cuss warning + slightly suggestive) *redacted* I couldn't help it. Don't hurt me. *Dragonbait bops Mike on the nose with a rolled up newspaper* "No, bad Mike. To the corner of shame with you." Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
Considering that Sweetie Belle did the same thing back in Hearts And Hooves Day, it probably runs in the family.
If she goes the other way, does her hair uncurl? Also, I liked the episode. Dramatic Rarity wins everything.
[video=youtube;VmlYMP6JuYU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmlYMP6JuYU[/video] [video=youtube;evd61RY0da0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evd61RY0da0[/video]
I liked him compared to Suri. Also: Manehattan - [video=youtube;cqTqQiFCWlU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=cqTqQiFCWlU[/video] Omg yes, thank you.
Got a confession to make, I've got a bit of a crush on Rarity. I enjoyed the episode, though it felt a little weird at first. Like others had pointed out, it had the feel of the earlier seasons, and with this one being darker themed, I had a gear shifting moment. Was a refreshing change of pace though, and it was neat to get a good look at the Equestria version of a downtown city; I'm hoping this isn't the last time we see Manehattan. The song was....good. While I can appreciate that it was musically pretty technical and well done, it, just like the last one, just didn't feel pony-ish. If I were a better musician maybe I could define the parameters of a song sounding pony, but the last two just haven't had that same feel as it's predecessors. Not to say I didn't enjoy them though, but my favorite song of the season is still Hearts As Strong As Horses. I did really like the sad reprisal though, got goose bumps and everything, but maybe that's just 'cuz I'm a sucker for sappy songs sung in the rain. On the surface it was pretty straight forward episode, but it was after it was over, and I thought on it a while that I realized how much it actually showed. The last couple of episodes have had interesting ending close-ups, the shadow pony, Fluttershy's bat tooth, it is possible these where added as foreshadowing. I think now though, those ending shots (other then the fun factor) were added to try and desensitize the audience to the ending of this episode, to get people to write off something of major significance. I'm sure everypony has already come to the same conclusion, that the spool of thread is the first key to the chest, so maybe I'm just stating the obvious here. But it also showed that the keys would be awarded by trials, ones that tested each ponies respective element. One of the things that has made the show so great, is that while each of the mane six is the embodiment of a good character trait, they are equally flawed by them. While Rarity is generous, she's also shown to be selfish as well, it's a war that often plays out in her head, but in the end generosity always prevails. In this episode she was confronted by the embodiment of the antithesis of herself, and she had to make a choice; to continue being true to herself, or become like Suri and embrace that selfishness inside herself. It's something that has been touched on before, in The Return Of Harmony, the six had their positive personality traits wiped away, leaving only the negative. Only this time it can't just get corrected with magic, because this time it's a personal choice. Rarity had won the competition, and she knew it, her dreams where finally coming true. I believe if it were not for how close she had gotten to the others, she would have continued in Suri's hoovesteps. But in that moment, seeing that her friends weren't there, the bond they created made her realize what she had done, and she chose them. Even though it meant possibly giving up all she had dreamed and worked for, she in the end stayed true to the better part of herself. The episode also got me thinking about the tree of harmony, the box, the keys, and how alicorns play into it all. I started wondering about the destiny of everything, all because I wondered how Coco came to posses the spool of thread. Had a lot of thoughts, but finally settled on that the key was created when Rarity chose to stay loyal to her element, when the rainbow glow passed along the velvet rope and in her eyes. The same glow on the spool at the end, and when the elements of harmony have been combined in the past. Though it still dosn't explain how Coco came across it. But the romantic in me believes that just after she and Suri watched Rarity reunite with her friends, she went off to do a little soul searching. While debating on staying loyal to Suri to keep the job in the career she loved, or telling Rarity the truth and probably getting kicked to the curb, she found the spool ... or maybe it wanted her to find it. Either way, it being a part of the element of generosity help her to make the right choice. Anyway maybe I just spent a ton of time stating the obvious, and maybe I've just been reading into things too much again, but thems my thoughts.
I really loved this episode... This episode had the kind of feel that made me fall in love with the show in the first place... As with the above post, I too have a bit of crush on rarity. -blushies- but anyways, I like the little character development with dash. That one pony's (can't remember her name) assistant was just absolutely fabulous... Idk why I liked her so much but she was a highlight of the episode... Also grumpy cat cutie mark pony...
Just watched it last night, and I have to say, it's definitely one of my favorite episodes of se04 so far...even one of the better Rarity episodes IMO, though I still like Suited for Success a little more. Seeing Manehattan was great, the singing was great, the voice acting on the side characters was unusually great (especially liked the receptionist and Siri), and the interaction between the Mane 6 was great as usual. The only generic complaint I've heard is that "Generosity" tried too hard to beat into our heads that Rarity is generous, but in all fairness, so many fans have been whining about how not generous they've seen her that it was kind of necessary. Also, hearing Rainbow say "It was a'ight." was... That was definitely my favorite still from the episode.
Did anybody else notice that one of Rarity's models was Aloe Blossom? Photo Finish must have discovered her after Fluttershy quit.
Those are not the same pony. The spa ponies are drawn often enough with consistency to state that they have the almond eyes, while the model clearly has a rounder shape, as well as a noticeably brighter shade of blue for her irises, and a darker shade of pink for the body. There are only SO MANY color pallets that work.
This episode almost felt like season 1 again, they definitely got this one right. And it was a Rarity episode no less. Also... wet mane Rarity <3
Crap... I had figured that the slight color difference had to do with the lighting, but you're right about the eyes.
