Monday, June 2, 2014

The Critical Frog: Frog`s Favorite MLP Episodes- #8

Welcome, Bronies, Pegasisters, and haters alike to The Critical Frog`s Pony Month! Just for fun, I decided to do a month of reviews, editorials and lists dedicated to the bane/delight of the internet, depending on who you talk to- My Little Pony.

And I`ve decided to kick it off by listing off my 8 favorite episodes of the series throughout the month, so people can understand my thoughts on the series- what it does right, what it does wrong, and how the good bits stack up with the bad spots from a critical point of view. So grab some cupcakes (hopefully 100% Rainbow Dash free) and swallow your pride- Pony Month starts now.

Speaking of pride....


#8: Pinkie Pride (Season 4)
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Starting the list with a newer entry, Pinkie Pride has earned mixed reactions among the fans as either an extremely entertaining or somewhat lacking episode. Me? I think it`s actually pretty good.

This episode features a new pony named Cheese Sandwich (dumb name, even for MLP), who arrives in Ponyville for one reason: to plan Rainbow Dash the most epic birthday party ever. Pinkie Pie, already the resident party planner, takes offense and challenges Cheese to an ultimate battle for party supremacy. What follows is an insane showdown for the acceptance of Rainbow Dash and the title of Best Party Planner.

Firstly, the character of Cheese Sandwich is actually very amusing to watch. Voiced by Weird Al Yankovic (!), he has a very serious personality that instantly shifts into a hyper and easily excitable one when the topic of parties comes into conversation, which help to make him a great foil to the already hyper Pinkie.

But one of the very interesting aspects of the episode is that we can see how seriously Pinkie Pie takes her parties and plans. When Cheese offers to plan her friend's party and give Pinkie a break, she takes it very seriously as a direct offense to her party skills and dedication to Rainbow, flat out culminating in the previously mentioned fight (in song of course). The fight, called a Goof-Off, is extremely fast-paced and amusing to watch as the two use every trick in their party power to wow Rainbow. And when the story of Cheese Sandwich and his ascent to party legend status is shown, it makes clear why he accepted the challenge.

To be fair, the songs in the episode are sub-par (but Weird Al gets them a pass), but it`s still a good episode. I do like the relationship between Pinkie and Cheese (do I smell a fan fiction?) as each of them see it, and the Goof-Off displays the lunacy of them both and how seriously they both take their party planning (And I do love the Party Cannon, which makes a long-awaited reappearance only to be upstaged by a Party Tank). Mixed feelings? Maybe. But as a fan of both Pinkie Pie and Weird Al, it`s a pretty awesome episode.

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