S01 E08: "Look Before You Sleep" - Part 3

S01 E08: "Look Before You Sleep" - Part 3

Read S01 E08: "Look Before You Sleep" - Part 1 here.

Read S01 E08: "Look Before You Sleep" - Part 2 here.

Part the last-- let's end this.

So it turns out that tree that got struck by lightning wasn't just a gag-- turns out it's an imminent threat to the safety of our heroines. The top of the tree appears as if it's going to come crashing down on a nearby house, and Applejack springs into acton, lassoing it and preventing it from falling. AJ is about to give it a tug when Rarity tries to warn her not to, but does so anyway. 

This causes the tree to come crashing into Twilight Sparkle's bedroom, unleashing torrents of rain and branches throughout the area. Everyone flips the fuck out and starts falling back on their habits like a nervous tic.

Applejack acts like a bitch and tries to do everything herself, Rarity starts putting books that were knocked down back on a shelf as if that were actually helpful, and Twilight starts reading the slumber party book in an effort to find out what to do in the event a fucking tree comes barrelling into your house.

That whole sequence really annoyed me, and most of it had to do with Twilight's reaction. Twilight is many things, but she's not dumb and she isn't the kind of person to fall back on the book in the event of a crisis when the solution is obvious. She definitely would not consult a fucking slumber party book on what to do in this situation on top of that.

I know this is a kids' show-- I know that. But seriously, come the fuck on. Twilight, to me, has been written fairly consistently, and knowing what comes next, it seems like they made her a neurotic idiot just to emphasize the lesson. This is especially egrigious given the take-charge personality she had in the last episode where she calmly addressed all of Ponyville and came up with a plan to deal with a goddamn DRAGON.

*grumble*

Moving on, it dawns on Applejack that maybe being an impulsive cunt won't get the results she needs, and she rationally tries to convince Rarity to put down the goddamn books and help deal with the large, obvious and pressing issue at hand. I did like the dialouge in this scene because even though AJ had this realization, she still struggled with it, and that seemed pretty realistic to me.

Rarity complies and the two of them work together to solve the problem while Twilight continues to consult the book for a solution like a moron. Rarity uses her magic to turn the branch into little leaf sculptures. Applejack is about to kick a huge log out the window whe Rarity gives her a withering look and she decides to gently drop it outside instead. AJ closes the implausibly unbroken window, and voila! Problem solved.

Rarity is horrified at the fact that she's covered in filth, and AJ consoles her by slapping a couple of cucumber slices on her eyes to make it seem as if it's a mud mask. The two of them hug and make up, while Twilight wonders where all the pretty leaf thingys came from.

*sigh*

So we cut to the three of them lounging around playing 20 Questions. Rarity and Applejack are guessing together, and Twilight turns out to be dragging out the game in order to make them win together since they were actually getting along.

Applejack apoligizes for being an asshole, and Rarity does the same, followed by them trying to imply that they were more sorry than the other. It almost seems like they'd start fighting again, but it turns out to be a fakeout.

As Rarity and AJ mess around in the background, Twilight sums up the adventure in a letter to Princess Can't Be Fucking Bothered To Divinely Intervene, and the sun clears as the trio plans the next slumber party, the end.

Closing Thoughts

GAWWWWWD, did this episode annoy the shit out of me. Character traits seemed to come out of nowhere for all involved, and Twilight got it the worst. It really seems like they shoehorned characters into the roles for this episode that really shouldn't have been in this one.

I could easily see Rainbow Dash doing the shit that Applejack does, and Twilight's role probably should have been taken by Pinkie Pie, since she's the partier of the six. I think Twilight is only there so she can sum up the lesson for the kids at the end, which is irritating since it ended up doing such a disservice to the character.

The animation was serviceable, and the backgrounds are a clear step down from the gorgeous ones from last week, but nothing stood out as being terrible, honestly. I hope this episode was just a fluke and not a harbinger of what's to come.

Anyways, see you next week for S01 E09 - "Bridle Gossip"

-Apathy Pony