S01 E16: "Sonic Rainboom"

S01 E16: "Sonic Rainboom"

Ugh, lovely-- I can tell just from the title this is going to be a Rainbow Dash episode, and I am not particularly fond of her. Dash is brash, self-centered, destructive and generally annoying as far as I'm concerned. I will keep my expectations low-- I know my opinions of the characters seem to turn on a dime, but if some of them would stop being written to be assholes out of nowhere, it wouldn't happen so often. Also, I decided to get rid of the sections detailing what I liked and hated about an episode specifically, since that should be pretty clear through images and what I'm saying anyway.

Okay, intro over. Review time is NOW

So This Happened, Then This Happened

00:25 "Yay." lol

00:37 So Rainbow Dash is teaching Fluttershy how to cheer, and this was the worst idea ever from the start-- hilariously so. Why not Pinkie Pie, she's loud, cheerful, and never shuts the fuck-- Oh.

00:44 Wow, these teaser segments are getting shorter and shorter, and this one in particular didn't set up the premise for the episode at all. I'm not exactly opposed to it, but what's the point if you're not gonna set things up? May as well run the intro and go straight to the episode after the commercials.

02:15 Fluttershy continues to cheer terribly, but the real star of the show just now was the animation. I actually forgot the show was done in Flash for a couple seconds there, it was really good, considering. We've come a long way from Mucha Lucha!, that's for sure.

02:20 Twilight is thanking the other main ponies who aren't Dash and Fluttershy for helping her clean up her books, but in the background it looks like they just haphazardly threw them on the shelves. I wonder if that background was recycled...it looks good tho'.

02:29 I didn't even bother to guess, I just KNEW Dash was going to fuck up their hard work, as usual. Start subverting this, show!

02:36 Get the fuck out of here Fluttershy, your cheering couldn't fog up a cold window, let alone demolish a library, lol

03:41 Poor Fluttershy, Dash is basically shitting all over her cheering ability and telling the other ponies she'd rather have them supporting her at the competition while Fluttershy is RIGHT THERE. If Dash doesn't get humbled and learn a lesson about not being a dick to your supportive friends, I'll be severely annoyed.

04:10 So Rainbow Dash is from Clydesdale? I wonder how she ended up in Ponyville...I BET HER SONIC RAINBOOM IS A FAKE AND SHE LEFT TOWN TO HIDE IT BECAUSE SHE'S A FUCKIN' FRAUD or something like that.

04:44 So Dash flew in, fucked everything up, and leaves without even offering to fix her mess.

TYPICAL

05:03 Rarity wants Twilight to come up with a spell to get wingless ponies in to Clydesdale? I'd want one to clean up that friggin' mess, personaly...

05:25 Okay, I like this assertive new Rarity here, I hope she sticks around. I can definitely see more of the comparisons of her to Cordeila from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this particular moment.

05:45 You know, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle isn't the only Unicorn in the group. Why don't you do some damn magic for once?

06:23 Of course they cut to commercial before revealing what exactly the spell did...Goddamn that's annoying. But at least it worked? We'll see.

06:35 So is it Clydesdale or Cloudsdale? I might be hearing it wrong and I don't have internet where I am...anyway, this place looks like Dash's house, which makes a lot of sense. Lots of Greek columns and shit like that...not bad.

06:40 So we're introduced to some Pegasuars who seem to be even douchier than Rainbow Dash-- Is this a Cloudsdale thing? It would explain a lot. I wonder how many people from Ponyville are transplants anyway...

07:02 KNEW IT! The new asshole ponies insinuate that Dash got kicked outta flight school and that the Sonic Rainboom was "an old mare's tale". This actually explains her tendency to overcompensate. Doesn't forgive it, but hey, it's an explaination.

07:57 Wow, Rainbow Dash is actually freaking out about not being able to do the Sonic Rainboom in front of a crowd! I wish I could be more sympathetic, too bad about all the BUILT UP ANIMOSITY OVER 15 EPISODES

08:12 RARITY HAS FAIRY WINGS AND SHE SHOULD KEEP THEM FOREVER AND EVER

08:32 The balloon from the intro is being piloted by the rest of the group! I was wondering when that thing would be seen again outside the intro...wait, was it seen before outside the intro? I don't even remember. I bet it has it's own Wikia page though, so it's not like I can't look it up. >_>

09:18 Wait, so is Fluttershy from Cloudsdale too? Ugh, stop making me want to google things, show!

09:48 Apparently the other Pegaweh think the wings suit Rarity as well. They really should let her keep them...

10:08 Weather factory? Weather. Factory. WEATHER FACTORY?! fosdjkfnaocvoajfcvofcvpakscv

10:35 Individually-made snowflakes and this idea is seeming stupider and stupider, which is impressive in itself since it's already pretty damn dumb.

10:54 The rainbows in Equestria are a liquid at the start, apparently. Pinkie Pie decides to literally taste the
rainbow (tm), and guess what? Rainbows taste like burning.

lol

12:28 Okay Rarity, the wings are awesome and all (really), but maybe stop making Dash feel inadequate, mmk? I mean it's nice that the shoe is on the other hoof with her for once, but there is such a thing as being over-exposed. Also, those wings are probably going to dissolve if you keep exposing them to the sun since they're made of morning dew and something something temporary. Falling through the clouds to your death? Not cute.

13:02 *sighs* FINE, show, I'll feel a little bit bad for Rainbow Dash. Rarity, you are squandering the cool points you earned in the last episode, pleas don't. :(

13:19 Derpy Hooves in her first (easily noticable) fully derped appearance! Was she a thing in the fandom by this point or is this where it started?

13:45 Great, Princess Trollestia is here. Ha-rumph. >:|

15:01 So Dash is freaking out even harder and swapping her number with the other contestants to delay the inevitable. Sometimes having empathy is annoying.

15:25 Rarity...not cute. At all. Gurl, you lookin' ratchet as FUCK with what you got on. SMH

17:13 So Dash and Rarity ended up having to perform at the same time; Rarity is performing flawlessly and Dash is fucking up in equal measure-- so lemme guess. Rarity is going to get her wings damaged, and Dash will end up pulling off the Sonic Rainboom in her effort to save Rarity from plummeting to the ground and exploding in chunky pony salsa.

17:55 Um, no Twilight, her wings did not evaporate, they burned. Morning Dew BURNED.

THE FUCK

18:10 The Wonderbolts actually make the first attempt to save Rarity, but she accidentally beats the shit out of them in a flailing panic. This feels like one of those details an earlier writer would have missed, and I'm glad they covered it.

19:08 So things pretty much played out exactly the way I expected them to. I have a feeling that Dash will have learned nothing about being a nicer pony and will continue her douchery for the foreseable future. :|

19:33 Rarity apologizes, still best pony.

20:43 Dash won the contest, but who didn't see that coming? Celestia presented her the award and wasn't annoying or anything. I hope this is a trend that continues.

21:32 So the douche-ponies get their comeuppance, and Dash takes off into the sun with the Wonderbolts. Woo.

Final Thoughts

Not a bad episode at all...mostly. I'd have liked it if Rainbow Dash actually learned something in her spotlight episode, but that went to Rarity for some reason. In any case, this episode had some of the best animation yet and the crazy facial expressions continue to get weirder and more amusing...good! I'm kind of annoyed that this season is so bottom-heavy with quality episodes, but it's certainly better than the drudgery of most of the earlier half of the season. The show has continued to improve, and I hope that trend doesn't end any time soon.

See you next time for...Stare Master? Huh.

-Apathy Pony