Starlight and Trixie really shouldn't be so surprised Twilight doesn't trust them, but it's nice that Twilight let Starlight make her own decisions.
shareStarlight and Trixie becoming friends was a great concept.
"My precious"-Gollum
It was alright. Trixie retains all her personality whilst still being reformed, more or less. So that's cool. I wasn't quite buying that she was genuinely upset when Starlight ran away; that felt a bit forced. Like, yeah, if she truly cares for her, then she would be upset. She did not sound sincere when she was giving the "oopsies" leading up to her tears, however. I guess what I' getting at is that her personality seemed like a conflicted mix of pridefulness and self-deprecation. Like, anything with her that didn't involve boasting and showmanship did not seem sincere. Also, it felt off that Twilight was so distrustful of her, considering how they parted ways the last time Trixie was on the show, and also considering who her student is (someone who arguably did far worse things than Trixie). For that matter, why did everyone act like Princess Celestia and Cranky Doodle Donkey didn't know each other? Tia and Luna were both at his wedding... It also seemed weird how upset she seemed, as per she's usually portrayed as being extremely patient and gracious when it comes to her subjects.
tl;dr: the characterizations felt off this episode. Still amusing though, more or less. Mostly because of Trixie.
Gah! I hate being this critical of the show... It's still very pleasant to watch.
Cynicism is easy.
It came from the writer of Party Pooped and Hearth Breakers. There was a good chance it would be uneven. I got some laughs, and Starlight and Twilight both had some growth, so not a bad episode. I thought Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie were all in character, but I wanted to smack Twilight so bad. 7/10
shareThe Manticore trick was awkward.
It BOWED at the end... did that imply it was in on the trick from the start? Why else would it be bowing?
How did Trixie even get a manticore in the first place? If it was in on the trick, why was she so fearful?
And if not, then Trixie was actually ready to go through with suicide... which really doesn't make much sense given her personality. If she was down in dumps for some reason, we needed to SEE that. She seemed to be making a comeback. She had her wagon back, she had a very flashy stage... she never really cared that much about friendship... so why, suddenly, does losing a 'friendship' with a pony she only just met cause her to become morose to the point of tossing herself down a predator's throat?
It was a pretty feeble, poorly-constructed narrative, really. Nothing was framed well and the characters didn't feel like themselves at all.
And if not, then Trixie was actually ready to go through with suicide... which really doesn't make much sense given her personality. If she was down in dumps for some reason, we needed to SEE that.We do, but it's a bit subtle. The problem with a small time frame is that while you can still say so much, it can still be open to all manner of interpretation:
she never really cared that much about friendship... so why, suddenly, does losing a 'friendship' with a pony she only just met cause her to become morose to the point of tossing herself down a predator's throat?This is two parts: one, something of a retread of Keep Calm and Flutter On, where once [she] had friendship, she didn't want to let it go, and two, a reflection of her character's desire to one up Twilight, which negates her own personal responsibility for the hurtful things she says, coinciding with her snideness towards Twilight after the act. share
These are pretty weak links, really.
The narrative didn't do a good job fleshing it out and rectifying it with Trixie's previous appearances.
Indeed, her last appearance handled her development and why she felt the need for revenge much better, and with some cunning bits of humor interlaced with the character development involving Pinkie and the rock farm.
This.. just threw things out without taking the past much into mind.
I think pairing Starlight with Trixie was pure brilliance. I couldn't think of a better person than Trixie that has a better understanding of Starlight's past. They both had that green-eyed monster effect.
Don't play games with a girl who can play better.