MLP: FiM Episode Review- Green Isn’t Your Color

Salutations!

Rarity wants Fluttershy to be a model for her clothing line when big-shot Photo Finish is due to arrive. Naturally, Fluttershy is unsure, but Rarity is insistent. When Photo Finish comes to the boutique, Fluttershy poses via suggestion of Rarity, but Photo Finish doesn’t like them, and Fluttershy reacts with her shyness, to which Photo Finish responds to. She leaves, with Rarity and Fluttershy thinking it to be a failure. But it is not so, as Photo Finish announces another photo shoot. Rarity selects some clothes for Fluttershy to wear, but Photo Finish tosses them aside. Fluttershy wants to back out, yet Rarity tells her to take it. Photo Finish sets up a fashion show starring Fluttershy, who becomes fairly famous. Fluttershy and Rarity are to meet for time at the spa, but Photo Finish snatches her away, in spite of Fluttershy trying but failing to tell her. While Rarity waits, she comes across Twilight and admits her jealousy over her meek friend, but not to tell said friend. After Rarity is gone, Fluttershy meets with Twilight and confesses her displeasure with being a model and was only doing it for Rarity’s sake. Twilight then advises her to be contrary to what Photo Finish wants out of her; so she does it, with the assistance of Twilight. Rarity appears, not aware of Twilight being involved, and declares that Fluttershy is making a marvelously unique approach to the catwalk. The audience is interested in what Rarity is wearing; however, they then believe Fluttershy to be more popular than ever. While they are backstage, Rarity finally admits her jealousy, and Fluttershy finally admits to only being a model for Rarity’s sake.

If only they knew what each other was thinking in the beginning. But then, we wouldn’t have an episode or a lesson. Rarity was trying to be polite and be a good friend by encouraging Fluttershy to accept being a model for Photo Finish, and that’s nice of her to do, but in a way, she didn’t need to be jealous. She was the one that basically begged Flutters to model in the beginning. But would Photo Finish have accepted Rarity as a model? I have to wonder. Photo Finish was taken with the timidity of Fluttershy, and Fluttershy has this grace about her. Rarity is fabulous, and she knows it and is confident of it. Would Photo Finish have wanted Rarity? Overall, I’ll give this episode a 7.5 out of 10. I didn’t dislike any episode of season 1; some just stuck out more than others.

Oh, I love this episode! It is the episode that basically first introduced me to the show, after all, so of course I should love it.

Because of my bias, I rather just want to give the episode a 9 out of 10 and avoid ruining the episode any for me. But I still think I should say some things about the episode. Of course, I love Fluttershy in this episode. I, of course, also love her interactions with Rarity, as anyone who read our Shipping post should remember me squeaming joyfully over Rarishy. Photo Finish is a fun one-shot character, with her exaggerated way of speaking. And Pinkie Pie popping up everywhere can really take you by surprise on the first watch. And Spike’s “secret”… while he may not hide it very well at all, this really is probably the first time he’s admitted it out loud. Though I wonder if Rarity actually knows that Spike has a crush on her, or if she just considers his adoration to be the appropriate response to her fabulousity… Anyway, yeah, 9 out of 10. I refuse to say anything bad about this episode.

MLP: FiM Episode Review- A Dog and Pony Show

“We wants the precious.”

Salutations!

Rarity tries to dazzle her client Sapphire Shores, who wants lots and lots of gems for her clothes. Rarity then sets off with Spike to locate gems. They find a wagon-full of gems, but awaiting in the bushes are the vicious Diamond Dogs. They see Rarity’s ability to locate gems, and they kidnap…fillynap…marenap……they take her away to their cave. Spike is unable to save her, and he calls on the other ponies for help. At first, they only see large holes, but the Diamond Dogs fill up the holes. The ponies are concerned for their unicorn friend. Spike tells Twilight about how Rarity finds gems, and the purple unicorn uses her magic to find a trail of diamonds to lead to Rarity. Meanwhile, Rarity is not the worker the dogs want her to be. They do the digging, but then Rarity whines. When she is called a mule, she begins to cry. The ponies and Spike hear this, and they hope to save Rarity. However, the dogs try to use the ponies for labor, but they fail. However, when they get to Rarity, she’s not as in distress as they had previously thought, and after her constant whining, the dogs beg the ponies to take her, and they offer up the gems with her. In the end, Rarity explains it was part of her plan the entire time. The moral of this episode is that just because one is a proper lady doesn’t mean she is a damsel in distress.

Spike gets hungry, but restrains himself; they gather gems, one of which Spike was promised to eat but he doesn’t because Rarity gave it to him. How cute is that!

Mare power is pretty prevalent in this episode. Everypony assumes she can’t handle herself because of how she’s presented herself in situations before. She would be afraid to get dirty and labor is a foreign word to her except when working on beautiful gowns. So perhaps it is a little bit of a surprise for her to have control over these…whatever they are. I’m the type of pony that thinks all animals are cute, even possums, but these guys are downright ugly. So are their personalities, which make them really ugly. I guess friendliness and better personalities would make them seem cuter. They remind me so much of Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Not sure if Bilbo in the Hobbit could have pulled off whining to get his way out, though. Nor could Rarity have had them guess what’s in her pocket. Those Diamond Dogs were rather creepy. It was hilarious how Rarity used annoyance to get them to give her up. Oh, Spike, you and your gallant knight-ness. And his trusty steed Twilight to ride in and save the princess from the awful….yeah. So demeaning for Twilight but uplifting for Spike. Maybe uplifting’s not the right word, but he sure wanted that moment. The funny thing is, we have this belief that we need a knight or a prince to save the day, and that the pretty mare is always in distress. While Rarity is that type to enjoy that sort of thing and is most likely to be that damsel in distress type, she has shown another side to her, a cunning side, to get herself out, especially when she knows that the others aren’t around to just save her. She has shown she’s very capable herself of getting out of dirty situations. Well, more power to you, Rarity. Well done.  I give this episode an 8 out of 10. While it’s not among my favorite episodes of the season, I like what Rarity did with her whining, which was pretty awesome. I still say she’d make a good actress.

Oh, this is an enjoyable episode! This isn’t the only piece of media that I like which references David Bowie’s album , but it is one of them. I absolutely love Rarity’s complaining in this episode, and it is so nice to watch Rarity getting the best of her captors. There’s really nothing I have against this episode, except maybe, MAYBE Spike’s fantasy being a little annoying. But it ends with him unintentionally anout to kiss Applejack, which is funny. If I try to be critical, then I think the episode (or at least future ones) could have given more fleshing-out to the Diamond Dogs. Why do they want gems in the first place? What is this semblance of structure they have with all those grunt dogs? How do they distribute their profit (again, with those grunt dogs)? I’ve said so little about the quest to save Rarity, but that’s good too. I like how the episode plays with the rescue party’s expectations, with the ponies expecting Rarity to be in dire stress. Anyway, Ledger gives this episode an 8.5 out of 10. This will always be an episode that will get me to laugh.

Pony Personality: Rarity

“Oh me! Oh my!”

Classical Temperament- Choleric

Associated with the element of fire, Rarity is most herself when she is extraverted, egocentric (not in a bad way), aggressive, task-oriented, and passionate.  Her reaction time is quick, as she explodes with emotion toward various stimuli in her life.  Her reaction duration is long, as she persists in her work and has difficulty letting her strong emotions die.

Jungian- SeFi (ESFP)

Rarity’s dominant function is Extraverted Sensing.  She is most fluid in a world of finery.  She is focused on the moment and lives through her colors and textures.  Even though her dominant function is Se, she still works out her inferior function of Introverted Intuition rather often, since she quite often gets bursts of inspiration.  So Rarity is possibly the most well-developed and balanced personality.

Rarity’s auxiliary function is Introverted Feeling.  She relies on her own personal values (which often results in unnecessary aesthetics).  At her worst, she can be selfish, and at her best, she can stand up for her valued friends.

Enneagram- 3w4

Rarity’s basic fear is worthlessness.  She’s symbolized by jewels, for crying out loud.  Her corresponding basic desire is to feel valuable.  Again, the jewels.

Rarity seems to have developed a 4 wing, as she has chosen to seek her sense of worthiness through individualism and uniqueness in art rather than through supporting others.

Salutations!

Rarity can find the beauty in almost everything.

She has an understanding and empathetic heart at times. We first see that with Steven Magnet, and we also see it with Fluttershy, when Rarity insists on Fluttershy joining the Ponytones, but when Fluttershy expressed her discomfort with the notion, Rarity understood and did not continue to badger her about it.

She’s proven to be the bigger pony by not exacting revenge, as seen with “Rarity Takes Manehattan.” Instead, she works her own method or sacrifices part of herself to start over. She knows that cheating is not what it takes, but being fabulous is what it takes.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the finer things in life as she does. She loves the high-life and society, but she could not really enjoy it fully without her dearest friends.

Rarity…is a manipulator. She’s almost like a stereotype, using her wits and charm against others to get what she wants or needs out of them. That’s not 100% bad, especially when dealing with the Diamond Dogs. She could handle herself well. She’d make a great actress.

She is a true visionary. Of course, she went overboard on that when she literally had the power and changed everything she saw, creating chaos until Spikey-Wikey finally told her the truth.

Not that Rarity…

Yes, that one.