My Little Pony ~ SEASON 4: EPISODE 10 ~ Review

18th January 2014. A day that will live on in brony history forever. Why? In case you don’t already know… there are spoilers ahead so as always I would recommend that you watch the episode before reading this review. With that said, let’s continue the “My Little Pony Season 4” reviews with Episode 10 – “Rainbow Falls”.

Preparations for the upcoming Equestria Games continue and Rainbow Dash is determined to ensure that her team, comprised of herself, Fluttershy, and the muscular pegasus (known for his “Yeeaahh!” catchphrase and now identified here as Bulk Biceps), qualify to compete in the relay race. Though committed to representing Ponyville with her teammates, Rainbow Dash encounters Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Soarin from the Wonderbolt Academy, competing for Cloudsdale. When Soarin gets injured, Rainbow is offered the chance to train, and eventually join Clousdale’s infinity superior team in the competition, forcing her to make a tough decision about who to commit her loyalty to.

Season 4 has remained on impressive form since the beginning and throughout, with the last couple of episodes being particularly exceptional. “Rainbow Falls” is another solid and enjoyable episode that continues the winning streak, but is unfortunately also one that, in contrast to previous entries, is a bit of a step down. There’s still a lot to like about it however, and that doesn’t solely come down to one particular moment that makes this episode a truly memorable one. It’s quicker to get the downsides of it out the way, therefore I will begin with those.

From the above synopsis, it already sounds like a predictable premise, and indeed the episode is as such. But history has repeatedly shown that knowing what’s going to happen does not necessarily mean a poor end result. It’s how you get there and how you tell the story that counts, and “Rainbow Falls” does do this respectably well, but doesn’t escape some flaws. One of the issues I find here is not so much with predictability, but with familiarity. We know what Rainbow’s going to do in the end and we know what she’s going to learn from all that happens, but it feels like it’s been done before and I can’t help but wonder if she’s really learning anything new. However, to the episode’s credit, even if the lesson is familiar to Rainbow Dash and to the audience, the way the story plays out before it gets to the lesson is executed really well. We’re aware that Rainbow Dash strives to remain loyal to every pony she holds dear to her, but we also know that she has a highly competitive side. And it’s not unrealistic for these two personality traits to clash with one another, especially when the scenarios and the stakes are a huge deal, which is exactly the case here. This is not just another friendly competition; it’s the Equestria Games, essentially a ponified version of the Olympics. So when she finds herself conflicted over whether to compete alongside her friends or the vastly superior Wonderbolts, it’s understandable and never feels out-of-character. The setup also provides us with some wonderful writing for Fluttershy, as she expresses her understanding if Rainbow Dash decides to move to the Wonderbolts team, and selflessness by stating that she and Bulk Biceps would give her any gold medals they win because it means more to her. Moments like this are really sweet and truly make me wish everybody in the world has a friend like Fluttershy.
Speaking of the side characters, they’re a decidedly mixed bag here. I’m really not keen on the characterization of Fleetfoot and especially Spitfire in this episode. I understand that they’re both competitors determined to secure victory, but the fact that they lie about Soarin’s condition with the intention of gaining a stronger teammate, and consequently try to coax Rainbow Dash into moving to their team in the process, just seems a little mean-spirited to me. Perhaps if they had kept Soarin on their team and maybe convinced Rainbow Dash to help him train to be a stronger flyer, and then offered her the position of being an official coach for the Wonderbolts in place of competing for Ponyville, thus forcing her to make the same choice over which team to be loyal to, that may have been more effective and enjoyable. While the rest of the Mane Six contribute to the episode in their own fun ways, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie feel a bit wasted and not all that memorable here, and Spike is unfortunately nowhere to be seen either. However, I’ve already mentioned that Fluttershy has some great moments and in his expanded moments, Bulk Biceps and his tough-on-outside, soft-on-inside personality provide some good laughs. I also really like how Twilight is written here. Cheering for Fluttershy during the relay race was a nice way to give her encouragement, and informing Rainbow that she had a decision that she had to make by herself, and that choosing not to make a choice didn’t really count, almost felt like something that Twilight herself might have easily learnt from Celestia at some point. Even though she STILL isn’t been identified as a princess, it does feel like some princess-like wisdom might be starting to come through.

But now, let’s get to the part of the episode that every, and I mean EVERY brony was talking about: Derpy. After a number of teasers were released online prior to the episode’s air date, the fandom erupted with excitement that the loveable and disappointingly controversial wall-eyed Pegasus, Derpy Hooves, made her triumphant return of the show, with her comeback appearance fast becoming one of the most discussed moments of the season so far. And I’m no exception, as I was also immensely overjoyed to see her enter the scene as Rainbow’s replacement. Although it may be easy and understandable to write this off as fan service, it’s also a moment where you don’t really care if it is or not, you’d just be happy that it happened. And credit where it’s due to the team at Hasbro, who clearly defied the so-called “soccer moms” (can someone tell me what that term actually means?) who criticized Derpy in the first place, unfairly labeling her as offensive. And she isn’t just a background pony in this episode; she actually has a significant part in the third act. Although she is never identified by a name, nor given any spoken lines, which some viewers may find bothersome, these decisions work to the episode’s advantage. The fandom remains free to refer to her as Derpy, and the possibility of her permanently remaining a silent character is a concept that, in my opinion, actually really works. What makes Derpy so loveable is the fact that she’s just one of the most innocent things on the planet. She’s not oblivious to the fact that she is clumsy and accident-prone, and such traits cause frustration to other ponies, but she always means well, and it’s hard for viewers to get mad at her as a result. And that quality shines through so well with just her facial expressions that she doesn’t really need to have dialogue for support. It’s something that feels a bit reminiscent of "Wallace and Gromit", where a large bulk of the comedy comes from how Gromit doesn’t speak, and instead uses a vast range of facial expressions rather than dialogue to play off the characters and situations. It’s a sense of humour that works wonderfully in that series of films, and which I think could also work wonderfully here with Derpy. I, for one, certainly wouldn’t be against Hasbro if they followed through with this concept for all her future appearances.

Overall, Rainbow Falls doesn't feel like one of the stronger entries in the season, but it still packs good characterization in a good narrative to ensure that there’s still a lot to enjoy about it. It was very close to being awarded a 7/10, but some of the character writing, scenes involving Bulk Biceps and Fluttershy, and the long-awaited, and much-appreciated and admired return of Derpy, were enough to bump my final score up a point.

RATING: 8/10