art by TheDiscorded

Hot daymn!

This episode was an absolute triumph of style over substance.

Which, I am sure, makes it the sort of episode than some folks have a hard time enjoying. I can understand that; but it is their loss, because this episode was an absolute gem. And, by far, it was the funniest episode that we have had in a long, long time. The humor was all perfectly timed, and there are so many quotable lines and moments of levity that "The Saddle Row Review" is easily one of the best casual-enjoyment episodes for re-watching that the series has produced.

This is also shaping up to be one of the strongest seasons of the series. While I don't expect it to be able to outshine any of my favorite episodes of Season 5, I am impressed at how Season 6 has delivered nine great episodes in a row.

This episode was light on plot, with the crisis solved faster than it was laid out. The friendship lesson wasn't particularly strong, and the stakes never felt especially high. But none of that detracts from the episode because it is all secondary to it -- a framework upon which the creators hung something utterly delightful.

We're bronies. The dance remixes of this were inevitable!

Also: "shopping music mash-up"? Mash-ups are a thing, and DJ-Pon3 is confirmed as a brony.

Let's start with the storytelling. We are six sea seasons in, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has seen nothing like this before. Nick Confalone's script was truly innovative for this show, changing up the normal temporal flow by using a combination of in medias res and documentary-style interrupting narrative.

Neither of these storytelling tactics are new to media, and they have become favorites of television. (I, myself, used these storytelling techniques in Fallout: Equestria, most experimentally with the penultimate chapter "Galvanize".) Sometimes temporal jumps and flashbacks can be used to amazing effect. More often than not, however, they seem to be used in tired tactic of showing us part of the end of an episode at the start in order to falsely build tension or just pad running time. Most of the time, when shows do this, I feel it has the opposite effect: giving away where the episode is headed in a fashion that weakens the tension and makes everything leading up to that less interesting.

"The Saddle Row Review" is an example of these narrative techniques used right.

The comedic timing was also excellent. There were no missed beats (except when missing a beat would add to the comedic effect) and the pace of the episode was flawless.

It was also lovely to see the progression of Rarity's personal story arc. This episode was a continuation of what they set up in "The Gift of the Maud Pie", and the fact that the previous episode spared little attention to Rarity's efforts makes more sense considering the focus her Manehattan store is given here. This episode makes that previous episode even better.

The initial set-up was very nicely done, with Rarity's friends seeming worried that the review would take the spotlight off of Rarity's success and focus on their own mistakes -- not out of concern for their own reputations, but that it would upset Rarity. (And rightfully so, considering how important a positive review that focused on the establishment itself would be for a new, upscale fashion store.) Still, for a short while I was wondering if the level of the Mane Six's (minus Rarity) initial panic was justified. But the moment they locked her in the window of her own store, their fears of how Rarity might react to the review became perfectly reasonable.

art by Tsitra360

Next, I have to comment on the animation. I remember back in Season 1, when the animators took great effort to have ponies keeping to a limited range of pony-like motion. This was in part a limitation of the animation resources and in part an ideal for the universe. When "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well" first aired, a lot of fans were thrown by Rainbow Dash doing the wave because that wasn't how pony limbs seemed to work. (And this limitation really played into aspects of my own fanfic. For example, at the time, you couldn't have ponies holding guns in their hooves. But that would hardly be given a second glance by a newer viewer considering how fast and loose they play with such things now. Nobody questioned how a non-unicorn would use properly placed silverware.)

Every season has likewise given us new expressions, but Season Six has really allowed the animators more freedom with how they depict our beloved ponies. And this episode was Animators Gone Wild! All the new expressions were priceless, and the more relaxed posing and animation (showcased particularly in the diner interview sequences) gave this episode a fresh and unique feel that perfectly hoof-in-hoof with the innovative storytelling.

The episode also gave us a generous helping of noteworthy background ponies, from Buried Lede (a.k.a J. Jonah Jameson) to the trio of fashion ponies who, in a shout-out for the industry-savvy much like the artists in "On Your Marks", all resembled pretty famous fashion designers.

Characterization was great. Nopony carried an uncharacteristic idiot ball, and everyone acted in a fashion consistent with what we have seen from them before. At first, I found it bizarre that Rarity wouldn't have things more together and underway less than a day before the opening of her store. But when it was revealed that this was the final day of fashion season, that part of the story immediately came together. I have no doubt that Rarity realized it was conceivably possible to open her new shop on such an auspicious night, and that sparked the Idea. What could be more perfect? Inspiration became necessity, and as Rarity has shown the habit of many times in the past, she put herself in a ridiculous crunch in order to pull off her vision. As much as she continuously freaks out about it, this mare thrives on pressure. Giving herself absurd deadlines is a character trait.

I was a bit disappointed that Rarity didn't immediately grasp that Coco Pommel was ill, but I can understand her level of distraction. And she did send the poor dear home to get much-needed rest. Also, I am rather full of squee that Coco Pommel is now working for Rarity. About time she hired her. And who could be more perfect to manage the Manehattan boutique?

I am restraining myself. There are so many funny moments and little tidbits worth mentioning that I could fill the whole blog with screenshots.

I loved the use of the shoulder angel and shoulder devil for Pinkie's internal debate, and the choice to make them little Rarity ponies in Nightmare Night costumes was inspired. I mentioned in a previous blog how I used my own variant of this motif in Fallout: Equestria, so it was extra fun to see the writers indulge it in an actual episode.

Final notes:

Of course, I adored the callback to "Too Many Pinkies" and the very interesting possibilities that mystery Pinkie opens up. (I find this particularly interesting because one of my favorite comic writers is Peter David, and he has a particular fascination with the Marvel mutant hero Multiple Man. If you are interested in exploring the idea of making copies of yourself, I highly recommend his X-Factor comic runs.)

Plaid Stripes... ugh. No, AJ, spoon clothes are a horrible idea. Still, I have to thank spoon clothes for giving me blue corn reduction with shallot confit. My inner foodie was delighted. If made right, that could be delicious.

shallot confit

Also, cars are canon. I absolutely was not expecting that.