Don't Knock Fox: MLP: S504: Bloom and Gloom Review

 

134.  

     Season 5 Episode 4: Blooming and Glooming

     

     Radio Static
     

      

     JAC

     Hello, Mutants. This is the next oh-fish-ee-uhl broadcast of the MLP Review Series, Don't Knock Fox. This is JAC the Lipper, with my co-host, KIERAL the Cookie. 

      

     KIERAL

     Heya! The episode we're reviewing today- season 5 episode 4- is our first CMC episode this season. If you're wondering what type of cookie I am, then forget it, you weren't supposed to know about that.

      

     JAC

     Strawberry Shortbread.

      

     When we start with CMC episodes, they only get a couple each season. They're almost breaks from our main characters. Last season, we saw Sweetie Belle enter the Dream, now we have Apple Bloom. Next season will likely be Scootaloo. 

      

     The CMC episodes do feel unique. They feel more like a bunch of kids trying to figure out life than adults trying to figure out friendship. Now while adults figuring out friendship is certainly relatable because we have the social skills of hamsters, watching through the lens of the CMC has always been interesting, if not always great. 

      

     This episode is basically a giant allegory for what you're gonna be doing with the rest of your life and the anxiety behind that. The idea of, what if you hate your job, what if you lose your friends, what if you disappoint your family. The answers in real life are yes, nah, and hopefully. However, this episode portrays a more optimistic message, opting for the idea of keeping everything, and being unafraid of yourself.

      

     I'll let KIERAL do a summary since I hate doing summaries.

      

     Basic Summary:

      
     

     KIERAL

     Thank you for dumping that on me. So, we start off with a CMC clubhouse meeting where Apple Bloom announces that her cousin, Babs Seed, has finally gotten her cutie mark. Babs didn't really show up last season so, if you've forgotten like I did, she's the fourth member of the CMC. Or was, because now that she's got her cutie mark, the rest of the CMC agree she's not a member anymore. 

      

     This gets Apple Bloom a bit sad- and when Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo bring up the thoughts of getting a cutie mark you wouldn't want, downright anxious. Not Sweetie Belle, nor Applejack, can put Apple Bloom to ease. That night she goes to sleep.. and then wakes up.. to discover she's gotten a cutie mark! For managing.. infestations. 

      

     She meets an older pony with the same kind of mark and although uncertain about whether she likes it at first, Apple Bloom finds it's something she can get into. But when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon show up to mock her, she gets upset and runs away. She runs into the woods, where a shadowy figure offers to take away Apple Bloom's cutie mark. She accepts. When Apple Bloom wakes up again, she has a new cutie mark. Potion Making! That's more like it. She comes to see the rest of the CMC, only to be booted from the clubhouse because she's not a crusader anymore. 

      

JAC

As soon as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle find out Apple Bloom's got a mark, the girls say, "Yeah, no." And they kick her out. Turns out, you can only be a crusader if you are a blank flank/hip. Okay that's that, I'm gonna ramble. I'm gonna go on this digression now!

 
Flanks are not hips. Flanks are actually more the side, particularly between your rib and hip. The mark is on the hips, which is where the bone is.
 





Anatomy of a common Cyras, areas highlighted.

 
Anyway, as the girls excommunicate Apple Bloom, she goes back to the Lady in the Lake, who steals her cutie mark again, however turns out the other girls actually have their own cutie marks, which we never see. But they're sure important. 
 
On the third day, she sees another set of pancakes, and turns out her cutie mark is of a dolphin. The apple family interrogates her for this egregious crime and have her shot for going against the family. 
 



Rough. (Edit: Babs Seed's cutie mark is a pair of scissors. That's not an apple.)
 
Apple Bloom wakes up again, while Pinkie Pie is outside her window in a chicken costume she had in Luna Eclipsed, being a subtle reference for Luna. 
 





Well, Apple Bloom meets the Lady in the Swamp again and tries to run away, but she sees an a princess coming from the moon. Luna says, "You can't run away from your shadow." Luna, with her power to enter others dreams, reveals that Apple Bloom's anxiety is shared by her friends. Sweetie Belle is afraid she's gonna be a janitor and will need three jobs to support her heroin addiction, meanwhile Scootaloo dreams she's gonna be the next Evil Knievel, until she finds out she's actually the next Gordon Ramsay. Therefore, she falls in a river of mashed potatoes. Worse, they're unsalted.
 


 
 
Luna takes them to the clubhouse. Thus showing the Cutie Mark Crusaders know how to make a hub but the Elements of Harmony do not.

 
Anyway, Luna has them all talk about their anxieties. Growing up is hard basically, but they figure out they're cutie marks will be something that relates to them on an emotional level.
 
They realize they can still be friends and give Babs Seed a care package. When they wake up. Applejack says in the morning, "Everything can be solved with a good night's rest." 
 
"Yeah I just wished that wasn't so exhausting."
 
Relatable, Apple Bloom. Soon as I wake up, "Woah, that was tiresome."
 

Review:




KIERAL

So, like some of our previous CMC episodes, this one was pretty unique, for largely taking place in a dream. And at first this was subtle- it was hard to tell if it really was a dream as it wasn't overly surreal save for a few unusual encounters. In truth this was rather confusing since other dreams tended to be pretty explicit about what they were. However, once the pattern is established things fall more into place and the episode becomes interesting. It is a more in depth look at a pony's anxieties then we have seen before.

 

JAC

Personally, I think they should have revealed this was a dream before the commercial break. Because this feels like a taunt at people who've been wanting this for a long time, and we do have two villains already who we know can steal cutie marks. At least one is active, Starlight Glimmer. And then you have the gross old dude last season, Lurch from the Addam's Family. So Apple Bloom losing her cutie mark feels less like foreshadowing at that point and more like something that could actually occur.

 
However, now we see the potential ramifications. They justified the fear of losing friends indirectly by saying at the start that Babs Seed is no longer a crusader.
 
They've justified the fear of losing family because all of the family has apples.
 
They justified fear of having a sucky cutie mark because, well, look at the janitors. Someone has to be a janitor.

 

KIERAL

Indeed. Despite the episode's awkward not-so-start, the anxieties definitely felt real. The dreams did get more surreal as they went on, later featuring teleporting and characters acting overly mean, which makes me think holding back the reveal was very intentional (and likewise not a choice I agree with).

 

JAC

I think I approve of the idea of delaying the reveal because the idea is to throw you into chaos. You're supposed to go like, "Holy Barnacles, what's going on." But they reveal right after they come back from commercial break.

 

KIERAL

Yeah, really was a bit long.

 

JAC

Like you get into the situation, you're right back, and suddenly, everything is a lie. Turns out you're adopted. Now can we talk about the lighting upgrade that's going on?





So we've gotten a burst of budget in the lighting department. You can see the blue light on Apple Bloom actually start to turn her green on the close side, meanwhile her far side is still yellow. All the meanwhile, the shadow is growing from hers with a gradient. And meanwhile meanwhile, we got some shading on her bow indicating that's turned away from the light, giving some depth.

Also we got a beam of light coming on, versus several darker shapes that help light up that tree trunk which the shadow is on. We've got a shadow, surrounded by a light area, surrounded by dark areas, surrounded by light areas.

 

KIERAL





Yeah! The forest scenes were really a treat. Something I was particularly happy to see was the presence of cel shading. Now in this still, we can see how much form it gives Apple Bloom. There are even cast shadows from her mane and bow, which further strengthen the effect since we can judge the distance between the bow and tail!


Cast shadows can be pretty tempting to avoid when they are cast from/upon organic forms so props to the animators here.

 

JAC

What's a cast shadow again

 

KIERAL

Ah! Yes, we're educational too! A cast shadow is a shadow not on an object (that can be the "attached shadow"), but rather the one that is created by it. I can identify that there's a shadow cast onto Apple Bloom's tail since its edge matches up with the shape of her bow.



It's not a perfect match, probably because it's a bit distorted by the tail's round form.

 

Star Ratings:

 

JAC

3/5 

 

This episode is a ride from beginning to end. Starts off weak and confusing, but ends off being strong. However, I can't find myself justifying many of the mistakes. A couple of key choices could make this episode stronger, such as referencing Babs Seed last season or even having her appear. And maybe talking about why Morpheus keeps invading their dreams. However, there is a lot of amusing background humor and art. Also this gives a deeper and more serious look at the CMC. While they're always wanting their cutie marks, their episodes are almost never really about that. They're more about ruthless desire and the understanding of patience. This was a wonderful little episode, but not necessarily good.
 
As a note, episode 4 is the true first real normal episode of a season. Episode 3 introduces new status quo, 4 is the new status quo.

 

KIERAL

4/5 

 

So, this was a quite unusual episode with a pretty realistic representation of anxiety, building up to a spiral rather then kicking it off right away. I'd say there are two lessons in this one actually, the first being that everyone gets anxieties (even if they don't act it outwardly), and the second being that your cutie mark won't change who you are. The latter I find especially valuable, because in a world so full of things to do you can get a lot of worry about whether your choices are really the best ones. If it weren't for the weak and confusing start I'd rank this episode higher, but as is, it gets a 4/5 from me.

 

JAC

Yeah besides, cutie marks obviously determine who you are.

 


Recommendations:


 

JAC

Bloom and Gloom is pretty much more of a surreal episode, more about teaching a moral with nightmares, because Luna is a good princess. I think this is great for anyone who likes build-up, and who may be lost in their life. There's plenty of visuals. If you already know the twists, I think a lot of problems will go away from this episode, and there's nothing terrible.

 

Just a solid little episode. Nothing much more or less.


 

KIERAL

Firstly I'd say, it's a well executed dream story and if you're looking for an example of that, this is it (especially if you're aware of its problems, which now you should be). There are a couple funny moments and the surrealism ranges from subtle to heavy towards the end which is pretty fun. I'd also recommend this to someone that prefers characters acting more realistically.

Question About Wysdom Military

"Another question about the military, what kind of ships and planes/jets are there for the military?"

So Voto and Vytyl have roughly 1920's level technology. I say roughly, because we see some 1980's stuff, such as video games and colored movies in later parts, and we know they have television, which was just beginning in the 1920's. 

The builds of planes and ships are a bit similar, in that boats were usually built by Crimsons and later by Violets. However, water magicians can move the boats more easily. Some boats are even fueled by just water and steam. Magic hasn't slowed down progress for war, just complemented, as magic both stops and enhances war machines. The common man needs a response against powerful fiery warlocks.

As is seen in Where We Lie, we know they have normal row boats. However, going with 1920's, that is the development of the first aircraft carriers, giant heavy boats with planes. We also already have had destroyers for a while, which are of course giant floating ships that counteract torpedo submarines. As was explained prior, Wysdom also has 5 flying destroyers, these are destroyers that are, well, flying. 

The planes aren't as impressive, however they are made out of metal. Battle Blimps have taken off quite well.

Question About Wysdom

" I have a question: what is the military like in Wysdom and the other settlements?"

Military spending in Wysdom is about 37.5 billion dollars,17.5 billion on maintenance. 15 billion on personnel. 2 billion recruitment. 3 billion on research, development, and creation.

They have 600,000 army men with almost 2000 boats (including 4 Flying Destroyers). Also over a 10000 cannons, catapults, and even 100 siege towers. Standing army is 300,000. Aerial army is 100,000.

However, that's just the Imperial Army. Each state/kingdom has their own separate armies. Therefore, the total army is over 1,000,000 soldiers.

Wysdom has one of the strongest militaries on all of Voto or Vytyl. Comparatively, their compatriots in the east don't have anywhere near as many fighters. Chesniy has about 30% of their total strength, if even. 

Militaries will typically include a standing army, however also will have a navy, and an aerial force of mostly flying beings, and even air ships. Portal makers are important, as are enchanters of weapons. The war economy can boom with their ability of mixing together rare metals, as each metal has different magical powers. 

Swords and guns are both important, along with bows, arrows, scouts, and rangers. Big spells are often thought of as cool, like summoning out a tidal wave, however very unlikely as others may manipulate that tidal wave and the opposing army will usually stop the wave before that ever hits. 

Some just fight with their fists. 

Violets typically prefer guerrilla warfare while Wysdom just does phalanxes. Wysdom is fairly straightforward. They can perform Blitzkriegs, also known as Owlis' Lightning Attack. (Fun fact, a Blitzkrieg is based on the Hannibal Lightning Attack.) 

Militaries want fighters with many abilities. Digging trenches seems great until you realize a Nature-affinity Fighter can just dig holes automatically. 

Knowing two or more weapons is very useful in Wysdom's army.

That's the most information known about the armies of Wysdom.

 

Owlis' Imperial Library: Magic the Gathering: The Oracle of Ephara

So I like the lore of Magic the Gathering. The story has several planes, all with their own logics, physics, and creatures. However, the actual writing is pretty hit or miss for me. A lot of this comes from the fact they appeal to a literary style, and also the arc-based series have different writers per part. This would make sense if there's a team effort, but I swear they're like animators - they just say "here's this scene" and get working.

 

Instead of being biased, I'm gonna approach this one piece I've found called "The Oracle of Ephara". I'm gonna analyze the prose and the structure. I've only skimmed the start and end of the story.

 

"Iris, the Oracle of Ephara, leaned forward in the wooden armchair and carefully probed the small side table until her fingertips touched the clay drinking vessel. She gingerly lifted the cup to her mouth, a thin stain of purple remaining on her lips as she tentatively placed the cup back on the table."

 

Okay so this is our start. I hate this opening paragraph, as this doesn't establish any situation, just that she's at an armchair. I know a lot of writers who speak a lot and say little. Like, the clay drinking vessel? You mean... a cup? And speaking of which, look at how awkward that last sentence is. Using the same words twice in a paragraph evokes the same stumbling  as forgetting the last step of stairs. And the process of the cup is so intricately explained without merit. Yes, she puts the cup back on the nightstand, I get that. Personally, I just take a sip, before pouring on the nearest cat I see.

""I do not want to run and hide like a fawn," she said. "If we are to avoid war with those who have sided with the other gods, then I must be here to interrogate captives. You know my gift of foresight only comes from a touch. I cannot be of help if I am hiding far away.""

Okay, why is she explaining something the other person apparently knows?

""The enemies' agents have infiltrated the city," said Perisophia, the current head of the ruling council of philosophers known as the Twelve. The Twelve were arrayed in a circle in the center of the great hall of governance. Iris could hear their voices echo off of the massive marble pillars that stretched to the dome far above their heads.

"If you are captured or killed," Perisophia continued, "then you will be of no help to Meletis or Ephara. If we are to avoid open conflict among humankind, we must also prevent the renegade factions loyal to Purphoros from provoking it. We have conferred with the Temple and agreed that you will be moved to the garrison at Soli, where you will be safe until we call for you. The decision is final.""

Okay this is establishing where we're at. This must be a city meeting, and there's religious war ensuing. I'm not entirely sure who Ephara is, but obviously that's the person Iris is oracling for. That's the external part of the story, but they also establish the internal struggle, which is that Iris wants a fight, but cannot because she's so important.

From here on out, I'm only gonna summarize instead of posting many full passages. This is because, for one, you can read the story yourself, but also because that would take hours. Iris will be escorted by a singular guard to the garrison. After questioning Perisophia, she says the guard will be special. These stories include images, and they show this man as the guard for Iris.

Akroan Skyguard | Art by Mark Winters

Alexio the Skyknight. Meletis is the name of the city by the way. Iris promptly begins rubbing him all over the body with a startling lack of consent before she gets a vision.

" It was more like a feeling, like being in Alexio's dream and feeling the same emotions as he. He was in love with her. Not now, of course, for they had just met, but sometime in the future. And she felt him being taken from her, and his sadness, and then his nothingness.

The thought repulsed her. Not because he was repulsive, but because she knew how it would end. He was an exalted soldier of the polis and she was a blind oracle of Ephara. Never in a thousand years could they be together. If his love for her would kill him, then she must prevent it."

We now have another internal conflict by the fact she must protect Alexio. Kinda seems like a suicide angle with the idea of he's taken away, he grows regret, and then there's nothingness.

"Perisophia let go of Iris's hand as Alexio led her horse away, through the city, out the stone gates and onto the road south. They avoided the highway, taking instead the smaller, more ancient path through the forest. By the end of the day, they would be at the foot of the mountains they would have to cross in order to reach the garrison."

Forest | Art by Adam Paquette

What is so weird and I still haven't gotten over is how they described the mere act of picking up a cup, but when they enter the forest primeval, nothing.

Both talk as Iris mentions being abandoned by the gods who are now uncaring.

""Many believe that soldiers are born for battle," Alexio said. "But it is not always the truth. I would give anything to avoid war. I would rather converse with you by the fire, goblet in hand, than die on a battlefield for gods' own reasons."

 

"Does not your training teach you that you are already dead?" she said coldly in an effort to keep her emotional distance. "That is how a soldier must wake up every morning—with the certainty that his life has already been sacrificed.""

Iris' emotions feel much more real, she's fencing herself off so she can't hurt someone. On the inverse, Alexio is already on the smoochy smoochy. Alexio goes scouting ahead.

She spurred her horse into a trot, feeling relief in the freedom from the city, from the oppressive magnitude of the government and its imposing stone, its formal customs and grave responsibilities. She quickly offered a prayer for safety and encouraged her horse into a gallop that it was eager to oblige.

 

The warm wind of the afternoon whipped her cloak and peppered her face. She actually laughed for the first time in ages, holding the reins loosely in one hand and gripping the pommel of the saddle in the other. The landscape of her mind flew by. She could hear the trees pass on either side. Everything felt gloriously out of control. It was the first time she had been alone without an escort or handler in ages.

 

"Iris!" she heard Alexio shout from somewhere above. Before she even had the chance to rein in her horse, Alexio's powerful arms swept her out of the saddle and carried her through the air before roughly depositing her onto the grass. She heard her horse neigh violently and cry out. She heard the ringing of Alexio's sword as it left the scabbard and the shouts of two other men as they were cut down by his blade, one of them putting up a fight, sword to sword, before being silenced. Quiet returned to the world, except the labored breathing of her horse some distance away.

Well that was alarmingly quick. The brief bit of almost whimsy writing had some good, but wow Alexio just grabbed her.

Anyway, Alexio saw two highwaymen who were actually servants of Purphoros. They tripped up the horse with wire, breaking the leg, so they walk on foot. Iris curses herself for getting caught up in her own thoughts.

""It is not true, Iris," he replied, squeezing her hand so gently she wasn't sure it was even intentional. "You were only enjoying a fleeting moment of freedom that most people take for granted their entire lives. Not only do I not blame you, I respect you all the more for it. Your life is not so different from mine, always in service to Meletis, never to ourselves.""

A theme here seems to be responsibility. I'm getting a strong impression of how Iris is just insanely coddled in her life because of her blindness and importance. Iris soon tells him how she doesn't need him leading her the entire time, nor does she need him flying her away.

A Purphoros commander figures out where Iris has been, giving a sense of urgency of the plot as the enemy is on top of them.

"By the time full daylight filtered down through the trees, they had reached the foothills of the mountains. They had already travelled many miles, Iris, again, refusing to be carried aloft in the arms of Alexio. He led her off the path to the base of a large tree, where he bade her to sit and eat while he went to look for a mount. She was grateful for the rest. Spending most of her time in the luxuries of Ephara's Temple, she was not used to this much travelling.

 

Leaning against the moss-covered trunk of the tree in a beam of sunlight with food in her belly, she could not help but to drift off to the dream world for a moment.

 

She awoke to the sounds of a horse whinnying and the deep beating of large wings. She could also hear Alexio's smaller wings beating down to the ground nearby. She recognized the particular quality and cadence of the way he landed, but she did not recognize the other set of wings. The sunbeam was gone, and in its place a cold shadow lay across her body. She could smell moisture in the air. (Clever, smelling moisture.)"

The poetic writing actually works sometimes. This is occasionally awkward in my opinion (They had is said twice in the first paragraph, and travelling is said twice, also the middle paragraph is really long,), but in some cases, the idea shows through.

Loyal Pegasus | Art by John Severin Brassell

The fantasy art is pretty epic a lot of the time. I also think the writing portrays the lack of sense fairly interestingly, not focusing on the sights but on the sounds. A lot of people don't realize they write in third person limited perspective, which is written like both first and third person. You use "Cyras ran down the stairs", but by Cyras' own perspective.

Iris has fun getting on a flying horse and asks Alexio what the scenery looks like. Soon rainfall comes and washes over, so they retire.

Meanwhile the commander, with a magic goblet, sees where Alexio and Iris are at.

""Lady Iris," he said after a drink, "I am glad you talked me into stopping. Seeing you glow in the firelight, warm and dry, is a beautiful contrast to the weather outside. Let's enjoy one more night of freedom before we must resume your duties."(...)

" In that moment, she realized that her vision of his fate was incomplete. She had seen him fall in love with her, and be taken away, but she had not seen her part in the prophecy. Had the gods decreed this, or could her own actions change the future? What if they could be together, flying free over the world? Perhaps if she loved him back, she could change his fate—and he, hers. 

 

She tilted her head toward him and parted her lips. No, she thought, this cannot be. But the aching inside her pushed its way out. Before she could control herself, she felt his lips touch hers. He wrapped her in his strong arms and laid her down on the blanket next to the fire."

For two people who just met they are getting freaky pretty quickly, so maybe they just fall in love easily.

"Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms, wrapped in a warm blanket by a gently crackling fire, a smile on her face and a warm glow in her belly. In the moment, right before the dream world took her, she felt happier and freer than she had ever been, or thought possible."

Well the word "warm" comes up twice.

They awaken with the sound of invaders. Alexio tells her she must go.

""I won't leave you," Iris replied, desperately, the horrible thought sinking in that she was completely helpless.

Another arrow twanged through the cavern, this time finding its mark. Iris shuddered as she heard the shaft sink into something soft. Alexio grunted and continued to struggle in the spider's web.

"Take my hand," she cried, reaching out into the dark, touching nothing.

"I have cleared the web. Your mount knows where to go." His voice quivered, he gasped.

"Please," she cried. The pegasus shifted forward nervously, barely able to hold back.

"Fly," he shouted, slapping the pegasus's (Pegasus' is proper. Technically pegasus's is fine, but if the word ends with an s, we just add an apostrophe) rump with the flat of his sword. (Low-key perspective swap. To fit more in with her perspective, something like, "'Fly,' he shouted, as Iris heard a slap on the horse's rump from a metal sword," may be more advisable.)

The pegasus took a mighty leap across the cave entrance. Iris could feel the temperature and pressure change as they crossed the threshold of the cave. With a massive beat of wings they were airborne into the rainy sky."

And now both Iris and Alexio are separate.

"For the first time in her life, she had tasted love. For the first time in her life she had experienced enough freedom to even hope for love, and Alexio was dying for that love. If she returned to her old life, to grow old and die in servitude, his death would be for nothing.

 

She turned her mount, not toward the garrison at Soli or toward Meletis, but westward into the unknown. The Oracle of Ephara flew blindly through the rain toward freedom, unseeing and alone, as she had always truly been."

And that's the end of the movie.

So most of this story centers on Iris, a girl who feels mostly alone in her life. I feel like if I cover another Magic story, I won't go passage by passage.

I do like how they played around with the idea of blindness, but the romance unfolds so quickly as does the idea of fate. Like, she couldn't have met this guard prior, instead Alexio has to be someone she just met. Some working around like him being an old college buddy would work (yes that's partly a joke but also partly for real).

Unfortunately, despite an actually pretty awesome sequel hook, there's no sequel I can find so far.

Star Ratings:

4/10

Not really impressive overall. The writing reeks of fanfic-level, though upper echelon when someone's learned a few things, but still doesn't have a real grasp of fundamentals. The actual technical parts are overblown or awkward. There's some cleverness in the idea of working with a blind oracle, but they don't even follow through with that as there's a couple of passages that require sight - presumably from Alexio's perspective or they lean in that third person omniscient? 

 

I can name a few minor alterations I would have made, and plenty of major alterations as well. And even some middle-alterations. 

 

Overall, this is amateurish. And as we all know, ish means shit. 

 

Plenty of potential, mostly wasted. This is not deserving of a spot in Owlis' Library.