Line #25 YMMV/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E10RainbowFalls


1	Return to the main page [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E10RainbowFalls here]].
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3	* AlternateAesopInterpretation: With how easily the Wonderbolts were forgiven for their disloyalty, its seems their biggest fault was the dishonesty behind their actions, making the intended Aesop about loyalty seem more suited for honesty.
4	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
5	** Thought it certainly did look like Spitfire was the bad guy, one way of looking at it was that she, Fleetfoot, and possibly Soarin' deliberately put themselves in that role [[SecretTestOfCharacter to test Dash]], in which case she (again!) passed with [[{{Pun}} flying colors]]. It helps that instead of getting mad or even upset at being called out, Spitfire and Fleetfoot are all smiles.
6	** With how easily Soarin' forgive his teammates for abandoning him, it's possible he agreed with their motives and was more upset with their lack of trust and honesty with him.
7	** Much less charitably, it brings into question just how much the lesson of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E7WonderboltsAcademy caring about your teammates and being a proper leader]] actually stuck. One wonders how much Spitfire ''actually'' cares about the morality of her actions and the treatment, behavior, and well-being of her teammates, or if her real motive for canning Lightning Dust [[UltimateJobSecurity was only to keep a ringer like Rainbow Dash on their team]] since she just as casually considered dumping her long-time teammate Soarin' to make a spot for Dash.
8	* BrokenBase:
9	** Depending on who you ask, this episode is another good Rainbow Dash-focused episode, or it's a contrived mess full of plotholes, continuity breaks, shoehorned fanservice, and out of character moments.
10	** Spitfire's {{Jerkass}} behavior for the first two thirds of the episode. Whether this is an understandable reaction in her quest for victory at the Equestria Games or an example of continuity from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E7WonderboltsAcademy Wonderbolts Academy]]" being ignored is up to debate.
11	** Whether Rainbow Dash was in the right for wanting to go with a team that wasn't formed by non-athletes is is also debatable. Her friends are shown to be understanding of how important it was for Rainbow Dash to be in the Equestria Games, while Twilight tells her the very opposite, that she'd offend all of her friends for doing so.
12	*** On the other side, Rainbow made a commitment to the Ponyville team and shouldn't decide to switch to a better team just because she doesn't like her chances. Since we're shown that winning isn't of paramount importance to Rainbow (considering she agreed to Bulk Biceps and Fluttershy in the first place on top of passing on the chance to join), and since trying to win at the expense of others is a dick move, as established in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E7WonderboltsAcademy Wonderbolts Academy]]", there's no good reason for Rainbow to join the Cloudsdale team.
13	** Bulk Biceps has always been a fan favorite, but some viewers find him much funnier in small doses.
14	** A minor case is Fleetfoot's voice. Some think it sounds unique and [[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound very cute]] for the character, but others have found it irritating beyond belief and too raspy.
15	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
16	** Aside from Derpy showing up (after being gone for so long) and Bulk Biceps being given an important role, people have also taken an interest in the griffon team... ''because'' they're a griffon team.
17	** The Cloudsdale cheerleaders also seem to be making a splash.
18	* FanficFuel:
19	** Bulk Biceps', a.k.a. "[[FanNickname Snowflake's]]" GentleGiant personality and his interactions with the mane six, especially Fluttershy, is prime shipping fuel.
20	** Soarin getting characterization.
21	* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments:
22	** The very fact that Fluttershy, a pegasus terrified of heights and known for being a very weak flier, competes in the relay because she wants to see Rainbow Dash (more than Ponyville) win at the games, and this is how she can help best.
23	** Spitfire giving her badge to Rainbow Dash was a sweet touch, too. Presuming she really did lose herself in competitive vigor (and it wasn't a SecretTestOfCharacter as speculated above), that gesture seemed to say, "You're more of a Wonderbolt than I."
24	** Derpy's return is one on a meta level.
25	* HilariousInHindsight:
26	** With Bulk's added vocabulary, always at the loudest volume, it's not hard to think of this as [[https://www.youtube.com/user/Yaplap Sorlac]], knowing for his "shouting" covers of various MLP songs.
27	** In a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E7ParentalGlideance later episode]], Derpy as a filly is shown to be on par with future Wonderbolts. Suddenly, her being Dash's replacement makes more sense.
28	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: A common complaint is that the moral and its execution was already used and is considered to be done better in "Wonderbolt Academy".
29	* {{Padding}}: Since the relay team's goal is stated several times throughout the episode, the {{Rhetorical Question Blunder}}s between Rainbow Dash and her teammates feel less like exposition and more like filler dialog.
30	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The Wonderbolts' training leitmotif is a riff on (appropriately enough) "Gonna Fly Now", the theme from ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}''. There's even a ponified version of Mickey Goldmill in the Wonderbolts' camp.
31	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Had the writers decided that Rainbow Dash and her team hadn't qualified, an aesop of "winning isn't everything" could have been explored. Given how competitive Rainbow Dash is (and how everypony knows this), having her [[GracefulLoser gracefully accept failure]] could have been a powerful message.
32	* UnexpectedCharacter: ''Derpy'', of all ponies, being chosen as Dash's replacement. Not only did she receive next to no coverage in previews of the episode, and thought to be almost gone from the show entirely, but she isn't exactly the most reliable of fliers. All of the actually athletic pegasi were tied up in other events, however, and she silently and graciously acknowledges that she's not an adequate replacement for Rainbow Dash.
33	* TheWoobie: Poor Soarin. Injures his wing and none of his teammates come to check on him. His teammates even considered outright replacing him with Rainbow Dash!

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