YMMV / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S4 E8 "Rarity Takes Manehattan"

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Suri Polomare. Was she always a manipulative Bitch in Sheep's Clothing, or did her experiences in Manehattan eventually turn her in a bitter opportunistic mare? If Rarity's Jerkass Ball is any indication...
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Coco Pommel is getting some love from the fandom. It helps that she's one of the nicest ponies in the designer business and is cute as a button.
  • The secretary mare has also gotten some love - the fandom's centered on the name "Grace Manewitz" for her as a means of combining the known influence (Gracie from Ferris Bueller) and the apparent reference (Janine Melnitz from Ghostbusters) as well as the requisite horse pun.
• Fanfic Fuel: Involving Suri Polomare. A few fics have been written where Suri gets called out or even arrested (!) for her actions during the episode. Other fics were written about Suri getting revenge on Rarity or a redemption afterwards.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • Rarity provides a generous helping of these, but ensuring Coco Pommel has a job stands out.
  • The Mane Six still help Rarity even if she couldn't deliver on her promise for them to see the musical, because they know she's not at her best, and they work hard through the night so she still has something presentable for the show.
  • Rarity realizing this and running away from the show so she can find them and make up with them.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Rarity is friends with over six illegal Mexican immigrants!
  • Coco Pommel is played by Cathy Weseluck, who uses nearly the same voice as G3 Rarity, making their conversation at the end amusing.
  • The backwards version of Rarity's song has it that Rarity is literally taking Manehattan.
  • This combined with Fridge Brilliance: Rainbow Dash laughs that ponies randomly bursting into song is silly. While it's a subtle jab at the show itself (and is immediately lampshaded as such), Rainbow Dash is the only one of the Mane Six to not have a song of her own (outside the "Find A Pet" song, which is arguably a duet with Fluttershy). Otherwise the only times she's ever sung is the groups songs, at least until Season 5 finally gave her one of her own.
• Moe: Coco's meek but kind personality coupled with her big blue eyes, soft voice, and general underappreciation from Suri make her one of the most adorable ponies on a show full of them.
• Pandering to the Base: We have an episode rife with opportunities for a newly crowned Princess to throw her title around, yet Twilight is treated like any other pony in Manehattan. She isn't even given front-of-the-line privileges at a taxi stop! The writers seem to be deliberately downplaying her new title and her alicorn status.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Or side-plot anyway. Twilight could have tried to use her authority as princess to get a cab, if only to be told it doesn't get her special treatment. Instead, the Manehattanites fail to even acknowledge Twilight's title. Some fans feel that Twilicorn has been so underused that it makes the change seem rather pointless.
• The Woobie:
  • Rarity in the second half of the episode and sometimes as a mild Jerkass Woobie.
  • Poor Coco Pommel. She works for Suri in hopes of making it as a designer, is constantly belittled by her, and generally believes you have to fend for yourself because nopony will help you. You just want to give the mare a hug and cheer when Rarity earns her a job and restores her faith in ponies.
  • Poor Spike. He gets to come along, but ends up carrying all of Rarity's luggage, his gifted carrot dog is taken by a bird, and ends up toting all the Mane 6's souvenirs when they spend the day on the down. At least he gets to see the show too.

---