YMMV / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S4 E17 "Somepony to Watch over Me"

• Accidental Aseop: Although the message of this episode is against being overprotective and showing why going overboard with that is a bad thing, it also can make a case for that a certain amount of protection is warranted in regards to one's children and younger siblings during the certain situation and its important to be able to determine when that is the case. Case and point, the Chimera would have eaten Apple Bloom had Applejack not intervened, as Apple Bloom had wandered into a dangerous location unprepared.
• Alternative Character Interpretation: Did Applejack not have faith that Apple Bloom would be able to take care of herself on her own, or did her "motherly instincts" tell her to always see Apple Bloom as a baby that needs protecting?
  • Diving into Fridge Horror territory, was Apple Bloom accepting death at the hands of the Chimera when cornered at the hilltop or was she instantly hoping for a miracle?
• Broken Base: Applejack's overprotective behavior. Some think it's hilarious and made the episode more amusing, others found it annoying and the episode's biggest problem. Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of an in-between
• Ensemble Dark Horse: The Chimera sisters. She may be one of the most scary-looking monsters to appear in the series, but she's got also a rather hilarious and amusing behavior, what with her three bickering heads. Those who disliked the episode consider her the sole redeeming grace of this chapter, as well as the rather epic battle between her and Applejack.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Apple Bloom's encounter with the chimera brings to mind A Voice Among the Strangers (or A Stranger Among the Voices), in which Dinky wanders into the Everfree Forest and is chased and almost eaten by one.
  • Apple Bloom wandering in a scary forest by herself? A concept already explored in Story of the Blanks.
• Nightmare Fuel: The Chimera. A frightening-looking beast with an intent to eat the hapless young Apple Bloom.
• Viewer Gender Confusion: Judging from her deep voice, many a viewer assumed the Chimera's tiger head was male before the other heads called each other sisters.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • This episode provided a good opportunity to look into Applejack's role as Apple Bloom's Parental Substitute, which might have made the former's actions understandable, if not sympathetic. It doesn't, instead playing it for what many felt was the shallow slapstick FIM had moved the franchise beyond. Alternatively, this would have been a good opportunity to have Twilight come in and back up Apple Bloom as being a younger sibling herself and point out to Applejack that Apple Bloom needs her own space to grow.
  • A more minor example, but legitimate humor and Aesop-learning could occur if the unknowing "Not So Different" Remark from the Tigress head had been followed with Applebloom and the Chimera suddenly bonding (and then teaming up to tell off Applejack for her over-protectiveness). Instead, the Chimera just makes an offhand comment about her sister "always looking over her shoulder", Applebloom is about to acknowledge the similarity only to be cut off and it's never mentioned again.
• Ugly Cute: The chimera may be one of the freakiest monsters the show's thrown at us, but she can look rather adorable in some scenes too.
• The Woobie: Apple Bloom. Her sister harasses her to no end, is subjected to the most humiliating forms of overprotecting there is by Applejack, and faces the trauma of almost being eaten by a menacing beast in a flame-fileld swamp.

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