YMMV / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S4 E5 "Flight to the Finish"

• Alternate Aesop Interpretation: Some ponies (and people) are born differently than us, and can't do what we take for granted. That doesn't mean that they can't still excel and be awesome. Intentional or not, the episode has many disability parallels. Though given that flight is a standard feature of pegasus physiology, it's kind of hard not to interpret the episode's Aesop as disability-related.^note Plus, "Don't bother seeking treatment for a potential Dream-Crushing Handicap" is not, by most standards, an appropriate interpretation of the "Be Yourself" Aesop.
• Accidental Innuendo:
  • Rainbow Dash: "I did tricks with that flag the likes of which no pony saw before."
  • Diamond Tiara referring to the CMC as going to be in "a hot mess".
  • While on the train, before going to comfort Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash says "I can't hold it in. I want you to win so bad!" with an extremely dirty expression on her face. This line and expression, when taken out of context, can make it seem like Rainbow wants to do something else with the Crusaders. Even in context it sounds rather perverted. It has gotten much lampshading on the popular imageboard Derpibooru.
• Awesome Music: We've got hearts as strong as horses...and we're playing to win, as we gallop to glory! The crew were proud enough of this song that it was used as the music in the Season 5 trailers.
• Broken Base:
  • The episode in general. On one side of the coin, we have fans who are happy Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo got some bonding throughout the episode, and like the moral of the story. On the other side, some believed what made earlier CMC was lost, claiming that the episode pacing was off and the plot involving Scootaloo's flying issues didn't live up to its full potential.
  • While most of Scootaloo's home life isn't explored, this episode finally proves she isn't homeless. Some are pleased by this development, others find it ruins their head-canon.
  • Scootaloo's trouble flying: After this episode, many fans were hopeful to see Scootaloo eventually fly after all she had been through. Others wanted to leave her grounded, holding her up as a role model for people with disabilities (some of them having disabilities of their own).^note This despite the fact that the episode's dialogue actively avoided answering the question of whether she had an actual disability or was simply having trouble learning to fly.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Ms. Harshwhinny. After this episode (and "Games Ponies Play") aired, numerous amounts of fanart has popped up significantly, mostly her rather unique facial expressions.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Bulk Biceps freaking out over butterflies, but being able to get along with Fluttershy five episodes later.
• Ho Yay: The last time Miss Harshwhinny gives Rainbow Dash a dressing-down for her "over-enthusiastic outbursts", she literally gets up in Dash's face, appearing to kiss her on the muzzle. Slashfics in three...two...
• Never Live It Down: There are many who view Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon tormenting Scootaloo over her inability to fly as their Moral Event Horizon and believed they would never redeem themselves after it. This is despite the fact that Discord has been redeemed despite his far more heinous crimes including Mind Rape of the Mane Six and trying to Take Over the World several times.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • From the synopsis it looked like this was finally going to be the episode where Scootaloo either learned to fly, or it would finally follow the original idea that she would never be able to. By the end of the episode, she is still unable to fly, but there is no confirmation on whether or not she will figure it out in the future.
  • Some people were also disappointed with the lack of a scene for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon getting punished or scolded for what they did to Scootaloo. Sure, they didn't win the competition but they still got off lighter then usual for their most heinous deed to date.
  • This episode would have been an excellent opportunity to see Scootaloo's parents or relatives. But we are still kept in the dark about her family life. At least she isn't homeless.
  • At the very least fans were hoping this would be the episode where Scootaloo FINALLY earns her Cutie Mark, especially after what she manages to accomplish near the end, towing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, two fillies roughly the same size as her, on her scooter ALL THE WAY TO THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE IN RECORD SPEED! You would think after that impressive display, she would finally see that the Scooter IS her special talent and she would get her Cutie Mark right? NOPE! Unfortunately for the CMC, Status Quo Is God. Which is even more unfortunate because of everything poor Scootaloo went through here.
  • One of the interesting developments of the episode, is that the CMC barely pay attention to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's original insults, dismiss them as irrelevant, and are no longer intimidated by either of the two schoolyard bullies. Instead the bullies treat the CMC as threats, and Diamond Tiara tries (in her words) "to find a new way to get under their skin". The change in character dynamic between the two groups is barely explored in the episode.
• Wheelchair Woobie: Poor, poor Scoots. She feels so broken up about not being able to fly, she gives up on her best friends and stays home, believing that she is not worthy of being a pegasus. She even tears posters off of her bedroom wall, and throws her scooter in the trashcan.

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