YMMV / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S5 E14 "Canterlot Boutique"

• Alternate Aesop Interpretation:
  • No matter how much you think you wanted it, no "dream" job is worth your happiness and mental health.
  • For anyone holding any sort of job interview: Don't neglect checking references, no matter how good someone's resume is, and especially if that same resume indicates a history of rapid-fire job-hopping. Rarity hires Sassy on the spot when she learns that Sassy worked at all the finest boutiques in Canterlot, without bothering to check with those boutiques still standing to see if there's a very good reason Sassy left (or even asking Sassy herself in an interview).
• Alternative Character Interpretation: Sassy Saddles' line about not wanting to be part of "another failed boutique" puts her in one: is she risk-adverse due to one too many failed business ventures in the past, or has her management style caused other boutiques to fail and Rarity is simply the first owner who took back the reins in time? Or both? Even some people who work on the show think she should have been fired for acting like a Control Freak, usurping Rarity's fame and authority, and almost driving Rarity to give up on the new place. On the other hand, Sassy honestly did want to help (and did so; she successfully generated a lot of interest and business) — just not using methods acceptable to the owner, which were never clearly spelled out — and she apologized. Rarity herself represents the Element of Generosity so letting Sassy keep the job is totally in character for her.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The large pony at the end of the episode is downright bizarre due to her character design, which makes her look like she came from a Kate Beaton comic or drawn by Pendleton Ward.
• Broken Base: The treatment of the incidental pony at the end of the episode is divided between those who thought it was hilarious and those who saw it as fat-shaming.
• Fanfic Fuel:
  • The new characters that shop at Rarity's boutique in the last few minutes of the episode are just open to write about due to being one-shot characters.
  • There is the potential misadventures of Sassy running this Canterlot boutique, and trying to stay true to Rarity's standards.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: This episode introduced a character inspired by another character played by actress Emily Blunt. 2 years later in the Big Damn Movie, a character voiced by Emily Blunt appeared.
• Informed Wrongness: Sassy Saddles was to be wrong for effetely taking control of Rarity's business and disregarding her wants in it. But Sassy was succeeding in the job Rarity hired her for, boosting business to the point they had so many orders Rarity was unexpectedly overworked, because Rarity failed to realized how different such success would be from what she actually wanted or to communicate her actual wants to Sassy sooner.
• Jerkass Woobie: What sets Sassy apart from Suri Polomare is that Sassy's motivation for pushing Rarity around is intense grief, and fear at the idea of yet another in a line of fashion-industry failures. Not to mention that Sassy, unlike Suri, is ultimately remorseful and decides to become a better business-partner for Rarity.
• Nausea Fuel: The Cold Open has Pinkie offering cupcakes baked with cinnamon and cilantro to Rarity. After seeing Pinkie try one and struggle to keep it down, Rarity passes.
• One-Scene Wonder: Of all the new characters introduced in this episode, the fat pony at the end has gotten the most attention. A close second would be the "goth pony," whom some people are immediately comparing to Raven (with the "sunny" one being Starfire) or Maud.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • Since Rarity can be seen working from a front window and she's gotten emotional enough to shriek in public, it would have been logical for ponies skilled in seamstress work to approach her for jobs on a production crew. Then, Rarity would have to decide whether accepting this kind of help would compromise her artistic standards, even as she is finding the repetitive work a misery.
  • Sassy Saddles implied she had a troubled past where she constantly failed at her job and was only trying her hardest to control Rarity's business because she feared another failure. Unfortunately, this goes nowhere because the episode focused on Rarity getting her dreams crushed by Sassy instead of opening up the possibility of the two being similar.

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