Didn't Pinkie and the Brain do something like that? Where the Brain was mad at Pinkie for obsessing about The Honeymooners, and then the final question turned out to be about The Honeymooners?

Hey, I remember that one too. :)

Yeah, that's likely how it will go, Twilight thinks Pinkie's not smart enough but Pinkie ends up being able to be a big help somehow.

I've seen it already but I won't comment on it yet.

What was the point of Rainbow Roadtrip?

To entertain? What is the point of any episode?

It was going to be the second movie, but because the first one did poorly, they instead made it into a special, which honestly is a much better fit.

Post of the Day #2608

Posted by Random Chaos on Sun, 14th Aug '11 7:44:52 PM - Post #14467 in the old thread

So Rainbow Roadtrip was supposed to be the curtain-closer on G4? Or was that rumor never really substantial?

No, I think that one is still upcoming. This one seems to have been quietly pushed out as a special episode, and was never advertised as a movie, as far as I can tell.

I don't think I ever specifically apologized for how I acted here in regards to the Canon version of Vinyl Scratch. So, I'm sorry about that. All the times I ranted and raged over a background pony. It was so stupid, silly and childish. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer the fanon versions of her and Octavia, and I'm not at all a fan of the canon portrayals, but now I get how ridiculous I was acting {That said I'm also not as into that duo as I used to be either}. I doubt anyone still cares at this point, but I thought I'd at least make it known that I regret how I acted.

I think part of what made me realize it was how I've been spending time in the RWBY fandom. There's a character in that show named Adam Taurus who, while not a background character, barely even existed before the show's third season. A lot of people had headcanon's about him being a morally grey, revolutionary type, but when he finally got more than 2 appearances showing that he's really a 100% complete asshole, people raged about it and are still angry about it to this day. They are very annoying, and it was enough to make me realize that I acted no better in regards to Vinyl Scratch.

Edited by marston on Aug 15th 2019 at 12:34:04 PM

I don't think many even remember. I've been here several years now, and I don't remember a fight like that.

I vaguely remember you complaining about Vinyl being mute in the show.

Edited by storyyeller on Aug 15th 2019 at 8:00:42 AM

... I did? I honestly don't remember. If anything, I like that she is mute.

Post of the Day #2609

Posted by Applelight Limited on Sat, 17th Nov '12 1:08:36 PM - Post #304994 in the old thread

... I did? I honestly don't remember. If anything, I like that she is mute.

No, I meant Marston.

This thought just occurred to me. What would have happened if the writers went ahead with their original idea and called that episode "Reading Rainbow"?

Post of the Day #2610

Posted by Ace Of Scarabs on Sun, 18th Nov '12 11:09:06 AM - Post #305350 in the old thread

This episode is gud

IT'S HERE FOLKS!

• Part one of overcoming Twilighting: admitting you have a problem
• Me: THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG^note It's at least nine or ten hours for me :/
• Is it just me, or is Twilight really Flanderised this episode?
• SUNBURST!
• Terrible pun.
• Hey diddly-ho, Twilight has really been Fla-Fliddery-Flanderised today!

• Wait, ANOTHER "Twilight loses a streak" episode? Let me guess: Twilight loses the streak and learns that the streak isn't everything.
• Hold on just a second, neighourino, it looks like Pinkaroonie's been Flanderized too!
• This episode is just a ship name generator
• Lag.
• Lost the stream. Hold on.

• This episode is going on exactly as you'd expect it to go on.
• Hey, there, Twilight, don't get too Flanderised or you might end up a Flat Character!
• The episode so far: "MAN, AREN'T YOU ENJOYING THIS EPISODE, BRONIES?"

• Twilight learns that winning isn't everything.
• Twilight gets disqualified
• Or not.
• You.
• I knew it.
• Because winning isn't everything, which this episode tried to do in the most blatant manner.

This episode was not very enjoyable. It was a rehash of an episode from the same season that the writers attempted to make fresh by blatant pandering: obscure show trivia, team names that are obviously ship names, dumb faces, rampant Flanderization, etc.

Wait, I’ve never seen you around here before.

Bouncer!

A Trivial Pursuit

A game night episode. How slice of life can you get?

Why is Spike in a nightshirt and sleeping cap? Why is it all white? Doesn't he always sleep without clothes, like all the other characters?

"Tomorrow IS your chance to be the first pony to win Ponyville Trivia three times in a row." The record streak is only TWO games? That's... not much of a record. Or a challenge, honestly. So how long has this game been played now? This feels like a season one plot, really. Twilight easing into Ponyville traditions, like Winter Wrap Up and the Running of the Leaves. If this was a Ponyville tradition, you'd expect Twilight to have won MUCH more than just two in a row.

So, not a minute in, and the stakes are already dissapointingly low.

And that was the cold open. I'd expected the big reveal of who Twilight pairs up with to be revealed before the theme song. That's usually what cold opens do, but oh well.

Twilight reads the rules of the game to Spike... and these rules were clearly made up by HER, not by any, you know, sane pony. It would explain why no one else has managed to win three in a row. Though it still doesn't explain why Twilight wouldn't have, either.

Ponyville has a building entirely dedicated to Trivial Pursuit. Apparently these ponies love this game. Except that the rules sound like they were written by Twilight. So, is it a Ponyville tradition, or something invented by Twilight.

"You don't get to pick your own team?" How do you NOT know this, Spike? Presumably you were there for previous games, so how could you possibly not know how the teams work? Again, this episode is written like a season one episode, with Spike ignorant about what is apparently a long Ponyville tradition.

"And based on the regular attendees, I've charted every potential teammate's strengths and weaknesses, plus my percentage of winning with each one." And I'm sure your friends would love to hear where they rank on the intelligence meter in your opinion, I'm sure. This feels like it should be a friendship lesson: don't grade your friends. Especially not against each other. It's just asking for conflicts.

"You could never let me down, Spike." An easy enough compliment, since he is not competing.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't our reigning champ." Of TWO consecutive wins. See, it sounds a lot less impressive once you put it in numbers.

"I didn't come all the way from the Crystal Empire to lose." ... Why is Sunburst here? He isn't a Ponyville resident. Wasn't this specifically a PONYVILLE tradition? Seems like someone just wanted Sunburst in the episode.

Everypony is being catty about the upcoming game... and then Pinkie shows up. The look of utter shock on Twi's face says it all, really. She did not count on Pinkie... and she is NOT pleased about it.

I don't get why Pinkie wouldn't have played the game before. Seems right up her alley. I guess the writers just wanted to make her an unpredictable factor, but it feels a little out of character for Pinkie to not even attend (as her mere appearance gave Twilight a shock, so clearly she hasn't been present for games, either).

Twilight panics... and throws Spike out the building (by magic) to check her list. Seems a bit unneccesary.

And then he comes back in, and the scene just continues with the team selection. Not sure what the point of that was.

"The next pair is... Maud and Mud Briar." That seems highly unlikely, given how many ponies there are. Clearly the writers thought these two would be too funny to NOT team up.

"It's a statistical improbability!" Yeah, what Twi said! Trying to hide your writer favoritism with lampshades!

"Twilight! It's you and me! Isn't that great!" And Twilight pulls the fakest smile, that Pinkie of all ponies should see right through. Twi's dissapointment at being paired up with the pity friend is all too clear.

"I LOVE games!" Which is why I never went to this one before! Wait...

"We can be... Twi Pie!" First Apple Dash, now Twi Pie? What's with all the ship nicknames all of a sudden? More pandering to the fanbase, I guess. The older fanbase, that is.

"Pinkie, I'm glad you're excited, but tonight's game is special. I could be the first pony ever to win three consecutive trots in a row." That's not all that special, especially since she is counting a single pony's streak, not a team's. And, uh, yeah, telling one of your best friends she is not good enough for your "special" game night seems a little harsh.

"Pinkie might not be the partner I expected, but I can coach her along!" Patronizing is Magic!

"Now, first order of business is, we need somepony to keep score." I expected you had some official pony just for that, given how you have a dedicated clubhouse for this game and all.

"I'll do it!" "I'm not sure you want to take that job, Spike." Again, acting like this is the first time Spike has been here, and doesn't know the first thing about it. But he HAS been here, since Twilight mentioned him being a spectator before, so why would Apples feel the need to warn him off keeping score if he presumably already knows about it?

"Starlight used to do it, but now, you can't even SAY the word trivia around her." Then why would Spike not know this? They live in the same castle, after all.

There's a LOT of competitive tension between Apples and Dash, which again seems much more fitting for the early show, when they were still very competitive, compared to later seasons where it has all but dissapeared. More proof for my theory that this is an old, recycled script from the early days.

"The first category is literary figures." Hey Dash, why are YOU so disgusted by this category? You like reading now, remember?

"We're off to a great start!" And then Twilight leaves Pinkie completely hanging with a high five. Ponks looks momentarily dissapointed, before high fiving herself. Yeah, stuff like this is where the pity friend comments come from, guys.

And Ponks immediately gets an answer wrong, to prove Twi's fears correct for the time being.

"Sorry, I didn't know you have negative points." Me neither. What is this, University Challenge? For a game named after Trivial Pursuit, the rules seem a bit... harsh. Not to mention there are way too many rules.

"Tip one: try sitting still." How is THAT going to help you win the game, Twilight?

"Don't get distracted, or be distracted." ... Have you MET this pony, Twi?

Ponks is clearly struggling to follow Twi's instructions, which boil down to 'Sit still and shut up while I play the game.' How is this the Princess of Friendship, again?

"Next category is APPLES!" Is it, now? What a surprise. I can tell who made up the categories.

The question is on an apple that only blooms for five days, and Apples chokes, to Dash' amusement.

"You kiddin' me?" Some orange pony is gonna get an earful about that tonight.

Twi tries to goad Pinkie into answering, but Fluttershy answers instead (it's zap apples, incidentally, because clearly we can't have something original at this point. Gotta pander to the audience with callbacks, after all.

During the break, Twilight is (loudly!) complaining about Pinkie not keeping up, and Spike advises her to focus on her own play instead, but Twi of course doesn't listen.

Pinkie clearly knows the answer to the next question, but Twi just slaps her hoof away to prevent her from losing another point.

Twi then jumps up about Sunburst's partner sleeping, and this apparently disqualifies them from the game (because this game is clearly NOT about having fun, or anything involving "trivia", for that matter). She does this in the most snotty, obnoxious fashion possible.

"Why looky here, that's an actual rule." I'm surprised that has never come up. Also that there IS such a rule.

Next to be disqualified is Flutter's team, who got help from Angel (no help from pets), followed by Dash' AND Apples' team for sticking their tongues out at each other (oddly immature for season nine).

"Vote to establish new rule, no expressionless contestant." Wow. Twilight really has lost it. Trying to win by rules lawyering is one thing, but INVENTING rules during the game is a new low. Surprised there is no rule against that, by the way.

"Nice try." Granny Smith is having none of this shit.

Twilight has gone full Lesson Zero at this point, basically flipping out at Pinkie and tricking her into leaving.

"What flavor cupcakes did Princess Celestia order for Princess Luna's surprise birthday party last year?" That's an oddly specific question. One that seems suspiciously tailored towards a certain pony who is obsessed with parties, cupcakes, and keeping track of everypony's lives. I bet that card doesn't say that at all. This is just Granny getting back at Twilight. That would be a great gag, actually.

And Twilight knows the answer, somehow.

"Hey! I knew that!" Poor Pinkie, doesn't even realize when she is being side stepped.

For the rest of the round, Pinkie suddenly knows a lot of answers, but has Twi steal them away from her. That doesn't really make sense with how she was terrible at it before, though.

"The category is... sticks and stones." See what I mean about those categories being oddly specific?

"Technically, it is a kind of category where we know the answers, and YOU don't." Looks like Mud Briar is back to being an ass again.

Pinkie points out that she grew up on a rock farm, though, which means that Muddy is technically incorrect about them not knowing the answer.

Twi tricks Pinkie into asking Maud about a rock related question, which apparently disqualified her. Man, these rules are brutal. Why would that even BE a rule? And how does THIS rule only disqualify Pinkie, when that OTHER rule disqualified Sunburst, who WASN'T sleeping at all. That's not very consistent.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie, guess I forgot about that rule!" Our Princess of Friendship, everypony! Kicking inconvenient pity friends to the curb at a moment's notice!

Wait, there is a rule where two members from different teams can team up after having their team mate disqualified? That seems oddly casual for this apparently hardcore serious game of trivia.

Also, in that case, why didn't the OTHER teams do the same thing, then? Shouldn't the teamm mates of Dash, Apples, and Flutters still be in the game, in that case?

I don't know which of these two is more annoying, Twilight for being a hypercompetitive jerk, or Sunburst for being a smug horse about being in better form than her.

"Technically, that answer is incorrect. The answer is, Lord Tirek AND Scorpan." That is an odd question to get wrong for someone who routinely teaches exactly that sort of history in her OWN school.

And then everyone is at or near 60 points. How long is this game supposed to be, anyway? They were around 15 after the first break. Or do they get more points now? For a game with so many rules, we sure don't hear the basics of it.

"How many holes are there in Derring Do's hat?" What kind of asinine question is THAT? That's hardly trivia. Then again, most of these questions aren't, either. They are either overly specific to one contestant's area of expertise, or generally overly arcane. What about this is trivia, exactly?

"Twenty!" Why would anyone know this outside of obsessive fans? How in Equestria is that trivia?

Also, weren't these two disqualified earlier? And now they are suddenly in the game again. WITH their team mates.

Ooh, and then Sunburst pulls a Pity Friend distraction on Twilight. Seems they have something in common, there.

Oh, wait, he's trying to get her disqualified.

Also, I just realized Rarity is not in this episode. Weird. You'd think she'd like this game. At least, the game that the title suggests, not this game of backstabbing and rules chicanery.

Twilight spots Pinkie looking dejected after chewing Sunburst out, and apoligizes, pointing out that Cranky is awake again, and apparently that means he can rejoin the game. Man, these rules are so brutal yet so casual at the same time. Who wrote these rules, anyway?

"Pinkie, you were the best team mate I could ask for, but I let wanting to win keep me from seeing that." Is she? I don't think the episode has shown that at all. Actually, it has done a fine job that Pinkie is mostly a drag for Twilight. But I guess the sentiment's nice.

"We still could have had fun." Fun? In THIS game? Starlight got burned out on it. The rules encourage jerkish behaviour between and within teams. The questions are hardly trivia, which is a problem when your game is called Trivial Trot. No, this game doesn't look fun at all.

Also, I don't know what that comment about Starlight going mad from trying to keep score was on about. Spike's job seems to consist entirely of putting up score cards on each table, which seems hardly frustrating. Boring at most, really.

"I got so obsessed with one thing, I forgot what really mattered." Which you do over and over and over again, so clearly you learned nothing.

"NO, that doesn't sound like you at all." Wow, catty Pinkie.

I notice everypony seems to have taken a level in bitchiness this episode. It's not quite mean, but it is certainly more catty and snarky than usual.

"Twi Pie forever?" "I don't know..." Don't want to rush things, right?

"I guess even the Princess of Friendship can mess things up with her friend." Well, we already learned that from the movie, so there you go.

"According to this rule, ponies can join at any time, provided they start from zero." Congratulations, game designers, for coming up with a rule that is both casual AND harsh.

"Wow, these rules are REALLY convoluted." Lampshade again!

And that's the end of the episode. That was pretty fun, even if the game was all over the place in it's difficulty and rules, and Twilight was uncharacteristically mean to Pinkie. This plot would have worked better in season one or two, when Twilight still had these sort of social failings. This seems like too much a backslide for the Princess and Tutor of Friendship.

Another thing I noticed is that the conflict is really isolated from the rest of the group. You'd expect some comment or intervention from their friends, or from Granny Smith. Instead, it's like their conflicts happen in a bubble, isolated from the others. That is a bit of a missed chance, I think.

Hasbro doing some stealth advertising, I see.

Well this was a pretty good episode. Although it was a bit unusual - Twilight and Pinkie were in full manic mode, which doesn't happen often. It was still fun though.

One other thing that stuck out to me - is this the first time they've used Portmanteau Couple Name in the show? It makes sense in universe, but it still feels like a nod to the fandom like they've been doing a lot lately.

Also, those rules are really crazy.

Is it just me, or is Twilight really Flanderised this episode?

I don't think they were flanderized at all. They were certainly acting differently than normal, but Flanderization refers to something a lot more specific. It's not like this is the first time Twilight has been shown to obsess about things before either.

That's... not much of a record. Or a challenge, honestly. So how long has this game been played now? This feels like a season one plot, really.

That's a good point. I didn't think about that.

Ponyville has a building entirely dedicated to Trivial Pursuit.

No they don't. They just took an existing building an held an event there and decorated it for the occasion. You know, like what happens in real life?

Edited by storyyeller on Aug 17th 2019 at 5:59:56 AM

I think the confusion with flanderization comes from the characters acting much closer to their season one characterization than their current one. You can see this very clearly with Apples and Dash, who seem far more competitive and immature in this episode than they have been recently.