Top 25 Episodes of MLP: FiM Season 1 – #19 – Episode 12: Call of the Cutie
Summary
The episode opens at the Ponyville School House, where Apple Bloom and her classmates are being quieted down by Ms. Cheerilee. They’re beginning their lessons on the plot devise (Stop that sniggering this instant) known as Cutie Marks. Cheerilee explains to the class that ponies aren’t born with Cutie Marks, and when asked the pony called Twist pipes up that ponies get them when they discover “that certain something that makes them special.” Apple Bloom gets distracted from taking notes by the pony to her left, Diamond Tiara, who’s trying to get her to pass a note to the pony on Apple Bloom’s right, Silver Spoon. Apple Bloom takes the note to pass over but is caught by Cheerilee, who starts to berate her until she notices that the note is blank, to which Diamond Tiara mockingly asks Apple Bloom if it “Reminds [her] of anypony?” This bums Apple Bloom out more than a little bit as she still has yet to get her Cutie Mark, so she is, as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon harshly call her and others like her, a Blank Flank.
As the class files out for the day, Twist tries to make conversation with Apple Bloom but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon interrupt and continue to mock and ridicule them, as well as inviting the two to Tiara’s Cutecinera, which is a party to celebrate a pony getting their Cutie Mark. Apple Bloom continues to despair over her lack of a Cutie Mark to Applejack when she gets back to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack tries to cheer up her little sister by saying that everypony will get a Cutie Mark eventually, but Apple Bloom just whines that she doesn’t want it “eventually” she wants it before Diamond Tiara’s Cutecinera, so that Tiara and Silver Spoon will at least stop picking on her, though she doesn’t tell Applejack that. Applejack brings up that she and the rest of the Apple Family were all the last in their class to get their Cutie Marks, but the fact that all her family members were late bloomers doesn’t cheer her up, but she perks up when she also comes to the realization that that’s not the only thing all of the Apple family has in common, and she comes to the idea that her special talent has something to do with Apples.
Inspired, Apple Bloom accompanies Applejack to the market to help sell their daily crop of apples, but her technique for attracting sales is a little too eccentric, and after a few mishaps Applejack gets fed up and shoos Apple Bloom off after she convinces her that she can still have fun at the Cutecinera (Why does she even WANT to go?) if she went with the only other pony without a Cutie Mark, Twist. However Twist, coincidently, got her cutie mark at some point between then and when they left school (I’m guessing a day has passed since than or something?), and after Tiara and Spoon pass by with yet another jab, Apple Bloom practically breaks down and sulks off.
Rainbow Dash stumbles onto Apple Bloom later with a dark cloud, literally and figuratively, hanging over her. Apple Bloom tells her what’s wrong and Dash says that the best way to get a Cutie Mark fast is to do as many different things as you possibly can, so she and Apple Bloom do just that and, predictably, everything they try fails. As they run down a list of things they can try, Tiara and Spoon pass by again and talk openly between each other about how much they love being special and that not being special isn’t special and oh my god shut the hell up you little bitches! Anyway, Pinkie Pie decides to show up at this moment and offers to help Apple Bloom by sharing cupcakes with her and the two of them ditch Rainbow Dash and head for Sugar Cube Corner.
When they arrive, Pinkie reveals that she doesn’t really have any cupcakes but Apple Bloom could help her make some. So Pinkie sings this overtly catchy song about baking cupcakes and breaks the fourth wall a bit (Because it’s Pinkie, why the hell not?), and after many attempts at baking them, all Apple Bloom can bake are masses of carbon that Pinkie thinks are alright but Apple Bloom can’t stomach them so she gives up. After Apple Bloom mistakes some flower on her flank for a Cutie Mark appearing, Twilight arrives and Apple Bloom takes this opportunity to try getting Twilight to use magic to make her Cutie Mark appear. Twilight tries to say she can’t but Apple Bloom insists and, of course, it doesn’t work.
Apple Bloom, descending farther into despair, says she just won’t go to the Cutecinera and walks off in a huff, right into the front of Sugar Cube Corner where the party is being held. Apple Bloom gets a little flustered about forgetting about the party’s venue and tries to make her way out the front door without attracting attention. She’s just about out when Applejack walks in and, thinking she’s here of her own will, starts pushing Apple Bloom back into the fray, getting the attention of Diamond Bitch and Silver Bitch. Apple Bloom tries to hide her Cutie Mark-less flank with a table cloth and after tricking the two into believing she got her Cutie Mark, she walks off to mingle with the other guests, and then she trips over herself and the table cloth falls off.
Bitch 1 and Bitch 2 revel in Apple Bloom’s misery and resume mocking her, until two other little fillies step up to her defense and call out Tiara and Spoon on how vile they’ve been. Tiara tries to explain that not having a Cutie Mark makes a pony somehow less than others, but the two new fillies turn that around and say that Apple Bloom still has the potential to be whatever she wants while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are stuck with marks that clearly identify them as arrogant, self absorbed, mean little pukes. They then reveal that they don’t have their cutie marks either, and Twilight brings up how lucky tall three of them are to still experience that joy of discovering who they are. The other foals at the party start to crowd around the three markless fillies and start speculating amongst themselves on what else they could be and if they got their Cutie Marks too soon. Tiara doesn’t take this very well and she and Spoon skulk off as the two fillies who stood up for her introduce themselves to Apple Bloom as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The episode ends with the three of them dubbing their little group “The Cutie Mark Crusaders” and joining with the other ponies in a party for them selves rather than Diamond Tiara, and Twilight writes her friendship report to the princess.
Artistic Design and Animation
Another episode that’s just sort of there in terms of looks. Nothing new, aside from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and I suppose their designs fit with the “I’m rich and you’re not! Neener Neener Neener!” feel of their character. I’ll also say that a lot of Apple Blooms expressions were suitably HNNGG inducing.
Humor
There’s enough humor in this episode to get by but a little more of it, like spending a little more time with Pinkie Pie and her randomness, would have gone a long way. The sight gags and pratfalls in both the Rainbow Dash Montage scene and the scene in the market are also a lot of fun. The problem is that the humor of this episode is being weighed down by the infuriating annoyance of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon being interspersed between all of it.
Continuity and World Building
This is the first episode in which Cutie Marks are explained; something I’m not even sure the older generations did, so Kudos to Lauren Faust and the writers for thinking of an actual reason for the butt tattoos to be there, instead of just giving the ponies “Tramp Stamps” for seemingly no reason, though I got to admit it feels really awkward drawing attention to the backside of these characters whenever they talk about Cutie Marks.
This episode also gave us 6 new recurring characters: Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Twist, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Cheerilee reminds me of every enthusiastic elementary school teacher I never had; she’s nice and she really enjoys her job but she also takes it very seriously, and I like how they sort of made her friends with Twilight in the following episodes, which I wish they’d do more of and make it seem like the Mane 6 actually hang out with others outside their little group. I don’t think I need to go into much detail about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and why I really REALLY dislike them, it’s pretty obvious that they’re just there to be foils to the CMC and boy do the excel at that role. Twist is just an average side character, nothing really stands out about her but nothing really irks me about her either, which is weird since almost everyone I talk to seems to despise her. I think she makes a good friend for Apple Bloom, which really irks me when that friendship is dropped for one with the last two new characters, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. I’ll hold off on them for now, but let me just say that I wish Hasbro hadn’t demanded they have another two school age ponies to hang out with Apple Bloom.
Moral
I LOVE the moral in this episode, “the thing you think will cause you to lose friends and feel left out can actually be the thing that helps you make your closest friends.” To some extent I think most Bronies can vouch for that. What hurts it is that that doesn’t seem to be the moral they were building up to, it felt more like a “Good things come to those who wait” sort of story. I will say that there were instances where it seemed Apple Bloom was more worried about not having a Cutie Mark for the party rather than not having a cutie mark at all, it’s just that it didn’t feel like that was the focus of what all the older ponies were trying to tell Apple Bloom, so we have a moral being shoved down our throats that isn’t the intended moral.
Story Structure
The episode keeps its focus where it belongs, on Apple Bloom and her struggle, and her tension and worry grows gradually as the story progresses. It feels like a natural flow of events as she goes from one pony to another, looking for help with her problem. There’s no drastic change in tone or pacing and the song felt well placed and unintrusive.
Overall Feeling
Much like “Over a Barrel” this episode was half good, with Apple Bloom and her interactions with members of the Mane 6, but also half irritating, with the inclusion and heavy use of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The continuing reminder that the two exist is distracting and detrimental. Had they just given their little mocks to Apple Bloom and Twist at the beginning, and then not show up again till the end, we would have both gotten that these are two horrible little girls, and we would have spent that much more time with Apple Bloom and either Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie. What makes this episode much more bearable than “Over a Barrel” however, is Apple Bloom herself. I think she’s a great character, and even better, she’s a great CHILD character. Most kids in fiction seem to be either the paragon of sweetness and honesty or more annoying than anyone could possibly imagine. Apple Bloom hits that sweet spot in the middle, she’s nice and smart but she can still make mistakes and be impatient about every little thing. Some call her boring, I call her realistic.
All in All, an OK episode, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon need a slap in the face, and Apple Bloom is best Crusader.
Summary
The episode opens at the Ponyville School House, where Apple Bloom and her classmates are being quieted down by Ms. Cheerilee. They’re beginning their lessons on the plot devise (Stop that sniggering this instant) known as Cutie Marks. Cheerilee explains to the class that ponies aren’t born with Cutie Marks, and when asked the pony called Twist pipes up that ponies get them when they discover “that certain something that makes them special.” Apple Bloom gets distracted from taking notes by the pony to her left, Diamond Tiara, who’s trying to get her to pass a note to the pony on Apple Bloom’s right, Silver Spoon. Apple Bloom takes the note to pass over but is caught by Cheerilee, who starts to berate her until she notices that the note is blank, to which Diamond Tiara mockingly asks Apple Bloom if it “Reminds [her] of anypony?” This bums Apple Bloom out more than a little bit as she still has yet to get her Cutie Mark, so she is, as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon harshly call her and others like her, a Blank Flank.
As the class files out for the day, Twist tries to make conversation with Apple Bloom but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon interrupt and continue to mock and ridicule them, as well as inviting the two to Tiara’s Cutecinera, which is a party to celebrate a pony getting their Cutie Mark. Apple Bloom continues to despair over her lack of a Cutie Mark to Applejack when she gets back to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack tries to cheer up her little sister by saying that everypony will get a Cutie Mark eventually, but Apple Bloom just whines that she doesn’t want it “eventually” she wants it before Diamond Tiara’s Cutecinera, so that Tiara and Silver Spoon will at least stop picking on her, though she doesn’t tell Applejack that. Applejack brings up that she and the rest of the Apple Family were all the last in their class to get their Cutie Marks, but the fact that all her family members were late bloomers doesn’t cheer her up, but she perks up when she also comes to the realization that that’s not the only thing all of the Apple family has in common, and she comes to the idea that her special talent has something to do with Apples.
Inspired, Apple Bloom accompanies Applejack to the market to help sell their daily crop of apples, but her technique for attracting sales is a little too eccentric, and after a few mishaps Applejack gets fed up and shoos Apple Bloom off after she convinces her that she can still have fun at the Cutecinera (Why does she even WANT to go?) if she went with the only other pony without a Cutie Mark, Twist. However Twist, coincidently, got her cutie mark at some point between then and when they left school (I’m guessing a day has passed since than or something?), and after Tiara and Spoon pass by with yet another jab, Apple Bloom practically breaks down and sulks off.
Rainbow Dash stumbles onto Apple Bloom later with a dark cloud, literally and figuratively, hanging over her. Apple Bloom tells her what’s wrong and Dash says that the best way to get a Cutie Mark fast is to do as many different things as you possibly can, so she and Apple Bloom do just that and, predictably, everything they try fails. As they run down a list of things they can try, Tiara and Spoon pass by again and talk openly between each other about how much they love being special and that not being special isn’t special and oh my god shut the hell up you little bitches! Anyway, Pinkie Pie decides to show up at this moment and offers to help Apple Bloom by sharing cupcakes with her and the two of them ditch Rainbow Dash and head for Sugar Cube Corner.
When they arrive, Pinkie reveals that she doesn’t really have any cupcakes but Apple Bloom could help her make some. So Pinkie sings this overtly catchy song about baking cupcakes and breaks the fourth wall a bit (Because it’s Pinkie, why the hell not?), and after many attempts at baking them, all Apple Bloom can bake are masses of carbon that Pinkie thinks are alright but Apple Bloom can’t stomach them so she gives up. After Apple Bloom mistakes some flower on her flank for a Cutie Mark appearing, Twilight arrives and Apple Bloom takes this opportunity to try getting Twilight to use magic to make her Cutie Mark appear. Twilight tries to say she can’t but Apple Bloom insists and, of course, it doesn’t work.
Apple Bloom, descending farther into despair, says she just won’t go to the Cutecinera and walks off in a huff, right into the front of Sugar Cube Corner where the party is being held. Apple Bloom gets a little flustered about forgetting about the party’s venue and tries to make her way out the front door without attracting attention. She’s just about out when Applejack walks in and, thinking she’s here of her own will, starts pushing Apple Bloom back into the fray, getting the attention of Diamond Bitch and Silver Bitch. Apple Bloom tries to hide her Cutie Mark-less flank with a table cloth and after tricking the two into believing she got her Cutie Mark, she walks off to mingle with the other guests, and then she trips over herself and the table cloth falls off.
Bitch 1 and Bitch 2 revel in Apple Bloom’s misery and resume mocking her, until two other little fillies step up to her defense and call out Tiara and Spoon on how vile they’ve been. Tiara tries to explain that not having a Cutie Mark makes a pony somehow less than others, but the two new fillies turn that around and say that Apple Bloom still has the potential to be whatever she wants while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are stuck with marks that clearly identify them as arrogant, self absorbed, mean little pukes. They then reveal that they don’t have their cutie marks either, and Twilight brings up how lucky tall three of them are to still experience that joy of discovering who they are. The other foals at the party start to crowd around the three markless fillies and start speculating amongst themselves on what else they could be and if they got their Cutie Marks too soon. Tiara doesn’t take this very well and she and Spoon skulk off as the two fillies who stood up for her introduce themselves to Apple Bloom as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The episode ends with the three of them dubbing their little group “The Cutie Mark Crusaders” and joining with the other ponies in a party for them selves rather than Diamond Tiara, and Twilight writes her friendship report to the princess.
Artistic Design and Animation
Another episode that’s just sort of there in terms of looks. Nothing new, aside from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and I suppose their designs fit with the “I’m rich and you’re not! Neener Neener Neener!” feel of their character. I’ll also say that a lot of Apple Blooms expressions were suitably HNNGG inducing.
Humor
There’s enough humor in this episode to get by but a little more of it, like spending a little more time with Pinkie Pie and her randomness, would have gone a long way. The sight gags and pratfalls in both the Rainbow Dash Montage scene and the scene in the market are also a lot of fun. The problem is that the humor of this episode is being weighed down by the infuriating annoyance of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon being interspersed between all of it.
Continuity and World Building
This is the first episode in which Cutie Marks are explained; something I’m not even sure the older generations did, so Kudos to Lauren Faust and the writers for thinking of an actual reason for the butt tattoos to be there, instead of just giving the ponies “Tramp Stamps” for seemingly no reason, though I got to admit it feels really awkward drawing attention to the backside of these characters whenever they talk about Cutie Marks.
This episode also gave us 6 new recurring characters: Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Twist, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Cheerilee reminds me of every enthusiastic elementary school teacher I never had; she’s nice and she really enjoys her job but she also takes it very seriously, and I like how they sort of made her friends with Twilight in the following episodes, which I wish they’d do more of and make it seem like the Mane 6 actually hang out with others outside their little group. I don’t think I need to go into much detail about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and why I really REALLY dislike them, it’s pretty obvious that they’re just there to be foils to the CMC and boy do the excel at that role. Twist is just an average side character, nothing really stands out about her but nothing really irks me about her either, which is weird since almost everyone I talk to seems to despise her. I think she makes a good friend for Apple Bloom, which really irks me when that friendship is dropped for one with the last two new characters, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. I’ll hold off on them for now, but let me just say that I wish Hasbro hadn’t demanded they have another two school age ponies to hang out with Apple Bloom.
Moral
I LOVE the moral in this episode, “the thing you think will cause you to lose friends and feel left out can actually be the thing that helps you make your closest friends.” To some extent I think most Bronies can vouch for that. What hurts it is that that doesn’t seem to be the moral they were building up to, it felt more like a “Good things come to those who wait” sort of story. I will say that there were instances where it seemed Apple Bloom was more worried about not having a Cutie Mark for the party rather than not having a cutie mark at all, it’s just that it didn’t feel like that was the focus of what all the older ponies were trying to tell Apple Bloom, so we have a moral being shoved down our throats that isn’t the intended moral.
Story Structure
The episode keeps its focus where it belongs, on Apple Bloom and her struggle, and her tension and worry grows gradually as the story progresses. It feels like a natural flow of events as she goes from one pony to another, looking for help with her problem. There’s no drastic change in tone or pacing and the song felt well placed and unintrusive.
Overall Feeling
Much like “Over a Barrel” this episode was half good, with Apple Bloom and her interactions with members of the Mane 6, but also half irritating, with the inclusion and heavy use of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The continuing reminder that the two exist is distracting and detrimental. Had they just given their little mocks to Apple Bloom and Twist at the beginning, and then not show up again till the end, we would have both gotten that these are two horrible little girls, and we would have spent that much more time with Apple Bloom and either Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie. What makes this episode much more bearable than “Over a Barrel” however, is Apple Bloom herself. I think she’s a great character, and even better, she’s a great CHILD character. Most kids in fiction seem to be either the paragon of sweetness and honesty or more annoying than anyone could possibly imagine. Apple Bloom hits that sweet spot in the middle, she’s nice and smart but she can still make mistakes and be impatient about every little thing. Some call her boring, I call her realistic.
All in All, an OK episode, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon need a slap in the face, and Apple Bloom is best Crusader.
