Top 25 Episodes of MLP: FiM Season 1 – #16 – Episode 8: Look Before you Sleep
Summary
The episode opens with the ponies of Ponyville preparing for a big lightning storm. Most of the pegasi are moving clouds around in the sky while others assist the more earthbound ponies remove loose branches from the trees. Rarity is assisting as well, but instead of removing the branches she’s reattaching them and then using her magic to turn the leaves into decorative trimmings. Applejack arrives with her lasso and halls down the branch Rarity just put back up, and then she starts scolding the Unicorn for only caring about “prettifying” everything. Rarity complains about the inevitable rain ruining what would have been a beautiful day and Applejack explains that since they missed a sprinkle last week, they need some heavy rain now to make up for it. Speaking of which, the rain starts to come down and Rarity starts to freak out about her mane getting wet. AJ suggests she hide under the picnic table (or is that a park bench?) nearby while she finishes, but Rarity refuses because it’s muddy as all get out under there. Here’s an idea Rarity: go home. I fully understand not wanting to get wet and muddy, I wouldn’t either, so avoid both and go hunker down at your boutique before the rain starts coming down really hard. Applejack starts getting irritated at Rarity’s huffiness and Rarity equally so at AJ for thinking she’ll settle for muddy hooves. Lightning strikes nearby and the two stop arguing with each other long enough to agree that they both need to find shelter.
AJ slips under the table/bench, getting her hooves covered in mud, but Rarity point blank refuses to do such a thing. Twilight’s library happens to be nearby and she spots the two standing out in the rain, so she calls them inside to get out of the downpour. The two race to the tree, AJ a little hesitant about being inside a tree during a lightning storm until Twilight reassures her that she has a “Magic Lightning Rod.” What’s so “magic” about it? No answer? Oh well Okay then. Applejack and Rarity thank Twilight for her hospitality but before she even gets through the door, Rarity tells AJ to go wash the mud off her hooves. AJ mutters her disapproval, because it’s not like tracking mud through someone else’s home is rude or anything, but obliges anyway.
While AJ’s outside, Rarity and Twilight chat about the storm and how it might be hard for Rarity and Applejack to get home. Wimps, both of them, I had at least one summer camp where it rained the entire week, 24/7. Twilight says that both of them are welcome to stay the night if they need to and that Spike is away on royal business, leaving her all alone. With this Twilight hits upon the idea of a slumber party, much to Rarity’s distress, as she seems to be as interested in spending more time with AJ as AJ does with her. Twilight insists however and pulls out a book about slumber parties and what to do at them, saying that she’s always wanted to have an opportunity to use it, despite the fact that that’s completely contradictory to her character during the first episode. Rarity reluctantly succumbs and agrees as Twilight seems excruciatingly eager to push this idea through.
Applejack comes back into the house to see that Rarity and Twilight have thrown mud all over their faces, which AJ doesn’t understand because they just made her clean up the mud on her hooves. Rarity explains that it’s a mud mask and Twilight excitedly exclaims that they’re doing makeovers and then shows AJ the book. Applejack immediately tries to bug out but the sudden lightning strike just outside makes her reconsider. Rarity goads AJ into playing along and the two agree to set aside their differences to try and make Twilight’s first slumber party an enjoyable experience, however that goes out the window right then and there as they start arguing again in hushed tones.
They finish off the makeovers by putting hair curlers in their manes and tails, which end up doing jack all when Twilight magics them out of existence, then they move onto telling ghost stories. Rarity and AJ take this opportunity to give each other a few barely subtle insults before the power goes out and Twilight takes over with telling stories. She tells the two the tale of the “Headless Horse” (I see wat u did thar) and ends it by giving them a good jump scare pared with a well-timed lightning strike. Next the three start making smores, and then after that they play truth or dare. Applejack gets Rarity to step outside and ruin her mane; then Rarity gets AJ to dress up in a pretty princess, diamond castle, frilly lace outfit, to which I have to wonder why Twilight would have an outfit so unbelievably complex and ludicrous.
The two continue to argue and make dares to each other, and Twilight finally begins to notice the dissent between the two. She tries to move onto something else, and the next item on the checklist in her book turns out to be Pillow Fight. This has the exact result you’d expect as Applejack and Rarity begin to pelt each other with pillows, with Twilight getting caught in the cross fire. Twilight finally gives in and decides they should just call it a night. Rarity and Applejack end up sharing the guest bed, so of course Rarity is going to make a fuss about AJ’s muddy hooves and then start a fight over the blanket. The tug of war escalates to the point of waking up Twilight who has had about enough of her friend’s back and forth and tells them both off before asking if anything else could go wrong and inciting the wrath of Edward Aloysius Murphy, Jr. as another lightning strike occurs, this time hitting a tree and causing it to start leaning over one of the neighboring houses.
Applejack once again starts to berate Rarity for not taking down the loose branches before the storm began, but how a couple of branches were going to fix an entire top of a tree is beyond me. Applejack springs into action with her lasso and ropes the top of tree before it falls, ignoring Rarity’s warnings and pulling the treetop right into Twilight’s bedroom. Rarity gets a turn to scold AJ before she sets to work trying to clean up all the books the tree nocked off the shelves, while AJ tries to apologize to Twilight. Twilight is more than a little upset, but instead of trying to get the tree out, she turns to the slumber party book to see if this is some part of the routine that she just wasn’t aware of. Applejack struggles with the tree top for a bit before finally asking Rarity for help and admitting that her close attention to the littlest things would have prevented all of this. Rarity then accepts that worrying about the books at that moment isn’t very wise and agrees to assist. She uses that same plant decorum spell from the beginning to transform most of the treetop into little figurines and then Applejack shoves the trunk out the window. Twilight finally looks up from her book but is oblivious to what just happened; only noticing the figurines.
The three gather back together in the main room of the library, continuing the party with a game of 20 questions. Rarity and AJ are unable to guess the item, but Twilight is happy that the two are at least working together, even if they’re still arguing, all be it light heartedly now instead of the mean spirited way they were before. The episode ends with Rarity and AJ playing some variant of “Blind man’s bluff” while Twilight rights her letter to Celestia.
Artistic Design and Animation
I like the visual atmosphere of this episode, particularly the rain. It’s an odd thing to notice, but then again I’m starting to stretch my self to find something to fill this section. There’s something about a grey and dreary looking day that is both simultaneously calming and unnerving. That constant fall of water, with an unexpected explosion every now and again, there’s a reason why such atmosphere is used in fiction so frequently and unabashedly.
Humor
This episode is a little weird with its humor; it’s funny, but not “laugh out loud” funny, more like a smile and a quick chuckle. It’s a feel good kind of funny, where you appreciate the joke and you can admit that it’s funny, but you’re not going to draw attention to yourself when you respond to it. I know I really got that feeling with Applejack’s dress up outfit and “The legend of the Headless Horse.” I may be alone in this feeling but, hey, this is an opinion piece.
Continuity and World Building
Let’s get the big continuity error out of the way: Twilight always wanting to have a slumber party. I can only argue that maybe she had wanted one when she was younger but eventually grew out of it, and it only came back out recently because she has friends now, but that’s pretty unlikely as well considering what we see WAY in the season 2 finale. I’ll just call it what it is, a miss step, and move on.
Some will probably consider Twilight’s serious eagerness during the episode to be a continuity error as well. This, to me at least, is completely in context with what we’ve seen of her. Think about it, she’s finally gotten a group of friends to hang out with, and Celestia has made it Twilight’s “mission” to learn all she can about friendship. Twilight takes all her studies very seriously, as she’s always very eager to learn new things, so why should this be any different? I mean look at her; she’s using a guide for slumber parties, complete with a checklist. Of course she’s taking this seriously, she takes EVERYTHING seriously!
Moral
“If you embrace each other’s differences, you may find a way to become friends.” This moral, in every form it takes and wherever it shows up, always seems like a good lesson and yet at the same time a confusing one. Some part of me wonders if getting past differences is really more important than enjoying the similarities. I know people will argue “Of Course! You can’t very well be friends if you get caught up in each others quirks!” And that’s true, but I’ve gotten over a lot of differences I have with a lot of people, but that doesn’t make us buddy buds. Maybe I’ve seen this moral so many times that I’m just over analyzing, I suppose the point is more, “Don’t pay attention to the differences, because then you’ll miss the similarities” but Rarity and Applejack don’t really have a lot of similarities besides both are hard workers in their own rights. I’d like another episode that focuses on the two of them to flush out this relationship, because right now it feels more like they have a mutual respect for one another and not a real friendship.
Story Structure
This is a very simple and straightforward story being told, which as I’ve stated before, can be just as rewarding and fun as the more action packed episodes. The conflict escalates at a very good pace, and I couldn’t help but notice that as Rarity and Applejack’s conflict grows, so does the storm raging outside, so not only does it help set the atmosphere, but it also works as an analog for the plot.
Overall Feeling
So all told we have a very solid episode, with good character moments, and lots of subtle things in both the story and animation that really make it pop. So why isn’t this episode higher up? I’ll be honest; it’s a very petty reason, almost as petty as the people who won’t watch the show because of its roots. I think the idea of a slumber party is girly. Truth or Dare, Dress up, makeovers, pillow fights, it’s all just too much for me. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of that, it’s just a matter of personal taste; this episode may very well be someone’s favourite, it’s just not mine. I feel really bad about saying this, because on a technical and writing stand point, this is probably one of the better episodes of the season. Hell, I’ll tell you right here and now that I think this episode has better writing than the next episode on the list, but the Slumber Party set up, along with a few other minor things, just BARELY push it below.
All in All, a great episode, good moments from all three characters, but the slumber party was just too not my tastes.
Summary
The episode opens with the ponies of Ponyville preparing for a big lightning storm. Most of the pegasi are moving clouds around in the sky while others assist the more earthbound ponies remove loose branches from the trees. Rarity is assisting as well, but instead of removing the branches she’s reattaching them and then using her magic to turn the leaves into decorative trimmings. Applejack arrives with her lasso and halls down the branch Rarity just put back up, and then she starts scolding the Unicorn for only caring about “prettifying” everything. Rarity complains about the inevitable rain ruining what would have been a beautiful day and Applejack explains that since they missed a sprinkle last week, they need some heavy rain now to make up for it. Speaking of which, the rain starts to come down and Rarity starts to freak out about her mane getting wet. AJ suggests she hide under the picnic table (or is that a park bench?) nearby while she finishes, but Rarity refuses because it’s muddy as all get out under there. Here’s an idea Rarity: go home. I fully understand not wanting to get wet and muddy, I wouldn’t either, so avoid both and go hunker down at your boutique before the rain starts coming down really hard. Applejack starts getting irritated at Rarity’s huffiness and Rarity equally so at AJ for thinking she’ll settle for muddy hooves. Lightning strikes nearby and the two stop arguing with each other long enough to agree that they both need to find shelter.
AJ slips under the table/bench, getting her hooves covered in mud, but Rarity point blank refuses to do such a thing. Twilight’s library happens to be nearby and she spots the two standing out in the rain, so she calls them inside to get out of the downpour. The two race to the tree, AJ a little hesitant about being inside a tree during a lightning storm until Twilight reassures her that she has a “Magic Lightning Rod.” What’s so “magic” about it? No answer? Oh well Okay then. Applejack and Rarity thank Twilight for her hospitality but before she even gets through the door, Rarity tells AJ to go wash the mud off her hooves. AJ mutters her disapproval, because it’s not like tracking mud through someone else’s home is rude or anything, but obliges anyway.
While AJ’s outside, Rarity and Twilight chat about the storm and how it might be hard for Rarity and Applejack to get home. Wimps, both of them, I had at least one summer camp where it rained the entire week, 24/7. Twilight says that both of them are welcome to stay the night if they need to and that Spike is away on royal business, leaving her all alone. With this Twilight hits upon the idea of a slumber party, much to Rarity’s distress, as she seems to be as interested in spending more time with AJ as AJ does with her. Twilight insists however and pulls out a book about slumber parties and what to do at them, saying that she’s always wanted to have an opportunity to use it, despite the fact that that’s completely contradictory to her character during the first episode. Rarity reluctantly succumbs and agrees as Twilight seems excruciatingly eager to push this idea through.
Applejack comes back into the house to see that Rarity and Twilight have thrown mud all over their faces, which AJ doesn’t understand because they just made her clean up the mud on her hooves. Rarity explains that it’s a mud mask and Twilight excitedly exclaims that they’re doing makeovers and then shows AJ the book. Applejack immediately tries to bug out but the sudden lightning strike just outside makes her reconsider. Rarity goads AJ into playing along and the two agree to set aside their differences to try and make Twilight’s first slumber party an enjoyable experience, however that goes out the window right then and there as they start arguing again in hushed tones.
They finish off the makeovers by putting hair curlers in their manes and tails, which end up doing jack all when Twilight magics them out of existence, then they move onto telling ghost stories. Rarity and AJ take this opportunity to give each other a few barely subtle insults before the power goes out and Twilight takes over with telling stories. She tells the two the tale of the “Headless Horse” (I see wat u did thar) and ends it by giving them a good jump scare pared with a well-timed lightning strike. Next the three start making smores, and then after that they play truth or dare. Applejack gets Rarity to step outside and ruin her mane; then Rarity gets AJ to dress up in a pretty princess, diamond castle, frilly lace outfit, to which I have to wonder why Twilight would have an outfit so unbelievably complex and ludicrous.
The two continue to argue and make dares to each other, and Twilight finally begins to notice the dissent between the two. She tries to move onto something else, and the next item on the checklist in her book turns out to be Pillow Fight. This has the exact result you’d expect as Applejack and Rarity begin to pelt each other with pillows, with Twilight getting caught in the cross fire. Twilight finally gives in and decides they should just call it a night. Rarity and Applejack end up sharing the guest bed, so of course Rarity is going to make a fuss about AJ’s muddy hooves and then start a fight over the blanket. The tug of war escalates to the point of waking up Twilight who has had about enough of her friend’s back and forth and tells them both off before asking if anything else could go wrong and inciting the wrath of Edward Aloysius Murphy, Jr. as another lightning strike occurs, this time hitting a tree and causing it to start leaning over one of the neighboring houses.
Applejack once again starts to berate Rarity for not taking down the loose branches before the storm began, but how a couple of branches were going to fix an entire top of a tree is beyond me. Applejack springs into action with her lasso and ropes the top of tree before it falls, ignoring Rarity’s warnings and pulling the treetop right into Twilight’s bedroom. Rarity gets a turn to scold AJ before she sets to work trying to clean up all the books the tree nocked off the shelves, while AJ tries to apologize to Twilight. Twilight is more than a little upset, but instead of trying to get the tree out, she turns to the slumber party book to see if this is some part of the routine that she just wasn’t aware of. Applejack struggles with the tree top for a bit before finally asking Rarity for help and admitting that her close attention to the littlest things would have prevented all of this. Rarity then accepts that worrying about the books at that moment isn’t very wise and agrees to assist. She uses that same plant decorum spell from the beginning to transform most of the treetop into little figurines and then Applejack shoves the trunk out the window. Twilight finally looks up from her book but is oblivious to what just happened; only noticing the figurines.
The three gather back together in the main room of the library, continuing the party with a game of 20 questions. Rarity and AJ are unable to guess the item, but Twilight is happy that the two are at least working together, even if they’re still arguing, all be it light heartedly now instead of the mean spirited way they were before. The episode ends with Rarity and AJ playing some variant of “Blind man’s bluff” while Twilight rights her letter to Celestia.
Artistic Design and Animation
I like the visual atmosphere of this episode, particularly the rain. It’s an odd thing to notice, but then again I’m starting to stretch my self to find something to fill this section. There’s something about a grey and dreary looking day that is both simultaneously calming and unnerving. That constant fall of water, with an unexpected explosion every now and again, there’s a reason why such atmosphere is used in fiction so frequently and unabashedly.
Humor
This episode is a little weird with its humor; it’s funny, but not “laugh out loud” funny, more like a smile and a quick chuckle. It’s a feel good kind of funny, where you appreciate the joke and you can admit that it’s funny, but you’re not going to draw attention to yourself when you respond to it. I know I really got that feeling with Applejack’s dress up outfit and “The legend of the Headless Horse.” I may be alone in this feeling but, hey, this is an opinion piece.
Continuity and World Building
Let’s get the big continuity error out of the way: Twilight always wanting to have a slumber party. I can only argue that maybe she had wanted one when she was younger but eventually grew out of it, and it only came back out recently because she has friends now, but that’s pretty unlikely as well considering what we see WAY in the season 2 finale. I’ll just call it what it is, a miss step, and move on.
Some will probably consider Twilight’s serious eagerness during the episode to be a continuity error as well. This, to me at least, is completely in context with what we’ve seen of her. Think about it, she’s finally gotten a group of friends to hang out with, and Celestia has made it Twilight’s “mission” to learn all she can about friendship. Twilight takes all her studies very seriously, as she’s always very eager to learn new things, so why should this be any different? I mean look at her; she’s using a guide for slumber parties, complete with a checklist. Of course she’s taking this seriously, she takes EVERYTHING seriously!
Moral
“If you embrace each other’s differences, you may find a way to become friends.” This moral, in every form it takes and wherever it shows up, always seems like a good lesson and yet at the same time a confusing one. Some part of me wonders if getting past differences is really more important than enjoying the similarities. I know people will argue “Of Course! You can’t very well be friends if you get caught up in each others quirks!” And that’s true, but I’ve gotten over a lot of differences I have with a lot of people, but that doesn’t make us buddy buds. Maybe I’ve seen this moral so many times that I’m just over analyzing, I suppose the point is more, “Don’t pay attention to the differences, because then you’ll miss the similarities” but Rarity and Applejack don’t really have a lot of similarities besides both are hard workers in their own rights. I’d like another episode that focuses on the two of them to flush out this relationship, because right now it feels more like they have a mutual respect for one another and not a real friendship.
Story Structure
This is a very simple and straightforward story being told, which as I’ve stated before, can be just as rewarding and fun as the more action packed episodes. The conflict escalates at a very good pace, and I couldn’t help but notice that as Rarity and Applejack’s conflict grows, so does the storm raging outside, so not only does it help set the atmosphere, but it also works as an analog for the plot.
Overall Feeling
So all told we have a very solid episode, with good character moments, and lots of subtle things in both the story and animation that really make it pop. So why isn’t this episode higher up? I’ll be honest; it’s a very petty reason, almost as petty as the people who won’t watch the show because of its roots. I think the idea of a slumber party is girly. Truth or Dare, Dress up, makeovers, pillow fights, it’s all just too much for me. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of that, it’s just a matter of personal taste; this episode may very well be someone’s favourite, it’s just not mine. I feel really bad about saying this, because on a technical and writing stand point, this is probably one of the better episodes of the season. Hell, I’ll tell you right here and now that I think this episode has better writing than the next episode on the list, but the Slumber Party set up, along with a few other minor things, just BARELY push it below.
All in All, a great episode, good moments from all three characters, but the slumber party was just too not my tastes.
