Top 25 Episodes of MLP: FiM Season 1 – #18 – Episode 22: A Bird in the Hoof
Summary
The episode opens with Fluttershy doing what she usually does, taking care of little animals, when Angel runs full tilt into her with a pocket watch in tow. He starts trying to mime to her that she’s late for something, and Fluttershy realizes that she’s about to miss a brunch prepared for Princess Celestia, and after a little coaxing from Angel, she heads off.
Rainbow Dash is harassing a couple of the Royal Guards when Fluttershy shows up, they don’t give her any reaction so she gives up and heads back into Sugar Cube Corner, just before they stop Fluttershy from entering and demanding she identify herself. Fluttershy is so terrified she backs off and starts to walk away, but Twilight passes by the door just in time to tell the guards to let her in. The party is already in full swing as Twilight welcomes Fluttershy in, however she seems more than a little nervous as Fluttershy explains why she was late. Fluttershy notices this, and Twilight says that she really want’s Celestia to approve of the friends she’s made. Fluttershy tries to reassure her that everything will be all right, just before they notice Rarity in her new Gala outfit freaking out over all the food near her that could potentially stain her dress. Applejack seems equally stressed next to Celestia trying to figure out what she’s supposed to eat and in what order. Then Pinkie Pie hops in and starts making a mess of the snacks and chocolate fountain, and then to top it all off she jumps onto the table in front of Celestia and swipes a cupcake out of her grasp to the horror of Mr. and Mrs. Cake who quickly drag Pinkie away and desperately apologize to the Princess. Celestia seems to take all of this in stride as she finishes off her tea, only to get it refilled immediately by the Cakes. The three have a few more rounds of empty and refill before Celestia jokingly get’s them to accidently overfill the cup. This seems to get the Cakes to settle down a bit, before Celestia finally directs her attention to Fluttershy and asks about her job as caretaker for the native woodland creatures. Fluttershy expresses her love for her chosen occupation and Celestia admits she shares in that same devotion, and then a rough cough comes from the birdcage next to her and a balding and sickly looking bird makes it’s presence known. Celestia introduces the bird as Philomena, but Fluttershy is overtly distraught at the appearance of this creature. One of the Royal Guards approach and inform Celestia that the Mayor wants to have a word with her and she leaves with her guards in tow. All the other ponies begin to file out and Twilight gives a sigh of relief that nothing horrible happened, and then we pan to a shot of Philomena’s empty birdcage.
Fluttershy has taken the half dead bird back to her cottage, under the impression that Celestia is too busy to take care of Philomena herself. She starts trying to give Philomena all her usual treatments: bed rest, Medication (MY GOD LOOK AT THAT PILL!), hot soup, a fellow feathered friend, a humidifier, aroma therapy (does that actually work?), a warm bath, and skin ointment. None of it works or Philomena just won’t accept it. She becomes so distressed that she eventually starts taping Philomena’s feathers back onto her. Twilight ends up dropping by to say thanks for her attendance at the party, but then she notices Philomena and starts berating Fluttershy for taking the Princess’s pet without asking her first, then telling her that she needs to return the bird before anyone notices it’s missing. Fluttershy agrees and they stuff Philomena into a saddle basket, but the guards take that moment to show up to inform Twilight that Philomena is gone.
After shaking the Royal Guard off, Fluttershy is about to leave and return Philomena, but Twilight starts freaking out and claiming that if they don’t fix up Philomena before returning her, Celestia will probably banish and or imprison the two of them. Fluttershy informs Twilight of what treatment she’s tried and failed to give the bird, and Twilight decides to just force everything onto Philomena. Just before Twilight tries to force-feed her the soup, Philomena takes off out the door and we get a classic chase scene (Complete with Benny Hill music) as Philomena runs around Ponyville, avoiding capture by Twilight and Fluttershy, as well as detection by the Royal Guard. They end up all gathered around a statue in the middle of town along with the other 4 members of the Mane 6. Philomena has somehow gotten on top of the statue, and as her last feather falls off, she gives a rather over dramatic death convulsion before falling off. Fluttershy attempts to catch her but before she even hits the ground, Philomena bursts into flames and lands as a pile of ashes in Fluttershy’s hooves. Celestia takes this moment to show up and Twilight and Fluttershy admit what they’ve done and say they’ll accept their punishment for, you know, killing her bird. Celestia walks over to the pile of ashes that were Philomena and tells it to stop fooling around. The ashes then rise up into the air and rearrange themselves into a large red and orange bird with a rather impressive light show. Fluttershy is confused, but Celestia explains that Philomena is a Phoenix, and that every once in a while it must renew itself by igniting into a blaze. Fluttershy again apologizes for taking Philomena, and says that next time she’ll ask before taking matters into her own hooves.
Artistic Design and Animation
I’m starting to feel a little redundant in this section, I mean how many times can I say “It’s up to standard, but doesn’t really give anything new.” If I have to (and I do) I’d say that Philomena’s “regeneration” and the design of the actual phoenix ARE really cool.
Humor
We’re starting to really get into the sway of things in terms of comedic writing and timing. Almost everyone gets a moment in this episode, even if they’re not onscreen for that long. Angel’s “Alice in Wonderland” reference, Pinkie’s insanity, and Trollestia are all great, but the standout is definitely all the visual humor with Philomena, both during Fluttershy’s “treatment” and the Benny Hill chase scene.
Continuity and World Building
22 episodes into the season and Princess Celestia has gotten a grand total of 4 appearances outside of the pilot. 3 of which she’s only BARELY seen and she only comes in right at the very end. This episode, thankfully, gives us a little more time with her, which I am grateful for because, I’ll be honest, she is my favourite character outside of the mane 6. Regardless of what the Internet has tried to make her out to be, I’ve always seen her as wise and kindhearted, but would rather teach lessons in a more round about way, because immortal creatures need to keep themselves entertained some how. In other words, I don’t think we should keep her from having a little fun at the ripe old age of 2000. Her development next season only gets better in my opinion, but we’ll get to that.
We have yet another addition to the Equestrian Bestiary: Phoenixes. Most young people who weren’t raised with a lot of mythological stories (myself included) would probably immediately think of the Phoenix from Harry Potter, Faux, when the creature is brought up. This isn’t the place to compare the two, but I will say that… I like the MLP depiction of Phoenixes better. It’s skipping ahead to season 2, but I really do love how the “Fire Birds” are actually able to use Pyrokinesis, making them more of a force not to be messed with.
Moral
I really have nothing to say about the moral or how it’s presented. “Ask before you take matters into your own hands” is a perfectly acceptable moral to teach and I think it was conveyed well without it being shoved down our throats or not touched on at all until the very end.
Story Structure
This episode has a very simple story to it, and that’s not such a bad thing. As much as I enjoy a story with an over arching and complex plot to it, I can also enjoy the more laid back and focused stories. The focus stay almost primarily on Fluttershy, and any distractions are seen mostly because she’s in the immediate vicinity. I will admit though that I wish we could have taken a little focus off of her, even for a bit, in exchange for seeing a little more of Celestia’s interaction with the mane 6. I’m sorry, I just can’t get over this, WHERE IS MY FREAKING CELESTIA EPISODE?! I WANT “SUNNY SKIES ALL DAY LONG” TO BE A THING!
Overall Feeling
The moral is good and all, but I’m a little miffed that in order to get that moral, we once again have to suffer with the ponies’ lack of communication. If ANYPONY had bothered to ask the question, “Is that bird alright” none of this would have happened. And I know, that’s kind of the point of the moral, that they DIDN’T ask, but Fluttershy? Come on, she would have asked in a heartbeat if something was wrong with Philomena. I would have believed it if Rainbow Dash hadn’t bothered with a follow up question, or possibly Applejack, but Caring Fluttershy and always inquisitive Twilight Sparkle? Nope, not buying it.
All in all, a good episode, Ponies need to learn to ask follow up questions, and Celestia deserves her own episode. Now.
Summary
The episode opens with Fluttershy doing what she usually does, taking care of little animals, when Angel runs full tilt into her with a pocket watch in tow. He starts trying to mime to her that she’s late for something, and Fluttershy realizes that she’s about to miss a brunch prepared for Princess Celestia, and after a little coaxing from Angel, she heads off.
Rainbow Dash is harassing a couple of the Royal Guards when Fluttershy shows up, they don’t give her any reaction so she gives up and heads back into Sugar Cube Corner, just before they stop Fluttershy from entering and demanding she identify herself. Fluttershy is so terrified she backs off and starts to walk away, but Twilight passes by the door just in time to tell the guards to let her in. The party is already in full swing as Twilight welcomes Fluttershy in, however she seems more than a little nervous as Fluttershy explains why she was late. Fluttershy notices this, and Twilight says that she really want’s Celestia to approve of the friends she’s made. Fluttershy tries to reassure her that everything will be all right, just before they notice Rarity in her new Gala outfit freaking out over all the food near her that could potentially stain her dress. Applejack seems equally stressed next to Celestia trying to figure out what she’s supposed to eat and in what order. Then Pinkie Pie hops in and starts making a mess of the snacks and chocolate fountain, and then to top it all off she jumps onto the table in front of Celestia and swipes a cupcake out of her grasp to the horror of Mr. and Mrs. Cake who quickly drag Pinkie away and desperately apologize to the Princess. Celestia seems to take all of this in stride as she finishes off her tea, only to get it refilled immediately by the Cakes. The three have a few more rounds of empty and refill before Celestia jokingly get’s them to accidently overfill the cup. This seems to get the Cakes to settle down a bit, before Celestia finally directs her attention to Fluttershy and asks about her job as caretaker for the native woodland creatures. Fluttershy expresses her love for her chosen occupation and Celestia admits she shares in that same devotion, and then a rough cough comes from the birdcage next to her and a balding and sickly looking bird makes it’s presence known. Celestia introduces the bird as Philomena, but Fluttershy is overtly distraught at the appearance of this creature. One of the Royal Guards approach and inform Celestia that the Mayor wants to have a word with her and she leaves with her guards in tow. All the other ponies begin to file out and Twilight gives a sigh of relief that nothing horrible happened, and then we pan to a shot of Philomena’s empty birdcage.
Fluttershy has taken the half dead bird back to her cottage, under the impression that Celestia is too busy to take care of Philomena herself. She starts trying to give Philomena all her usual treatments: bed rest, Medication (MY GOD LOOK AT THAT PILL!), hot soup, a fellow feathered friend, a humidifier, aroma therapy (does that actually work?), a warm bath, and skin ointment. None of it works or Philomena just won’t accept it. She becomes so distressed that she eventually starts taping Philomena’s feathers back onto her. Twilight ends up dropping by to say thanks for her attendance at the party, but then she notices Philomena and starts berating Fluttershy for taking the Princess’s pet without asking her first, then telling her that she needs to return the bird before anyone notices it’s missing. Fluttershy agrees and they stuff Philomena into a saddle basket, but the guards take that moment to show up to inform Twilight that Philomena is gone.
After shaking the Royal Guard off, Fluttershy is about to leave and return Philomena, but Twilight starts freaking out and claiming that if they don’t fix up Philomena before returning her, Celestia will probably banish and or imprison the two of them. Fluttershy informs Twilight of what treatment she’s tried and failed to give the bird, and Twilight decides to just force everything onto Philomena. Just before Twilight tries to force-feed her the soup, Philomena takes off out the door and we get a classic chase scene (Complete with Benny Hill music) as Philomena runs around Ponyville, avoiding capture by Twilight and Fluttershy, as well as detection by the Royal Guard. They end up all gathered around a statue in the middle of town along with the other 4 members of the Mane 6. Philomena has somehow gotten on top of the statue, and as her last feather falls off, she gives a rather over dramatic death convulsion before falling off. Fluttershy attempts to catch her but before she even hits the ground, Philomena bursts into flames and lands as a pile of ashes in Fluttershy’s hooves. Celestia takes this moment to show up and Twilight and Fluttershy admit what they’ve done and say they’ll accept their punishment for, you know, killing her bird. Celestia walks over to the pile of ashes that were Philomena and tells it to stop fooling around. The ashes then rise up into the air and rearrange themselves into a large red and orange bird with a rather impressive light show. Fluttershy is confused, but Celestia explains that Philomena is a Phoenix, and that every once in a while it must renew itself by igniting into a blaze. Fluttershy again apologizes for taking Philomena, and says that next time she’ll ask before taking matters into her own hooves.
Artistic Design and Animation
I’m starting to feel a little redundant in this section, I mean how many times can I say “It’s up to standard, but doesn’t really give anything new.” If I have to (and I do) I’d say that Philomena’s “regeneration” and the design of the actual phoenix ARE really cool.
Humor
We’re starting to really get into the sway of things in terms of comedic writing and timing. Almost everyone gets a moment in this episode, even if they’re not onscreen for that long. Angel’s “Alice in Wonderland” reference, Pinkie’s insanity, and Trollestia are all great, but the standout is definitely all the visual humor with Philomena, both during Fluttershy’s “treatment” and the Benny Hill chase scene.
Continuity and World Building
22 episodes into the season and Princess Celestia has gotten a grand total of 4 appearances outside of the pilot. 3 of which she’s only BARELY seen and she only comes in right at the very end. This episode, thankfully, gives us a little more time with her, which I am grateful for because, I’ll be honest, she is my favourite character outside of the mane 6. Regardless of what the Internet has tried to make her out to be, I’ve always seen her as wise and kindhearted, but would rather teach lessons in a more round about way, because immortal creatures need to keep themselves entertained some how. In other words, I don’t think we should keep her from having a little fun at the ripe old age of 2000. Her development next season only gets better in my opinion, but we’ll get to that.
We have yet another addition to the Equestrian Bestiary: Phoenixes. Most young people who weren’t raised with a lot of mythological stories (myself included) would probably immediately think of the Phoenix from Harry Potter, Faux, when the creature is brought up. This isn’t the place to compare the two, but I will say that… I like the MLP depiction of Phoenixes better. It’s skipping ahead to season 2, but I really do love how the “Fire Birds” are actually able to use Pyrokinesis, making them more of a force not to be messed with.
Moral
I really have nothing to say about the moral or how it’s presented. “Ask before you take matters into your own hands” is a perfectly acceptable moral to teach and I think it was conveyed well without it being shoved down our throats or not touched on at all until the very end.
Story Structure
This episode has a very simple story to it, and that’s not such a bad thing. As much as I enjoy a story with an over arching and complex plot to it, I can also enjoy the more laid back and focused stories. The focus stay almost primarily on Fluttershy, and any distractions are seen mostly because she’s in the immediate vicinity. I will admit though that I wish we could have taken a little focus off of her, even for a bit, in exchange for seeing a little more of Celestia’s interaction with the mane 6. I’m sorry, I just can’t get over this, WHERE IS MY FREAKING CELESTIA EPISODE?! I WANT “SUNNY SKIES ALL DAY LONG” TO BE A THING!
Overall Feeling
The moral is good and all, but I’m a little miffed that in order to get that moral, we once again have to suffer with the ponies’ lack of communication. If ANYPONY had bothered to ask the question, “Is that bird alright” none of this would have happened. And I know, that’s kind of the point of the moral, that they DIDN’T ask, but Fluttershy? Come on, she would have asked in a heartbeat if something was wrong with Philomena. I would have believed it if Rainbow Dash hadn’t bothered with a follow up question, or possibly Applejack, but Caring Fluttershy and always inquisitive Twilight Sparkle? Nope, not buying it.
All in all, a good episode, Ponies need to learn to ask follow up questions, and Celestia deserves her own episode. Now.
