Post by TXA on Mar 7, 2014 14:48:07 GMT -8
Edit: I changed the title of this thread, since it's basically a review and a rant combined.
As a character, Rarity isn't very popular among fans. True, she's the fan favorite of the pony artists, but the general consensus is that she's a snobbish, hypocritical mess of a character. That being said, I couldn't disagree more. I love how Rarity shows flaws like an actual human being, and I especially love how she learns from her mistakes, unlike certain OTHER characters. And few episodes showcase this better than what I consider to be the most underrated episode of the show: Sweet & Elite.
As a character, Rarity isn't very popular among fans. True, she's the fan favorite of the pony artists, but the general consensus is that she's a snobbish, hypocritical mess of a character. That being said, I couldn't disagree more. I love how Rarity shows flaws like an actual human being, and I especially love how she learns from her mistakes, unlike certain OTHER characters. And few episodes showcase this better than what I consider to be the most underrated episode of the show: Sweet & Elite.
Now, I'm not saying you HAVE to like this episode, or Rarity in general. That'd be absurd. It's just that this episode gets a lot of negative feedback that, to me, feels unjustified. Most of it is a mix between bias and arrogance. So why do I feel this episode gets too much hate? Well, let's take a look.
In this episode, we learn that Twilight was able to pull some strings so that Rarity could stay in the castle while visiting Canterlot. To show her gratitude, Rarity decides to sew Twilight a dress for her birthday(she's thanking her with a birthday present? A little bit shallow, but I'll buy it). While in Canterlot, Rarity enjoys talking with the other aristocrats. She eventually meets Fancy Pants, a unicorn whom she becomes well acquainted with. He invites her to the Wonderbolts Derby, but that would take away from her time to make Twilight's dress. And this is where the episode starts to lose people.
Basically, Rarity tells a lot of lies to the aristocrats so she'll become popular. Kind of reminds me of high school(makes sense, since it's implied that the Mane 6 are teenagers at the very least). Rarity also writes a letter to Twilight saying that Opalescense is sick and she'll have to stay in Canterlot longer, allowing her to attend the upcoming Canterlot Garden Party, which is apparently the biggest social event next to the GGG(*Grand Galloping Gala). So yeah, the episode is built on a bunch of lies, and it best hated for it. I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret:
EVERYONE LIES
Really? REALLY??? Just because a character lies doesn't mean the episode is awful. All of the Mane 6 tell lies every now and then(there's even a freaking APPLEJACK episode based on lies). Everyone on the freaking planet tells lies. That's a fact that we all have to admit. If you try to tell me that you never lie in real life, then I will laugh in your face, because I would know that that itself is a lie.
Anyways, back to the episode. The Mane 6 show up at Canterlot to help Rarity care for Opal. To make her look sickly, Rarity drenches Opal in water, which is freaking hilarious. Twilight sees the unfinished dress, and is contents with it's current state. They decide to throw a birthday party inside the castle, which just so happens to be on the same day as the garden party. Rarity decides to do the classic "two places at once" routine and constantly switch between both parties.
I'm just going to say this right now. I completely understand why Rarity would do this.
Think about it: Rarity has always wanted to be popular and influential. She's basically having to choose between her friends and her dreams. That is a VERY difficult decisions to make. Granted, I don't approve of EVERYTHING she does in this episode, but at least I can relate to her actions. You know, like I'm supposed to?
Eventually, the Mane 6 catch on to Rarity's charade and crash the garden party. They make a mess of things, and generally piss off the elites. Rarity is about to walk away in shame, but she has a change of heart and stands up for her friends. She explains how they are the most important people she knows(she actually says that btw), and while two ponies laugh, good old Fancy Pants calls her friends "charmingly rustic." I don't know about you guys, but I freaking love Fancy Pants, because he shows that not all members of high society are as ostentatious as we make them out to be. Rarity then learns that no matter where you are, you can never forget your home and your friends.
But she lied to her friends! She should be punished!
Who cares if they didn't punish her? It's not like she committed murder. It's not like she yelled at her friends for LIVING(*cough*Fluttershy*cough*). At worst, Rarity slightly disappointed Twilight. I don't think that warrants a punishment. So long as she understands what she did wrong, then no punishment is necessary. And don't make the argument that she didn't learn anything of value from this episode. To this day, she has never been in another conflict like this, and seeing as she had to deliver speech to Princess Celestia IN PERSON, I think that would leave an impact.
All in all, I thought Sweet & Elite was a great episode. A later episode in the series tried to do the whole "Friends vs. Dreams" thing too, but I feel like it didn't convey the message well at all given its lack of depth and downright abysmal writing. Again, I'm not saying you CAN'T dislike this episode, because some people don't like conflicts like this. I respect that, but you can't go and say this episode is garbage simply for following a type of story that you personally don't like. If you feel like it was badly executed even for stories of its kind, then that's a different story. It's an opinion and I won't blame you for having it.
That's all I have to say for now. Stay tuned for my rant on Pinkie Pie!