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As a child of divorce, this episode hit close to home for me. Spoilers below.
That being said, this episode was an amusing out-of-character mess. There were too much suspensions of disbelief and plot holes for me to call it a good story (what dumb luck that they would pick the one spa product unicorns can't use ). But I have to think about the target audience for this episode: young children, especially children who lost a parent to divorce or death.
What happens when your parent falls in love again?
Zipp and Pipp deal with this when Queen Haven suddenly announces her relationship with Alphabittle. This was kind of a repetition of Common Ground in G4, where Quibble Pants tries to get along with his girlfriend's young daughter Wind Sprint. I strongly recommend Common Ground over this TYT episode.
I was hoping Zipp and Pipp would offer a different perspective than Common Ground, as they are adult children who live away from home and are financially independent. Their concerns are different than a young child like Wind Sprint, who has to live with the stepparent everyday. Instead of feeling needy and feeling like they're losing a parent, adult children would probably feel protective of their older parent. They might be worried Alphabittle was taking advantage of her mom's royal title (I can just imagine Zipp trying to "play detective" on Alphabittle).
But that didn't happen. Instead Zipp and Pipp both become needy crybabies who only want to spend time with their mom and don't even make an effort to be polite with Alphabittle. Queen Haven also acted immature on her end for failing to be open about her relationship with her close family. In short, Zipp, Pipp, and Queen Haven acted the children that are watching their show. Not as adults would likely be in the situation.
And with that, introducing...
SIN COUNT
Totally unnecessary 007 break-in scene.
Erm, like, the guards know who Pipp and Zipp are, like, I don't know, the PRINCESSES of Zephyr Heights!? They'll just, like, you know, LET THEM IN THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR. ANYTIME OF DAY.
Sin Points: +1
My Little Pony. Proudly creating Certified Dank Meme Faic since 2010.
...And it begs further questions. How could a high-profile pony like Queen Haven keep her relationship a secret? Wouldn't the gossip magazines have already spread the news? Zipp and Pipp are rational adults; Queen Haven has no reason to hide her relationship. Do you blame Pipp and Zipp for reacting the way they did?
Sin Points: +1
Being pampered royalty I'm shocked that Queen Haven can even cook. Give the size of their castle, don't they have servants? I was imagining more of a Sweetie Belle situation
Sin Points: +1 burnt sandwich
Unlike in G4, insufficient animation budget to make dedicated spa ponies. Do these guards even take a break!?
Sin Points: +100 hours unpaid overtime
Oof, that's gotta hurt. Shouldn't he go get that checked?...
...Oh nah, never mind, we're carrying on with the rest of the day like nothing happened! Savage.
Sin Points: +1 trip to the ER
Contact high from mystery herbal tea. You know, for kids!
Sin Points: +1 demonetized video
Final sin count: 3 + 1 burnt sandwich + 100 hours unpaid overtime + 1 trip to the ER + 1 demonitized video = ???
But that didn't happen. Instead Zipp and Pipp both become needy crybabies who only want to spend time with their mom and don't even make an effort to be polite with Alphabittle. Queen Haven also acted immature on her end for failing to be open about her relationship with her close family. In short, Zipp, Pipp, and Queen Haven acted the children that are watching their show. Not as adults would likely be in the situation.
I think you unintentionally explained why it had to play out this way–the target audience and the lesson aimed at the target audience.
This, in my opinion, should have been saved for Make your Mark. This is the sort of story that needs time and nuance to tell properly, and TYT, with its focus on slapstick comedy and all-around silliness, just isn't the appropriate vehicle.
As pointed out, the story only works if the characters all devolve into immature jerkasses. A simple text message on Queen Haven's part would have ended the conflict before it even began. Another big problem is that the source of Pipp and Zipp's hostility is never explored, which would have been a perfect opportunity to bring up what happened to their father. As a YouTube comment on one review noted, a new adult suddenly arriving in a family built around a single parent dynamic is a bit of a shock to the system.
One YouTuber even posited his own re-write of the story, refocusing things from Alphabittle's perspective and removing Pipp and Zipp's hostility.
5727280 My impression was that Zipp and Pipp didn't even know that their mom was in a relationship to begin with. Maybe Queen Haven was waiting for the right time to tell her children, but Zipp and Pipp just came in at the wrong time.
Coming back to this blogpost after Make your Mark Chapter 4 released, I must say that it's interesting the writers devoted an entire episode of Make your Mark to the same topic-and tackled it far better IMO.
). But I have to think about the target audience for this episode: young children, especially children who lost a parent to divorce or death.
I think you unintentionally explained why it had to play out this way–the target audience and the lesson aimed at the target audience.
This, in my opinion, should have been saved for Make your Mark. This is the sort of story that needs time and nuance to tell properly, and TYT, with its focus on slapstick comedy and all-around silliness, just isn't the appropriate vehicle.
As pointed out, the story only works if the characters all devolve into immature jerkasses. A simple text message on Queen Haven's part would have ended the conflict before it even began. Another big problem is that the source of Pipp and Zipp's hostility is never explored, which would have been a perfect opportunity to bring up what happened to their father. As a YouTube comment on one review noted, a new adult suddenly arriving in a family built around a single parent dynamic is a bit of a shock to the system.
One YouTuber even posited his own re-write of the story, refocusing things from Alphabittle's perspective and removing Pipp and Zipp's hostility.
Edit: Seems I predicted the future.
I enjoyed the episode, myself. Alphabittle and Haven made a cute couple.
Haven didn't "surprise" Pipp and Zipp. Like she said, she already had plans. They were the ones who dropped in without warning.
As for Pipp and Zipp, they both know Alphabittle enough to see that he wouldn't be after Haven just for her position.
5727280
My impression was that Zipp and Pipp didn't even know that their mom was in a relationship to begin with. Maybe Queen Haven was waiting for the right time to tell her children, but Zipp and Pipp just came in at the wrong time.
Coming back to this blogpost after Make your Mark Chapter 4 released, I must say that it's interesting the writers devoted an entire episode of Make your Mark to the same topic-and tackled it far better IMO.