Mini Re-Reviews: "Ponyville Confidential" - Season 2 Episode 23

APPLE BLOOM: "...Do you reckon this is an accurate depiction of how these episodes are written on a weekly basis?"
SCOOTALOO: "I don't know about that, but this certainly feel like an accurate depiction of how the cold opens for these reviews are done!"
SWEETIE BELLE: "Sorry, Ghost Mike. Too far below the belt?"

With any show, you get your big controversial episodes, whether that be something in that episode that really rubbed some fans the wrong way, or more the fact that there's a big gulf between those who loved the episode and those who detested it. On the other hand, you have your mild controversial episodes, which endanger a similar issue, but on a much smaller scale, typically to the point that the episode in question isn't brought up all that much, and when it is, the mild controversy is only discussed with it some of the time.

As you might have guessed, all of that applies to "Ponyville Confidential". The mild controversy is personal, in as far as it has to do with whether viewers feel the CMC's treatment by the adults of Ponyville towards the end was too harsh. There's also, on a lesser scale, the matter of the episode taking the typical cartoon plot of kid characters writing for the school newspaper. Does this take freshen up that well-worn concept, or is it a standard take on the genre? On both of those questions, I land on the positive side: I was surprised to discover this episode wasn't as widely celebrated as one of S2's highlights as I thought. It's well-liked for sure (the controversy over the end from some crowds is only likely to linger in the mind when actively thinking about the episode), but not acclaimed as one of the greats. But in this corner, it is: it's both one of the best CMC episodes that revolves around them getting their Cutie Marks, and also one of the most successful at tying all of Ponyville and the Mane 7 loosely into the equation. That's one reason I love this episode: you really get a feel for the sense of unity in Ponyville, as well as the feeling of living in a small town like this. Not just because of the gossip-heavy plot either: the relaxation scene in the spa is a masterstroke in tying together what these characters do on their downtime.

Still, even I'd forgotten some aspects of this: the cold open with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo misunderstanding Apple Bloom's suggestion with the school newspaper to be doing things with the physical paper itself was suitably silly in the way only little kids can be when it comes to taking things literally. Once the episode starts proper, the main thing it does is click through natural evolutions of the well-worn character concepts the series has used to now. After several episodes of the CMC trying random tasks for their Cutie Marks, it feels right that they would lean towards a career-focused tasks, which a school paper is supposed to be a trial run for anyway.

Once Diamond Tiara, she implies what we as adults all know but rarely say: child-run papers are rarely good, but you endure them because your kid(s) worked on them (same ethos for elementary school plays; imagine seeing one without kids you know in it). Under her iron fist, the paper turns from a bland statement on tepid schoolyard news into a gossip rag. Throughout the episode, there's tons of commentary on both journalistic integrity and the realities of successful journalism, which still surprises me even now: the subject had a bit more edge to it then I would have expected, all while feeling a part of FiM (there's no Merriweather Williams "off-ness" here, M.A. Larson knows his stuff. It helps that the only active mean antagonist here is Diamond Tiara; no one else ever acts out of true meanness). And it doesn't hold back; Diamond Tiara's vision soon turns the paper into a bigger success then the professional Ponyville paper.

What of the CMC in all this? Their initial stories didn't go over too well, but after a snapshot of Snips and Snails stuck to each other with gum, they strike gold, down to their pseudonym "Gabby Gums", used as all of their names wouldn't fit. Alas, the schoolyard has little of interest, but when Rarity snoops into Sweetie Belle's bag ("You really shouldn't snoop, Rarity... oh, but it's so much fun, Rarity!") and laughs at the paper, the CMC get the idea to venture out into Ponyville for more news to report on.

This turns out to be the episode's true masterstroke, where the town-wide feelings I described before come into the forefront and the scale of the paper's success make for a more lived-in town and story. After a few snapshot columns, we cut to the spa where the Mane 7 (sans Rainbow Dash) are taking it easy. This is one of my favourite scenes in the show, just showing the group (including Spike!) relaxing and having a good time, and while the plot purpose is to show their take on the Gabby Gums column (and setup the column on Rainbow Dash for later), it gets in plenty of good jibes at how they all feel about this (the interactions between Dash and Spike upon the former's arrival are gold).

Really, plot commentary is superficial at this point; the episode proceeds at a fast clip as, presuming they need to give the public what they want and having their attempt to sneak in a soft interview with Spike snuffed out, the columns turns from exaggerated truths to outright fabrications. Naturally, other then Twilight early on, most change their might as soon as the gossip is about them, none more extremely then Rarity ("I will destroy her!"). This is the point at which aspects of the episode rub some people the wrong way, but truthfully, it does an admirable job of planting pieces just right that, even once everyone discovers the CMC are behind it and outright ignore them. Even when a character doesn't come out of the episode perfect - Rarity is hypocritical after all, but it's written as within her character range and is fo course rather hilarious. Past that, the episode, for me anyway, strikes the balance of the CMC deserving what they get but also eliciting sympathy for them, given they tried to move away from those kind of stories. And the narrated apology letter that doubles as the letter to the Princess is handled really well. It makes it clear that both sides are learning a lesson here: the CMCs is stated, but the adults' lesson of listening a little more (just not to the extent of forgetting their actions) to young folk who didn't fully understand what they were doing is present and true. And on a satisfying ending note, Diamond Tiara gets the sack as Editor-in-Chief following this escapade.

There's not a whole lot else I can say about the episode. The escapades and columns throughout are consistently fun and humorous, and the moral problem at the episode's core is rather complicated, enough that even adults might have to think about it. It boasts a tightly-structured screenplay free of waste that nonetheless paints a wonderful picture of the sense of community in Ponyville, exemplified by that spa scene but by no means exclusive to it either. Unexpected verbal and sight gags abound even during the more heartfelt moments (Applejack and Big Mac swapping speaking patterns is a highlight there). And the episode has enough edge and bite to make even its rather clichéd premise work as well as the more original stories in this show. Generous as it may be, "Ponyville Confidential" merits a 9/10 around these parts.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS
- Perhaps it's just me, but I interpret that the edition of the paper with the CMC's embarrassing photos still got out before it was shut down, but having seen the heartfelt apology, the town let bygones by bygones and didn't harp on it. And everyone let the gossip secrets fade into memory. Also, it would have been quite easy for the solution to be to print gossip on Diamond Tiara, but it would have been too mean-spirited in an episode that barely avoids crossing that line.
- If you haven't seen the episode in a while, the columns truly are a hoot: my favourite has to be the one that reveals that Mayor Mare dyes her hair grey. What a totally unexpected sight gag.
- M.A. Larson has gone on record to say his script was slightly misinterpreted during the last act, and that the actions of the town towards the CMC came across as slightly meaner then intended. That's probably true, but as stated, for me it still stops just this side of being too much.