Review: The Ticket Master

Ya know, reviewing the episodes in order makes me so enthusiastic to review the last episode... hang on ONLY conversion done in an at least logical fashion that didn't involve brainwashing or pre-planned emotional manipulation, I'll get to you eventually.

As you can guess from that, if there's one thing I don't like in MLP, it's its villain reformations. Good thing that's irrelevant to this episode then!

Okay so no, it's not as irrelevant as one would think. After watching Nightmare Moon get converted to the side of good via mind wipe, when I first watched the series, I was hoping to see something that would make me believe this series was something special that I should overlook that. Premiers are often rushed, it's a fact, so often when watching one, you're just looking to see if a show looks tolerable, not if it looks like your next favorite.

So after that okay to horrendous premier the next episode I saw was... mediocre. Or at least in my opinion back then it was. Yes, I know it's unfair, but I was looking to be blown away and I wasn't. If you ask my opinion of the episode now... well how about a comparison.

Opening scene of Apple Jack and Twilight harvesting apples.

First reaction:
"The heck is Spike doing?" Yes, that really did bother me. I still don't know what Spike was supposed to be doing on Twilight's back. If he was throwing out the apples she just harvested for no reason, why didn't she stop him? If he was inspecting them, why did she accuse him of being lazy?
However more to the point, the set up for this story really didn't interest me. The problem is, I've consumed a lot of media and I'd seen the ticket master story before. It always goes thus: main character gets a ticket to an event, plus one. However she has multiple friends who want to go. She tries to find the person she likes the best or the person with the best reason to go. Upon learning of the existence of said ticket, all of the character's friends attempt to do her favors to win said ticket. Eventually both tickets are destroyed or sent back. Generally in a children's story the tickets are then replaced with enough tickets for everyone to go.
So yea... you can kind of guess how this episode didn't work for me upon first viewing, it hits pretty much every note of that story without any real deviations.

Second reaction:
I still don't know what Spike was supposed to be doing, and it still bothers me. Anyone think they know?
Screw going scene by scene, let me just sum up. This is a GREAT episode. Absolutely amazing! "Why?" you ask? Simple. If you're looking for a story that's hard to predict, you've come to the wrong place. However that's not always a good idea with your first episode proper. What your first episode really should do, after the premier of course, is define the characters and the roles they'll be playing in a visually interesting way.
AJ is the unselfish pony, when it comes to her family, however she has a tendency to exaggerate just how much others are counting on her. Rainbow Dash is the immature cocky kid trying to get noticed by her idols (her more interesting traits don't start showing up until later) with a poor sense of priorities (she's mostly part of the group because, in the end, she's a lot of fun to hang out with, notice how she and AJ went right back to wrestling even after they'd established there was no point, she just fun). Pinky is the comedian, both intentionally and unintentionally, she loves to keep the spirits of others high and is very easily excited. Fluttershy is shy, but she can assert herself if she really wants something, she loves nurturing, animals and nature in general. Spike is Twilight's constant companion and if this series were written with a little more intelligence, would be recognized as the person she relies on most, he's immature, but often more grounded than those around him. Rarity loves fashion and is rather pushy about her interests. She has an abrasive personality but means well the end. Even Celestia gets characterization as a wise teacher, trying to be subtle and let her student discover things on her own.
This episode sets everyone up in a fresh and very interesting way. The plot of the episode is rather tired, but the characters themselves and their exaggerated visions of what the gala can do for them makes it hilarious at the same time as making you feel like these characters are kind of your friends in the end. All of them gush so freely around Twilight, like most folks would only do with good friends.

Honestly, right now I just want to analyze each of their reasons for going.

Apple Jack's reasons are often quoted by others as the only "good" reasons to want to go, and thus she was the most worthy of going. Trouble is, not only was her head stuck in the clouds as to what an event like this really could or couldn't do for her, but watching the series as a whole... yea absolutely nothing she was talking about, were repairs or operations that either really needed to happen, or wouldn't have been funded some other way anyway. AJ just likes to keep her family secure and from the get go she tries way too hard. It's hilarious.

Rainbow Dash's reason to go...

Basically, she thought she would get noticed, but if she had gone through with that stupid plan she would have destroyed ANY opportunity of ever being accepted by the Wonder Bolts. I loved this, it was so beautifully niave and it sets up Rainbow to possibly be THE pony with the most character growth of the entire series.

Pinkie's reason to go:
Oh gawd as this hilarious. It's even funnier knowing all the while she was imagining and giant party, when in reality she was trying to go to a formal gathering. NOTHING she imagined was going to be there.

Rarity's reason- I was practically rolling on the floor laughing. Her leaps in logic, her vanity, the degree to which she was convinced she was right, it was just awesome!

Finally Fluttershy was only really funny in retrospect. Knowing all her hopes would lead to this moment:

Back then I wasn't very impressed with this episode, but now, I think it's just short of perfect. It is predictable, which holds it back, but the characters really do hold it up pretty well. I give it nine humorously crushed naive dreams out of ten.