Deconstruction is Magic: A My Little Pony Retrospective (S1E21)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrreetings everypony, and welcome back to Deconstruction is Magic, my Retrospective/Review/Analysis of every episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is magic ever. We have quite an odd episode today, one that has a mixed reputation of early instalment wierdness within the fandom. It's Over a Barrel! Without wasting any more time, let's get on with the analysis! I am the Mage of Mind, reminding you, as always, that even a cheeseburger can be deconstructed to its source.

First of all, we need to address the Elephant in the room. The episode's primary conflict is centred around a classic "Cowboys and Indians" scenario, though this term is quite outdated by today's standards. Much of American fiction often includes a sanitized version of the wild west, a time where settlers expanded across America, into territory of indigenous tribes. I, as a white British man am not in a position to talk about the atrocities committed against indigenous Americans, but that isn't why I bring it up. I bring this up because of the subtext of the episode is highly sensitive, and so it carries a large potential for downplaying all the horrible things done to indigenous Americans.

It's a big risk to engage in this topic, especially for a children's show, but in my view, it largely succeeds. The fundamental core of MLP's values is idealism. It is showing ponies both at their best and their worst, demonstrating how we can overcome them together. As such, communication is key. If we are to help make up for whatever ways indigenous people were wronged, we need to listen to them. We need to take them seriously, and not patronize them in the way Pinkie Pie does. Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we can sound like we are not taking a person's issues seriously. This episode presents, in a way that is suitable for children, how we can be better.

(Blinding your eyes with the spider dance~)

The problems first start to arise when Applejack and Rainbow Dash start talking over Braeburn and Little Strongheart. Upon hearing why they are in conflict, they start to empathise straight away, only for others to shut them down with an argument by proxy. By insisting on a one-sided solution, they end up driving a wedge between the buffalo and the ponies. This is exaserbated by Pinkie Pie's song a dance number, since it makes both parties feel like they are not being taken seriously. It kills the negotiations, despite positive intentions, pushing them to a point where they feel force is their only option. In a sense, it could be taken as an unintended metaphor for the episode itself. When you put the basis for your fantasy story so heavily in real-world atrocities, you will inevitably make it feel sanitised and palatable for audiences who never experienced it first hand!

I think that Dave Polski's excellent writing shows a degree of self awareness in this regard. As such, even if all problems alluded to aren't created equal, we can still take a page from this episode's book, to understand why the presentation was the way it is. The key point that is missing here, which has been an unfortunate running problem throughout FiM's run, is that equal intentions don't always result in equal consequences. A pie fight is never going to carry the same narrative drama as actual death. It's at this point that Dave Polski wrote himself into a corner. How can you escalate the problem to force, while also minimising the onscreen violence? The characters sure react to this being horrible, but because the pie fighting trope carries a comedic implications, it casts an unhelpful light on the real-world parallels that both the story and characters are intended to draw upon!

(I can see FOREVER!)

It's unfortunate how much the episode complicates its intended impact, because the visual humour in the episode is very clever. It has many gags which take the western setting tropes to a silly degree, with puns on anything to horse-drawn horse-drawn carriages and mild west dancing. If Dave Polski isn't a western fan, then he certainly has done his homework! It takes some cues from looney tunes humour during the battle scene, with everything from conveniently placed anvils to unfortunately timed structual damage, it's a classic way of subverting violence while still maintaining some level of drama - even if the pie fight tends to downplay it too much.

Likewise, all of the characters are on point with this episode. Rainbow Dash is impulsive, but not unkind; Applejack is brutally honest and direct, leaning her biases toward her extended family; with Pinkie Pie's over the top, boundless optimism making her air-headed without being outright stupid. Their flaws intertwine perfectly with the story, making it a great example of character driven writing, which FiM excels at. The fact that neither side are inherently bad is a one of the best aspects of the episode, because without it there would be no reason to compromise at all! You cannot compromise with the unpleasable, so by grounding the characters and showing them both sides, it gives kids the tools to prevent simple, down to earth conflicts in their own lives. At the end of the day, the value of mutual aid shines through despite the limitations of real-world influences.

(Dear Princess Celestia: Today I learned absolutely nothing about operating steam locomotives!)

Conclusion

Over a Barrel is a mixed bag. The character designs that reference real-world conflicts between European settlera and indigenous Americans was always going to carry unfortunate implications. It's unavoidable when you try to create such parallels. Though it limits the potential of this episode, I don't think Dave Polski's efforts spoil it all together. The moral is good enough to stand on its own, encouraging good communication and understanding of individual needs - a foundation which makes FiM so progressive! As such, I give this episode a final score of 6.5/10.

What did you think of this episode? Am I too lenient on the intended allegories? Feel free to let me know in the comments of this blog! Until next time, stay safe and take care all~.