MLP Review: “Applejack’s ‘Day’ Off”

My Little Pony 12 comments

In this episode, Rarity has been trying to have a spa date with Applejack, but the latter’s chores have kept her from doing so. This is more pronounced as Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom are out taking the harvest to market. Twilight and Spike offer to feed the pigs while Rarity and AJ attempt to have a spa date for one hour.

However, there is a long line for the steam bath and AJ insists on getting one. AJ also sees that the reason there is no steam in the steam bath is because there is a leak in the pipes which forced the washer to use up more hot water than usual to prepare warm towels for the guests waiting in line. AJ, being a pony that cannot stand to let a problem go unsolved, puts on her tools and fixes the problem in the hour reserved for a spa date.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike try to go by the list of items needed to feed the pigs, but it’s not going to plan. AJ then goes through the steps with little effort without realizing that several of the steps look unnecessary. She got so stuck in the routine, much like the spa ponies, that they do not realize that there are problems without an outside eye to look at them. Or in this case, problems that haven’t been there for a while. So Rarity and Twilight help streamline the operation so Rarity and AJ can have their spa date (As Rainbow Dash completes here muscle manicure!).

The lesson here is very relatable here. We get so stuck in routines, that we don’t often realize that there may be more efficient steps that are oblivious to us unless an additional set of eyes point them out. There’s also the situation where there seems like so much work that we don’t have the time to relax. Again, that may be in part due to being stuck in the routine. Plus, there are those who see a problem and just can’t ignore it until it’s job done, which may lead to getting stuck into a routine that you feel there’s so much work to be done that there’s no time to relax and that may leave others like Rarity in this episode, frustrated.

The spa ponies were stuck in the routine of tending to their guests that they forgot to tend to the maintenance with the pipes. Yet, AJ finds herself in an ironic echo as some of the steps to feed the pigs have been rendered unnecessary. It does lead to a problem with the episode as it sort of repeats “Applebuck Season” where someone else has to point to AJ about either time to relax or having another set of eyes and hooves pointing out flaws with AJ’s routine. Thankfully, AJ doesn’t go on a self-destructive path throughout the episode this time and we are allayed any fear of this becoming “Spike at Your Service” with Twilight and Spike attempting to do a chore in a certain way. But even then, there’s a bit of stubbornness in Twilight that isn’t address in insisting to go by the list when she could fly over the pigs and lure them with the corn as Spike pointed out.

The thing with Rainbow Dash is merely comedy relief, but still a funny aside given she previously stated that she isn’t comfortable with anyone touching her hooves.

It’s a good episode with a good lesson with low stakes, though this borders on a lesson that is in some ways similar to one in an episode from Season One.

Pluses and Minuses:

  • +  Rarity and Applejack together
  • +  Applejack:  Home Improvement expert (at least at the spa)
  • +  Rainbow Dash relaxes in style!
  • –  Others having to point out to farmer AJ more efficient methods of farming.
  • –  Lesson close to one in “Applebuck Season”

GRADE:  B

StatManDan

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  • Raffaele Lanza

    Good review as always Dan, althought there’s a thing I want to point

    “and we are allayed any fear of this becoming “Spike at Your Service” with Twilight and Spike attempting to do a chore in a certain way.” are you talking about the big deal I made about my fear for this episode in the last week right? Well I’ll do a little minirant about that:

    Uhm…. whoever posts the synopsises on Internet….. could write them clearer the next time? The reason I was afraid that this would have been Spike at your service 2.0 with Twilight and Spike was because the synopsis gave me the feeling that we would had a B plot with Twilight and Spike being portrayed like idiots because the story wanted them to be. I mean, Twilight is a fucking alicorn, she’s able in both magic and flying and fought several giant monsters….. but is incompeteant in doing simple farming chores? That would have been character assassination for goodness sake…. but in the end the episode went throught a completely different direction and Twilight and Spike were perfectly fine (following lists literrally was something she always did so I don’t complain there). In short, the synopsis gave me that fear in that fear in the first place, next time I wish that the synopsises will be more clear so I won’t be afraid for weeks of things that don’t even exist…

    • StatManDan

      Well, sometimes the synopsis can indeed be misleading. But I guess the synopsis are not up to the show staff.

  • I really enjoyed this episode. The style of this episode was very much in the style of many Season 1 episodes, with its low stakes, slice-of-life format, with lots of very nice character interaction, and a lesson that’s applicable to everyone (though it was a bit surprising to have the lesson so overtly stated since that hasn’t happened for so long. It’d be very easy to imagine this episode ending with a “Dear Princess Celestia…”). Also, I loved the long montages with no dialog and excellent background music! I may be wrong, but this seemed like the longest montage(s) since the The Show Stoppers in season 1 with the “Crusaders go Crusading” music.

    Anyways I’d give this episode an A-. I do agree with Dan’s two negative points, but I’m a sucker for these nice, low key, all-around “pleasant” slice of life episodes.

    Oh, and Rainbow Dash. This is how she should be written. Other writers take note please. We see a side of her that we rarely ever see, and even better, she opened up to her friends about it at the end of the episode. Her reactions in this ep were perfect: too many times the writers have had RBD lie about what she’s really doing in order to avoid ridicule/embarrassment/repercussions of some sort, and then either not address it (let her “get away with it”), or having something bad happen that forces her to open up. Having her come out and eventually show her softer side, willingly, and without any “punishment” was extremely refreshing to see.

    I’d love to see a RBD-centric episode written by the Fox bros. Just based on RBD’s small part in this ep, it seems they really “get” her character and are able to write her in a friendly, realistic, non-confrontational way, which is something that’s been missing in many, MANY Dash-centric episodes in recent seasons.

  • JodyMorgan

    Wow, thanks for making me feel not quite so alone in (more or less) liking this episode. Reading comments about it online, and seeing Equestria Daily officially slagging on it, I got the impression the fandom was collectively viewing it as “Princess Spike Part 2”.

    • Raffaele Lanza

      Heh. I discussed with Infinity Dash about this: I feel like Internet has become a poisonous place lately, as people bash and insult only for their own “pleasure”, and those people trend to pass this negativity to other people making them negative as well. This is why I feel the brony fandom has fallen badly, and this is why I’m quitting the internet for some months (I mean until the half season hiatus ends) after I watch the next two episodes….. and this is why I’ll completely stop using the internet once I watch this whole current season and the movie….. you know, the Brony fandom is not the only victim of this poison, the videogaming community as well became really poisonous as well lately and even worse…. I’ve seen many of my old friends and even a personal Youtube Idole of me…. coming to hate things they used to love for years… that really broke my heart. I sweared to myself I wouldn’t lurked a videogame site for the rest of my life after that. Internet is changed brutally Jody, and it’s changed in something really bad, and if once I used to lurk it regularly, right now MLP is the only thing I’m using it for (trying to stay away from the comment sections), and once it will be over…… I’m definitively quitting. That is all.

    • I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, and as I said in my comment that vanished from this page for some reason, it reminded me of a Season 1 slice of life style episode, which is the type of episode that I enjoyed most and what got me hooked on the show back in 2011.

  • Weird, I had posted a pretty long comment here but now it’s gone. Disqus shows it “marked as spam.” That’s annoying.

    • Raffaele Lanza

      I was able to still read your comment thanks to a glitch though. So I’ll answer to what I read. You said you wanted a Rainbow Dash episode written by the fox brothers uh? Well there are bad news and good news: bad news: they have just one episode left in this season, so I don’t count much on it being a Rainbow Dash episode. The good news: Miller said that his favorite RD episode (as well his favorite Twilight, Discord and Fluttershy episodes) are coming in this season. Miller is a trustable person and he always tells the truth, so if this will give you hope for a great RD episode, there you have it. The only problem is, we’ll have to wait the next fall for those episodes (except the Fluttershy one that is the next episode) so let’s be patient until then.

  • I originally posted this yesterday but I’m reposting it since Disqus’s crappy spam filters removed it after I edited it twice which is apparently a known problem with Disqus (editing multiple times within a short period causes “detected as spam” and even DerpySquad was unable to fix it, despite Disqus saying to contact the site moderator).

    Anyways, let’s see if it gets marked as spam again:

    I really enjoyed this episode. The style of this episode was very much in the style of many Season 1 episodes, with its low stakes, slice-of-life plot, with lots of very nice character interaction, and a lesson that’s applicable to everyone (though it was a bit surprising to have the lesson so overtly stated since that hasn’t happened for so long. It’d be very easy to imagine this episode ending with a “Dear Princess Celestia…”). Also, I loved the long montages with no dialog and excellent background music! I may be wrong, but this seemed like the longest montage(s) since the The Show Stoppers in season 1 with the “Crusaders go Crusading” music.

    Anyways I’d give this episode an A-. I do agree with Dan’s two negative points, but I’m a sucker for these nice, low key, all-around “pleasant” slice of life episodes.

    Oh, and Rainbow Dash. Some other writers could take note: *this* is how she should be written. We see a side of her that we rarely ever see, and even better, she opened up to her friends about it at the end of the episode. Her reactions in this ep were perfect: too many times the writers have had RBD lie about what she’s really doing in order to avoid ridicule/embarrassment/repercussions of some sort, and then either not address it (let her get away with it), or having something bad happen that forces her to open up. Having her come out and eventually show her softer side, willingly, and without any punishment was extremely refreshing to see.

    I’d love to see a RBD-centric episode written by the Fox bros. Just based on RBD’s small part in this ep, it seems they really “get” her character and are able to write her in a friendly, realistic, non-confrontational way, which is something that’s been missing in many, MANY Dash-centric episodes in recent seasons (and occasionally even in the older ones)

  • Emtu

    Good to see I’m not the only one that drew parallels with this episode and Applebuck Season. Short version: AJ tends to be stubborn and hypocritical.

  • Frith

    Allow me to be a neighsayer here.

    In Applebuck Season, Applejack promised to harvest the entire apple crop herself and the entire episode revolved around her finally accepting help. In this episode, Applejack accepts help, twice. First in letting Twilight and Spike feed the pigs and then again in accepting their advice on how to simplify that task. Thus it is not a rehash of the stubborn pride lesson in Applebuck Season, it’s a lesson on checking for errors in complex systems.

    Twilight’s approach to feeding the pigs for the first time is legitimate. It’s exactly what I do: follow what the person training you does to the letter. That’s because I assume that all the problems will have been worked out already and reinventing the wheel is usually inefficient. After I’ve mastered the old method, _then_ I go about improving it. Thus, Twilight had to at least see a run through (with explanations) before suggesting changes.

    This episode was mediocre because previous episodes involving spa treatments and froo froo attire (Look Before You Sleep, Ponyville Confidential) have established that Applejack and Rainbow Dash are not keen on hooficures and pampering.

    • Raffaele Lanza

      Errrr….. They could have changed their minds with the time you know. Many years have been passed since then. Anybody could come to love something he/she used to hate you know (believe me I talk for personal experiences) (plus AJ was enjoying SPA treatments in PC already remember?)