With
their parents on vacation Rarity is forced to watch her little
sister, Sweetie Belle, for a week. Their time together gets off to a
bad start, so Sweetie Belle decides they should do something special
together as sisters and the Sisterhooves Social is just the thing.
Rarity however has no interest in the event.
Rarity
is my 2nd favorite character. And she isn't a simple one.
Her complexity lays heavily in the delicate balance of her character.
She's rather self-absorbed but not selfish, cares deeply
about looks but isn't shallow, etc. It's difficult to properly
portray such a character without going too far to one of the
extremes. Thankfully this show has a near flawless record that proves
it knows how to handle such a character. Sweetie Belle is a character
whom I've always liked but I've always wanted to see more of her
without her always having to be with her other two friends. This
episode is the perfect opportunity for that and I love the idea of
showing her with her sister more. Especially since I love stories
involving siblings, they always have such potential for wonderful
dynamics. What I expected from this episode was great characters who
feel real, an emotional heartwarming story with a nice touch of
humor, and something that shows siblings at both their best and
worst. Gladly I write to you that this episode does not disappoint.
Now let's take a closer look...
"Sisterhooves
Social" starts, of course, with setting up the plot. It does so in a
rather humorous manner which I found quite entertaining. And it was
also nice to see Rarity's parents, albeit briefly. Anyways, after the
set up a series of events take place where Sweetie Belle is just
trying to help her sister or is trying to stay out of trouble.
Unfortunately, she keeps unintentionally messing things up. The rift
between the two sisters grows until Rarity just needs some time
alone. So Sweetie Belle leaves and walks around outside where she
happens upon Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle expresses the fact that she
wants something special to do with her sister and Apple Bloom
recommends the Sisterhooves Social. The Sisterhooves Social is an
event where teams of sisters compete against other teams in a variety of events, including a large obstacle course race. Sweetie Belle is super excited about the idea
and tells her sister. Rarity however thinks it's ridiculous since the
event is held at Sweet Apple Acres and she doesn't think it sounds
very clean. This is the final straw and the two sisters get into a
big fight. Sweetie Belle leaves and spends the rest of the day at
Sweet Apple Acres. Where she helps set up for the next days event and
witnesses the great relationship between the sisters Applejack and
Apple Bloom. Meanwhile Rarity is back at home doing her work and
calming down. Finally Rarity realizes that she misses her sister and
has to apologize. But it isn't that easy as Sweetie Belle decides
that she would rather have Applejack as her sister, which leads to a
fight between Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle over Applejack. After a
moment Sweetie Belle leaves as does Apple Bloom. This is when
Applejack gives the advice Rarity needs to realize what's wrong.
Rarity also realizes what she needs to do and hopes it isn't too
late.
Alright,
the first thing I look at in a story are the characters. All of which
are great on this show as well as this episode. I love is as Rarity
slowly gets more and more angry at her sister. It's obvious that
she's trying to restrain her temper to keep her ladylike demeanor,
but it keeps getting more difficult for her to do. Rarity also has a
few drama queen moments which are neither overdone nor overplayed.
Another thing I liked about this episode was the fact that neither
sister was perfect. Sweetie Belle did unintentionally mess up several
times. But Rarity was also a bit too selfish which is a bad trait she
occasionally slips into. However she's a good pony at heart and as
soon as Rarity realized that she was being selfish she knew it was
wrong and felt guilty about it. I loved the relationship between
those two sisters and not just because I could relate, but cause I've
been there. I have a little sister myself, and Rarity and Sweetie
Belle's relationship reminded me of my relationship with my sister.
There were more similarities than I had been expecting to find. I
fully understood Rarity's frustration with her sister and then guilt
later, I've been there many times myself. I feel a unique connection
with this episode and especially Rarity. However
this episode isn't just about the characters and emotions but also
equally the humor, which is another area where it shines.
There is a plenty of comedy in this episode that kept me laughing.
The best part is the fact that the episode could keep both emotions
and comedy together without messing up any of the scenes. The perfect
example of that was the scene when Sweetie Belle rejected her sister
and decided she would rather have Applejack as her sister. Of course
that scene stung from an emotional stand point but when Sweetie Belle
and Apple Bloom were fighting over Applejack I couldn't stop
laughing. It was so well played. It's rare for a show to have such
high quality yet this show has it consistently.
Now
I believe that it's important to go over both the good and bad in an
episode. But that's where there is a wonderful problem, I can't find
anything to complain about. Certainly not for lack of trying. I've
watched the episode multiple times and went over many of the scenes.
But the results were the same, I still had no complaints. The only
complaint I can reasonably see anyone saying would be that the
episodes plot and ending are perhaps a bit too predictable, or that
we've seen this kind of plot before. I disagree with that however. This
show takes a plot, familiar or otherwise, and adds its own style. Plus the characters really make it work. So it feels fresh even if
you have seen something similar before. As for the ending, of course
it's going to end on a happy note where everything works out. If an
episode were to end on a morbid note I would be rather shocked
(although it would be an interesting to see how the show could get
away with that). The real joy of this show is in the journey not the
destination.
Speaking
of the ending, "Sisterhooves Social" had the best ending it
could've had all things considered. As usual I shall avoid divulging
any spoilers. However I will say this, the ending gave me a deeper
respect for Rarity. It's one thing for a show to have likable or
relatable characters, but it's another for a show to make you respect
its characters more. Also this episode was thought provoking for me,
which was the definition of pleasantly surprised. It really made me
think about my relationship with my sister, and now I realize how
important that is. I feel inspired to improve that relationship.
Obviously I fully recommend this episode, especially if you
have a sibling. And if you haven't already, I hope you really enjoy this
episode.
