"While
visiting Canterlot to buy supplies, Rarity gains a reputation as a
very important pony. To keep her upperclass status she begins to lie
and soon has to choose between her friends and her new status."
"Sweet and
Elite" is the perfect example of what to typically expect from this
show. It
has excellent characters, plenty of humor including a great running
gag, it's all very believable, and there's even an entertaining song
thrown in. As if all that wasn't enough, I
also found the premise and plot of this episode more original than
most.
The
opening scene shows that Rarity is visiting Canterlot and staying in
a suite at the castle where the princess has provided accommodations.
Rarity profusely thanks the princess. Then the next scene explains
why Rarity is in Canterlot (to buy supplies) and reveals that Twilight
Sparkle's birthday party is coming up soon, so Rarity decides to make
her friend an outfit for the party. The scene also shows that the
upperclass who live in Canterlot aren't impressed with someone who
comes from Ponyville; they're too "country" for their tastes. Rarity is
justifiably upset about the way she's treated due to where she's
from, so she decides to prove herself by designing
a dress that's worthy of Canterlot. She draws up a beyond fabulous
design, which is also the dress she's making for Twilight.
After
buying the supplies, and while rushing back to the suite, Rarity
bumps into a pony by the name of Fancypants (yes, that's his name).
Fancypants just so happens to be a very important and influential
pony, and he
invites Rarity to a social event. She is torn between a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make important social connections and the
fact that she should start making the dress, but she ultimately decides to go to event. There Rarity is eager to impress and feels pressure to not reveal her Ponyville origins, so she starts lying to cover that up. After the event she gets invited to several other gatherings, which she keeps attending since she doesn't want to disappoint the Canterlot elite. During this Rarity sings a song which advances the plot, all the while almost completely neglecting the dress.
Finally it's time to
return to Ponyville and she has just enough time to make it back and
finish her gift. But just before leaving Rarity gets an invitation
to the significant Canterlot Garden Party. So after more internal conflict Rarity lies in a letter to Twilight, saying that her cat is sick and she can't make it back yet.
Later, Rarity is dressed for the party and heads out only to meet her friends, there to surprise her since she couldn't make it back! Believe it or not, it gets a lot better from there.
"Sweet
and Elite" of course focuses on Rarity; my opinion on her is best
expressed here. I quite enjoyed watching her conflicts as she
tries to decide between making the dress and going to the events. At
first going to the events was all right, but choosing the
Canterlot Garden Party over one of her best friends Birthday party
was when she really went too far. There was also an enjoyable and
appropriate drama queen moment when Rarity wrote the false letter
about her cat being sick. Also, when it
comes to characters, Fancypants is really worth mentioning. He's a very likeable character since unlike the other
upperclass ponies, he doesn't seem like some snob. Instead he comes
off as a down-to-earth pony, a fact which is also played effectively
for comedy.
This
episode is just pure entertainment to watch. Like almost any episode
of this show, I can rewatch it many times without tiring of
it. Everything works perfectly including the song, which really shows Rarity's motive for wanting to fit in
with the elites. It isn't just about her own gain or ambition. She
loves the attention, she really wants to be important, to be popular, to be liked, which is all relatable and understandable. The episode is also well put together with lots of nice
details, such as Rarity's cat having enough expressions, reactions,
and self awareness to be considered a character in her own right (albeit a minor one).
Even the usual issue with the plot being a bit too
predictable doesn't apply here, since it has a nice number of twists and turns and an unpredictable ending with an original lesson. Naturally of course
everything still ended on a happy note, with Rarity still
boldly standing up for her friends and showing her true colors. I always
love it when there's a useful lesson at the end rather than
the more obvious ones such as be willing to share, don't steal,
don't lie, etc.
