Mlp Simple Ways Review

Simple Ways synopsis should read: “AJ tows a plow and Rarity tries to get plowed.”. I would suggest it would be renamed to “single ways”, but “Simple” really does fit this episode and it’s contempt of its audience much better.

This wasn’t what I needed fresh on the heels of Pinkie Pride, it was a good episode with a good depiction of Pinkie’s character. This episode didn’t take long to overblow Pinkie’s character (quite literally) and soon after it devolves into an agonizing mess.

Simple ways is appropriately named because it would seem that Josh Haber loves to copy simple and tired tropes. Copying Scooby Doo had its charms to it in Castle Mainia, the goofy characters played well into the whimsical mystery dungeon setting. It was simple minded fun, that thankfully didn’t take too much too seriously. Simple ways on the other hand, copies the tired tropes that make Romantic Comedies the generally despised stories that they are. The format is to just establish who is obsessed with who, then just pad it out until the end, where everyone who was being stupid suddenly learn the errors in their ways and the story is done.  I am sick and tired of seeing characters being infatuated with others with little reason or depth to their interactions. I find the handling of romance a more serious and personal topic for our characters than silly mystery dungeons.

Ugh. I have generally praised the wit the show has generally handled romance. Prince Blueblood was a little too stuck up (i.e. too much of a bad person) for my tastes, but I did enjoy what Rarity’s infatuation and resolution said about her character. She loved the idea of prestige, of that being the high life. When she saw what it actually was, she dropped her dreams and stood up for herself by decrying the pampered Prince. Her initial impressions of him were made with rose tinted spectacles, but when push came to shove she handled the issue fairly well, which in turn made for a good story.

Hearts and Hooves day took the lovey dovey infatuation and used it as an antagonistic force. It knew full well how annoying infatuation is to outsiders and made it the thing we and the main characters were striving to undo. I will also say that whilst a magic potion was abstract plot point, I liked it’s use as a justification for unthinking infatuation. If the story would have framed the infatuation in a positive light and made it reflect on Big Mac & Cheerilee’s characters I would have really detested that episode.

However for EG and now for S4. We have characters like Brad, a non entity who is just lusted over for the most shallow of reasons (such as being handsome, playing guitar and having an expensive car). He’s not awful, but Twilight’s interest in him is also really annoying and vain.

Trenderhoof is very much like Brad he is also lusted over in a vain and annoying way by Rarity. He could actually be worse though, Brad is a nonentity, he is a nonentity that takes central stage. Not only is the infatuation the central conflict of this episode, but Trenderhood is a even worse person than Blueblood. Trenderhoof’s obession with AJ is just as annoying and vain as Rarity’s, worse even, because he acts like a creepy stalker to her. He, like AJ in ways, seems oblivious to the obvious advances or intentions of those interested in him/her. It feels really weird that he or AJ never seem to notice or address the issues that are staring them in the face.

This episode is just the worse romantic tropes mixed into a barrel. Characters who are obsessed with others for shallow reasons. The implication that stalking equals love (see Twilight saga). The obliviousness of characters to the others romantic interests or intentions. The typical ridiculous posturing or peacocking that typically ensues (in this case Rarity trying to go all rural to impress the guy). Each of these angles annoy me because it is a flat, hollow hollywood interpretation of love. None of it feels that real to me, because the characters are written with by a person with a mental age of 5 years old and the characters reflect that person’s boneheaded ideas on how people interact romantically.

This episode annoyed me in many other ways too: Despite the set up of the love triangle, once Rarity starts acting all rural, she hardly interacts with Trenderhoof again, which annoyingly was why she was doing this whole pretense in the first place. Spike is the one Rarity relates all her gripes too (another case of kid exposition btw), without regard to his own feelings; the irony is doubly apparent when she complains about watching someone you care for, fawn over someone else. I disliked the sanctimonious conclusion where Trenderhoof is reprimanded for his sudden attempt to ape AJ (rather than his creepy stalking), or the final dumb journal entry. I disliked how the ponyville day thing felt so underused and unnecessary. Why always make Rarity have arcs through the catalyst of ‘events’? Why then also make the events such non issues that she always succeeds at anyway? All this mindless obsession about one guy with changing the plans and such, should’ve upset a complicated event that had only 3 days to set everything into place.

I will say, for all the problems, I did like how AJ countered stupid with stupid. It was a well done interaction between the two, despite the blatant stupidity that lead them to get there. The credits were also as good as ever. White text on black... no stupidity there, the credits are becoming my favourite part of the show. Oh also. There was no songs! Or more preaching from Twilight! Or rest of the main 6 getting involved with stupid gimmicks. Why am I getting a feeling that the less this show tries to impress me, the happier I will generally be?