S04E19: Trade Ya!

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Re: S04E19: Trade Ya!

Postby Angel Beat (?) » Thu May 08, 2014 1:56 am

Yeah, he could be the butt of all jokes.
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Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Tue May 13, 2014 8:41 pm

Random observation: This episode has a rare example of ponies actually walking while holding things. Usually they cut those shots off at the legs so they don't looks so strange:
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...but this pony wound up in a wide shot at 5:43:
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edit: And someone made a GIF of it:
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Postby Kitsune (?) » Thu May 15, 2014 1:14 am

Thinking back, I'm not sure if anyone talked about this before, but something I think is funny is, like, the sheer idealism of the whole plot.

Like, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy decide to give everyone exactly what they want, and when they can't, instead of trying to cheat, they go beyond what they have to, even when it's unnecessary - rebuilding the chalice, cooking for the burger stall, offering to train the Orthros; instead of lowering the bar, they just jump higher. AJ and Rarity completely turn their selfishness around, instead fighting over who's more selfless and trying to force everything they have on the other to purchase something they think is useless. Pinkie antagonizes Twilight simply by trying to hold Twilight to the rules she's supposed to follow (which are the very reason Twi is there in the first place), and Twi's conflict is really just that she gets more respect than she thinks she does.

It's the sort of thing that made me fall in love with this show in the first place - somehow, the episode keeps all of its characters firmly on the side of virtue, yet still spins an interesting conflict out of it, even though no one's really in the wrong.

Maybe in some other show, Rainbow and Fluttershy would've started stealing stuff, or Rarity and AJ's fight might've escalated to something hilariously fierce; maybe the whole fair would've gone up in flames, and it could've been quite humorous. But instead, the entire thing goes off without a hitch and everyone walks away happy, even the side characters (except that one poor filly with the broken quill :sweetiefrown: ).
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Postby The Outlander (?) » Thu May 15, 2014 5:59 pm

I'm like that with most episodes. I constantly find myself thinking "In any other show..."

Take Equestria Games for example. Spike becomes disillusioned from Twilight lighting the flame for him into thinking that he can set things on fire with his mind. In any other show, him getting into silly antics revolving around this misconception would be the entire plot, but in Pony we have Twilight to explain things to Spike and plant the seeds of a different kind of plot about feelings of inadequacy and being unable to live up to not just others, but also yourself. I remember thinking frequently to myself when I first got into the show that the plots felt very dynamic and never seemed to run with the first idea that came to mind. It's an important, subtle element of the show that helps create the sense that the writers put a lot of thought into every story.
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Postby diribigal (?) » Sun Jul 13, 2014 12:48 pm

I finally got around to watching this episode. It made me feel good feelings.

Also, someone (Wayoshi?) posted screencaps in it, but the "Twilight uses wings to hide face out of embarrassment" was a really interesting idea.
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Postby Mordja (?) » Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:47 pm

So I love the idea of the Traders Exchange. There's just something incredibly "Poni" about it. :3:
-Pretty classic pair ups; Twi and Pie, Dash and Shy, Apples and Fashion, but opposite personalities make for goooooood comedy, so I can't slight Scott for using them.
-That said, I appreciate that each plotline was so distinct from the others until it all comes together in the end.
-Orthros so cute. Wish Fluttershy kept it.
-AJ and Rares really made passive-aggression into a form of warfare.
-OC pone is...pretty fucking OC, but the story behind his inclusion warms even my cold heart.
-Rainbow makes a good fry-cook. I smell a spinoff.
-Haha, Rainbow's frozen grin when the trade is rejected.
-Damn, there was so much going on in the background.
-Speaking of, the way scenes transitioned between the characters was superb. Kudos to the editors!
-Anyone remember if this is the first time "moons" was used as a measurement of time?
-In retrospect, knowing the library gets blowed the fuck up in a couple episodes makes Twilight keeping all of those books uh...
Anyway, I loved this episode the first time, I loved it on rewatch. A++ 10/10 voted hog went 5 wild


Teeny-tiny detail I caught on rewatch: when Twilight magics the empty cardboard box offscreen, she also unfolds and flattens it. So conscientious!

diribigal wrote:Also, someone (Wayoshi?) posted screencaps in it, but the "Twilight uses wings to hide face out of embarrassment" was a really interesting idea.

I *might* be wrong, but I don't think it's the first time they've done this.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:07 pm

Mordja wrote:I *might* be wrong, but I don't think it's the first time they've done this.

As one example, there was that time in Castle Mane-ia where Rainbow Dash covered her face with her wings, though that was because she was scared.
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Postby Dexanth (?) » Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:09 pm

Welcome to Week Forty-Four of Let's Re-Watch, where a random episode from the pony pantheon is chosen to be the episode of the week!

The basics :
1. Threads will go up on Thursdays! Re-watch day is Saturday. You can obviously join in sooner or later, but the first two days are more for reminiscing, while Saturday-Wednesday is for fresh eyes!
2. Each week is a random episode. All episodes are now fair game, except repeats!
3. This is fun, and totally random - I literally roll the episode moments before making the thread. Two-parters are combined so technically have a double chance of being chosen but hey! More fun!
5. :dwi:

In this episode, Rainbow Dash demonstrates her cutthroat trade skills when she trades Fluttershy into indentured servitude for a book. Y'know, normally? I have to try on these. But this time, it's like DAMN GIRL.

Week Forty-Four is

Trade Ya!
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Trade Ya! is the twenty-second episode of the fourth season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the eighty-seventh episode overall. In this episode, friendships are tested when a trip to the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange goes wrong.
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Postby ROBOT B9 (?) » Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:14 pm

This episode still holds up for me. I've always liked these kind of storylines and this episode was certainly no exception. I loved the Pinkie & Twilight story and the entire combo of trades in the RD - Fluttershy part were great. If nothing else, that chicken vendor pony scene has to be one of the top five funniest moments of the season.
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:23 pm

A very enjoyable episode.

The Pinkie and Twilight arc was probably my least favorite of the three pairings, but it was still enjoyable. Just think, had Pinkie not stopped Twilight, those books might have survived the Library destruction. :v:

Rarity and Applejack was a little by-the-numbers, but I still found it pretty enjoyable.

Standout was certainly the Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy plot. I love the convoluted trades they have to make, reminding me of a really good Star Trek DS9 episode (Trechery, Faith and the Great River). Fluttershy just going along with it, and Rainbow Dash being her hot headed self, but realizing immediately her mistake and going to correct it. Overall, just a really fun outing.
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Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:02 am

Definitely a fun episode to watch, and this was clearly one the animators were burning the midnight oil on. Tons of background detail, even with a pretty small stage.

It's also a very "new" pony episode. All the wacky incidental characters, from Kratos to Special Guest to Charles Nelson Reilly, are such a departure from the traditional season 1 copy-paste ponies. I don't hate the change, but this episode probably stood out the most of the entire season for trying to be different.

The Twilight/Pinkie story is still odd. Pinkie enforcing the letter of the law to make sure that not only are knowledge and books not shared, but that nobody gets something for nothing, is out of place in this show. Nevertheless, it does eventually wind its way around to an acceptable message about treasuring mementos, and it's only a third of the episode anyway. It only suffers in retrospect, knowing what we do about the finale.

This is also a rare episode acknowledging Twilight's princesshood. Given how rarely the subject comes up, I wonder if there's a reason this episode was written by a newcomer. Except for "Twilight Time," the other episodes that make a point of dealing with that big new subject are all written by newbies. Just a sign of how many episodes were written by newcomers? Indication of older authors falling back on tradition? Mere coincidence?
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Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:52 am

Or, possibly, they're dipping frequently into their backlog of story ideas from previous seasons that they'd never got around to making.
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Postby PaulloDEC (?) » Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:00 pm

A lot of fun, this one, and a good demonstration of "If you're going to have the entire mane 6 in an episode, at least give them all something to do".
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Postby Applepie (?) » Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:35 pm

Very interesting. A lot of new characters, and things like the Discord lamp.
Pinkie Pie: So, you see this here? This, um, this is um, a big, round room. It's known for its roundness, and bigness, and did I mention that it's round?
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Postby ROBOT B9 (?) » Sat Mar 14, 2015 10:52 pm

Oh right, forgot about the Discord lamp. I love little touches like that, I hope we see more of them in Season 5.
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Postby Angel Beat (?) » Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:14 am

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Postby Seven Seas (?) » Sun Mar 15, 2015 4:02 am

Chicken Horse is up there with Hugh Jelly as one of the weirdest f'ing bit characters this show has ever created. He is a thing of glory. :gotcha:

As for Stellar Eclipse (the disabled pony with the stylin' wheelchair)... I know he got some flak for being an OC and for his perceived tokenism and all that, but personally, I can't tell you how much I appreciated that little bit of representation. Like, I had to pause the episode the first time I saw him because I was having Feelings. What I appreciated most was that they didn't Very Special Episode him in the slightest-- he was just some random incidental pony doing his job, and no one gave a shit, and he was just as integral to the plot as any of the other ponies Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy met.
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Postby PaulloDEC (?) » Sun Mar 15, 2015 4:29 am

Seven Seas wrote:Chicken Horse is up there with Hugh Jelly as one of the weirdest f'ing bit characters this show has ever created. He is a thing of glory. :gotcha:

As for Stellar Eclipse (the disabled pony with the stylin' wheelchair)... I know he got some flak for being an OC and for his perceived tokenism and all that, but personally, I can't tell you how much I appreciated that little bit of representation. Like, I had to pause the episode the first time I saw him because I was having Feelings. What I appreciated most was that they didn't Very Special Episode him in the slightest-- he was just some random incidental pony doing his job, and no one gave a shit, and he was just as integral to the plot as any of the other ponies Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy met.


I actually didn't notice him at all the first time I watched the episode; just seemed like another weird vendor to go with all the others. In retrospect it's kinda obvious.

Other than wishing the vocal performance was a little more polished, I'm glad they put him in there.
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Postby InsertAuthorHere (?) » Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:51 pm

This episode was special in that it was the first one I actually watched with another fan. That is, with another fan in the same room. Conventions are fun like that.

Anyway, the episode is another multi-plot one, albeit with a lot more emphasis on Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy than anyone else. It uses the standard pairings of Fluttershy/Dash, Applejack/Rarity, and Twilight/Pinkie, follows one of the most standard plots in screenwriting history, and mostly banks on the comedy. Not saying it's bad, but it's fairly average as far as episodes go.

The Applejack/Rarity plot is the weakest of the three, if only because it does very little to deviate from the norm. Applejack likes dull and practical things, while Rarity loves extravagant and useless trinkets. Both find an item they want, both previously agreed to combine their goods for one thing, and both end up getting the other a less-impressive item as a means of making up. The only amusing moment was when the two tried to give up their item for the one the other wanted just to prove who was the better friend. Otherwise, it's clear why this got the least focus.

Twilight and Pinkie was better, outside of Pinkie terrifying a filly because she didn't agree with a trade. While it's also pretty standard, the Twilight/Pinkie comedy duo hasn't been worn into the ground quite as much as Applejack and Rarity have this series, and the ultimate resolution of Pinkie hyping the books too much and making them seem too expensive to everypony was a nice payoff that fits neatly with her character. Twilight mostly just stands there for her part, although her reaction to Pinkie's comment about her being a "big fat zero" before princesshood was hilarious. Plus, it's one of the few episodes where Twilight was acknowledged as a princess and her role actually mattered, so I can't fault it for that. Her resolution to keep the books is standard, but nice.

...And yes, they were likely all destroyed when the library blew up. Unless they were in the basement, or a storage shed, or some other place besides the giant tree. Guess you didn't think about that, did ya?! :-P

Which brings us to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's fetch quest. It's yet another standardized bit of storytelling, but features some fun interactions between the two and the booth operators. Using the Orthrus for the mystical beast was a pretty interesting choice, as it's not something that's totally known by all of pop culture like Cerberus or the Hydra. Selling Fluttershy's services as a trainer paints Dash in a pretty terrible light at first, but she had gone through a really rough day, was desperate to come to some kind of deal, and immediately sets out to make things right the minute she realizes what she did. Although you would think there would be a rule against trading ponies, but since it was explicitly to help train the Orthrus, perhaps services rendered can be considered components of a fair trade?

In any case, the episode is okay. There were much better this season, but it's still not a bad episode.
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Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Mon Mar 16, 2015 5:20 am

InsertAuthorHere wrote:...And yes, they were likely all destroyed when the library blew up. Unless they were in the basement, or a storage shed, or some other place besides the giant tree. Guess you didn't think about that, did ya?! :-P

:twiright: When you have a baby dragon, you don't skimp on the protection spells!
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Postby PaulloDEC (?) » Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:53 am

InsertAuthorHere wrote:...And yes, they were likely all destroyed when the library blew up. Unless they were in the basement, or a storage shed, or some other place besides the giant tree. Guess you didn't think about that, did ya?! :-P


Hmm. I wonder if the lab survived?
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Postby ROBOT B9 (?) » Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:40 pm

From what I heard (still might be rumours), that aspect might be brought up in S5. :pinkieshrug:
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Postby Perrydotto (?) » Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:43 pm

Remember, don't get into legit spoiler discussion territory outside of the respective subforum.
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Postby ROBOT B9 (?) » Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:51 pm

Sorry, I forgot. I'll delete my post if it was too much.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:01 pm

Perrydotto wrote:Remember, don't get into legit spoiler discussion territory outside of the respective subforum.

He doesn't read the spoiler forum, so it'd be a little bit hard for him to do that. :gotcha:
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Postby Perrydotto (?) » Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:03 pm

Fizzbuzz wrote:He doesn't read the spoiler forum, so it'd be a little bit hard for him to do that. :gotcha:


No idea if those "rumours" are legit spoilers or not, but if they are, that would still be against the rules. :-P
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Postby Headless Horse (?) » Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:17 pm

The thing that strikes me most about this one on rewatch, as indeed it did the first time through, is how self-consciously contextualized it is. It's perhaps the most callback-packed thing the show has ever done—ranging from S4-specific stuff (Power Ponies, Spike's life debt to Applejack) to tongue-in-cheek gags like the Discord lamps all the way back through stuff like constant allusions to Twilight's days as a student and the subplot of Applejack and Rarity trying to out-friend each other (which felt kinda like a deliberate throwback to S1's almost ritualistic treatment of the word "friendship").

It seems to me like the easiest explanation for all this is that Scott Sanneborn really wanted to prove how much he "got" the show—see you guys, I'm totally a big fan, see, I even put in references to Applejack's baking, which was all but dropped after S1 and we've barely seen mentioned since the wedding episode!—and this episode serves as sort of his spec-script audition. I don't know if that's true or not, but it sure seems like the idea that presents itself.

And while the story is plenty fun (and full of great little moments, many of which are visual, like the kid wagging her tail when she goes to meet Twilight :awesomedash: ), it does have kind of a "fanfic writer who got his big break" feel to it—like, this is exactly the kind of episode that a fan would write if he were trying to fit the show's style and context as carefully as possible so as not to blow his big chance. YCH Pony doesn't help in that regard—though for his part, I didn't mind his voice acting at all; he did flub his enunciation a few times, so it's clear he's not a pro VA, but he had plenty of dynamic range and acting. Really it's just his Donut Steel hair that makes me :smirk:

Random moment: I don't know why, but when I first watched this episode, what registered in my mind in the end was that the trader pony was leading both the Orthros and Fluttershy away on leashes. Fuckin' LOL in retrospect, and makes me want an emote that's a combination of :gotcha: and :ohgawd:

I agree that Rarity and Applejack's storyline got kind of tired, but really I think it was only that one little interstitial scene where they're still both sitting in the middle of the street kicking the trade goods back and forth exactly the same as they apparently had been doing for the past two hours and with the same verbal arguments that dragged it down. If only they'd substituted something else there that pushed their storyline forward a little, like maybe something that played off the ridiculousness of their prior (and rather fun) hijinks, like, say, a misunderstanding/derail in which it turns out Rarity pocketed the wrong brooch by mistake and freaks out because she can obviously tell, then that whole subplot would have been pure gold.

And I know Pinkie isn't everyone's favorite Pinkie here, tending toward the screechy and the BEST EXPOSITION SPEECH EVER :plonk: , but I felt like she worked. Everything she did made sense according to Pinkie logic, which can often tend toward the rules-lawyering (see Green Isn't Your Color). It was Twilight whose reactions throughout their whole subplot seemed a bit unearned and lacking in logic. When she came to her epiphany about the meaningfulness of the books, it wasn't because of Pinkie's ridiculousness, but the episode's lack of focus on Twilight's growing internal struggle that made it seem like she didn't really have any internal struggle, and that she just sort of changed her mind out of the blue that she wanted to keep the books after all. That plus the capriciousness of some of the ponies changing their requirements seemingly just to fuck with other traders made it seem like the Trade Fair is one gigantic annual troll party :iamapony:

By the way—I loved how the burger bags instantly became greasy when the food landed in them. :-P And I hope someone fiddled with the audio levels and wrote down every single word the chicken statue guy said in the background when he was rattling off the types of chickens...
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Postby Just Scuds (?) » Tue Mar 17, 2015 3:18 pm

In Season 4 we have another episode where AJ is seen delivering pies, so baking them sounds like it would follow naturally.
... and it's Scott Sonnenborn's other episode for the season. huh.



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A pushover a negotiation, filled to the brim with stage fright. :nnngh:

Absolutely unflappable around wild, exotic, and ostensibly dangerous animals. :allears:

Click for Fullsize


aaaaaand now I'm late for work. Damn, I miss 2011.
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Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Wed Mar 18, 2015 1:58 am

Headless Horse wrote:The thing that strikes me most about this one on rewatch, as indeed it did the first time through, is how self-consciously And I hope someone fiddled with the audio levels and wrote down [i]every single word the chicken statue guy said in the background when he was rattling off the types of chickens...

Alas, it looks like his dialogue, while being off to the side, gets faded into the main track so it can't be easily extracted.

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Postby Marioland1 (?) » Wed Mar 18, 2015 10:26 pm

Ya know, I've never actually watched this one. I better do that when I get home.

Also didn't read the thread because of this. Will read and comment after I've seen it.
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