Fizzbuzz wrote:I don't think On Your Marks was about cutie marks so much as it was more about
them in particular. To me that episode dealt more with them figuring out where to go with their lives and whether it was okay for them to individually do things that the others weren't necessarily interested in, despite how close they were.
I suppose that is a good point, but the whole conflict does hinge on the fact that they have their cutie marks. Also, parts of it do have to do with them solving cutie mark problems, as their cutie mark seems to indicate, so I would say it's both focused on the character and the cutie marks themselves.
Honestly, I used to like that episode quite a bit, but "Bloom & Gloom" kinda ruined it for me. Apple Bloom basically forgot half of the things she learned in that episode, and I think involving Luna in "On Your Marks", or having Apple Bloom at least explain why she suddenly got all her old fears back in a scene with Luna, might have clarified why she suddenly is afraid they won't be friends anymore. After the growth and clever subtext shown in "Bloom & Gloom", I feel like "On Your Marks" took Apple Bloom's development backwards, not forwards.
If cutie marks didn't exist for just this upcoming episode, I think the plot could still occur smoothly. If cutie marks suddenly didn't exist in "On Your Marks", a good chunk of it would have to be rewritten. Based on what I've read about this episode, this seems like a more traditional plot.