S05E23: The Hooffields and McColts

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S05E23: The Hooffields and McColts

Postby Wayoshi (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 5:00 pm

Princess Twilight and Fluttershy are called by the map to settle a dispute between two feuding families who can’t even remember why they are fighting.


This thread is for discussion of this episode. The episode airs at 11:30 AM Eastern / 8:30 AM Pacific on Saturday, November 14!

Official preview clips and images are okay to post, as is speculation about the episode.

Writers: Joanna Lewis & Kristine Songco
Last edited by Wayoshi on Sat Nov 14, 2015 4:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Octavia (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 5:14 pm

Twilight finally gets a map episode! :excite:
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 5:17 pm

Looking forward to this. Haven't seen a Twilight and Fluttershy episode since S1.

Do hope the feuding families aren't presented too hillbilly though...
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Postby Mechanical Ape (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 5:24 pm

Princess Twilight and Fluttershy are called by the map to settle a dispute between two feuding families who can’t even remember why they are fighting.


Their task is to help the families remember why they are fighting, so they can do so with more clarity.
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Postby Seven Seas (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 5:45 pm

Poor Twilight finally gets to leave the castle, I see. :gotcha:
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Postby Wildfire (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:27 pm

Will definitely be watching the background closely for Twilight's stalker this time. :smirk:
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Postby Mr. Big (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:46 pm

The episode ends with Fluttershy explaining that the feud started over a child's ball game. The dueling families settle their differences and make up.

:excite: Wow, that was some luck that you knew their story.

:dreamworks: You could call it luck. Or you could call it lying.

:shock: What?

:modesty: I made the whole thing up.

:shock: You did not...

:twismug: That is so wrong.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:48 pm

The Doctor wrote:Looking forward to this. Haven't seen a Twilight and Fluttershy episode since S1.

And even then, back in A Bird in the Hoof, that episode was pretty much all about Fluttershy (enough to where I once forgot about Twilight Sparkle's involvement, even :v:).
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Postby Headless Horse (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 8:49 pm

Mr. Big wrote:The episode ends with Fluttershy explaining that the feud started over a child's ball game. The dueling families settle their differences and make up.

:excite: Wow, that was some luck that you knew their story.

:dreamworks: You could call it luck. Or you could call it lying.

:shock: What?

:modesty: I made the whole thing up.

:shock: You did not...

:twismug: That is so wrong.


:rainbert: Just keep flying.
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Postby WandereringPony (?) » Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:29 pm

Mr. Big wrote: :twismug: That is so wrong.


:flutterunsmith: A wise creature once told me a lie is easier to take.
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Postby PaulloDEC (?) » Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:02 pm

Really hope this is a good one. Premise sounds really neat, and Fluttershy + Twilight is such an unusual combo.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Thu Nov 12, 2015 7:31 pm

Uh, Fluttershy, I think it's pretty obvious where those flying pumpkins are coming from. :v:
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Postby Applepie (?) » Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:04 pm

Finally another map episode yay!
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Postby Marimo (?) » Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:29 pm

Weird thing how that dodge was animated. Fluttershy's mane is glowing with Twilight's magic, but Twilight wasn't looking in the direction of the pumpkin while Fluttershy was, so Fluttershy should've been the one to see it coming not Twilight.

Maybe they weren't sure how to handle that scene, whether to have Twilight move Fluttershy out of the way or have Fluttershy dodge and Twilight's taken by surprise?
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Postby Wylie (?) » Fri Nov 13, 2015 1:47 am

"Skiddle-ee-bop-dee-boo"?
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Postby Angel Beat (?) » Fri Nov 13, 2015 6:03 am

Oh my god, that preview ends at the perfect Twilight face. :lol:
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:02 pm

Wylie wrote:"Skiddle-ee-bop-dee-boo"?

I'm really not sure what to make of that line, either. It sounds so silly, but it also still sounds like something she'd sputter out if she were getting flustered.
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Postby Mr. Big (?) » Fri Nov 13, 2015 4:31 pm

Marimo wrote:Weird thing how that dodge was animated. Fluttershy's mane is glowing with Twilight's magic, but Twilight wasn't looking in the direction of the pumpkin while Fluttershy was, so Fluttershy should've been the one to see it coming not Twilight.

I just noticed that. I wonder if that's an animation error.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Fri Nov 13, 2015 5:29 pm

It looks like an error to me:
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Fluttershy notices the pumpkin first, anyway, so Twilight would have no reason to yank her out of the pumpkin's path. Most likely, if an entire layer can be selected to have an effect (such as a unicorn's magic aura) applied to all objects in them, then in those few frames that part of Fluttershy's hair got shifted to one of the layers with their bags. The front half of Fluttershy's mane seems to appear twice, too.
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Postby Dexanth (?) » Fri Nov 13, 2015 8:11 pm

Fluttershy asked Twilight to keep her mane magically still during their flight so her hairstyle didn't get out of place.
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Postby die Fledermaus (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 6:14 am

A good use of magic
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Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:13 am

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Postby Angel Beat (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 10:26 am

I figured Twilight was channeling her inner scatman. :ponder:
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 2:17 pm

:sweetielarm: episode leaked early on Amazon.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 4:04 pm

The Doctor wrote::sweetielarm: episode leaked early on Amazon.

That seems like a strange circumstance. Maybe someone just put in the wrong time for this episode to be released, or meant for it to be put up on November 16 instead of 14.
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Postby Mr. Big (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:00 pm

Twilight called back to the first time she used the freeze spell ("It's harder to do this on an army than just six of you!").

Interesting that it was over taking care of animals, which explains why Fluttershy was needed.
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Postby PonyHag714 (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:02 pm

TROJAN CAKE :ohdear:

This was an okay episode, definitely a change of pace from the last couple. I liked how Fluttershy's rapport with animals helped find a solution. :allears:

More adorkable Twilight :excite:

Also glad Twi hung onto the balloon. I thought they might fly there themselves, but I guess it was too far. :ponder:
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Postby Octavia (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:03 pm

Very predictable ep, but super cute :allears:
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:05 pm

Octavia wrote:Very predictable ep, but super cute :allears:


My feelings on it as well. Was just a fun episode and Twilight and Fluttershy work well together. A step up from Made in Madehattan as far as Map episodes go, but not up there with Griffonstone.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:10 pm

This episode was definitely better than Made in Manehattan, at least. Even though the Hooffields and McColts were all new characters, they were still more interesting than Coco Pommel ever could be. I don't know, maybe I found them more entertaining than most folks on account of how they're a parody of the people of my homeland, but regardless I think this was the most interesting of the key episodes.

Fluttershy constantly straining to carry her book-loaded bags was funny. Perhaps Twilight Sparkle also gained the greater strength of an earth pony upon her ascension.
Mr. Big wrote:Twilight called back to the first time she used the freeze spell ("It's harder to do this on an army than just six of you!")

It's always nice to see a reminder of how she's not some sort of magic goddess or something. The show's been better about this in later years than back around S1 and such.
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Postby Applepie (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:21 pm

Better than last week. Felt like an good old fashioned Western cartoon.
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Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:34 pm

It was... a functional episode. :fluttershock: Not bad, story did what it was supposed to, very predictable.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:39 pm

Between these and the key episodes of S4, I find myself admitting that these sorts of repeating episodes with a similar theme and structure just don't work as well as I would want them to. The trouble is that, after the first one, it's terribly clear how later episodes in that set are going to work out. It definitely worked out better that there were only three of them in this season and that they each involved two of the Mane Six instead of just one, at least.
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Postby Niels Olof (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:41 pm

Fizzbuzz wrote:This episode was definitely better than Made in Manehattan, at least. Even though the Hooffields and McColts were all new characters, they were still more interesting than Coco Pommel ever could be.


I would have to disagree, though not on Coco's behalf. MiM have more memorable side characters than this one (especially the thespian ponies). This one had hardly anything memorable to it at all, and Princess Twilight Sparkle's chronic inability to think outside her book got old.

Feuding hillbillies is an old, old trope, and not particularly notably handled here.

On a day like today I don't suppose I was in the mood for ponies in pointless strife. :-/
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:47 pm

Here's the episode link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3dtoow
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I would have to disagree, though not on Coco's behalf. MiM have more memorable side characters than this one (especially the thespian ponies). This one had hardly anything memorable to it at all, and Princess Twilight Sparkle's chronic inability to think outside her book got old.

Feuding hillbillies is an old, old trope, and not particularly notably handled here.

Well, like I was saying, maybe I'm more inclined than most to find that sort of thing funny. I was born in East Tennessee and have lived in this state all my life, after all.
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Postby Wayoshi (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 6:44 pm

Twi & Fluts were super on-point character-wise and cute together. Best execution of a map episode out of the three, IMO.

The feuding families themselves were a bit eye-rolling, but Ma Hooffield and Big Daddy McColt grew on me well enough.
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Postby PonyHag714 (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 6:57 pm

I liked Twilight's voice amplifing trick. Not a "royal" kind of voice like Luna, but more of a bullhorn/PA system type of sound. :twiright:

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Postby Juniper Phoenix (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 7:46 pm

:twonk: Ooh, could it be about when two friends just randomly decide to do something together, but they forget to invite their third friend, and the third friend feels left out?

She's still salty about that. :gotcha:
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Postby Aramek (?) » Sat Nov 14, 2015 7:54 pm

It was super cute, had a lot of great faces, and, best of all, genuine pony violence. I loved it.
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