S07E21: Marks and Recreation

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S07E21: Marks and Recreation

Postby Wayoshi (?) » Wed Sep 27, 2017 3:36 pm

Wanting to help as many blank flanks as possible, the CMCs start a Cutie Mark Day Camp, but are surprised when one of their campers doesn't want a cutie mark.


This thread is for discussion of the episode. This episode airs at 11:30 Eastern / 8:30 Pacific on Saturday, September 30!

Official preview clips and images are okay to post, as is speculation about the episode. From Hascon, we have a significant clip already (featured as the second of two in this video):

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Postby Octavia (?) » Wed Sep 27, 2017 6:12 pm

CMC episodes have been great the past couple seasons, so I hope this continues the trend. :good: :scootatrue: :anticipation:

Also, I like the title.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Wed Sep 27, 2017 6:28 pm

Bringing Rumble back was a big reach, but I guess this story wouldn't have worked as well with a new character as it is with someone we've known to lack a cutie mark for however long it's actually been since S2.
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Postby Juju&Lulu (?) » Wed Sep 27, 2017 6:44 pm

So Rumble is going to be the villain for the season 8 finale?
"Why does life have to be so IRONIC?" :milkshake:
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Postby Applepie (?) » Wed Sep 27, 2017 7:18 pm

I waited in months for this episode.
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 Mechanical Ape (?) » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:51 pm

:pinkieshrug: "My cutie mark is for parties, but I pay the bills as a professional baker and sometime babysitter!"
:vogue: "My fashion career has quite little to do with gems at all."
:excite: "And my magic cutie mark doesn't stop me from being a terrific dancer!"

:icky: :eugh:
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:57 pm

I am interested how they set this up. There is literally nothing that would give this impression of Cutie Marks. We see characters engaging in variety of activities quite often.

I was hoping this might be a kid from Starlight's old town who grew up under her rule. Would be an interesting approach to the ep.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:49 am

The Doctor wrote:I am interested how they set this up. There is literally nothing that would give this impression of Cutie Marks. We see characters engaging in variety of activities quite often.

One, Rumble is still a child. His perspective of the world is not going to be as good as that of an adult.

Two, though this direct idea's not come up, the inverse of it is something that was expressed way back in Call of the Cutie. If the lack of a cutie mark meant you had untold potential, wouldn't getting a mark mean losing that potential and pigeonholing yourself? In truth, no, but as seen through the lens of bad kid logic I can understand why Rumble would come to this conclusion.
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Postby Soft Snow (?) » Thu Sep 28, 2017 3:54 am

But I like drawing circles!
:gonkity:

This was actually a criticism I head from parents back during season one. "You get Cutie Mark for being good at something? Well, I'm good at more then just one thing. We shouldn't be telling our daughters they can only be good at one thing." I feel like this episode is finally going to be addressing that. Explaining that a cutie mark just shows what you are best at, it doesn't limit what you can do in life.
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Postby marshmallow (?) » Thu Sep 28, 2017 6:26 am

Mechanical Ape wrote::pinkieshrug: "My cutie mark is for parties, but I pay the bills as a professional baker and sometime babysitter!"


Event planning can be a lucrative field, but she spends most of her money on ACME products.
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Postby Aramek (?) » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:39 am

Into the gluelag with Rumble.
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Postby adiwan (?) » Thu Sep 28, 2017 11:21 am

With this episode title I fully expect a Ron Swanson pony doing woodworking, eating breakfast at any time of the day, stall government work, or doing manly stuff, and being voiced by Nick Offerman.
Anything less is a major disappointment.
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Postby Juju&Lulu (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:33 pm

So the CMCs are pretty much trying to game the system now.
"Why does life have to be so IRONIC?" :milkshake:
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:44 pm

:sweet: Remember when Rainbow Dash had me do a ton of different things in a desperate struggle to get my cutie mark and it failed miserably? Let's do that, but more!
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Postby Octavia (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:51 pm

Wow, Rumble got a song! :awesomedash:

He's well on his way to getting a Starlight Glimmer cutie mark :gotcha:
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Postby Juju&Lulu (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:51 pm

Rumble then leads all the campers into the woods and they all die of starvation because they forgot they're all children.

Also none of then have a 'Surviving in the Woods' cutie mark
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Postby Juju&Lulu (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:53 pm

I think we're finally seeing the cracks in the setup where some ponies' cutie marks are to get other ponies their cutie marks.
"Why does life have to be so IRONIC?" :milkshake:
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Postby Octavia (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:00 pm

YOU JUST HAIKU'D RIGHT THERE
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Postby Juju&Lulu (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:01 pm

All in all a good episode.

Haiku pony was cute
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:03 pm

:pinkieshrug: OK episode.


I liked the ending, despite how abrupt it was, but the episode felt like a big mess getting to that ending.
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Postby PonyHag714 (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:05 pm

That was decent. Thunderlane looked good in his Wonderbolts uniform. I wouldn't mind seeing him or Rumble in the future.

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:speakest: The fun has been doubled!
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Postby adiwan (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:09 pm

Episode in a nutshell:
The Cutie Mark Crusaders starts a cult camp.
Cutie Mark Crusaders like to be in control.
Rumble takes control and starts his own counter cult.
Cutie Mark Crusaders want to take the control back by using cult-loving celebrity.
Rumble's cult members get bored and get tricked.
Rumble sufferes fear of abandonment and loneliness.
Rumble joins the cutie mark cult in his own way.

Moral of the story: if you can't fight it, join it. (a cult)
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Postby Applepie (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:15 pm

Great but decent ending
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Postby Kronos (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 6:05 pm

T'Was an alright episode. Scootaloo's flapping of excitement in the cold open did make me wonder if she's EVER going to bloody fly though - Sweetie finally got magic and Apple Bloom learned who her parents were.

The continuity of Thunderlane making Wonderbolt status is a nice touch, I will admit - he appeared back in Wonderbolts Academy. Maybe we might get Wonderbolt Cloudchaser out of this sooner or later.
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Postby Juju&Lulu (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 6:11 pm

He was also the fastest recorded flier in ponyville besides Rainbow Dash
Last edited by Juju&Lulu on Sat Sep 30, 2017 6:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Kronos (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 6:12 pm

DerFurShur wrote:I'm ponyville


:byopinkie: HOLY HORSE PUN EXPLETIVE THE TOWN IS NOW SENTIENT
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 6:12 pm

The Doctor wrote:I liked the ending, despite how abrupt it was, but the episode felt like a big mess getting to that ending.

In much the same way that growing up is a big mess, I felt. Though we don't have our special talents symbolized on our sides for all to see, I know I had times growing up when my parents, teachers, etc., thought I was good at things that I didn't necessarily want to be good at (or at least be known for). Like, I had been in my school's band for a few years in middle school at the suggestion of my dad, and I actually was fairly good at playing the trombone, but I wasn't ever actually interested in being a musician when I grew up. If I'd let family members urge me into staying with it instead of following my true love of computing, I know I would've felt more dissatisfied the longer I stayed with it.

That's the closest analogy I can draw between real life and the magical cartoon horses who get magical butt stamps, at least. Though it is not absolutely crystal clear due to this difference, I still think this episode's lesson that the perceptions of others do not define you and your interests is a highly valuable one. I feel like this will help any kids in the audience who were perhaps afraid of growing up for this reason.


(As an aside, wasn't EqG supposed to have a general moral that growing up isn't scary, demonstrated by having the characters be ostensibly more relatable as high school teenagers? Seems like it kind of morphed into a magical girl anime (but Western) somewhere after Rainbow Rocks.)
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Postby RudeCyrus (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:36 pm

Decent.
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Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:36 pm

I actually liked pretty much the whole episode except for the ending just sorta happening as quickly as possible. Good lesson, and a lot of visual gags really sold it.

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One more bingo square.

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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 8:40 pm

Kronos wrote:Scootaloo's flapping of excitement in the cold open did make me wonder if she's EVER going to bloody fly though - Sweetie finally got magic and Apple Bloom learned who her parents were.

Short of Hasbro's toymakers idiotically making a Scootaloo toy where she's flying and the show thus having to force that somehow, I don't think this'll ever happen. Scootaloo's inability to fly is something that's come up multiple times as something different about her, whereas no such thing was ever done for Sweetie Belle until she was eventually old enough to start using magic.
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Postby Aramek (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:32 pm

Amazingly adorable.

The song was both J Geils and Billy Joel as fuuuuuuuuuuck.

THUNDERLANE WAS SO PERFECT AND HANDSOME AND COOL AND HE REALLY LIKED COOKING AND HE GOT EVEN MORE PERFECT.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:57 pm

Aramek wrote:THUNDERLANE WAS SO PERFECT AND HANDSOME AND COOL AND HE REALLY LIKED COOKING AND HE GOT EVEN MORE PERFECT.

Now I wonder what Throbulator thought of this episode. :smirk:
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Postby Kronos (?) » Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:00 pm

SlateSlabrock wrote:I actually liked pretty much the whole episode except for the ending just sorta happening as quickly as possible. Good lesson, and a lot of visual gags really sold it.

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One more bingo square.

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So all we need is the train to show up again and it's Bingo?

Fizzbuzz wrote:Now I wonder what Throbulator thought of this episode. :smirk:


Where is Throb? I haven't seen him around ever since I returned a few months ago.
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Postby Mechanical Ape (?) » Sun Oct 01, 2017 3:39 am

hello muddah, hello faddah :sweetiefrown:

• I realize the CMC are a bit older, but I still feel this camp needs some sort of adult supervision. The lawsuit risks are like whoa.
:ohboy: "Attend our camp! Earn your cutie mark and learn how to clear your thetans!"
A CUTIE MARK KILLED MY FATHER
• Jeez, everypony's a Wonderbolt these days. :rainbert:
• But Rumble's kind of awesome at being an asshole. Not saying he deserves a cutie mark in it or anything, but he's good.
• A filly named Kettle Corn has a cutie mark in haiku but her real passion is drawing circles. You know, this pony show gets kind of weird sometimes.
• Rumble rejects all you hold dear! But I like how they set up that he has a reason for feeling like this (even though we don't know for sure what it is yet).
• Nopony puts Rumble in a box!
• Hmm, his song is pretty persuasive. Still, I won't know what to think till I hear the eurobeat remix.
• I like how they're highlighting how the cutie mark concept is actually kinda silly.
• A rival camp?! This can only end one way: HOT DOG EATING COMPETITION.
• Sorry Scoots, the mob has spoken.
:annoyed: "So who's gonna eat all this jam?"
• I feel like this script is writing philosophical checks its grade-school ponies can't cash.
• Sweetie's been taking :rant: lessons from Pinkie Pie.
• "I'm Thunderlane and this is my favorite day camp in Equestria!" :shepspike:
• Pipsqueak built a popsicle stick model of the castle. All right, Pipsqueak, I like you now.
• If I have a gripe, it's that we didn't get a gag or anything punchy to end the episode with, although Thunderlane's eyebrow wag was tres cool.
• They could've given Rumble his cutie mark at the end, but that would've been too easy. The point is not whether Rumble is proved right or wrong, the point is getting him over his anxieties.

I LIKED THIS ONE: I liked this one. A pretty nuanced look at its chosen topic, the antagonist is sympathetic and nobody's a jerk for no reason. Vincent Tong is MVP once again. :allears: But I still think those kids needed a chaperone.
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Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:57 am

Mechanical Ape wrote:• A filly named Kettle Corn has a cutie mark in haiku but her real passion is drawing circles. You know, this pony show gets kind of weird sometimes.


So the reason they did this is:

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Wikipedia wrote:Ensō (円相) is a Japanese word meaning “circle” and a concept strongly associated with Zen. Ensō is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It symbolizes the Absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the Universe, and the void; it can also symbolize the Japanese aesthetic itself. As an “expression of the moment” it is often considered a form of minimalist expressionist art.
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Postby Wayoshi (?) » Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:59 am

SlateSlabrock wrote:
So the reason they did this is:

Image

Oh wow, most clever thing in the whole episode.
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Postby Aramek (?) » Sun Oct 01, 2017 12:20 pm

I demand many gifs of the eyebrow waggle.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sun Oct 01, 2017 12:25 pm

Mechanical Ape wrote:But I still think those kids needed a chaperone.

Considering that the CMC are supposed to be older, it'd seriously help if Hasbro would allow the show's animators to make them look like they've grown up in order to match the part.
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Sun Oct 01, 2017 1:07 pm

SlateSlabrock wrote:
So the reason they did this is:

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I'm pretty sure the circle was to signify that she passed the stage check in Ouendan.

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Postby Soft Snow (?) » Mon Oct 02, 2017 12:03 am

Thunderlane, a pony better at explaining cutie marks then ponies whom special talent *is* explaining cutie marks...

Existential crisis!
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