MLP Reviews: Tanks for the Memories AKA The One where No Pet Actually Dies

[@mikailturkleson3277]

I can handle seeing Fluttershy cry (I'm used to it). I can handle seeing Pinkie cry no problem. Twilight and Rarity, same thing. But for whatever reason, seeing Rainbow Dash bawl her eyes out got to me.

[@chrisamador1216]

Me too!

[@PluslePlayzYT]

Yet, Apple Jack cries on the inside

[@RockandStoneVForKarl]

"How did she not go to jail" stoping discord stoping NMM stoping Tirek stopping the Everfree forest and she only destroyed one room in the factory...not the whole damn thing...a lot of people are confused about that

[@juanmanuelpenaloza9264]

And she wasn't really caught right?

[@sadlobster1]

The main thing to remember, though is that tortoises live about 150 years. So, I don't think Tank's ready to kick the bucket yet

[@honeytonguemamao6816]

sadlobster1 Anyone else think about the scene in KFP when Master Oogwai ascends? Tank: "My time has come. You must continue your journey, without me."

[@sadlobster1]

Honeytongue Mamao Oogway was a different type of tortoise, though. I believe he had magic powers. Furthermore, his appearance in the show Legends of Awesomeness tells me he's not truly gone

[@honeytonguemamao6816]

sadlobster1 I was referring to that scene in an emotional sense/comparison. And I wouldn't 'magical' powers, rather 'mystical'. In regards to Legends of Awesomeness, I prefer to keep it separate from the movie canon.

[@sadlobster1]

Honeytongue Mamao True

[@sadlobster1]

***** That's true but Tank wasn't sick, just sleepy

[@TrueZero2]

*Sees the fan-depiction of the Apple Parents* Turns out we only had to wait two more years. Funny how that works out, isn't it?

[@LoverOfStuff]

"Ha! Pinkie walks through a wall!" Girl, Pinkie can do whatever she wants, she has canonically slid UP a slide!

[@ka8tat]

I hate how they just watched Dash cry her eyes out without caring but when fluttershy cries THEN they feel sad enough to cry like wth

[@RedCordPlayer]

This was an episodes that needs two viewings before making a final opinion. The first time is focusing on Rainbow Dash's irrational actions and saying "What the hell are you doing Rainbow Dash?!". And the second viewing is to justify her actions based on a typical case of one going through the 5 stages of Grief. After realizing what the episode was going for, I loved the episode even more because of the daring topic. Sure I didn't like how the story was executed and the lack of consequences for Rainbow Dash's actions but the emotional moment of finally accepting the inevitable was just so heartwarming and character building. (And no, RD getting hurt in the weather factory doesn't make up for her actions. If I was being reckless and drove a car into a building and then got out of my car and slipped on a banana peal and got bruised up, that doesn't excuse my actions.)

[@TG5455]

Redcord CHN I disagree that it needs two viewings before making my mind if I like it or not. If you like the episode that's fine no big deal just respect other peoples opinions about the episode if you agree that's cool if you disagree that's cool too.

[@RedCordPlayer]

***** I do respect other peoples opinion but this is for those who watched the episode and gave it mixed opinions because they hated how rainbow dash was presented but then they watched the episode again and decided to give it a higher score. I know some people who went into the episode like this and said they had to watch it a few more times. I'm alright with the episode and if you are or aren't fond of the episode then ok.

[@TG5455]

Redcord CHN I did like the song in the episode it's in the top 3 of best songs in the series on my list and I also liked the AJ cries on the inside joke but other than thoses two things that I liked I wasn't a fan of the episode it's not the worst episode ever it's watchable.

[@e1iteyoshi998]

Redcord CHN Am I the only one who noticed the Double Rainboom reference in this episode?

[@RedCordPlayer]

No I actually noticed that too. Along with Fire Brand and a few others.

[@EHH246]

"Cloudsdale can move? That... seems so obvious now." This was my reaction as well.

[@Al3saMarie]

The best kid's TV episode on death is when Mr. Hooper died on Sesame Street. The actor died in teal life so the grief was real and they didn't pull punches, looking at it through the childlike eyes of Big Bird. If I watched it right now I'd be ugly crying. They had a good Fraggles one, too. Jim Henson productions are the best. But I would love if a kid's show would do an episode on grief showing how everyone goes through it differently and there's no right way of doing it. The 5 stages of grief are complete BS, and we still act like they have anything to do with actual psychology and it can create shame and anger when people don't grieve "right."

[@Tillyard86]

I think I may have a new favourite reviewer!

[@Doughboy123x]

I liked it...but I think for all the wrong reasons. I didn't really feel that much heartbreak or anything because, like Cell said, we hardly got any screentime between Rainbow Dash and Tank. Plus, I agree that the metaphors for dealing with loss is both clever but also kinda cheating as well. And I can't really blame Cindy Morrow for this, because I can tell that the target demographic is simply overly paranoid. Now what's ironic is that many people are saying this wasn't a very funny or entertaining episode. I heavily disagree. This episode had me crack up so many times with the expressions, the dialogue, and even the crying scenes. So, in short, I liked the episode, but it didn't give me the "feels". >_> P.S. The "winter is coming" reference flew right over my head. I never watched Game of Thrones.

[@Doughboy123x]

***** Sorry. I'm not a pop culture fanatic. And even if I did get the reference, I wouldn't have found it that funny.

[@AnimatedJames]

If Tank really WAS dying, then I would tolerate Rainbow Dash's behavior and actions way more… but… she'll see Tank again in 4 months… also… she's like 17-20 years old in pony years… She insulted and yelled at a bunch of ponies because her pet turtle was going away for 4 months… Rainbow Dash is horrible. The End.

[@Tatodragon]

Sapphire Smith I think her reaction was fine. Four months is a pretty long time to have someone who's usually under you at home be gone. If Tank is Rainbow's first pet that makes it worst.And the thing about not being punished for her actions, unless I missed it no one else has ever been punished unless they were a big bad.

[@Tatodragon]

Yeah, she was hurting. This just came to mind, if MLP were to tackle this again but actually have a pet die, Angel might be the pick; more emotional that way.

[@Tatodragon]

Worst pet but has the most character sadly :(

[@Tatodragon]

Twilight won't outlive her friends. Meghan Mccarthy stated that a while ago. Spike doesn't seem to mind his situation all too much. This still doesn't change the fact that Tank's leaving isn't hurtful to Dash; none of her friend's issue really matter in this.

[@samlee3126]

***** woot, Fallout Eq?

[@CybeargPlays]

Personally, I found the song very catchy! Some really complained about its tone, which puzzled me. The tone of it makes me think of a song like Bridge Over Troubled Waters, and the futility of her actions give her positivity a bittersweetness that makes me enjoy it all the more. I'm also surprised by how many bronies have their tails in a knot over Dash's sabotage, many claiming her lack of punishment ruined the episode for them. Uh... what about episodes like Swarm of the Century, Secret of my Excess, Inspiration Manifestation, etc.? One of the main characters ruined Ponyville in those and never got punished. Seeing Dash punished not only wasn't at all the point of the episode, but having her being kicked while in emotional turmoil would have ground the episode to a halt and made it seem like Dash was being picked on. Also, the cries of "this is a huge crime!" are kind of silly as we have no sense of Equestria's justice and, in fact, haven't ever seen anyone get into legal trouble for anything. There's no police force that we've seen, either, and the show has much bigger ethical issues than someone getting away with accidentally causing an abrupt winter, such as the countless unethical cases of mind control magic by the protagonists.

[@Tillyard86]

***** I'm not sure who destroyed Ponyvillie in Swarm of the Century, wasn't that whole episode about stopping Ponyvillie from being destroyed? The other two you list, the charcter in question wasn't themselves. Also all of those episodes end pretty soon after that happens, so it's easy to imagine they were punished after the episode ended. No it wasn't the point of the episode, I don't think anyone was saying that it was, but it is an oversight, the rest is just speculation. In fact maybe that's really the problem, I don't really remember the episodes you name that well, but don't they all focus in some way on stopping the Ponyvillie from being destroyed and don't the charaters in question all feel bad about what's happened at the end of it? I can't be sure because I've not seen any of them in a while, but one thing I do know is that this episode had none of that! I think the point more just the fact that there are literally no consequences for what she does. In the real world we have people have rape children, but that doesn’t mean the police won’t also fine you for speeding.

[@CybeargPlays]

***** There are no consequences because the consequences aren't relevant to the episode. If people are really that bothered, just imagine the punishment happens off-screen. Clearly, the episode is not encouraging people to break into government facilities and destroy things. Whatever the case, it's hardly an episode flaw.

[@Tillyard86]

***** I already covered that first part in my last comment. That sounds like a bit of a get out of jail free thing to me, and it raises more questions where does it happen?, what happens exactly? is she caught or does she turn herself in and so on. It's like when RLM said in one of his Star Wars reviews "don't tell me it was explained in one of those EU books or something like that, all that matters is the movie" just replace "EU books" with "offscreen". I don't think anyone suggested the episode was encouraging it, it is not really problem from any kind of "bad moral" point of view, but it is an oversight. I think what this really boils down to, is that the lack consequences didn't bother you in the same way it did a lot of other people, and that's fine, I kind of felt that way about the issue a lot of people had with Equestria Games. I'm not going to suggest you should be bothered by it either, but that doesn't mean it isn't also a valid point.

[@CybeargPlays]

***** Actually, I feel that it's good that the episode didn't show Dash getting punished for the following reasons: 1. It would have ground the episode to a halt. The episode is about Dash dealing with the 5 stages of grief, not about Dash being held accountable for her rash actions. During us watching the episode's story unfold, we don't need to have everything stop so we can watch Dash get community service. 2. It doesn't really matter. We DID see Dash get scolded by Twilight for shouting at her friends, because, to the show's morality, taking your anger out on your friends is a bad thing to do. However, accidentally causing destruction isn't a bad thing to do. Dashie shouting at her friends was a bit mean, but who is the victim of the Weather Lab sabotage? Besides, we know Dash knows it's wrong--she says so in the song, so what is there to show? 3. It would have seemed mean-spirited. This episode, like most episodes this season, is well-paced enough that it doesn't seem rushed; it moves from one scene to the next at the right time. Dash quickly goes from her desperate attempts to save Tank from hibernation (where the Weather Lab incident occurs), which is a noble, if futile, act. Immediately after that, she's depressed and crying in bed. Immediately after that, she's parting in such sweet sorrow. During which of those vulnerable moments should Dashie have been pulled aside and berated? Imagine her, in the midst of sobbing for Tank, someone saying, "By the way, Dash, you owe six months community service and five weeks in jail for destroying government property, and there are about a dozen ponies who will be suing you for injuries resulting from the snow-pocalypse." That's just what the episode needed. 4. It's a cartoon. We're assuming that there is someone who was hurt, angered, or otherwise must be compensated or placated by punishing Dash. Why are people bringing real-life legality into this? Furthermore, this kind of get-out-of-jail-free scenario is not unprecedented in FiM, as I said before. Dash was never punished for reckless endangerment in Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, where multiple ponies were nearly killed. Twilight was never punished for causing the Parasprites to eat Ponyville in Swarm of the Century, causing almost the entire town to be destroyed. Twilight was never punished for causing the bats in Bats! to destroy her friend's orchard, thus potentially financially ruining her friend and also starving out Ponyville due to reduced crops. Despite her being spell-crazy, Rarity was never punished, or even held accountable for, nearly killing some ponies by trapping them in Inspiration Manifestation, not to mention the weeks and weeks of work necessary to restore Ponyville. Spike was never punished in Secret of my Excess for destroying Ponyville and causing a panic. Applejack was never punished in Applebuck Season for causing the rabbit stampede that destroyed the vegetable crops of Ponyville's residents. Derpy was never punished for destroying Town Hall. As far as I recall, the ONLY cases where someone was punished for doing something wrong were Snips & Snails in Boast Busters and the CMC in the most recent episode, Appleoosa's Most Wanted, and both those cases are minor compared to the ones I listed above and were played for laughs. Clearly it's the exception and not the rule. 5. Kids aren't stupid. People like to snark that the episode teaches kids to destroy government property, or that Appleoosa's Most Wanted teaches kids to break criminals out of prison. Kids aren't that stupid--unlike bronies, they're able to separate fiction from reality and can take the message-as-metaphor out of the medium without being distracted by nit-picky details. It would be one thing if the episode preached one thing but showed another, but that isn't the case here: people are apparently just afraid that children (and, ridiculously, adults) won't be able to understand that the episode isn't condoning Dash's actions. Personally, I find this recurring brony attitude not only ridiculous, but condescending and insulting as well. So, all the points above combined are the reason why I think that all the fretting over Dash not being punished is not only silly and asking for a change that would have reduced the quality of the episode, but it's also completely pointless as the show has a history of letting people off for crimes, so it really, really does not matter. And to directly address your point, Buc, no, leaving things to occur off-screen is NOT the same as resolving important background story/plot details in EU materials. If we don't know who the hell General Grievous is, the movie doesn't tell us, and we're expected to somehow be invested in him because of the Extended Universe, that's a flaw that leaves the film hollow. Much like if we had an episode where suddenly we were seeing something about Nightmare Rarity when all that stuff has entirely been done in the comics only. This is using your imagination to connect the dots. Seeing Dash punished isn't even an important part of the story at all, so it's not even like the episode is asking for a leap of logic to cover a plot hole or something. There's simply a detail that doesn't relate to the story being told, so it wasn't shown in the episode. That's not bad storytelling: that's GOOD storytelling. Methinks people have been watching too many animes that feel the need to halt the story to examine unnecessary details of things that don't matter and have nothing to do with anything important. Unlike a 22-minute Western cartoon, animes have the luxury of wasting the viewer's time.

[@Tillyard86]

***** 1. I disagree, if it’s done well, it can add to the story quite nicely. 2. Again I disagree, she did a lot of damage, that matters. 3. See my first point. I don’t think the episode needs exactly that, but something would have been nice. 4. Yes I think that episode may have had the same problem. Twilight made a mistake and was trying to help. Rarity wasn’t herself in that episode. Ditto Spike in that episode. AJ really wasn’t called out for that? I’ll have to check that because I seem to recall Twilight being pretty mad. Seemed to me like Rainbow was pretty mad at her. I already explained how they are not exceptions, they are merely different circumstances. In fact I kind of felt Snips and Snails were not punished enough, but that’s beside the point. 5. This next part seems to be in response to a lot of hearsay. Who is saying kids are stupid? Please point me to the person who said that because don’t see them anywhere! I already said that the episode isn’t saying that. Again, who is saying that? Why are you defending the episode if you don’t like bronies? “they are separate fiction from reality” seriously who is saying anything to the contrary of this!? I really don’t know what any of what you are saying here has to do with this point in the episode, who was suggesting what you seem to be trying to counter argue here or for that matter what “recurring brony attitude” you are talking about. This statement seems to boil down to “meh didn’t bother me” and I respect that you tried to explain why that is, but not everyone will see it that way, as I already explained. You misunderstand, I’m not saying it’s the same thing, only that it seems like a bit of a cheap way out, much like saying “they explain it in the book”. It’s not that easy to do that in this case though, connecting the dots is easy when you can see where they are, but here I really can’t, as I’ve already explained, if you can see them then please let me know. It relates to an event in the story, isn’t that enough for it to be important? You keep saying how it would bring thing to a halt, I guess you mean that it would disrupt the pacing of the episode, which I didn’t think that was that good to begin with. But the thing is, it wouldn’t have taken much, one 5 second clip or even a single line just to make it clear that what she had done had not just been overlooked. Maybe even make it the last thing in the episode to give it a bit of a dark comedy edge to it! Man the more I think about this the more it just seems like it would have worked to better the episode. In a way, that’s what makes it so annoying for a lot of people. I don’t watch anime, but I don’t think it’s fair to generalize like that and act like they are all the same thing. That’s like saying The Walking Dead video games and Toy Story are the same because they both use CGI animation.

[@toluca8371]

Tanks for the memories, even though they weren't so sweet, it tastes like you only sweeteeerrr...

[@katelynthewhitewerewolf6376]

Rainbow Dash trying to stop Winter reminds me of Eddy trying to stop Summer from ending and both backfire and it's hilarious.

[@simpsonsfanatic777]

The sabotage scene was actually my favorite part of the episode. I thought it was well-animated and exciting to watch.

[@silverapplestar3236]

6:20 It's official, everyone knows about AJ's parents. But we can't talk about it. I'd rather mourn over muffins than dive into that can of worms #MuffinHero

[@cityman2312]

Frankly it was Rainbow's best episode, even though she was irrational. You can see how much she loves the tortoise.

[@pinkgirl294]

When I first watched this episode, I really liked it. At the Rainbow Dash crying scene, I was like "Well, there's something you don't see everyday."

[@yugoxgc]

BTW... I don't mind the hibernation angle. I kinda feel that killing Tank off would be worse. Killing off the least relevant character & making a big deal out of it just Feels more manipulative. I like the hibernation idea mostly cause it adds layers to RD for me. Sure Tank will be back in spring, but he will be gone every winter. Basically I take it as all this drama was about Rainbowdash accepting the fact that in winter Tank will never be there for her. During this cold harsh time of the year, every year she will have to be alone... & keeping in mind the idea that she acts like she has to be at the center of attention cause Otherwise she Feels lonely... Yeah I take this episode as a heavy emphasis on that side of her character. The bonus for that notion to me was the little we saw before the freak out. With Rainbowdash being like a normal pet owner. No real doting just he's just a pet whatever. But than the idea of Tank being gone for a while gets introduced & she loses her shit. Kinda like its not that she needs Tank around all the time, but she does need him to be there. I hope we would get more of that type of dependency between them later

[@Seren-Star]

Was I the only one that started thinking of the song "thanks for the memories" by fall out boy when they first herd the episode name?

[@NerdySweets3]

Wow I've seen countless other people go through the stages but your review is so awesomely unique I automatically clicked the subscribe button. Cheers to you😄!!!!!

[@ShadyDoorags]

Can't say I agree that I want to see "mature" subjects in children shows. Not because children are afraid of death, but simply because there's an age to learn about everything and every child is different. Just like sex, this is a subject I would rather every child personally learn with their parents on a personal level, if possible. Most kids learn about death anyway, but not alot will immediately understand the grief that comes with it. And thus I think this episode is ingenious with how it handled this topic without actually mentioning it.

[@funcoolfunfun]

Before I watch this, I have this to say: I find this to be my favorite Rainbow Dash episode of the entire series, and possibly my favorite episode of the season, though with the 100th episode, I'm no longer sure about that. And I actually feel that the episode would have been weaker had they killed off Tank.And the song... definitely my new favorite of the whole series.Oh and this episode gives Rainbow the trophy for best facial expressions of all time.

[@emm7671]

And give Dash a trophy that says " sorry you're no longer to and your a wimp too bad you're a softy".

[@funcoolfunfun]

Em M How is an episode fully showing Dash's more emotional side making her a wimp and a softy? In fact, I like Dash even more now specifically because of that reason.

[@emm7671]

Rainbow dash isn't about emotions. That's why this is the worst episode. Plus have you seen the slippers. That justs shouts out wimp ( well at least for RD)

[@funcoolfunfun]

Em M Dash's emotional side was subtly shown in several episodes prior to this one. This was just the first one to fully showcase it. So that's why it's the second best episode. And yes, I have seen the slippers. And they are adorable. And they don't make Dash a wimp, they help emphasize further how much she cares about Tank.

[@emm7671]

She can care about him but, really? Slipperes? That's just not her. Your allowed to love someone but being obsessed with them is a completely different thing. I mean its not like he's gonna die. She has overreacted, it's just hibernation. Plus she's not gonna be alone. Her friends will be there. But she was just thinking about Tank instead of her friends. A bit selfish

[@BradShadowDog]

For some reason the song in this episode gives me a 'defying gravity' feel from Wicked.

[@thegoodwitchluzura]

I like her pony OC. 🙂

[@akumakuroyuki4214]

i truly loved the episode, it did get me crying a bit. i do think that the situation was just as sad as tank dying because winter is 3 MONTHS LONG! that can feel like forever when waiting for a friend to return or wake up. and to show that Rainbow can accept the pain and cry and let her friend go shows she's matured quite a bit. this episode was perfect for the message and Rainbow's growth. no one she say it's weak or bad.

[@ShadyDoorags]

Insta appreciation for the ItsJustSomeRandomGuy reference.

[@kemblabunny464]

I also love the fact that it showcases that out of all of the Mane 6, Fluttershy knows that to get through to Rainbow Dash you need to be blunt. I think it shows that Fluttershy knows her best. Also, that song really shows that Ashleigh Ball is primarily a singer. Whenever she sings, especially as AJ, I just get so excited because she is very talented.

[@saraiayala6584]

When Rainbow Dash Fluttershy Rarity And Pinkie Pie Started Crying And I Cried When I Was in 2015 And I Said [Sobbing] Am I Supposed To Feel Bad?

[@shibumi8]

It certainly was a sweet, adorable and heartwrenching episode. As for why Dash didn't get arrested, well FoB Equestria actually did come up with a plausible reason. Her actions kinda destroyed any proof of her sabotage when the factory snowploded. Also matching slippers.

[@emm7671]

Yes the slippers are sooo not cool. Dash has changed into a wimp

[@starrylove1987]

I have to say, this episode came at the most opportune time for me. My grandmother was in the hospital at the time and it looked bad. this Ep aired the day before she died. I think I watched this ep at least once a day for most of the week. I must say this season has been awesome so far.

[@CoinneachUasal]

5:50 I know I've said it before, but Rarity's winter hat is fabulous...absolutely fabulous darling ;)

[@noob_jr_2sjrkc]

The details on the winter lab were pretty cool too. It would've been easy to make all the lightning bottles look the same, but they made each row different.

[@disneydork100]

Winter fuck up, winter fuck up! Let's avoid all holiday cheer! Also Rainbow has Tank slippers and Tank has rainbow slippers; so cute!!!!

[@Double-R-Nothing]

I'm kinda new at being a brony (a casual brony at best), and I have to say, this episode is probably my favorite one so far! It's funny, emotional, relate-able, and focuses on my favorite character!

[@Loremastrful]

Good review all around. My take on the episode. This would have been fantastic if Tank had actually die. But I see the hibernation as a cheat and it makes the episode a little wobbly. We don't see too much of Dash and Tank interacting before (and are we to believe 3 seasons of adventures including Hearth's Warming Eve having taking place in one year for this to be Tank's first winter?) Anyway. Because hibernation is temporary it robs it of the quality it needs the most: urgency. All of Dash's actions become overactions because nothing is at stake. For contrast I offer an episode of 'The New Winnie the Pooh' "Find Her, Keep Her". In this, Rabbit rescues and adopts a baby bird, Kessie. They grow close but soon Fall comes and Kessie needs to migrate. You see all the stages as Rabbit fights the inevitable. Of course, Kessie will return, but she's growing up, changing and growing apart from Rabbit. That handle the grief of separation without death but can fill for death just as easily. That's where I come from with the hibernation cheat.

[@phoenixamaku5551]

To Cellspex:I Totally agree with you, I mean she went Grinch Evil! GRINCH EVIL!

[@fragmentedghost5391]

FINALY, SOMEONE ELSE FREAKS OUT ABOUT THE SLIPPERS!!!!!!!! 😄

[@TheSecondOpinion11]

Love this review! I think you're the only critic I've seen bring up how "cartoony exaggerated actions" are often part of the point, so props for that. Though, yes, I could see it still bothering some people. I have to agree with you about the over-the-top mandate against bringing up death (if Sesame Street can do it...), though in Tanks case, it probably would have been a waste of a character we haven't seen enough of yet.

[@keybard6012]

rainbow dash's voice this episode was FLAWLESS the crying was so realistic and close to genuine hysterical crying with the hyperventilation and wailing. just wow

[@ImJustSayin2014]

I think some people are being unfair in their assessment of Rainbow's actions when they say they were too over-the-top and potentially harmful and went without consequence. On the one hand, yes you're right, she certainly acted inappropriately and probably in a grander way than most actual people in a similar situation would. But on the other hand, this is a cartoon we're nearly everything is comically over-the-top. I don't think you can honestly tell me that there was a point at which you legitimately thought her actions were going to lead to anyone serious harm. Sure there should've been consequences, and we can maybe assume that they were some offscreen ones, but that wasn't really the point. The point was that grief can make you irrational. It was manifested in a crazy, over-the-top way because of the medium, I don't think that means anyone's excusing her behavior or that everyone experiencing grief commits major property damage.

[@PaintedBB]

I really do wish they're included even a *line* of dialogue acknowledging making up for destroying a factory, though. The entire point of this show is to teach lessons, and responsibility for your actions is such an important lesson! Letting raw emotions control you into doing bad things is not okay.

[@honeytonguemamao6816]

This episode was great in regards to how they brought up the subject of grief without using the 'D' word. The execution could have been better at times, mainly with Dash destroying the weather factory (which like you said was probably this episode's weak spot). I agree about Rainbow Dash's behaviour. We've seen her be extremely impulsive, brash, reckless and self-centred before, but after adding the irrational emotions brought by grief, a jar of nitroglycerine suddenly seems staple in comparison. Speaking of stable, 'AJ crying on the inside' totally makes sense. She's probably been through grief too, but perhaps learned (so early in life) that she needed to carry on. But that's a topic for another time. Anyways, good review. =^.^=

[@yugoxgc]

I Loved this episode. & yeah it broke me... I was actually surprised how much it got to me. I lost many pets so I guess past experience resonated more than I expected... I agree that Tank needed more screen time. Honestly I think Tank & Rainbowdash are the best owner & pet pair in the show so I wish we had more of their relationship prior to the episode (& I still wish for more

[@SuperSwordman1]

Huh, I didn't think of it like that! Way to go MLP! You snuck death into a kids show! ....I remember growing up and that wasn't super mega Taboo

[@MrLCGO]

Wow, I never expected a 'just some random guy' reference here! Love it.

[@cipherquest3024]

*watches the video 4 years after upload* Wow bright Mac is so accurate

[@blobbertmcblob4888]

Idk why but the tiny Rainbow dash slippers just cracked me up in this episode xD

[@xavcast007]

Hahahaha, sorry I am laughting because in the next episode it will be summer again in ponyville LOL

[@Stonehawk]

You were right! Braeburn front and center, being gods usual goofy incompetent self XD

[@SupermonamanSuperMonaman]

This episode was good but not as good as the first 4. I like how it shows how much Rainbow loves Tank. And also that she doesn't like to be alone at least for long. Also yet again more things to show Fluttershy haters that they're wrong about her having no character development. I love that they showed more of the weather factory, Rainbow's house and the castle. Now we know more about how seasons are created although it seems like the only thing controlled in Equestria besides winter and the weather is cleaning up winter. The song and humor is great. Also I like how they found a way to show a pet's death even with no death that the station would allow. Also 5 for 5 on songs. And Wilhelm scream 17:01

[@Vercalos]

Don't really have anything to add. You hit every point I could think of, and a few I didn't

[@sladikk]

Cartoon Network talks about death a LOT. And fortunately, since every other cartoon channel is trying to copy Cartoon Network, Nick and Disney are warming up to the idea, too.

[@-kenik9629]

Fun fact: this is actually the first episode of the show I've seen off the web. Sure I watched like five of them off the Hub while I had T.V., but they were all season one episodes. And I barely got to watch them since commercials and my mostly antibrony family. So yeah this episode has a special place in my heart now. However small that place is.

[@AlterUndying]

I watched Fraggle Rock again, they bring up death a lot. It's interesting it stand out so much.

[@dexterthoma867]

Best ever again she is my new favorite

[@WaywardAce420]

You know, I really disliked this episode when I saw it, in addition to nearly destroying a good part of Equestria, I thought Dash was being incredibly selfish and not considering Tank's needs. I never thought it to be a metaphor for losing someone. (Though I'm really glad Tank didn't die, I love Tank.) I mean, I am still irritated at how Dash acted, but thank you for helping me consider another view.

[@rentheadangelcollins]

Actually, I almost wonder if this is like the Cutie Mark Nightmare episode(I suck with titles and am too lazy to look it up. Sue me), where they might be testing the waters for future stories. If this goes over particularly well, they MIGHT be able to talk about AJ's parents and what happened to them.

[@Itachi45481]

man this episode feels this season punched in the gut with stuff

[@strawberrylemon2647]

Tank is wearing little ranbow dash slippers🙃😍

[@literally-no-one9587]

should have been tnks fr th mmrs he he get it like the fall out boy song get it he he he

[@jonbotone]

the whose on first joke made this episode worth it.

[@LeoTamachi]

Great video!! ^^ I really enjoyed! I this episode was amazing for me but at the same time it let me with no hopes for an episode about Applejack's parents :( after all they couldn't use the death theme on an regular pet episode(which as not that much of screen time) it'll be very unlikely for them to talk about dead parents :P

[@D.Dragon]

Well, was I the only one who thought that it was about death? Well, I do own a tortoise after all. Dash cries like me. Hmmm. I have seen grief. It doesn't look like this. That 'Winter Is Coming' nearly made me destroy everything I have ever made. Damn you, references!

[@gameplanetanimations]

Daniel's neighborhood actually talk about this.

[@MsUnamusedNerd]

when reble taxi did an MLP review I don't know why i was expecting u to pop up and add a few things

[@Wazaraku]

The bedroom crying scene is what sold me the episode at the end, because by the end i had NO CLUE about the allegory of death in this episode but somehow then it hit me like a truck... and upon a rewatch the episode felt better... but RD was still to obnoxious (for a fair reason but still) Nice review as always and im glad you're making a coverage of season 5 :D (well except Castle sweet castle... what did you think of that episode if i can ask? ... which i just did xD)

[@copyright-hv6en]

Apple jack I DONT HAVE TIME TO CRY If any of you get that reference You have my respect

[@beth5728]

6:23 artwork is almost the accurate depiction of appledad

[@emilymonahan5232]

2:18 Sounded like Animaniacs. Anyone?

[@TheAnimationAnalyst]

As for my thoughts on the episode, I thought it was really good. It was great to see a more tender and sweet side to RD's character. Although, I can kinda see people finding RD a bit irritating in this episode at times, particularly when she's being rude to her friends. And, like you said, she does do some really terrible things in this episode. However, I think if you put yourself in RD's position you can understand her frustration and motive for what she does, and, personally, I think the fact that she would go as far as to stop winter just to be with Tank is incredibly sweet. It's kinda like with Pinkie in Pinkie Pride, where you want to see RD succeed, even though she's in the wrong. Hell, if I had a pet who had to go away for a few months, and I had made plans to do a lot of fun things with him/her, I'd probably try doing whatever I could to stop him/her from going as well. Like I said, the key is to try putting yourself in RD's position. If you can't do that, then you'll probably end up think she's overreacting. (Also, I personally think RD not succeeding at stopping winter is consequence enough for her "devious deeds".) You already went into the whole 5 stages of grief thing, and the hidden metaphor of the loss of a loved one, so I need not go into that, but it is an aspect of the episode I highly appreciate. Also, Fluttershy showing she still remembers her lesson from the Breezies episode (being firm is sometimes the best way to show kindness to someone) was awesome. I'm really hoping we see more moments like this for Fluttershy in future episodes. :D I'm also kinda glad they sorta subverted the "everybody starts crying" cliche. I *LOVED* the song. The musical style fits RD perfectly, and hearing her sing solo for once is great. The animation and choreography in it were nothing short of amazing. Also, RD's facial expressions were either really great, or really funny. The humor in general, for me at least, was pretty decent, especially for a Cindy Morrow episode, where usually her comedy is hit or miss. The "Who's on First" homage was hilarious, but as mentioned previously, I think some of the facial expressions, particularly from Rainbow Dash, were the most entertaining part of the episode for me. Overall, a really sweet and fairly entertaining Rainbow Dash episode. Though, I can kinda understand why some may not enjoy it that much, especially if you're not a fan of RD in general.

[@emm7671]

No I hate soft RD

[@emm7671]

Really hate how she's a baby in this episode

[@hollowwoods7130]

@@emm7671 Omg she feels emotions how awful

[@althebunny]

I think...I think this fully grown stallion has something im my eyes

[@TheMetallicWing]

Love your videos! Insightful and funny too :) looking forward to more of your reviews ^^

[@tyty334351]

Someone call Dr Seuss, I think we found a pony version of The Grinch..

[@Dragonish]

I have a pet tortoise and I can totally relate

[@zoediamond2393]

instead of crying at the end like a pretty cry she was litterally balling! witch made me really sad i was like " fluttershy why you make her cry!!!" but then i relised wht she did it for but still WHT THE CRUDDD thts how you do it make ur friends cry and they will be happy XD i would still be sad after crying for about 5 mins XD

[@CloudCuckooCountry]

For clarification, I'd personally prefer that you called it the "Kübler-Ross Model of Grief" rather than the "Five Stages of Grief" as you actually called it; and my justification for that is that the former let's people know that it's only one of many potential interpretations of grief in the weird and often subjective field of human psychology, while the latter can be easily misconstrued to imply that the stages of grief are a mapped-out definite accepted thing that science has proven humans at least generally experience according to the model. Yes, I'm petty.

[@mumrikk]

The one thing I'm wondering about this episode is that what is fluttershy doing with the, what 15 bunnies she has and all the other animals she owns that hibernate. She probably sends them like dash did with tank but still!

[@CaptainLunar1994]

Well she didn't go to jail because she BLEW THE PLACE UP and pretty much left no trace that she was there. She never mentioned it to anyone and in fact just sped UP the winter process... She really committed the perfect crime honestly :|

[@wisdomvisionf.]

Not sure if I can agree with everyone else on this episode but how ever this is by far my lest favorite episode of this season so far. I am not in the mood to explaining why its my lest favorite episode. I have my reasons.

[@princealigorna7468]

We really need you in the Rift, girl!

[@aceotaku]

indeed, I came to the realisation mid review that this is another "one of the mane six goes crazy" much like party of one, lesson zero etc

[@sadcat1010]

"ha pinkie walked threw a wall" Lol

[@DerpySquiddles4043]

6:22 thats actually pretty close to what we got for bright mac

[@Baoudor]

So much RD hate... Like, wow... xD Oh well. This is why the internet is a diverse and wondrous place... and why we have ship fics. ^^ Anyways, AWESOME review Celly

[@yugoxgc]

Oh & your talk of death in childrens entertainment reminded me of WAKFU. An amezing french fantasy cartoon with Surprisingly mature touches. Like a villain that isn't just evil but simply fucking insane (& so freaking creepy) or the fact that The lead character straight up tells a guy he will fucking kill him for what he did. & he's like 12. Ok he didn't swear but he does say he'll kill him. The show got an English dub recently & I don't know how much of things like that they changed but I really recommend the show. It set a new standard for Kids shows for me

[@Oban2006]

yugoxgc lol no

[@yugoxgc]

Shadowtechnik No what?

[@Oban2006]

yugoxgc No, to wasting time and effort to watch it.

[@yugoxgc]

Shadowtechnik Oh really? You dislike that show this much? Or is the dub THAT BAD???

[@grahamkristensen9301]

0:27 Sesame Street being the exception. Just sayin'.

[@RaichuWizDom]

Late to the party, but worth considering. Tank doesn't need to be dying for Rainbow Dash to overreact. She doesn't know how old he is, but his wrinkled face makes him look old, regardless. Even if it is just hibernation, the nightmare scenario is that he doesn't wake up, and his last memories of her are bad. Besides, grieving, from a certain perspective, is little more than being sad about being denied more time with a loved one. It is wanting more time, something that is still taken from Rainbow here. So she stays behind to read him a story. Just in case. Looking forward to what happens with Rainbow Dash when Lightning Dust teaches Scootaloo how to fly, though ^^ (Edit: kidding on that last one, btw, not a spoiler... though it is a guess based on one. You'll know what episode when it rolls around.)

[@theneverone]

Woah.....That actually makes sense.....My cat who I have loved for years is very old....if she had to sleep for the entire winter away from me I would cry because honestly at this point I do not know how much time I have left with her......

[@StupidPrivate913]

It didn't bother me during the episode but Dash's sabotage should have had consequences or at least been acknowledged by the others also the slippers were too cute XD

[@ThePonderer]

Like a lot of people, I think Tank NOT dying is something that weakens the episode. Yeah it would be a waste to lose hi, but if hes only gonna be gone for a few MONTHS, then Rainbow Dash's behavior goes from sympathetic to annoying as hell.

[@oesntdatterm9548]

Well, you also gotta take into consideration that she has barely had tank, maybe a few months and how excited she was to finally have a pet, then suddenly she has to say goodbye for the same amount of time she's had him for. Say you own a dog for 4 months then you are FORCED to say goodbye to the dog for 4 months for a reason you don't fully understand. The people who hate this episode for such a poor excuse as the fact that tank didn't die, and btw, everyone would have lost their mind if he did die, don't even try to deny it, it's because they've never had to suddenly lose a pet for a reason they didn't understand.

[@therenegade7759]

oesntd atterm I totally agree. To me the whole entire "Making Tank die would justify Rainbow Dash's behavior" kind of makes me think that people did not learn from Lesson Zero. In that episode the lesson was to take into consideration of how others perceive and feel about certain situations even if that is not how the others around them or the audience may see them. Tank hibernating is just as important as Twilight not writing that letter and most likely even more. To become a greater person we must learn how people who are different from us react to situations to know how to help and support them instead of denying their feelings. They even said this in the season opener as a crucial moral.Heck that is one of the greatest overall theme of the entire show.

[@ThePonderer]

Actually, I'm one of those people whose always had trouble with the moral of Lesson Zero. At least, in the context of the episode itself. Twilight isn't just stressed that she hasn't sent a letter, she's having fucking panic attacks to comedically absurd levels. Literally, we're SUPPOSED to be laughing at her. The same goes for Rainbow in this episode, but I personally find her antics significantly less funny than Twilight's. It's important for both of them that people are willing to take their problems seriously if for no other reason than to help them through it, but if the intent of the episode was that we as an audience were supposed to sympathize with their increased paranoia then I think the presentation shot that idea in the kneecaps. If someone like Rainbow Dash is going to take hibernation as seriously as actual death, fine, whatever, but if they're going to by extension be a massively obstructive asshole about it then I can't be bothered to side with them.

[@ThePonderer]

Basically, if the episode wanted us to feel like Twilight's friends were in the wrong for seeing her problems as silly, it shouldn't have made them appear just as silly if not sillier to the viewers, just like this episode shouldn't have made RD's actions come off as comically disproportionate. How am I supposed to take either of their problems seriously when the episode doesn't?

[@therenegade7759]

Nicholas Moore I understand your point of view. I personally think Rainbow Dash was being a big jerk as well and I do not side with her actions, but I do try to understand where she was coming from. My tolerance level is determined on how well I understand their situation and tolerance does not equal with agreeing. I guess differentiating between taking something seriously or perceiving it as silly depends on what the person may see as comedic(or trying to be comedic) compared to desperation.

[@slashermaster28]

7:04- Yeah, not gonna lie, I kept thinking he was going to die because of RD's rash behavior. But then again, is MLP really the kind of show to take that kind of turn?

[@MysteriousMusician33]

Well.... Sombre died.

[@adolfodef]

Rhythmic Rainboom Seems M.A.Larson missed that memo. Sombra was suppossed to have a "duel" with Octavia in the 100th (maybe it was Megan the one deleting that scene).

[@destroyerblackdragon]

if it wasn't for the metaphors I'd say this was really melodramatic I mean he wasn't dying he wasn't even moving away and she knows where he is

[@knif1e]

i just realized something how is tank walking on the CLOUD house only pegasus can and well yea HOW DOES THAT WORK?????

[@Argumedies]

HA! ALMOST FIRST...almost they're just smacking us around in the feels this season arnt they.

[@grekoy]

There better be a return of breaburn! I like hearing his voice again. His cameos are nice though.

[@Jay-ih9jp]

Actually, Tank buried himself, because that's what Tortoises do when they hibernate. They go underground where it's warmer.

[@Double-R-Nothing]

Katoka Karalashvili How do they not suffocate??

[@Jay-ih9jp]

Star Gamer 3120 Well, I can't be sure, but I'm assuming they leave a small passage for air to come through

[@AllenShircliff]

The Prince 🤴 from Destiny 1 is the bad guy. He’s gone completely Mad and I love him and his Subordinates!!!! Joe it’s not Shit

[@TheLardens]

WINTER IS COMEING!

[@anyablaze7956]

I wonder if she's seen the perfect pear?

[@caseyjohnson4617]

4:00 or, if you're me, you're kinda crazy and unpredictable at least 90% of the time.