The WORST FiM Episode Ever (“Fame and Misfortune”)

[@daft_icup]

the WORST event horizon video ever

[@ghost-100]

When writers forget to use the block button on Twitter: The Episode Nice video btw!

[@zerqu5154]

The 4-5 ironies section at the end just nails this so much, I could never put all of that into my own words like this. Well done on that. Not only those parts/lessons bothered me, though. I always really disliked the Flawless song too. For one, I always felt it to be not that melodic. Like, when each Mane6 sings about themselves but then they switch to the chorus, it always sounds kind of clunky to me, as if it doesn't really flow into each other that well. But the real problem I have with the song is this: Back when the fandom started in its first two seasons and people were still very much in this honey moon phase and would talk about all the good things of why they liked the show, people would also regularly mention how they liked the characters. How the Mane6 weren't just one sided characters like you would traditionally expect from "little girl's shows". The fans liked the Mane6 for feeling like real persons, having their own likes and dislikes, mood swings, problems, whathaveyou. The fans could relate to the flaws of the ponies and liked them even more because of the flaws. And then this song happened, singing about how it is wrong for the fans to think that the Mane6 should be perfect and that it is good that they have flaws and that the fans should just deal with it. Ya, no shit. We already knew. Like I said, we got attached to them because they weren't perfect. The song thinking that the fans expect the characters to be perfect is so tone-deaf, so removed from actuality, that it is insulting and felt really harmful to the good connection build between the creators of the show and the fandom. At least that's how it felt to me. Oh, and this: "I'm actually being really nice to the episode right now. Truthfully, practically every single frame in this episode has something inexcusably wrong with it, but it's not worth picking apart every single detail, especially since the setup pales on comparison to the second act. Tho(ugh) not to mention, editing is really time consuming, so the more I blab, the more I have to search for stupid picture online to keep you people entertained. This is normally where I'd shout out that one person in the comments who pauses it here and posts all the text, but none of you can read this. You know how I know that? Because I can barely read it. Yes, this is my real handwriting. I'm taking the opportunity to impress strangers online. Don't @ me, Event Hoizon" insert smug Dashy face here

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

KZbin marked your comment as spam and then decided not to show me it was held for review until just now for whatever reason. First of all, huge ego boost to me thanks to your compliment. Secondly, you’re not crazy about the song being “clunky” it is very sloppily composed (I guess Daniel Ingram wrote it- it didn’t sound like he cared very much about it.) Verse 1: Twilight introducing the idea of the song in two lines. Chorus Verse 2: Three characters very quickly present their individual case Chorus _Bridge:_ The two remaining characters quickly present their individual cases, followed by Twilight reinforcing the main idea of the song, followed by Chorus, which reinforces the main idea of the song. The structure is all over the place. The first verse sets a standard that the second verse immediately breaks. Then, the bridge of the song tries to fill in the role of both the verses and fails to function like a bridge. The structure of the song is completely incoherent from a songwriting perspective, and from a composition perspective it’s just as weird. The instruments and genre are supposed to be for upbeat, cheery tones but the entire thing is composed in a minor key with no relative major resolution until the _very_ last chord when the song is over. It gives this kind of “storm at sea” feeling, like there’s no hope or goodness anywhere in the song except for when it’s over- which is extremely inappropriate if you’re trying to be persuasive. Yeah I’m glad I’m not the only one who was insulted and disturbed by this episode (I had to edit my script and recording down and this is still how it turned out). I feel like I wouldn’t even be so mad if the episode was just written well. It just feels so gross about how they have no problems whining about how hard they have it, when the episode is jammed full of dumb production choices and mistakes. Also I’m pretty mad you actually wound up reading my chicken scratch; I thought, out of the low attention my video was going to get, that there wasn’t going to be anyone who could read it. H*ck

[@zerqu5154]

Thanks, KZbin, I guess. What the hay? Yet again you put things way better into words than I could. I have no idea about music and how it works, I just know what I like when listening to it but I wouldn't be able to explain why a song would work for me. What you wrote makes a lot of sense to me. And about your chicken scratch, well, that's the internet for you, BAYBEEEE! more smug Dashy face here

[@nisa5389]

As someones who has Fame and Misfortune as one of their favourite episodes, yeh I agree. As a stand alone episode, ignoring lessons and reason, its an enjoyable watch, and I love the song. But I completely understand how poorly written it is. I still enjoy it either way, the small nods towards the fandom were intriguing to see

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

My favorite episode is Magical Mystery Cure, which singlehandedly caused a mass exodus from the fandom so I feel your pain

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

everybody gangsta till the pngtuber's lips start moving

[@dnirikirinb]

10× better than the lazy repetitive crap brony "analysts" put out nowadays. They hardly ever try anymore. Actual avatar movement is something I legitimately haven't seen in years! The last one was, what, _LethalAuroraMage?_ Also the editing is way better.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

LeathalAuraMage? Man I haven’t heard that name since the war

[@dnirikirinb]

@@EventHoriXZ0n The Rift War, I assume?

[@EbonBloodKnight]

This episode gave me a literal migraine...not to be confused with a figurative migraine, often described as a mental exhaustion, I actually had a stabbing pain in my temple after watching this episode.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

You may be entitled to compensation

[@EbonBloodKnight]

@@EventHoriXZ0n Guess I'm gonna need a lawyer then...

[@LucarioandDialga]

Coming through again, you should do something with that melancholic lamentation. The music track deprived of the words actually sounds really nice

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

that’s actually not a bad idea. I’ve been stuck on my music projects lately but I might be able to do that fairly easily

[@LucarioandDialga]

@@EventHoriXZ0n YES. Then I'll have something to lament with

[@LucarioandDialga]

Also nice job with character animations with little breezy Horizon

[@seventhofearth]

Wow! I can't believe you had actual lip sinc! Way to go above and beyond!

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

Thank you, I appreciate it! It took me two straight weeks and it still didn’t turn out that good LOL

[@CartoonNikola]

You are really good in making a video.

[@RattlyGlitch]

New game when watching mlp count how many times it tells you that magic doesn't fix problems

[@TheNamelessOne]

It's good to see an older Brony KZbinr come back. Hope things go well for you!

[@cameoshadowness7757]

Maybe Rarity put extra stuff beyond what she said at the end of that episode. Rarity is extra.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

I’d say that was implication but it wasn’t even implied. Maybe there was a scene or line that made it make sense but it was edited out lol

[@cameoshadowness7757]

@@EventHoriXZ0n ye. Makes sense. This wouldn't be the first time they'd cut stuff out even thigh it's make more sense to keep.

[@ice6erg76]

21:22 i always liked songs that try to pull off a depressing minor scale and try to make it uplifting, the sonic 3 ost has alot of it

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

I like that too- like Pharrell Williams' song "Happy" is in F minor but you're not really able to discern that because of the way that it's composed. "Flawless" is also in a minor key, but the resolutions resolve to a minor chord constantly- it only resolves to the relative major until the last chord of the chorus. The entire breakdown of the chord _progression_ is more meant for a meloncholic Beethoven sonata instead of an uplifting message.

[@RodaMoonknight]

I mean then again the whole series was a mixed bag of episodes but I think Yakety Sax was worse tbh. Also didn't Fluttershy get like the same lesson episode on two different season? Being assertive or stuff.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

I’d have to watch that episode again- maybe I’ll have more content to rage at for people’s amusement

[@changelingkingcocoon5029]

Yeah, this episode had a few issues with it. Thanks to editing, not even Larson liked the episode, and he wrote it. Secondly, many of those criticisms were outdated thanks to the episodes being made a year in advance. I personally think What About Discord is worse. But for the most part, I think it's only because the song in this episode was good in my opinion. But that's just my opinion after all.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

when you say the criticisms were outdated because of an episode... what episode?

[@changelingkingcocoon5029]

@@EventHoriXZ0n I didn't say they're outdated because of an episode, I was saying that because the episodes are written a year in advance, the criticisms made in the episode are a year out of date. The episode aired in 2016, but the criticisms were from 2015.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

Oh I see, you’re talking about the delay between the conception/production and the actual time it gets aired. You know I didn’t even consider that point but it’s a good one.

[@sasamichan]

IDK wasn't that bad. I mean there's worse episodes. and I found the messages in the story relatable. I remember a few people had problems with this at the time, but it never bugged me.

[@JoeyBeeFit]

Bro...lip sync on point! 🙌

[@frostie27]

14:55 i think there is a difference between being ignorant and being a psychopath.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

Besides those two not being mutually exclusive, under the Dark Triad personality traits theory, psychopathy is a spectrum. In fact, in the general population, it’s the one that’s the most prominent out of the three, meaning you and I have psychopathic tendencies. Yet our level of ignorance is probably not identical.

[@rylegrimrick]

still a breezie? didn’t the plague Temporelly Accelerate Ponyville by 2 million years?

[@rolay7730]

I agree this episode is really terrible, and this is a clear sign that the writers need to learn to take criticism. But what does "magic fixing problems" have to do with the journal? The problem would have been the same if they had gone to a publisher. Also, this is a bit random, but what are your views of Flim and Flam's first episode. I have seen a LOT of people get that episode wrong, and I would even argue that most of the arguments against Fim and Flam in that episode are just as poorly written as the straw men in this one. They are a business that tried to tap into a huge market that traditional methods just couldn't keep up with and were driven away by a large farm that refused to change with the times. The apple farm literally had a line going to the town. How would it even hurt their farm if another business makes drinks for the thousands of ponies the Apple farm just can't serve. They even made sure to wait until the Apples ran out before they showed up. Though, if I am being honest, they didn't have to do that. They have a right to take customers from that farm just like any other business does. AJ doesn't own the exclusive rights to sell apple cider. In fact, I think Flim and Flam hold that right now. For some reason, people always seem to think they were competing for the farm. They were just competing for the exclusive rights to sell apple cider. Even then, I doubt the apple family would have been hit that hard with the apple farm constantly being portrayed as selling giant piles of apples. Honestly, the more I watch the episode with the idea that Flim and Flam are right, the more greedy and nonsensical AJ seems. They literally could have just sold the apples to Flim and Flam after they were done making cider, and there would have been no problems. Flim and Flam could have just bought apples from anywhere else in Equestria and sold the cider right in front of the apple farm with AJ would have no legal right to stop them. I am just saying, they were 100% in the right in the first episode. The only problem the Apple family had with it, in the beginning, was that they didn't think it could be as good as the traditional ways. But they are just wrong on that. Even granny smith smiled when she tasted their cider, and then she looked around to make sure no one noticed. Then only after she saw it was just as good as the homemade version did they start saying that they would lose the farm if another business started selling cider. AJ sure doesn't seem to have a problem with lying when it is her family doing it.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

The “magic fixing problems” thing I guess was a pretty poorly communicated joke (which is why I never mention it again)- as for your thorough question: besides the fact I haven’t seen the episode in a while, what you’re talking about is morality/philosophy. I don’t have good enough judgment or sense to say what a character or person does is right, just, fair, or wrong, unjust and unfair. When I talk about my feelings on works like this episode, it’s based solely on my perspective as an artist and a writer and how well the work adheres to the standards of the art- even that I’m really barely qualified to talk about lol So in answer to your question I have no feelings either way on that kind of analysis, because I don’t know what I’m talking about lol

[@rolay7730]

@@EventHoriXZ0n I can see how " They have a right to take customers from that farm just like any other business does." Would count as morality/philosophy and I understand not debating that specifically in this case. Though if I am being honest, I think the thing that annoys me the most is just the inconsistency of how the apple farm is portrayed writing-wise. They always portray the Apple farm as low on money. A lot of AJ's plotlines revolve around that. It was her only reason for wanting to go to the Gala in season 1. But at the same time, the Apple farm seems to supply apples to everyone in that town, and they have a business deal with Filthy Rich. So a chain store is buying their jams too. When they have so much land, they can afford to sanction off orchards for years because of bad bat infestations. Also, there was the time they had to destroy an old barn in a section of the farm even farther away. Showing just how much land they actually own. The apple Family farm has a lot of land and does a lot of business with no non-family employees. At least none for the apple farm itself. I have no idea what the talking cows count as or what cut they get from their milk. But at the same time, I assume they go home and eat their own food. So the apple family farm gets a lot of milk with almost none of the actual hassle of a real dairy farm. So to me, when AJ says that something would make them lose the farm, it almost feels like Rarity said she is going to lose her shop because something minor is happening to her business. I am not saying AJ was lying. I am just saying the writers love to use the "we will lose the farm" trope without thinking about it too hard. Eh, either way, I feel like I just had to get this rant out. But if you get a chance to rewatch the episode, keep this in mind and see if it changes how you see AJ there.

[@EbonBloodKnight]

Guess I have to be that one commenter who pauses the video to transcribe our bug horse's...interesting penmanship (timestamp 3:01): "I'm actually being really nice to the episode right now. Truthfully, practically every single frame in this episode has something inexcusably wrong with it, but it's not worth picking apart every single detail, especially since the setup pales in comparison to the second act. Also, not to mention, editing is really time consuming, so the more I blab, the more I have to search for stupid pictures online to keep you people entertained. This is normally where I shout out that one person in the comments who pauses it here and posts all the text, but none of you can read this. You know how I know that? Because I can barely read it. Yes, this is my real handwriting. I'm using the opportunity to impress strangers online. Don't @ me, Event Horizon" You wanna know how I could read that? Because my handwriting FAR worse than this, so I'm used to reading bad calligraphy. Also, yeah, I know someone else did this, but mine's more accurate (it's "also", not "tho(ugh)"), so don't @ me.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

You did get it more accurate. I was gonna say something to the last guy he had already suffered enough having to deal with my video so I decided to be merciful

[@LucarioandDialga]

I love how you keep deleting and then un-deleting your existence XD Also interviewing yourself is top-notch narcissism =P

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

self interviews is literally just Tuesday

[@LucarioandDialga]

@@EventHoriXZ0n I think you just pulled a Twilight with that joke

[@bowser3017]

idk, but i like ur OC

[@lordshenfan6625]

Honestly I think it being the worst episode is a bit extgration. I think the episode was OK but I think the perfect pera, royal problem, discount harmony, rock solid friendship, and it isn't the mane thing about you were the best episodes of Season 7. I think the worst for would be honest apple, but I respect your opinion and this review was very well done.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

You need to tell me what your scale is for rating “best” to “worst”. I rated it as a piece of art, based off storytelling and writing practices. From this metric, it is the worst episode of FiM and there is no close second place.

[@lordshenfan6625]

@@EventHoriXZ0n well I would say mysterious mare do well, dragon quest, cart before the ponies, 28 pranks later, and I already said honest apple is the worst of season 7. I don't need to rank all the episodes down its my opinion at the end of the day. You can say this is worst episode if you want there are people who like and dislike it. No need to get upset about it.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

I don’t think you understood what I meant by “scale”. What I mean is, how are you watching the show/what are you looking for in a successful episode? Is it production value? Acting? Cinematography? Coherent story? “I liked it”/“I didn’t like it” _is_ opinion, like you said. We can’t have a discussion around that, though. Like I mentioned before, I am rating episodes based off of writing ability- I have studied creative writing. From what discipline are you looking at the episodes from?

[@lordshenfan6625]

@@EventHoriXZ0n i am looking for good writing, characters, music, song, moral its trying to get accros etc and well as good jokes. Again people will look at an episode and see it differently. Some people like I said liked this episode and others who don't. I can see both sides to the argument that the lesson was trying to teach. It's not the best episode in the show tho.

[@EventHoriXZ0n]

When you say you’re looking for “good” writing/music... what does “good” mean?

[@JoeyBeeFit]

👌👌👌 🔥

[@mewiiam]

you mean the best episode