CJF's MLP Reviews: Bloom & Gloom

So it's one of THOSE episodes. Anyone who's seen "Sleepless in Ponyville" and "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils" and craved for another episode like those, this time featuring Apple Bloom, your wish has been granted. Before I begin, what do I think of the Cutie Mark Crusaders? I like them. They're all pretty interesting and a lot of fun to watch. I especially like some of the episodes focused on one of them individually like the previously mentioned "Sleepless in Ponyville" for Scootaloo and "Sisterhooves Social" for Sweetie Belle.

Now putting that aside, I was rather flabbergasted with this week's new episode. It's actually hard to talk about something that I do not have a full opinion towards, so I watched it again. "Bloom & Gloom" is not one of my favorite episodes, but I do not dislike it at all.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders learn that Apple Bloom's cousin, Babs Seed, received her Cutie Mark. I, like many others, was surprised at hearing about this. This leads to Sweetie Belle asking a very important question: what if they get stuck with a Cutie Mark they did not like? This leads Apple Bloom to become more worried than ever. The Crusaders just start thinking that they were more focused on getting their Cutie Marks rather than what happens afterwards.

As Applejack is tucking Apple Bloom into bed, Apple Bloom is overwhelmed with many questions to the point of being anxious, like leaving her friends once she gets her Cutie Mark or being chastised by her family members for not having an apple-related Cutie Mark. This is some heavy stuff, but people can actually relate to this. I often find myself thinking of the outcomes before acting to the point of reaching near-insanity. We have a small heartwarming moment where Applejack sings a lullaby that actually sets the tone for this episode.

Apple Bloom wakes up to figure out she has a pest control Cutie Mark, in which she is destined to take care of pests like Twittermites (I couldn't make a Twitter joke, sorry). I can already see where this is going. After some training, she is left to catch them when suddenly Diamond Twerp... sorry, I meant Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon pop up to tease her about Apple Bloom's "worst Cutie Mark ever." I don't even need to comment much about how much I can't stand how one-dimensional those two are. Seriously, I despise the Alpha (and Beta) B*tch trope because of that.

A frustrated Apple Bloom understandably runs away and finds herself in a dark forest with an eerie voice interacting with her and removing her Cutie Mark at her request. Apple Bloom then sees Ponyville under attack by the Twittermites that she accidentally set free. Apple Bloom then realizes what she must do and grabs her bug-busting gear. Who you gonna call? Nah, too easy. Unfortunately, she fails.

Apple Bloom then wakes up in her bed with another Cutie Mark, this time being potion making, which is a nice call back to last season's "Twilight Time." By the way, Inception was not the only movie about the "dream within a dream" concept, hence why I am not making an obvious related joke. However, every day she wakes up, it reminds me of Groundhog Day due to starting out on the same day but with different stuff happening. Though with that said, I couldn't help but think of this in my head:

She meets Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to tell them the good news. Apple Bloom, however, is kicked out of the Cutie Mark Crusaders since she finally has a Cutie Mark. Even worse, they break up their friendship with her, which is pretty harsh and out of character. However, it's justified as this is all a dream. Yeah, at this time, we pretty much know where this is going.

Apple Bloom runs into that eerie voice again and asks to have her Cutie Mark removed. She then meets Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo again only to figure out they "sort of" have their Cutie Marks and walk away from her.

She wakes up again to find an unusual Cutie Mark that has her kicked out of her home because it wasn't apple-related. It becomes all the more creepy as Big Macintosh's voice comes out Applejack's and Granny Smith's mouths.

She wakes up again to find out her flank is finally blank again, but they keep appearing, kind of like the episode "The Cutie Pox," except they alternate each time. Seriously, Apple Bloom runs into a lot of Cutie Mark problems more than her friends. She runs into the eerie voice again, then out pops out Princess Luna. This is the part where I say:

...because in the above episodes mentioned, whenever there is a dream, Luna will appear. However, what I did not see coming was the reveal of the eerie voice. I thought it was Starlight Glimmer seeing as how she views Cutie Marks to be a problem, but it was actually Apple Bloom's own shadow, representing her fears and self-doubt. Basically she is her own worst enemy.

Apple Bloom figures out that she is not the only one having nightmares about this. Guess who else? None other than Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The nightmares they go through are amusing but still creepy. Sweetie Belle tries to sing on-stage only to have a Cutie Mark about being a janitor. Then, Scootaloo tries to perform a stunt, but ends up becoming a chef.

Aww... Scootaloo is flying.

Luna then gathers the trio to a dream version of their clubhouse. They both learn that Cutie Marks won't change who they are or how everypony sees them, then the episode ends.

The reason I had a hard time having an opinion towards this episode was because of how genre savvy I was when first viewing it. I found myself predicting this stuff throughout the episode that it distracted me from the overall experience. But I knew better than to judge it by its predictability.

I do not dislike the episode at all. There is plenty to praise here like the surrealism and the moral that made it overall interesting. It also has some nice rewatch bonuses. An example are the many different details in each dream like what's on the breakfast table every morning or the crowing rooster that makes it all the more amusing to watch. I'm with Dr. Wolf in this one in which I respect this episode more than I do like it. "Bloom and Gloom" gets a...

4/5

Watching this episode actually makes me want to discuss the whole situation with the CMC getting their Cutie Marks. What do you guys think? I've never done anything like that, but it's a start.