The episode starts with Cranky and Matilda from "A Friend in Deed" preparing for their wedding. However, they find out that the invitations indicate that it takes place today. Cranky finds out that Derpy messed up the invitations. She tries to apologize by handing him a basket of muffins, which had me busting a gut, and also sets the tone for this episode.
Great news, Derpy finally talks again. The last time that happened was in the Season 2 episode "The Last Roundup," and was actually named Derpy. Though the producers had to change her voice and remove her name after first airing it due to some people complaining that she was insulting handicapped people, WHICH SHE WASN'T! Now, I would have been surprised that she finally talked again had it not been for that 2-minute clip that I was tempted to watch beforehand. Hey, Hasbro, want to surprise viewers? Don't spoil stuff that will guarantee to surprise them!
I like what the writers did with her character, showing how determined she is in fixing her problem. There is also an addition to a clumsy personality, but still making her fun and adorable, which is quite welcoming in my eyes, as well as several other viewers.
Derpy seeks help from Doctor Whooves, referencing all the fan art and fan fiction that featured them together. The Doctor (I can't believe I just said that) seems to be a pretty cool character. He's a brilliant inventor, but is also pretty quirky and absent-minded, something that wouldn't be out of place in Doctor Who itself. He is a great source of geeking out Doctor Who fans like myself. He wears a bow-tie like the Eleventh and a scarf like the Fourth, sounds like Sixth Doctor of all people, and he yells "Allons-y" like the Tenth (it's French for "let's go").
Of course, what was not spoiled in the only promo I watched was the return of the the pony versions of The Dude, Walter, and Donnie from The Big Lebowski. It's actually nice to see them again after their last appearance in "The Cutie Pox." Unfortunately, The Jesus is nowhere to be found, which is disappointing. What's so funny about the Dude is that his Cutie Mark is a rug. I just hope those don't get urinated on. He and the Doctor have a funny line of dialogue concerning The Dude saying "man" in his sentences. Get it?
So what are the Mane Six doing while the townspeople are on and about? Fighting a bug-bear, a cross between a bee and a bear. Um... okay? What's stranger than the design of that monster is that the townspeople shrug it off like it was Tuesday. I guess they've gotten used to it after creatures like Cerberus and Spike (as a giant dragon) attacked the town.
The fun doesn't stop there, as we cut to the often shipped couple of ponies, Lyra and Bon Bon, who are nothing more than just best friends. It's not like the writers can even make them more than friends without resulting in a little controversy from parents, so the best they can do is make a romantic two-girl friendship between them.
Their scene together is where I began to realize that the episode is just downright silly, but in a good way. After hearing about the Bug-Bear, Bon Bon reveals herself to be a secret agent named Sweetie Drops who works for Celestia in some monster hunting squad. I think this is where the episode is self-aware of its ridiculousness, because I can't watch this without laughing. Heck, in a later scene, the episode is even more self-aware when Vinyl Scratch and Octavia jump the shark... plushie.
Lastly, we have Vinyl Scratch (a.k.a. DJ PON-3) and Octavia, who live together just like in that short fan animation "Epic Wub Time." Octavia wants to do something different with the music since she finds Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" to be standard. Vinyl then comes up with an idea to combine electronic beats with her cello, resulting in a pretty awesome duet. The music sounds great and the animation is really cool.
Octavia realizes that they are late for the wedding, so they hitch a ride on Vinyl's... stereo car? This wouldn't be out of place in Mad Max: Fury Road. They accidentally bring the other background ponies in for the ride, including the Jam pony, the kid with the arcade machine, and many more. Just as they approach the building holding the wedding, the car trips on the Twilicane.
While everyone jumps out, we cut to this random moment with Gummy, thinking about the meaning of life. I'd say this was literally a big-lipped alligator moment, except he doesn't have big lips.
The Bug-Bear is defeated and the wedding begins. What's hilarious is that Derpy accidentally locks out the Mane Six, forcing them to watch through the window. The Mayor gives some heartfelt speech about Cranky and Matilda finding each other. She also leans on the fourth wall, stating that "everypony is the star of their own story... it's not just the main characters in our stories that make life so rich, it's everypony: those who play big parts and those who play small." It's a nice nod to the fandom, but that part right there felt really forced and lacked transition. Also, there's a Changeling in the crowd.
Anypony going to take care of that? No? Okay. It ends with Twilight telling her friends that they are lucky to live in this town.
Yeah, this episode is fantastic. It was obviously made for fandom, but I think the general audience can get a kick out of this. On the fandom's side, it provides some great fan service, confirming a lot of the names of the background characters and headcanons, like Vinyl Scratch and Octavia living together. Of course, it tries not to take itself too seriously. It's too silly to do that. It is a great love letter to the Brony community, showing that they played a big part in keeping the series strong and I applaud it for that.
On the side of the general audience, even if they do not understand or are even aware of the fan works, it gives them a new perspective on the minor characters in Ponyville. The story changes focus but still keeps the catalyst, reminding us what the main plot is but also allowing the characters time to shine. It just makes Equestria feel even bigger than it was before.
I haven't covered every tiny moment like Celestia and Luna bickering like actual sisters, but there was just too much to cover in one entire review. With great fan service, good character moments, and some weirdly funny moments, this is easily one of the best episodes in the show overall. It tried something different and succeeded, all while celebrating the 100th episode milestone with a lot of love and care. This is the first episode in the season that I rate a...
6/5
This score is the equivalent of my SOMETHING WONDERFUL rating in my Movie and Video Game reviews, where it left a big impression on me due to how exceptional it was. Here's to the MLP staff and may they continue to make the show great.
Oh, and apparently, Derpy is named "Muffins" in the end credits.
Until that name is actually uttered in the show, and I mean for real, I'm just calling her Derpy. It's much more preferable.
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