Season 4 Episode 14 Discussion (Filli Vanilli)
In the interest of Being Excellent and considerate of those who have yet to watch this episode, all references to the content of this episode are stashed under the cut and will remain so hidden for at least a month. Someponies like to watch MLP:FIM in herds and it can be a while before they get all their ponies together. 8^) As spoilers are also likely to be in any comments: don't read if you haven't yet seen the episode unless you like being spoiled. When you're ready, drop in a comment and say what you thought of this episode!
After a month, I hope Episode Discuss posts will be so far off the top page that it'll probably take the tag to find them, so about a month after posting the cut will be removed. 8^) There's already a few episodes buried back there that are way overdue to be un-cut.
The broadcast is at 10:30 am EST (3:30 pm UTC, 7:30 am PST).
Filli Vanilli was written by Amy Keating Rogers who sang her original version of Pinkie's Smile Smile Smile song to us at BronyCon 2012! She also wrote several episodes of MLP:FIM including The Ticket Master, Bridle Gossip, A Dog and Pony Show, The Best Night Ever and Baby Cakes. Today's tweeters are three, to whit: Amy Keating Rogers, Meghan McCarthy and Mike Vogel. The hashtag for snagging more relevant tweets about MLP:FIM is #MLPseason4.
We've crossed the halfway point! There's no turning back now! (I know that doesn't make sense. Pfththbthbthb!)
Filli vanilli... that's either a flavor of icecream or a pop music star from the 80's? Seems to have something to do with Fluttershy. I guess she's kinda vanilla icecream coloured. French vanilla.
OK, it's the lip-synching popstars that were caught in the act in 1990. Old synapses are slow. 8^)
Curtain rises on Fluttershy's house. She opens the top shutter to greet three birds, then goes out to do her rounds, feeding animals (a jackalope included) while singing. Song!
Click to view"There's music in the treetops and there's music in the vale.
And all around the music fills the sky.
There's music by the river and there's music in the grass,
and the music makes your heart soar in reply.
Ahhh-ahhhh-ahhh-ahh-ah. Ahhhh-ahhhh-ahhh-ahh-ah. Ah-ha-ha. Ah-ha-ha. Ah-ha-ha, ha. [more... and big finish:] HAA!"
Just after she finishes she notices her five friends all watching her with their jaws hanging wide open. Applejack's hat was floating in the air. They've just heard her singing in the most beautiful voice ever. Fluttershy is painfully embarrassed. Cue 'My Little Pony' opening thing Icantrememberwhatitscalled. Commercial break.
Her friends are in awe. Twilight has never heard her sing a solo like that before. Rarity wants her to join the Ponytone Quartet, especially since the Ponytones will be performing at Fluttershy's Ponyville Pet Center fundraiser the next day. Fluttershy doesn't look at all keen about singing with the quartet. It doesn't help when Pinkie jumps in with a diatribe of how Fluttershy the singer would be totally humiliated by the scrutiny, criticism and jealousy of a mob of ponies just waiting to pounce . Rarity bops Pinkie over the head with a rolled up poster: "Don't be ridiculous!" Pinkie: "Aw, but I'm so good at it!" Fluttershy refuses, even though she is one of the Ponytones' biggest fans -- she has stagefright. Pinkie wants to know if it's contagious. Rarity understands that Fluttershy is not comfortable with being on stage and lets the matter drop. They all go off to prepare for the fundraiser event.
Lots of ponies are busy and decorations are going up. Rarity is doing a dress rehearsal of the Ponytones gig on the center stage (both she and Big MacIntosh are in it). (Song!)
Fluttershy bops along while she stacks birdhouses some distance away but shrinks when anypony wanders close enough that they might hear her singing. Rarity sends the quartet home to rest their voices, fundraiser is tomorrow.
The next morning Princess Luna and Princess Celestia have some sort of bet as to which can be done faster, lowering the moon, or raising the sun. Either that or they missed the alarm while playing an epic best out of five Piaffle tournament well into the morning and they hoped that if they switched night to day _real_ fast, nopony would notice.
Fluttershy is already up and inspecting the fundraiser venue. There are two deer in the pet enclosure. I think this the first time we've seen deer on MLP:FIM. The Ponytones are there, minus Big MacIntosh who arrives late to rehearsal, breathless and without his voice. He's lost it. Break for commercial.
The day before, Big Macintosh defended his title as a six time winner in the 12th annual Turkey Call competition. And he lost to Pinkie Pie. Rarity calls off the Ponytones gig as she has no remedy for singing with only three ponies on such short notice. The Gig is that night. To avert disaster and save the fundraiser, Fluttershy has an idea: Zecora! Yes, Zecora has a remedy for a pony that is hoarse alright, but it won't fix Big Mac's voice by that night. Without a bass singer Fluttershy is distraught. Zecora chuckles and shares a thought. Bring back "Flutterguy" with some Poison Joke, then return her voice with a curative soak. Fluttershy agrees to sing but appearing on stage is not her thing. So Rarity comes up with the idea of Big MacIntosh lip-synching to Flutterguy hiding behind curtain. Flutershy agrees, the show goes on!
Evening and there is a crowd at the fundraiser. Bonbon is playing ball with a sea lion, and Goldie Delicious has her saddlebags stuffed with cats. Gummy is trying to eat a turkey. Rarity has the stage: she announces that the fundraiser is going smoothly and pets are finding homes. Song!
Big MacIntosh seems to be psychically linked to Fluttershy, not just lip-synching but also reflecting her initial fright and her quickly improving confidence.
Fluttershy has a wonderful time singing with the Ponytones while hiding. All the pets get grabbed by the stampeding crowd (including two deer?! The horror! The horror!) Except for Spike, Twilight, Dash, Pinkie and Applejack (I guess they don't want a deer) who stay to congratulate the Ponytones. Pinkie catches Fluttershy slipping out the side entrance of the stage, but Rarity covers for her.
Little filly Zipperwill would like to have the Ponytones perform at her cuteceañera tomorrow, Rarity at first refuses, but Fluttershy agrees to preform again. So that happens with Fluttershy behind the curtain. Rinse and repeat with the Mayor Mare at a ribbon cutting ceremony, at the Spa (underwater...), and at the school, which was to be her last performance: right before a gig at Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity tells Fluttershy that Big Mac's voice is back. But Fluttershy has had so much fun that she wants one more performance, and she gets it. She goes all out, jazzing it up and slam-dancing behind the curtain... until she knocks down the curtain and finds herself singing in full view of the crowd. Terror! Break for commercial.
The crowd cheers, Fluttershy flees. Best rapid fire in-your-face discussion between Applejack and Big Mac ever.
Big Mac! You've got some 'splainin' to do! Turkey call?
Eeyup.
(Thred?) yer voice?
Eeyup.
Zecora remedy?
Eeyup.
Not quick enough?
Nnope.
Needed a deep voice?
Eeyup.
Poison Joke?
Eeyup.
Flutterguy?
Eeyup.
(metternet?)
Eeyup.
And that shy filly was living her dream in the shadows because she couldn't bring herself to come into the spotlight?
Eeyup.
They find Fluttershy in her house, wrapped in a towel and cured. Pinkie creeps up a sheer wall while describing what Fluttershy just went through in the worst possible way. Fluttershy flees in tears and Pinkie gets the hairy eyeball. Fluttershy's friends chase her all around Ponyville as they try to tell her she was really great. Finally Fluttershy stops long enough to say she'll never sing in front of any pony ever again. Rarity points out that it was she, Fluttershy, who asked that they say yes to every request to perform and that she knew Fluttershy enjoyed it. They ask Fluttershy: what was the worst part after the curtain fell: the thunderous applause? The praise for her fantastic singing? The screeeeeeaming faaaans? Fluttershy reconsiders. Song!
Reprise of the song she was singing at the beginning of the episode, with five singers and choreography, onstage at her house in front of her friends and critters. Fluttershy pulls it off. But she is not ready to join the Ponytones at the Apple Family Zap Apple Jam Extraordinaire. Too much too soon. She writes in the Friendship Journal -- "Sometimes, being afraid can stop you from doing something that you love. But hiding behind these fears means you're only hiding from your true self. It's much better to face those fears so you can shine and be the best pony you can possibly be." Fade to black.
Excellent episode!
Catch the show and throw in your two bits in the comments!
Watch Filli Vanilli on DailyMotion in 1080p here. For a while at least, you can also see it on Youtube, here.
Download Filli Vanilli in spectacular 1080p HD quality, here.
iTunes sells the episodes, but apparently only to the US. If you belong to the other 95% of the world population, you are SOOL, as are those who don't have iTunes compatible software for whatever reason or who don't/can't perform casual electronic monetary transactions. On top of that, if I'm getting this right, the episodes have faded colour.
Meanwhile, on Amazon you can buy the region 1 DVD of season one here (with bonus audio commentaries, Charlie!), buy the region 1 DVD of season two here, order the season three region 1 DVD here (how did I miss this earlier?), and for Europe, go here to find the region 0 DVDs and here for the blu-ray disk of season one (the other seasons may be lurking in the links). Australia also has a box set.
I think you can also catch all of season one and two on Netflix in the US, and some episodes in Canada. Google Play has it here if you live in the US. And Hasbro also has pay-per-view on YouTube, here, also only in the US.
iTunes has many of the season one songs in a soundtrack package, and so does Google Play. When a new song shows up I edit it into the review as soon as I get a youtube link and a download link for it. The iTunes/Google Play songs are of better quality than the fan-uploaded versions.