Pre-Intro
The first glance at the episode shows us Dash at a house-visit at the Shy's. I quite like it when the often mentioned Friendship (capital "F") shows itself at a more regular, casual occasion, even more so when this scene shows us the characters "beneath the mask". Rainbow Dash still is pretty direct, but also already quite relaxed and back on her old fun-loving side from the premiere. Fluttershy on the other hoof also shows her defining character of the episode by feeling very secure and strong, and has some very direct things to say about her brother.Regarding her parents, they show quite well how Fluttershy became Fluttershy and what she might have ended as if she hadn't found her way to the ground and had both experienced new and unexpected things, as well as the Magic of Friendship. In a way they are very similar to the "old" Fluttershy: They have - as they point out - a prominent passion, are quiet and overly kind to the point of coming off as pushovers. Seeing a more assertive Fluttershy in contrast is quite the way to show how she has developed over time, even though the situation was pushing this behaviour quite a lot; around her brother her behaviour is still quite different from her regular "assertive" side but that is to be expected as siblings quite often have their own dynamic around each other.
[also headcanon debunked
]Zephyr Breaze
Zeph makes quite the entrance with some very mixed messages. First he carelessly destroys the laid out food and then he has some very cute interactions with his sister, that while contrasting and a bit pushy also perfectly make them believable as siblings while also showing us just what kind of character he is. As already implied in the opening, he is the family's black sheep with his own style, but he still has some obvious affection for his family. THIS is what I wanted to see of him: A contrasting character with some obvious flaws and insecurities but who still is a good pony!Anyway, once the topic comes to "mane therapy", the dreaded small eyes effect is executed perfectly in a way that tells us so much about his problems he faces throughout this episode. This was quite the effective usage, especially because it came swiftly at the appropriate time and the way it vanished fit Zeph's character as putting up a face of control. Speaking of mane therapy, I have to mention that he has indeed some genuine talent, one simple nudge around his sister's head and she is immediately 20% more adorable. Sure, he has his...erm "own style" that looks quite strange but we are talking about Equestria here and not too long ago we were taught about the usefulness of spoony clothes, so who are we to take this as a flaw? With all Rarity taught us about style, integrity and uniqueness, this is far more a commendable characteristic that is just offset by his various flaws.
Flaws including being a strange cross between effeminate hipster and egomaniac dudebro who makes Trixie's stage persona look humble. While not the most flattering characteristics to have, it is still a pretty solid one with quite some hinted potential! However, it is quite the fitting development for a more "expressive" character to learn these ways in this kind of family, so there is lots of hope some traces of reality will show him the way.
Rainbow Dash has my sympathies in the scenes where Zeph obviously hits on her. Judging from her reaction she has had quite some Zeph-experience from her past, while also (still?) being obviously shocked by it. However, the shock-value as a viewer is reduced quite a bit by this still being about the most realistic
Oh, and lots of awesome Fluttershy-faces!
Through the city and back at home
This season really builds up character-momentum after a relatively slow start. Really great interactions and scenes both in the air and in their small group. Favourite part? "That makes more sense"Oh Fluttershy, reflection truly is a bliss. Maybe this is why she was the only one of the main characters really getting along with Miss Glimmer? I mean seriously, what she says about her parents is what others have said for seasons about Flutters...
Sadly her conclusion is not the brightest element of this episode: "Standing up for them". Can I just say "no" in this instance? This is a complex needing an episode to itself instead of just a mini sub-plot!
Once back home Zeph completely crossed the line and went too far. Destroying his parents passions out of ego is not a quirk, not a development, and NOT stepping out of line. This is a destructive, sociopathic, asshole thing to do! I loved his first scene as a classical jerk with quirks and flaws but also as a complete character. Here? He has gone into cackling maniac territory! Especially Mr. Shy's eyes after letting his cloud go was just heart-rendering.
This is also the situation in which Fluttershy firmly puts her hooves down and forces the issue forwards, however, this soon goes very far in the opposite extreme: It is one thing enabling him to get on his own hooves and guiding him onwards. It is another thing to basically banish him. Mrs. Shy's remark was quite sensible because ending in homelessness and all alone does NOT help! At all. And sadly this is what the scene felt like contextually.
Finding a job
Rainbow has still not crushed him to bits. I am impressed.Sadly once it gets to the action, I have to change an earlier statement quite a lot. Did I say "destructive, sociopathic, asshole thing"? May I put asshole in bold now? We all know Rarity and have Zeph established as a free spirit. They could actually fit quite well together but Zeph does not even try. Had he failed because he has his own style, had choked and made nothing at all, or at least done SOMETHING, I'd be mad as a Rarity but as a viewer could buy him just being a helpless case and his later reasons. But he refuses any responsibility, abuses his sister's connections and does not even care if his behaviour might damage her friendship. Especially his "it turned out well" just made me nearly ragequit!
Similar goes for the scene with Spike, although at least he packaged it nicely and got the task done. At least Rainbow Dash does not take any crap like that and in the end even Fluttershy's patience is used up. And right now even I have to say "rightly so". Taking his reasons established later, "afraid to fail", he got those taken care of! He got nepotised into easy jobs others would kill for, has essentially a guarantee he gets all support he needs for them through his sister's connections. While all these boundaries fall and he also gets prestigious chances without the pressure, he refuses to even try it. Refuses to try while his sister's word was the collateral for these chances, a collateral towards her best friends who see nothing but disaster in return!
The solution
Was that a pile of poison lying on the ground? He really is a hopeless case...Anyway, once the three main protagonists are back together, the episode begins to fall apart for me. Hard. I already talked at his introduction about what he is and that in the context of Equestria it is pretty normal. He has a vision but was afraid to act on it for fear of failing. You know who'd be perfect for that situation? Pinkie at showing him that sometimes fun is more important than success. Or the CMC who got their very Cutie Marks in helping ponies along who don't know who they are, and from what got established Zeph was having quite some fleeting careers over the time before inevitably quitting.
In short: Someone constructively helping him with the issues. Those issues as presented are not issues that suddenly vanish at the first success or by getting something done. Breaking him into a fixed mold to inspire these spurs of success essentially is putting him on drugs: Generating new highs to push the issues away instead of tackling them. At the same time this also forces him to basically just switch masks instead of letting him find his (working) way.
You know, I won't deny the underlying principle might be a gritty yet realistic lesson for the real world. Finding something constructive to do that has an actual demand is what is expected and often that clashes with personal believes or interests. Bringing them together is an important aspect in growing up and how and why the decision is made says a lot about oneself. Both extremes and the middle have valid reasons to them, including learning to let empathy shine through more or opening another school of art in the field. But such decisions and development needs to come from within! Zeph needs to learn to understand others more, but he also has the exact right profile for his own enterprise - He knows how to make others work, and he has his own ideas and vision. Giving him the spark to look into others or the push to start something he completely stands behind to let his inner energy fly out would be far more rewarding! On one side he is responsible for carrying large chunks of the episode, on the other side he neither gets punished for his flaws nor really rewarded for coming around. In a strange way his turnabout just continues his inability to live his own life, only that instead of physically depending on his family, he does the same spiritually.
Also, we are in Equestria where aforementioned spoon-clothing exists and every wacky idea eventual finds an audience. Heck, Rarity's entire character is built upon being unique in her art and not bowing to popularism and the big markets! Had they focussed more on the art of the trade or REASONS for the decision to finish that particular branch I'd have accepted it but from all we've seen about Zeph and who he is, this ending is nothing but a giant injustice to his character and the environment it is set in.
This continues in the scene about aiming for the stars versus taking baby steps. I will give them they principally have the right characters present with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy who are these opposite extremes inside the main cast. However, they don't get into this narrative and instead push further the "one" solution. This is why - again - I want to scream here: This was wasted potential and more importantly a bad moral to have, everyone works differently in their motivation and there is a difference in what one aspires to and how one takes their path to this aspiration.
There was a mighty big part missing! Compare the present "extremes": Take Fluttershy, she has the biiiiig dream of being more assertive and is taking baby steps towards it. Or Rainbow Dash who always goes for the top and succeeds by giving it her all and being the best she can be. Both can teach Zeph a valid way and motivation and he already has a special relation to both of them. Comparing him to his two potential teachers, the big whole is that he does not even have a final goal. He got pushed into following a certain strict path against his own ideals and gets stifled creatively by being reminded to take short steps. To what??? He has a new situation, he has nothing to work for, and can't strive for more. What is he going to do to not essentially burn out? No goals, depended on the highs of success and a foreign situation. Next season he'll really need the CMC's help!
This quite Reminds me of Newbie Dash: The ending changes everything and re-contextualises the entire episode.
Getting back to normal now: For what got portrayed, the execution was perfect. Awesome song, great visuals, very striking and great lyrics about the finishing aspect. Not to mention he does NOT magically have a perfect result at first try but yet something that looks good and shouts "potential".
Well, and the very end of the episode gave us another classical "poor Dashie"-moment. This mare really took some blows this episode!
Final thoughts
I hated Zeph's swing from flawed to outright jerky at his second appearance. This made it quite the stretch to buy him coming around as he had gone too far down the road. This was quite the missed potential in a character whose first scene was simply perfect. Speaking of missed potential and things I disliked, there is the whole complex of the all-changing ending and moral that was a complete miss to me.But FlutterDash was PERFECT, the song was really, really great in visuals and sound, and it had some pretty great scenes during the setup. A more "subtle" Zeph and outside the stated moral (the execution was still awesome!) this would have been a very great episode.