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submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Erika3sis@hexbear.net to c/movies@hexbear.net

Hay, everypony—

We have been watching MLP:FiM together every Saturday for just under a month now, and next Saturday we'll finally be starting season 2. Two weeks after that, i.e. three weeks from now, we will reach the batch of episodes that includes S2E14, "The Last Roundup".

The only problem is, there are two different versions of that episode: the version of the episode as it originally aired, and a later edited version for reruns, official downloads, and streaming. The changes made to the episode concern the scene immediately after the intro — a scene which was criticized for its depiction of an intellectually disabled character.

I hold that the original version of the scene; the context behind the original version of the scene; the backlash to the scene, and the resulting changes to it; and the brony fandom's backlash to the changes to the scene in turn; are all important to acknowledge as a part of the history of ableism and ID representation in children's media, and an important but uncomfortable part of MLP:FiM and the brony fandom's history — in the same vein as we didn't skip "Bridle Gossip" and "Over a Barrel" just because those episodes are fucking racist. So all in all I would like for us to experience the show "warts and all", and to be critical of our own nostalgia for it.

However, this still leaves the question of whether we actually watch the original or edited version of the episode, and how (and for how long) we cover "Derpygate" after the episode. I'll leave that one up to you all.

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[-] Carcharodonna@hexbear.net 12 points 1 week ago

I say we watch the original. I’d like to know more about this. I remember the character, but I don’t specifically remember the controversy.

[-] AshenWolf@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago

I don't consistently tune in (was really busy yesterday), but I'd say to watch the original. Like you've said, racist episodes weren't avoided, and I think the same should be done with ableist episodes. I would go into more, but it would just be re-stating what you've said, which I'm in complete agreement with. It seems better acknowledge it's existence rather than avoid it.

[-] Sulv@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Idk how bad it is, so I’ll leave it up to y’all. Though I doubt it will be the most problematic thing we’ve shown.

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Certainly not, no.

A summary of the sceneA pegasus with unaligned (strabismic) eyes and a Down syndrome coded voice, referred to by name as "Derpy", has been paired with Rainbow Dash to help restore an old building. The strabismic pony, however, keeps obliviously destroying parts of the building, causing Rainbow Dash to get mad at her. After she asks if she can help Rainbow Dash in any way, Rainbow Dash angrily tells her to "just sit there and do nothing" (paraphrase).

The edited version of the scene (partially) realigns the pony's eyes, changes her voice, and removes the mention of her name.

[-] Carcharodonna@hexbear.net 12 points 1 week ago

Wasn’t “Derpy” a fan invention or am I wrong? I seem to remember fans finding a screenshot of a cross eyed pony and then proceeded to invent a bunch of lore around it. I thought the show makers took this and stuck in something as fan service, but I could be wrong in how I remember it.

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 9 points 1 week ago

That's exactly what happened, yes.

[-] ClathrateG@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

there's an episode called 'Over a Barrel'???

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 11 points 1 week ago

Yes, we watched that episode just last night, and basically everypony unanimously agreed that it was the single worst episode of the ones we've watched so far, if not the worst episode of the entire show in general.

The episode depicts a conflict between "settler ponies" who have built a Wild West-style settlement called Appleloosa, and a local herd of feather-war-bonnet-wearing buffalo, who live in tipis and have names like "Chief Thunderhooves" and "Little Strongheart". The conflict concerns the settler ponies planting an apple orchard in the middle of the buffalo's "traditional stampeding grounds", and includes among other things Twilight Sparkle both-sidesing the issue; a literally pie-in-the-face slapstick battle; and concludes with the buffalo agreeing to a compromise that just unambiguously screws them over, but hey, the buffalo sure seem happy about getting ripped off, and it's presented as a good ending and a good moral lesson for the kids at home, so there.

Episodes like "Over a Barrel" are why I think MLP:FiM is best looked at as having an unreliable narrator. My own headcanon is that the show is based on a translation of Twilight Sparkle's letters to Princess Celestia, as well as the Journal of Friendship and other texts.

[-] ClathrateG@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

At least the title is applicable then, if still pretty nswf

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

Isn't "in the barrel" the phrase that references gloryholes, and "over a barrel" the phrase based on whipping people?

[-] ClathrateG@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

spoilerI haven't heard 'in the barrel' used before(other than 'shooting fish in a barrel' as a metaphor for something easy,) but having someone 'over a barrel' means to have someone in a vulnerable position/'at your mercy' where they're unable to resit, google shows yes origin is based on whipping people over a barrel in the navy

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

I see. In the barrel is a phrase that I've personally only really heard in the 1998 video game Half-Life (and its remake Black Mesa), in one of the security guard's lines, however while the phrase is apparently not as fashionable nowadays, it's still notable enough to have its own Wiktionary entry. In the barrel basically means "in an unpleasant or dangerous situation", so it can have some overlap with over a barrel in terms of meaning. That's why I thought you might've confused these two phrases.

The origin of 'in the barrel', courtesy of Urban Dictionary (NSFW)A sailor on a Navy ship had been out to sea for weeks, and was beginning to go through sex withdrawals. Fed up with the lack of sex, he asked one of his shipmates what he did when the pressure was too much to take. "Well, there's a barrel with a hole in it near the mop storage. When it gets to be too much for us, we use that." So the sailor went over to the barrel and decided to give it a go. Finding it was better than he'd expected, he began using it regularly, and his problems seemed to vanish. After a couple of weeks, his commanding officer began to take notice, and said, "You seem to be a lot more relaxed. What's your secret?" The sailor, embarrassed to give a straight answer, simply said he'd been getting better rest. "Well good, sailor. You're going to need it," replied the officer. "Today's your turn in the barrel."

[-] CommunistCuddlefish@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

I'm awestruck that that episode got all the way through writing, animating, and acting without someone pulling the plug.

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 1 points 1 week ago

March 2011 was a different time...

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago

I'm not gonna copy the whole 'glist (that's what the cool kids call the taglist) but I can at least tag some of you regulars

@TheSpectreOfGay@hexbear.net @Carcharodonna@hexbear.net @AernaLingus@hexbear.net @wombat@hexbear.net @Grebgreb@hexbear.net @Sulv@hexbear.net

[-] WIIHAPPYFEW@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago

I’m kind of a regular >:,(

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago

I forgor Wii :nyoron:

[-] Grebgreb@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago

i think showing the original would be fine.

if someone explicitly asks not to see it we could try watching it at a different time that won't interfere with regular pony sessions

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago

That sounds like a good solution, and everyone thus far seems to be in agreement.

[-] AernaLingus@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago

I would definitely prefer to see the original! I didn't make it this far in my as-it-aired watching (fake fan!), and I wasn't that embedded in the fandom, so I'm really interested to both see the episode unaltered and learn about the contemporaneous discourse.

[-] TheSpectreOfGay@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

i do not have strong preferences, but i would prefer the original as that's the one im used to. i don't particularly like her name being derpy tbh, but i like her character otherwise

this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2025
26 points (93.3% liked)

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