S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

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S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Wayoshi (?) » Wed May 09, 2018 11:50 am

Applejack and Rainbow Dash take the friendship students on a teamwork learning field trip, and accidentally show the students how NOT to work together.
This thread is for discussion of the episode. This episode airs at 11:30 Eastern / 8:30 Pacific on Saturday, May 12!

Official preview clips and images are okay to post, as is speculation about the episode.

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Adiwan (?) » Wed May 09, 2018 12:15 pm

Stubborn meets stubborn.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by The Doctor (?) » Wed May 09, 2018 1:07 pm

Not sure about this one. Hope it's not Dash and AJ being completely stupid for 22 minutes...

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Wed May 09, 2018 1:26 pm

deleted
Last edited by Applepie2017 on Fri May 11, 2018 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
But...
This one's too young

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Octavia (?) » Wed May 09, 2018 3:50 pm

Rainbow Dash did nothing wrong
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Wed May 09, 2018 3:53 pm

There will be blood. Bright, sparkly pony blood.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by The Doctor (?) » Wed May 09, 2018 3:53 pm

Octavia wrote:
Wed May 09, 2018 3:50 pm
Rainbow Dash did nothing wrong
:2cool: Don't even need to see the episode to know that.

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Mr. Big (?) » Wed May 09, 2018 4:59 pm



They say "Teacher of the Month", and there are 9 frames on the wall.

So did 9 months pass between this episode and the premiere?

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by The Doctor (?) » Wed May 09, 2018 5:21 pm

:gotcha: Maybe Twilight has just always sucked at math and can't count.

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Thu May 10, 2018 1:18 pm

You know, I’d totally watch an episode that was all animatics. The faces are terrific.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Aramek (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 8:37 am

I've not seen this one and I'm incredibly excited. Here's hoping they fight.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Soft Snow (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 11:18 am

This feels like it will have some season one vibes to it. I'm looking forward to it.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Adiwan (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 11:35 am

Hm... It's implied that the school is open 9 months after episode 1. It feels like it barely started.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Octavia (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 11:43 am

Octavia wrote:
Wed May 09, 2018 3:50 pm
Rainbow Dash did nothing wrong
I stand by my statement.

If they even did 60 seconds of preparation, they could've just decided to build a canoe and race it.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Adiwan (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 11:56 am

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Similarities
"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Octavia (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 12:01 pm

I actually really like that they ended the episode with them arguing and not with the usual group laugh and/or wink to the camera. :seethe: :mad:
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by PonyHag714 (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 12:05 pm

Kind of a lightweight episode plot wise, but it was nice to see the students in action.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by The Doctor (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 12:06 pm

This was a bad episode.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack are better than this. Even after being reprimanded by Twilight they continue to be idiots. Hell, at least in Fall Weather Friends they realized their mistake and fixed it rather than just continuing to screw up. And then at the end, when they've realized they screwed up a second time, they argue again.

They've introduced a school and these young students. Let them have the problem and let AJ and Dash teach them. Heck, if you want to bring up Dash and AJ's competitive nature, have some type of competitive activity that splits the students into two groups and let them both lead.

Even the antics in this episode weren't too much fun. This was just bad.

If you want to do a competition, split the students up into two teams. AJ and Dash prepare them for the competition. They learn teamwork, but the competitive nature rubs off on them all and the kids go too far.

Something bad happens during the competition, AJ and Dash instantly show the students how to work together to solve it and show that it's more important than winning. You get the competitive nature of AJ and Dash, but not in a totally destructive way that makes them look like idiots.

It was nice to see the students again. Yona continues to be best student.

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 12:13 pm

To sum up my #ponyday reactions, I think this episode's main problem was that Applejack and Rainbow Dash still fighting over status felt quite natural, but viewed directly they were almost insufferable. That's not to say it musn't be avoided, but it should have another layer put on it. We saw a bit of that, with the students (particularly Gallus and Smolder) commenting on their behavior. If this story were chiefly seen through their perspective, that'd make it a ton more relatable; after all, who among us hasn't had a crappy teacher or two through the years? This story's workable, really, but the script needed another round or two of polishing.

Oh well. They can't all be winners. :pinkieshrug:
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 12:50 pm

deleted
Last edited by Applepie2017 on Mon May 14, 2018 1:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
But...
This one's too young

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Captain Rufus (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 3:20 pm

It was funny. Like much of this season it seems a backslide in character development but quite entertaining on its own. Plus these students are great and we need more of them.

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by RudeCyrus (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 3:50 pm

It was okay.

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Highbrow Dash (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 7:53 pm

I thought it was pretty bad but it's a new writer, it happens :pinkieshrug: Not everyone can nail it on their first try like Josh Hamilton :-P

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Octavia (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 8:00 pm

Highbrow Dash wrote:
Sat May 12, 2018 7:53 pm
I thought it was pretty bad but it's a new writer, it happens :pinkieshrug: Not everyone can nail it on their first try like Josh Hamilton :-P
Josh Haber?

Josh Hamilton is a former MLB player :v:
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Highbrow Dash (?) » Sat May 12, 2018 8:56 pm

Nope, there's a Josh Hamilton that wrote Parental Glideance, Triple Threat, Secrets and Pies and Fake It Till You Make It. I only know cause he stood out, those are some really good episodes.

Maybe he quit baseball to get into horse writing? :ponder:

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Erythema (?) » Sun May 13, 2018 7:15 am

Urgh. Two minutes after the intro and I was contemplating not watching the episode. It was at that point that I realized that Applejack and Rainbow Dash had essentially reverted to S1 character development. Only by accepting that as fact was I able to finish watching the episode. Even then, the two's feigned agreeableness in the latter half of the episode wasn't all that amusing either.

At least the payoff was nice to see unfold. I really like seeing Ocellus using her transformation ability in clever ways. She definitely deserves a few pats on the back for that.

The part where the Student Six completely misinterpreted AJ and RD's mess as being intentional to show how things aren't done was rather amusing and it managed to get a chuckle out of me.

Still, I wish I didn't have to pretend like RD and AJ had post S1 character development at best just to make the episode watchable for me. I have the suspicion that new episodes have become difficult to write after all the character development that has happened. It could be that it has become easy for episode concepts to turn out not to work if the Mane 6 characters actually put their experiences to use but if it simply isn't possible to retreat and try again, it'll be a missed shot they'll have to commit to. This is just speculation on my part since I don't know how the writing process is carried out or the steps that are taken along the way.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the term "everycreature" still sounds like nails scraping a chalkboard.

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Aramek (?) » Mon May 14, 2018 2:58 pm

It was cute and I wanted to hug'em all.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Tue May 15, 2018 1:18 am

deleted
Last edited by Applepie2017 on Tue May 29, 2018 5:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
But...
This one's too young

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Madeline (?) » Tue May 15, 2018 5:27 pm

It was okay, I guess :pinkieshrug:

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:17 pm

i watch a pony

• There’s a :cool: pony in the courtyard listening to a phonograph and a unicorn on a bridge with a super-dark magic aura. School is a weird place.
• I feel like Twilight should’ve known when she came up with Teacher of the Month that Dash and AJ would be tools about it.
:skeptical: “this flowerpot?”
• Another episode where Ashleigh Ball spends 22 minutes yelling at herself!
:twasnothin: “everycreature”
• I don’t think Dash’s nailing methods are OSHA approved.
• I’m guessing the events of this episode pretty much happen every month and that’s why Fluttershy keeps winning.
• And they crash into a rock and all die. Back after these messages! :ponydrugs:
• In a plot twist, Twilight learns about all this BEFORE the last five minutes.
• The endearing thing is how AJ and Dash cover for each other in front of Twilight.
• They’re still both the fucking worst, though.
• Yak gets to smash, so the day’s not a total loss.
:shutup: “No one here can understand your country talk!” Heh.
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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Mon Jun 18, 2018 12:21 am

Mechanical Ape wrote:
Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:17 pm
• There’s a :cool: pony in the courtyard listening to a phonograph and a unicorn on a bridge with a super-dark magic aura. School is a weird place.
Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

What I'm wondering about from this episode: Who's this a bust of?

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Void Chicken (?) » Mon Jun 18, 2018 12:42 am

SlateSlabrock wrote:
Mon Jun 18, 2018 12:21 am
What I'm wondering about from this episode: Who's this a bust of?

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Starswirl was going through a Fu Manchu phase.

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Sat Jul 07, 2018 4:52 pm

Guilty pleasure
But...
This one's too young

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Re: S08E09: Non-Compete Clause

Post by CorvusCaw (?) » Tue Aug 13, 2019 11:32 pm

Applejack loves her some unpaid child labor
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