Episode 4: Apple Buck Season

HELLOOO and welcome to Culture's Compendium of Reviews! As always I am Culture Shock! Your guide to all things cultural in Equestria and beyond! We got yet another riveting review for you but first the ground rules. Firstly, all content in this blog is the express opinion of its writer and no one else. It does not and should not reflect the views of the fandom in its entirety. Lastly, if any of you happen to notice any mistakes in the following review, whether it may be typoes or missing words, please do not hesitate to let me know in the comments below. With that said let's move on to the review.

Today we're reviewing season 1 episode 4 entitled Apple Buck Season. Whoo dawgies pardner! That's right fans. This is going to be first review featuring that southern sweetheart of Ponyville, Applejack. The funny part about this is that I myself am actually southern born and raised. Why is this important? Well in a nutshell it means I can relate personally to this farm pony in some ways. Though speaking from personal experience that's not really all that great.

We start the episode off with Applejack and her brother Big Mac admiring the "fruits" of their families namesake. Its that time of the year again that every farmer loves. Harvest day. Or as the Apple's call it "Apple Bucking Season". Unfortunately the able bodied Big Mac has injured himself and Aj has stepped up to tackle the job. The worst part? She claims she can do it herself. Now my two problems here are obvious. First off, we never really here how Big Mac got hurt. Did the writers just not consider it or what? Lastly, Aj's stubborn pride is the worst part of anyone from the south. I should know.

Shifting gears past the intro we find Applejack already in the fields and sizing up her job. This point is usually where people begin to realize their mistake. You see the thing about having stubborn pride is you tend to bite off more than you can chew. I myself have been in that position several times. Another thing it does is cloud your judgement. The same happens here when Aj starts to doubt her abilities as a farm pony. Instead of listening to her voice of reason she let her own stubborness blindside her when she should have asked for help. Things get even worse as a raging cattle stampede nears Ponyville. As citizens flee in terror, or bounce in Pinkies case, it's honest Applejack and Winona to the rescue. With the skill of a veteran rodeo pony Aj manages to rope the leader of the herd and steer them away from town. Saving the day and earning quite a bit of admiration from the town.

As a show of gratitude, and at a certain party ponies suggestion, the town decides to throw a party in Applejacks honor. The height of which being Applejack recieving a very special reward for her acts of bravery. This would be quite a story IF said pony didn't show up late and dead on her hooves. This point is where we see the toll having too much pride can take on someones body. The worst part is that aside from apple bucking Aj has also made other promises to her friends. Yet another sign of having stubborn pride is when you overdue things. You get caught up in thinking you can do so many things for so many people without realizing a simple "no" is all it takes.

Realizing her friends sluggish behavior Twilight decides to pay Aj a visit. What she see's only fuels her concern. Being the friend she is Twilight tries to offer Aj a helping hoof. What does Aj do? She jumps to conclusions and turns her down. Now I really shouldn't judge her for it considering my own track record. But when a friend is offering upfront to help you its not they're trying to belittle you or anything. Everyone needs help sometimes. No one person can do the work of a whole team. Aj should have swallowed her pride and accepted help whem she needed it.

As the episode progresses we see more and more just how much Aj's pride effects her and everything around her. Its at this point when too much pride can really go wrong. Unlike in mlp when someone in the real world is to stubborn for their own good things eventually begin to fall apart around them. They end up losing their friends, family, and job, their health declines, and they fall into a depression. For some its almost impossible to rebuild what they lost. Fortunately for Aj she has friends who look out for her. Even when she doesn't want them too. Thanks to that Aj manages to make her deadline and then some. And everypony lived happily ever after. Except for Spike who will likely need his stomach pumped.

Alright so that was my review guys. Hope you liked it. Like I mentioned before this episode hits close to home due to my roots and how alike Aj and I are. All in all I think it was a great episode. The only problem was how they emphasized the moral with Aj's southern pride. I would definitely reccomend this episode to people though because it really shows that not everyone is a superhero and that asking for doesn't make you weak. It makes you stronger in the long run. At the end of it all I give Apple Buck Season an 8 / 10. That's it for this review. Be sure to leave a like if you enjoyed it and if you have any suggestions for future content leave it in the comments down below. Also don't forget to subscribe for more awesome reviews. As always I'm Culture Shock, your guide to all things cultural in Equestria and beyond, saying KEEP CALM AND BRONY ON! PEACE!

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