S08E20: The Washouts

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S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Wayoshi (?) » Wed Aug 15, 2018 2:58 pm

When Scootaloo becomes enamored with The Washouts, a touring group of stunt ponies, Rainbow Dash is concerned for her safety and worries that Scoot's days as her number one fan are over.
This thread is for discussion of the episode. This episode airs at 8:25am AEST on Sunday, August 19 / 6:25pm US EDT on Saturday, August 18 on Boomerang in Australia!

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

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Adiwan (?) » Wed Aug 15, 2018 3:06 pm

Sounds like a Simpsons episode in which Bart was doing dangerous stunts. I'm expecting Rainbow Dash using Scootaloo's scooter (of course with bound wings) and jump over a canyon.
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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by The Doctor (?) » Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:16 pm

:awesomedash: Scootaloo and Dash episode.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Thu Aug 16, 2018 4:20 pm

That was so worth waiting for.
But...
This one's too young

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by PonyHag714 (?) » Sat Aug 18, 2018 6:53 pm

The ending to this one was a little predictable, but I liked it.

The pony with the Aussie accent was different.

Lay off the caffeine, Spitfire.
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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by The Doctor (?) » Sat Aug 18, 2018 9:32 pm

That was sweet. Responsible Rainbow Dash is great.

Disappointed we didn't get to see Scootaloo's aunts though.
Last edited by The Doctor on Sat Aug 18, 2018 9:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Highbrow Dash (?) » Sat Aug 18, 2018 9:41 pm

It was alright but I think they went way too far with Lightning Dust. She wasn't even that bad in her original episode, but here's she's just cartoonishly selfish and irresponsible.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Captain Rufus (?) » Sun Aug 19, 2018 5:40 am

It was eh. They outright had Scoots say she won’t ever fly though and that’s quite sad. But she won’t let it hold her back.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Adiwan (?) » Sun Aug 19, 2018 6:37 am

Adiwan wrote:
Wed Aug 15, 2018 3:06 pm
Sounds like a Simpsons episode in which Bart was doing dangerous stunts. I'm expecting Rainbow Dash using Scootaloo's scooter (of course with bound wings) and jump over a canyon.
It wasn't a canyon but a huge row of burning carriages and a rocket-propelled scooter is good enough.
Although Lightning Dust was quite extreme and inconsiderate towards a child and newcomer to that profession, I think it was a decent episode. I wished there was a bit of nuance towards the fact that was Scootaloo's first big stunt and she had no experience with or knowledge of the stunt itself.
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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Highbrow Dash (?) » Sun Aug 19, 2018 2:45 pm

Well, there was that one time she literally slingshot herself up to Cloudsdale.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Chronos30 (?) » Mon Aug 20, 2018 4:38 pm

This was one of my favorite episodes in awhile. The jokes landed for me and it was nice to see lightning dust again and not just give her a presto change-o redemption. And it was sweet in a way to have her invite Scoots to the Washouts so she could show off what she _can_ do, even if it was dangerous and for the wrong reasons. The washouts are a good concept I hope to see again.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:03 pm

Cute episode. Dash and Scoots are always a good team.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:16 pm

Before I forget: props to the first couple seconds being a shot-for-shot remake of MMDW's opening. What a trip-up. :v:

Boy, this ep was another hit. It would've been so easy to make Lightning Dust and the Washouts straight-up ridiculous, as she was back in Wonderbolts Academy, but right up to the end I felt like she was running a legitimate operation and just never, ever broke kayfabe (especially not in front of her friend-slash-rival Rainbow Dash). And even if she ended up as the first pony to go into orbit, Lightning Dust's comments regarding the Wonderbolts still seem to have some truth behind them. Multiple times we've seen trouble behind the curtain of Spitfire's public image, from her enabling Lightning Dust's recklessness in Wonderbolts Academy to how she ditched Soarin in the events of Rainbow Falls. I hope this is something that'll be resolved before the end of the show.

The Washouts had a seriously fresh look by Equestrian standards, all grungy and industrial with lots of black and green. Hopefully Lightning Dust learns to show some reasonable regard for safety while still keeping the act up.
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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Aramek (?) » Sat Sep 08, 2018 1:04 pm

Okay, holy moly, that absolutely owned.
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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat Sep 08, 2018 7:31 pm

The "Lightning Dust! Rainbow Dash! Scootaloo!" bit reminded me of the last time they did that:


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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Sat Sep 08, 2018 10:46 pm

For a second, I was worried I was watching the beginning of "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" by mistake, since that also started with Rainbow eavesdropping on her fan club. This episode actually does have a sort of similar story to that, with Rainbow getting jealous of a new pony taking all of her glory, but laser focused on the Scootaloo part. I remember back during season 2 that people thought Scootaloo becoming a Mare Do Well fangirl was out of character, but it all made way more sense here.

Oh shit, whipcrack when Applejack talked about Apple Bloom possibly liking bananas more than apples. We're Johnny Test now!

Nice to see the Student Six appearing in random crowd shots now. Jelly Rainbow was fun.

I was spoiled about Lightning Dust being in this episode thanks to YouTube recommendations showing her in the thumbnail. Back then, it was a big surprise, because I thought they'd never revisit her. I'm happy they didn't make her a straight up villain, and she's still just really reckless. I would have given her credit for rejecting Scootaloo, but then she let her on anyway, so (shrug). It was cute seeing her blasting off again, though it was a bit odd that Rainbow was fine with them being rivals like this.

Continuity issue, Scootaloo already knows about Lightning Dust, since she explained her to Dash's parents in "Parental Glideance". And Dash's parents appear at the end, so you can't do the season 1-2 fandom "episodes are out of order" thing.

The bit with Spitfire should have been funny, but I don't know, I just found Spitfire's voice annoying here. Plus, with her and that angry Washout, we have two yelling ponies, making it feel even more like Johnny Test.

It was nice to get another sequence of Twilight and Rainbow flying and talking, like in "Testing Testing 1, 2, 3". Twilight was in this more than I expected.

This was a nice bit of development between Scootaloo and Rainbow. Rainbow just took for granted that Scootaloo should look up to her, and had forgotten that she should provide a reason why Scootaloo should idolize her. The fact is, Scootaloo can't be a great flier like Rainbow, but she can be a stuntpony, and Scootaloo accepts this now, so she needs a different reason to look up to Rainbow. Compared to "Mare Do Well", this did a much better job showing Rainbow why it was bad to be so egotistical and how she should actually act.

Overall, good episode.
Fizzbuzz wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:16 pm
Before I forget: props to the first couple seconds being a shot-for-shot remake of MMDW's opening. What a trip-up. :v:
Oh, so that was what they were doing after all.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Niels Olof (?) » Sun Sep 09, 2018 9:07 am

That was a fine growing-up episode for Rainbow Dash, and for Scoots as well, though she probably needed it less. I was pleasantly surprised to see Lightning Dust again, and the pegasus with the slight temper issue was amusing.

Spitfire confirmed for best pegasus.
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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Aramek (?) » Sun Sep 09, 2018 9:17 am

Also Scoots yelled "I. CAN'T. FLY."

And my heart shattered.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:16 pm

I made this for a dumb reason.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by The Doctor (?) » Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:23 pm

You know, this episode should have ended with Lightning Dust in a full body, wing and hoof cast drinking through a straw.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Erythema (?) » Sun Sep 09, 2018 9:45 pm

The Doctor wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:23 pm
You know, this episode should have ended with Lightning Dust in a full body, wing and hoof cast drinking through a straw.
It quite nearly ended in Scootaloo in a full body, wing and hoof cast drinking through a straw.

Oh and:

Image

Could that be why Spitfire was so... specific? :smirk:


This episode is well-placed, I think. This is definitely a lesson she needed to learn. I do wonder what it would mean for Lightning Dust as Rainbow Dash's rival. After this episode, she wasn't just Washed Out but now she's also Washed Up. I think the writers should explore having her go through character development and force Rainbow Dash to try her hardest not to fall behind. Would be more interesting if she does outmatch Dash one or two times to force her to learn a thing or two the hard way. Such a character arc could potentially give commentary on rivalries in general.

Always fun to think about such possibilities.

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Aramek (?) » Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:14 am

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Re: S08E20: The Washouts

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:10 pm

That's right, I'm just now getting to these eps. Hush. :rainbert:

* Oh fandom, thou art a fickle and painted mistress.
* "Hi. I'm a literal and biological jackass, and this is Jackass."
* OK, "The Washouts" is an odd name for a supposedly cool troupe, and that + the masks leads me to this theory: they're all ponies who got kicked out of the Wonderbolts and formed a Wonderbolts Revenge Squad.
* Especially cause I'm sure that one is Lightning Dust.
* Well, they sure didn't keep me waiting on the reveal. Thanks, show! :twasnothin:
* And Dash hates the Washouts again as soon as she sees LD is behind it.
* I feel like Scootaloo would already know the Lightning Dust story. In fact, I'm pretty sure she told it to Dash's parents.
* But now Dash likes the Washouts again. And now she hates them again.
* It's nice that Dash seems to fully embrace her surrogate-parent role. Scootaloo's bio-parents must be horrendous.
* (patent pending)
* Spitfire in Scared Straight mode is the highlight of the ep. :lol:
* Headbutting a unicorn is an eye hazard!
* I guess you don't technically need to be able to fly to risk your life in dangerous stunts.
* Of course it's safe, there's duct tape!
* What are you talking about, Scoot? That's EXACTLY the pony you thought she was.
* Oh my god, she couldn't even get her own parents or parental guardians to show up for her fan club. :insomnia:
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