Talk:Father Knows Beast/@comment-36809529-20180903172542

Now this episode... was something alright. I had an exam today, and woke up earlier so I gave it a watch expecting I'd feel better and less anxious after an MLP episode... boy was I wrong. If nothing - I felt worse. Actually I don't remember ever feeling so bad after watching an MLP episode. Must do a re-watch to make sure that's not just because of the exam though.

I really don't know how I feel about it. I just couldn't help but getting feeling that lots of opportunities were wasted with this one. Plus I felt so bad for Spike. I disagree with people saying that "this was explored with Dragon Quest so it should be left as a concept" though. Actually, unlike many lessons that have been learned over and over... this IS something that is reasonable to be explored deeper and it makes sense that Spike's identity issues aren't so easily resolved. I mean he's a dragon raised by ponies and literally hatched by a filly. He faces all the questions all the adopted children face ("why was I abandaned?", "how do my birthparents look like?", "do they even care for me?", "would I have been the same person I am today if I had been raised by them?" etc.) but his issues are even more problematic since he was raised by a totally different spiecies. So add "Am I even a real dragon?" to the list of questions and you'll get the idea. That's not something resolved in one episode. Actually, he may bear these feelings forever.

Do I think this episode dealt well with this issue? Honestly no. It had an interesting premise, but in the end, it felt... somewhat empty. And I was terribly mad for the way Spike's feelings were toyed with. In Dragon Quest we were introduced to the Dragon Lands and dragon CULTURE and saw that dragons are "fierce" and a few of them bullied Spike, but it was obvious that it was just an adolescent gang who have nothing better to do with their time and could conclude that not all of the dragons are the same. This episode's emphasis was much more personal which made it way harder to watch. I mean, a fully grown adult BULLYING A CHILD that way is just... I don't know. I may be too sensitive but Spike needed a hug so badly! Even Smoulder said it's not something a dragon would do, and, mind you, she's not the one who minds dragonish tough persona. Of course, that's not the real reason I dislike the way this episode handled Spike's struggles. The main reason is that the episode felt both as a wasted opportunity and somewhat forced. The ending ("Ponies are my family") sounded genuine in Dragon Quest, but here it sounded more like giving up to me. He met a dragon who told him he's his father, he trusted him and that one turned out to be a jerk. Therefore, trying to find a dragon family further just leads to more pain. The lesson was the same, but the way it was submitted... wasn't. Am I really the only one who had this impression?

That being said, the episode isn't ALL terrible. Actually, I wouldn't even call it bad, just... not something I want to watch again. I loved Spike - Smoulder moments most of all in it. I love how she starts to serve as something closest to elder sister (and family in general) in dragon world. I love how she explains Spike how things work in the dragon lands and stepped up to Sludge when it mattered. I guess her presence might lesser Spike's identity issues a bit (at least those regarding the questions of him being a real dragon). I hope they make at least one episode dedicated just to the two of them in the next season. Maybe with Spike bothering her with the questions about dragon culture and she'd be annoyed at first, but later getting homesick and starts talking with more and more entusiasm or something? :) That would be interesting as we'd find more about the dragons, probably get some world-building and also the relationship between the two would deepen.

How else could have this episode been handled? Hmm... I understand very soon that Spike's "dad" wasn't really a dad but I hoped he was pretanding so he could make the little orphan feel better. Later, he would start feeling guilty over lying to him and in the end admit. Spike would be heartbroken, but he'd understand the good intentions behind it. And lesson learned (same one from Pony Play though, but in a way different setting and, for a change, by a different character). The other option would be to have REAL Spike's dad in the story, but he finds out that being dad isn't for him or something. Generally - anything but "Kid, I'm your father, let's do everything you want and I'll play with your feelings, bye". Anything.

I also liked Twilight - Spike moments. I loved how for the first time Spike practically said that Twilight is his mother. Which is both really nice and sad, especially if we consider that she's not that much older than him at all.