Talk:Putting Your Hoof Down/@comment-71.188.103.106-20120305013348/@comment-24.9.145.132-20120305041936

I think what's bothering so many fans is the abrupt shift in tone. Last episode, literally every pony in the town was singing about how great it is to smile. This episode, many come off as insensitive, greedy, or flat-out mean. When juxtaposed against the series, this one episode trait feels out of place.

And you are right that every town has its jerks. We've seen several such as the Flim-Flam brothers and Trixie. But those antagonists had a strange charm to them. They were selfish and mean, but still somehow likeable. I don't think anybody found likeable traits in the background ponies this episode.

If the ponies had simply disregarded Fluttershy and carried on with their business, the episode could have accomplished the same goal without such a jarring shift. Instead, many took the path of open hostility, and that didn't mesh with previous episodes.