Talk:The Times They Are a Changeling/@comment-14512809-20160731222107

heesh, they’re really going all out in making the changeling look like the most pwecious, innocent and harmless wittle puppy dog in these promos, aren’t they?

Okay, look, I appreciate what this episode is going to do, I truly do. It’s likely intended message is sadly very relevant even in these modern times, but what concerns me is the method the promos suggests it will take.

The Bridle Gossip message about ’Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover’ is a perfectly message, but it’s not easy to preach when you take the episode’s context into consideration. Let’s remember, Zecora was feared and distrusted because ponies hadn’t met zebras before, it was a fear of the unknown. When it comes to changelings, there is a well-established and ongoing threat from their species started by when their Queen invaded the capital. These are creatures whose entire schtick is about shape-shifting trickery and who have the potential to completely master espionage.

The Crystal Empire has been through so much trauma in its history, be it King Sombra, a near apocalyptic Equestria Games, their youngest Princess nearly destroying their home, etc. You can hardly blame them for panicking when they hear reports of a changeling spy in their home. And when it comes to Princess Candyflank and ol’ Shiny Poo, I want to go on the record when I say that they are both perfectly within in their rights to not like, let alone trust changelings after what they experienced in A Canterlot Wedding. Anyone who says they are not is well, frankly bogus.

But I worry that this episode isn’t going to  treat  Shining and Cadence as either justified or sympathetic. That Shining especially is going to instead be painted as a one-note, racist ’authority jerk’ to serve as the designated antagonist to Spike and the Changeling, probably alongside Twilight, until they are ’enlightened’ by episodes end.

Let’s not kid ourselves, our sympathy and support is obviously going to be with Spike and the Changeling, which will be made all the easier if the writers make the opposing side almost entirely unsympathetic and treating them like they have no leg to stand on. It’s an old trick to strawman another main character to make the ’misunderstood/reforming bad character’ look better. Fanfiction about changelings had done this for the best of four years, getting it down to a fine art.

And let’s face it, My Little Pony isn’t always the best show for subtlety and nuance. It’s good, but when it comes to themes like prejudice, ’Zootopia’ it is not.

All I can hope is that I’m proven wrong, because I do believe that this episode has a ton of potential to get a great message across through an interesting and heartfelt story. We’ll just have to wait and see.