Apple Family Reunion
Applejack plans an elaborate family reunion that goes awry.
The third season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic includes "Apple Family Reunion" as its eighth episode. Cindy Morrow wrote it, and it first aired on The Hub on December 22, 2012. The story follows Applejack as she takes charge of the Apple family reunion from Granny Smith.
Quick Facts
- Series
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Writer
- Cindy Morrow
- Air date
- 22 December 2012
- Length
- 22 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Plot
When Granny Smith worried about managing the huge number of relatives coming to the Apple family reunion, Applejack stepped up to organize it. Wanting to create the most unforgettable reunion ever, she looked at old photos and designed elaborate versions of classic activities like quilting, racing, baking, and group pictures. Once dozens of Apple family members arrived, she rushed them through a strict schedule with no time to relax or chat. The seven-legged race turned into a draining obstacle course, the quilting circle was ruined by loud sewing machines, and the baking became a hurried assembly line for apple fritters. Seeing her guests looking exhausted, Applejack tried to boost the excitement with a spontaneous hayride. She kicked a tree to release rainbow-colored fruit bats, but the swarm turned aggressive when they spotted apples in the riders' things. The frightened ponies bolted, the wagon crashed into the family barn, and the barn was destroyed. Heartbroken, Applejack believed she had wrecked the reunion, but Granny Smith pointed out that the family actually welcomed the break from her frantic pace. Applejack then suggested they rebuild the barn together as their final activity. The family happily worked together, singing "Raise This Barn," and finished the new barn in time for their group photo. Applejack later wrote to Princess Celestia that it does not take much to have a memorable time with ponies you care about.
Reception
Sherilyn Connelly rated the episode a C in her book Ponyville Confidential. Hillary Busis of Entertainment Weekly described baby Applejack's design as "adorable." Daniel Alvarez of Unleash The Fanboy gave it 3.5 out of 5, calling it a fine episode and likely the best focused on Applejack, while praising the song "Raise This Barn" as a future classic. In a critical analysis, Jen A. Blue framed the episode as transitional, highlighting the absence of Applejack's parents through paired shooting stars and their exclusion from the reunion, and likened Applejack to Batman as an orphan. Blue examined the episode against the show's perceived decline after Lauren Faust left, arguing that the magic is shifting from the show to the fandom, and compared Applejack's forced attempts to bring magic to the reunion with the show's own efforts to regain its original spark. Blue viewed the barn's collapse and rebuilding as a eucatastrophe, suggesting the episode indicates the show should settle down and focus on its strengths rather than experimenting.
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