The Thunder Productions: Picking Apart "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic", Season 2 Episode 18

A Friend in Deed

Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you... the Pinkie Pie workout!

...Oh. It turns out she's just trying to entertain the little toddlers from the episode "Baby Cakes". It seems that they've been brought back for a cameo appearance. But they're not the only returning characters.

Check it out. Daisy Jo from the episode "Applebuck Season" returns for a cameo as well, in which we first learn her name.

Actually, Pinkie is going all over Ponyville addressing everyone by name, claiming to know everything about them because she's friends with everyone. This ties in with what she told Twilight Sparkle in the pilot episodes if you remember.

Pinkie Pie: Y'see I never saw you before and if I never saw you before that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville!

Oh, and now she's gonna sing for us. Speaking of which, this episode has a total of four songs. And this first one is so good, I'm gonna sit back and hear the whole thing from start to finish. Here we go!

That's when she meets this grizzled old timer named Cranky Doodle Donkey, who for some reason is the only denizen in Ponyville who is not smiling. Pinkie immediately starts up another song, which had to be sung to the tune of an already existing song from the American Revolution.

[Pinkie Pie]

You're a Cranky Doodle Donkey guy.

A Cranky Doodle Donkey.

I never met you but you're my new friend and I'm your best friend Pinkie Pie!

You know, I liked the first song better.

Cranky Doodle Donkey: Nopony calls me Doodle!

Pinkie Pie: ...what just happened?

Now Pinkie's talking to the audience. But since she tends to break the fourth wall left and right, this is no surprise. Okay, onto this Cranky Doodle Donkey. What's this guy's story? For starters, he's voiced by Richard Newman, who previously provided the voice of Rhinox from the Transformers Beast Wars and Beast Machines TV series, Professor James Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, Golem from Monster Rancher, and various other voices for anime English dubs and other animations.

So throughout this episode, basically Pinkie is trying to befriend this guy in her best possible way. She even brings out her own personal little welcome wagon and sings a song about it.

[Pinkie Pie]

Welcome welcome welcome

A fine welcome to you

Welcome welcome welcome

I say how do you do?

Welcome welcome welcome

I say hip hip hurray

Welcome welcome welcome

To Ponyville today

But eventually after some unintentional humiliations, ol' Doodle explains to Pinkie the real reason he came to Ponyville. He's apparently been searching for a longtime friend and has looked everywhere in Equestria for her.

Pinkie looks through his scrapbook and recognizes this special friend as Matilda, who she had conversed earlier with prior to the first song.

So she brings her straight to the old fart's house and the two happily reunite. It seems that they first met at the Grand Galloping Gala many years ago, which was Doodle's happiest moment. The flashback is a reminiscent of an "old timey" type cartoon. But after Matilda left one day, he searched all over Equestria and never found her. Turns out she was in Ponyville the whole time.

Matilda kisses Doodle and he finally bursts into a smile and accepts Pinkie's friendship being grateful that she found her. Pinkie writes her second letter to Princess Celestia and the episode ends with her singing the fourth and final song.

[Pinkie Pie]

He had a Cranky Doodle sweetheart

She's his cranky doodle joy

I helped the Cranky Doodle boy, yeah!

I helped the Cranky Doodle boy!

Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda: Pinkie!

Pinkie Pie: Whoops, privacy. Sorry.

Wow, what an episode! Actually, the only thing worthwhile about it was obviously the Smile Song, which I think had to be the shining moment for Shannon Chan-Kent.

They say that Shannon Chan-Kent is currently best known for the singing voice of Pinkie Pie in this series, never mind that she also voices Silver Spoon. Now the Smile Song may only be the third longest song in the series, but it's definitely gotta be Pinkie's longest song so far. Seriously, why wasn't that song nominated?

In personal opinion, the song itself stands out as the best song in the whole series and... and... How can it not make anyone smile? If there's anyone who didn't...

Pinkie Pie and Ronald McDonald would definitely get along, that's for sure. *sigh* I'll say this again. Pinkie may be loopy, she may be a chatterbox, she may even be somewhat ditzy, and maybe even a little oblivious at times. But get this. Pinkamena Diane Pie. Is. Not. Stupid. She's Ponyville's know-it-all... and she's got a heart of gold.

[Pinkie Pie]