If the water monkey just wants to protect the cultural relics, why should he release the heat of 800 years? (Translated from Google Translate)
6 Reviews
Goodbye, Daring Do
ericstevenson23 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is the last Daring Do in the series and it actually gives it proper closure. It starts off with a parody of George R. R. Martin writing books critical of Daring Do. It's revealed to be her enemy, Dr. Caballeron in disguise. He manipulates Fluttershy into helping he and his henchmen find the magical Truth Talisman, which as it name suggets, makes its wearer tell the truth. They come across Daring Do's archnemesis Ahuizotl, who wants it too. The best part is how everyone is understood.
We find out Dr. Caballeron does become friends with Fluttershy, so while he did want to steal the talisman, he wanted to do the right thing after all. Fluttershy suggests finding out what motivates Ahuizotl, and what do you know? He has good motives too! I'm just impressed at how this show teaches lessons about friendship. It shows that well all have good in us. Maybe not so much Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. ****
We find out Dr. Caballeron does become friends with Fluttershy, so while he did want to steal the talisman, he wanted to do the right thing after all. Fluttershy suggests finding out what motivates Ahuizotl, and what do you know? He has good motives too! I'm just impressed at how this show teaches lessons about friendship. It shows that well all have good in us. Maybe not so much Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. ****
Lots of doubt about this episode
TheLittleSongbird14 March 2022
The Daring Do episodes were a bit of a mixed bag, although Daring Do herself was a long way from a bad character (the opposite). "Read It and Weep" and "Stranger Than Fan Fiction" were great and high points of their respective seasons. On the other side, "Daring Don't" disappointed, though more an uneven episode than a bad one, and one of its respective season it was one of the middling episodes. Same with "Daring Done".
My pick for the worst Daring Do episode is easily Season 9's "Daring Doubt", with it being the only one to do very little for me. The previous two Daring Do episodes were more slightly above average middling episodes, whereas "Daring Doubt" was a misfire and very mediocre final episode for Daring Do. While there were a sizeable batch of disappointing, barely average previous episodes of Season 9 with a couple of potential wastes, this was the season's first below average outing in my view and one of the season's worst. It also fares unfavourably when talking about the latter seasons in general.
"Daring Doubt" does have good things. The animation is great, it is immensely vibrant and the attention to detail in the backgrounds is very rich. Loved how vivid the setting is and how much the visuals have advanced and become more polished since 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' first started. The music has energy and atmosphere, and placement-wise it is in harmony with the action and not at odds with it.
Voice acting is very, very good, that is another thing that has never been a fault throughout 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic's' run. Caballeron was a very interesting and well developed character that deserved a better episode. The Truth Talisman jokes agreed are very funny.
It is a shame however that very little else works. Was very mixed on Fluttershy's characterisation, her kindness, politeness and willingness to help are so appreciative and lovely traits to have, but there are too many times in the episode where she comes over as too easily fooled (which had never been the case before with Fluttershy), too nice and too wet. Do absolutely agree with the writing of Daring Do falling flat to a catastrophic degree and that it was clearly written by somebody who disliked her. She comes over as too much of a clueless idiot and her treatment is mean-spirited, big similar problems in the early Spike-centric episodes and with the episodes involving Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolt characters in having negative flaws exaggerated and being treated badly.
Moreover, the writing and story are heavily flawed, with the story being especially messy. The script is very bland and confused, as well as handling the characters in too simple a manner by having them as too much of one personality or side (Caballeron is the sole exception). The story not only does not correct any of the flaws of "Daring Don't" and "Daring Done" it has all of them with even worse execution and more flaws along the way. The story is very erratically paced, with a rushed pace but the blandness of the writing makes it feel dull as other points, and fails to make sense. Too many contradictions and unanswered questions, indicative that the writers had forgotten that the other Daring Do episodes even existed, and too many abrupt gear tone changes that makes the tone feel muddled.
Other problems can be found with those two aspects too. It is excessively predictable, with too little new done with an already derivative scenario, and plays it far too safe with no risk taking. Obvious in the one-dimensional character writing and watering down of Fluttershy. The moral is too much of a rehash, despite good intentions on paper, and would have worked so much better if the story wasn't so safe and confused and if the characters had more complexity and likeability. Also didn't buy that a situation like the one here could end so conveniently and like conflict had not happened, it does not give a good message out.
Summing up, very disappointing and a lesser Season 9 episode. 4/10.
My pick for the worst Daring Do episode is easily Season 9's "Daring Doubt", with it being the only one to do very little for me. The previous two Daring Do episodes were more slightly above average middling episodes, whereas "Daring Doubt" was a misfire and very mediocre final episode for Daring Do. While there were a sizeable batch of disappointing, barely average previous episodes of Season 9 with a couple of potential wastes, this was the season's first below average outing in my view and one of the season's worst. It also fares unfavourably when talking about the latter seasons in general.
"Daring Doubt" does have good things. The animation is great, it is immensely vibrant and the attention to detail in the backgrounds is very rich. Loved how vivid the setting is and how much the visuals have advanced and become more polished since 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' first started. The music has energy and atmosphere, and placement-wise it is in harmony with the action and not at odds with it.
Voice acting is very, very good, that is another thing that has never been a fault throughout 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic's' run. Caballeron was a very interesting and well developed character that deserved a better episode. The Truth Talisman jokes agreed are very funny.
It is a shame however that very little else works. Was very mixed on Fluttershy's characterisation, her kindness, politeness and willingness to help are so appreciative and lovely traits to have, but there are too many times in the episode where she comes over as too easily fooled (which had never been the case before with Fluttershy), too nice and too wet. Do absolutely agree with the writing of Daring Do falling flat to a catastrophic degree and that it was clearly written by somebody who disliked her. She comes over as too much of a clueless idiot and her treatment is mean-spirited, big similar problems in the early Spike-centric episodes and with the episodes involving Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolt characters in having negative flaws exaggerated and being treated badly.
Moreover, the writing and story are heavily flawed, with the story being especially messy. The script is very bland and confused, as well as handling the characters in too simple a manner by having them as too much of one personality or side (Caballeron is the sole exception). The story not only does not correct any of the flaws of "Daring Don't" and "Daring Done" it has all of them with even worse execution and more flaws along the way. The story is very erratically paced, with a rushed pace but the blandness of the writing makes it feel dull as other points, and fails to make sense. Too many contradictions and unanswered questions, indicative that the writers had forgotten that the other Daring Do episodes even existed, and too many abrupt gear tone changes that makes the tone feel muddled.
Other problems can be found with those two aspects too. It is excessively predictable, with too little new done with an already derivative scenario, and plays it far too safe with no risk taking. Obvious in the one-dimensional character writing and watering down of Fluttershy. The moral is too much of a rehash, despite good intentions on paper, and would have worked so much better if the story wasn't so safe and confused and if the characters had more complexity and likeability. Also didn't buy that a situation like the one here could end so conveniently and like conflict had not happened, it does not give a good message out.
Summing up, very disappointing and a lesser Season 9 episode. 4/10.
How is bringing 800 years of Everlasting heat, Protecting the Jungle?
travelertoon26 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
MLP FIM, a show I loved. Well before it hitted seasonal rot. Seasons 1-5 were great. Seasons 6-8 were meh. Season 9 was just awful. So I'm going to review a season 9 episode. The last Daring Do episode, and it sucks. So in this episode Fluttershy, gets a new Daring Do book. The book tells us how Daring Do is a threat to Dr. Caballeron. So Fluttershy joins with Dr. Caballeron to see if he is right. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do follow them. Also Ahuizotl appears, and the moral is to listen to people's other sides of the story. The plot is just stupid. While the moral was portrayed very poorly.
So lets start with how the characters were portrayed in this episode. I know that Fluttershy is a kind pony. But she is shown to be too naive. From how easily she falls to Dr. Caballeron's manipulations. Even though she has seen him do evil things before like trying to steal and attack Daring Do. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do were okay. Acting sane towards Fluttershy's idioticy. The other ponies are portrayed as a bunch of sheep who will believe anything. They do not benefit the story at all.
But here is what I want to talk about; Dr. Caballeron and Ahuizotl, and how they reformed. I can get how Dr. Caballeron, and his goons being offered acts of kindness can work. But the acts were too rush for me to actually buy Dr. Caballeron redeeming. But Ahuizotl's redemption is probably the worst out of the show. Well actually its revealed that he is a Jungle Guardian who protects the artifacts from theives. Even though in earlier episodes he was clearly shown to be a villain. From how he used a ring to bring about 800 years of unrelenting heat, which would definitly damage the jungle. Or when its mentioned that he tried to plunge the town of Somnambula into eternal night. I would prefer for them to stay as cartoonish villains to Daring Do.
So the story is full of continuty errors. Especially with how the villains reformed. Actually Ahuizotl was retconned to a good guy. The plot and most of the characters were completely stupid. I actually like how Daring Do and Rainbow Dash were competent in this episode. The worst part is that they will be no more Daring Do adventures from this episode. I will give this episode a 2/10.
So lets start with how the characters were portrayed in this episode. I know that Fluttershy is a kind pony. But she is shown to be too naive. From how easily she falls to Dr. Caballeron's manipulations. Even though she has seen him do evil things before like trying to steal and attack Daring Do. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do were okay. Acting sane towards Fluttershy's idioticy. The other ponies are portrayed as a bunch of sheep who will believe anything. They do not benefit the story at all.
But here is what I want to talk about; Dr. Caballeron and Ahuizotl, and how they reformed. I can get how Dr. Caballeron, and his goons being offered acts of kindness can work. But the acts were too rush for me to actually buy Dr. Caballeron redeeming. But Ahuizotl's redemption is probably the worst out of the show. Well actually its revealed that he is a Jungle Guardian who protects the artifacts from theives. Even though in earlier episodes he was clearly shown to be a villain. From how he used a ring to bring about 800 years of unrelenting heat, which would definitly damage the jungle. Or when its mentioned that he tried to plunge the town of Somnambula into eternal night. I would prefer for them to stay as cartoonish villains to Daring Do.
So the story is full of continuty errors. Especially with how the villains reformed. Actually Ahuizotl was retconned to a good guy. The plot and most of the characters were completely stupid. I actually like how Daring Do and Rainbow Dash were competent in this episode. The worst part is that they will be no more Daring Do adventures from this episode. I will give this episode a 2/10.
I'd Like to be Honest...
aka-453164 August 2020
I found this episode to be a mediocre end for the Daring Do saga.
Before I get into why this episode is one of my least favorites of the show, though, I'd like to point the many things I did enjoy about it.
For starters, the humor and comedic-timings revolving around the Truth Talisman and the ponies wearing it were nicely done and funny. As a matter of fact, I couldn't help but laugh SO MUCH at the part where one of the henchponies says he wants to be an opera singer.
Along with that, Caballeron's reformation and development throughout the episode was surprisingly well-worked. Even though he was one of the last villains I expected to have a change of heart, it was amazing to see how much of an impact Fluttershy's kindness had on him and his lackeys. It was also interesting to see Caballeron's henchponies be upgraded from mere minors to ponies with a sense of life and personality.
And like many episodes of the show, Fluttershy's acts of kindness throughout were a pleasant thing to see. I admired her determination and how far she was willing to go for her friends. Plus, she sure did look cute with the hat she had on after joining Caballeron on the expedition.
I'd also like to point out that the episode's message to "treat others with kindness no matter what" was definitely a meaningful one to live by.
In spite of these positives, though, the episode...was nothing but a muddled mess. Sad to say, the biggest blame for it all goes to the writing by Nicole Dubuc.
Some have told me that the other messages of the episode was to "give others the benefit of the doubt" and "listen to their side of the story". But if that really was the case, I find that the former message was done much better in Season 3's "Keep Calm and Flutter On", and the episode hardly did a great job at getting the latter message across.
In terms of the latter message I mentioned, it seemed more like the episode was saying that we should immediately trust strangers without being cautious or thinking about if the stranger can be trusted, which was completely immoral and wrong. Much of that particularly comes from how everything was playing out and how befuddling the narrative was. The reason I'm saying that the narrative was confusing is because amidst trying to prove whatever points Fluttershy and the episode were trying to make, Nicole Dubuc left behind a great many plot holes that made the story implausible and questionable.
In addition to that, Daring Do seemed to be getting painted as one of the biggest dunderheads around. I get that before she met Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Main Six, she didn't trust anyone or think to ever talk and listen, but still...Caballeron and Ahuizotl hardly gave any reason to be the trustworthy types before. The lesson regarding the whole thing even painted Daring Do's epic adventures as a list of mistakes and debts she made in the long run, which was a lot like saying she should never have been an adventurer to begin with or ever existed.
The way Daring Do's reputation was getting tainted again, especially compared to Season 7's "Daring Done?", felt completely mean-spirited and heartless, like Nicole Dubuc apparently hated the character and didn't care about how she was treating her. A prime example comes from the part involving her "kicking puppies", which was frankly a flat and cruel joke for her to incorporate.
Plus, despite the episode's references to Season 4's "Daring Don't", it carried little acknowledgement or continuity with it. In this case, it contained a lot of contradictions with its predecessor.
If I recall correctly, Fluttershy met Caballeron and Ahuizotl in "Daring Don't" and got to see firsthand what they were like outside of the books. And believe me, I studied the episode closely and made comparisons between it and this episode to know.
How could Fluttershy suddenly forget all about Caballeron, Ahuizotl, and the adventure? Or act like she hardly knew them and what happened then? Or be so careless enough as to fall for Caballeron's lies?
And yes, I thought that Fluttershy's heart was in the right place to be extending kindness and friendship to Caballeron and Ahuizotl, but still...she was WAY too naive and gullible, which was completely out of character of her. Fluttershy is a kindhearted individual, but she would never be quick to trust someone outside of her friends or without getting to know someone new for longer periods of time. Considering Caballeron was up to no good again, I'm pretty sure she'd suspect that foul play was afoot by making comparisons between both his and Daring Do's books instead of being easily duped by Caballeron's treachery.
The biggest elephant in the room, though...was when Ahuizotl said that he was a guardian of artifacts after touching the Truth Talisman.
Everything about what he said hardly tied in at all with his previous appearance in "Daring Don't" and his aforementioned intention in Season 7's "Daring Done?", each of which showed him to be a villain through-and-through. It was literally one of the biggest retconnings since the one in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 3", where the Sandman was apparently suspected and confirmed to be the one who killed Peter Parker's Uncle Ben. Especially despite the fact that there were witnesses in the first movie that saw Ben get killed by the robber from the boxing match and never saw the Sandman.
How does Ahuizotl being a guardian tie in at all to the fact that he tried to bring 800 years of sweltering heat onto Equestria in "Daring Don't"? And was mentioned to be trying to cause eternal night in "Daring Done?"? If he really was supposed to be guarding the jungle's artifacts, then why was he traveling outside of it? Wouldn't he have known that bringing eternal night and 800 years of sweltering heat would cause more harm than good and do more than just keep thieves away?
Even if he really was a guardian, there's no justification behind all that he did. None of what he did wouldn't have benefited him at all in his duties. If part of being a guardian of artifacts would literally include putting the world on the verge of destruction or endangering the lives of others...then I'm sorry to say he truly is a monster, is unfit to be a guardian, and has proven himself to be no better than the thieves who try to steal the artifacts. With all that said, I'm pretty sure his boss and co-workers (if he had any at all) would've been displeased by what he was doing.
All in all, it was like the episode was saying there's no such thing as right and wrong, and that it's okay to be doing bad things as long as you have a good reason for doing it, which is completely incorrect. There's no excuse for committing acts of villainy, no matter what one says. The worst part is that it goes against everything the show was teaching before, which is that there's such a thing as right and wrong.
In the end, there were things about "Daring Doubt" that I enjoyed, but the episode as a whole...was one of the worst I ever saw. And because of the gigantic amount of plot holes created, everything about it felt like the beginning of an incomplete story that Nicole Dubuc and Allspark were either too lazy to finish or didn't care to complete. Until they actually do something to fix what they messed up, and since there are no references and acknowledgements in any episode after it, I refuse to count "Daring Doubt" as officially canon.
Before I get into why this episode is one of my least favorites of the show, though, I'd like to point the many things I did enjoy about it.
For starters, the humor and comedic-timings revolving around the Truth Talisman and the ponies wearing it were nicely done and funny. As a matter of fact, I couldn't help but laugh SO MUCH at the part where one of the henchponies says he wants to be an opera singer.
Along with that, Caballeron's reformation and development throughout the episode was surprisingly well-worked. Even though he was one of the last villains I expected to have a change of heart, it was amazing to see how much of an impact Fluttershy's kindness had on him and his lackeys. It was also interesting to see Caballeron's henchponies be upgraded from mere minors to ponies with a sense of life and personality.
And like many episodes of the show, Fluttershy's acts of kindness throughout were a pleasant thing to see. I admired her determination and how far she was willing to go for her friends. Plus, she sure did look cute with the hat she had on after joining Caballeron on the expedition.
I'd also like to point out that the episode's message to "treat others with kindness no matter what" was definitely a meaningful one to live by.
In spite of these positives, though, the episode...was nothing but a muddled mess. Sad to say, the biggest blame for it all goes to the writing by Nicole Dubuc.
Some have told me that the other messages of the episode was to "give others the benefit of the doubt" and "listen to their side of the story". But if that really was the case, I find that the former message was done much better in Season 3's "Keep Calm and Flutter On", and the episode hardly did a great job at getting the latter message across.
In terms of the latter message I mentioned, it seemed more like the episode was saying that we should immediately trust strangers without being cautious or thinking about if the stranger can be trusted, which was completely immoral and wrong. Much of that particularly comes from how everything was playing out and how befuddling the narrative was. The reason I'm saying that the narrative was confusing is because amidst trying to prove whatever points Fluttershy and the episode were trying to make, Nicole Dubuc left behind a great many plot holes that made the story implausible and questionable.
In addition to that, Daring Do seemed to be getting painted as one of the biggest dunderheads around. I get that before she met Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Main Six, she didn't trust anyone or think to ever talk and listen, but still...Caballeron and Ahuizotl hardly gave any reason to be the trustworthy types before. The lesson regarding the whole thing even painted Daring Do's epic adventures as a list of mistakes and debts she made in the long run, which was a lot like saying she should never have been an adventurer to begin with or ever existed.
The way Daring Do's reputation was getting tainted again, especially compared to Season 7's "Daring Done?", felt completely mean-spirited and heartless, like Nicole Dubuc apparently hated the character and didn't care about how she was treating her. A prime example comes from the part involving her "kicking puppies", which was frankly a flat and cruel joke for her to incorporate.
Plus, despite the episode's references to Season 4's "Daring Don't", it carried little acknowledgement or continuity with it. In this case, it contained a lot of contradictions with its predecessor.
If I recall correctly, Fluttershy met Caballeron and Ahuizotl in "Daring Don't" and got to see firsthand what they were like outside of the books. And believe me, I studied the episode closely and made comparisons between it and this episode to know.
How could Fluttershy suddenly forget all about Caballeron, Ahuizotl, and the adventure? Or act like she hardly knew them and what happened then? Or be so careless enough as to fall for Caballeron's lies?
And yes, I thought that Fluttershy's heart was in the right place to be extending kindness and friendship to Caballeron and Ahuizotl, but still...she was WAY too naive and gullible, which was completely out of character of her. Fluttershy is a kindhearted individual, but she would never be quick to trust someone outside of her friends or without getting to know someone new for longer periods of time. Considering Caballeron was up to no good again, I'm pretty sure she'd suspect that foul play was afoot by making comparisons between both his and Daring Do's books instead of being easily duped by Caballeron's treachery.
The biggest elephant in the room, though...was when Ahuizotl said that he was a guardian of artifacts after touching the Truth Talisman.
Everything about what he said hardly tied in at all with his previous appearance in "Daring Don't" and his aforementioned intention in Season 7's "Daring Done?", each of which showed him to be a villain through-and-through. It was literally one of the biggest retconnings since the one in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 3", where the Sandman was apparently suspected and confirmed to be the one who killed Peter Parker's Uncle Ben. Especially despite the fact that there were witnesses in the first movie that saw Ben get killed by the robber from the boxing match and never saw the Sandman.
How does Ahuizotl being a guardian tie in at all to the fact that he tried to bring 800 years of sweltering heat onto Equestria in "Daring Don't"? And was mentioned to be trying to cause eternal night in "Daring Done?"? If he really was supposed to be guarding the jungle's artifacts, then why was he traveling outside of it? Wouldn't he have known that bringing eternal night and 800 years of sweltering heat would cause more harm than good and do more than just keep thieves away?
Even if he really was a guardian, there's no justification behind all that he did. None of what he did wouldn't have benefited him at all in his duties. If part of being a guardian of artifacts would literally include putting the world on the verge of destruction or endangering the lives of others...then I'm sorry to say he truly is a monster, is unfit to be a guardian, and has proven himself to be no better than the thieves who try to steal the artifacts. With all that said, I'm pretty sure his boss and co-workers (if he had any at all) would've been displeased by what he was doing.
All in all, it was like the episode was saying there's no such thing as right and wrong, and that it's okay to be doing bad things as long as you have a good reason for doing it, which is completely incorrect. There's no excuse for committing acts of villainy, no matter what one says. The worst part is that it goes against everything the show was teaching before, which is that there's such a thing as right and wrong.
In the end, there were things about "Daring Doubt" that I enjoyed, but the episode as a whole...was one of the worst I ever saw. And because of the gigantic amount of plot holes created, everything about it felt like the beginning of an incomplete story that Nicole Dubuc and Allspark were either too lazy to finish or didn't care to complete. Until they actually do something to fix what they messed up, and since there are no references and acknowledgements in any episode after it, I refuse to count "Daring Doubt" as officially canon.
So, its all fake?
TheIrishJackomon3 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I really hate how this episode ended the Daring Do arc, and how it ended with the reveleation that Ahuizotl is a protector, and not the villain. I had theorized that Daring Do is a secret agent or a secret spy for Princess Celestia, and honestly, I'm going to keep that as a headcanon myself. The revelation just makes everything regarding Daring Do really confusing for me, and seriously messes up Equestrian Lore aswell. The only reason why its not a 1 is due to Fluttershy's role in this episode.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
