So we return once more to the world of My Little Pony Tales, with yet another episode done by Mr. George Bloom’s pen, who I have also learned wrote the orginal MLP special, Escape from Middle Castle. So without either him and Bonnie Zacherle, there’s a very good chance that MLP wouldn’t exist period. Some food for thought peeps.
Anyways, Out of Luck begins in the town junk yard, and I have to really give the foreground artists or story borders or whatever the correct animator term thingy I’m looking for some serous props here, that is a very nice pile of rusted metal and tires we get as the camera pans over towards a busted up piano. While the camera moves we get a voice while some stuff is shown flying about. Wonder if the pony versions of those darn meddling kids are going to pop up and some poi- and it turns out its Clover’s dad just rummaging through some other pile of junk.
Can’t remember if I gave Clove Dad a name before, but since the whole naming the Tales Mane Six’s parents after sitcom couples is a pain to keep track of, I’m just going to keep with the Bon Mom naming theme from now on, easier to keep track of and all that.
So while Clove Dad keeps searching about for stuff, Clover (not honestly sure if she was just passing by or if she went with her dad to the junk yard) asks what he’s looking for. Clove dad says he won’t know until he finds it. And it here that we learn that he’s an art sculptor, which I have to say is a pretty cool job, really gives Clove dad his own thing and easily gives him the most personality of all the parents aside from being ‘reasonable and good at their job of parenting” (though given what passes for the typical animated parent in cartoons nowindays…)
Clove Dad: That’s the way it is with art Clover, inspiration is the father of genius.”
Also, I really really like Clove dad’s voice. It’s so soothing and gives me the warm fuzzies. I remember one youtube commenter (before all the Tales episodes were taken down from the Channel) remarked that his voice is like that of a storyteller’s, and I have agree, seems like a pretty accurate summary of his voice in my book. So Clove dad (no idea who voiced him sadly) is easily tied with the Moochick for best G1 male voice.
After Clove dad finds a bent bike wheel (because ponies can ride bikes in this universe… apparently) Clover shows off her ability to randomly summon forth teapots. Seriously, Clove dad turns about and Clover literally holds up the teapot in her hoof. Granted, ten minute time limit and all that, and I have no doubt that taking the time to show Clover getting the pot would cut into the run time/drag down the pacing (not that I’m ever bothered that much by pacing frankly) so I won’t be too hard on Tales here. Also, Clover looks very the cute when she’s holding her teapot.
bob-dude.tumblr.com/post/74668537857/clover-bloom-from-mlp-tales-being-cute-as-a Pictured: Cuteness. Oh, and Clover
Speaking of the teapot, can’t help but wonder why the thing’s in the junkyard in the first place. Looks more or less intact from what I can tell, no cracks, nothing broken, still has the lid on top of it. Maybe the owners just didn’t care for the color of… I want to say light blue? Anyhoo, Clove Dad says that now Clover can start her own sculpture, but Clover says she has a better idea. And thus began Clover Bloom long and twisted love affair with Teapots. It was horrifying.
And then we get this place
bob-dude.tumblr.com/image/74667686666Huh. Actual Continuity. Got to say didn’t see this coming. Sadly, we don’t see anything of the Berryingtons, or Logan (though I think Mom Berry appears in Shop Talk) but we do get to see the inside of the tea clubhouse and it looks quite nice. Lower half the walls are a nice shade of blue, then we have some orange hearts acting as a separator between the blue and the pink wall coloring above the hearts. Anyways, Clover is show off her teapot swag (I neither know nor care if that term is still ‘hip’ or not daddyos). Patch remarks that she read the story of Aladdin once and brings up the myth while she slathers on some jam on a biscuit thingy.
Bright Eyes: I read that story in the library. Aladdin rubbed a magic lamp and got three wishes.
Bon Bon: Oh boy, a magic teapot!
…. Why do I get the feeling Bon Bon’s thought process went something like this: Magic lamp from an old book + random yet oddly perfectly intact teapot that Clover found today = magic teapot.
… Makes sense to me!
So after a bit of shared urging from all of her friends, Clover rubs the teapot and wishes for a: “Jillion Jangles!” Silly Clover, jillion isn’t a number, though if it is then silly bob dude for not taking the five seconds you’d need to google that sort of thing.
Anyways we hear a boom of thunder, and see that it’s raining (must be one hell of a quick storm to come rolling in like that, seeing as how the sky wasn’t cloudy before hoof. I mean, hand. Before hand. Freakin’ Brony Fandom. ><)
Sweetheart remarks that it’s really truly coming true, but the girls soon realize that it’s just raining normal boring old rain as opposed to being pelted to death by thousands of bit coins in the process. How do they discover this so quickly? Turns out their clubhouse is leaking. So the girls quickly get to work while in the rain, with Melody grumbling how they should be rich while she wrings out her tale while Patch hammers in some new roofing title (somehow Patch and tools just seems to fit for whatever reason). Clover and Sweetheart come by from down below with some more “Icky Sticky Glue.”
I have no idea if that means it’s good glue or dung glue. Also, I can only hope that glue isn’t equine based in nature, though if Tornado Firehooves had his way… But I digress.
Patch jokingly suggest using the teapot’s ‘magic’ to finish the work for them so they can all go home, and Clover (being Clover) takes her literally and does just that. A paint bucket slips and falls… on top of Sweetheart, who gets knocked out by the blow to the head and wakes up in a room with a winged yellow pony with a long pink- oh the heck with it, it lands on Clover alright?
Clover: Gee, it looks like my good luck turned bad.
Isn’t that more or less every other week for you Clove?
Well regardless we cut to later, after the cub house has been fixed I can only assume, where we see the Bloom family bathroom. Normally I’d take the time to describe the place, but really I think I’ll just let the image speak for itself:
In short, it’s a very nice looking bathroom.
While Clover takes her very bubbly bubble bath and wonders what happened to the good ole days (hate to break it to you Clove, but these ARE the wonder years) and we get our song for the episode, "When Fortune Smiled On Me". It’s a cute little number and it’s nice to hear Lalainia Lindbjerg singing again, especially on the last few notes of the song. Imagry’s nice, especially the shot of the yellow tulips before the mudslide comes crashing down on Clover. So it’s a pretty serviceable and decent little number in it’s own right.
Also, because I’m loving abusing taking screen shots of these episodes with my computer, have another picture commentary.
bob-dude.tumblr.com/image/74778447155 Clover, whatever drugs your on to the point that your seeing roses in the bathtub. Staph. Okay?
So with the song ending, we get what is easily my favorite part of this entire episode, this thing: Clover realizes that she’s overflooded the bathroom while singing, proving that Tales, unlike Equestria, does not in fact run fully off of Broadway Musical logic. And… well just look at it!
bob-dude.tumblr.com/image/74778956531There’s just something about this image that I find to be positively hilarious! Clove Mom, obviously, grounds Clover for flooding the tub but not before order her to clean up the flood mess. The mess that has seeped out into the hallway I might add. Man, Clover’s like the tenth Doctor, when she messes stuff up she REALLY messes stuff up. Oh well, more the reason for her to be my woobie wafu (J/k guys, no, really, I’m just joking here, f that wafu nonsense><).
Clover: Yes mother… (sighs) Maybe this is all a bad dream?
I do love how Lindbjerg says that line in that scene, just the right amount of whiny while still being entertaining. And before anyone asks, yes similar to Rarity’s infamous “But I thought you WANTED whining?” scene.
So we cut to the next scene, where we see the teapot looking quite shiny next to Clover’s bedside table stand thing. Clover has her head turned away, trying to sleep (not sure how much luck she’s going to have with that lamp of her’s on like it is) but when she turned her head to the side of the bed that the teapot is facing and opens her eyes, she raises her body dramatically, blaming the teapot for her troubles.
Funnily enough, assuming Clover didn’t take that teapot back with her to her room after she was done cleaning the place, I could see that working if the teapot just up and teleported itself inside her bedroom like that.
So we then get a shot of the house at night (tis a very nice shot, though I won’t be showing it unless people are really really curious, which I doubt) with Clover sneaking out one of the ground windows, carrying the teapot fanon Lyra style. Clove walks over human style to the family trashcan, where she throws the teapot in with a surprising amount of force. I say surprising because I’m honestly impressed that teapot didn’t break from being thrown like that. Pony’s in the Tales verse must take their teapots VERY seriously there. Also, Clover’s wearing a blue-ish nightcap. It is cute. ^^
So we cut to later in the morning, where Clover gaints or trots or whatever the correct pony walking term I’m looking for here is off to school and the town garbage collector comes in. He sees the teapot resting atop of everything else and goes up to the Bloom house and asks’ Clove Mom if they really want to throw the teapot away, since, ya know, tis a very nice teapot and all that.
Clove mom, thinking she’s doing Clover a favor, accepts the teapot back. Man, why can’t Arlington garbage collects be that nice? Also, I have to say that I really like Clover’s house. Can’t remember if I’ve talked about it before, but it’s a nice shade of purple, matches well with the dark green roofing. Looks to be pretty spacious without being a Mc Mansion, so all things told it’s a pretty nice place considering the wife seems to be a stay at home mom (not that that’s a bad thing mind you) and the dad does art for a living.
Later, Clover returns home only to find herself being attacked by the stings from Psycho. Clove, if the teapot starts wearing a wig at any point, run like hell in the opposite direction. Thankfully, Bad-Brony the teapot (named after the more darker and disgusting aspects that have caused me to recently more or less wash my hands of the ‘weirdness’ that is the bro pony fandom) just sits there doing nothing. Because it is a teapot.
Clove mom greets her daughter, and Clover asks just what the heck the teapot is doing there. Clove mom says she thought Clover threw it away by mistake, only for Clover to flat out say that it wasn’t a mistake, walking over to their booth-like dinning table thing in the corner. Clover is very much the cute when she looks grumpy. ^^
Noticing that something’s up, Clove Mom asks what’s wrong and Clover pulls out a piece of paper. Turns out Clover didn’t do her homework last night. Clover starts blaming the teapot, and Clove Mom isn’t happy about this, so Clover gets grounded for the rest of the day. We cut to later that afternoon in Clover’s room, where she’s trying desperately to learn her some fractions only for her frustrations to mount higher in the process. In fairness, I’d be mad too if I had an eraser that didn’t even do it’s job. You had one job eraser, ONE JOB!
Clover throws the teapot into her nearby trash can set to some dramatic guitar music. Ah, the 90s. Not happy with that location, Clover tries putting it in other places, include one of her nightstand draws (the teapots too big), her rug, and her shelf full of stuffed animals. Clover really has a thing for bears; I can already imagine her and Grumpy Bear of the Care Bears meeting up.
After the teapot falls on her pillow next to her (clover’s fallen back on her bed a scene or two ago) Clover gets so mad she sneaks out the of the house, climbing down her family’s wall vine things. Honestly, with Clover’s luck I’m amazed the poor girl didn’t fall and hurt herself. Also, why is it houses in fiction always seem to have those convenient wood vine bracer things that just come in handy when needing to escape from a second story room?
So, after climbing down with teapot in hoof we get a scene transaction over to a stallion sleeping on a boat with a fishing pole in the water. Like the bank and two trees in the background, and the sunsets done well too, good job animator guys! He has a hat on (very spiffy looking orange fisher pony’s hat) and he’s got light brown coat and dark brown mane. And he’s fishing… Welp, there’s only one joke to make at a time like this.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PVUit1-0CkWhat? You were thinking of a certain Doctor of the Who? Ahahahah-F—That Fanon. Seriously, really sick of the tenth doctor becomes a pony fanon. Not saying it’s not done well, I’m just very tried of seeing it. We’ve got 12 other doctors to make use of people, why stick with Worse (in my book at least) Doctor? Much like how I’m tired of people constantly mixing Dream Valley G1 and Equestria together no matter how much it diminishes both Generations…
But I digress, Clover’s grumpyness must be rubbing off on me. Anyways, Clover tosses the teapot, startling Andy Griffpony from his nap (oh come on, what else was I going to call this guy after making that joke? … Well, suppose I could have called him Pony Fife). Clover trots off looking smug (or is it gait?) while Andy looks all aduhhh (also, his eyes are blue) as he glances at the now floating teapot in the lake.
So back at the Bloom household (were we get yet another nice shot of the place at sunset) Clover and Clove Mom are preparing their all veggie dinner (because, ya know, they ARE still ponies in the end. Very human like ponies, but ponies.) and we learn that Clove Dad has been working around the clock to finish that sculpture of his in time for some big important event thingy.
Clover asks if she can put the cucumber in the… cucumber slicer gun thingy (I seriously have no idea what the hell that thing is supposed to be guys, help me out). Only it turns out hooves aren’t the best appendage to wield a vaguely gun shaped object, and winds up shooting cucumber slices all over the place, nearly attacking Clove Dad in the process. Note to self: Never let Clover get access to the a mini-gun. It will only end in pain. Door bell rings and Clove Dad goes to answer the door. (also, they got one heck of a nice rug in the main entrance way. Very red rug if I do say so myself).
Turns out its Andy Griffpony here to return the teapot. No idea how the hell he knows where Clover lives, though if Clotenvillie is supposed to be like Cabot Cove or Mayberry or Hill Valley, I could see it as the sort of town where everyone knows everyone.
Clove dad asks Clover if she threw the pot into Paradise Lake (so that was Paradise Lake, gotta say, very lovely place from the look of it) and we get a return of the Hitchcock strings and Clover freaks out so much that she winds up hiding behind her mom’s legs out of fear.
Ya know, between her and Twilight Sparkle, I can’t help but wonder if there’s something about lavender ponies brains that go the cra cra after a certain point.
Clove mom tells Clover to stop overacting to a freaking teapot, while Clove dad is more cross about his daughter throwing a teapot into the lake and potential polluting it. Clove dad would make a good ally of the Planeteers me thinks. When Clover expresses more concern for her own well being then the damn lake, Clove dad (who is mighty cross by this point) sends Clover to her room.
We cut to later down in Clove Dad’s Stalloncave, where’s he’s hard a work welding the random junk he found in the junkyard into a statue/figure/art piece thingy. He hears a knock on the door and turns out it’s Clover, who needs to have a talk with her dad. To his credit, Clove dad is more than happy to sit down and talk things out with his daughter. Man, makes me whish my dad could be that understanding sometimes…. Right, so my high maintenance father aside, Clove dad explains to his daughter that the teapot has nothing to do with her luck, it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Princess “I still needed two guys to save my complaining bun haired butt” Liea (no I don’t give that much of a damn about the OT star Wars, why do you ask?): Naturally, they became heroes.
In an effort to prove his point, Clove dad decides to weld the teapot to the funky modern art sculpture thingy in spite of Clover’s adorkable peals. Not sure how plausible that is honestly, but given that I’m not a scientist and don’t broadly speaking give a damn about it, I’m going to chalk that up to a good ole fashioned “Who gives a dung?”
You know, given Clove mom’s behavior in Meadowlark (Clover’s big sister) I can’t help but wonder if this overreaction thing is genetic on some level?
Also, this happens
Clove dad: Perfect! I’m ready for the show.
Clover: (shakes her head at the audience) Not.
Huh, never would have thought that Clover was a follower of the Two Great Ones. Party on Clove, party on.
So we get a nice shot of a gallery art store at night as two fancy ponies, and I just realized how much Coltenville seems to love to have it’s shops on the corner of streets. Inside we see a pretty nice looking art store (love the rainbow over the pink fluffy clouds painting) with one red maned, light blue coated pony with a bowtie drives a cart around with snacks and such.
Also, love the bright orange pony with sea blue/green mane and tail playing the cello or whatever the hell that thing is. I hereby dub her 90’s Octavia. Because why the hell not?
So we soon see that all of the Tales Mane Six (which I will try to make my new nickname for them) have joined Clover to see if her father will be able to sell his statue thingy. Patch walks by and asks if the teapot on the statue thingy is Clover’s and Clover grumbles that it is (grumpy Clover is best Clover).
Then Clove dad and a fancy rich mare walk by the statue, and rich mare expresses interest in it. Upon examining it future, she has this to say about it: I simply adore your use of everyday items to convey a sense of immediacy and familiarity while at the same time illustrating the wastefulness of our society.
You can just imagen Clove dad is thinking: … I just put junk together and get paid for it. Sure, Let’s go with that! Outloud he actually says that it’s exactly what he had in mind.
Then, rich mare lets out a gasp and notices the teapot.
Clover: BOGUS!
Fancy pony; It’s a stroke of genius! Shall we discuss the price?
And with that, Clove dad and fancy pony trot on off, but not before Clove dad gives his daughter a knowing wink. Both starlight and Bright Eyes comment on Clove dad selling the statue thing, and Clover remarks that maybe the teapot was good luck after all. Then Clove mom comes in and says that maybe it wasn’t so much the teapot has the fact that the statue was just plain good.
Clover: maybe it was lucky that the sculpture was good?
Clove mom: Puts a hoof around her daughter neck: Let’s just say that sometimes it’s good to be lucky!
And that’s Out of Lucky, and cheesyness of the ending aside (seriously, that's a pretty cheesy ending even by MLP standards) it’s a pretty enjoyable limelight episode for Clover and her family, and taking into account future episodes, I think that the Bloom family is easily the most closely knit of the lot. The Apples would approve. So, next time we get a return to Melody as the focus as we learn that the Play is the thing.
