Perfect Pear is the kind of episode not anyone ever expected we would ever get. There was always the hope that they’d at least get explicitly mentioned and sometimes something Applejack did led to things being added to theories regarding her parents. But we always had thought it was just too dark for this show to cover what the staff has told us for a long while: the fact that AJ’s (and by extension Big Mac and Apple Bloom’s as well) parents are deceased.

But perhaps what might be the most significant episode of this season manages to not only deliver this premise with plenty of tact. But easily one of the most emotional yet positive episode despite the strong implication that the two characters we’re told the story about are deceased in the current time of the show. We’re not exactly told how they died, but I don’t think that was the point. The episode is closer to an eulogy, most don’t mention the story of how they died, they celebrate the life that they had and the impact on others especially within their own families.

This episode was also another guest starring episode. Though a little more subtle compared to when we got Weird Al and Lena Hall where they both had big songs to provide the episode with. William Shatner plays Grand Pear. And while he doesn’t sing, he still gives a pretty proper performance for the character. And it’s just another of those MLP episodes that manage to bring in a celebrity without making the episode’s point just “*insert celebrity* is in MLP”. I think it’s great they just fit in even guests as if they were a regular voice actor.

I think the only weird part of the episode is during the flashback scenes where we get the background of the Apple and Pear feud. When we first see Bright Mac and Pear Butter (The names of AJ’s parents) they’re babies and that even seems to even be the moment Bright Mac first gets strong feelings for Pear Butter. Yet they have the same voices as their adult selves it seems like. The scene could of easily been fixed by aging them up and having them meet as pre-teens/teens or something I think. I feel like maybe there was a miscommunication between the animation team and the VAs but for some reason they didn’t fix it. It’s a real minor thing in the episode overall but still probably the only part that might bug some people.

If there was any doubt left about if AJ’s parents were deceased. It should of been pretty much all cleared up once you get to Burnt Oak’s scene. Just by his facial expression you just get that strong implications that his dear old friend Bright Mac that we hear in the story is no longer with them. That’s when you really know that if somehow they turn up not dead it will be a cop out of the highest degree. Especially at the very end when Big Mac stays behind slightly to ask if they can come back occasionally to hear more stories. And those tears in Burnt Oak’s face just say it all.

And the song we get from Pear Butter to Bright Mac basically makes them perhaps no contest the best written romantic relationship in the entire show. They’re a cute couple anyone could get behind and they have plenty of adorable moments just in that once scene with not just the song but a little before and after. And while it is a bit of a cliche to have a romance like this between two members of feuding families in a Romeo and Juliet kind of way I think nonetheless the show manages to show it in a way that’s still great. With so many episodes we’re bound to cover ground that most other cartoons have but sometimes certain ones turn it into something special. And that’s what this episode did.

And as much as Grand Pear isn’t given the best light in the flashbacks. It just becomes more tragic when you realize what with how many years have passed he came to regret not connecting. And possibly never even gotten the chance to speak with her one last time whenever she died. So the tears he sheds when the Apple siblings come to talk to him are just all the more heartbreaking.

But it all ends in one last heartwarming moment as the Apple Siblings, Granny Smith, and Grand Pear all gather to see the trees that Bright Mac and Pear Butter planted to twist around each other that now serves as a memento of the two and the love they had for another. They’re gone, but their impact lives on in their family and friends. And that’s perhaps the strongest way the show could of covered something as deep as a death without actually saying it or telling how they died. It’s all-in-all one of the most special episodes ever and an instant classic in this show’s history. Really good job done with this episode to everyone involved.

And oh yeah, we’re at the halfway point of the season so I suppose it’s fair to give a halftime thoughts on the season. And I have to say I have been very pleasantly surprised with this season. I was afraid this season would be like Season 6 given it’s for the most part led by a B-Team and new writers since a lot of more well-known writers moved to help with the movie. But Season 7 has been looking to be one of the better seasons. I’d arguably say it’s had the best start to a season since Season 4. I’m not saying the entire first half was that amazing there was some episodes that were more to the eh side of things. But I feel a lot more refreshed at this point of the season then I was through the first half of Season 6. Episodes like Parental Glidance, A Royal Problem, and of course A Perfect Pear have been highlights of this season for me and I’m pretty hyped to see what else this season has in store for us. There is one particular episode coming  I’m particularly excited for (Hint: Listed as episode 22 of the Season) if it means what I think it means regarding what little info we have of the episode. But we’ll have to wait and see.

Next thoughts we return to more regular episodes that probably won’t be as heartstring pulling as this episode. But next one is going to be another of those meta episodes. Between the show and the fanbase pretty much. Seeya then