Bevendre

It had it’s flaws, I’ll grant you, but most things do.  The narrative progression was clear, and had been established in earlier episodes (Three’s a Crowd).  It was established then that Fluttershy was privy to the Breezies existence, and it is often reestablished throughout the series that there are other races that have their own problems, (Breezies, Dragons, Cows, etc.) and other races that have some variation of magic (Dragons, Zebras, etc.).

The Breezies could have been better established, but for the time they were given, there was a culture and rudimentary mythos set up for them.  They were given personality not only through their appearance, but through their speech patterns, and in Seabreeze’s case, their attitudes.

The bulk of the story was largely rehashing previous Fluttershy episodes, stuff like her being a pushover, or being overeager to take care of creatures of all forms.  The lesson, however, was very important for her to learn, and one that fits in well with the overarching plotline of the season.  She learned that her element has two sides, and one must acknowledge them both to fully appreciate it.  This was the case with Pinkie, whose anger and sadness brought forth the greatest laughter after she overcame it, with Rainbow who came to understand that loyalty to one’s dreams and heart are both important, and with Rarity who learned that generosity can be abused and turned on the generous. 

To me, the keys and the lessons come to represent not only a sharing of the respective elements with another, but a deeper understanding of the elements for the Mane Six themselves.  They are only revealed after the character either overcomes temptations that challenge their beliefs (Rainbow, Pinkie Pie) or challenges that illuminate the fullness of their element (Rarity, Fluttershy).

In this, I found the story in “It’s Not Easy Being Breezies” to be sufficient for the overarching story, and for an individual episode.  As I said, it has it’s flaws; Fluttershy should have been the main focus instead of the Breezies,  the others could have been downplayed a little, and the resolution could have been tweaked, as adorable as the scene was, but overall I think the episode’s story stands well enough on its own.