User blog comment:ThatGreenandOrangeGuy/Your Thoughts on Fool Me Twice and City Slickers/@comment-31022739-20180210020034

City Slickers: I've got to say, I was a little disappointed with the way this episode played out. I think this is one of the few times where I was discontent with the standard eleven-minute format. As a result, both plots didn't have enough time to really flesh out their screen time and maximize their respective impacts. Admittedly, the Lori subplot wasn't affected too much, but the main plot definitely struggled to leave much of an impression on me.

Ronnie Anne's motivations were just...so hollow and unrelatable. The episode didn't give me a good reason to but into her actions because there wasn't enough opposition to suggest that she would be on the money if her new friends found out that she wasn't a city girl. Her friends' attitudes, personalities, and actions never inspired me to assume that Ronnie Anne had a point and that her means of prevention were necessary. So, when the "drama" came into play, I was pretty indifferent because...well, I just wasn't sucked in enough to really care. Maybe if there was more time, we could've had her fears fleshed out to actually look like a legitimate concern bred by insecurity instead of something that just happens out of the blue and with no focus on building up stakes.

Before this episode aired, fans speculated that this episode would be Ronnie Anne's version of "Save the Date". After seeing both episodes, I can see where the parallels come from, but for as much flak as it gets, "Save the Date" was a much stronger episode. At least in that episode, I could understand why Lincoln would want to lie about where he and Ronnie Anne stood because his classmates were being jerks and giving him a hard time. In "City Slickers", again, nothing about Ronnie Anne's friends (from what we see) give me the impression that they'd push Ronnie Anne away because of her true roots.

While this episode was kinda weak, at least the relationship of Lori/Bobby and Ronnie Anne/Lincoln was displayed pretty positively. Oh, and the Casagrandes continue to be a delight; every last one of them were a treat to watch, and I can't wait to see Pirate CJ have his. I can't wait to see more of them. Overall, I'd have to give this episode a 7.5/10. It would've been a paltry 7/10, but Lori's city outfit earned the episode half a point. :3

Fool Me Twice: If this is truly the final April Fool's Day episode of the show, they really picked a good way to wrap up the pranking trilogy. This episode may not be as good as "Fool's Paradise", but it was still a proper showing about what April1st!Luan should be all about; an over-the-top cartoony villain whose pranks aren't grounded enough to come across as malicious bullying.

Before I get into Luan's part of the story, though, I've gotta give the writers props to the idea of those actor stand-ins not playing out the way I thought they would. I was a little worried that they would be the focus of the majority of the episode (with Luan constantly pranking them for about eleven minutes, which I feared would've just been a rehash of "April Fools Rules'" hijinks). That would've been kinda boring to watch, so I'm happy that it all wound up being a ruse for Luan to play out her *real* scheme.

But remember when I said this episode wasn't as good as "Fool's Paradise"? The pranking is exactly why. It wasn't that it was too mean or anything (though, you could make the argument that the prank on Rita doesn't deserve that distinction), but it just felt a little flat compared to its predecessors'. Yeah, they were pretty much all good, but considering what we've gotten before, I was hoping the execution would be a little more...creative? Outlandish? They could've done more to really show off Luan's creativity, but most of it happens off screen to set everything up. Oh well, I'd rather have a bit too tame than completely crossing the line (looking at you April Fool's Rules).

Thankfully, everything picks back up again with the ending. It was nice to see Luan regret her actions when she realizes that pranks can't always be fun and games. Though, to really drive that point home, I wish that the episode didn't give us a reason to assume that Luan would forget what she learned and get back at her family next time around because of the cherry on top (by the way, fandom, are you gonna to complain about Luan's stuff being sold? No? Guess Lincoln's the only one who gets that kind of outcry, huh?).

Oh yeah, and thanks for finally showing us what Lindsey Sweetwater looks like! I know it's not much, but I love when this show gives us little fan service-y bits like that. Good on you for doing that and for featuring Sam again! 8.5/10 is what I give this episode.