My Review of MLP: FIM season 8 episode 11 Molt Down · 11:24pm Sep 16th, 2023
Grading Scale:
A (fantastic episode)
A- (an excellent episode with at least one flaw)
B+ (a great episode with a couple of flaws)
B (a good episode which still could have been better)
B- (a good episode with numerous flaws but still rewatchable)
C+ (a decent episode)
C (eh... it’s not terrible but not good either)
C- (it’s not worth rewatching although it does have good elements)
D+ (a bad episode with a few good things in it)
D (a really bad episode with wasted potential)
D- (a terrible episode with badly written characters and butchered moral)
F (horrible and unwatchable)
Greetings, folks! This is Mr. J back with another MLP episode review for this evening! Right now, I will be reviewing the eleventh episode of season eight entitled “Molt Down”. To be honest, this was a pretty good episode to watch; it may not be flawless, but it still gave us a good Spike-centered storyline that teaches kids how to handle puberty as they get older.
Spike grows a painful, itchy stone scale on his cheek and tries to hide it from Rarity. Once she discovers it, she assures him it’s nothing to be embarrassed about and recommends going to Zecora if he wants to seek remedy for it. Spike refuses the idea and heads back home to sleep it off.
It gets a lot worse as the stone scales break out all over his body. As he experiences the side effects thereof—violent fire burps, dramatic shift in tone volume, and scales becoming more itchy—he is unable to help Twilight with her lectures or do anything else at the School of Friendship.
Smolder notices this and tells him everything he needs to know about the molt effect. After she tells him how dragons usually get kicked out of their homes during this process, it saddens Spike—fearing he will be alone for the rest of his life. Thus, he finally convinces himself to go to Zecora for help.
I really like the way they showed how much Spike cares about the pony society he grew up in. Because he’s lived with them since he was an egg, this whole molt down has become a genuine shock to him that it forces him to make a tough decision: does he have to leave his pony family or stay? All because he is now growing up.
That’s something young people, especially teenagers, have to face as they get older. Puberty is a part of growing up, and it reminds young folks that one day they have to make decisions for themselves. Heading out to the real world is a tough, scary choice but only those who are mature and wise can survive through the cruelties of life.
I only wish that the episode actually stuck to that moral so that Spike can learn more about himself not just in the Dragon Lands but also anywhere else in or outside of Equestria. And I get that Twilight loves him so much that she doesn’t want him to leave and the fact that he doesn’t have to abide by dragon customs, but in my humble opinion, it would’ve been more impactful if Twilight gave him the option to choose if he wants to go or not.
But of course, we have to play it safe, so let’s have Twilight be forceful and not let Spike do some “growing up” outside of Ponyville! We can’t have that, can we? Oh, and Spike finally has wings now! It took him eight seasons to reach to that point, but wow, Josh Haber, you really outdone yourself. Bravo!
So, in the end, Spike saves Rarity and Zecora from the ferocious roc with his new wings, and everyone is happy. So overall, this was a nice episode that deserved a much better ending than what it got. Nonetheless, it does re-enforce the lesson about still being yourself even as you grow into adolescence. I just wish it had a stronger execution and took some risks in having Spike be gone from Ponyville for a couple episodes. In that way, kids will learn that discovering more about your identity on your own is a good option too.
So yeah, I will give this a solid B+!
Peace!
Spike was happy he sprouted wings.
I agree with you on this. It may not have taken enough risks with Spike growing up as a dragon, but it was still one of the better episodes from Season 8.
Is this the best grade you've given to a Season 8 episode?
5746776
Nope. That was “Horse Play”.
5746782
Ah. Still, a
Honestly, I wished he got his wings earlier like in season 6 or 7.