Season Four Episode Review: Princess Twilight Sparkle · 6:24am Nov 24th, 2013
Nine months have past since the last season, long enough to bring even more future pony fans into the world. We have torn at our eyes, cried and wailed against the all-surrounding darkness, and at long last have crawled into the light of day.
Or we just sat on message boards and whined about people whining about whining. That works, too.
Anyway, here's the first episode of Season Four, “Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
TECHNICAL SPECS:
Season: 4
Episode: 1+2
First Aired: 11/23/2013
Written By: Meghan McCarthy
SUMMARY:
It's only two days before the Summer Sun Celebration, and Twilight is not feeling too good about things. Not only does she have to deal with those pesky wings someone glued onto her and got stuck at a sharp angle, but she still hasn't figured out how to master flying. Her friends try to cheer her up by reminding her how she's a princess and everything, but that just adds to the problem: she doesn't want them treating her any differently than before. And having a stained glass window celebrating the coronation doesn't help things. Still, Applejack reminds her that they discovered the Elements of Harmony and stopped Nightmare Moon, so they'll always be connected as friends. And then they leave to go back to Ponyville.
That night, Twilight continues to worry about everything, with her OCD ability keeping her from scheduling a quick trip to Ponyville. Fortunately, Celestia walks in to offer Twilight a shoulder to cry on as she adjusts to her new roles, and things seem smoothed over...until Celestia leaves, and a vine starts crawling after her...
The next day, Twilight awakens to discover that the sun and moon are both stuck in the sky, trapping Equestria in eternal twilight. Even worse, Celestia and Luna have vanished without a trace. Despite an early freakout and a mob of frightened civilians, she manages to briefly take command of the situation...until she discovers that the Everfree Forest seems to be growing. Back in Ponyville, the entire town is slowly being devoured by black vines, the sky is filled with spiked clouds that cannot be cleared, and unicorn magic is on the fritz because of pollen in the air. Twilight and Spike rush off, teleporting/crashing into the library respectively, and brief the others on the situation in Canterlot.
Grabbing the Elements of Harmony (which were conveniently in the same place as in “Magical Mystery Cure”), the six summon the one being who seems most likely to be behind this: Discord. Unfortunately, he pleads innocence, with Fluttershy being the only one willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Zecora, however, has had to flee the Everfree Forest, and has come with a potion that can only be affected by Alicorn magic. Good thing we have an Alicorn, huh?
Twilight uses some dark magic to turn the potion white, and a quick drink causes her to suddenly appear in a strange castle, right in front of a surprisingly peeved Princess Luna. Cursing the sun-loving populace, she transforms into Nightmare Moon and engages Celestia (who was right behind Twilight) before being banished. Twilight realizes that she was actually seeing events from the past, and at Zecora's urging, takes another drink. This time, she goes all the way back to when the two defeated Discord, and even further than that to when they found the original Elements of Harmony, housed in a crystalline tree called the Tree of Harmony.
Realizing that the Tree is the one way to stop the Everfree Forest, the group bravely heads out...but after a brief run-in with a roccodile, Applejack suggests that Twilight go back to Ponyville, on the grounds that she is the only princess left in Equestria and they'll need leadership if the quest fails. Twilight doesn't take it well, but leaves with Spike...only to immediately be goaded by Discord into going back. Unfortunately, she happened to come back not only right after the other group discovered the Tree of Harmony, but also stumbled into some fly trap-looking things who proceed to gas her unconscious. She's saved by the others, however, and everypony agrees that they need to do this together.
The Tree of Harmony, however, is near-death, and the vines choking it aren't going to go without a fight. The only way to stop the growth is to power the Tree with the Elements of Harmony...which requires giving them back. The group is initially aghast at this, but there is no other option. Twilight manages to slip the gems past the vines, filling it with power once again and erasing the other vines. Celestia and Luna are also freed, having been wrapped up by the vines the whole time. But another mystery opens up, as a chest with six keyholes appears before them.
Still, their quest is accomplished for today, so they head back. Discord is initially overjoyed that their trump card is now gone, but a quick scolding and thread from Fluttershy puts him back into place. And then he reveals that the whole thing was his doing to begin with...only, it was a plan he had started a thousand years ago, but was stymied until just recently by the Tree of Harmony's latent power. Regardless of the truth or not, the Summer Sun Celebration goes on as planned, with Luna lowering the moon, Celestia raising the sun, and Twilight pulling off a Sonic Rainboom-esque explosion in between.
REVIEW:
It's no secret that “Magical Mystery Cure” left a bad taste in a lot of mouths. It also ended the season with a great amount of fear and trepidation about where the show would go from here. Would Twilight reach Super Princess 2? Would the show be all about how all girls want to be princesses? The list goes on and on and on. After a whole summer and most of a fall of worry, the next season has finally begun, and answers will be given.
The first scene brings back the largest flub in the show's continuity (although there's another I'll get into towards the end): Twilight can't fly now, but could fly back in the final number of MMC. Personally, I'm just going to write that one off as a musical number and leave it at that, since otherwise I'd have to ask where that all-blue room Rarity was sewing in during “Art of the Dress” was and demand diagrams to prove that it's canonically correct with what we know of her household. Besides that, though, I really love this opening. Twilight clumsily flailing about was something I really wanted to see. Now we just need to set it to this music:
The other thing to take away from this scene, and the one that follows, is Twilight's fears about what these new wings and title mean for her friendship with the others. She's currently stuck in Canterlot helping with the Summer Sun Celebration, and they are working on the festivities back in Ponyville. She also doesn't want then calling her princess or bowing to her (by the way, no bowing in the opening, so screw you, Ponychan), or just treating her any different. The others mostly react in the usual, reassuring way (although Pinkie apparently has some borderline unwholesome dreams about frosting), except for Applejack. She is absolutely gung-ho about Twilight accepting her duties, and places an almost religious fervor on how special being able to wield the Elements of Harmony is. There are some things about this that bear discussion, but they have the wait until a later scene. And if you've seen the episode, you know which one.
This is continued with their departure at the train station. It's nothing standout, but it does feature some more friendship moments, build on Twilight's fear, and lets Pinkie make amends for ruining cupcakes forever by first glomping Twilight until she's flat on her back, and then sending her a letter instantly to tell her she isn't missing anything.
After that, we get some more of Twilight's usual antics, only with a princess twist. She still has Spike run through the obscenely long checklists, down to the last minute detail. And when he mentions that they could probably catch a quick trip to Ponyville without falling behind, she begins her usual freaking out over missing something that wouldn't come up until she left. Only, since she now has wings, they begin to open up involuntarily with her thoughts, lifting her higher and higher until she smacks into the ceiling and crashes back down. So those who said the breathing exercises made her dull can suck it.
Celestia then enters to drop more exposition...and it's here where I notice that much of the first act of the first episode is just characters talking to each other about things. The scenes with the Mane Six were made of exposition, and here we get even more. Celestia talks about how the Summer Sun Celebration has been a party honoring her victory over Nightmare Moon, but now she can actually look forward to it for the first time in a thousand years. (We'll get to that soon. Trust me.) Still, the scene gets two things that I do like. The first is when Celestia tells Twilight she doesn't need to apologize so much, which is funny since that's what I always do. (But that's less because I'm polite and more because I have no backbone.) And the second is when Celestia, a pony who has no doubt had to watch far too many friends depart (sometimes forever), offers herself as a confidant for Twilight. Just goes to show that even if their status is technically equal, some things haven't changed.
And then Spike shows up to ruin the moment, Celestia leaves...and is captured by a vine that somehow broke through an entire mountain and palace floor and catches her and carries her back to the Everfree Forest without anypony noticing.
The next day, the sun and moon are both stuck in the air, which wouldn't actually be unusual in the real world, but on Equestria causes eternal twilight. Before the parade of terrible memes and death threats over a stupid tween girl thing can begin, Twilight walks out to assess the situation (after awakening Spike, who now has PTSD from all those checkboxes he's marked), and is immediately mobbed by panicked onlookers. And then the guards pull her in and tell her the worse news about Luna and Celestia. And Spike, knowing exactly how Twilight reacts to extremely stressful situations, promptly faints in hopes of passing by the oncoming storm unscathed. Fortunately (and unusually), Twilight actually shows some real leadership and takes command...and tells them to just keep searching. Yep, amazing leadership. At least she isn't cracking like an egg this time.
At least, until she hears about Ponyville.
The montage of the rest of the Mane 6 dealing with the problem is funny enough on its own. Fluttershy's animal friends locking themselves inside her cottage was hilarious, as was her change from “calm and collected” to “I'm going to die a painful death, aren't I?” The Apples get a good scene trying to pick the vines out (with Big Mac getting the best), and Rainbow Dash's failed attempt to bust one of the clouds was fine. But the best part is definitely when Rarity's and Sweetie Belle's magic goes ballistic, spraying Opal before attacking them with a curtain out for blood after Rarity skimped on the dry cleaning.
But the best part is just how perfect this whole mess is. The vines are too strong and grow too fast for Earth ponies to pull out. The clouds are indestructible, leaving the pegasi useless. And the pollen they're spreading is wreaking havoc with unicorn magic, meaning they can't just zap up a solution. Even excusing Applejack wondering if Rarity has a solution (you know, being “pointy” and all), it's still an interesting challenge, one that is ultimately designed to resist the typical strengths of each race.
Unfortunately for Spike, he had to remind Twilight she could fly, and fly she did. He even found a way to install seat belts...somehow. (I don't want to think about where they go afterwards.) Too bad he forgot that Twilight's teacher has a major problem with actually sticking landings, meaning Twilight is now barreling towards the library at an unstoppable speed. And then she teleports in...but forgets Spike, who just crashes into the window and slides down. So if you're a Spike fan...my apologies.
It's amazing that the Elements are still being stored in a library, but what's even stranger is that they can just...summon Discord whenever they want. I know he's supposed to be reformed and all, but still. Anyway, Discord's back, having been summoned while in the tub and singing “Winter Wrap-Up.” There are a lot of moments with him this episode, but I will say that he's long since worn out his welcome and just feels like a really annoying Q...up until the very end, anyway. All this scene does is repeat the same conflict from “Keep Calm and Flutter On,” with everypony ready to just stone Discord and Fluttershy being the only one who will stand up for him. Fortunately, Zecora shows up with our Deus Ex Machina of the episode: a potion that requires “Alicorn” magic to activate. This is a cheap device, to be sure, but whatever, time for the money shot.
Also, Twilight once again uses dark magic. Which is apparently Alicorn magic. Huh.
The first flashback is simultaneously ancillary to the overall plot, and also one of the best things about the episode. Ever since the show began, fans have been savoring a chance to look at what happened a thousand years ago, creating an entire genre of pony fan work. The whole fight is gorgeously animated, and also incredibly heartbreaking considering how it all ends. And that moment where Twilight is crying over Celestia's body...ouch.
The other two flashbacks aren't bad, either. There are two things, however, that make them notable. The first is that Celestia and Luna sound and act much, much younger during Discord's time (if you look at the buildings in the background, they clearly resemble huts), and yet Celestia's mane isn't pink and Luna doesn't look like her second episode design. Again, huh. They also look very beat up and exhausted, which only makes me want to see more of the history to tell how that happened. The second is the distribution of the Elements themselves, with Celestia getting Magic, Kindness and Generosity, and Luna receiving Laughter, Honesty, and...Loyalty, for some reason. (It's actually really hard to tell at points, since the coloring on some is rather vague.) Then again, it did take Luna a good while before she snapped, so...
One thing that doesn't work, however, is the CG Elements. They look like Rupees from Legend of Zelda, and clash horribly with the Flash animation. A similar effect was the Timberwolves back in “Spike at Your Service,” although this one isn't quite that bad.
So now that our heroes have a clear goal, they set out...only to run into a rockodile. Twilight has a wing spaz-out, but is saved by the others...and then Applejack tells her to go back. And now it's time to discuss this scene. Hoo boy.
First, sending Twilight back runs contrary to what had been set up prior to this. The heroes, just three minutes ago, rushed in head-first to save the day together, and already they're sending one of their members back. Second, this continues the running theme of Applejack trying to offer good, wholesome advice and utterly failing. She just comes off really off here, and the others instantly agreeing with her is even worse. And third, the moment doesn't even last long, since Discord just guilt trips Twilight into going back. So in effect, this scene and the two before it are rendered meaningless one after another.
But to play devil's advocate, Applejack does have a good point. If they do fail, it will be up to Twilight to try and rule Equestria. (Why they don't ask Cadance is never given anything more than a hand wave.) By putting her in harm's way, they run the risk of losing the last ruler the land has left, and I doubt Mayor Mare will be up to the challenge of running an entire country when she can't manage a single town.
And to tie this back to the beginning, remember how Twilight kept complaining that she didn't want her friends to treat her any differently? Guess what they're doing now. That's why Twilight agrees so quickly; it's a confirmation of her worst fears. If she wasn't a princess, there would be no argument that she should be there alongside them, but now that she has royal duties, everypony treats her like she's more important than they are, even if they don't quite notice it. It's still a poorly-executed scene, but not quite as bad as some have made it out to be.
So anyway, they discover the tree underneath the old castle, and fortunately for them, Sombra had already been there and carved a nice set of stairs leading down. And they proceed to fail because they didn't bring the one pony who knows what this tree is and might have an idea how to deal with it. And of course, Twilight running back into the forest and sending Spike ahead to scout was a dumb move, since she promptly gets surrounded and gassed to sleep by those fly trap things that look like...uh...moving on...
Since we're so close to the end, it's time for another action scene. And this one, much like the Nightmare Moon flashback, is beautifully animated and paced. Everypony gets a chance to contribute, even Twilight, who manages to get the last shot in a scene that really implies she should be holding a smoking gun. They all make up, friendship is powerful, the usual, time to save the Tree of Harmony.
Again to the episode's credit, the corrupted Tree is suitably creepy, what with the green slime and mass of vines. The tendrils are also self-aware, having knocked Dash out of midair during her last attack with ease. That's when Twilight reveals that yes, it's time to say good-bye to the Elements of Harmony. They have to go back in the tree to save it. The others, of course, point out that they're giving up their best weapons for the sake of a big crystal tree. (It's not like there's a shortage of crystal entities in this world, after all. An entire empire full of them is just north of Equestria proper.) And there's also the matter of Discord, as losing the Elements would mean giving up their one way of stopping him. That whole thing about AJ saying the Elements tie them together comes up again, and is just as bizarre and rather dumb as it was in the beginning. But alas, the plot has been written so there is no way out, so they give it up. Because they are true friends, not just a group of ponies who happen to share the same network of empathic weapons.
The jewels are slid into place (although not before Twilight is almost cocooned by the vines), and the world is saved immediately. Celestia and Luna are also released (again, this is way too easy), and the plot seems all wrapped up. That's when McCarthy pulls a black book on us and has the tree spit out a chest that, according to Luna, has six locks and six keys. (It could, you know, have six locks but only one key, and you just have to take it out and put another one in. Or two keys, or three, or...just saying.) Discord also shows up some more, now overjoyed at the thought of being free for good.
And this is where I actually start to like Discord a little again. He planted the seeds these things grew just before his defeat, with plans to have them spring up capture Celestia and Luna and strangle the Tree of Harmony almost immediately. Things were delayed because the Tree still had a lot of fight left in it, but once they began their work, they followed their protocol to the letter. And the only way to stop them was to give up the one power that could defeat him. It's remarkably convenient that they happened to hatch now, when he's not a statue. Almost as if he had planned this out from the beginning...
But if he did, one thing that has changed is Fluttershy. Even after telling the others to not just blindly accuse him earlier, she knows what kind of abomination he is and promptly tells him to stuff whatever plans he has and get to work fixing up Ponyville. And he does just that. So it seems the Elements aren't really necessary after all.
The Summer Sun Celebration scene is also great. There's just something to seeing Celestia overjoyed that cannot be overstated. The one real weak point is Twilight doing that burst of magic (which is what McCarthy has said it is on her twitter); that just felt forced and weak.
CONCLUSION:
If I had to say that this episode had a goal outside of being entertaining, it was to fix up some of the issues Season Three left. Discord's redemption is slid back to a more believable level, Twilight's new position is given some groundwork for building, and the adventure aspects are brought back to the forefront for all the ponies. Whether or not it succeeded is up to the individual to decide, but I feel it at least tried to address as many of the concerns going into this season as it could. The pacing (outside of the last quarter) is stronger than most episodes, it spends a lot more time building up the world, and while Applejack could stand some scrutiny, it does a good job of saying that things aren't the same, but not everything has completely changed.
The episode shares some of the same issues as other two-part episodes, but it also shows considerable improvements over the past. The animation has been given a big bump, although the CG still needs work, and the weight of the danger is much greater even without a villain. In fact, this feels like what Sombra was supposed to be – an unstoppable force of nature – and the lack of an actual villain figure just helps that. Once again, pacing rears its ugly head towards the end, but it's nowhere near as terrible as it was in “The Crystal Empire” or “A Canterlot Wedding.”
As for the possibility of a season-long story arc, I was suckered into that last season. I will believe it when I see it.
Overall, this was a good pair of episodes to start the new season with. I highly doubt it'll appease everyone, but it does its best to try and bridge the gap between MMC's blowout ending and the series as it goes from here. While pacing and deus ex machinas hold some parts down, I still enjoyed these episodes and would gladly rewatch them. (Which is more than I can say about “The Crystal Empire” these days.)
Next Saturday, our heroes go on a castle adventure. Hopefully Luna left plenty of pork chops in the walls; I don't think they can survive on just hearts.
I love love loved the premiere.
Also, it spawned this:
If nothing else, the NMM flashback has officially destroyed the "Tyrant!Celestia sent her sister to the moon just for lulz" meme. You could see how it broke her heart to have to do that... in fact, her whole attitude towards the Summer Sun Celebration gave her some much-needed on-screen development.
I didn't think I was imagining things when I noticed that "alicorn magic" looked just like "dark magic". Which makes me think that Sombra had been an alicorn, not a unicorn.
Definitely the best review I've seen of the premiere today, and I've seen a lot of reviews. Thanks for doing this. Seriously, your reiews are a lot of fun to read and they really make me think about the show on a whole nother level.
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It's also dispelled the "Pink Mane" myth that some people (including myself) believed, about the elements transforming her after she used them all herself.
In fact, my own two-part series has been pretty much knocked right out of the grounds. Oh well, no biggie
I enjoyed those two episodes. I also enjoyed your review! There was a few nitpacks and pacing issues but on the whole an interesting and fun season premiere!
I can't help but feel like Discord didn't divulge all the information mostly as a way to teach Twilight something about her duties and how they affect her relationship with her friends. It feels like the way it all ended was exactly how he wanted in everyway.
1535582 The "Pink Mane" theory being jossed isn't enough to cause a big fallout though, unlike the NLR fics being finally destroyed mercilessly.
As far as the vines capturing Luna and Celli so easily, I think the two probably travelled into the everfree first and to the tree of
lifeharmony to see what the buck was going on and then were captured in the vine's home court.I can't wait to see new fiction about applejack and her thoughts on this. To me, it seemed like she was caught in between wanting Twilight to succeed at being a princess, but also afraid of losing her as a friend. There was a very good argument i read a while back about how applejack should be the element of loyalty/dependability and Rainbow being the element of Honesty, and i think that idea plays well here. Applejack owes more to the Princesses than the others, as they had given Applejack's great grandparents the land that is now Sweet Apple Acres, and I imagine that she was raised to have great respect for them. Now that Twilight has become one of those princesses, her emotions are having a battle with one side having that same respect she was raised to feel (assumedly) and her natural want to see twilight to succeed, and the other afraid that she is losing the relationship they had. She clings to the elements of harmony as tangible proof of their friendship, and the thought of losing them hits her harder than the others. Just my take on it though.
I loved this episode. Some of the dialogue was off, especially some of the lines from pinkie pie and rarity. Almost like the scenes were written by two different writers. And while most of the animation is amazing, some of it felt off. Still, this episode was a lot of fun and has renewed my interest in the show. To think, i was contemplating just sticking to reading the fanfiction and stop watching the show altogether. Glad I sucked it up and gave it a shot.
My headcanon is that Twilight's always wanted to see how good Shining Armor is at tossing mares, and now that she has a set of wings...
Which I'm actually personally okay with. Season 3 ended on a heck of a cliffhanger, and it's nice to have the start of Season 4 begin with an awful lot of exposition on why Ponychan and /mlp/ were wrong.
Also my roomate Daga Yemar just in general wants more scenes with Celestia talking.
Part of me wonders if anypony around Canterlot thought that Twilight was staging a coup. ALL HAIL PRINCESS TWILIGHT.
I'm actually a Spike fan because of the slapstick humor involved in his lot in life. He's like Baldrick in a lot of ways. As long as it doesn't descend into the awfulness of Spike At Your Service, and as long as he gets moments to shine every now and then. He didn't really here, but I'm hopeful for later in the season.
I feel that it perhaps would have been better to cut the rockodile, and have Applejack raise her point and the others agree with it outside of the Everfree. Then when the M6-1 reach the Tree of Harmony, they can realize that they need Twilight, while back at Ponyville Discord's scene with Twilight can continue basically unchanged. It would have flowed much better, and, like you say, Applejack does raise a good point.
One does not stage a coup and then invite the sole remaining challenger to one's throne to that throne. Twilight's planning for the long game here.
Yes, in my head, Twilight is now coming up with zany schemes to take over Equestria.
I agree. It was a good way to start Season 4, and I'm certainly hooked into the potential for an ongoing plot, or at least a recurring plot element.
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Unless that IS how Alicorn magic works... And yes it was exactly Sombra's Dark Magic, purple bubbles with green and black.
Which would make the Alicorn Amulet make far more sense if Alicorns magic is dark to begin with...
Which might explain why Celestia wanted to groom in a new Alicorn rather then having one naturally...
And Which opens up way more questions about "Alicorn Magic" and why we don't see many others besides our current quad Alicorns.
I mostly agree with the analysis here except the part regarding Discord .
I think annoying and manipulative are parts of Discord's character. Without those essential parts, he wouldn't be as unpredictable or pranky as he is in the show. That would run counter to his very existence. He didn't call himself the God of Chaos for nothing. Although somewhat reformed, Discord still is that bizarre prankster who 'helps' others in his own, mischievous ways like Q.
Ah yes, review time!
Personally I liked Discord throughout the episode, but the reveal of his gambit at the end really sold it.
Dem Twilight/Celestia feels. Those Celestia/Luna feels.
Twilight's little shot of dark magic though. I am REALLY interested in THAT.
Is it just me, or did the episode imply that the whole three seasons took place over the course of ONE year, rather than 3.
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TASTE THE RAINBOW
It was kind of nice seeing Celestia finally open a can of whoop-ass herself, after getting her own butt whooped.
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That's certainly how I read it. Not that it bothers me, as I'd never assumed the episodes were happening in real time, or even chronological order. Notably in S1 when Winter Wrap Up orginally aired BEFORE Fall Weather Friends with only a single episode inbetween (gee those 9 months must have just flown by). Likewise, it seems better than the idea of assuming that the CMC have been trying and failing to find their special talents for a full three years (while also not seeming to age a day).
Though more to the point, the show has just always played fast and loos with any semblance of continuity or a coherent timeline. It's really only ever been us fans projecting our own expectaions of such that would ever have made it appear otherwise.
Another interesting thing for me was when Celestia said that Summer Sun Celebration was about her victory over NMM. I assumed that this festivity predated that and probably even predated Celestia and Luna, originally being just a solar cycle celebration. (I didn't think that NMM's banishment lasted precisely 1000 years, within a day, as Twilight mentioned "the longest day of the 1000th year".)
Of course, an old celebration could get a new meaning after NMM's defeat.
I really like how it was never stated, but my headcanon immediately made Discord's first time breaking free be caused by the seeds of chaos already weakening the crystal tree. Why Celestia didn't think of it is beyond me though.
Alicorn magic is actually shown several times to be corrupting and evil. (Like the Alicorn Amulet and how it makes crystals grow all evil-like). Wonder if they're ever gonna expand on something as minuscule as that. At least now we know how to distinguish alicorn magic from other types of magic: It's bubbly. Even Trixie's red magic left bubbles afterwards.
I almost agree with the distribution of Elements between the royal sisters. We've been shown that when ponies have to act against their Element, they get majorly fucked up. Luna wanted to take care of her subjects (loyalty) and have them do fun things during the night (laughter). One could argue that, unlike Celestia, she's been very straightforward all throughout the series, not using proxies to act, taking matters into her own hands (This is what honesty is somehow been in the series with that one background pony). I would argue that she should have had generosity instead of honesty, because she tried to give good things to her subjects, but was scorned. Dunno.
I still wish this episode had been part of a three episode arc that was IN THE SAME GODDAMN SEASON so we didn't have to wait a year to actually see the Twilight we love.
And I loved her in this story. She's still clumsy, nervous, oblivious to Spike's pain from her constant abuse, and most of all: UNSURE OF HER FRIENDSHIP. All of this means she still has stuff to learn about it. GOOD! She didn't become the Princess of Friendship, but of Magic. Her friends helped her get there, but it wasn't the reason why she became a princess, it was because she understood that friendship can help her with magic and make it stronger.
The episode would have been better without Discord. It would have also been better if Luna and Celestia didn't return in the end, at least for a while. Twily would have had to rule and get all adorkable about it and then she'd get to stage an epic rescue with her friends.
Did she 'sparkle' in the 'twilight' between night and day? Hammer it in whydon'tcha.
Calling it now: The box contains a baby alicorn who Twilight has to take care of in Season 5. And she'll be called "Harmony."
1535984 It would have been a busy year. Also Equestrian year might be really long, because the Apple Family meets every one hundred moons and AJ is still pretty grown up in the latest photos. Or months very short. Blame Luna. So plausible, yes.
Some episodes are clearly continuous, like Dragon Quest being before Spike At Your Service, the Gala episodes being continuous etc. Someone who actually has time might try and make a timeline, but it shan't be me.
1535758 They've gotten better about it, but Discord is still a show-stealer, and for the WRONG reasons. He's huge in size, uses constant visual puns and special effects, is voiced by Q and everything he does just screams I'M SO CHAOTIC PLEASE LOOK AT ME WHEN i'M CHAOTIC. His two-parter was nice, I hated Keep Calm And Flutter On, and the S4 premiere didn't benefit from him at all. The same What The Hell, Hero could have come from Zecora. Seeds of chaos? So we get to see the whole thing in a flashback anyways with Discord being all mwahaha about it. Still didn't advance the story. Leaving D out of the ep would have made it flow better.
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That was awesome.
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Unfortunately, I doubt that line of thinking is going to die so easily. This is the same fandom that, when they discovered their background ponies were getting different names than the fanon, threw a massive hissy fit until they got their way. And the "Celestia is evil, Luna was misunderstood" belief is so firmly entrenched that, even now that this episode (and to an extent, the Sunset Shimmer part of the Annual) has evaporated any and all possible canon support - that never really existed, mind - for the idea, it will still live on. They will find a way to twist the episode's events so that it makes Celestia look heartless and Luna a victim.
But yes, it's nice that Celestia got some real development for once.
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I actually thought this would have the biggest rebuke, since the "pink mane" myth is a long-standing figure in art, comics, and fanfics. The same is true of young Luna looking like she did in the second half of the pilot. Then again, we don't actually know how long ago Discord's defeat was, other than the visual cues of the huts in the background, nor do we know how old the sisters truly are, so I guess the meme still has a little wiggle room.
1535758
I understand that, but Discord really seemed to just get in the way of the episode with his antics, and a lot of the humor just felt forced. He's fine when he's a deranged threat they need to overcome, but he doesn't pull off the trickster mentor archetype anywhere near as well as Q did on TNG.
1535868
Crap, I knew I forgot something.
I'm not sure if the episode's timeline is supposed to be exact, or if things just flow differently in Equestria, but...yeah, this was kind of an issue. The only explanation I can think of is that:
A) Apple Family Reunion took place after this episode (which might be true, since Twilight didn't appear at all in that one).
B) There have been other Summer Sun Celebrations, but this is the first one Luna will be a part of. The last couple were missed because she was still getting used to modern Equestria and was uncomfortable being out for such an important event, and the importance here is because not only are the sisters finally working as one for the celebration, but Twilight is now a princess as well.
C) Space is warped and time is bendable.
Although 1535984 also gives a good explanation.
1536221
Another piece of wiggle room could involve that Twilight's vissions could be argued as being filtered through her own expectaions and experiances, thus she wasn't seening Celestia and Luna as they really were back then, but based on her own mental images of them. Granted her ability to accuratly see things outside her knowledge, such as the Tree of Harmony likely exclude such a possiblity, however, it still doesn't entirely preclude that the perception filtter might only apply to things already familiar to her.
Yes, it is a feebly desperate grasp, but what color Celestia's mane used to be as well as S1 or S2+ Luna are rather harmless pieces of fanon, so I don't see any harm in letting folks cling to their delusions in any way that works for them.
...
Regretibly the same logic could probably be used by proponants of Celestia the Tyrant, since of course Twilight would choose to see her mentor as the hero, but well... sorry.
Don't forgot the part where Applejack just snapped a huge vine like a twig, and Maid Discord.
I actually like Discord in all of his performance in these two episodes, especially the bit where he goads Twilight. Yes, it sort of makes the questionable decision kinda irrelevant through near instant reversal, but it also shows that, as Spike put it "He may be reformed, but he's not that reformed!" He's still more than willing to be manipulative, even if only for his own enjoyment.
And on the CG, I didn't actually notice that (NOW I can notice it), I think I was too distracted by the facts that A) They look ridiculously like rupees, and B) The shape of the Element of Magic confirms that Twi had been destined for it since she got her cutie mark, and may have been since the tree popped up in the first place. We already knew she was fated for it, but does this also mean that when the elements are passed on again, the new bearer will have the same cutie mark? Also huh, that's why her mark only has five white starbursts, not six.
Something aside from the whole 'the elements are what bind us together' argument that did grate slightly, was Fluttershy pulling rank on Discord. It made it painfully obvious that her friendship is being used as leverage for manipulation, although his smile after putting on the maid costume implies he didn't mind too much. Or enjoys cross-dressing. Could be either, could be both.
Final thought, did Discord singing in the bath constitute the singing we've been teased about on Twitter? I suspect it might, so I think I'm going to release any breath I've been holding waiting for him to sing.
Words cant describe how happy i am to see the pink mane as fanon for good
1536987 ??
1537666
1. The pink mane people use is an awful color, it looks like chewed bubblegum.
2. It shows the writers having some backbone and not giving in to what the fandom wants and standing up and saying "Hey, Motherfuckers, this is our show. We'll do what we want (even though, Ironically, thats what hasbro wants)."
We need to understand that shouting and creaming isn't going to get what we want. The artists are, in the end, the final say on the matter, they ultimately will do whats best for the show, not the fans, because if the fandom had its way, Celestia would be a rapist that was banished in the moon, Vynil and Octavia relationships would be canon, Rainbow Dash would be an open Lesbian, Pinkie pie would kill people, Luna would be an infallible ruler who does nothing except play video games all day and night,Trixie would have Twilight's wings, and Lyra would have hands... Oh, and lets not forget that whole inclusion of Dr. Who somewhere in it.
1536180
Maybe she didn't know what was in the bag. After all, I could be wrong, but I don't think canon has ever declared Celestia to be omniscient. Heck, on the first runthrough, I thought Discord was eating rocks. Then again, the onion seeds I planted last spring looked a lot like tiny black pebbles...
"Hopefully Luna left plenty of pork chops in the walls;"
mysterioushiddenroasteddungeonwallchicken**.......
1535581 really? cause i was super disappointed here , only grapped on about the really painfully obvious stuff that happened in the show , i was expecting better , this even somehow even with mentioning it completely overlooked what is quite possibly the largest plot hole that has ever occurred in the fim universe.......
however i am interested in looking up other reviews , so if there's any you would recommend to me that would be great.....
holy fucking shit though i don't think im ever going to see anything as mind shatteringly awesome as this review though
it even makes my tearing apart review of those episodes (which i still haven't finished making since nobody's shown any interest in seeing it finished yet....) look like a total joke in comparison.....
1537820 celestia looks good in pink mane though......
so really , nobody's even clued into how the events that took place in this season opening should be technically impossible? nobody? ugh where can i start my own post/thread/upload/whatever about this where i can give my analysis and so people can actually see it an engage in discussion about it?.........
1539403
I'm sorry.
It's not like I was ever any good at reviewing to begin with.
Maybe I should just quit while I'm ahead.
1539403
I've seen a ton of reviews all over place, mostly just from checking out random blogs. Most of them were just quick opinions or just kinda jokey and sarcastic. Just look around, you'll find 'em.
By the way, that video had me pumping my fist the whole time.
1538387 Yeah, except when Celestia and Luna used the Elements of Harmony to bind Discord, maybe they should check the source of that power when he breaks out? You know, at least once every thousand years or so? Doesn't take an omniscient Princess to check the wiring, as it were. Maybe she was too busy playing house with Luna, or trolling Twilight, I dunno.
1539403 yeah.... No. The color of pink that people use is ugly and I'd rather stay as far away from looking like Molestia as possible.
1539418
Aside from your own two comments and this one, you have 28 people basically liking or agreeing with your review, and 1 who doesn't.
You should go read Fluttershy's micro again, IAH...
Meghan didn't say it would possibly be a season-long story arc. She said it would be a "Season. Long. Story. Arc."
She also said they were trying something new, and that the "key" to knowing what that is is in these episodes.
Forgive me, the hype has taken me. Save yourselves...
1539464 pumping your fist?....
1539985 fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/253/2/1/young_celestia___pink_mane_by_unfiltered_n-d5e3q0b.png
fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/087/2/e/princess_molestia_by_up1ter-d4u805p.png
yeah , because those ARE CLEARLY the same color/character model , yup......
1539418 i didn't say you were bad , and according to that other guy you've done the best review of this episode that exists on the net so far , but it's still not entirely what i was looking for......
1540299 doesn't matter, pink is pink. People say Rainbow Dash is a lesbian because if her hair and Pinkie getting her mane straightened turns her into a psychopath.
1540326 default celestia also has pink in her mane , your arguments are heavily flawed such as the examples your give are as well.....
1540357 yes, there is pink in Canon Celestia's mane, but not the whole thing!
Say what you will, by my logic is not as flawed as going to a review, talking shit about the reviewer, and then asking where better reviews are at.
"Hello, Kettle, this is Pot...."
1540365 that tired dead horse of a phrase isn't an argument or explanation of your stance , it only makes your logic look even more flawed.....
1540378 yet you're still here.
Funny how that works out.
1540381 i don't follow....
1540387 don't worry, you probably never would.
1540299
I just thought it was an awesome vid, and I agreed with almost all of what he said.
1540299
I just thought it was an awesome vid, and I agreed with almost all of what he said.
1540534 ah k....
IAH, I was just wondering... Are there any minor things that you want to appear in season 4? Even if they probably won't appear?
I would like to see more crystal ponies as background ponies outside the crystal empire(only one I found in season 3 was during Twilight's coronation.) and whether there are any pegesi or unicorn type crystal ponies, Fluttershy's parents/family, more wild plants(poison joke and heart's desire.) or creatures(like timber wolves or manticores) besides the cragadile, and maybe a bit more on how magic works or different magic types(are there runes? I can't recall any.).
1542245
Not particularly. I would love to see Fluttershy's family at some point, perhaps some new areas, but for the most part I just want an enjoyable season.
1539812
Fair 'nuff
Cocooned. Yeah, that's what the featured box is saying the vines were doing to her.