ery. 
So, let's chat! 
Season 4 Round-Up · 7:45pm May 4th, 2014
Just the brief comments and smartassery of some guy on the internet on the episodes so far before we get to the finale next week. 
Castle Mane-ia - Eh, it was okay. I am severely disappointed by the lack of whips and guys in leather skirts, however.
Daring Don't - This episode gave us the last things the world needed: Rainbow Dash getting another ego boost, and teaching little girls that stalking is okay as long as it works out in the end! 
Flight to the Finish - Oh god Scootaloo you poor thing. 
Power Ponies - I know other people had problems with this, but I thought it was okay. Wish they'd made Maneiac more interesting, though.
Bats! - Twilight... you're supposed to be the educated one. Why the hell would you resort to hell magic before Fluttershy's basic grasp of ecology? Whatever. Still an okay episode.
Rarity Takes Manehattan - All I could think in this episode is "and this is why the patent office was invented." And that this was Rarity's payback against the others for making her slave over those dresses in Season 1.
Pinkie Apple Pie - Yeah, didn't like this one. I'm not a fan of "family is so great guys!" episodes for very, very personal reasons. 
Also, insert PinkieJack ambiguous incest joke here.
Rainbow Falls - Congrats, Rainbow, you learned the exact same lesson you did in the very first episode. You also continue to demonstrate why you do not deserve Fluttershy as a best friend.
Three's A Crowd - Q cannot sing, and there was not enough Cadance. There is never enough Cadance. 
Pinkie Pride - Great episode, great music, good jokes... not much to say besides that I liked it. 
Simple Ways - Outright skipped this one because f
k that cliche bullst!
Filli Vanilli - OH MY GOD WHAT IS THIS EARGASM I'M HAVING?! 
Seriously, pony acapella? Hell yes! Though there was an awful lot of flutterbutt in this one. 
Still, best filler ever!
Twilight Time - The first episode to really even acknowledge Twilight's huge status upgrade aside from the season opener. And I thought it was okay; Twilight was especially in character, the episode had a good lesson for kids that was substantiated by the actual plot (unlike some episodes I could mention)... I liked.
It Ain't Easy Being Breezies - What is up with your hair?! And what was with the choice of accent? It was like a cross between a drunk German and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Also, just gonna say, the GilDash shippers rejoiced.
Somepony to Watch Over Me - I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I mean, really, I think this may be one of the best episodes of the season. Mostly for the last third, wherein Apple Bloom avoids some serious danger, it gets kind of dark as hell (I mean, filly fillet? Jesus!), and it shows Applejack as a certified badass. AJ don't need no damn magic rocks to save the day! Though it also showed us that AJ can be seriously... creepy. 
Maud Pie - I liked this episode a lot less than I thought I should have. 
I'm not a fan of awkward humor, and that's pretty much what this episode ran on. As a result, not a fan of Maud, really. Sorry.
For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils - Skipped before I even got to the themesong. We already had a sisterhood episode; we didn't need another.
Leap of Faith - I was mixed on this one. On the one hand, I now officially hate Granny Smith. On the other, it was a nice touch to show how a reputation of honesty can be so influential, and how influencing others the wrong way can be, well, terrifying. Very mixed bag.
Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 - I liked this episode a ton better when the Weekenders did it. If only because Lor was grateful for the help and wasn't a complete douchecanoe, unlike Rainbow Dash! Seriously, why do the others hang out with you?! Also, apparently Pinkie Pie's spirit animal is one of those white girl rappers on the Disney Channel in the 90s.
Trade Ya! - The resolution to the Twilight section of the episode was very touching, I thought. And AJ and Rarity segment was meh. As for Rainbow Dash, why does Fluttershy put up with you?! Sweet Space Jesus, at this point their relationship could be considered abusive! 
Flutters seriously needs a confidence boost, and Rainbow needs to be taken down a few pegs, badly.
Inspiration Manifestation - This was some Lovecraftian st right here. Show of hands, who wants an AU where Rarity turned herself into an alicorn and became a mad god-queen?
Equestria Games - Again, not a fan of awkward humor, which was the first half of the episode. I sort of skipped through several minutes. 
But the ultimate lesson at the end was very unexpected and, well... one I think I needed to hear, if I'm to be painfully honest. Damn kids show, teaching me things as an adult.
This season had its ups and downs, but overall evened out to slightly above average. I continue to find myself thinking that as infuriating as the fandom is sometimes, it's still a lot more creative and entertaining than the actual show a lot of the time. Make of that what you will.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! A few episodes or all of 'em, calling me out or snarking along with me, I like to hear from you guys!
I have to say, you more or less summed up my opinions on the season as well. My favorite episode would have to be either Filli Vanilli or Testing Testing, 1, 2, 3. Looking forward to the season finale a lot though. The name of it ( Twilight's Kingdom, I do believe. ) makes me think that it will definitely affect later seasons very much.
Inspiration Manifestation - This was some Lovecraftian s
t right here. Show of hands, who wants an AU where Rarity turned herself into an alicorn and became a mad god-queen?
Well, write it. I'd read the shit out of it.
Also, My headcannon is that a previous possessor/posessee of the spell was Sombra, and this is how the crystal empire got so...crystaline.
Interesting, I had pretty much the exact opposite reaction to Somepony to Watch Over Me that you did. I always thought Applejack was the pony with the most common sense, and yet she spent most of the episode acting like a complete and utter fool. It was by far my least favorite episode of the season for that reason. I mean, goddammit, Applejack, you are supposed to be wiser than this!
I also find it a bit weird that you'd skip For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls just because of the premise as set up before the intro. I dunno, it seems a bit shallow; the lesson (don't be harshly judgmental of others who are trying their hardest to help you) is very unconventional, and IMO is something that quite a lot of people need to learn. I'm also bit confused as to why you'd "hate" Granny Smith in Leap of Faith.
Lastly, it seems to me that you're being way too harsh on Rainbow Dash; as I've always understood it her primary character flaw is that she can be kind of egotistical. Despite that, though, I still think she's a really great character that's more than balanced out by her supportiveness (see: any episode involving her and Scootaloo) and willingness to throw herself in the way of danger for her friends (see: any time there's a monster involved). But like the rest of the Mane 6, if that weren't balanced out by some kind of personal flaw she'd be a completely boring character.
Regardless, I found it very interesting seeing what you thought of the season so far. Here's looking forward to an awesome finale!
Loved Castle Mane-ia
Absolutely hated Bats
this season(or at least the episodes I've watched) is making me hate Twilight dearly, also Rainbow Dash do a lesser extent
meh
better than season 3
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Here's hoping it has more impact than the whole alicorn thing. It's barely been brought up at all.
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Not sure I'll write it, though. I have the idea, certainly, but at the moment my brain isn't coming up with details.
Not a bad headcanon, actually.
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To be honest, yeah, for that reason I was about to give up on Somepony to Watch Over Me. But I stuck it out, and the last third was enough for me to forgive the frankly creepy start. Seriously, AJ had a slasher smile going for the first two thirds.
Eh, I might give For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils another watch. As I've said, I have very personal reasons for disliking family episodes. It's for similar personal reasons that I dislike Granny Smith; she reminds me of some very toxic people in my life.
Already decided before I posted this journal that I'm not gonna argue with anyone about my opinions on Rainbow Dash. I am going to say that she can be a good character, with the right writer. Hell, she's in one of my recent stories. But I'm also going to say "friends don't sell friends into servitude" and leave it at that.
Weird Al is best guest star.
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Regarding Somepony to Watch Over Me... It's worse than that. Much worse.
Applejack is a farmer. People seem to forget, but being a farmer is seriously hard work, especially if you live in a pre-industrial society like Equestria. Their very survival depends on being able to produce and sell enough crops to make ends meet.
So, with that in mind, what farmer in their right mind would deliberately abandon a sale? Applejack not only directly disobeyed the rest of her family, she also could have put her entire family in danger by refusing to make a large sale that could have been the difference between the farm staying afloat and going under.
And by the end of it she got off completely scot-free. She disobeyed her family, abandoned her duty as a farmer to make ends meet, and on top of that drove Apple Bloom to running away and nearly getting herself killed. And nobody chews her out for this foolish behavior.
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That... hm, okay, that's a pretty good criticism. I still kinda like the episode, but I can certainly see why you don't.
I highly agree with this guy, except on one point:
I personally REALLY dislike awkward humor. It just bugs me so much.
So for that reason, I don't like season 4 as much as previous seasons because there's just too much of the awkward humor. To me, the season as a whole is sub-par (although I may be slightly biased since I only found out recently that Faust wasn't a part of either of the last two seasons).
That being said, I really like Maud Pie. Yes, her episode was entirely awkward humor (and don't get me wrong, I overall disliked her episode) and she's all about rocks, but I like her nevertheless. I'd like to see more of her, but without the awkward humor. In my opinion, she certainly has the potential to be that awesome voice of calm and reason during a really frantic and panicked time - I think it would be GREAT to see her being just that.
I haven't finished Equestria games yet either because I couldn't stand the awkwardness at the start. Although, since there's apparently something awesome at the end of it, I guess I'll go finish it.
AIP§