S5 Review Recap featuring yours truly. · 8:53pm Apr 12th, 2015

Earlier today, I joined Prane and Gulheru in reviewing Castle, Sweet Castle so here's the recap of what we discussed.

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Are those "memory gems" the equivalent of letters and diary entries? Only time will tell!

Prane: The premise of this episode was pretty simple: Twilight is still unsure about her new place, so naturally her friends step in to make the castle feel like home. While the outcome of the part when they all added their own touch to those empty crystal halls was predictable, the conflict was quickly resolved without much generic “I know Twilight better than you!” which could be the case if we weren’t already in Season 5. I was eagerly anticipating the final solution when they started digging around the Golden Oaks Library (“Are they going to plant it in the kitchen or something, or turn the bark into a fancy umbrella stand?”), but I was not expecting a chandelier full of memories. It seems Rarity’s magic has other uses than gem finding!

So, what do you think about this new addition to the castle?

Gulheru: The roots of Golden Oaks Library… I had to pick my jaw up from the floor when I saw this scene.

Of course, the way that the episode went was a bit predictable. The moment I heard the beginning of the song and saw all of our heroes venturing to their own homes I knew that the initial result shall be, well, horrid. It actually looked chaotic enough that I was expecting Discord to pop out of nowhere with a: “I love what you’ve done with the place!” And, intriguingly, Spike was the character that was most needed at that moment. Sometimes we need someone to shout “Sweet Celestia!” and simply tell us we are making matters worse.

But then came the idea involving the tree. And, by Luna, the Lady of Dreams, I was smitten. Such a splendid addition, connecting the past with the promise of great future. After all, strong roots grow into wondrous trees.

ChaoticLightning: It is good seeing our heroes think of a way to make this place feel like home, but of course conflict has to arise in deciding how to decorate this castle differently. So it’s decoration arguing time. Out of all the good and hilarious things, this episode did feel a bit predictable from the song to decorating the castle shows how we can’t go without a hutch or problem here and there.

I did enjoy the episode even for its predictability, it accomplished what it set out to do by being a light hearted episode to teach us a lesson that feeling at home can’t always be easy or changing one element making it feel like home. All that matters is, the memories that you hold dear to yourself and others. From this episode, who do you think was in the right with their decorations?

Gulheru: For me - Rarity. It is kind of her thing to dabble in decorations, finishing touches and all that jazz.

Prane: Well, none of them seemed to know Twilight in their original ideas, but they surely knew themselves. Rarity has a natural affinity for castles, crystalline thingies, and crystalline castles thingies, so that’s why she was probably the closest.

You guys suck. We're not doing any more parties until you all grow up and behave like adults.

Gulheru: Now, we have seen that our dear heroes can be quite apt (in their own way) at decorating houses. If you would have a chance to employ somepony to change the looks of your house/mansion/castle, who would that be, having witnessed their approaches in the recent episode?

Prane: I can say who I would most definitely not choose: Applejack. I appreciate a rustic touch here and there, but pigs, dirt, and hay all around? That’s bit over the top, darling, especially since I’ve been to a farm and I know exactly how old, checkered blankets smell. That said, Rarity’s approach seems the best, even if it’s probably also the most pricey to arrange. I imagine waking up on my unimaginably comfortable bed, watching myself in a beautifully framed mirror, then walking the shining halls adorned with hundreds of gemstones shimmering in the sun peeking through the enormous windows as I move those fabulous curtains away. Sounds like a good morning to me! As a side note, I really hope that Pinkie’s hidden party canons will become a running gag throughout the rest of the season.

Let’s assume that every single character in the MLP universe is a skilled interior decorator. Who would you choose and why, aside from the five we saw in the episode?

Gulheru: Well, first of all, I would never dream of having the esteemed Princess Luna decorating my house. I respect her too much to have her do such a menial task. From the selection of more accessible characters… I think I would pick Octavia perhaps? I am a fan of music in many forms and a grand piano enthusiast, so maybe there would be a possibility of cooperation with our most amiable cellist. She seems to have the exact amount of class to pull out a very convincing decour.

ChaoticLightning: I would choose Princess Celestia in that department, put the pitchforks down and hear me out. She is a pony of regality and of fine tastes from decor to banners that hang in her throne room, I’m a person who likes to live in luxury without flaunting it everywhere I go besides it wouldn’t hurt having a princess decorate my house.

Just a reminder: this guy's human counterpart is pretty delicate with a cello, so his massages can't be that devastating.

Prane: The episode was packed with little things that caught everyone’s attention and are now discussed throughout the forums. From Spike’s doll of Rarity and giving Bulk Biceps a job/internship (and some voice to him and the spa pony), to seeing the inside of the already established Ponyville shop Quills and Sofas, these world-building bits proved that the new writers know the world for which they’ll be creating stories. Continuity and recurrence makes the world feel alive, but what was your favorite “small thing” that happened in the background while the main plot was being resolved?

Gulheru: Well, it’s not really a “background” thing, but a little character development detail that I have spotted. Twilight getting a new hairdo. Even if it was only a temporary thing. I mean, we know Twilight Sparkle as being one of the most organized characters in the show, not too keen on changes, or fashion, or looks. And yet she actually appears excited over trying out a new hairstyle. Yes, she did have her hair changed on some occasions, but it was either celebration, magic, something going explosively wrong and so on and so forth. It is different this time, she wishes to try something new on her own.

It’s a small detail, but an important one for me.

ChaoticLightning: I tried to catch every little detail in the background as much as possible. The “background” thing that took me by surprise was, Spike’s Rarity doll. I can just imagine how many artists in the fandom are taking advantage of that one detail and just making artwork of it everywhere, you can’t escape it! Other than that, Twilight’s new hairdo surprised me when I didn’t think her of all ponies would get something like that, I thought of only Rainbow Dash getting that only downside here is she hates the spa, go figure. I guess you could say, catastrophes of the mane variety.

Prane: Compare this with S1 Twilight when she escaped the Carousel Boutique in fear of Rarity dyeing her coat! As of today she’s definitely more open-minded to new experiences which can only end well for her. Too bad she didn’t decide to keep her new style for a couple of episodes, but then again it only looked great from certain angles. From others, well, it’s just too big, too heavy. How does one even tame something like that? I’m so glad I can go to a hairdresser and just ask for “the same coiffure, just make it shorter”. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.

Yeah, you're cute and all, but you still deserved that kick from Twilight. Think about it next time when you start acting like a douche.

ChaoticLightning: So now that we’ve all shared our thoughts on this episode, time to turn our attention to everyone reading this. What do you believe was the strongest thing that carried this episode and the weakest one that took your immersion out of the episode?

Prane: The weakest? Its predictability. We all knew they were going to fail at first, we all knew they would find a solution in the end. I’m glad they skipped the part in which they argue about who knows Twilight better, because that would be something out of place considered they know each other quite well. The thing that carried the episode for me was the sheer amount of little things, like Twilight kicking Angel into the mud, the famous “I’m pancake!” declaration (by the way, should that be considered an official decree?), and of course everything that happened in the spa. I do not need to be taught about friendship, but I surely do love small bits which make me chuckle or squee in delight.

Gulheru: I shall utterly agree with the “predictability”. It is not something that we haven’t experienced before in the show. Yet we are still here.

The strongest feature of the episode is, however, one connected to the said predictability. We know our heroes well enough by now, that we are certain they shall come up with a solution. And they do so through all the perils. It doesn’t have to be spectacular, merely based on the principles of Friendship.

We can be certain of that little victory every time we watch a new episode. And that drives as forward and carries us. Not to mention that it can be, like in this instance, truly awe-inspiring.

ChaoticLightning: Truly words to live by, it feels good to know that a show can teach anyone at any age the true meaning of friendship through morals and that does not take away from how any person learns a lesson through visual representations too. A very inspiring show that as been around for four years, I find myself lucky to be a part of those four years with people that understand friendship. Got to admit, it’s a good feeling. My final thoughts: Someone has to make an official decree for pancakes right about now.