MLP S5E10 "Princess Spike" (SPOILERS) · 4:02pm Jun 20th, 2015
And here we get our first Spike episode of season five. I'm praying it won't suck, but...it IS a Spike episode. I'm not expecting much out of it...
There's a big summit of representatives from cities across Equestria, with all four princesses in attendance. Looks like Griffonstone (or some other griffon town) sent a representative...
Twilight yawns so cutely!
BOOK PILLOW!!
With Twilight needing to sleep and Spike tasked with making sure she's not disturbed, it seems like everypony and everycritter in Equestria is determined to make as much noise as possible.
"Put the hay in the apple and eat the candle!" I smell a new meme!
Ever notice how Spike always gets all the REALLY BAD sitcom plots from the 70s to work with?
Illusion of power corrupts absolutely.
...since when can Cadance do that?! 
Man, Twilight's a REAL heavy sleeper.
What's even holding that statue together?
And another boring, forgettable Spike episode is in the can. Yeah...
Personally for me, it's the writing. The CONCEPT was okay, but the writer was not only first time for MLP. But his past body of work was on Johnny Test and Fish Hooks. And a LOT of Johnny Test tropes were on display here. That's just my opinion though.
3165693 Well, Meghan McCarthy used to write for Fish Hooks, and she's done a good job of writing. Then again, she had Lauren Faust to help her out. Maybe we should stop plucking new talent from shows that no one likes, and let the writers we currently have grow into the role. I mean, Ed Valentine probably deserved another shot, as did Corey Powell. But they got passed up in favor of new writers.
3165713
Wait, Ed Valentine and Corey Powell got fired?!... Are you KIDDING ME!? They wrote some of the BEST EPISODES OF THE SHOW!
3165727 Well, Ed Valentine was decent, he just needed to speed up his setups a little bit. It shouldn't take 11 minutes to get to the main conflict of the episode. And Corey Powell was good, with the exception of "Rainbow Falls" which not only dragged her reputation through the mud, but singlehandedly killed Meghan McCarthy's reputation as a story editior.
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I mean yeah! Powell getting fired feels like the studios way of dodging controversy after "Rainbow Falls". But, she was probably the best Spike writer on the whole team! AND she helped make Scootaloo into one of my favorite characters, Ed Valentine had his issues with setup, but his general writing was so perfect! He could really pull on the heartstrings with that one.
Guess who's back
3165743 I know. I would much rather have them back, instead of replacing them with writers from shows that no one likes.
3165882
I can't find where it said Corey Powell left.
3165884 I don't think they left, they just weren't on the list of writers for Season 5, no doubt in order to make room for the writers plucked fron Johnny Test and Fish Hooks.
Sorry, my attention was divided during the episode. What startling thing did Cadence do?
3165919 When the water main broke, she sealed it up by making a crapton of crystals grow out of it.
3165743 This is only somewhat related to the conversation, but actually I think Rainbow Falls was Corey Powell's best episode.
3166001
Ah, a nice opinion to hear! Do tell, why did you like that episode?
This episode, while one of the weaker ones of the season so far, is still enjoyable.
As a Spike episode, I'd place it between Just for Sidekicks and Secret of my Excess. So,of the episodes that have Spike learn the lesson, its right in the middle of that category for me
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Cadance's crystal thing seems like the "light" opposite of Sombra's dark crystal thing.
Kinda makes sense though, she is the Crystal Princess.
3166008 Yeah, that's my thinking too, and it does make since. It's just the left-fieldness of it.
3166004 The short version is this:
I love the comedy of the episode.
The lesson of the episode is one that, while obvious (like several morals that the show has had), is one that Rainbow needed to learn at some point.
All of the issues that people seem to have with the story either:
a. Have reasonable explanations based on the information given in the episode.
b. Don't bother me because they're either a recurring problem the show has had since the very beginning, or are just funny
3165965 Huh. I guess being Crystal Princess really does have advantages. Or maybe it's an alternate interpretation of her cutie mark. Or maybe she's trying to learn themed spells to look good to her people. Did Spike seem at all surprised?
3166158 No attention was called to it whatsoever. It just happened.
3166194 OK then.
it felt... underwhelming to be honest.
Other than being a Spike episode, which I find lacking in most cases of spike episodes in the past, it just felt... weird to watch. I could understand what Spike went through, but I still couldn't watch it without groaning at the sheer, for lack of better term, stupidity he showed through the episode.
Also the moment everything came crashing together was just too silly to be believable. A hockey-puck gets hit into a tree, that falls into another tree, then another tree and finally hits a piper that blasts water straight through one single window? Really?
3166250 Like I said, it was a bad 70s sitcom plot. Same deal as "Spike at Your Service", which flat out stole its plot from an episode of The Brady Bunch (admittedly it put a slightly different spin on it).
Friendship!
...
I know, it was a terrible idea.
Are you implying ALL Spike episodes are bad? Cos I liked Secret of my Excess, Inspiration Manifestation and Equestria Games.
3166472 Inspiration Manifestation was okay. Power Ponies was fun. Every other Spike episode ever was terrible.
3166579 [youtube=youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c]
Isn't Spike supposed to be like ten? They write him like a smart ten year old, but a ten year old, but then Twilight and other adults give him adult level responsibilities that he of course fails at and feels bad for. If dragons had hair he would be losing it, if dragon stomaches can develop ulcers he will get them pretty soon.
Well... It was pretty funny at times, the morale was ... well, hammered in, but it was played straight. And spike... Well, he is Twilight's baby brother. This is what baby brothers do.
Lame for bronies, probably working for the target audience, and the animation was solid. I say Five out of ten. Season five still tops season four and is up thre with season two.