Season 5 episode 18 review

So I'm just going to do an honest review of this ep. It will be lengthy. I do not care.

Obvious spoilers

So firstly this is a musical episode. That, in and of itself is a good thing. However I believe that this episode is especially good in the fact that it is a musical episode that features the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In other episodes the Crusaders have had very happy songs, songs that are catchy and generally very well liked by the community

Now before I get into all the stuff that I loved about this episode, Imma say my one real grievance. This episode had the pacing of a cheetah on cocaine. Like, seriously, and I thought Magical Mystery Cure was fast-paced. This ep has at least 3 episodes worth of drama all in one. But even then it may not be seen as a bad thing, it's just a little weird to see problems arise and be shot down as fast as the eye can see.

Now onto the good stuff. This episode. Was. Amazing. At first I admit that I didn't like it, because the crusaders got their marks in something that isn't what poupular belief dictates what they be. But then I looked closer at the marks and I really thought about it. Firstly, Sweetie still has a musical note and Scootaloo still has a wing/lightning bolt on their respective marks. So there's still great potential for them to have episodes where they try to find the true meanings to their own marks and how they are different in their talents.

I also breathed a little sign of relief and gave a little chuckle at a small fact. Episode 21, the leaked one, is one of 3 episodes in the entire series where the Cutie Mark Crusaders were shown but their flanks weren't, due to clothing (the other 2 being the first Nightmare Night episode and the Canterlot Wedding Part 2). I can't even imagine the storm that would arise if the CMC were leaked with their marks!

Another little tidbit that I found amusing. Twilights brief cameo in the ep I think is to do nothing more than be there. I mean, Applejack is already in more total episodes than Twilight, so I think her pointless appearance is just to remind fans "hey I'm still here, and I'm totally not losing to AJ in episode count. Here school, I can levitate a bell."

Yet another small detail. Right at the beginning, right when Bloom gets off the stand, at the line "for a while now" look at sweetie and AB. Dem bedroom eyes. Dat eyebrow raise.

Now for an opinion that I believe will be a bit unpopular. I think Diamond Tiara is one of the smartest ponies in the show. Simply from one action. Her giving her mother the note at the end. Now I concede that Diamond Tiara getting the note itself is kinda BS, but there is real genius in her action. A genius that makes me think that knowing how to convince ponies is a key part to her ability to screw them over royally-she understands them. Spoiled Rich is a socialite. She is a pony of status. As thus, she values social standing more than anything. And what wouis a socialite fear more than anything else? Social embarrasment. A faux pas. Now even though it was in front of children, getting told off by her child, (even if that child is a known beat) in public counts as a severe social screw-up. Now a pony in that predicament would give anything to get out of such a situation. If DT hadent offered her the note, she probably would have stammered out some akward excuse and walked away. Not. Cool. So DT, knowing that she was putting her mother in a horrible situation and knowing that she wanted out of it, gave her a saving grace by giving her the note, which served as a out to an akward situation. This also works out to DTs ends because she wanted her mother to know that she had some steel in her, that she would stand up for others despite what her mother wanted, and that she wanted banana nos- sorry Spoiled Rich out of the situation. That action did both, which almost shows Diamond Tiara as somewhat of a tactial expert when it comes to social situations.

Now as a supporter of ButtonBelle, I disapprove of this little detail. On the song the Crusaders sing right after getting their marks, they pass right by Button Mash. Who is Button looking at the entire time? Scootaloo. Made me cringe a bit noticing.

"If mom and dad were here theyd be so proud of ya" I got nothing to say about that one.

My final point. Now I know that part of the crusaders marks are in helping ponies understand and get their marks, but think about that. That basically means that they got their marks in being better than other ponies. It means they know more than any pony what their own cutie Mark means, and they also know what the pony needs to have as a cutie Mark more than they do.I realise that it could also be interpreted as they just help others, not really know more than them (like them helping troubleshooves) but I like the idea of the CMC being better than everypony.

So all in all I think this is a very great episode, the singing was absolutely amazing, Chantal Strand can SING. the last 3 minutes(the final song) were wonderful, very inspirational. All in all, I do believe I have a new favorite episode. This ep outdoes Sleepless in Ponyville to me.

P.S. OMIGOSH THEY FINALLY GOT THEIR MARKS YES YES YES YES IT FINALLY HAPPENED I LOVE THIS EPISODE NEW FAVORITE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FOREVER