It's like they're not even trying to be subtle

So today's episode, as I'm sure stories will be pointing out within hours, involved mind control. Unlike previous hints of this, though, some ponies displayed the appropriate outrage. Well, Rainbow Dash did... Pinkie Pie was angry at the wrong thing, typically.

This did seem to be closer to what I call body control: the person's body obeys commands, but their consciousness doesn't seem to be present. It's a fine distinction but it's important. Discording seems to affect the conscious mind and is thus mind control (of a sort), while this affected the body without the conscious mind's involvement, making it body control.

Starlight, to be fair, seemed to be trying to plant suggestions so that the group would split up without arguing, rather than outright control. That in and of itself has some iffy moral implications, though.

Background out of the way, I have seen stories on this site with a set-up not dissimilar to just before the second break when Starlight cast the spell. One wonders if anyone mentioned to the creative crew that mind control is a semi-common fetish. Surely someone somewhere along the line has to have known that. Obviously it's not something kids will pick up on, but still. To top it off, they didn't seem to remember what they did while under control. One wonders if a post-hypnotic suggestion could be implanted. Possibly that's what Starlight was going for, but it wound up being direct (and overly literal) control.

On an unrelated note, the after-effects seem to be akin to a migraine: head pain and sensitivity to light and sound, but with the last two not being universal. (Fluttershy being too loud was a great gag).

Anyway, wanted to get these thoughts down, as they are, by and large, not appropriate for my youtube channel.