THE GREAT GOJI SEASON 7 REVIEW GUIDE

So, I kind of wound up missing out on FiM’s seventh season.  In part, that’s just keeping with the larger pattern I’ve sadly been struggling with all year thus far, which is keeping proper pace with much of anything.  Partly, it’s because once I missed the premiere completely by accident, I found it nigh impossible to find any time to actually catch up until the season was already over half-over, at which point I figured it’d just be easier to wait until the end and get on it after the fact.  And partly, it’s because, while I still love the show and want to keep up with it, I don’t have the same fire in my belly about it I once did, and so it was a lot easier than I expected to just sort of let it slide when I realized what was happening.  But hey!  The season IS over now, I DO have the time/attention for it (at least to an extent), and the way I see it, if I’m gonna watch all of ‘em (thanks, Netflix!), I may as well review all of ‘em too.  So welcome, all Probably One Exact Person I Know Of Who Still Pays Attention To Anything I Say On This Website, to the GREAT GOJI SEASON SEVEN REVIEW GUIDE!  I’ll be updating this one as I go through the season, but for now, here’s the first few episodes I’ve already seen to get things started!  Oh, also, for reference, I’ll be grading each episode on a scale of * (the worst rating) to ***** (the best rating).  All of that said, here’s hoping you enjoy. 8D

Oh, and just so we’re clear, SPOILERS DO FOLLOW!!!!

S7E01: “Celestial Advice”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Tim Stuby     Written by: Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco

So right off the bat, the choice to open, not with a two-parter as per tradition but instead an Epilogue to last season’s superb finale, “Where and Back Again”, is much appreciated; Season 6’s premiere, “The Crystalling”, was a really good story that, to my mind, got kind of beat up and bent out of shape by being forced into the mold of a two-parter, so I’m glad the show’s recognized not every premiere has to be two parts.  I’m even gladder we finally got an episode that gave us a real, honest, focused look at Celestia and her relationship with Twilight; I’m maybe not 100% sure I’m OK with its retcon/implication that Celestia knew, not only that Twilight WOULD make friends in Ponyville, but exactly WHO those friends would be, but honestly I’m not THAT bothered by it.  Especially because even then, the episode’s tone, style, and structure are all exceptional; Twilight’s extended visions of Starlight’s potential futures are not only just enjoyable in their own right (the Changeling Kingdom one especially, though the Starlight/Ember dynamic is also great and I want to see it fer realz now), but work as a keen insight into how she thinks and feels, both in general and about her responsibility for and friendship with Starlight specifically.  And, again, it actually means so much that we finally get a meaningful examination, not just of of Celestia’s point of view on Twilight and her journey, but the bond she shares with her.  Getting to see Celestia in full-tilt worrywart mode was both exceptionally enjoyable AND meaningfully rewarding.  And the episode’s final statement on their relationship is maybe one of the most touching moments it’s pulled off in a LONG time (and to be clear, it has some VERY stiff competition from all seasons).  On top of all that, SO many of the jokes here land just perfectly; Spike's Rarity impression, just about every single thing Trixie says, even Discord's admittedly-tired schtick managed to get some great hits in there (the bit about cheese near the end especially).  “Celestial Advice” really is what I most love about FiM in one nicely-rounded, well-built episode, and maybe the single strongest premiere episode the series has had since “Return of Harmony” way back when.

Score: ****1/2  

S7E02: "All Bottled Up"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Tim Stuby     Written by: Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
On the one hand, I seriously love this episode.  Again, the choice to really focus on a key relationship, in this case that of Starlight and Trixie, proves a smart one.  It's well observed, and enjoyable, and Trixie is simply delightful.  Mischievous, yes, but endearingly so; insensitive, yes, but never willfully cruel.  Getting to really spend more time on that relationship (especially since it's our first time focusing on it outside of a crisis since "No Second Prances") really is just wonderful, especially because its ins and outs feel so believable and true; you can see the push-pull of both personalities, the friction between them, but you also get a clear sense of how much each cares for the other.  As well, Starlight's grievances, and the ultimate lesson that she needs to trust Trixie enough to be honest about her feelings (oh, also, side-note, these two may in fact be the single most obvious Romantic couple in the entire show, and given its history, that's really saying something) resonate very strongly.  I'm a touch more split, however, on the choice to spend time with Twi and the girls at their Escape The Room...er, sorry, "Friendship Retreat".  I mean, on the merits, it's honestly really cute; I especially appreciated that the "lol they actually suck at this" punchline I kept expecting never materialized, and instead it really is just meant to be an extended and endearing reminder of how strong this group's friendship really is, which I appreciated.  The problem is it fits really, really  awkwardly into the episode; it never really connects with the main story about Starlight and Trixie, even when the episode tries to draw parallels between them, and the last-minute song in particular really feels awkward and out of place (though again, credit where it's due, it's a fun little song).  Still and all, though, it's an episode that is pleasant and sincere and endearing far more often than not, and if it's maybe a touch less than the sum of its parts (and even that feels too harsh), at least its parts are really, REALLY good anyway.
Score: ****

S7E03: "A Flurry of Emotions"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Tim Stuby     Written by: Sammie Crowley and Whitney Wetta
I'd say it's a good sign of Season 7's median quality that this is probably my least favorite episode thus far, and even then it's still a good, cute little episode.  Like before, I don't know that we actually gain all that much from the Shining and Cadance b-plot at the art show, but a.) it fits in here a lot more smoothly and b.) it's genuinely nice to get some time with Shining and Cadance as, like, actual characters and not just plot-points, which I feel like doesn't happen nearly as much as it should, and is genuinely enjoyable and cute besides.  Honestly, "enjoyable and cute" is basically my feelings on the whole episode; it lacks, perhaps, the sense of insight and growth as the previous two, and I confess to still not being entirely won over by Flurryheart just yet (especially since the episode unwisely puts her in direct comparison to the Cake Twins, thus highlighting some of the...less-than-successful-IMO elements of her design) but it is awfully hard to argue against all the Adorable this episode brings to bear.  More to the point, it's especially awfully hard to argue against how adorable Twilight is in this episode; I'm always appreciative of when the show allows her to have conflicts that don't directly center on her princesshood these days (even as I also appreciate how this episode uses said princesshood as a plot point; I really like the idea of Twilight's Princess Visits and her own enthusiasm for them), and here especially I really liked seeing her relationship with Flurry, her enthusiasm at getting to help cheer some kids up, and her ultimately-mistaken but keenly-relateable desire to Do It All.  Kudos as well to Spike for being an especially enjoyable Foil this time around (in particular the detail about his own Book Of Choice), particularly since he's the one worrying about keeping to schedule most of all this time around.  Heck, I even found Spearhead to be a pretty enjoyable character (as well as the attendant joke poking fun at the show's tendency to treat entirely-new characters as well-established friends >w>), especially since while the episode pokes its fun at his Artiste-ness, it never does so cruelly.  So yeah, the episode's maybe a touch thin, but it's hard to care when I'm smiling this much.
Score: ***1/2

S704: Rock Solid Friendship
Directed by: Denny Lu and Tim Stuby     Written by: Nick Confalone
OK, for one thing, Maud's graduation ceremony is hands-down one of the all-time best cold-opens this show has ever done; it's practically a complete and highly-enjoyable story in its own right for how sweet and funny it is. As for the episode proper, I admit it does that thing a lot of latter-day FiM episodes do that I don't especially like where it starts out with one premise-Pinkie tries to find a rare rock to impress Maud into moving into Ponyville-which proves too thin to sustain so it hops over to the other, ACTUAL premise, but in this case said premise, of Maud and Starlight forging a unique sort of friendship, is good enough that I'm nowhere near as irked as I usually am. As with a lot of S7 thus far, the keen focus (once we get past that aforementioned False Start, anyway) is pretty tightly on Character, in this case how Maud relates to others, and how she and Starlight surprisingly find each other on the same wavelength (the little retconned tidbit about their real first meeting is also a pretty hilarious bit in its own right). And exploring that dynamic, how it speaks to the ways in which both characters are outsiders in their own way, really is engaging and enjoyable to watch unfold; I especially appreciated getting to learn Starlight is a kite hobbyist, something I don't think I'd have guessed at on my own but which feels quite natural now that I know about it. And yes, even as the episode explicitly acknowledges she crosses some lines, I appreciate that Pinkie's behavior, while overbearing, never becomes outright malicious as it sometimes risks doing in these kinds of stories for her. Again, it's a really warm, really rich Character Portrait episode, and I'm VERY into it.
Score: ****

S7E05: "Fluttershy Leans In"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Tim Stuby     Written by: Gillian M. Berrow
So I'll say upfront, I honestly found a lot of this episode to be flat-out weird. Like, in literally every prior episode, Fluttershy's cottage has essentially been depicted as an animal sanctuary, so the whole premise of Ponyville needing one feels odd in its own right. But OK, fine, I guess I just misunderstood, I can let that go. What's a lot odder is that we introduce three whole new characters who appear for all of, like, two scenes and then leave the story completely. It's weird enough that two of them are essentially proxies for Rarity and Applejack (Hard Hat's the odd one out in a lot of respects, as there's no clear connection to Pinkie, like, at all), begging the question of why we don't just have AJ and Rarity in those roles (which, I mean, to be clear, I don't mind that we avoid that old saw, indeed I quite appreciate it, but it really doesn't feel like a deliberate choice), but moreover when FiM brings in new characters, it usually does so with a much, much clearer arc for them than this. But instead, these three characters show up, get all the focus placed on them for the time they're around, and then just flat-out vanish, never to be seen of or mentioned again. I was at least expecting them to show up at the end to see the error of their ways, but no, they're just gone. It's just so odd to me. And then on top of that, we bring in Big Daddy McColt of all characters out of nowhere. And yet, for all that weirdness, it's hard to argue this isn't a really good episode for Fluttershy anyway. It really is so nice to see how much she's learned to stand up for herself (and I adored her crediting her friends' help in teaching her how), the vision she has for her sanctuary is genuinely beautiful and endearing, and her passion for seeing it realized as she sees it even more so. And that speech she gives at the end, about the need for one to have conviction in their work, is just perfect on so many levels. So, weird as I find a lot of its elements, I have to give "Fluttershy Leans In" my seal of approval even so; where it really counts, it comes through in a big way.
Score: ***1/2

S7E06: "Forever Filly"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Tim Stuby     Written by: Michael P. Fox and Wil Fox
If you were to ask me what my platonic ideal for "Friendship is Magic" looks like, I would all but certainly offer up Season 2's "Sisterhooves Social" as my answer. Meanwhile, "For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils" is pretty handily one of my favorite episodes of Season 4. I bring these two episodes up not only to establish that episodes centered on Rarity and Sweetie Belle's relationship have set a pretty high bar, but also to emphasize the clever way in which "Forever Filly" genuinely and meaningfully builds on those stories, and that relationship. Where most Sweetie/Rarity stories have, in the past, centered on Sweetie wanting Rarity's approval and affection, here, the dynamic is believably reversed, with a nostalgic Rarity coming to terms with how much Sweetie's grown and changed over the years. Which sounds an awful lot like "Somepony to Watch Over Me", but where that episode could only make itself work by burdening its Big Sister with a wholly unsympathetic and unbelievably willful blindness to what she herself was doing (LIKE MOST APPLEJACK EPISODES FOR SOME F#$^ING REASON), this one presents us with a much more nuanced, believable version of that conflict. Part of that comes down to Tabith St. Germain, whose ability to modulate Rarity's emotional reactions so pitch-perfectly remains one of the show's most compelling strong points, but it also comes down to the how's and why's of what she does; yes, it's kind of silly to drag Sweetie to all these childish things she's no longer interested in, but haven't we all been there, to one degree or another? I also appreciate that we finally see that Rarity's expanding business empire is in fact having an affect on her social life and relationships. And I appreciate even more how the episode showcases how Sweetie is something like the brains of the CMC. But most of all, I love how open and honest the episode is about what the sisters are feeling and why; it allows us to really experience those emotions and this arc with them, in exactly the way I like most from this show.
Score: ****1/2

S7E07: "Parental Glideance"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Tim Stuby     Written by: Josh Hamilton
Again, I have to give full marks to the cold opening here; it's not only extra-adorable, but there's something oddly reassuring about knowing that, even having finally gotten their Cutie Marks, the CMC can still get up to some wonderfully Stupid Shit. As to the episode proper, Season 7's genuine dedication to digging into these characters more deeply remains impressive, and here especially I'm impressed at the angle they've chosen. See, one of Rainbow Dash's most fascinating layers is that her self-confidence-bordering-on-egomania is a front, a false face she puts up to mask her own insecurities (never forget). So to see that, in truth, she learned that overconfidence from her parents' unfailing, enthusiastic support of her? That adds a new, really interesting wrinkle to her character that I had not ever really considered before, but which feels remarkably compelling and makes perfect sense now that we know about it. I'm likewise intrigued by the gentle implication about Scootaloo's own parents when she repudiates Dash's anger at hers; I don't want to read too much into it, but it sure sounds like Scootaloo wishes her own parents were more like Dash's, and that suggests some really interesting things about her home life that I'll be curious to see if the show follows up on. Still and all, though, the real heart of the story is Rainbow's relationship with her parents, and I really do appreciate how it all plays out. I do wish the episode showed a bit more respect for Rainbow's discomfort, but it does succeed in making Bow and Windy feel endearing and enjoyable even as you can see how Much they can really be. It all adds up to a really enjoyable and interesting story that continues the season's winning streak of investing itself in the emotional inner lives of its cast in highly rewarding fashion.
Score: ****

S7E08: "Hard to Say Anything"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myrhe     Written by: Becky Wangberg
This episode leaves me a touch...conflicted. It's honestly very funny, with a genuine comedic bent to it that has a bit more zest than usual and some fantastic punchlines ("THAT'S OUR METAPHORICAL SUNSET YOU'RE RIDING OFF INTO!!!"), and as always the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their adorable dynamic (their Spy antics in particular; that escape roll at the beginning is amazing). More to the point, I really appreciate how this episode expands not only on Big Macintosh's character (any episode where he speaks in complete sentences at any point is worthwhile), but on Sugar Belle's as well. Indeed, the idea of checking in on Starlight's old town (though you'd think by now it'd have, like, an actual name XD) without necessarily having Starlight herself around is an idea I'm very intrigued by, with oodles of potential for future stories. But Sugar Belle specifically...hearing her talk about her relationship with baking, how she's discovered the sheer joy of creation now that her options have opened back up again...it really gives her character a new and really well-crafted depth. And the episode even manages to come so close to making a really compelling point about the foundations of a genuine, healthy relationship...but it doesn't quite hit the mark, instead hedging its bets on a safer "just be yourself" bromide that, while hardly bad, means that a lot of its "meet cute" stuff kinda lands funky for me. The fact that Macintosh's gestures seem foiled, not because they fail to connect with Sugar Belle (besides the thank-goodness-that-didn't-go-further "Sleeping Beauty" attempt), but because Justin Bieburr (yes i know that's not his actual name but we all know they were thinking it) keeps interrupting really undercuts that message, too. I don't want to hold it too much against the episode; as I say, it's VERY funny, and I really do like what it does to explore its characters. But I'm afraid it just leaves a less-than-great taste in my mouth even so.
Score: **1/2

S7E09: "Honest Apple"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myrhe     Written by: Kevin Lappin
In a word? Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. And if I could leave it at that, I probably would, but, all too appropriately, Honesty compels me to elaborate. Because the thing of it is, "Honest Apple" actually isn't awful. I don't like it very much, but especially in comparison to, say, "Bats!", that isn't quite the same as saying it is a god-awful trainwreck. There are, in fact, a lot of things that work here; side details like Coco having graduated to full-on Fashion Design, for example, or more significant things like the opening few minutes and the process by which Applejack decides to go against her own gut reaction and accept Rarity's offer. But once the actual conflict settles in, and it becomes clear we're in for twelve minutes and change of Applejack making an ass of herself (and Rarity allowing her to make an ass of herself), it just becomes increasingly unpleasant to watch. Again, that's not quite the same as saying it's terrible; there's actually a consistent strength to the moment-to-moment writing here, a sharp handle on the actual dialogue that allows the story to flow remarkably well even as the actual story being told sits poorly with me. I'd also be remiss to not mention the genuinely-amazing Guitar Solo from Rarity. And there is also the fact that I'm biased; Applejack (or, I suppose, at this point, the idealized vision of potential she once had) is my favorite character, and that does weigh my feelings when she is so consistently portrayed as just The Worst (again, though, credit where it's due that "Honest Apple" never quite becomes as agonizing as "Bats!" in this respect). So yes, it kind of gets my goat that we have an episode that yet again portrays her character as irredeemably, bottomlessly stupid (there is literally no other reason she fails to notice/dismisses the effect her comments have, not only on the contestants but on Rarity, and that's not even mentioning when she outright assaults the dresses), and on top of that a lousy friend who in fact manages to completely fail another friend when she places so much open faith in her. But even if I set that aside, I can't help but feel like the episode is remarkably disingenuous about the whole thing. For one thing, it has to shift Applejack's behavior from expressing her opinion to outright bullying the other judges in order to keep its story going without ever offering up a convincing reason for the transition. But even before we (somehow) get to that point, we can clearly see Rarity's distress, as well as that of the other judges and the contestants, at Applejack's opinions. Except...what, exactly, did Rarity expect Applejack to say? And for that matter, why does Rarity not say anything to Applejack about it, if it's so obviously not working the way she (somehow) hoped? And then, to top it all off, Rarity's solution at the end is to turn the tables on AJ...which might make sense if Applejack had ever invited Strawberry to judge an Apple Contest. Like...do you see the problem? I appreciate the intended lesson about taking into account another's feelings when you express your opinion, but that message feels undercut rather than reinforced by the way the story is set up. There genuinely is a lot of Good to be found here (Ashleigh Belle and Tabitha St. Germain are both doing excellent work, particularly with each other, the whole episode long, if nothing else), but it's awfully hard for me to appreciate when so much of what it's up to rubs me the wrongest way.
Score:**

S7E10: "A Royal Problem"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myrhe     Written by: Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
So first off, what is it about FiM that it so frequently follows one of its worst episodes with one of its best? Like, seriously, "The Last Round-up" is followed up by "Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", "Bats!" is followed up by "Rarity Takes Manehattan", and now, as you may have guessed, "Honest Apple", my current least favorite episode of the season, is followed by "A Royal Problem", not just my current favorite episode of the season, but a serious contender for one of my all-time favorite episodes of the entire series. Admittedly, just as I dislike "Honest Apple" a touch more than it maybe warrants on the merits, so too do I have a bias here: I have wanted an episode that is flat-out honest-to-goodness about Princess Celestia since more or less the beginning of the series. But then again, that bias presents a challenge to the episode, too: you wait that long for something, your expectations can become pretty particular. "A Royal Problem" thus scores bonus points for not only meeting mine, but doing so in a way that is simultaneously quite different from what I would have thought to do myself, and yet gives me exactly what I wanted anyway. A lot of that owes to some really smart choices; centering the story on Starlight, an outsider who lacks the reverence for the Royal Sisters almost every other character in the entire series has shown, is a big one, as is how this new challenge feeds into her own continuing character development/arc (especially because it casts into sharp relief how afraid she is of trusting herself again). Even bigger than that is how the episode winds up being more Celestia's story in which Luna plays a key role; that's nothing against Luna, who I adore, but she's gotten quite a few focus episodes in the past. We know her character pretty concretely by now. But Celestia? She's been kept at arm's length almost all series long, so it means something that Luna's role here ultimately feeds more into our understanding of Celestia's character than it advances her own. Which at last brings us to Celestia herself, and I could not be happier, both for how this episode affirms what I have always felt about her, but also the ways it took me by surprise. She's more childish in some ways than I would expect, in a way that fits remarkably well with Luna while remaining distinct (especially for how Big Sister her specific brand of childishness is), and moreover I rather appreciate that, in fact, she is very keenly concerned with Connection and Company. That isn't to say the constant attention doesn't overwhelm her, that is in fact a big part of the lesson Luna learns, but it does mean that she in fact does value Friendship for herself as much as anypony else. And then there's Daybreaker. And here's the thing about Daybreaker: she isn't the manifestation of Celestia's dark side per se (though when Daybreaker claims she is, you get the sense Celestia suspects there's some truth to that even so). Rather, she is the worst version of Starlight's perception of Celestia. To discuss why that resonates so strongly with me would be to wander a little too far afield of the actual topic on hand, but suffice it to say it is, to me, a very important aspect of Celestia's psyche (oh, hey, also, kudos to Luna for actually using that word, btw, I always appreciate when kid's shows use slightly brainier-than-average language) and how she feels about the world around her and the life she leads. There are, I suppose, some niggling details on the edges that didn't quite click for me; in particular, as amusing as she was, I'm not sure Twilight was really needed here (even though her presence made sense, and the ending bit especially was brilliant). But none of it amounts to an actual, meaningful complaint with the episode, and so instead I give "A Royal Problem" the fullest marks possible.
Score: *****

S7E11: "Not Asking For Trouble"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myrhe     Written by: May Chan
I admit, after "A Royal Problem", just about any episode was going to seem like a come-down. But even so, I have to admit I struggled to really grock to "Not Asking For Trouble". Part of that is because I'm...less than fond of the Yaks, and wasn't especially eager to revisit them in greater detail. And fair's fair, "Not Asking For Trouble" does a decent job of, if not rehabilitating the Yaks, at least making them feel a bit bigger and richer as a culture (in no small part because, if I'm not mistaken, this is our first time seeing girl Yaks), which is especially nice because Culture with a capital C is far and away the most interesting thing this episode has going for it. Which is a plus and a negative. On the one hand, it actually is neat that Friendship is a legitimate Export and Cultural Cause for Ponies. It's a nice choice that deepens our understanding of these characters and their world, and fits the show's ethos nicely as well. On the other hand, it kind of turns the intended moral about accepting help from outsiders (which itself is bizarrely muddled; there's an intriguing element of letting oneself see through the pride others project to protect themselves and do right by them anyway, but it is far and away the haziest aspect of the story and thus can't quite land) into a weird "those Foreigners don't know any better, so we gotta do Good for them!". Which, to be clear, I do not doubt for a moment is unintentional? But it's unmistakably present even so, and it leaves me uneasy about the whole episode. So thank goodness the episode manages to nudge its way just far enough onto my good side by giving us maybe the single cutest, most likable Pinkie Pie we've had in, like, ages. She's enthusiastic, she's mindful of others, and she's genuinely funny all episode long (and if there is one area where Season 7 has excelled in particular, it is definitely in the voice acting; Andrea Libman's performance here is just great). Combined with those interesting insights on the place Ponies have in their world at large, it's enough to earn this one a passing grade from me, if only just.
Score: ***

S7E12: "Discordant Harmony"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myrhe     Written by: Michael P. Fox and Wil Fox
Well this one was just delightful. I admit, I find Discord episodes to be real hit or miss; as often as they can be fun and funny, they can also allow his Genie-on-crack schtick and mean-spirited nature to overwhelm them and render them remarkably unpleasant (lookin' at you, "What About Discord?"). But "Discordant Harmony" may actually be my favorite of the bunch to date, all the more impressive because it in fact indulges Discord's shenanigans more so than just about any other episode in the series thus far; indeed, for the first time, Discord has to carry the episode almost entirely by himself, which seems like it should be a sure-fire way to wear out his, and his Q-style brand of zaniness', welcome. But a strong combination of offering us a real, meaningful insight into his character and particularly his relationship with Fluttershy, and keeping even its zaniest moments grounded in those aspects, instead renders the whole thing utterly charming (and yes, John DeLancie deserves credit for keeping up the season's winning streak of delivering series-best performances; he isn't even alone in that respect, either, but we'll get to that), and allows us to connect with and relate to Discord more closely and warmly than the show's ever really tried before. For all that we still get the expected jokes (quite a few of which are hilarious, incidentally; the running gag of Discord literally talking to himself is great, and the episode escalates it perfectly over the course of its run-time), in other words, there's a real and fascinating heart to this story that really grabbed me. Which, naturally, is where Fluttershy comes in. I've always really liked the Discord/Fluttershy dynamic, and that is especially true here; seeing the extent to which Discord cares so much about protecting her and her feelings is quite touching, and his insecurity as pony after pony brings up how little sense his friendship with Fluttershy would seem to make hits home pretty keenly too (I particularly appreciate Pinkie Pie's role in accidentally fanning those flames; she winds up being the straw that breaks the draconequus' back, but almost entirely by accident rather than through insensitivity). But we finally get a real understanding of why Fluttershy likes hanging out with Discord here, and that's what elevates the whole thing: she enjoys getting to experience the New and the Bizarre, things that would normally frighten her save that, with Discord, she can experience them in an environment that, and with a friend whom, she can trust. Her last-minute rush to reintroduce enough Chaos to save Discord is wonderful, and the unifying theme that both friends really do understand each other is even more so. Combined with Andrea Libman matching DeLancie's strong performance with an equally strong one of her own, and it makes "Discordant Harmony" another feather in Season 7's impressively luxurious cap.
Score: ****1/2

S7E13: "The Perfect Pear"
Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myrhe     Written by: Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
Much like A Celestia Episode, finally getting some real information about Applejack's parents is something I've waited for since basically the very start of the show. Thankfully, with season MVPs Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco at the writing helm (seriously, these two have been on fire this season, writing almost all my very favorite episodes thus far), we get an episode that maybe falls a touch short of the probably-impossible standards I had set up for it, but nonetheless manages to succeed, and succeed beautifully, at giving us a story about these two thus-far-unknown figures, whose shadows have to one degree or another hung over a lot of the Apple Family's stories ("Apple Family Reunion" being the obvious stand-out), and letting us see them as actual, like, characters with quirks and personalities and a remarkably endearing relationship. That's the key to the whole thing, in fact; "Romeo and Juliet" romances have been done to death, but Pear Butter and Bright Macintosh's take on the concept manages to feel remarkably refreshing for how laid-back and nuanced and well-observed it is; indeed, it might actually be my favorite (overt, official) romance in the show to date. Although I will say it seems like there was a major miscommunication between the writers and the animators here; PB and Bright's first meeting seems to have been meant to take place when they were kids, not literal babies, and it's a weird, awkward note to start things off on when that's what we see...with them talking in very grown-up-sounding voices and already getting overtly Romantic. That oddity aside, though, we really can believe in these two as characters (kudos as well to the design choices; we don't get clone-parent syndrome here, especially with PB, but we do get a clear sense of where the Apple siblings each get their own looks from and how) and in their relationship, so that even as we really spend most of the story away from the present-day characters we came here to see in a flashback we already know the end point of to some extent, we get genuinely involved in the story. There's lots of great little touches reflecting the effect these two particular parents had on their kids; I love how each sibling gets their own little shout-out to a point of similarity between them and PB and/or Bright, and (much as I really wish it had been AJ who said so, even as I fully understand why it wasn't) Big Mac asking if he and the siblings could come see Burnt again to hear more stories is wonderful. Moreover, I really like the key conceit that these two had a big role in a lot of ponies' lives, that their love for each other touched a whole lot of ponies for the better along the way (it is also really nice to know Ponies can, in fact, change their names as they discover more about themselves if they want, another all-too-welcome nail in the coffin of the Cutie Marks As Fatalism idea). And best of all, there is a genuine edge to this story, too. I admit, I think the episode would have benefited from emphasizing the tragedy of what happened, the hurt of it, a bit more deeply, but I know there are limits for a show like this, so getting to see that edge at all is worthwhile and effective. Admittedly, there are a lot of little details that didn't quite work for me, and unlike "A Royal Problem", they really do kind of hurt the overall episode a bit. For one thing, I really wish there had been more acknowledgement of why it had taken so long for any of these ponies, most of whom are in fact ponies the Apple siblings know quite well, to have said anything about their parents. As I say, I know there are limits for this show, but this feels like something that could much more easily have been addressed without crossing any lines, and its absence strains the credibility of the whole premise a bit too much for my taste. Moreover, I wish the ending had been given more breathing room; it's beautiful in its way, but there is so much that has to go unaddressed or unacknowledged in order to make it fit, and, especially since I think the episode could have gotten to its point a bit more succinctly (another strike against the episode: we spend much more time on setting things up than we really need to), I can't help but feel like it could've been better. But "could've been better" is a far sight from "bad", and I still think "The Perfect Pear" is very much the sort of story I'd been hoping for when it came to the Apple parents, as well as being an enjoyable, warm, lovely episode in its own right.
Score: ****

S7E14: “Fame And Misfortune”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: M.A. Larson
Confession right up front here? I'm really not all that into meta stories "about" a given franchise's fandom, generally speaking. They tend to come off as cloying and too on-the-nose for me, to say nothing of frequently feeling self-congratulatory and kind of lazy (a lot of fans are obsessive collectors, you say? Do go on!). And I'd be lying if I said I felt like "Fame and Misfortune" avoids those pitfalls; in particular, a lot of the supposed observations about the fandom feel...off (I've been on this boat more or less since the get-go, and outside of MAYBE the first couple months of the show's existence, I cannot think of a single period in time when Applejack was more popular than Rarity), and when the expected jokes came, they did indeed make me groan. On the flip-side, however, some of those same observations did feel on point (the one about Fluttershy in particular), and some of the jokes did manage to work for me (everypony laughing at everything Pinkie said, which honestly kind of worked on multiple levels XD). And most importantly of all, I think the core of the episode's story ultimately manages to click. It runs right up against that cloying on-the-noseness I mentioned, but using the filter of Celebrity Culture to explore the notions of how the larger audience is too caught up in its own momentum to notice the actual point of the art they consume rang true to me, especially because, while it pokes its fun, the episode's real chief concern is about absorbing the positive messages the art tries to convey. Conversely, I'm actually genuinely into the notion that the story is really ultimately about understanding how the flaws of others are just part of the journey they're all making to become better ponies (as outlined in the above-average song that wraps the episode up, another point in its favor), but the idea only really comes into focus at the very end in a way that felt jarring and disconnected from what the rest of the story's been going for. It leads to an episode that ultimately splits me right down the middle; I honestly can't say I much cared for re-litigating so much of the same tiresome stuff I ultimately unplugged from the larger "Pony" fandom precisely to avoid, but neither can I deny that the episode manages to get some pretty sharp points in there too with some surprisingly satisfying moments. I struggled with how exactly to rate this one, but ultimately, it does result in this happening, so I'm at least willing to give it the extra half-star necessary to get it a passing score.
Score: ***

S7E15: “Triple Threat”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Josh Hamilton
This feels like an episode I shouldn't particularly care for. The kind of hyper-contrived Series of Mishaps story structure it uses has rarely played well for me, and there are some story choices it makes, in particular bringing the Cutie Map into things, that I can't say I was super into either. But while it doesn't exactly surge into the top tier of the season for me, "Triple Threat" ultimately managed to entertain and delight me in some very pleasant ways even so. Perhaps the biggest is the opportunity it provides me to re-evaluate a character I sorely mis-treated back when she first appeared in Season 6, Ember. See, Ember had the bad fortune of coming along at exactly the wrong point in my relationship with the show in an episode I felt primed to love but ultimately wound up lukewarm on, and that in turn caused my feelings on her to be far, far harsher than she really deserved. I had already come to recognize that error back at the start of this season when we got to see what it might look like for Starlight to join forces with Ember (in a sequence that remains a season highlight for me, and one of my favorite little touches in "Triple Threat" is how it subtly implies such a relationship between the two might yet become real if given the chance), but here, with the greater room given for Ember's character to stretch, I finally fell full-on in love; the balance her character strikes between gruff but sincere, hard-edged but not ignorant or stubborn, is really exceptional, and it allows her to act as a very strong anchor for the story here. The other anchor, naturally, is Thorax, a character whom I already enjoyed, and who here showcases the ways in which he's really changed now that he can be more open about who he really is with the world. It's a subtle shift in his character, but it registered with me pretty clearly, and I rather appreciated the episode exploring it as well as it did (also, knowing the summaries of upcoming episodes, I appreciated the foreshadowing they cleverly tucked away into his rambling conversation with Spike). The strength of these two characters, then, is ultimately enough to overpower the stuff that didn't work for me. As I say, the Convoluted Misunderstanding thing is a plot format you gotta work really hard to avoid annoying me with, and while this episode succeeds for the most part, I did find it grated on me a couple times even so, and in particular once they brought the Cutie Map into the equation. I get why they did it, since you need some outside factor to insure Spike doesn't piece the solution together on his own without making him look like a complete jerk, and for that matter I'm actually really glad to know Spike can in fact be chosen by the map for Friendship Missions (dude's got his own chair in the throne room, after all), but not only do I kind of feel like the Map's activation should've been the inciting incident of the story (and how Spike realizes he invited Ember and Thorax on the same day rather than Thorax just kinda...showing up), its presence ultimately felt intrusive and distracting rather than especially necessary. I'm also kind of split on the ending; I LOVED Ember and Thorax teaching each other in the other's own ways, and I appreciate how it bucks the tradition of one of the lead characters teaching the others how to fix a given episode's problem, but leaving Spike out of the resolution entirely felt odd to me. Still and all, though, "Triple Threat" has great Character, and equally great Humor (the running gag about Ember confusing Twilight for Starlight is pure, unfettered brilliance), and that proves more than strong enough to make it click.
Score: ***1/2

S7E16: “Campfire Tales”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Barry Safchik and Michael Platt
I think "charming" is the operative word this time around. Like, on balance, "Campfire Tales" is pretty frothy stuff, and I'm not entirely sure I actually have all that much to say about it. But at the same time, it meets the goals it sets for itself very well, and the very fact that it isn't weighted down by all that much narrative urgency honestly winds up being one of its greatest strengths. It's genuinely nice to have an episode that doesn't feel the need to force its conflict, such as it is, into a particular shape or size to keep things moving, nor to have an especially strong over-arching theme to tie everything together. Instead, it's mostly just an excuse to tell quick little Morality Play-style fairy tales, peppered in with the reliably-endearing dynamics of the three Mane Sister pairs of the show (and for that matter, I appreciated all the little call-backs and references to "Sleepless in Ponyville"). As with all anthologies, of course, there's a fairly obvious stand-out (the legend of Mist Mane) and a fairly obvious Weak Link (the legend of Rockhoof), but all three are honestly pretty solid, and I rather enjoyed the ways in which each one expands our understanding of the scope of this world in a way that is grounded in Character as much as Exposition. Rockhoof's is the weakest mostly by virtue of its weirdly nondescript ending (though its Deus Ex Machina nature DOES feel in keeping with Classic Mythology), but even that has some neat details like the notion of the Mighty Helm, and Rockhoof himself feels remarkably striking just at a Design Level both Before and After he beefs out; Mistmane's is the strongest by virtue of feeling most keyed in to the show's core values, as well as its genuinely-fascinating setting (and fantastic character design work; I adore the curved-horn unicorns so much) and far and away the most compelling resolution/message of the three; Flash Magnus' works almost entirely on adrenaline, but it really does do some genuinely cool stuff with Action Beats and visual tension that I was into it, even as it's honestly kind of the most incoherent (it's kinda about Courage, but, like, mostly just Doing Cool Shit, which isn't necessarily a complaint). In all three cases, though, the thing I most appreciated is what each Legend highlighted in the pony who valued it. For Applejack, it's the notion that hard work and determination can always pave the way to success; for Rarity, it's the notion of how we find Beauty in all things and how that Beauty betters the world (and the nuance of that idea the episode finds is another reason the Mist Mane legend is the best one, by the by). And for Dash, I mean...duh. It's about being Awesome. I can quibble, if I want to; in particular, I do find it kind of weird the episode highlights how Magnus and Mist's legends inspire the fillies, but not Rockhoof's, and the ending as a whole felt weirdly abrupt and flat. But I DON'T particularly want to; as I say, "Campfire Tales" is just way too charming an episode for me to be in the mood for THAT kind of stuff.
Score: ****

S7E17: “To Change A Changeling”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Kevin Lappin
"Where and Back Again" was a genuinely exceptional season finale, maybe one of the overall best the show has yet done, and I've appreciated the myriad ways, big and small, that Season 7 has reflected on the effects it had on the world and characters. So "To Change A Changeling" is working from strong foundations in its choice to follow up, not just on the transformed Changeling hive, but also coming close to revisiting Starlight's Angels (if only Discord was present, it'd be a full-on reunion). Which admittedly almost work against the episode, in a weird way; I found it a touch odd how...I dunno, stand-offish Thorax is with Starlight at times, given how they'd worked together and bonded previously? But I also kinda generally felt the episode was a touch harder on Starlight than it really needed to be. Oh, also, one last little nitpick, I wish Trixie had contributed literally anything at all to the story. I'm still glad she's here, you understand, especially because every last joke she contributes kills, the opening bit about her trying to teleport especially, but she has no meaningful impact on the emotional or thematic aspect of the story, which strikes me as a missed opportunity. But that's all fairly minor, and pretty nitpicky besides. At heart, "To Change A Changeling" works exceptionally well, in a lot of ways. I very much enjoyed getting to explore the exact nature of a post-Chrysalis hive, in particular; the idea of their society having become one all about the open, honest expression of emotion, built upon building and maintaining healthy relationships, really tickled me in just the right way, especially because it finds exactly the right balance between portraying it as a meaningful Good that the hive is like this now and finding the myriad problems that can still exist within it. The chiefest of which, naturally, is how to deal with someone whose behavior and nature aren't exactly going with the grain. Which brings us to the other key strength of the episode: Pharynx is a really solid character. He's aggressive, and it's easy to see why others dislike him, but the episode does find the honest truth of how deeply he cares for the community, even as the changes to that community upset him. On the flip-side, I appreciate that the episode also showcases that it is in fact on Pharynx to adjust and learn better how to express himself in a way the other Changelings can understand; the balance, in other words, between giving Pharynx a valid point of view while also recognizing the ways in which that stance is (forgive the term) Problematic renders the central conflict believable and compelling in just the right way. I'm also kind of appreciative at seeing Starlight get to be more proactive here, given how hesitant she's been at that in the past. And for that matter, even as it kind of irks me that the episode sort of punishes her for that exact fact, I also appreciate that said punishment does not in fact discourage her in the way it might have even earlier in the season; it speaks well of the progress she's made in a subtle but satisfying way. So yeah, there are a few sour notes in there for me, but overall "To Change A Changeling" definitely delivers; it's got good characters, good world-building, good jokes, and a surprising amount of layers and nuance to its central theme.
Score: ****

S7E18: “Daring Done?”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Gillian M. Barrow
I'm genuinely sorry to say this, but I just do not care about Daring Do episodes all that much. Like, I don't dislike them, but (outside of arguably Scrooge McDuck, and I'd say it's debatable if he even counts), the Indiana Jones-style Adventurer archetype is just not one I've ever been all that personally invested in, and consequently I feel like I am just never able to get on the same page as the Daring Do episodes. Which applies as much to "Daring Done?" as anything else, because this episode feels like a mess to me, and I have to wonder if that'd still be true were I more of a fan of this style of character and the stories they star in. Mind you, I think as messes go it's ultimately an enjoyable mess, and if nothing else I appreciate that it genuinely feels like it's about Daring Do as a character in a way that neither of her prior appearances (and no, I don't exactly count "Read It And Weep" in this category) did. The tangent into more Equestrian Lore-building a la "Campfire Tales" was pretty cool, too, and the glowpaz felt like an understated bit of punnery that also added the right kind of texture to Somnambula as a town. But I also found the pacing and structure this time around to be baffling. Giving SO much detail on the legend of Somnambula is weird in particular, given that its connection back to the main story felt like a fairly unconvincing stretch; as I say, I liked the story, but the attempt to make it part of THIS story just did not land for me, and so it sticks out as this odd five-minute diversion nestled almost exactly before the episode ends. Likewise, I was kind of intrigued by the notion of an ultimately-good character having to deal with the unintended consequences of their actions, but then the episode kind of arbitrarily shifts all the weight onto the fake crimes Callaberon staged, and the importance of the bad stuff that actually did happen because of Daring gets frustratingly undercut. I'm appreciative of what the episode's trying to do there, mind; I can honestly see a not-that-different version of this same basic concept that works, showing how losing hope in the face of mistakes is no solution, and the way the episode overtly draws that connection through dialogue at the end almost convinced me. But it never feels like the episode ever meaningfully does anything within the actual events of the story to connect those dots, and so, again, I'm left finding it awkward and uneven. There's still just enough Good going on here to give this episode the necessary edge, mind; I really did appreciate the overall message about hope, and I found myself connecting with Daring as a character here better than ever before; getting a better insight into how she thinks and what motivates her at a personal level really helped boost the episode as a whole for me. I'm likewise appreciative of how the episode plays Rainbow and Pinkie's respective takes on Optimism in the face of adversity; Rainbow is all stubbornness and refusal to give up, while Pinkie is much more about momentum, always moving ahead and hoping for the best. It enlivens the whole dynamic of the episode just enough to let me say I liked it as a whole, even as so much of the actual story here really did not work for me.

Score: ***

S7E19: "Rarity Is The Best: The Episode"“It's Not The Mane Thing About You”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Josh Haber
So we can all basically agree at this point that Rarity is the best member of the Mane Six, right? Like, she's a great character, and unlike some of her peers, she hasn't, oh I dunno, had all of her potential squandered on idiot ball plots that turn her into an unlikable jerk or had a major transformation forced on her that only kind of advances her character while undercutting some of its most crucial aspects. Instead, she's headlined Best Episode after Best Episode, from "Sisterhooves Social" to "Rarity Takes Manehattan" to, you guessed it, "It's Not The Mane Thing About You", or as I like to call it, "Rarity Is The Best: The Episode". Seriously, this episode is just a treat from start to finish, highlighting basically every single thing I love about Rarity as a character, and with a script by Josh Haber (a writer it took me some time to warm up to, but who I've only come to appreciate more and more, and who seriously brings his A-Game here) that makes sure said highlighting is done in the most enjoyable, satisfying fashion. It's honestly kind of hard for me to do anything but gush about this episode, if I'm being honest; the cold open alone is peppered with wonderful little touches (it's really nice to know Granny Smith and Grand Pear are working together again) while also giving us a great look at Rarity not only as a good friend and thoughtful pony, but also a sharp business mare and inspired artist. And that continues throughout the whole episode; even the expected Haberisms where the plot contrives itself a little (I find it weird literally not one pony in that room thought to ask why the potions look identical) honestly kind of clicked for me, as the story moves through them with a perfectly light touch that makes you either not question them or else feel too tickled to honestly care to try. Meanwhile, the episode deftly avoids all the potential pitfalls it could have so easily fallen into. Nopony involved, even the increasingly-panicked and ultimately-depressed Rarity, feels unreasonable or cruel here, ever; quite the contrary, every character shines here. Pinkie's constantly-amused sense of the whole situation is funny, Applejack gets to feel genuinely kind and supportive for once, and Twi and Starlight's varying attempts to Magic up a solution for Rarity are equal parts amusing and honestly touching as we get to see the lengths they try to go to for their friend, which indeed unifies all the characters here, but we'll get back to that. Even Zecora's brief presence feels simply wonderful; she's got some great rhymes this time around, and I honestly kind of appreciated the almost-detached way she reacts to the whole thing. And of course, there's Rarity herself. As I say, this episode feels like the encapsulation of everything that's so great about her; her generosity of spirit, her inspired and inspirational artistry, her confidence...but also the realism of her hurts and down turns, the way we can honestly believe in her sadness even when the situation is absurd. Part of that, naturally, is Tabitha St. Germain, once again highlighting Season 7's exceptional voice work with some really fantastic line reads (and yes, she nails the scream of shock that sets the whole main mane plot into motion), and the way the episode ties all of that together into its conclusion genuinely touched me; once she has the confidence to try, Rarity is able to find the beauty even in this messy situation, because that's what she does. It's part of the other thing that elevates this whole episode for me, in fact, because for all that it's got Haber's infectiously lighthearted touch and good humor, it's also got a shockingly strong Heart to it. The sincerity and genuine creativity that each of Rarity's friends put into trying to help her, both by trying to find some work-around to her mane crisis and by sticking by her to remind her in no uncertain terms how much she means to them, how much they care, rings strong and true as a (Sweetie) bell(e). The episode's final moments especially just left me with THE biggest smile on my face for how sweet and sincere and truly felt they were. And I could legitimately keep going on like this, but I think I've made my point: this episode is seriously the best. I didn't expect to give out another five-star rating after "A Royal Problem" this season, but here we are, and I could not be more pleasantly surprised.
Score: *****

S7E20: "A Health of Information”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Sammy Crowley and Whitney Wetta
Right off the bat, I will say that this episode had to actively work on getting off my Bad Side when its opening few minutes seemed to be promising me that wonderful Zecroa Focus Episode I've been wanting for so long (and felt was more possible than ever before given that we got a Celestia episode and an Apple Parents episode, not just within the same season but within only a couple episodes of each other XD), only to have her wind up a plot-point pushed to the sidelines before the first act's finished. Mind you, that's also a plus in its way, in as much as the episode ultimately manages to get on my good side. Admittedly, the route by which it does so is...weird. Like "Fluttershy Leans In", while I never found the episode especially bad per se, I did find a lot of its structural and tonal choices just flat-out odd. It works better than it did in "Daring Done?", and given the pattern it forms with that episode and "Campfire Tales", I can even appreciably get what it's going for more so this time, but the lengthy diversion we get to hear the story of Mage Meadowbrook still felt distracting and out of place, especially because its placement within the greater moral backbone of the episode feels...kind of odd, t'me. Mind you, said moral backbone is actually one of the better things about the episode; I always appreciate when kid's shows emphasize that while sacrifice and helping others are noble ideas, you also have a responsibility to take good care of yourself too, and Fluttershy is something like the perfect vehicle for that very message (though I also can't help but feel like this might've been an even better Applejack episode, but that's a bit of a tangent I don't need to get into right now). I just also feel like it might've landed stronger if it had placed more emphasis on the consequences of neglecting her own health that Fluttershy, and more especially Mage Meadowbrook, goes through in the process, because as it stands, it ultimately winds up feeling like, if the episode didn't explicitly tell us otherwise after the fact in dialogue, the narrative could more easily be read as one where pushing through the pain ultimately yields the right reward. Nevertheless, the episode clicks for me, overall; the sense of humor is in good shape, I actually really appreciate the new corner of Equestria Mage Meadowbrook's story lets us explore, and at the end of the day, it does speak to ideas that I really appreciated getting. It's an odd duck, but a good one.
Score: ***1/2

S7E21: "Marks and Recreation”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: May Chan
Before we get to the episode proper, one thing real quick, since I don't find much opportunity/reason to cite any particular animation in this show, but the opening bit where Scootaloo embarrasses herself and she and the others all laugh it off, but she gets this quick glance to the side that shows you the inner "oh god what'd i just do?!?" feeling she's having is maybe one of the nicest, subtlest bits of visual characterization this show's ever done. ANYWAY, as to the episode as a whole? It's funny to think that, once upon a time, I found myself super Not Into Cutie Mark episodes (that is to say episodes about getting Cutie Marks), because for whatever reason they just so consistently didn't work for me; there are some choice exceptions (especially depending on how strict your definition for what qualifies as one is), mind, but as a general rule, seeing a summary that highlighted the CMC's Cutie Mark quest was the quickest way to kill my excitement for an episode...until the CMC actually got theirs. And now the batting average has improved considerably, with "Marks and Recreation" being another pretty strong contender. For one thing, I honestly appreciate getting to know Thunderlane and Rumble in more detail; the show's done remarkably well at making its ascended extras into actual side-characters, and that wound up happening here too, especially for how well they construct the brothers' relationship. Both clearly care about the other a great deal, but there are also real blind spots in their understanding of each other and how they treat each other (I'm thinking in particular of how Thunderlane disrupts Rumble's attempt at a practice flight) that feels equally believable. I also appreciated the interesting way the episode turns into kind of an extended meditation on self-expression and how it relates to the idea of Cutie Marks within the show. It honestly feels like it's been a long time since the show really overtly tackled the meaning of the Cutie Mark metaphor, after all, so I enjoyed having it move into the center here again, especially because it continues to further eliminate the idea of the Mark as an all-binding Fatalist Curse that earlier seasons sometimes made it feel like; indeed, that very notion winds up being the problem the CMC have to solve. Admittedly, I feel like we maybe repeat ourselves a bit too much in terms of Rumble making his case and the CMC finding themselves impotent to retort (though I honestly did like the musical number), and for that matter I wish the new side-characters got a bit more attention; I actually really liked all of them, and I think the episode might honestly have benefited from centering them a bit more given how the conflict ultimately relates more to them than it does the CMC. But honestly, neither problem is especially severe, and the whole rest of the episode feels like a real winner to me. The premise is wonderful, and I sincerely hope we see more of the Cutie Mark Camp in the future, especially since it's shown itself capable of being a launchpad for an episode as fun and interesting as this one.
Score: ****

S7E22: "Once Upon A Zeppelin”

Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Brittany Jo Florres
There's a lot of back-and-forths on this one. Like, on the one hand? I honestly found the conflict kind of contrived; never mind that Iron Will feels like a really random antagonist to bring back (and honestly not even an especially appropriate one for the situation at hand; I rather appreciated that in his prior appearance he wasn't actively malicious so much as mistaken in his methods, so having him be actively dishonest and manipulative here felt more than a little off), his presence feels kind of unnecessary to what the story's ultimately supposed to be about, and diverts time and energy that I feel like could have been better spent elsewhere. On the other hand, I really appreciated finally getting a chance to know Twilight's parents as characters a bit better (a funny little recurring theme this season, come to think of it), especially since the characters they turn out to be are fairly delightful (Velvet as a thrill-junkie in particular really clicked for me), and for that matter getting to see them, and Cadance and Shining and Flurry, act as both a whole family and individual families unto themselves. On the other other hand, a lot of the running gags here fell flat; Shining's air sickness was kind of cute at first, but they lean on it a bit too heavily for my tastes, especially since they're pretty clearly gunshy about going for the obvious ultimate pay-off, and the whole sub-plot with Star Tracker really didn't do it for me. On the other other other hand, though, the actual heart of the story rang true, and as with "Fluttershy Leans In", I do think that fact is ultimately enough to over-power the less-effective oddities in the rest of the episode. Part of that is how the episode sets itself up right out of the gate; that cold open is a microcosm of the coming story (another interesting recurring theme this season; the cold opens really have felt especially On Point) and seeds the core character thread (Twilight's responsibilities are starting to weigh her down, but she's so determined to do right by others that she's trying to power through, so it comes down to her Family helping her to realize she needs to think about doing right by herself too) right out of the gate, but taken on its own it's also just such a delightful little scene (and yes I did in fact have THE biggest smile when Twi said she thinks of Spike as Family) that you don't notice if you're not looking for it. Likewise, even as we kind of JUST did a "be kind to yourself too" episode, that concept's presence here still clicked for me, especially since I actually feel like it's even more effective here, since the stakes are more personal and thus cut closer to the concept for me. But most of all, I really appreciated what it means to have this story for Twilight specifically. We've hit this beat a couple times this season already, but here especially it is the front and center of the overall story: whatever else she is, Twilight is still Twilight, with her own wants and needs and interests (and for that matter I loved getting to see how her parents react to those very things; her dad's appreciation of how she organizes their schedule stuck out to me in a really good way), and for all her power and authority, those things are still an important and meaningful element of her character. It's exactly the sort of Feelings First thinking I most appreciate from my "Pony" stories, and it ultimately makes "Once Upon A Zeppelin" a genuinely good episode in my eyes, even with its not-insignificant problems.
Score: ***1/2

S7E23: "Secrets and Pies”
Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Brittany Jo Florres
I guess it only makes sense that, since we got at least one other episode this season that matched "A Royal Problem"'s sterling quality, we'd get another episode to match "Honest Apple" too, right down to the technical elements of the episode's writing actually being remarkably strong...but ultimately undercut by the fundamentally rotten nature of its story. For real, some of the comedy here is actually remarkably on point (though we do wind up visiting maybe my single least favorite concept ever introduced to the series in the form of Pinkie's secret party-planning cave; it's a concept that I actually feel fundamentally breaks Pinkie's character if you linger on it too long, so I was rather hoping we'd only ever see it the once lD; ); the stuff where Pinkie rants to Gummy and Gummy reacts as only Gummy can is great, Andrea Libman really sells the escalating nature of Pinkie's frustration (especially since, more so than the script, she recognizes that this is as much about Pinkie getting increasingly hung up on trying to learn the truth as it is her hurt feelings over believing that Dash has betrayed her), and while I feel like it represents yet another in a long list of opportunities to do something meaningful with her (imagine if she actually had been the one to help set the moral of the episode, instead of just snarkily saying she could have been lD; ), I appreciated the dry commentary Applejack provides during her scenes too. Plus, I do kind of love the Big Dream Sequence Pinkie has where she fantasizes about Rainbow destroying All The Pies Ever (but then, I'm always a sucker for a scene that lets the show play with its visual style the way that one does, and indeed I only wish the scene could've been pushed even further in that respect). But all of that can't ultimately save the episode from itself. For one thing, they make a huge structural mistake; Pinkie basically starts out cranked up to 11 on the Crazy Meter, and so the basic sense of increasingly-comic escalation the episode tries to go for doesn't really work. More importantly, despite there being an ultimately-good lesson buried in there (again another "Honest Apple" parallel), namely that honesty between friends is important and even if it's well intended you should be careful about lying to them even when it's to spare their feelings, the way the episode gets there renders both Pinkie and Rainbow kind of awful. Like, I get that this show (and this episode especially) is, at a certain fundamental level, a comedy, and comedy often uses exaggeration to make its point, but the sheer, wild extremes both Pinkie and Rainbow go to to meet their respective ends (Rainbow trying to hide that she doesn't like pies, Pinkie trying to get the truth out of her) just plain makes the both of them look kind of awful, and the fact that both extremes are ultimately treated, at some level, as kind of reasonable winds up making their whole relationship within this context feel toxic; like, I really shouldn't find parallels to "Phantom Thread" in your Pinkie/Rainbow story, show, yet here we friggin' are. It takes what could have been a worthwhile concept and renders it really unpleasant and frustrating, and I am only too glad to just happily move on from it and pretend none of it ever happened.

Score: **

S7E24: "Uncommon Bond”
Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Josh Haber and Kevin Lappin
Season 7 really has been an absolute blessing in terms of returning the show to a real and meaningful focus on Character over Incident, with maybe some of the best instances in the entire show of looking at, analyzing, and understanding the emotional inner lives of the characters as the wellspring of its stories. And that holds especially true here in the season's penultimate episode, which once again paints an impressively rich portrait of its central players and how they relate to each other. Indeed, how Starlight and Sunburst relate to each other now after all these years estranged is the entirety of the story this time around (as opposed to "The Crystalling" where it got sidetracked by a bunch of ginned-up External Conflict) and "Uncommon Bond" does an exceptionally strong job of really letting us see what that means. Especially because the central emotional conflict is impressively layered; it isn't simply that Sunburst has new interests Starlight doesn't share, it isn't simply that he bonds with others easier than her, it isn't even that the ponies he bonds with are also Starlight's friends; it's all of those things together, a shockingly believable and realistically portrayed mixture of frustrations all piling on top of and feeding into each other in a style far more down to earth than the show usually goes for. But it works beautifully, especially because of how carefully the episode plays it; Sunburst could easily come off as insensitive here, or Starlight as over-reacting, but neither ever does. Even at the very end when Starlight attempts to quite literally relive her and Sunburst's childhoods, it so clearly comes from a well-meaning place (one gets the sense that Starlight is hoping the act itself will be impressive in addition to the opportunity it affords for play), a sincere and caring place, that you really can't help but feel sympathetic toward it. Likewise the little touches like Sunburst noticing Starlight's lack of interest (and seriously it's a small thing but it meant so much to me that this happened; far too often the show likes to pretend others cannot see what is plainly in front of them and it always irks the hell out of me so bonus points to "Uncommon Bond" to genuinely making sure that's addressed) makes it clear that no matter what else has changed he does ultimately care about her and her well-being. And that's not even getting into Starlight's other friends! The other secret layer on which "Uncommon Bond" works is that it's a keen reminder of how much Starlight has grown and expanded her horizons since coming to Ponyville; Twilight, Trixie, Maud...it's not just fascinating to realize how much they and Sunburst getting along as well as they do reflects something meaningful about what it is that attracts Starlight to her friends, it's heartwarming to realize that all of them care about her so much (maybe my single favorite little moment of the episode is Trixie specifically making sure to let her audience know she is in fact Starlight's Bestie now). Indeed that aspect, the way in which all of them come together with Sunburst to show how much Starlight means to them, is even enough to make the Finale work for me (which it kind of didn't 100% at a writing level; literally the one thing keeping this from a full 5 stars is that I felt the story got a bit too fixated on the specific Dragon Dungeon element rather than the broader emotional truth of what was going on, though even then the game itself is cleverly designed and adorable). As we draw very near to the season's end, "Uncommon Bond" feels like a perfect summary of its best elements in one place: an emotionally honest and compelling look into the heart of its characters.
Score: ****1/2

S7E25-26: "Shadowplay” (SEASON FINALE)
Directed by: Denny Lu and Mike Myhre   Written by: Josh Haber
Once upon a time I really looked forward to the Big Epic Two-Parters on FiM. Indeed it was its ability to tell such a story effectively (while meaningfully tying it together with emotional themes and strongly-realized characters) that first really attracted me to the series. But ever since the end of Season 2 I can't help but feel like the batting average has been...wonky, at best; there have been good ("Twilight's Kingdom"), even great ("Where And Back Again") Epic two-parters since then, sure, but far more often we wind up with the mediocre ("Princess Twilight Sparkle", "The Crystal Empire", "The Crystalling") to the outright-awful ("The Cutie Re-Mark"). "Shadowplay" thus stands at an interesting crossorads; the show wisely chose to forego an opening two-parter this season, and had seeded the key plot-points for this very story throughout its last few seasons (I'm especially impressed at the call-back to the Pony of Shadows from "Castle Mania"). With the expositionary leg-work having been taken care of beforehand and the proper time and energy apparently being saved for it, "Shadowplay" thus has an opportunity to really excel. And indeed it's definitely toward the higher end of the overall spectrum of two-parters in the show, with a lot of very strong elements to recommend it by. The entire premise is honestly kind of interesting with the action being initially driven, not by the usual reaction to a new-found threat but rather a proactive attempt to help Equestria in a way we don't usually see, which not only makes for an interesting change of pace since it allows the majority of Part One to unfold relatively calmly but also means the scope and stakes of the story escalate organically as the story unfolds in full in a way that definitely worked. Admittedly this means we also take a surprisingly-long time to actually get to the real heart of the story; once the true core of the story reveals itself (and parts one and two do a solid job of subtly hinting in its direction so it doesn't feel truncated or overly-rushed when it does) it's honestly a thing of genuine beauty that befits Season 7's over-arching choice to focus on the heart and meaning of its characters. But we also spend the majority of our time and energy focused on a whole bunch of different stuff; the relic hunt, what it means to meddle with the past, the Pillars returning to Equestria and Starswirl turning out to be kind of a dick...it's not ruinous and each individual aspect honestly feels enjoyable and/or interesting (though the Relic Hunt feels half "charming mini-episode that remind us of what's great about these characters" and half "drawn-out gag that isn't half as amusing as the writers seem to think"), but it also leaves the two-parter feeling weirdly lumpy at times. Which is a shame because honestly in the broadest strokes it's one of the absolute strongest overall stories the two-parters have done; maybe not as strong as "Where and Back Again" but even so, the actual narrative here is impressive not only in its scope (which spans the whole of Equestrian history and ties together many elements of the show's impressively robust mythos) but also in its themes; I don't know that it entirely works since, outside of Starswirl and to a much lesser extent Somnambula, the Pillars end up kind of being ciphers, but I respect that one of the story's chief concerns is that even the very greatest among us can make truly awful mistakes, and we must always remember to look inwards to try and fix them. Admittedly that ambition is a bit undercut by some of the moment-to-moment writing feeling more than a touch confused; Starlight in particular gets put in The Skeptic's Box in a way that kind of makes sense (it marks her as the Outside Perspective needed to question the Pillars' wisdom in banishing Stygian) but also arbitrarily changes in the specifics in a frustrating way; her initial doubts about whether it's wise to bring the Pillars back not only stop mattering the moment they re-open the Portal to Limbo but they also don't ultimately relate to why bringing them back is a problem. Which is only a real frustration because I love Starlight's arc here otherwise; it not only satisfyingly connects back to her own innermost sense of self and what it means for her to have a shady past while trying to make good, but also beautifully illustrates the full richness and power of her relationship with Twilight; indeed, the fact that the story resolves because Starlight is able to remind Twilight that her truest strength is her capacity to learn about and share the magic of Friendship with others does a lot to help me overlook some of the problems I had here (like the fact that the Pony of Shadows winds up being another rather disappointing villain overall thanks to his having no chance to actually, like, do anything, though kudos to the animation team: his return at the end of Part One is handily one of the best most fluid bits of animation in the entire series to date and it's cool as hell). Which is ultimately the key: "Shadowplay" has some not-insignificant problems but its surplus of ambition, its impressive willingness to go after some pretty Big themes and emotional ideas, and ultimately its ability to connect all of that back to the show's truest heart manages to leave it feeling pretty good as a whole when all is said and done. Which at this point it is: Season 7 is over, and while it may not go out on its highest note, the note it goes out on is very strong even so.
Score: ****

Comments

[Bookish Delight]

EMBEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR

STARLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT

[Gojira007]

4724367
Proposed Spin-off: "Ember and Starlight: Friendship is METAL!!!"

[Bookish Delight]

Man, I LOATHED Pinkie in Rock Solid--possibly even more than when people lazily write her as WackyZany... but you have a good point that her reasoning was benevolent, and (mostly) in service of someone else instead of her trying to cram Pinkie Philosophy down someone's throat. Luna Eclipsed this ain't.

Her part still makes an otherwise fantastic episode hard for me to rewatch, but thanks for allowing me to appreciate it a bit more. XD

[Gojira007]

4726304
I mean, I'm easy; as long as she doesn't get as bad as she did in "Filli Vanilli" ever again, I'll probably find myself in a forgiving mood. XD;

[Bookish Delight]

Yeah, I liked Fluttershy Leans In way more than it probably deserves, but Gillian Berrow (she of the original paperback books) is really good at fun and fluff, whether or not it's a good idea at the time. Watching that episode felt like being wrapped in a warm security blanket.

(For good or for ill, it looks as if Berrow's since been bequeathed EQG as a training ground of sorts--not my first choice but hardly my last, either. Honestly she's kind of crushing it so far--hope the trend holds!)

[Bookish Delight]

4726335
See one day I'm going to rewatch that episode and hopefully better understand just why I came out of what I felt was a fun and uplifting 22 minutes to see a fandom on fire?

Seriously, to this day the hate for that episode confuses me. See also: Brotherhooves Social. :P

[Gojira007]

4727295
Honestly, I feel like "Fluttershy Leans In" almost makes more sense as an EqG story, so I can definitely see the logic there.

4727297
I mean, I think Pinkie's being a jerk in that episode, but I friggin' love it anyway (especially because, and this is key, Pinkie's being a jerk in a way that makes sense). I didn't realize it had a significant hatedom, nor can I say I really understand why. >_O
As for "Brotherhooves Social", I have to admit it's the one episode of FiM I have never seen, nor have any particular desire to see. I don't know what "the Fandom"'s feelings on it are, I basically stopped keeping up with that sort of thing a long time ago, I just know almost every last friend of mine who is also into FiM kinda hated it for very personal reasons, and it's just really hard for me to overlook that, y'know?

[Bookish Delight]

::looks at episode review progress::

::checks numbering on wiki::

pbs.twimg.com/media/CS7PwXBUAAQavth?format=jpg

can you feel the storm

it's coming :3

[Gojira007]

4727873
media2.giphy.com/media/14ut8PhnIwzros/giphy.gif

[Bookish Delight]

You're a lot nicer to HtSA than I am (and I have a feeling our positions will be reversed with the next episode ^^;). After seven years I have absolutely zero patience left for contrived Romance Hijinx, more so with a bunch of creepy hookup stunts and the dumb Bieber pony. This is the only episode of the season that I outright loathe--even Secrets and Pies, the only other one I actively dislike, had its moments.

(Also I might've had some good yuri ships for Sugar that got sunk here for no good reason. :P)

Escape Roll was genius though.

[Gojira007]

4728487 We shall see about that next one. XD; I WILL say we're in agreement on the Contrived Romance/Creepy Hookup thing, but I'm also pretty keenly aware that that's just where FiM lives when it comes to this stuff, and while that's...disappointing, it's also not especially surprising; I can count the number of Kid's Shows that handle that stuff well on one hand without using all my fingers. So I try not to hold it too much against the show when it comes up.
...that being said I think having slept on it a little bit I'm tempted to downgrade my score a little bit even so. >_>

[Bookish Delight]

goooooooooooj

honest appllllllllllllle

i neeeeeeeeeeeeeds it

[Gojira007]

4730817
XD; I am sincerely flattered you're so eager to hear my thoughts. It won't be today due to Family Biz (holidays is comin', donchaknow), but odds are good you'll see it by tomorrow afternoon. And that (not to tempt fate with an extra helping of Dramatic Irony >w>) is the Honest Truth. ;3

[Bookish Delight]

THERE it is. Hoo boy. Well, congrats--just as my Team Rarity ass has Simple Ways, now you have this. The scales are balanced at last!

That said, I completely agree with your assessment, but wow yeah do I need to PM you because I've been waiting for you to get to that episode for a while. There are deeper conversations to be had.

[Gojira007]

4731699 The "Simple Ways" comparison is hilarious to me because, just as I rather appreciated Applejack in that episode when everything else about it pissed me off, so too do I genuinely think Rarity (mostly) works here in the same way (which doesn't change my underlying problem with how the episode uses her to set up its conflict, but that's a complaint with the writing more so than the character herself).
And please do send me that PM, because I honestly suspect I too have quite a bit more to say on the subject, but I had to keep it somewhat condensed (and it still wound up being the longest review I've written yet XD; ).

[Bookish Delight]

And here's the thing about Daybreaker: she isn't the manifestation of Celestia's dark side per se (though when Daybreaker claims she is, you get the sense Celestia suspects there's some truth to that even so). Rather, she is the worst version of Starlight's perception of Celestia.

Confession: Someone had to tell me this; you figured it out yourself. Top marks for you. This fact still blows my goddamn mind though. Like, it adds so many more layers to both Starlight and Celestia's characters in opposition to if Daybreaker had just been plain-old Celly-NMM.

But yes, there are not enough good things to say about that episode. And now you know why writing my Celestia Story, as much as I've always wanted to, just got a lot harder. Seriously how does one top that.

[Gojira007]

4732621

Like, it adds so many more layers to both Starlight and Celestia's characters in opposition to if Daybreaker had just been plain-old Celly-NMM.

See, "Legend of Everfree"? THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!!!

And now you know why writing my Celestia Story, as much as I've always wanted to, just got a lot harder.  Seriously how does one top that.

I think by now you know my attitude about this scenario most of the time. But this time, and I say this both as the highest compliment to the episode and to you? I think you may have a point. XD;
(mind, that's not gong to stop me from trying; i've got an age-old idea i'm dying to finally tackle, and this episode is like a can of gasoline on many of the ideas/arcs underpinning it.)

[Bookish Delight]

4732630
That picture gives me the best chills. I'd love to see what you do with that concept.

[Gojira007]

4736163
I cannot put into words how big a motivator that is for me.

[Bookish Delight]

See, I came into the yaks episode from the other end. I actually SKIPPED it originally when I heard what it was about and went back to it later and thus found myself pleasantly surprised. (You’re right about the “intervening country” undertones, but it doesn’t really wreck the episode, and, well, it’s the yaks lol :D)

But like you said, seriously, if we can just have this Pinkie (and even Movie Pinkie) all show, there would never be any problem ever, and I’d write WAY more Pinkie fics. But because of the dumb wacky side, I’ll never feel like can capture her well enough. :(

[Gojira007]

4739544
It's funny to me how episodes exactly like this one manage to basically render the line between Sweet Adorable Pinkie and Wacky Hijinx Pinkie effectively non-existent, and then we get stuff like...well, the last Yak episode where it feels as if the two halves are effectively irreconcilable. But then, I suppose it's the Pinkiest of concepts that she should be such a fundamentally contradictory character. XD

[Bookish Delight]

Discordant Harmony is one of those rare episodes that make me genuinely angry that character arcs are things that have a beginning, middle and end.

Because those beginnings and middles perfectly lead to this end. You can see it. But getting there was nerve-racking and we had to put up with that getting there for four freaking years (six depending on your point of view)! We had to sit through the inanity of Three's A Crowd. I had to deal with being the only person in the fandom who liked Keep Calm and Flutter On while people bitched all around me! We had to endure What About Discord, an episode so inverted from the MO of the show, it may as well have been written by one of the Shadowbolts!

And then... suddenly this perfection out of nowhere. It's not fair why can't we have these things up front, just skip past the crap and straight to the good stuff

I... you know what, I don't even feel like going into details, it'd already be stuff we covered. Teashop mares are hot.

God, whatever, episode. Take your perfect score and get out of my face.

[Gojira007]

4742032
I won't lie: "arcs", as I understand them anyway, are one of those things I've had to teach myself to let go of with FiM over the years. That isn't to say the show doesn't have them at all; the first three seasons form a pretty clear one for Twilight, for example, and Starlight's been gifted with maybe the best of the bunch (and that's not even touching STORY arcs like Season 4's Rainbow Keys). But as a general rule, the show doesn't play things especially strict in terms of continuity, and how that continuity affects a character's growth; it's how you end up at, say, "Simple Ways", an episode that ceases to work at all if you take into consideration the ways in which Rarity's character has been shown to have grown and developed in other, earlier episodes*. There is, in other words, a clear desire to make sure episodes are, broadly speaking, self-contained more than interconnected, and that means as much as I may want to quibble over this or that wrong detail, or a character note that rings false when compared to how the character acted/a lesson that character learned before, I've had to train myself to media.giphy.com/media/igR5863TALcSk/giphy.gif .
Which is a big part of why, for me anyway, "Discordant Harmony" works as well as it does; I might be less inclined to be forgiving of Discord here if I had to take "What About Discord?" into account, after all, even as, like you say, there is indeed an extent to which that episode feeds into this one. Instead, though, we have a story that takes those prior stories into account to an extent, but ultimately stands just as well, indeed maybe even better, all on its own. It's definitely the most interesting example of FiM's particular style of character development I've seen in a good while.

*and isn't exactly a highlight of the series regardless >w>

[thelonelyhoofclub0]

>> 4726335

4726304
I GET IT YOU BOTH HATE PINKIE! No need to rub it in! Just say you hate pinkie and be done with it! I get it you think being nice is bad! Hey kids according to these pinkie haters we should all be mean each other because being nice is so horrible! THIS IS WHY I HATE YOU PINKIE HATERS YOU ALL LOVE MISERY AND HATE HAPPINESS!

[Gojira007]

4762028
I think you're being a bit unfair, to me AND Bookish. Neither one of us said we hate Pinkie; we just both feel her behavior in this specific episode wasn't very fair, and that's something the episode itself agrees on, given that the moral has a lot to do with her needing to give Maud the space to make her own friends and find her own way.
More to the point, I don't think either one of us hates her character, and certainly not in the way you're talking about here. I won't speak for Bookish, but speaking for myself, I actually really like Pinkie. I just also sometimes find that she isn't always as considerate of others as I'd appreciate. I think sometimes her desire to make others happy can, unintentionally, come off as kind of bullying. But that doesn't make me a Pinkie hater; I don't go out of my way to bad-mouth her character or give grief to fans who like her.

[stopbanningmeyounazis]

4762046
sorry the nazis on this site keep banning me for ban evasion for some reason. this is why i hate this site the mods are dictators who hate freedom of speech and thats why they had perma banned me they dont like that i defend pinkie. well i will just keep making a new account those fucking nazis cant silence me!

[Gojira007]

4762374
Well, thanks at least for revealing the content of your character. You're blocked, and if you try to come back with another account, I'll block that one too.

[Bookish Delight]

OH HEY WELCOME BACK

Before anything, something that caught my eye while rereading this blog:

Andthen, to top it all off, Rarity's solution at the end is to turn the tables on AJ...which might make senseif Applejack had ever invited Strawberry to judge an Apple Contest. Like...do you see the problem? I appreciate the intended lesson about taking into account another's feelings when you express your opinion, but that message feels undercut rather than reinforced by the way the story is set up.

We both hate this episode like rats and fire (yet still feel it isn't bad--what a world), but I actually disagree on this bit. By the time Rarity introduces Bitch One to Bitch Two, the whole fashion judging thing is irrelevant. The damage has been done. The lesson Rarity is trying to teach AJ in the aftermath is showing AJ the feelings that AJ's "honesty" inflicted upon the fashion troupe. From where I stand which is profoundly on Rarity's side even though you keep calling the worst ponies to back you up on fashion matters woman I love you but IT'S TIME TO STOP, the micro is what matters here, not the macro. AJ, to her credit, then puts two and two together as why the fashion people kept acting like she was the worst pony ever, and we get the rest of the episode. Having some kind of apple judging contest with Strawberry as the judge wouldn't have made the emotional outcome any different--it would have just taken a different path getting there.

[Gojira007]

4852369
Definitely a valid point, and unquestionably what the episode intended to be the takeaway. But while I appreciate that in the micro aspect you're talking about, the macro lurking underneath it is too irksome for me to ignore, because it speaks, to my mind at least, to the frustrating ways in which the episode stakes its moral ground. That's kind of a deep rabbit hole to go down, though, so I'm not sure how far I should really go here. XD;

[Bookish Delight]

Glad to see you finally admitting how wrong you were about Best Dragon. Welcome to the... fuck, what is a dragon herd

(We'll work on how wrong you are about Daring next :3 Do I need to write a book about her now too or something because I'm almost crazy enough to do it)

Glad to see you're still reviewing though. I'll respond to these as I have time.

[Gojira007]

4857650

Welcome to the... fuck, whatisa dragon herd

A FLIGHT...OF DRAGONS! I COMMAND IT! A FLIGHT...OF DRAGONS!!!

(We'll work on how wrong you are about Daring next :3 Do I need to write a book about her nowtooor something because I'm almost crazy enough to do it)

I'd genuinely love to hear you make your case, and you know I'd love to see a book from you. 8D

Glad to see you're still reviewing though. I'll respond to these as I have time.

Much appreciated, and no rush; we'll both keep moving at the pace that works for us. ^_^