When the Cutie Mark Crusaders are magically transformed into grownups,they discover that growing up the right way means gaining experience and wisdom that simply can’t be rushed.
Reminder: Links to unofficial streams/downloads of episodes are not allowed!
When another author releases his own version of the events in AK Yearling’s Daring Do books, Rainbow Dash is furious, while Fluttershy is curious to know the truth.
Reminder: Links to unofficial streams/downloads of episodes are not allowed!
Starlight decides to hire a Vice Headmare in preparation to take over the School of Friendship from Twilight. But she soon realizes that hiring the right pony for the job is going to be a lot harder than she thought.
Reminder: Links to unofficial streams/downloads of episodes are not allowed!
Twilight's hopes of keeping her Trivia Trot winning streak alive are waylaid when she's unexpectedly paired up with Pinkie Pie, who has never been to a trivia night before.
Reminder: Links to unofficial streams/downloads of episodes are not allowed!
Can we just let Tara have this one? She seems like she's having so much fun with this episode.
Unfortunately, that's the only good thing I have to say about this one. The plot might've worked in an earlier season, but not this late in the game. I'll be the first to admit that Twilight can and should have flaws, but the way she behaved with Pinkie was just taking things way too far. On the plus side, like I said, it really felt like Tara Strong had a lot of fun in her role this episode. I just wish it was earlier in the show's life rather than now.
For me, if this episode was written for a previous season it would've felt more justified to have Twilight 'twilighting' to the extreme yet even then I feel the story is a bit 'dated'. Sure there were some funny moments (Not just with the facial animation), yet I felt that the show consistently wants Pinkie Pie to come off as such a comic relief and completely clueless that she doesn't even get to shine and answer a seemingly impossible question. Yet I get the position both ponies are in because it reminds me of karaoke night when I feel like I'm the guy who takes singing very seriously, that I want to be good, while all my friends don't seem to take it seriously and when the screech their notes it gets uncomfortable (I get why you'd take things seriously, Twi). But, at the same time, I'm still trying to remind myself that all these events are meant to be about having fun and it's nice to have Twilight acknowledge with all the rules and competition it was taking away the fun out of her favorite event. For anyone who is a fan of these trivia games, I'd say this episode is a 'slight' improvement from that cheerleader episode and for me it's 'passable', not a 'great' one or a 'classic' but it 'passes'.
Hollllllllly shit it’s between a 15 to 20 minute walk from the Norms I was eating at for the last 5 hours to my music studio where I live. I intended to start a new MLP fanfiction using voice recording during that time. Instead, I had the epiphany that the latest episode that came out a few days ago perfectly encapsulates how one’s normally quirky but benign idiosyncrasies—in Twilight’s case her love of trivia games, in my case my love of attention and shitposting—can when coupled with poor decision making and stress management form a positive feedback cycle that amplifies itself into toxic behavior that seriously hurts those we love—in Twilight’s case, Pinkie Pie, in my case, Reggie, my boyfriend. Pinkie forgave Twilight quite quickly because she’s Pinkie Pie. I’m still waiting for Reggie to forgive me.
Top tier comedy and meme faces in this one. Been a while since I had this much fun watching an episode.
Dat Applejack shame for not getting an apple question.
Sunburst was also a pleasant surprise. I mean, sure, what he did wasn't nice, but it's nice to see that he has a bit of depth in having the capacity for being a bit of a mean, crafty bugger when he's really motivated.
Watching him get all territorial with Twilight was a real treat, and proof that getting all the alpha nerds in the same team isn't an automatic win.
5108946 I get that that Twilight's portrayal looked a little sketchy, but considering that she at least made an attempt to coach Pinkie at first, I feel that she can be forgiven for slipping up once she got all desperate at sight of her record-achievement slowly, inexorably slipping away.
If anything, I feel like Pinkie's the one who got shortchanged by not really getting any moment to shine in the game (aside from that one baking question).
I managed to download this episode and edited in a jumpscare instead of the opening. It's exactly like that one time I tricked my friends by editing the Higurashi Kira opening in the very first episode and they thought it was going to be a cute family friendly anime. XD
My little pony, my little-AAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!! *Scary Ghost Lady jumps out of screen*
Anyway, here are my thoughts throughout this whole episode…
Twilighting. O3O
Fluttershy making a pun is adorable.
Damn, both Bon Bon and Mrs. Cake are really enjoying the view! Bulk Biceps is so THICC as hell! Oh, and Ms. Cheerilee has a nice flank too. The cheering is perfectly timed. O3O
Team AppleDash. X3
Twilight gangsta till Pinkie appears!
Pinkie Pie listing all Twilight x Pinkie Pie ship names.
TwiPie. X3
That failed high five. XD
Applejack hiding in her hat is adorable.
The way Bon Bon and Lyra were staring at each other. O3O
What is the capital of Assyria? What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? O3O
Twilight’s gone crazy. She even had poor Pinkie Pie terminated!
Granny Smith: You're disqualified.
Pinkie Pie: Nani? ← TO BE CONTINUED
*Insert Undertale title sound effect* MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC
Ha! Sunburst gives Twilight a taste of her own medicine! XD
TwiBurst. X3
TwiPie forever. X3
What is Derpy doing outside?
Oh hey, there's Dizzy Twister.
There's always two mares walking side by side. O3O
This episode is literally me and my friends playing games together. Even that trope Melee Macguffin applies. Confound those damn Ace and King cards!
I already know the shippers are having a field day with this one. Come on, TwiPie, TwiBurst, Appledash? These writers clearly knew what they were doing
Still liked the episode though. Predictable but nice lesson and Twilight Twilighting HARD here and as a fan of her that’s just about all I could ask
The episode was entertaining in its own way. I thought the comedy was pretty good and genuinely laughed at most of them. I even thought the twilighting was funny at some points.
Pinkie wasn’t an obnoxious load. I was afraid that the writers would make Pinkie one to justify the twilighting, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. While she cost Team TwiPie some points, she made an honest effort to help, and her answers weren’t technically wrong, but they just weren’t specific enough either. Of course, that makes Twilight backstabbing her even more heartbreaking.
I liked how Twilight got a taste of her own medicine from Sunburst and that helps her realize what a jerk she’s been to Pinkie. She also makes it up to Pinkie by sacrificing her winning streak to get her back into the game as her teammate. I think it's an improvement from Rainbow's epiphany last episode, because Twilight was able to realize what she did wrong by herself, while Rainbow didn't understand how hurtful her words were until Smolder spelled it out for her.
I think it was good that the writers also made Sunburst starting to lose himself in keeping his "correct answer percentage". Made Twilight's obsessiveness a bit more understanding by showing everyone can lose themselves in the game when they really, really, really want to win.
Cons:
This was the worst case of Twilighting so far. It’s getting tiresome and annoying, and it’s hurting Twilight’s credibility that she’s ready to take the throne. I know it’s a running gag and ongoing flaw for her, but hurting your character like this isn’t good in the long run and that’s what the writers are doing to Twilight for the sake of a few jokes. I still believe in Twilight, but if I hadn’t already watched the next episode, I’d be seriously worried about her taking the throne and what her role in the next episode would be.
While this episode was definitely dragged down by the twilighting, I don’t think it was terrible and it had mostly good parts. 7/10.
Given the blog image, now I'm imagining Twilight bringing her human counterpart in for Trivia Trot. That would either go very well or very poorly indeed...
I personally loved all the Twilighting. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Twilight but this one brought back so many images from "Lesson Zero." The unkempt mane and panic mode were hilarious. One thing that did really irk me though was Sunburst going in and acting like he is better than Twilight when we all know the only useful purposes he has ever served involves having books that were necessary at the time. I personally would have loved to see Twilight smack him a few times, either that or grab him in her aura and throw him against the wall.
Pinkie was horribly annoying in this episode and it seemed like she was put in there solely to destroy Twilight's chances of three-peating. Yes she brought out funny moments from Twilight but I personally would have given Twilight a partner that actually is into trivia to screw things up for her. For all the folks who like Pinkie, I'm sorry but she has always come across as immature and this was one of those moments. Too bad she wouldn't have had Starlight as a partner, she would have understood Twilight's desire to win and did what it took to make sure she won.
I stand corrected. This episode showcased Twilight at her absolute worst. Then again, nopony was likable in this episode. Seriously, fuck tbis episode for completely ruining Twilight's character!
Well, if nothing else, this episode had the funniest Mudbriar joke in the show. {Granny Smith: The category is "Sticks and Stones". Twilight Sparkle: [brays] I don't know anything about those! That's not any kind of category! Mudbriar: Technically, it's a kind of category where we know the answers and you don't.} It's like Maud calling Discord the most basic of jokes all over again...
If this were an early season episode I would have given a better than even chance that Twilight would still freak out but Pinkie would show off being much better at the game than expected especially in unexpected ways (such as how she used to be the one to find and know all sorts of random stuff back in the day). I think that would make the story better.
I liked how Twilight got a taste of her own medicine from Sunburst and that helps her realize what a jerk she’s been to Pinkie. She also makes it up to Pinkie by sacrificing her winning streak to get her back into the game as her teammate. I think it's an improvement from Rainbow's epiphany last episode, because Twilight was able to realize what she did wrong by herself, while Rainbow didn't understand how hurtful her words were until Smolder spelled it out for her.
Cons:
This was the worst case of Twilighting so far. It’s getting tiresome and annoying, and it’s hurting Twilight’s credibility that she’s ready to take the throne. I know it’s a running gag and ongoing flaw for her, but hurting your character like this isn’t good in the long run and that’s what the writers are doing to Twilight for the sake of a few jokes. I still believe in Twilight, but if I hadn’t already watched the next episode, I’d be seriously worried about her taking the throne and what her role in the next episode would be.
I really felt for Twilight yesterday. I have a lot of friends on the spectrum (I guess we just tend to cluster), and some of them are super high strung. Sometimes when we're just trying to sit down to to watch an episode on our laptops, or even just having a conversation, they'll just be incessantly throwing out comments, mumbling, twitching or rocking in their seats. I'm an objective-oriented person, so if something is interrupting a plan, I get antsy. So I try dropping hints about behavior, but I can get snappish. Especially if it's happening in public, with people who don't know them. I have to debate if I'm being too self-important, or if I'm doing them a favor by making them more cognizant of their behavior.
5108946 This did not follow the rest of the season's prompts of concluding character arcs or answering longtime questions, and was more likely the staff going "OK, we get one last chance for meme faces and shipping references." I can appreciate that, but there was still a teachable moment, like there should be for each episode.
5108951 Since Starburst hasn't had anything to DO since Season 7 (not even in the premiere up at the Crystal Empire with Flurry Heart), I'm actually wondering if this was a story idea from back then that just wasn't used until now. Conspiracy theory or not, I appreciate the show giving Sunburst a character flaw outside of "NEEEEEERRRRRD!" His initial character arc was his fallout of flunking out of magic school. Since then he's proven himself as a wizard by saving the Crystal Empire and all of Equestria, and he's faced down the personal shame by opening up to Starlight and his mother. The only other remaining personality flaw for him to face is how he could act oblivious to Starlight's feelings in "Uncommon Bond", and that was something that the fans would point out more than the show. But that aspect really flows into what we saw of his behavior on Team SunLight, including how he just fell into it and felt guilty afterwords. After so long without being relevant, it was cool to have him reappear with a new cocksure facet to him
5108969 The conflict also worked just fine for me because the entire setup was so low-stakes. If Twilight had thrown Pinkie under the bus in front of her entire School of Friendship, or made a herself fool at herself at some UN summit, it would be too cringey and mean-spirited for me. Here, his is town trivia night. This is the sort of thing MY office likes to hold for employees on Sunday events. Twilight also makes her case clear to Pinkie Pie, oblivious though she is, that she came here to win, and even tried to give Pinkie Pie a chance at succeeding. It's a sentiment that the ensemble cast adds to. Before the game proper starts, the episode introduces a range of personality types from around town that all non-aggressively agree that they'll all work against each other for the title. Even Fluttershy is acting competitive. --- It was truly an ensemble cast. I was really pleased with Granny's involvement here. It reminds us that with her goofy pronunciation thanks to her accent and aged body, she's still a pretty capable (and funny) adult. She's one of the different types of 'intelligence' that this episode has on display. Granny Smith is the experienced common sense. Maude and Mudbriar are obnoxiously unflappable and composed. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were able to pull ahead probably thanks to reflexes and expertise in their given field.
5108988 What impressed me the most is how they didn't make Pinkie look like a total moron. Team TwiPie missed most out on questions because of Pinkie's mind constantly wandering, as opposed to a low IQ. Also because Twilight was psyching herself out over Pinkie. As for that first question Pinkie flubbed, it reminded me of one the best descriptors for her I've ever read on this website: "Pinkie blurts out the third thing that comes into her head."
5109023 I will admit, I grow bored of the male characters who are oblivious to how a female feels toward them (Starlight's feelings toward Sunburst being a prime candidate). I mean once in a while, it wouldn't be so terrible if we had a male character who 'is' aware yet acts like he's not sensing it perhaps out of a insecurity that he might screw it up like he possibly did with others before this one protagonist. But yeah, to think that Sunburst almost got Twilight disqualified just so he can keep his 'Correct Answer' run intact. Which begs the question as to whose worse when it comes to Trivia Night: Twilight Sparkle, Sunburst... Or perhaps even Starlight Glimmer, to whom Sunburst warns to 'never' bring up Trivia Trot in her presence. Then again, I myself take Trivia seriously like when they did 'Disney' night on the Princess Cruise in Alaska (Which I would've won the tiebreaker... If the last question wasn't 'Counting the steps of the Eiffel Tower' instead of something obscure like, oh I don't know, the 'War Era' of Disney when it was all PACKAGE FILMS... *Sighs* But I digress).
Anyways, as I said, I could relate to Twilight Sparkle's case and in relation to your reflection on her character it reminds me of 'Special Olympics'. Now I'm not much of a sports kind of guy nor do I feel I often fit in and yet I try hard to practice when I'm told, to play just as hard, and at least 'try' to help our team prove we have a fighting chance. But sometimes the teammates I work with are not as good (Though we got some good hitters on our softball team) and at least one is just CONSTANTLY complaining over and over making me think, 'Why are you even hear?'). Still, like Twilight, the real challenge is not so much playing the hardest or being your best it's about reminding yourself that these games are meant to be about having fun (Even though my idea of having fun is when I'm playing my best).
Aw. They missed the chance for Moondancer to visit Ponyville and join in the games and get paired with Sunburst. I still say she and him are meant for each other.
Its certainly better then last week's episode, but not by a whole lot. This episode feels like a combination of The Point of No Return and some Fall Weather Friends mixed into it. Like TPoNR, it had Teilight freaking out over some perfect record. Like FWF it involves competition putting a strain on a friendship.
The writing is pretty lousy for Twilight as it involves more Twilighting, a joke that's long since overstayed its welcome. Unlike before though, this is Twilighting at its worse with how nasty, cold, and harsh Twilight is being. All this over a game as well. Now granted she learned the lesson on her own, but that doesn't mean I wanted to see Twilight be this way for at least over 3/4th of the episode.
The episode is also very boring as it's slow and poorly paced with multiple montages. Nothing really feels like anything happens at all. It just drags on and on.
Now to be fair, Pinkie is written alright in this episode. The side characters are enjoyable like Bulk and Sunburst. It also has nice callbacks to earlier episodes of the show like A Heartswarming Tale. There are a couple of funny jokes here and there.
At the end though, this episode has shown tiresome the Twilighting joke has become. It's just become frustrating at this point to continue to see Twilight act this way. Between this and her actions last week with "teaching" Rainbow a lesson, I truly wonder if she's ready to take over as leader of Equestria. Twilight's friends alone should take over as it's obvious she's not ready for this big leagues. The world leaders are going to chew her up and spit her out with how much of her Twilighting she does. How many more times do we need to put up with this before somebody finally buries this joke and let it die?
Celestia and Luna should strongly reconsider retiring. With how Twilight is being and how easily she loses her cool over the most minuscule things, it's obvious she's not even close to being ready.
5108960 Then there's Cranky Doodle falling asleep and then waking up wanting some breakfast Haycakes. And Derpy/Muffins trying to get into the Hayburger at the end.
The teams are paired up at random, based on the number of participants who put their names into the bowl Granny Smith had so she would announce the names. Somehow, Mudbriar and Maud Pie ended up together.
Most of the questions were MLP Lore related (Zap Apples, Galloping Gorge, and the type of cupcakes ordered by Princess Celestia for Princess Luna on her birthday). There was a question about Tirek and Scorpan as well.
Wow, this episode has NOTHING going for it! Twilight is at her absolute worst here, Pinkie Pie never gets a chance to shine after they make her too scatterbrained to even realize she was tricked, and everyone else in the trivia contest is either complaining about categories, rubbing their victories in others faces, or outright cheating. And when we don't even get to see who won the contest, what was even the point of ruining all the characters?!
Wasn't a fan of this episode. Twilight was WAY too Lesson Zero. It would've worked back in season one or two, but now? It's just grating. Pinkie was much too scatterbrained.
I feel like these new writers have no idea how to write Pinkie. They make her way too random and unfocused. She's always kind of been that way, but she was always *just* focused enough to not come across as a complete child.
Loved Tara Strong's voice acting in this ep. She definitely has fun with the Twilighting.
Granny Smith: Who traveled to Equestria from a distant land seeking to steal the magic from its pony inhabitants? [bell rings] Twilight Sparkle: That would be Lord Tirek! [bell rings] Mudbriar: Technically, that answer is incomplete. The answer is Lord Tirek and Scorpan. Twilight Sparkle: But Scorpan tried to convince Tirek not to do it, so technically he wasn't part of it, even if he started out—! [groans] Never mind.
I'm not the only one who found that part entertaining/interesting, am I? They made it a point to mention that yes, Scorpan initially did go to Equestria alongside Tirek with that intention.
It's a shame we don't even know if Scorpan's alive or not...
Without going into spoilers, regarding the next episode, I found it significantly more... thrilling than this one, let's say.
While not the worst episode of the season, I'd say this episode was weaker than a good episode this writer wrote: Once Upon a Zeppelin.
Well, she's not. Ready for the throne, that is. It's incredibly obvious that forcing her to do it is a horrible, horrible idea for everyone involved that still gets traction for some reason. This episode is a crude way of showing it but it works anyway. Too bad they'll go through with her ascending to the Throne anyway, intead of much more likeable 'Celestia's firemen'/mad scientist approach. Because fuck characterisation when it gets in a way of a cookie-cutter narrative amirite
I got to see this long before it came out in the US. Gosh dang it, I can tell the animators had a blast doing this episode. It was just an inconsequential and purely fun episode and I loved it. Also, the 300 reference with "This. Is. Trivia. TROOOT!" had me laughing for like two minutes.
Somewhere out there in the sea of alternate realties, I like to think we've nailed one where clean energy is affordable, brexit was never even considered, we've got a sustainable colony on the moon, and someone other than Applejack is made to look like an idiot for once.
Says a lot about this ep that that's my biggest gripe. I remember thinking that when it came to late episodes that feel more like something from S1 or 2, Non-Compete Clause was as good as it'd get (Not a ringing endorsement but, you know, preferable to another Horse Play). Glad to be proven wrong, hard. It was fun to watch Twi and Pinkie cut loose and be a bit more like the ponies we first met and loved, the animation was taken up another notch, I like to think Sunburst subconsciously played Twilight to make her realise her error and there's finally a game in the universe more complicated than Yu-gi-oh. I'm still not against the lingering AppleDash rivalry, but if it hadn't been so badly handled here this would easily have been a top 3 episode for this season.
All the same, it's still a comfy 4th of 16 and a marked improvement over the writer's other ep.
While I can see how this script could've been incredibly boring on paper, the VA's and animation team really do put 110% into this one to make it one of my favorite episodes of the season. I haven't heard this kind of acting from Tara Strong since "Lesson Zero" back in season 2. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of good gags, Applejack being shamed for not getting the Apple question was pretty funny, but the real star of the show was Twilight just Twilighting all over the place, and sometimes a simple premise and simple idea are all you need. Nearly the entire episode takes place in a single ROOM for crying out loud, that's extremely hard to pull off and make entertaining, but again, thanks to some stellar performances from the voice cast and the animation team going absolutely bonkers at the end of the series, it ends up working.
It feels like a Season 1/2 throwback episode, but unlike so many of those over the last few years, it actually WORKS because it has the wild over-the-top energy to make it work.
This was a fun episode. It’s amazing that despite the fact that the characters are just sitting in one place for the majority of the episode but it can still be incredibly fun to watch.
The facial expressions, voice acting and even the teases using ship names like Appledash, Twipie and Twiburst just made this so much fun to watch.
I like to think the Doctor and Matilda were also answering questions but Applejack and Rainbow Dash were doing really good. All the characters were really fun, Sunburst with his smug attitude, Twilight’s competitive and crazy nature, Pinkie’s enthusiasm and the competition between Applejack and Rainbow. It seems off that Rarity wasn’t present though, when all the rest of the mane 6 were. I could imagine her also participating. The staff missed a chance to include another ship tease she could have easily gone with Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy or Sunburst rather than the background characters we got but it’s whatever.
I like to think that Maud and Mudbriar won though. It was also nice to see them express more emotion: they actually looked startled when Bulk knocked Fluttershy out.
Regardless this was a surprisingly good episode but I can see why others may hate it for Twilight’s treatment of Pinkie. It does seem to be something early season Twilight would have done not someone about to become ruler of Equestria. But it really doesn’t bother me much because the animation and acting more than make up for it.
Now this was one crazy episode. Twilight was "Twilighting" like never before, and it was hilarious. Especially with all the wacky faces she was making. And while it was a little much for her to get Pinkie disqualified, it didn't take long for her to realize her mistake.
I also enjoyed all the little callbacks we got during the contest, and Sunburst was a surprise addition. It's nice to know he can work in an episode even without Starlight. Although I wasn't happy to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash once again getting overcompetitive with each other.
I remember when Twilight losing her mind and going all meme-face on us was a special occasion, so much so that they dedicated an episode to it, Lesson Zero. Now it feels like Twilight is always in Lesson Zero mode. Moderation is important.
Twilight does it in a majority of the early episodes focused on her that aren't action/adventure focused, and she actually did it MORE and HARDER back in season 1 and 2 (which is probably why she's doing it more now, the last few seasons have been trying to throw back to season 1 and 2 more often). Feeling Pinkie Keen, A Bird in the Hoof, Lesson Zero, and It's About Time all had Twilight flying off the deep end, and arguably more severely than she tends to lately.
By contrast her "Twilighting" over the last two seasons has been in Best Gift Ever, The Point of No Return, and A Trivial Pursuit. Even if she does it one or two more times, she'll be roughly equal with where she was back in Season 1 and 2.
Support us
Chat!
TwiPie, my one true weakness. My kryptonite.
I'm going to have to write something because of this aren't I.
Damn it.
...
Can we just let Tara have this one? She seems like she's having so much fun with this episode.
Unfortunately, that's the only good thing I have to say about this one. The plot might've worked in an earlier season, but not this late in the game. I'll be the first to admit that Twilight can and should have flaws, but the way she behaved with Pinkie was just taking things way too far. On the plus side, like I said, it really felt like Tara Strong had a lot of fun in her role this episode. I just wish it was earlier in the show's life rather than now.
Meme faces were about the only thing I attempted to tolerate from this episode. The rest of it annoyed me.
For me, if this episode was written for a previous season it would've felt more justified to have Twilight 'twilighting' to the extreme yet even then I feel the story is a bit 'dated'. Sure there were some funny moments (Not just with the facial animation), yet I felt that the show consistently wants Pinkie Pie to come off as such a comic relief and completely clueless that she doesn't even get to shine and answer a seemingly impossible question. Yet I get the position both ponies are in because it reminds me of karaoke night when I feel like I'm the guy who takes singing very seriously, that I want to be good, while all my friends don't seem to take it seriously and when the screech their notes it gets uncomfortable (I get why you'd take things seriously, Twi). But, at the same time, I'm still trying to remind myself that all these events are meant to be about having fun and it's nice to have Twilight acknowledge with all the rules and competition it was taking away the fun out of her favorite event. For anyone who is a fan of these trivia games, I'd say this episode is a 'slight' improvement from that cheerleader episode and for me it's 'passable', not a 'great' one or a 'classic' but it 'passes'.
Hollllllllly shit it’s between a 15 to 20 minute walk from the Norms I was eating at for the last 5 hours to my music studio where I live. I intended to start a new MLP fanfiction using voice recording during that time. Instead, I had the epiphany that the latest episode that came out a few days ago perfectly encapsulates how one’s normally quirky but benign idiosyncrasies—in Twilight’s case her love of trivia games, in my case my love of attention and shitposting—can when coupled with poor decision making and stress management form a positive feedback cycle that amplifies itself into toxic behavior that seriously hurts those we love—in Twilight’s case, Pinkie Pie, in my case, Reggie, my boyfriend. Pinkie forgave Twilight quite quickly because she’s Pinkie Pie. I’m still waiting for Reggie to forgive me.
Top tier comedy and meme faces in this one. Been a while since I had this much fun watching an episode.
Dat Applejack shame for not getting an apple question.
Sunburst was also a pleasant surprise. I mean, sure, what he did wasn't nice, but it's nice to see that he has a bit of depth in having the capacity for being a bit of a mean, crafty bugger when he's really motivated.
Watching him get all territorial with Twilight was a real treat, and proof that getting all the alpha nerds in the same team isn't an automatic win.
I mean, just look at them.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/8/19/2122434.gif
5108946
I get that that Twilight's portrayal looked a little sketchy, but considering that she at least made an attempt to coach Pinkie at first, I feel that she can be forgiven for slipping up once she got all desperate at sight of her record-achievement slowly, inexorably slipping away.
If anything, I feel like Pinkie's the one who got shortchanged by not really getting any moment to shine in the game (aside from that one baking question).
I managed to download this episode and edited in a jumpscare instead of the opening. It's exactly like that one time I tricked my friends by editing the Higurashi Kira opening in the very first episode and they thought it was going to be a cute family friendly anime. XD
My little pony, my little-AAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!! *Scary Ghost Lady jumps out of screen*
Anyway, here are my thoughts throughout this whole episode…
Twilighting. O3O
Fluttershy making a pun is adorable.
Damn, both Bon Bon and Mrs. Cake are really enjoying the view! Bulk Biceps is so THICC as hell! Oh, and Ms. Cheerilee has a nice flank too. The cheering is perfectly timed. O3O
Team AppleDash. X3
Twilight gangsta till Pinkie appears!
Pinkie Pie listing all Twilight x Pinkie Pie ship names.
TwiPie. X3
That failed high five. XD
Applejack hiding in her hat is adorable.
The way Bon Bon and Lyra were staring at each other. O3O
What is the capital of Assyria? What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? O3O
Twilight’s gone crazy. She even had poor Pinkie Pie terminated!
Granny Smith: You're disqualified.
Pinkie Pie: Nani? ← TO BE CONTINUED
*Insert Undertale title sound effect* MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC
Ha! Sunburst gives Twilight a taste of her own medicine! XD
TwiBurst. X3
TwiPie forever. X3
What is Derpy doing outside?
Oh hey, there's Dizzy Twister.
There's always two mares walking side by side. O3O
This episode is literally me and my friends playing games together. Even that trope Melee Macguffin applies. Confound those damn Ace and King cards!
I liek dis episode.
I already know the shippers are having a field day with this one. Come on, TwiPie, TwiBurst, Appledash? These writers clearly knew what they were doing
Still liked the episode though. Predictable but nice lesson and Twilight Twilighting HARD here and as a fan of her that’s just about all I could ask
Pros:
Cons:
While this episode was definitely dragged down by the twilighting, I don’t think it was terrible and it had mostly good parts. 7/10.
Given the blog image, now I'm imagining Twilight bringing her human counterpart in for Trivia Trot. That would either go very well or very poorly indeed...
This feels very relevant here.
I personally loved all the Twilighting. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Twilight but this one brought back so many images from "Lesson Zero." The unkempt mane and panic mode were hilarious. One thing that did really irk me though was Sunburst going in and acting like he is better than Twilight when we all know the only useful purposes he has ever served involves having books that were necessary at the time. I personally would have loved to see Twilight smack him a few times, either that or grab him in her aura and throw him against the wall.
Pinkie was horribly annoying in this episode and it seemed like she was put in there solely to destroy Twilight's chances of three-peating. Yes she brought out funny moments from Twilight but I personally would have given Twilight a partner that actually is into trivia to screw things up for her. For all the folks who like Pinkie, I'm sorry but she has always come across as immature and this was one of those moments. Too bad she wouldn't have had Starlight as a partner, she would have understood Twilight's desire to win and did what it took to make sure she won.
I stand corrected. This episode showcased Twilight at her absolute worst. Then again, nopony was likable in this episode. Seriously, fuck tbis episode for completely ruining Twilight's character!
5108990
Not even Fluttershy?
Well, if nothing else, this episode had the funniest Mudbriar joke in the show.
{Granny Smith: The category is "Sticks and Stones".
Twilight Sparkle: [brays] I don't know anything about those! That's not any kind of category!
Mudbriar: Technically, it's a kind of category where we know the answers and you don't.}
It's like Maud calling Discord the most basic of jokes all over again...
If this were an early season episode I would have given a better than even chance that Twilight would still freak out but Pinkie would show off being much better at the game than expected especially in unexpected ways (such as how she used to be the one to find and know all sorts of random stuff back in the day). I think that would make the story better.
5108969
Agreed, on both counts.
I'm thinking about just counting season 7 as the last season.
I really felt for Twilight yesterday. I have a lot of friends on the spectrum (I guess we just tend to cluster), and some of them are super high strung. Sometimes when we're just trying to sit down to to watch an episode on our laptops, or even just having a conversation, they'll just be incessantly throwing out comments, mumbling, twitching or rocking in their seats. I'm an objective-oriented person, so if something is interrupting a plan, I get antsy. So I try dropping hints about behavior, but I can get snappish. Especially if it's happening in public, with people who don't know them. I have to debate if I'm being too self-important, or if I'm doing them a favor by making them more cognizant of their behavior.
5108946
This did not follow the rest of the season's prompts of concluding character arcs or answering longtime questions, and was more likely the staff going "OK, we get one last chance for meme faces and shipping references." I can appreciate that, but there was still a teachable moment, like there should be for each episode.
5108951
Since Starburst hasn't had anything to DO since Season 7 (not even in the premiere up at the Crystal Empire with Flurry Heart), I'm actually wondering if this was a story idea from back then that just wasn't used until now. Conspiracy theory or not, I appreciate the show giving Sunburst a character flaw outside of "NEEEEEERRRRRD!" His initial character arc was his fallout of flunking out of magic school. Since then he's proven himself as a wizard by saving the Crystal Empire and all of Equestria, and he's faced down the personal shame by opening up to Starlight and his mother. The only other remaining personality flaw for him to face is how he could act oblivious to Starlight's feelings in "Uncommon Bond", and that was something that the fans would point out more than the show. But that aspect really flows into what we saw of his behavior on Team SunLight, including how he just fell into it and felt guilty afterwords. After so long without being relevant, it was cool to have him reappear with a new cocksure facet to him
5108969
The conflict also worked just fine for me because the entire setup was so low-stakes. If Twilight had thrown Pinkie under the bus in front of her entire School of Friendship, or made a herself fool at herself at some UN summit, it would be too cringey and mean-spirited for me. Here, his is town trivia night. This is the sort of thing MY office likes to hold for employees on Sunday events. Twilight also makes her case clear to Pinkie Pie, oblivious though she is, that she came here to win, and even tried to give Pinkie Pie a chance at succeeding. It's a sentiment that the ensemble cast adds to. Before the game proper starts, the episode introduces a range of personality types from around town that all non-aggressively agree that they'll all work against each other for the title. Even Fluttershy is acting competitive.
---
It was truly an ensemble cast. I was really pleased with Granny's involvement here. It reminds us that with her goofy pronunciation thanks to her accent and aged body, she's still a pretty capable (and funny) adult. She's one of the different types of 'intelligence' that this episode has on display. Granny Smith is the experienced common sense. Maude and Mudbriar are obnoxiously unflappable and composed. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were able to pull ahead probably thanks to reflexes and expertise in their given field.
5108988
What impressed me the most is how they didn't make Pinkie look like a total moron. Team TwiPie missed most out on questions because of Pinkie's mind constantly wandering, as opposed to a low IQ. Also because Twilight was psyching herself out over Pinkie. As for that first question Pinkie flubbed, it reminded me of one the best descriptors for her I've ever read on this website: "Pinkie blurts out the third thing that comes into her head."
I wonder how badly Twilight would freak-out if a question was asked that she didn't even know the answer to or prepared for like:
What... is the capitol of Assyria?
5109023
I will admit, I grow bored of the male characters who are oblivious to how a female feels toward them (Starlight's feelings toward Sunburst being a prime candidate). I mean once in a while, it wouldn't be so terrible if we had a male character who 'is' aware yet acts like he's not sensing it perhaps out of a insecurity that he might screw it up like he possibly did with others before this one protagonist. But yeah, to think that Sunburst almost got Twilight disqualified just so he can keep his 'Correct Answer' run intact. Which begs the question as to whose worse when it comes to Trivia Night: Twilight Sparkle, Sunburst... Or perhaps even Starlight Glimmer, to whom Sunburst warns to 'never' bring up Trivia Trot in her presence. Then again, I myself take Trivia seriously like when they did 'Disney' night on the Princess Cruise in Alaska (Which I would've won the tiebreaker... If the last question wasn't 'Counting the steps of the Eiffel Tower' instead of something obscure like, oh I don't know, the 'War Era' of Disney when it was all PACKAGE FILMS... *Sighs* But I digress).
Anyways, as I said, I could relate to Twilight Sparkle's case and in relation to your reflection on her character it reminds me of 'Special Olympics'. Now I'm not much of a sports kind of guy nor do I feel I often fit in and yet I try hard to practice when I'm told, to play just as hard, and at least 'try' to help our team prove we have a fighting chance. But sometimes the teammates I work with are not as good (Though we got some good hitters on our softball team) and at least one is just CONSTANTLY complaining over and over making me think, 'Why are you even hear?'). Still, like Twilight, the real challenge is not so much playing the hardest or being your best it's about reminding yourself that these games are meant to be about having fun (Even though my idea of having fun is when I'm playing my best).
5109027
Nineveh.
Aw. They missed the chance for Moondancer to visit Ponyville and join in the games and get paired with Sunburst. I still say she and him are meant for each other.
Its certainly better then last week's episode, but not by a whole lot. This episode feels like a combination of The Point of No Return and some Fall Weather Friends mixed into it. Like TPoNR, it had Teilight freaking out over some perfect record. Like FWF it involves competition putting a strain on a friendship.
The writing is pretty lousy for Twilight as it involves more Twilighting, a joke that's long since overstayed its welcome. Unlike before though, this is Twilighting at its worse with how nasty, cold, and harsh Twilight is being. All this over a game as well. Now granted she learned the lesson on her own, but that doesn't mean I wanted to see Twilight be this way for at least over 3/4th of the episode.
The episode is also very boring as it's slow and poorly paced with multiple montages. Nothing really feels like anything happens at all. It just drags on and on.
Now to be fair, Pinkie is written alright in this episode. The side characters are enjoyable like Bulk and Sunburst. It also has nice callbacks to earlier episodes of the show like A Heartswarming Tale. There are a couple of funny jokes here and there.
At the end though, this episode has shown tiresome the Twilighting joke has become. It's just become frustrating at this point to continue to see Twilight act this way. Between this and her actions last week with "teaching" Rainbow a lesson, I truly wonder if she's ready to take over as leader of Equestria. Twilight's friends alone should take over as it's obvious she's not ready for this big leagues. The world leaders are going to chew her up and spit her out with how much of her Twilighting she does. How many more times do we need to put up with this before somebody finally buries this joke and let it die?
Celestia and Luna should strongly reconsider retiring. With how Twilight is being and how easily she loses her cool over the most minuscule things, it's obvious she's not even close to being ready.
5108960
Then there's Cranky Doodle falling asleep and then waking up wanting some breakfast Haycakes. And Derpy/Muffins trying to get into the Hayburger at the end.
The teams are paired up at random, based on the number of participants who put their names into the bowl Granny Smith had so she would announce the names. Somehow, Mudbriar and Maud Pie ended up together.
Most of the questions were MLP Lore related (Zap Apples, Galloping Gorge, and the type of cupcakes ordered by Princess Celestia for Princess Luna on her birthday). There was a question about Tirek and Scorpan as well.
Wow, this episode has NOTHING going for it! Twilight is at her absolute worst here, Pinkie Pie never gets a chance to shine after they make her too scatterbrained to even realize she was tricked, and everyone else in the trivia contest is either complaining about categories, rubbing their victories in others faces, or outright cheating. And when we don't even get to see who won the contest, what was even the point of ruining all the characters?!
The episode was pretty funny, but the ending was weak IMO.
5109051 This
5109042
All the characters? Even Fluttershy?
They missed a few standard gaming jokes, tropes in this episode, sadly.
The newbie wins so many times because they dont realise theyre supposed to let the experts win.
Answering the next question before it is asked, because its a followon, even if its from a totally different section.
Reading the takeout order list, then having to phone the chinese to explain the questions they got were Not the order.
Finding out some of the subsequent order was quite nice.
Desperatly searching for allergy tablets while trying to wash the flavouring out of your mouth.
Telling your companion the answer loudly enough that the car dealer accross the road selects the wrong model.
The game was brutal. And just hope you never meet one yourself.
Wasn't a fan of this episode. Twilight was WAY too Lesson Zero. It would've worked back in season one or two, but now? It's just grating. Pinkie was much too scatterbrained.
I feel like these new writers have no idea how to write Pinkie. They make her way too random and unfocused. She's always kind of been that way, but she was always *just* focused enough to not come across as a complete child.
Loved Tara Strong's voice acting in this ep. She definitely has fun with the Twilighting.
Ugh. Overall, it was a frustrating episode.
5/10
Not the best episode I've seen, but far from the worst I've seen. 7/10 for me
5108997
"You're the most basic of jokes" was an epic burn.
5109085
Someone should make a fanfic where Maud and Mudbriar just walk around roasting people.
5109030
.
Ah. Now if only Brave Sir Robin had known that, he wouldn't have ended up in The Gorge of Eternal Peril
5109092
Hah!
I'm not the only one who found that part entertaining/interesting, am I? They made it a point to mention that yes, Scorpan initially did go to Equestria alongside Tirek with that intention.
It's a shame we don't even know if Scorpan's alive or not...
Without going into spoilers, regarding the next episode, I found it significantly more... thrilling than this one, let's say.
While not the worst episode of the season, I'd say this episode was weaker than a good episode this writer wrote: Once Upon a Zeppelin.
5109014
Well, she's not. Ready for the throne, that is. It's incredibly obvious that forcing her to do it is a horrible, horrible idea for everyone involved that still gets traction for some reason. This episode is a crude way of showing it but it works anyway. Too bad they'll go through with her ascending to the Throne anyway, intead of much more likeable 'Celestia's firemen'/mad scientist approach. Because fuck characterisation when it gets in a way of a cookie-cutter narrative amirite
I got to see this long before it came out in the US. Gosh dang it, I can tell the animators had a blast doing this episode. It was just an inconsequential and purely fun episode and I loved it. Also, the 300 reference with "This. Is. Trivia. TROOOT!" had me laughing for like two minutes.
Somewhere out there in the sea of alternate realties, I like to think we've nailed one where clean energy is affordable, brexit was never even considered, we've got a sustainable colony on the moon, and someone other than Applejack is made to look like an idiot for once.
Says a lot about this ep that that's my biggest gripe. I remember thinking that when it came to late episodes that feel more like something from S1 or 2, Non-Compete Clause was as good as it'd get (Not a ringing endorsement but, you know, preferable to another Horse Play). Glad to be proven wrong, hard. It was fun to watch Twi and Pinkie cut loose and be a bit more like the ponies we first met and loved, the animation was taken up another notch, I like to think Sunburst subconsciously played Twilight to make her realise her error and there's finally a game in the universe more complicated than Yu-gi-oh. I'm still not against the lingering AppleDash rivalry, but if it hadn't been so badly handled here this would easily have been a top 3 episode for this season.
All the same, it's still a comfy 4th of 16 and a marked improvement over the writer's other ep.
5108946
The actresses already got an ep this season. Some things enthusiasm can't save.
5109020
I'd include 8, but you don't like the school, do you? At the very least, then, add Best Night Ever after 7 in place of the movie.
5109037
It would have been nice to have even more lore - since it is the last season.
While I can see how this script could've been incredibly boring on paper, the VA's and animation team really do put 110% into this one to make it one of my favorite episodes of the season. I haven't heard this kind of acting from Tara Strong since "Lesson Zero" back in season 2. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of good gags, Applejack being shamed for not getting the Apple question was pretty funny, but the real star of the show was Twilight just Twilighting all over the place, and sometimes a simple premise and simple idea are all you need. Nearly the entire episode takes place in a single ROOM for crying out loud, that's extremely hard to pull off and make entertaining, but again, thanks to some stellar performances from the voice cast and the animation team going absolutely bonkers at the end of the series, it ends up working.
It feels like a Season 1/2 throwback episode, but unlike so many of those over the last few years, it actually WORKS because it has the wild over-the-top energy to make it work.
Twily went nanners again!
This was a fun episode. It’s amazing that despite the fact that the characters are just sitting in one place for the majority of the episode but it can still be incredibly fun to watch.
The facial expressions, voice acting and even the teases using ship names like Appledash, Twipie and Twiburst just made this so much fun to watch.
I like to think the Doctor and Matilda were also answering questions but Applejack and Rainbow Dash were doing really good. All the characters were really fun, Sunburst with his smug attitude, Twilight’s competitive and crazy nature, Pinkie’s enthusiasm and the competition between Applejack and Rainbow. It seems off that Rarity wasn’t present though, when all the rest of the mane 6 were. I could imagine her also participating. The staff missed a chance to include another ship tease she could have easily gone with Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy or Sunburst rather than the background characters we got but it’s whatever.
I like to think that Maud and Mudbriar won though. It was also nice to see them express more emotion: they actually looked startled when Bulk knocked Fluttershy out.
Regardless this was a surprisingly good episode but I can see why others may hate it for Twilight’s treatment of Pinkie. It does seem to be something early season Twilight would have done not someone about to become ruler of Equestria. But it really doesn’t bother me much because the animation and acting more than make up for it.
The writer clearly understood the characters and utilized them appropriately. Well done slice of life.
Now this was one crazy episode. Twilight was "Twilighting" like never before, and it was hilarious. Especially with all the wacky faces she was making. And while it was a little much for her to get Pinkie disqualified, it didn't take long for her to realize her mistake.
I also enjoyed all the little callbacks we got during the contest, and Sunburst was a surprise addition. It's nice to know he can work in an episode even without Starlight. Although I wasn't happy to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash once again getting overcompetitive with each other.
5109222
Speaking of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, I thought this quote from Twilight was amusing (especially out of context).
I remember when Twilight losing her mind and going all meme-face on us was a special occasion, so much so that they dedicated an episode to it, Lesson Zero. Now it feels like Twilight is always in Lesson Zero mode. Moderation is important.
5109256
Twilight does it in a majority of the early episodes focused on her that aren't action/adventure focused, and she actually did it MORE and HARDER back in season 1 and 2 (which is probably why she's doing it more now, the last few seasons have been trying to throw back to season 1 and 2 more often). Feeling Pinkie Keen, A Bird in the Hoof, Lesson Zero, and It's About Time all had Twilight flying off the deep end, and arguably more severely than she tends to lately.
By contrast her "Twilighting" over the last two seasons has been in Best Gift Ever, The Point of No Return, and A Trivial Pursuit. Even if she does it one or two more times, she'll be roughly equal with where she was back in Season 1 and 2.