Ranking The Episodes of FiM From Worst to Best, Version 12 · 3:23am Oct 14th, 2019
This is it, folks! This is the last time I will do this list! Some opinions may change but at this point I think I've pretty much got every episode where I want it to be and with nomore new episodes to consider there will be no reason to change this list at all. 222 episodes is quite impressive (221 if you don't count "The Best Gift Ever" even though the show staff do) and ranking them all is going to be quite difficult. But I'm gonna try my best to do so, and trying to explain why each episode ended up where it does would take forever and make this list a chore to get through. So just ask if you have any questions (and you probably will). And as always this list is purely the result of my personal opinion so please respect it. Here's Version 11, from the middle of Season 9.
222. Secrets and Pies, Written by Josh Hamilton
221. A Trivial Pursuit, Written by Brittany Jo Flores
220. Non-Compete Clause, Written by Kim Beyer-Johnson
219. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, Written by M. A. Larson
218. The Cutie Pox, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
217. A Horse Shoe-In, Written by Ariel Shepherd-Oppenheim
216. Over A Barrel, Written by Dave Polsky
215. One Bad Apple, Written by Cindy Morrow
214. Sweet and Smoky, Written by Kim Beyer-Johnson
213. Hearth's Warming Eve, Written by Merriweather Williams
212. Boast Busters, Written by Chris Savino
211. Honest Apple, Written by Kevin Lappin
210. Fame and Misfortune, Written by M. A. Larson (Rewritten by unknown author)
209. Look Before You Sleep, Written by Charlotte Fullerton
208. A Matter of Principals, Written by Nicole Dubac
207. Dragon Quest, Written by Merriweather Williams
206. To Change a Changeling, Written by Kevin Lappin
205. All Bottled Up, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
204. Marks for Effort, Written by Nicole Dubac
203. Green Isn't Your Color, Written by Meghan McCarthy
202. Newbie Dash, Written by David Rapp, Story by David Rapp and Dave Polsky
201. Spike at Your Service, Written by Merriweather Williams and Dave Polsky
200. Swarm of the Century, Written by M. A. Larson
199. Owl's Well That Ends Well, Written by Cindy Morrow
198. Uprooted, Written by Nicole Dubac
197. The Mysterious Mare Do Well, Written by Merriweather Williams
196. Feeling Pinkie Keen, Written by Dave Polsky
195. Bats!, Written by Merriweather Williams
194. Rainbow Falls, Written by Corey Powell
193. Three's A Crowd, Written by Meghan McCarthy and Ed Valentine
192. What About Discord?, Written by Neal Duseadu
191. Filli Vanilli, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
190. Trade Ya!, Written by Scott Sonneborn
189. Somepony To Watch Over Me, Written by Scott Sonneborn
188. Appleloosa's Most Wanted, Written by Dave Polsky
187. Castle, Sweet Castle, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
186. Princess Spike, Written by Neal Duseadu, Story by Jayson Thiesen and Jim Miller
185. Scare Master, Written by Natasha Levinger
184. Luna Eclipsed, Written by M. A. Larson
183. Father Knows Beast, Written by Josh Haber
182. P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View), Written by Michael P. Fox and Will Fox, Story by Kevin Burke, Chris "Doc" Wyatt, Michael P. Fox and Will Fox
181. Bridle Gossip, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
180. School Raze Part 2, Written by Josh Haber
179. School Raze Part 1, Written by Nicole Dubac
178. A Rockhoof and a Hard Place, Written by Kaita Mpambara
177. 2, 4, 6, Greaaat, Written by Kaita Mpambara
176. Fake It 'Til You Make It, Written by Josh Hamilton
175. Stare Master, Written by Chris Savino
174. The Show Stoppers, Written by Cindy Morrow
173. Applejack's "Day" Off, Written by Michael P. Fox and Will Fox, Story by Neal Duseadu, Michael P. Fox and Will Fox
172. The Mean 6, Written by Michael Vogel
171. Campfire Tales, Written by Barry Safchik and Michael Platt
170. Yakity Sax, Written by Michael P. Fox and Will Fox
169. Where The Apple Lies, Written by David Rapp, Story by Meghan McCarthy and David Rapp
168. Grannies Gone Wild, Written by G. M. Berrow
167. Friendship University, Written by Chris "Doc" Wyatt and Kevin Burke
166. Growing Up is Hard to Do, Written by Ed Valentine
165. Daring Doubt, Written by Nicole Dubac
164. The Break Up Break Down, Written by Nick Confalone
163. 28 Pranks Later, Written by F.M. De Marco, Story by Meghan McCarthy
162. The Cart Before The Ponies, Written by Ed Valentine, Story by Ed Valentine and Michael Vogel
161. Leap of Faith, Written by Josh Haber
160. Going to Seed, Written by David Rapp
159. The Gift of the Maud Pie, Written by Michael P. Fox and Will Fox, Story by Josh Haber, Michael P. Fox and Will Fox
158. A Bird in the Hoof, Written by Charlotte Fullerton
157. It's About Time, Written by M. A. Larson
156. The Return of Harmony Part 2, Written by M. A. Larson
155. The Return of Harmony Part 1, Written by M. A. Larson
154. The Ticket Master, Written by Lauren Faust and Amy Keating Rogers
153. Games Ponies Play, Written by Dave Polsky
152. Just for Sidekicks, Written by Corey Powell
151. Triple Threat, Written by Josh Hamilton
150. The Best Night Ever, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
149. Tanks For The Memories, Written by Cindy Morrow
148. Power Ponies, Written by Meghan McCarthy, Charlotte Fullerton, and Besty McGowen
147. A Flurry of Emotions, Written by Sammie Crowley and Whitney Wetta
146. May the Best Pet Win!, Written by Charlotte Fullerton
145. Not Asking for Trouble, Written by May Chan
144. Apple Family Reunion, Written by Cindy Morrow
143. Bloom & Gloom, Written by Josh Haber
142. Winter Wrap Up, Written by Cindy Morrow
141. A Friend in Deed, Written by Amy Keating Roger
140. Top Bolt, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco, Story by Meghan McCarthy, Joanna Lewis, and Kristine Songco
139. Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
138. Parental Glideance, Written by Josh Hamilton
137. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, Written by Scott Sonneborn, Story by Jayson Thiesen and Jim Miller
136. Made in Manehattan, Written by Noelle Benvenuti
135. Dragon Dropped, Written by Josh Haber
134. The Point of No Return, Written by G. M. Berrow
133. Sweet and Elite, Written by Meghan McCarthy
132. Fluttershy Leans In, Written by G. M. Berrow
131. Canterlot Boutique, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
130. Griffon the Brush Off, Written by Cindy Morrow
129. Friendship is Magic Part 1 (Mare in the Moon), Written by Lauren Faust
128. Friendship is Magic Part 2 (Elements of Harmony), Written by Lauren Faust
127. Family Appreciation Day, Written by Cindy Morrow
126. The End in Friend, Written by G. M. Berrow
125. She's All Yak, Written by Brian Hohlfeld
124. Sounds of Silence, Written by Gregory Bonsignore
123. Read It and Weep, Written by Cindy Morrow
122. Twilight Time, Written by Dave Polsky
121. Flutter Brutter, Written by David Rapp, Story by Meghan McCarthy
120. Daring Done?, Written by G. M. Berrow
119. Magic Duel, Written by M. A. Larson
118. Daring Don't, Written by Dave Polsky
117. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
116. On Your Marks, Written by Dave Polsky and Josh Haber, Story by Dave Polsky
115. It Isn't the Mane Thing About You, Written by Josh Haber
114. Buckball Season, Written by Jennifer Skelly
113. The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2, Written by Josh Haber
112. The Cutie Re-Mark Part 1, Written by Josh Haber
111. Every Little Thing She Does, Written by Michael Vogel
110. Molt Down, Written by Josh Haber
109. The Hooffields and McColts, Written by Joanna Leiws and Kristine Songco
108. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, Written by G. M. Berrow
107. The Times They Are A Changeling, Written by Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt, Story by Michael Vogel, Kevin Burke, and Chris "Doc" Wyatt
106. The Fault In Our Cutie Marks, Written by Ed Valentine, Story by Josh Haber and Meghan McCarthy
105. The Parent Map, Written by David Rapp
104. Too Many Pinkie Pies, Written by Dave Polsky
103. Party Pooped, Written by Nick Confalone, Story by Jayson Thiesen and Jim Miller
102. Ponyville Confidential, Written by M. A. Larson
101. The Crystalling Part 1, Written by Josh Haber
100. The Ending of the End Part 1, Written by Nicole Dubac
99. The Ending of the End Part 2, Written by Michael Vogel
98. The Crystalling Part 2, Written by Josh Haber
97. To Where And Back Again Part 1, Written by Josh Haber and Michael Vogel
96. To Where and Back Again Part 2, Written by Josh Haber and Michael Vogel
95. No Second Prances, Written by Nick Confalone
94. The Best Gift Ever, Written by Michael Vogel
93. The Hearth's Warming Club, Written by Brian Hohlfeld
92. Fall Weather Friends, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
91. The Crystal Empire Part 2, Written by Meghan McCarthy
90. The Crystal Empire Part 1, Written by Meghan McCarthy
89. Hearts and Hooves Day, Written by Meghan McCarthy
88. The Saddle Row Review (a.k.a Saddle Row & Rec), Written by Nick Confalone
87. The Maud Couple, Written by Nick Confalone
86. It Ain't Easy Being Breezies, Written by Natasha Levinger
85. School Daze Part 2, Written by Michael Vogel and Nicole Dubac
84. School Daze Part 1, Written by Michael Vogel and Nicole Dubac
83. Hearthbreakers, Written by Nick Confalone
82. MMMystery on The Friendship Express, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
81. Maud Pie, Written by Noelle Benvenuti
80. Inspiration Manifestation, Written by Meghan McCarthy and Corey Powell
79. A Health of Information, Written by Sammie Crowley and Whitney Wetta
78. Surf and/or Turf, Written by Brian Hohlfeld
77. Putting Your Hoof Down, Written by Merriweather Williams, Story by Charlotte Fullerton
76. Dragonshy, Written by Meghan McCarthy
75. A Royal Problem, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
74. Celestial Advice, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
73. Flight to The Finish, Written by Ed Valentine
72. Viva Las Pegasus, Written by Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt, Story by Michael Vogel, Kevin Burke, and Chris "Doc" Wyatt
71. Baby Cakes, Written by Charlotte Fullerton
70. Rarity Investigates!, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco, Story by Meghan McCarthy, M. A. Larson, and Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
69. Between Dark and Dawn, Written by Gail Simone
68. She Talks to Angel, Written by Nick Confalone
67. Call of the Cutie, Written by Meghan McCarthy
66. Pinkie Apple Pie, Written by Natasha Levinger
65. Secret of My Excess, Written by M. A. Larson
64. Castle Mane-ia, Written by Josh Haber
63. Rock Solid Friendship, Written by Nick Confalone
62. The Last Roundup, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
61. Twilight's Kingdom Part 1, Written by Meghan McCarthy
60. Twilight's Kingdom Part 2, Written by Meghan McCarthy
59. The Last Crusade, Written by Nicole Dubac
58. Applebuck Season, Written by Cindy Morrow
57. Student Counsel, Written by Josh Haber
56. The Last Laugh, Written by Michael P. Fox and Will Fox
55. The Big Mac Question, Written by Josh Haber and Michael Vogel
54. The Beginning of the End Part 1, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
53. The Beginning of the End Part 2, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
52. Spice Up Your Life, Written by Michael Vogel
51. Make New Friends But Keep Discord, Written by Natasha Levinger
50. Road to Friendship, Written by Josh Haber
49. Rarity Takes Manehattan, Written by Dave Polsky
48. Marks and Recreation, Written by May Chan
47. The Washouts, Written by Nick Confaloe
46. Once Upon a Zeppelin, Written by Brittany Jo Flores
45. Discordant Harmony, Written by Michael P. Fox and Will Fox
44. Horse Play, Written by Kaita Mpambara
43. A Canterlot Wedding Part 1, Written by Meghan McCarthy
42. A Canterlot Wedding Part 2, Written by Meghan McCarthy
41. Sisterhooves Social, Written by Cindy Morrow
40. Amending Fences, Written by M. A. Larson
39. Slice of Life, Written by M. A. Larson
38. Equestria Games, Written by Dave Polsky
37. Wonderbolts Academy, Written by Merriweather Williams
36. A Hearth's Warming Tail, Written by Michael Vogel
35. The Cutie Mark Chronicles, Written by M. A. Larson
34. Sleepless in Ponyville, Written by Corey Powell
33. The Mane Attraction, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
32. Sparkle's Seven, Written by Josh Haber and Nicole Dubac, Story by Ashliegh Ball, Andrea Libman, Tabitha St. Germain, Tara Strong and Cathy Wesluck
31. Dungeons and Discords, Written by Nick Confalone
30. Hard to Say Anything, Written by Becky Wangberg
29. Hurricane Fluttershy, Written by Cindy Morrow
28. Suited for Success, Written by Charlotte Fullerton
27. Shadow Play, Part 1, Written by Josh Haber and Nicole Dubac, Story by Josh Haber
26. Shadow Play, Part 2, Written by Josh Haber and Nicole Dubac, Story by Josh Haber
25. Uncommon Bond, Written by Josh Haber and Kevin Lappin
24. Common Ground, Written by Josh Haber
23. Brotherhooves Social, Written by Dave Polsky
22. The Cutie Map (a.k.a Cutie Markless) Part 1, Written by Scott Sonneborn and M. A. Larson, Story by Meghan McCarthy
21. The Cutie Map (a.k.a Cutie Markless) Part 2, Written by Scott Sonneborn and M. A. Larson, Story by Meghan McCarthy
20. A Dog and Pony Show, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
19. What Lies Beneath, Written by Michael Vogel
18. Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1, Written by Meghan McCarthy
17. Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 2, Written by Meghan McCarthy
16. Magical Mystery Cure, Written by M. A. Larson
15. Forever Filly, Written by Michael P. Fox and Will Fox
14. Stranger Than Fan Fiction, Written by Josh Haber and Michael Vogel
13. Keep Calm and Flutter On, Written by Dave Polsky and Teddy Antonio
12. Gauntlet of Fire, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
11. Sonic Rainboom, Written by M. A. Larson
10. For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils, Written by Dave Polsky
9. Party of One, Written by Meghan McCarthy
8. Lesson Zero, Written by Meghan McCarthy
7. Pinkie Pride, Written by Amy Keating Rogers and Jayson Thiessen
6. Simple Ways, Written by Josh Haber
5. The Summer Sun Setback, Written by Michael Vogel
4. The Last Problem, Written by Josh Haber
3. Frenemies, Written by Michael Vogel
2. Crusaders of the Lost Mark, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
1. The Perfect Pear, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
And like with the last couple of versions, here's a quick guide to the overall rankings for the episodes. 222-174: Terrible-Bad, 173-122: Meh-Okay, 121-84: Good, 83-56: Great, 54-6: Excellent, 5-1: Amazing. And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll rank all the season finales from worst to best (including all three parts of the Season 9 finale).
While I can't exactly rank every episode of the series myself, here's my current top 20 and bottom 10:
Top 20:
Bottom 10:
1. Dragon Quest
2. Griffon the Brush Off
3. Somepony to Watch Over Me
4. One Bad Apple
5. Friendship University
6. Leap of Faith
7. Apple Family Reunion
8. Appleoosa’s Most Wanted
9. A Bird in the Hoof
10. Lost Treasure of Griffonstone
I knew what #1 was before I even clicked on it. It’s such a wholesome episode that invokes sympathy for the 2 characters caught in a conflict they want no part of. And they’re Applejack’s Parents.