Mini Re-Reviews: "The Crystal Empire - Part 1" - Season 3 Episode 1

KING SOMBRA: "Crystals..."
[clears throat] "Wow, small wonder I became something of a joke in the fandom, if that was all I got to say for nearly six seasons."
PINKIE: "...yeah, I got nothing. King Sombra just doesn't give you much to work with, does he? Even the Storm King would give me more mileage for zingers here!"

And so it was that Lauren Faust (along with brilliant Story Editor Rob Renzetti) left the show she had shepherded to such great heights and success from a set of non-expectations. But despite having already cranked out 52 largely amazing episodes, enough to retire on happily, the show and its legal guardians were in no mind to retire with her. At the bare minimum, Hasbro was determined to stick it out for another 13 episodes, to hit the 65-episode threshold long considered a standard for most cartoon to arrange syndication. Never mind this was an outdated notion no longer applicable to television programming by 2011, when this season was being planned, they were determined, and as such Season 3 is the only one in all of Friendship Is Magic's history to not be 26 episodes long. And it is this length, I think, which has partially contributed to Season 3 commonly being considered the weakest of the show's first five seasons.

But that is a topic for another time. Let us turn to Season 3 instead; with no one to run the show, the question was, who would run the writing side from Hasbro's LA headquarters in Faust and Renzetti's absence? I cannot say why Hasbro chose Meghan McCarthy for this position (Amy Keating Rogers getting nabbed as Story Editor over on a Care Bears reboot that was a calculated poor man's attempt at replicating FiM's success sadly ruled her out), but I suspect that, on top of her quality episodes to that point, it was the exemplary work she turned in for A Canterlot Wedding that sealed the deal; Hasbro must have been especially delighted that she (I presume?) obeyed their toyetic demands and made them feel natural within the show. With Hasbro now paying full attention to this show of theirs that had blossomed from nowhere, and getting more involved, they possibly wanted someone who was great but who was far less likely to resist them then Faust had (if I felt super cynical, I might also suggest that, seeing how McCarthy's career had less credits to her name then nearly every other writer on the show, they felt she'd jump at the chance for this career move). Nonetheless, the stage was set: Meghan McCarthy would act as both showrunner and story editor for Season 3.

I will have plenty of time over these 13 episodes to reflect on how she adjusted to this role - there are some growing pains present, certainly - but for now, let's stick to just this episode. I'm not sure why she also wrote this two-parter herself - perhaps there was trouble finding another writer in time? - but as the first and second episode written by the Story Editor/showrunner at the time, discounting the series Premiere and Faust's Bible script for "The Ticket Master", "The Crystal Empire" will be a fascinating episode. How well can a writer self-edit on this show, working with no one other then Hasbro's notes? It's a common sight after this, but to this point, it was unseen outside of Faust's first three episodes.

After a vague and cryptic cold opening promising only that, "It has returned!" the early parts of the episode, and much of it to come, give us a lot of chances to simply enjoy the characters adapting to the situation at hand after all their past experiences. Seeing Twilight being adorkable as she panic-packs for a test from Celestia is funny enough, but adding in the others others watching and smiling, knowing Twilight's overreacting but knowing they can only let it pass? Funny and it says so much about all the times, low-key and high-key, they've had over the last 52 episodes. The exposition given by Celestia about the Crystal Empire is a bit thick, as is common for two-parters, but it's easily forgivable for being so interesting; small wonder the Crystal Empire proved quite a popular source of content in the fandom, if not quite at the level of Changelings. The setup evokes shades of RPG fantasy and the Tolkein vibes the show has occasionally exhibited to this point (one of the last times it really did that), to its benefit - the Tolekinesque visual of him literally being locked away beneath a sealing crevice is wonderful. There's also various hints throughout the scene of Celestia and Luna wanting Twilight to be ready for something, which are pretty clear when you know what's coming - sadly, this two-parter is all the setup we get for that really, but that's no fault of the episode.

With "The Failure Song", we truly see something that had already been displayed in small ways to this point: more ambitious visuals. Dramatic lighting on Celestia and Luna in a few shots and some nifty special effects during the exposition were notable enough, but the shot of Twilight looking over a balcony with her mane blowing dramatically was, so I'm told, a much-loved thing in the previews for Season 3. The whole episode is like that; staying within the visual language of the show thus far, but upping it in small but pervasive ways. Scale shots and crystal/smoke/snow effects abound, but lovely (for Flash) character animation, the exquisite design of all the new background for the Crystal Empire, and more: visually, FiM is very much wearing its big boys boots here, without losing the simple stylisation that makes it so visually comfy (or indulging in meme faces).

That said, the Failure Song, enjoyable though it is, does point out something odd. Twilight worries so much about this test, you she then proceeds for the rest of the episode to be totally confident and in charge even when Cadence and Shining Armor are worried. It's the Let It Go problem, where a character's arc and outlook in a song flip do a 180 for their next appearance thereafter. One could argue that the episode should have either had her gradually build her confidence about this task up again throughout the episode after the song, or started off super confident but gotten gradually worn down throughout only for her friends to be enough to keep her going. Regardless, the end effect is that the Failure Song feels rather disconnected from the episode thereafter.

Good thing the episode thereafter is very solid! A brief action scene gets our heroes inside the Crystal Empire, as well as reintroducing both Shining Armor and Cadence, the latter maintaining a dome shield this time and the former's magic blocked by horn crystals he sustained getting them inside. Most of the episode from this point to the end I'd forgotten, so it was a delight to experience it again nearly fresh, from how the scenes play out to all the fun moments throughout them.

I mentioned in my review of "A Canterlot Wedding" how it set the formula and tone for all future two-parters until Josh Haber took over in Season 6, and we see that here, with a story that highlights Twilight and largely groups the Mane 5 and Spike together as arc-less supporting characters. But we're not yet at the stage of truly overstuffed two-parters, so this is still thankfully far less severe then it could be. In this part, more so then in Part 2, the episode does its utmost best to spread time among the Mane 5 give them character moments that aren't vital but which are always fun and so true to them. It does a good job; the moments the group all have as they roam the Empire asking the RPG NPCs for answers and getting vague "I... can't remember..." type responses do a lot, from Rainbow Dash's brash approach to Rarity's bedazzled visions of a glowing crystal coat, to pretty much everything Pinkie does - her ninja skit and stepping out of a Fluttershy suit that the real Fluttershy timid steps on after, perplexed, are brilliant for a reason. Even Applejack, normally the poor man's pony for these things, get a funny remark to Twilight's "why didn't you say so!" regarding a library for answers: "Um, thought I just did." Such moments land better before Ashleigh Ball dropped Applejack's voice so low as to be almost that of a boy's.
But, yes, this first part especially, before Part 2 turns into a Quidditch match with Twilight's tasks being far more important then those of the others, does a really good job of keeping the characters true and entertaining despite the adventure-heavy plot, rather then just ticks on a cast sheet as would happen down the line. Such moments continue through the beautiful Ballad of the Crystal Empire song, which unlike the Failure song fits in perfectly with the tone and is a bouncy joy.

The episode's other great triumph is the fantasy aspects themselves; there's lots about the Crystal Empire that's very interesting, and I especially admire how well the episode meshes the RPG tone of much of it with that of MLP. The key of bringing back everyone's connection to the Empire with a Crystal Fair to inspire that within their hearts would feel very tonally amiss in an epic fantasy plot, but here, it ties the fantasy elements to that of FiM in a very nice way. Truthfully, a lot of the fantasy elements in this episode are just great, from the early unfolding down through to the shadow attacks from the black mass that is King Sombra. It's easy to be hard on this episode for the Crystal Empire hardly ever mattering again (and when it did in "The Crystalling", all the flair was gone), but I'm not going to hold it against this episode.

Just when things are going grand - oops! We learn that what Twilight has assumed was a symbolic mention of a Crystal Heart in the Fair instructions was actually a physical, powerful relic that Sombra hid before he was defeated before (Genre Savvy, that unicorn). The replica she carved out won't do, and just as the memories of the Fair were getting the Crystal Ponies to sparkle up from their dull selves. Then, Cadence's shield spell fades due to her exhaustion, and the shadow of the evil King looms over the city... Tense cliffhanger considering everything was looking great just 90 seconds prior!

So, "The Crystal Empire - Part 1" was a lot better then my non-memories of it told me. Solid fantasy worldbuilding, interesting exposition, great character moments along the way, ambitious visuals, and Cadence and Shining Armor getting established as not only semi-recurring characters but tough, cool worthwhile ones too (by next episode, most concerns people had about Cadence were largely dispelled). My main reservation about this two-parter doesn't really become apparent until Part 2, so will Part 1 fare better? Hard to say, Part 2 is obviously far more tense and exciting. But other then some wonky tonal shifts regarding Twilight's dilemma and arcs early on this episode, there's no major complaints. The episode's main sin of not being "A Canterlot Wedding" is no sin, really. "The Crystal Empire - Part 1" still merits a 8.5/10, and other then slight Twilight-centric questions, the show seemed in good hands under McCarthy. Hopefully Part 2 continues that trend.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS
- Fluttershy getting all visibly furious at the lack of answers, approaching a pair of depressed Crystal Ponies, and then doing a 180 and retreating as she says they look busy is too adorable for words.
- The comic timing, storyboarding and visual gags in general are so on-point in this episode; there's a great reveal of Spike supporting the journal Twilight was reading from but only as they depart the throne room, and it is every bit as perfectly revealed as you might imagine, all without making much of a fuss over it. Truthfully, these early episode often lasted in the mind because of all the little things along the way, and that this episode does that despite a lore and plot-heavy story shows it's not the show's expanded cast and lore to blame for that going away in later seasons. The show plains sparkles, beyond the visual razzle dazzle. Even in most good later episodes, they often feel more mundane. I very much believe the loss of this is what quietly led many fans to leave through Seasons 5 & 6, and that Season 3 still had it in full force is one reason, among other, that I can't bring myself to call it the weakest of the first five, even if I do agree it's the weakest of the first three, though not because of having less episodes.

Comments

[RainbowSparkle3]

Solid review, but I feel like you didn't talk enough about the humour. It really was something special. And while Sombra's presence wasn't too great in this part, I feel like there was enough to cover him. I don't know how I would rate this episode as a stand alone one, as I don't consider two-parter episodes separately. But probably something like 9 or 9.5. I agree that part 2 is much more tense and exciting, but this episode did have quite a bit of tension, particularly during the chase scene. Combined with the music, that scene was a masterclass of introducing an intimidating villain.

[Ghost Mike]

5243905
Ah, well, there’s the trick, my friend. I talked about the humour for as long as I felt was right. Any longer, and it would just start turning into a laundry list of the best gags, which is not very fun to write or to read.

As for Sombra, I had written a short paragraph on him, but then I realized that what I planned to say on him next time would just be repeating that. So I’d decided to save it for then.

I mean, I don’t really consider two parters separately either, for the most part. But I felt like covering them on their own as an experiment, even if next time they’ll be considered together once again. I felt it worked for “A Canterlot Wedding”. As for scores, don’t know what to tell you; I gave it the score that felt right based on past episodes. When I reach the end of Season 3, I plan to go back through and adjust som of them based on how my evaluation criteria has changed over time (it’s mostly some Season 1 episodes I have in mind here). But since these two partners are quite similar (whereas with “A Canterlot Wedding” they were almost two different genres altogether, at least until the changelings were defeated), a lot of the points that didn’t get the space you might have wanted here will get more such space next time. Look forward to that!

Thank you for the comment, my friend! I like hearing from you every now and then! Don’t hesitate to leave thoughts more frequently, even if it means not agreeing with me more (I get why your comments are mostly ‘I felt differently about this’-type statements, as blind agreement, much like the laundry list of gags, isn’t fun to write or to read either.

[RainbowSparkle3]

5244087
I get what you mean about the humour. I guess I just thought you didn't appreciate it that much because you spent such a short amount it time on it.

As I assumed. Though I'm a bit worried about the complaints I can see coming.

Looking forward to the next review, and looking forward to disagreeing on sombra.

[Ghost Mike]

5244239
Actually, you might be surprised regarding what I have to say about Sombra. That's all I'll say for now.

[Culdee Fell]

Hello! Long time reader, first time commenter.

I've long found the behind the scenes history of the show to be fascinating (I find the making of television interesting in general to be honest), especially information about the writing, so I found your first three paragraphs particularly interesting. As to why McCarthy was chosen, if the execs were looking for someone who'd already written for the show there was quite a narrow pool of candidates; in my mind M.A. Larson or Cindy Morrow would probably have been the most likely alternatives.

[Ghost Mike]

5244609
Good to hear for you! Always nice to see someone who reads these things. And you say you're very interested on the behind-the-scenes development related to writing of this series. I could tell you a LOT about that.

For now, I'll say regarding Season 3, there's a lot one can deduce by implication. This season had a LOT of unused episode ideas that made it as far as written premises.
The way this show is made is episode ideas are tossed around at the start of the season, at a seasonal retreat - it's not really a writer's retreat as writers on MLP were largely freelance, so usually it's just the showrunner/story editor, a few from DHX and many voices from Hasbro, though occasionally some writers were there too. The approved episodes, once a written premise of a few paragraphs is approved, are assigned to a writer (occasionally, the writer will come up with the idea, but usually they are assigned). After hashing out the episode structure with the Story Editor/Showrunner, the writer gets up a five-page outline that is basically a blueprint for the script. More feedback/notes, and they do a 1st draft of the script (which usually tend to be quite close to the episode already, such is the advantage of a detailed outline). This process repeats itself through a 2nd draft, a polish draft, approved polish, and finally a locked script, which is send up to DHX. Their involvement in the writing process is usually just to point out things that would be quite expensive to animate (this is supposedly why we never saw Saddle Arabia - a lot of expensive design work for just one episode) though in Seasons 4 & 5 a fair few story ideas came from Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller, beyond the few credited to them.
Back on Season 3, it has a LOT of episodes that made it as far as premises before not getting used, almost enough to fill a 26-episode season. Two possibilities present themselves. Either the decision to only produce 13 was done at this point, or as she was settling into the role, Meghan adopted the strategy of hashing out as many episode ideas as she could before deciding, with Hasbro's approval, which were to be used. Regardless, this was the time when Hasbro was getting far more involved in the show from a creative side - this was Summer 2011, the 1st season had just finished and was a roaring success, and even beyond making Twilight a Princess, this can be seen in many ways. "Magical Mystery Cure" originally lacked Twilight's ascension altogether, with the events of the first two-thirds filling the whole episode (it wouldn't have felt so rushed!). The Crystal Empire (the location) was originally the former domain of Chrysalis that Shining Armor & Cadence took over following "A Canterlot Wedding" (there were many more references to this, and more episodes utilising this fact - presumably Hasbro feared Continuity Lockout with this serialised direction). There was a musical episode involving Twilight being Mayor for a day ("Magical Mystery Cure" wasn't yet the musical episode). And so, so much more. I don't delve too deep into these sorts of things in my reviews despite how interesting I find it all, because only some people like that sort of thing. But the amount of things that happened! You could fill a hefty Behind-The-Scenes volume with them for sure.

As for the showrunner role, M.A. Larson would have been the only other one I could have seen doing it; he did do it later for half of Season 5. Actually less; he did Episodes 1-2, "The Cutie Map", but not Episodes 3-4, and then from Episode 5, "Tanks For the Memories" through to Episode 12, "Amending Fences" his magnum opus (it's a fact he pitched it season after season and finally used his brief stint as showrunner and Story Editor to get it made). Why did he not return for the rest of the season? He found the job really stressful and hard, and in interviews said Hasbro probably didn't ask him to return because they sensed how tough he found it (it didn't help that executive notes were very heavy by this stage; compared to episodes like"Sonic Rainboom" or "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", where they'd get 2 or 3 notes, here they often had several per page, at least on "Slice of Life"). Larson left, returning briefly to write "Fame and Misfortune" - it's his script, but he had advised against the story of the episode, sensing it would annoy viewers - and thereafter not again. Hasbro asked him to write more scripts, but he wanted a pay raise they would not give him (presumably as compensation for all the stress he would endure with them breathing down his neck again).

[Culdee Fell]

5244979
Thanks for the reply! I certainly wasn't expecting you to write something so long and detailed (though it's all fascinating stuff- I'd certainly buy that hefty Behind-The-Scenes volume if you or anyone else ever wrote it).

I'd never heard the idea that the Crystal Empire might have been the former domain of Chrysalis before. That would have been a very different (and as you say, more serialised) direction for the show. I like a lot of what's to come of the remaining seven seasons ("Amending Fences" is so good it almost feels like it belongs to a different sort of show altogether) but there's always been something of an asterisk next to everything from Season Three onwards in my mind, mainly because of the uncomfortable nature of Faust's departure from the show and the increasing encroachment of the Hasbro executives. I understand they have a business to run and plastic toys to sell, but I am sorry about what happened to Larson in particular. When you more or less chase away the most talented writer to work for you, something's gone badly wrong.