Deconstructing is Magic: A My Little Pony Retrospective (S1:E2)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrreetings friends, and welcome back to the freshly named "Deconstructing is Magic", a retrospective, review and analysis of every single MLP episode ever. As the title suggests, I will be taking apart the individual elements of what makes this beloved pony show what it is, seeing where it works, where it doesn't, and what made it so beloved.

Without wasting anymore time, let's get into episode 2, Friendship is Magic: Part 2. I am the mage of mind, reminding you that even a cheeseburger can be deconstructed to its source.

When we last left out heroes, Princess Celestia had vanished (gasp!), leaving only the newly freed Nightmare Moon in her wake (gasp!)! Now Twilight must find the elements of harmony (gasp! and... okay, generic crowd in the background, can you stop gasping dramatically? Thank you.

ANYWAY! Twilight has already pieced together the puzzle, and with her new friends in tow, knows exactly where she must venture. When I last talked about the worldbuilding excellence, this is where it really kicks into high gear. We've established all the need-to-know basics to get how this world works, including Equestria's culture. We also have a window into the potential hidden depths of the characters, with Applejack being the voice of reason, and Pinkie showing that, while she may be direct, she is far from stupid.

(Pinkie Pie: Master of the obvious!)

Sometimes, we can get so lost in details, we forget to look for the obvious. But Pinkie is the first to state the obvious with her childlike wonder, showing that she isn't as single minded as she may first appear.

The Everfree Forest is not the first of its kind in fantasy literature. One of the first I remember reading as a child was The Minpins by Roald Dharl, and enchanted forests are the basis for many a fairytale! The potential drama posed by the Everfree isn't entirely as dangerous as it is hyped to be, but this is one occasion where "it's a kids show" does apply as a legitimate excuse. "It's a kids show," is often used as an excuse to explain away bad writing or messages, as if we should expect lower quality writing from shows aimed at children.

This is where FiM excels. It demonstrates that you can have natural sounding dialogue, complex messages, and drama at the same time, while still being suitable for a young audience to watch without getting traumatised. The Everfree forest is demonstrated to be full of hidden dangers, from unstable ground to ferocious Manticores.

(References to classical fantasy, such as Androcles and the Lion, show a great love for fantasy literature!)

But what's important to note is that it's the teamwork of Twilight and Co. that enable them all to survive these dangers. They each bring their unique talents, demonstrating their element of harmony in the process. In fact, this can be considered a bonus lesson for the kids watching. Going into dangerous situations alone is a bad idea, but with friends who know what they're doing, it can still be scary, but you can get through it!

This does bring me to one of my few flaws with the early seasons in general. It's the tendency to state the morals outright, either in the letter to Princess, or, in this case, the ponies stating the name of their element through their dialogue. It's even emphasised by the voice actors, so the kids don't miss it.

(So, Applejack, you wish to challenge Pinkie's crown for Master of the Obvious)?

This I feel undermines some of the writer's confidence in their craft. Granted, this is literally the second episode, and in 2010, we weren't that far removed from kids cartoons that did have some form of an ending morals segment. This show, along with Adventure Time, is one of the game-changing animated shows that shows how morals can be kept to subtext without needing to be outright stated! This is why this critique is somewhat lukewarm. I understand why they did it, I just feel that, given everything we've seen the show accomplish in these two episodes alone, the writers perhaps needed more faith in their ability to teach children subtext.

This is achieved through audience surrogates (I.E: Spike) in the previous episode, where Twilight lists synonyms for big words as part of the natural dialogue. I'm glad they learned about this for later seasons, as the groundwork Lauren Faust laid cannot be understated.

But there's a bigger reason I can excuse some of the cheesier moments of dialogue in this show. I am a huuuuuuuuuuge nerd for Power Metal!

(\m/)

I adore epic squealing guitar solos, high-pitched vocals, and songs about grand adventures from epic warriors. It always leaves me with a massive grin on my face! And this is what captured my heart with Friendship is Magic. I mean, just read these lyrics and tell me it doesn't fit a world full of grandious magic and adventure like Equestria:

On the wings of life
By the hands of hope
By the brightest light
From the brightest sun
Crossing silent seas
Over mountains high
To the valley of the damned

On the black wind forever
We ride on together
Destroying your evil with freedom my guide
When the master will call us
He stands high before us
Our hearts filled with splendour
Our swords will shine over the light

So, we have been presented with a world full of magic, diverse characters that bring it to life, and a vast array of different creatures all in the first two episodes. With magic being at the core of this show, how could I not love a fantasy epic like this? Yes, the show does focus more on slice of life with the bulk of the season's episodes, but it's still taking place in an incredible fantasy world that is as bright and captivating as what I see in Azeroth or the Warhammer Old World.

(Though perhaps not as grimdark as that last one)

There is one final point I would like to bring up: The subject of Princess Luna's redemption arc. As the 2010s rolled on, particularly with Steven Universe drawing to a close, redemption arcs have become a particularly hot trope, because of the tendency for one single battle to magic away a character's evil. This was codified strongly with MLP, since Luna was freed from Nightmare Moon due to a single magical blast from the elements of harmony.

(How many skittles jokes have been made since then? Enough to fill a rainbow, perhaps?) ;D

However, I will defend this decision. Firstly, this is literally the climax, so they need to wrap up soon. Second, Princess Luna isn't featured much in Season 1, so it doesn't have an immediate impact of the story. But more importantly, it's the fact the sixth element is literally magic! You see, for a show which states its themes are explicitly about friendship, the elements of harmony are basically an emotional reset button. It is somewhat lazy writing for them to do whatever the plot demands.

But given that this is literally the most powerful magic in the show, and the fact that Celestia wanted Luna back? For Luna to realise how much she's missed her sister, she is overcome with emotion. And what are the elements of harmony? Why, they are a manifestation of positive emotional traits! Therefore, it could be argued that they've always had an emotional influence on those whom it is used on. Though this always depends on the subject's willingness to change.

(It's basically this.)

Princess Luna, deep inside, was hurting. She made a terrible decision in becoming Nightmare Moon, one born out of resentment, jealousy and fear. But now that she has Celestia to truly be by her side, as they were always meant to be? She is ready to make a fresh start, and make up for the consequences of her action at a later date.

Conclusion!

All in all, this is a fantastic way to start the series. The fact I had so much to blab about should be evident in that. Am I bias toward fantasy tropes being presented in new ways? Well, of course, but then, we are all bias in some respects. This is a show that's testing the waters, finding its feet in a new era of animation from which it would come to define. Though there are many aspects that, in hindsight, could've been used better? It's still an epic conclusion to this story arc, setting up the pillars of the great show to come!

I give Friendship is Magic, Part 2 an 8/10. Combining the two parts, the story as a whole gets 9/10! This show hooked me from here, and for that, I cannot help but love it, as I know it did for many of you.