MLP Make Your Mark: Family Trees Review · 8:51pm Sep 21st, 2023
Wow...just...wow. We have officially jumped in a time machine and headed back to the glory days of FIM! This episode blows all of the other MYM episodes out of the water...by about five miles. Everything here works, and their world building and story layering is just fantastic. On top of that, the pacing issue has finally been resolved (knock on wood)! So, let's dive in and see what makes this the best thing G5 has done since the movie. (Yes, it's a two-parter, but I'm gonna include both in this review.)
Plot: Misty begins having somewhat frightening dreams that, she believes, are about her past. In them, she's a filly and she finds a secret door within a special tree in Bridlewood before being approached by an unknown figure. Her friends want to help her, so they all pile into the Marestream and head for Bridlewood to investigate around The Wishing Tree. Some of the other ponies have their own reasons for going. For instance, Pipp wants to find ingredients for a new product line, Sunny wants to forage for rare berries, and Hitch wants to find a cure for an ailing Sparky. Once they arrive in Bridlewood, they head for the tree...only to discover that there are Breezies living amongst its branches. The Breezies introduce them to a special nighttime market that's buried within the tree's trunk. Once inside, they're introduced to a ton of magical relics from Equestria's past that the Breezies have saved. Among them is a dragon fossil that Sparky imprints on and a special key that one of the Breezies gives to Misty. Misty learns that the key can take her to the place she most wants to go. Unfortunately, the Mane 6 get separated and Misty winds up getting lost outside in the forest. But, thanks to a helpful Breezie, she's able to find her way back. Then, the group decide to look for the door that Misty described in her dream. It takes a while, but Zipp manages to uncover the door and Misty uses her key to take them all to....The Dragon Lands! Instead of chasing her past, Misty decides to selflessly use her gift to try and get Sparky back to his. In so doing, the ponies discover a land that's full of beauty and wonder, but no dragons. They deduce that Opaline must know of the dragons, and the dragons must know of Opaline, so the dragons must have fled before Opaline could get to them. Back in Bridlewood, Misty is finally able to piece together that the unknown figure in her dream is...her father. That pony, it turns out, has been living in Bridlewood, running a certain tea shop. Indeed, Alpha Bittle is revealed to be Misty's father, and he confesses to Queen Haven that the reason he's stayed put is because he was waiting for his beloved filly to return home. Misty and Alpha are reunited, many happy tears are shed, and they all share a wonderful moment together in Alpha's Tea Room.
(Sniff). I'm not crying! You're crying! (Sniff).
In all seriousness, though, this is the best thing G5 has put out since A New Generation. Everything in the episode works on a number of levels. I love the reintroduction of The Breezies, and I like how they play a role that's a bit more significant than the one they played in FIM. Sure, they were great characters and they worked well as conduits for Fluttershy's key in Season 4. But, I always felt that they were a wee bit short changed. Aside from Sea Breeze, they weren't really all that interesting. Here, they're given brand new life and they play terrific parts in the revelation of both Misty's past and Sparky's past.
But the biggest improvement of all has to be in the pacing department. I love that they made this a two-part episode. Some of the scenes feel like they have more breathing room and they're not cutting from line to line to line in a desperate attempt to hold a minute attention span. There's genuine appreciation given to the characters, settings, and dialogue that we haven't seen in MYM yet. There aren't any ridiculous pop culture knockoffs or horrible attempts to pander to an audience that's already so overly indulged with such things. Rather, this feels like a story, with a proper structure and proper acts. It's nice to follow, has a little bit of conflict, a little bit of comedy, and the most heartwarming ending we've gotten in G5 so far. The reveal of Alpha as Misty's father is a picture of emotional beauty, which is allowed to inhale and exhale as needed. It's all terrific...and I love it.
It's definitely my favorite MYM episode so far and, if it weren't for the movie, it would be my favorite G5 thing.
A 5...out of 5
