Ranking the Mane Five/Mane Six Episodes/Specials From Worst to Best, Version 2 · 10:33pm Nov 28th, 2023
I really can't update the rankings for the Izzy Moonbow episodes list, because she still got nothing. You could argue that "Bridlewoodstock" was also partially her special, given that she was involved in sounding the warning and was involved in recruiting Ruby Jubilee, but that would still be her weakest episode/special because the focus isn't just on her and she doesn't really do much of anything after helping to recruit Ruby Jubilee other than repeat the warning, which turns out to be the answer to the problem. Kind of funny how Izzy ended up getting the fewest episodes of focus in Make Your Mark, though given what Tell Your Tale has done with her, maybe it's for the better that they didn't try to give her more episodes and run the risk of ruining her character for the sake of comedy.
Anyway, that means that the mane five/mane six (including Misty Brightdawn) are the only ones I can really do an updated episodes ranking for post Chapters 5 and 6. You can see the original version here. Let's what changed, and where the new additions might land.
10. Make Your Mark Special a.k.a the Make Your Mark Pilot (Chapter 1)
Why it stayed on the bottom: I think it's really saying something when each of the specials that focused on one individual character ended up being weak and uninspiring. And "Secrets of Starlight" succeeded because the focus was on the group as a whole, even if Misty, Izzy or Hitch could've been justified in having a solo special. Anyway, this entire special spends most of its runtime doing nothing of substance. Like Zipp, we're just sitting around and waiting for something to happen. We don't even get any explanation as to where the Brighthouse came from, when Pipp opened up Mane Melody, or just who the heck Rocky and Jazz are supposed to be. About the only things this special did were introduce Sparky, and set up the Opaline arc, both of which were very weak additions to G5.
9. Nightmare on Mane Street (Chapter 5, Episode 6)
Why it's not on the bottom: At least this episode tried to give multiple characters plots of focus: Whether it be Hitch forgetting to hide the golden pumpkin, or Pipp trying unsuccessfully to scare Misty. The problem is that none of these plots actually go anywhere, they don't tie into each other at any point and they all just get discarded without fanfare. And considering this is the episode that's supposed to set up for Chapter 6 and the final battle with Opaline, why did they waste our time on plots that would've been better off in Tell Your Tale? It's really jarring that Opaline went from not being a threat at all here (she retreated as soon as she stole one single cutie mark) to being the end game threat the very next episode with no passage of time.
8. The Manesquerade Ball (Chapter 4, Episode 5)
Why it's in the bottom three: This episode was a sneak preview of Misty joining the mane five for good, but it didn't focus entirely on the group once we got to the actual ball. We had two plots that they chose to focus on, as well as what turned out to be foreshadowing for Chapter 5 when Alphabittle briefly spots Misty. The two plots we get would be somewhat called back to later on: Zipp sneaking away to the royal archives to do more research, and Sunny wanting to do a unity dance. Hitch, Izzy and Pipp are all just along for the ride. You'd think Pipp and Izzy at least would have something to do during the ball given their outgoing natures.
7. The Isle of Scaly (Chapter 6, Episode 1)
Why it's in the bottom half: Again, half of our main cast ultimately stay behind and do very little. Though at least this time Izzy and Pipp actually get something to do: Working on the Marestream. It just turns out to be pointless to the narrative, outside of perhaps foreshadowing events in the next two episodes. And Sunny and Zipp really do most of the questioning. I daresay, Sunny shows much more initative here than she had at any point since "A New Generation". It's really saying something when it took Spike and dragons of all things to get Sunny to take the lead. Too bad that all went out the window for her in the next two episodes, when she went back to just being a passive protagonist who waited for things to happen.
6. Have You Seen This Dragon? (Chapter 2, Episode 8)
Why it moved down: Again, Sparky was in no real danger here, especially when they cut back to the exact same shot of Misty having cornered him in the exact same room in the Brighthouse three times without anything changing. They had the perfect excuse to set it all over Maretime Bay (or at least everywhere but Mane Melody since Pipp would've seen Sparky then), mentioning that Sparky loves to play hide and go seek. Plus, Sunny's role in this episode is just to be the voice of reason that no one listens to, prompting Hitch to snap and try to find Sparky on his own. It probably makes sense for Izzy, Zipp and Pipp to accidentally step on each others' hooves given what we know about them, but at the same time it kind of feels contrived that they're not at least trying to coordinate with each other. And it doesn't make them look good when this is how they handle something we know doesn't have that high a stakes. Thankfully, it seems they learned their lesson here for when there was real danger: Coordination is the key to success.
5. and 4. Roots of all Evil, Parts 1 and 2 (Chapter 6, Episodes 2 and 3)
Why they're in the top half: Sunny's role in all of this is really the only criticism I have from a mane six perspective here. All the other characters actually look really good here, even Misty who would've had reason to stay back. Everyone else thrusts them into the thick of it to stop Opaline, while all Sunny does is just stand in the Brighthouse and watch as they all fall one by one. This isn't like when Twilight had her confidence shattered by Discord and the Legion of Doom, Sunny hadn't experienced anything that should've made her question her faith. The showdown between Opaline and Sunny was alright, but compared to when they fought in "Missing the Mark" it felt like it was rushed and robbed of the stakes it should've had. Still, I admire Sunny's retort against Opaline about how they're not the same. It reminds me of Luke Skywalker in "Return of the Jedi" and how he insists he'll never turn to the dark side the way his father did. To have a hero be confronted with the consequences of their actions and have them reassuringly vow not to lose faith is a very seldom used touch.
3. Missing the Mark (Chapter 4, Episode 7)
Why it moved down: This was really more Misty's story than it was the mane five's story. And Sunny's doubts here came completely out of nowhere and just got hastily resolved. But it's saying something when this fight against Opaline felt like it had much higher stakes than when she'd stolen the cutie marks of countless ponies as well as brainwashed the dragons. If they'd just made Chapter 5 a time skip and Chapter 6 the aftermath, they could've easily justified Opaline becoming more powerful. Spend time in Chapter 5 having Misty get used to being with the group, then have her remember something that leads into Chapter 6. The Opaline who got knocked down but not knocked out here is the Opaline that I could've believed became such a big and powerful threat by the time of Chapter 6, not the Opaline who retreated after accomplishing nothing of substance at the end of Chapter 5.
2. Top Remodel (Chapter 4, Episode 2)
Why it's not on the top: I really do believe this episode would've made for an excellent special, as would've "The Manesquerade Ball", as it would've given all the different plot points we saw here more time to be developed and more time to wrap up nicely. As it stands, the plots that get any real focus are Pipp and Hitch's, with us occasionally checking on Sunny and Izzy's. Zipp's feels very tacked on, something she could've easily done at any point prior (like say during "Portrait of a Princess"). Plus, since this was the most they were going to use Sprout in all of Make Your Mark, why not make a big deal out of it? You could even have him be back to his old antagonistic ways and insisting he doesn't need help.
1. Secrets of Starlight (Chapter 6, Episode 4)
Why it's on the top: Once the first act is done, this special actually goes places. And it really feels like a group effort for a change. No one is being blind or oblivious to obvious signs of danger. And everyone in the group gets a chance to make their own contributions. It's not just Zipp who magically finds the solution or deduces the obvious. Even if some characters shine more than others, and even if the new additions like Comet and Aurora command more attention, this is still the mane six's story. And they do a very good job of demonstrating why they're the heroes. It really does feel like this could've been a new beginning for Make Your Mark, rather than an abrupt end for it.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll look at and rank all the songs from Chapters 5 and 6. There's a very good reason why I didn't bother to do one for just Chapter 5, just two new songs was hardly justification to do a stand alone list.
Have you watched the Tell Your Tale episodes before, in between, and after the Make Your Mark specials?
5757017 No, never have and never will. Five minutes is not enough time to tell any meaningful stories. And from what I have heard of Tell Your Tale, I'm really not missing much.
It's sad that "Make Your Mark" ended just as it was seemly reaching it's full potential. "Tell Your Tale" works best for short stories and comedy, not establishing an overreaching story arc.
BTW, are you gonna write any more stories based on G5 even though "Make Your Mark" is now over?
5757029 Yes. If nothing else, Comet is a fantastic blank slate for stories, you can do almost anything you want with him.