My Review of MLP: FIM Season 8 episode 22 What Lies Beneath · 10:47pm Dec 2nd, 2023
Grading Scale:
A (fantastic episode)
A- (an excellent episode with at least one flaw)
B+ (a great episode with a couple of flaws)
B (a good episode which still could have been better)
B- (a good episode with numerous flaws but still rewatchable)
C+ (a decent episode)
C (eh... it’s not terrible but not good either)
C- (it’s not worth rewatching although it does have good elements)
D+ (a bad episode with a few good things in it)
D (a really bad episode with wasted potential)
D- (a terrible episode with badly written characters and butchered moral)
F (horrible and unwatchable)
Greetings, folks! This is Mr. J back with another MLP episode review for today. This afternoon, I will be reviewing the twenty-second episode of season eight entitled “What Lies Beneath”. I gotta say that this episode was pretty enjoyable to watch; that’s right, this was a Young Six episode, and I found myself actually enjoying it.
Just imagine you sit yourself on a table, and you’re surrounded by people you hate. They make something for you to eat, and you think it’s gonna taste like crap…until you actually eat it and end up liking it. This was me as I re-watched this episode. It took the time to flesh out each of the Young Six characters so that we get to know them better and understand their point of view.
The episode begins with Twilight teaching class about the Tree of Harmony and the significance it carries for all magic. Some of the students doubt it as they see it as just a mere tree.
But now that they have to get ready for their test soon, they must work in groups to be better prepared for it. But of course, some of them express doubt about the subject matter; heck, they even had some difficulty processing the information.
Then we see Cozy Glow again in the library who meets with our group; she then seizes the opportunity to manipulate and gaslight our heroes as she sees the disadvantages of each member. She even had the confidence to tell them that friendship isn’t in their nature. Wow, Cozy, you couldn’t resist putting them down, eh?
This is where her deviousness become more and more obvious; she didn’t even try to maintain her facade at that point. That was definitely some foreshadowing more than anything. The fact that they started to doubt themselves and their friendship proves how effective she planted her seeds. Nice to know she graduated from Gaslighting School. ;)
Later on, the Young Six discover that a large crystal vine grew out of an underground cavern, and they go inside to investigate. Once they see more crystals grow everywhere, they spot a spirit-like figure with the appearance of Twilight. Ugh, that was the only thing I didn’t like about this episode: the Tree of Harmony taking on Twilight’s appearance.
I get that she’s the Princess of Friendship and the Element of Magic, but she’s just a self-righteous, dogmatic, patronizing, preachy idiot who thinks that friendship solves everything. Why should the Tree appear like her? Why not Gusty the Great? Or Starswirl? Why Twilight of all ponies?
Anyway, throughout the rest of the episode, each individual go through a series of tests to confront their respective fear. If each of them passes the test, they may go back to the library in one piece. So we see that Gallus has claustrophobia; Yona has arachnophobia; Silverstream fears the Storm King even after his defeat; Sandbar is afraid of disappointing his teachers; Smolder secretly likes being cute and adorable but doesn’t want to admit it; and Ocellus doesn’t want to be like Chrysalis.
One by one, they each overcome their fears but not without thinking about their friends during the process. It goes to show that friendship is in their nature despite what Cozy said about them. Looks like Scarecrow won’t have to waste his time scaring them with his fear toxin…
Like I said, the episode does a great job expanding on the character development of the Young Six so we can understand their weaknesses and their greatest strengths. Despite their shortcomings, they have proven once and for all that they deeply care about each other and will do anything for each other no matter how hard things become for them. Nevertheless, their overall character arcs would have been a lot stronger had they been given more time in this season and in the last season.
Still, Michael Vogel did a good job writing this episode; I only wish we got more good writing like this.
So at the end of the episode, the Young Six share their enlightening experience with Cozy who is surprised they finally realized their true inner strength. Trying to make sure they don’t unintentionally foil her evil plans, she begs them to not tell Twilight of what they discovered, tricking them into thinking she was just jealous when she told them these lies.
As they fell asleep, Cozy looks down on the cavern, smiling at the prize before her beaming eyes. Yeah, that totally doesn’t scream evil or whatever. What a dead giveaway…
So yeah, I really like this episode for what they did with the Young Six, but I hate how they gave the Twilight appearance to the Tree. It’s just dumb and lame, in my opinion. Regardless, I give this a solid A-! Man, why couldn’t Vogel wrote more good episodes like this? Was he afraid of being a better writer than Nicole Dubuc?
Peace!
I really enjoy this episode because unlike some episodes before it that focus on the Young Six. What Lie Beneath really flesh out the Young Six as their own characters instead of begin students for Twilight school. The only thing I dislike about this episodes is that the Tree of Harmony took the form of Twilight. Like the idea that the Tree of Harmony has an mind of it own, but dislike that the writers gave it spirit form a Twilight appearance
I thought the episode was enjoyable as well. I liked how it provided the Student Six an opportunity to have more depth and development, and looking back…I think it was what helped me warm up to them.
Ironically, that’s exactly how I feel about Sunny Starscout.
I never had any problem at all with the Tree speaking to the Student Six by taking on a Twilight appearance, and I always thought that it made sense because the characters knew her. But, I can see what you mean by the whole thing causing a missed opportunity for another kind of character to be used.