Season 2 Wrap Up · 3:19am Apr 22nd, 2012
I wanted to wait until the end of the season (and until I'd gained a bit more followers) before I started doing opinions on the episodes blogs. I couldn't watch the finale live today because I was at work. Such a shame, I love to see others react to scenes in the comments. Oh well. Lots of text to follow:
-Return of Harmony parts 1 and 2: I'd held a party for my friends the night before, and we all woke up hungover to watch the premiere. We were absolutely blown away when we saw the first episode. While Nightmare Moon was a good villain in her own right, Discord just took it to another level. It's kind of fun to see a villain who isn't dark and brooding but instead likes to have fun with what he's doing. I was sort of disappointed that he was taken down so easily (he could have at least tried to block it or run away). But I got over it quickly. And the Star Wars ending was probably the best way to end Lauren Faust's reign over the show. Wonderful episodes indeed.
-Lesson Zero: With Lauren gone, and an alternate opening sequence, I called this the first episode of the silver age of FIM. I was a bit scared watching it though. Twilight lost a bit too many of her marbles for a "first episode". Even though I liked the ending, I still to this day do not agree with taking away Twilight's status as the official friendship reporter. Even if she wasn't the one who learned a lesson, other ponies were still getting their lessons on friendship to the princess. Heck, she even had Spike write a letter. It was kind of cool to let her "share" that responsibility, even though it was ultimately hers. Overall, still a fun episode.
-Luna Eclipsed: Again, I was a bit worried when the episode first began. I grew to love Luna’s S1 design because of how small and foal-like it was. Seeing her with a larger build and hair resembling her sister’s actually makes more sense, but it just confused me (it helped when Lauren offered her hypothesis about her being in a “weakened” state that she had to grow out of, and back into her original form). As far as Luna’s character goes, it’s golden. Sometimes even those who mean well have a hard time with social interactions. Watching her struggle to get her subjects to like her really reminded me of some people I knew at the university who don’t always “fit in”. Wonderful wonderful episode.
-Sisterhooves Social: Oh boy, a CMC tries their hardest to do something, and ends up failing. That NEVER gets old. Okay, there were some Sweetie moments I enjoyed, but it got pretty repetitive pretty fast. I’d think that if Rarity was old enough to have her own business, she’d be old enough to know that her little sister isn’t perfect and will mess up even when she means well. I still can’t believe I couldn’t call the ending. Different colored eyes: seriously, what is wrong with me? Good episode, but not great.
-The Cutie Pox: Right when we just got a CMC episode, what do we get next? ANOTHER CMC episode! yay~ Actually very entertaining despite that first complaint. Applebloom is my favorite of the three, and watching her antics throughout the episode was hilarious. And I was very pleased with the screen time that Zecora was getting in this episode. She makes a great mentor figure, and I hope we get to see more of her in S3.
-May the Best Pet Win: Ah Rainbow, probably the poster filly for this whole series (not my top pony, but seriously who better represents the “this isn’t your big sisters My Little Pony” spirit better than her?). It started off well enough with Dash wanting a pet and Fluttershy eager to help her. And the song was good too, but as it progressed I very much started to feel confused. Pets aren’t something you pit against each other for your love. You’re supposed to know in your heart which one is really right for you. So I watched the rest of the episode as a gag show, just to see what silliness would unfurl. Really not much I can talk about in this episode other than “this made me laugh” and there was plenty of that.
-Mysterious Mare Do Well: Oh boy, here we go! I’m probably not going to offer anything that you haven’t already thought or read, but if you want to see it anyway, go right ahead.
I understand that Dash kind of has an ego problem. Who wouldn’t, if they were being celebrated as a town hero? But that is one extravagant way to get your friends to work on a problem they have. They didn’t even TRY to talk to her, they just immediately formulate and elaborate way to trick her and make her feel bad. If one of them had even said “Dash, we think you’re letting this go to your head.” And she had ignored them, then it might have some justification. And since when is Pinkie Pie scared of ghosts? “Giggle at the Ghosties?” I guess that only works with ghostie-trees. I dunno. Worst episode of the season, even if it did have some entertaining parts.
-Sweet and Elite: So I was sort of feeling down in the dumps after the previous episode. Something in my gut kept telling me that maybe the pessimists were right, and the show really was heading downhill without Queen Faust there to hold it all together. But boy was I wrong. Rarity just came up and fabuloused up whole freaking thing in one swoop. All of those aristocratic ponies, AHHH! I absolutely love the rich and sophisticated culture, so watching her attend all of those fancy places and events was just magical for me. And while other fans berate her for it, I think the lesson she learned was justified. Sometimes your friends don’t fit in with the scene of where you are at the moment. But when push comes to shove, it is more important to choose the friends who are important to you over social connections.
Secret of My Excess: Alright Spike! If Dash isn’t enough to boost this shows appeal to boys, Spike sure gets the job done. I even have a friend who says he primarily watches the show for Spike. Again kind of a whacky episode, but still very good quality. I’m sure we’ve all had our case of the “gimme’s” when we were younger, and still might feel that way as we grow older from time to time. The first half of the show served as a great way to see how Spike’s greed could take control of him, but not to the point to where he’s irredeemable. The second half was pretty much a spectacle of how much destruction giant Spike could cause in the winding minutes of the episode. The falling scene… was very touching. Not going any more in-depth than that.
Hearth’s Warming Eve: I’m sure I’m not the only one who has gotten very confused at this episode. I’ve seen Equestrian origin stories from fans that make more sense than this. Out of the whole thing, neither princess was mentioned even once. And we didn’t really get much screen time from the mane six other than when they were portraying their stage characters. Wendigos were pretty badass, and I loved the anthem at the end, but otherwise a very flat episode. That’s strike two, Williams.
Family Appreciation Day: I was nervous about this episode only for fanfic reasons. I didn’t want it to ruin the “MY PARENTS ARE DEEEEEEAD” continuity that I and other fans have incorporated into their headcanon. But even if that had happened, I wouldn’t have lost sleep. Anyway, another CMC episode, but one in which not one of them obsesses over getting their cutie marks… wow, I’m down with that. Grannysmith’s antics in the episode really sold it for me. It was just so goofy, you didn’t even need to guess why Applebloom was embarrassed. But seeing Ponyville’s history really amazed me. It kind of makes me wonder just how old Grannysmith and Ponyville actually are. Good episode. We need more “before X town existed” stories.
-Baby Cakes: Pinkie Pie! I always like Pinkie Pie episodes because not only do we get to see her being zany, but we also get to see a side of her that’s often overlooked: her weak sides. Seeing Pinkie struggle to keep track of the twins really makes her relateable. It doesn’t take a giant dragon or something to threaten the town to make her break a sweat. Sometimes responsibility overwhelms you, and you don’t know what to do with yourself. The only complaint I can muster is how OP they made the twins look. Scootaloo can’t fly, but Poundcake can. Twilight-Dark Phoenix-Sparkle probably had to work really hard to learn all of her spells, but Pumpkin Cake can phase through walls? Wouldn’t the Cakes have had just as much trouble dealing with that as Pinkie Pie did? Whatever, it was pretty fun to watch.
(Feel free to pause and go use the bathroom or get a snack if you’re still reading this btw. Geez, you’ve been reading a lot!)
-The Last Roundup: I’m just going to go ahead and skip over the big controversy in this episode, because I’ve talked about it the day it happened, and watched in sadness as it was taken away from us. Talking about it just brings me out of the “acceptance” stage of grief. If you want my opinion of it feel free to ask, but I’ll leave it out for now.
Anyway, whole episode kind of left this hanging feeling on me. There honestly isn’t a reason why Applejack wouldn’t come back to Ponyville. She could write “I’ll come back LATER, but I have some obligations I need to fulfill” and that would have made more sense. She should be smart enough to figure out that if she writes a letter saying she’s not coming back, that her best friends in the world are going to get worried and come looking for her. Very sweet ending, but it felt like it was a lesson she should have already learned.
-Super Speedy Spider Squeezy 6000: Another whacky episode. The fact that Applejack “didn’t learn anything” pretty much sums up the whole thing. She already learned her lesson from Applebuck Season about taking the help of friends when it’s offered. I liked the Music Man homage, Mac’s “No deal” line, and the Doctor Whooves appearance, but there’s really not much else to go on.
-Read it and Weep: Dash really needed a good episode for herself, and I think this one did the job… narrowly. It kind of makes sense that Dash would be opposed to reading, which would explain why she dropped out of Flight Academy. The hospital breaking and entering scene was fun. I know everyone absolutely loves Daring Do, and I like her design and attitude, but I didn’t really hop on the train like everyone else. Her adventure seemed very cliché and predictable. Hearing the villain talk made me cringe, and not in an enjoyable way. I enjoyed the episode for Rainbow Dash that was pretty much it.
-Hearts and Hooves Day: So guess how much I was against this episode since I’m a big Fluttermac shipper? I was planning on submitting Fluttering Hearts closer to Valentines Day, but since the episode was leaked early I had to disregard my proofreaders and submit the story. I had been sort of disappointed that Big Mac’s lines of this season had been limited to the big two. And I was more disappointed that he could ONLY speak normally if he was hypnotized, or if the situation called for it to be humorous. He’s no longer able to hold a casual conversation with anypony. ANYWAY, CMC’s do a great job of trying to do something nice and blowing it out of proportion for something other than their cutie marks. And even though I was disappointed with how Mac had been written, his deep voiced lovey-dovey lines almost made me wet myself with how goofy they were. And Cheerilee really did well with the spotlight that she was given. She really reminds me of Ms. Keane. So even though I was worried for most of the episode, the wink at the end helped me breathe a sigh of relief knowing that CheeriMac isn’t exactly set in stone. Oh, and the episode was good.
-A Friend in Deed: Almost cried when I got to hear Smile. Every person should have a god-given right to lead their neighborhood in a joyful parade while singing this song before they die. So Richard Newman (M. Bison and Captain Ginyu, how freaking awesome is that?) does great portraying a character who’s not exactly mean or rude, they just aren’t really interested in making any new friends. Pinkie comes off as a bit pushy, but that last push at the end makes everything alright, and she learns to respect others ways of living all the same. With a tears of joy inducing song, great voice acting, zany 4th-wall breaking antics, and a well-structured moral, this is a god-tier episode.
-Putting your Hoof Down: Story by Charlotte Fullerton, Teleplay by Merriwether Williams. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I’m going to interpret it as “give credit to Charlotte for the stuff you liked, and blame Williams for the stuff you hate”. Seems fair, right? So I was thrilled that Fluttershy was getting her own episode, but kind of disappointed with how it went down. When Fluttershy was bouncing around the market looking for ingredients, it just didn’t FEEL like Ponyville to me. I don’t know if it was the color, or the design or what, but it felt like a different town. And wow there are a lot of jerks in this town. It almost reminded me of what I saw of filly Applejack walking the streets of Manehattan. I absolutely loved Iron Will. His attitude was just great for the whole episode. I liked assertive Fluttershy at first, but then it just turned into what we saw of her when she was Discorded (I know assertiveness and cruelty are two different things, but it’s the same in the sense that we’re seeing Fluttershy act not-shy). Ending was great because it disproved Pinkie and Rarity thinking that he was a monster and was instead reasonable and willing to understand when no means no. Good episode, but it could have been better.
-It’s About Time: Is it me, or has Twilight really been taking a back seat in this season? I know she’s not supposed to be the central character, but I think it suits her anyway. She really does hold this series together, and her absence really left something missing from the show. Anyway, that’s a great plot device to be used, “the architect of one’s own destruction”. That’s been used in ancient Greek mythos that those who know of their destiny and attempt to change it usually end up setting it in motion. Twilight’s OCD and Pinkie’s antics combined with one of my favorite story elements made this extremely enjoyable for me.
-Dragon Quest: I am being totally serious when I tell you this. When I saw Fluttershy acting so over-the-top about avoiding the dragon migration, it really irked me. I thought she had overcome her fear of dragons in Dragonshy, and she wasn’t willing to trust her friends that she would be all right, even when Dash reminded her of how she owed her. I said out loud “Hm, unflattering character design? Must be a Merriwether episode!” And then I saw the opening credits “Dragon Quest: Written by Merriwether Williams” … I seriously almost flipped my laptop over. I’m not joking.
But despite that, the episode itself was pretty good. The teen dragons reminded me of those punks from the Simpsons, and they were pretty delightful up until the part where they wanted to crush the egg. Phoenix confirmed for knowing the Taiyoken technique is pretty boss.
-Hurricane Fluttershy: Hooves down, my favorite episode of the whole season. Cindy Morrow can write for Fluttershy for the rest of the series as far as I’m concerned. The way she was shown to be so insecure in her abilities and performing in front of others was perfect for the story. The scene with her crying under the tree is heart-melting beyond belief, and her training montage is pretty rocking out. It’s on equal terms with Guile’s theme the way I see it. I’m glad that in the end when she overcame her own expectations, it wasn’t to the point of being unrealistic. She didn’t perform a sonic rainboom or anything, she just made enough of a difference to help the team out, which is something to be proud of.
-Ponyville Confidential: Make the snobbiest student in your class the editor in chief. Good decision, Cheerilee. I was really reminded of Hey Arnold when they did the same thing with Helga and pretty much did the same story. I had a hard time figuring out which of Gabby Gums stories were lies, and which ones were true. So obviously the mayor uses hair dye and Celestia LOVES cake (yes… yes she does). But does Fluttershy really use hair extensions for her tail? Need some confirmation here! Not bad as far as CMC episodes go.
-MMMystery on the Friendship Express: More wackiness, but if Pinkie’s the central character, that’s pretty appropriate. Liked seeing another griffon that wasn’t a jerk, even if he was a bit of a braggart. Really surprised that Pinkie’s friends bit into her cake, even though they knew how important it was for the Cake’s to win that competition. But I’d be a hypocrite to say that I’ve never made a mistake that cost a friend something important. Forgiveness is a part of friendship too. Loved the wackiness, not much more to say.
A Canterlot Wedding Parts 1 and 2: Cannot really give a good review of these yet because I am still reeling from the MASSIVE HYPE!! Holy god, it was all so amazing! It was like the team knew that most of us were crazed anime fans and wanting to throw in as much over-the-top action sequences as they possibly could, and I ate up every bit of it! I had to keep my hands glued to the desk to keep them from going anywhere… ahem.
So overall? Great season. There were some faults, but I think my expectations might have been set a bit high and I ended up disappointing myself when they weren’t met (Grand Galloping Gala, anyone?)
I’ll add a more justified review after I watch it again, but for now, let’s see how many Awesome Celestia Moments of S2 I can compile on here:
What an amazing year it’s been for this series. Hard to believe it’s already time to say goodbye again. But now that it’s all over, that means it’s time for season rewind sessions, so I can collect more information for fics and the like. Hope you’ve all enjoyed everything this season has had to offer!
Also the music has slowly gotten even more fantastic over the entire season. At least in this humble brony's opinion.
I loved the antics of the Flim Flam brothers (added bonus that Flim was voiced by Double D from ed edd and eddy)
Excellent episodes all throughout the season.
Color me happy with this season
Cloperella, Cloperella, let's finish our Saturday cheer...
dood there was nothing good about the finale
because it was just so incredible.
i mean they have got to be 2 of the best episodes yet aside from celestia finally getting some action and then getting owned
there was nothing but epicness in this episode i loved every second of it and i just wish i could have watched it in HD
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I was almost screaming at my laptop screen about how awesome it was. Even though she got slapped down, I almost jumped out of my chair when Celestia stood up and fought against Chrysalis.
Dat beam struggle. Dat DBZ style over 9000 beam struggle.
I came buckets
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ikr i was like AWE SNAP celestia is finally geting in here... annd shes gone
she really needs to learn to fight and stop trollin