MLP Season 4 Blogs: Part III - Favorite and Least Favorite Episodes · 1:21am Nov 21st, 2013
Aaaaaaand we’re continuing the countdown to MLP Season 4 with another blog. Today, I’m going to be talking about my favorite and least favorite episodes of the series. I’ve narrowed it down to a top five for both my favorites and the not-so-favorites. To make sure that each season gets equal representation, both categories will have two episodes from Season One, two episodes from Season Two, and one episode from Season Three since that season was half the length of the first two.
So, let’s get started with my favorites!
#5 – Wonderbolts Academy (S3E7)
We’re starting off with the episode that changed my opinion of Rainbow Dash. I’m going to admit something here: I actually liked Pinkie Pie more than Rainbow Dash at first, but as the series went on, Dashie grew on me, and Pinkie just irked me with each passing episode, but let’s forget about that walking sack of ADD and get to the point. I was already warming up to Rainbow Dash after Sleepless in Ponyville, and this episode drove it home for me. It showed that RD was growing as a character AND growing into her element of harmony. It also helped to see her character side-by-side with Lightning Dust. Dust was the embodiment of all my negative conceptions about Dash, and seeing that on screen helped changed my perception of her for the better. It wasn’t enough to up her in my top ten favorite characters, but that’s only because there were so many other characters that I liked more.
#4 – Look Before You Sleep (S1E8)
My top two ponies in an episode together? Hells yes! The show was still fresh when this episode aired (not that it still isn’t fresh) and the characters were just getting to know each other, so this episode served to establish the RariJack pairing help explore AJ and Rarity’s personalities and establish them as they develop a relationship friendship. The voice acting was great (even when Ashleigh Ball was still getting a handle on AJ’s voice at the time) and it was the second use of the “Oh, it is on!” line. You can really feel the sexual tension conflict between personalities, and you may be compelled to pick sides depending on who you related to more (or which character you liked more). One thing that the episode could’ve done was not shove the conflict in our face. We already know that these two don’t like each other. We don’t need to be reminded of that every two minutes.
Although the Truth or Dare scene got me a few laughs., and the bed scene was hilarious
#3 – Sweet and Elite (S2E9)
Another episode with Rarity. I like this episode for many reasons. Reason one: we get to explore Canterlot and how it compares to Ponyville. We get a lot of cameos from various ponies, too. Reason two: we get more exploration of Rarity. She’s still establishing herself as a professional designer, and she learns an important lesson of sticking by her friends. It’s weird, though. Since this lesson was arguably about loyalty, this could’ve been rewritten to be a Rainbow Dash episode. Just change the setting and the main character, then tweak the conflict and there you go. Also, I love the Becoming Popular song!
#2 – Suited for Success (S1E14)
ANOTHER Rarity episode. I just can’t help it, but this episode is amazing. A lot of people regard it as the best episode of Season One, if not the whole series, and it’s easy to see why. The episode hits home for a lot of professional artists, and I’ve personally had to deal with these types of clients over the summer when I was working at a TV studio. There’s the client that knows what they want, but how they want it isn’t aesthetically pleasing (Pinkie). There’s the “I’ll know it when I see it” client (Dash). The overly specific client (Twilight) and so on. The stress that Rarity feels is worsened by the fact that she’s not just making outfits for normal clients. She’s making them for her friends. The show’s interpretation of the lesson learned is to be grateful for a gift somepony gives you, but here’s my interpretation.
When you pay an artist to make something for you. Let them do their job.
And again. THAT SONG!!!
And my all-time favorite episode is…
Wait for it…
…
A Canterlot Wedding! (S2E25-26)
Yes, the Season Two finale is at the top of my list. I know it’s technically two episodes, but I don’t care. It’s my damn list! The common complaints about this episode are that we didn’t get any prior mention of Shining Armor, that Princess Cadance was just a random throw-in and devalued the status of Alicorn, and that Queen Chrysalis’s plan was severely flawed. I merely roll my eyes at these arguments, because people tend to forget that this is, at its core, a KID’S cartoon, meaning that they can get away with shit like this, like it or not, because the kids (as well as us) will keep watching. Besides, the development we get from Cadance, Shining Armor, and Chrysalis in the MLP comics makes up for all that in my book.
On to the episode, though. One main reason that I love this episode was that it showed Twilight at one of her lowest, if not her lowest moment. I mentioned this in the previous blog, but I’ll mention it again. We see Twilight in a position where she’s getting no support. Not from her friends, not from her brother, and not eve from Celestia. For a brief moment, we get the sense of Twilight’s “me against the world” mentality. I also love this episode because of Chrysalis. Her transformation scene is well done, and like I said in the last blog, her voice is enough to make me want to become a changeling. All hail the queen!
And yet again, THAT SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!!!
“No I do not love the groom, in myyyyyyyyy heart there is no room!”
Honorable Mentions: Friendship is Magic, Bridle Gossip, A Dog and Pony Show, Green Isn’t your Color, The Best Night Ever, The Return of Harmony, Lesson Zero, Luna Elclipsed, The Cutie Mark Chronicles (I almost made this my #5), Secret of my Excess, Hearth’s Warming Eve, Apple Familt Reunion, Keep Calm and Flutter On, and Games Ponies Play.
A side note on Bridle Gossip and Luna Eclipsed: I like how these episodes portrayed the issue of the misunderstood character, but from different perspectives, one from the pony being judged (Luna Eclipsed), and one from the ponies doing the judging (Bridle Gossip).
Okay, now we get to my least favorite episodes. Like I said before, I’ll be choosing two episodes each from the first two seasons, and one episode from Season 3.
In the case of Season 2, it was hard to pick entries because there wasn’t an episodes that I didn’t like, just a few that I didn’t care for. Plus, I promised that I’d only pick ONE Pinkie Pie episode for my least favorites list, in the sake of fairness. So, here we go…
#5 – May the Best Pet Win (S2E10)
Like I said, I don’t dislike this episode. I just don’t care for it. The song was rather lackluster, and while I can’t dock points for an obvious ending, I really don’t have much else to say.
#4 – The Cutie Pox (S2E9)
Another episode that I didn’t care for, mainly because we’ve learned this lesson already, so the episode is just redundant, and it didn’t do much to help my indifference to the CMC.
#3 – A Bird in the Hoof (S1E22) and Stare Master (S1E17)
We got a tie people!
It’s a damn shame that Fluttershy is in two bad episodes, and A Bird in the Hoof aired two weeks after Green Isn’t Your Color, which was a great Fluttershy episode. Let’s tackle these dude one at a time.
A Bird in the Hoof relied heavily on slapstick. When used here and there in the show, it does its job. But it’s overused here. The two good moments in the episode were in the very beginning and the very end. I’m talking about Celestia’s tea scene and the scene where Philomena revived herself.
Stare Master was the episode that engraved my dislike for the CMC in stone. The Hush Now Quiet Now song wasn’t good at all, and it brought back bad memories of babysitting my little sister when her friends were over. *twitch*
#2 – The Show Stoppers (S1E18)
What better way to follow up a bad episode than with a worse episode. (That was sarcasm, in case you didn’t know.) My main reason for not liking this episode came from the fact that the CMC didn’t even learn their damn lesson! I can’t blame the song for being bad because that was the point, and I like the lyrics.
So what’s my least favorite? Well, it’s…
Wait for it…
…
Too Many Pinkie Pies (S3E3)
I know that a lot of people that read the previous blog saw this coming. The problem I had with this episode is in the damn title for Celestia’s sake. I had a nightmare the night I saw that episode.
“Funfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunf!”
You know what rhymes with fun? Gun. Something that should’ve been used to off all the Pinkie clones, and maybe even the real Pinkie for added measure.
I will give this episode a point for the G3 face, and I could relate to Pinkie’s problem, but I still hold this as my least favorite MLP episode.
DIShonorable Mentions: Over a Barrel, Owl’s Well that Ends Well, Baby Cakes, The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, A Friend in Deed, and Dragon Quest.
Tomorrow, I’ll discuss my favorite MLP songs.
Nope honestly I am still baffled by your dislike of Pinkie Pie. A friend in deed almost made your s*** list? But... You know what I'm not even gonna logic here.
You sure we aren't related? We share the same favorite episodes, same way of thinking, creepy.
My least favorite Episode, (now an extremely close second to Games Ponies Play now that season three's done.) has got to be Mysterious Mare Do Well. But not because of what they did to teach the lesson, I liked it in every possible respect except, Scootaloo broke character. Never would she do that to Rainbow Dash. I'd seen the superhero having multiple people behind it before, Batwoman, my fave heroine, only on for one feature length episode, in Batman TAS, had three different aliases and three different, people under the mask, Four if you count voice actors. The episode was extremely well done, but it's forever on my kinda Sh*t list. Because one of my favorite characters broke character.
1525239 A friend in deed, actually got my dad to stop bugging me about it, because of the guy that played Cranky, so it kinda has a place in my heart. But I understand why it's low on Sketchy's list.
1525318 I suppose, but still that episode was great in my opinion, in my top five. The song was good, This donkey is really, really bald Cranky being annoyed, and apologetic Pinkie made that episode great. As did the Pinkie's tutorial on how to make instant best friends gag.
1525380 It's a decent episode, and I do love that gag, completely stupid, but ha ha stupid y'know?
1525412 yeah
1525318 dude your starting to freak me out with this.
1526659 I am?
1526687 It's like a disturbance in the force was shattered maybe your a clone.
1526793 Something Something Dark Side, Something Something Complete.
I think I'm a clone now. there's always two of me just hangin' around.
1526803 but there can only be one clone fight!!!!!!!!!!!
1526804
"Tonight we have Debonair vs 13, one in the same, but like Highlander there can be only one."
"13 Wins Flawless Victory, Fatality."
"Wait, what's this, a stunning upset folks Debonair is still alive, with 13 holding his heart I was sure this was over. The fight between a name and number, is sure to be one for the ages, He's up oh no he's down, oh my this is so gruesome, I'm glued to the TV!"
Five minutes later
*Announcer loosens tie* "The number has been crunched ladies and gentlemen, what a horrible way to go. Debonair wins, like the highlander Debonair holds the head of his opponent high."
1526817 and the crowd wild this was brought to you by our sponsor Applejacks taste cinnamon or the apple doesn't matter to us just eat it!
1526867>>1526817
You two are weird.
1527349
Wouldn't doubt it.
1527349 hey man weird is the new awesome
1527349 hey man weird is the new awesome