SPOILERS! Thoughts on 401 and 402. · 9:38pm Nov 23rd, 2013
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
You have been warned.
Quick opinion, channeling Rarity:
Marvelous! Simply marvelous!
9/10.
More in-depth opinion:
Holy guacamole. They did that premiere right.
I loved how they handled Twilight's new royalty status. Having her in a panic, but coming through when she had to, was just so perfect and so Twilight. She is a natural leader, even if she's a bit neurotic. They touched on everything that they needed to with her. Her own insecurities about being a princess and learning to fly. Princess Celestia's acknowledgement of her as more of an equal, rather than a student. Her friends wanting to assure her nothing has changed, and yet very aware that things have changed. The perfection in them asking her to go home. I'm sure that didn't sit right with everyone, but I thought it was fantastic. Especially coming from Applejack, the Element of Honesty, and the one with the get-the-job-done, common sense attitude. Spot on. They're all trying to figure out what this means for their relationship with Twilight. She's a symbol now, in addition to being their friend. It does change things. But change isn't bad, and what connects them all deep down is still there.
And can we talk about how they flunked life without her? They collapsed into arguing pretty quick there. A nod to the beginning of the series, where we were given no indication that they were friends before Twilight showed up (at least, not all of them with each other). Awesome way to pull that through. Their friendships began to form and solidify thanks to Twilight's arrival and their roles as the Elements.
Which made the symbolism of giving up the Elements that much stronger. What were they, without them? We've had three seasons to grow these relationships beyond the basic, "we wield this power together, so we're friends" schtick. We've seen each of them interact and grow closer and have their relationships evolve to mean so much more. Without the Elements at the beginning, maybe they never would've come together for the long haul. But now, they truly are friends...best friends. And that doesn't need magic gizmos to survive and thrive.
And it's because of this concentration on the Elements that I can forgive the continued slighting of Spike. He actually moved a step UP during this premiere, being included in the adventure, if not in the discussions on friendship. I still hold onto the idea that he's not part of the magic of friendship dealio because he's more like family. It's a different sort of relationship. And he had some great lines in this episode, and I loved him doing a checklist in his sleep. And I burst out laughing when he smashed into that window. Not going to lie. Spike, I love you, but having you get slammed out of the library like that was hilarious and sadly fitting. I'm laughing just thinking about it.
And now, to talk about those flashbacks. Wow. Yes. We got to see exactly what we'd been hoping to see. Celestia/Luna takedown of Discord. The origin of Nightmare Moon. All of that. And no, I don't want it as its own full-length episode. I don't think that would fit this show well. I LOVED having it as flashback. Celestia's tears...my heart.
Discord was a fun surprise this episode. I mean, I got spoiled that he was showing up, but I didn't expect this big of a role. I love how ambiguous they're keeping him. He definitely was crafting things for them to figure out what was wrong. Convenient for him that this can look like charity and also plays to his advantage now that the Elements are locked away. Honestly, I liked him better in this episode than I've done in any of his previous ones. I was never "Discord-obsessed" like much of the fandom, and was not impressed with him in Season 3 at all. Just felt like rehashing gimicks to me in Keep Calm, and Flutter On. In his original episodes, even, I found him entertaining enough, but nothing to write home about. Felt he could've been written better from the start. But THIS time...yes. He was awesome. I approved of everything. I think because they've given him real grey area to play in, finally.
The other characters each had their moments, which was great. Applejack in particular shone bright. They really utilized her for what she is: a great pony to have on your side, helping you out. She's level-headed and responsible. She's going to get the job done, whatever it is. Just as I tried to use her in my fic, Of Age, they had her step up to the plate here. Bravo, FiM team.
I could keep going on and on about how neat it was that the Everfree magic shut down each of the pony types in different ways, how Twilight didn't do a Sonic ___Boom at all, and it was clearly just a burst of magic, or how they purposefully didn't finish off that bottle of potion Twilight drank...
...but I don't want this review to go on forever.
So I give this season opener (both parts) a 9/10. It was a great way to open a season. So much development. So much set up. Serious backstory, a real magic feel, relationships changed and explored...
The only reason it doesn't get a 10/10 is because it wouldn't stand alone well. It's clearly a transition set of episodes. A really well done transition, but a transition all the same.
I'm super excited to see what the rest of the season brings. I hope these first two episodes are an indication of the continuity, quality, and sheer levels of enjoyment that Season 4 has in store for us!
An excellent review, and I am very happy you saw it. I cannot really say much more then "+1"
But I can say that I didn't notice that part about the potion, good catch! We were watching the premiere this morning in the 'Twilight's Library' Skype, and let me tell you something. Watching this show with friends makes it about a hundred times more awesome. :D
-Lumino
As soon as the ponies were finished ignoring Spike to hug Twilight, my good mood suffered a fatal wreck and I couldn't enjoy anything afterward. It got a little worse every time Twilight used the pronoun, "my" instead of "our" when referring to their friends, and don't even get me started on those vines! We're still scratching our heads over why he couldn't handle Timberwolves.
Relinquishing the Elements presented a nice message about the strength and authenticity of their friendship, but it also put Spike in a more isolated position than he already was; fans no longer have the "he's-not-an-Element-of-Harmony" excuse to exclude him, yet according to how the mane six themselves interacted and spoke of one another, he's still not an equal part of the group.
So not only are the writers continuing to neglect his potential for unique story arcs, they're also alienating him from his friends. I'll have to watch it again later tonight. Maybe I'll like it the second time around, maybe it will leave me feeling just as sour.
1533499
I liked the premiere over all but it did have it's weak points and Spike was a biggie.
When he threw himself on the floor and called Celestia "your majesty" my reaction was "WTF!?". Spike's always been respectful of Celestia but never obsequious. Even Celestia fan-girl Twilight doesn't normally act like that. And then he started fainting constantly (though perhaps that's just Rarity's influence). And as you say, the writers made it pretty clear that they're "Twilight's friends" not "Twilight and Spike's friends".
I was also disappointed when they had Big Mac say "eeyep" and "nope" as many times as he could in one minute. Poor Big Mac is fast becoming a caricature.
this was a very good introduction to season four. after season three's lack-luster ending, the solid season four premiere was necessary to reassure the fans. And they succeeded.
Discord... being the... kinda villainish guy worked well. the returning of the elements was a good symbol and I really like the lesson that: people/ponies move on in live but friendships can still remain. its a good lesson, and one I think needed to be thought.
Yes, Spike was the butt-monkey, especially when Twilight teleported herself into the library and let spike splat into the window. get anyone expect anything less? Being a show aimed at girls, I think the continual pain of torment of males comes with the territory. That's not mere fact, but cold-hard speculation.
My only hope is that the magic-tree-lock box from Jackie Chan Adventures doesn't end up being a last moment season finale macgaffin like the star-swirl spell was in season three. Paleo pretty much summed it up well, but I though I'd add my two cents as well.
1533499 Well, like paleo mentioned, being the only main male character in a girl's show, he's entitled to some neglect and torture. At least he got to tag along this time, though tagging along is about the extent of it, as he didn't get to do much else.
I honestly felt like these episodes did a lot to make it clear that Spike was part of the group, if still kind of the butt monkey, with little things like having him be in a lot of the group shots, their reaction to his injuries, and I was especially glad to hear Twilight refer to the girls as 'our friends' when they were rushing to get to Ponyville. Certainly, its not what it should be, but I see this as a very positive start in terms of Spike relations on the show. Honestly, now that the elements are gone a lot of the mentality of exclusion due to him not being an element bearer, and while the obvious answer to the six locks is one for each pony, I have seen some speculation that it is Twilight's friends who are meant to find the keys as opposed to Twilight herself, leaving one for Spike. Of course, this is all speculation, but it will be interesting to see what they do with what looks to be a true season spanning myth arc.
1534107 I actually thought Big Mac's Whack-A-Weed scene was pretty darn funny.