Present Perfect vs. Season 4 · 12:30am Sep 9th, 2014
All the journals.
Like a lot of fat people on the internet, I have many onions. When it comes to season 4 of this show, often times I felt my onions were severely out of sync with those of the other interfatties. So I thought I’d try and explain my feelings on the various episodes, as well as see them more than twice. With that said, I’m also kind of tired of complaining about everything (there was as much to complain about in season 4 as to enjoy), so I’m going to take a cue from xjuggernaughtx and only list the positives for each episode.
Only, with that said, I must once again remind you that I am fat and have onions, and likely each of these positives will come with passive-aggressive snark at the end. (These I will mark with curly braces. I’m not perfect, I’m just a pony.) But, y’know, if I can’t find something nice to say first, I won’t be saying anything at all!
So, enjoy your round of Passive Aggression Theater, With Present Perfect (only four fucking months late). Bonus episode ranking at the end, likely revised from my earlier journals during the season. (Sorry it's so long, but I'm really fat. :( If you just wanna scroll to the end, I won't argue.)
Princess Twilight
+ Twilight getting flight lessons from Rainbow Dash and utterly failing at it. :D This episode had a lot of “Twilight’s a princess now, but nothing’s really changed” to soothe nerd-ragey fans, and this was a perfect scene to kick that off with. (The sputtering motor noises later on are also a great gag.)
+ Oh yeah, and let’s not forget that new opening! Even with Twilight having become Mary Sue to the Stars, Main Character No Questions Asked And Don’t You Forget It, the cast shots from the opening sequence are full of family members, friends and side characters like Zecora. Plus, it’s nice to see a little development in that sequence.
+ Rarity being far more enthusiastic about the princess thing than Twilight.
+ In the “nothing’s really changed” department, Twilight still obsessing over checklists, apologizing for apologizing.
+ Celestiangst.
+ The “sun and moon together” sky motif was a really great visual cue for something being wrong.
+ A plot revolving around the princesses being kidnapped is a really great thing to send Twilight through. I also like the “seeds literally planted in the past return to haunt the present” angle.
+ And in the “well yeah, but she’s a princess, shouldn’t something have changed?” department, Twilight hardening the fuck up and taking charge of finding Celestia and Luna. Like a boss.
+ The Royal Guard are super-dramatic about everything.
+ Spiky Everfree storm clouds, even cooler than the vines.
+ Alicorns have seat belts.
+ Pretty much Discord’s entire role. I was very much not looking forward to having him around again and again this season after his reformation, but the writers proved right quick that they knew what to do with him. Along with being generally entertaining, his goading Twilight into action because he knows it’s what she needs to hear in order to be a good princess is just the perfect way to use him.
+ “The rest of you could learn a lot about friendship from my dear friend Shutterfly here.” *grabs Rainbow Dash* “Um, it’s Fluttershy.” “Oh, whatever.”
+ Getting to see Nightmare Moon’s banishment. {A shame it has nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the episode; Twilight even points this out. And that it happens so quickly. And that Twilight took forever to figure out what the hell was going on. Also that Zecora’s vision potion is basically just deus ex machina, and complete magical gobbledygook on top of that. I mean, why would Zecora just happen to have made a potion like that, especially when she can’t even use it herself?}
+ Getting to see Discord’s first defeat. I was very pleased they took care to have him in the right pose for statuing.
+ Cragadile. {Which looks cool but is easily defeated. :/ Like all McCarthy two-parters, this one’s got issues with pacing and dead space. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget the “Twilight needs to go back so we can look for the Tree without her because she’s important and a liability, except that we were just talking about needing to stick together like old times” plus Twilight just goes right the fuck back in what in the actual hell and while I’m at it, why is Applejack being so touchy-feely-expository? The second half of this episode is just deeply, deeply flawed.}
+ “Take the stairs, silly!”
+ Giving up the Elements was the first of many bold, world-changing moves made in season 4. It’s both a statement of “we need to move away from these catch-all macguffins” {even if they get replaced at the end of the season} as well as “things are gonna change from here on out; be prepared”.
+ And of course, let us not forget the Mystery Box and the season-long arc of neatness it started.
Castle Mane-ia
+ It occurs to me that the second word in this episode’s title, punctuation included, is one letter off from “Mane-iac”. And where did they fall into the enchanted comic book where they met her? Hmm...
+ An episode about exploring the Castle of the Royal Sisters? Hell yes, please. {Too bad the season wasn’t as much about them being in the castle as I’d hoped. :(}
+ The Star Spiders are a neat-looking {if ultimately pointless} creature.
+ (A propos of nothing: The video program I’m using has a ten-second skip, and skipping through the theme song resulted in something that sounds like “A good penis”.)
+ The bee-wearing challenge was a pretty creative dare. Nice to see AJ and Dash still competing.
+ Pinkie’s scorecard.
+ Also Pinkie getting to test the school bell. That’s just one of the most amazing things ever.
+ AJ and Rainbow freaking themselves out over nothing is the most consistently entertaining thread through the whole episode. {Unfortunately, the others aren’t as interesting.} The fact that it takes all episode for them to realize they’re all there is also funny. {A shame Fluttershy and Rarity’s reason for being in the castle is horribly contrived.}
+ Sass-mistress Rarity. (“I can only imagine how that must feel.” “Of all the castles in Equestria, this is by far the most ungrateful!” “I was only trying to restore ancient a-a-art!”)
+ I just realized that they find the Journal of the Royal Pony Sisters, which is actually a thing you can buy now. Well done, Hasbro! {Too bad it’s a hell of a contrived reason to bring friendship reports back, even if I prefer the show with them than without.}
+ Angel was actually great in this. And he giggles! I wonder who voiced him. :O {Making Fluttershy think he was dead was not cool, though.}
+ Applejack makes duck noises.
+ Pinkie’s freaky knowledge of organ-playing.
+ Oh yeah, and that zinger. Did we ever figure out what that was about? Was it Zecora? Scorpan? Or was it just meant to be a “the Pony of Shadows actually exists, you just missed him” thing? Which would be okay, honestly.
+ I find I like this episode more on a third watch. It’s not amazing, but it is pretty fun.
Daring Don’t
+ Fluttershy teaching baby birds how to fly. :D You tend to forget that ponies do everything for animals.
+ Rainbow Dash still being excited about Daring Do books. Nice to see continuity like that. Also that she’s so obnoxious about it.
+ I really like the designs of Ahuizotl’s pony minions. They all kind of look like G4-ified Wigwam.
+ Oh my god, and I just realized those birds do the “dizzy animation” thing for Rainbow Dash when she crashes into her nest. Holy shit, Polsky is the best at that kind of thing.
+ At the silly hats party, Twilight is wearing a pointy hat. The entire thing lights up when she uses her magic.
+ This episode has a great “remember the creators of things you like are still people and worthy of respect” message. (Ironic, given what just happened to Polsky. :/) {The “Rainbow Dash needs to be confident in front of her heroes” and “Daring Do needs to learn to work with others sometimes” morals are considerably less solid. Unfortunate, given that they’re the foci.}
+ Indiana Jones map transition sequence. Also the reason why it’s happening.
+ Two-key typewriter.
+ For the record, I have no strong feelings about Daring Do writing her own books under a pseudonym. It’s not the greatest idea in the world, and it’s hardly the worst. Even if Twilight’s mom being the author was a cool idea (and that’s since been explained away by the comics folks), this reality opens the world up a lot more for people like us.
+ Lots of good action scenes in this.
+ Doctor Caballeron is just really cool.
+ Twilight vs. Rainbow nerd fight over Daring Do canon is one of the most amazing meta-scenes in the entire show.
+ Rainbow Dash hitting herself.
+ The proposal line is fantastic banter, even if I don’t ship it. :V
+ Wilhelm scream.
+ Pinkie’s pronking charge followed by hula hoop. I love that sequence for reasons.
+ Rainbow’s little loop-de-loop of excitement at the end.
+ I really didn’t like Read It and Weep back in season 2. This episode broke my year-plus disdain for all things Daring Do. Because, honestly, she’s a cool character to have in the world.
+ Also, this episode heralded the Polsky Renaissance. It’s not perfect {the morals are shaky, a classic Polsky failing, and the start of the third act is pretty blah}, but it was the first Polsky episode I liked since season one. Given how poorly he’d done in season three, I hadn’t been expecting anything out of him, but I ended this season calling him the Rarity of writers (that is, most improved).
Flight to the Finish
+ Not one, but two season-long arcs!
+ Rainbow Dash is a great foil for Ms. Harshwhinny. {But yes, her face was super-ridiculous in this, and the ending joke felt forced.}
+ Snips, Snails and Twist still exist. (Twist is just in the background though, sadface.)
+ First song of the season, and it’s damned catchy. {Also kind of weird; I mean, “hearts as strong as horses”? I’ve never been able to figure that one out.}
+ Bulk Biceps is afraid of butterflies. How does this factor into his relationship with Fluttershy?
+ Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have a hilariously shallow pool of insults to pull from.
+ I was very impressed with the writers for taking on Scoot’s disability, and doing so without really doing so. The way it plays her self-doubts off of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle’s pragmatism is also pulled off well. It’s a little wishy-washy overall, but it was also everything I wanted from a Scootaloo episode.
+ Oh yes, let us not forget the saga of Carrot Top and her boyfriend.
+ Good Rainbow/Scootaloo bonding here.
+ If I’m not mistaken, the slow-mo high-hoof with Granny Smith is a callback to an earlier season, when Scootaloo nearly ran her over. I’m pretty sure that happened.
+ This isn’t horribly exciting or anything, but it’s still one of the most solid episodes ever with a really great moral.
Power Ponies
+ Spike being a comic geek just makes all the sense.
+ Pinkie helping clean by soap-skating.
+ Everyone getting sucked into a comic book and becoming superheroes? Hell yes, please. {I can’t get too excited about this episode for some reason. Even though I really like the Power Ponies, I think they and their world stand apart from the episode that introduced them.}
+ All the Power Ponies’ costumes are great. {Even if some of them are cast a little on-the-nose I-am-looking-at-you-Fluttershy. Also why is projecting energy beams considered a superpower for a unicorn? I mean, even weather control for a pegasus makes sense given that normally it’s not instantaneous. Whatever, Masked Matter-horn is based off Cyclops and he’s boring.}
+ Oh my god, I love the Mane-iac. Her design, her powers, her themed henchponies and hideout, her backstory, the terrible puns, the maniacal laughter (oh my god Tabitha, you’re the best). Everything about her is amazing. She is perfect.
+ Applejack confirmed for Pecos Bill.
+ Rarity’s “you’re wearing a cape, therefore you must have superpowers” logic.
+ Another one with good action scenes.
+ The way Rarity uses her powers, once she gets a handle on them, is hilarious. (Thoughts on Rarity’s Radiance powers as foreshadowing for Inspiration Manifestation?)
+ THIS
+ Admittedly, watching Flutterhulk destroy the doomsday device is lots of fun. {Even if we already had Flutterhulk as a Thing in the fandom and didn’t really need more of it. And you kind of have to ignore how horribly contrived the activation of her power is.}
+ I think, upon reflection, that this does actually pull off its “Spike isn’t useless” message. Maybe the “you don’t need superpowers” one is a little more resounding (I mean, who doesn’t love a good “Spike is useless” gag now and again), but I think it works.
Bats!
+ Applejack waiting for the sun to come up on Applebucking Day is adorable. Also, apple transition.
+ Appleloosa at least gets mentioned again. (Seriously, it might as well have fallen off the map after season one.)
+ Another song! And it’s a Danny Elfman tribute! {And now I’m going to tell you why it’s utter crap and the worst song to ever grace this show! Let’s start with the tribute part. I loved Daniel Ingram’s Sondheim tributes in season one, but this one doesn’t really do it for me. Admittedly, though I’ve seen a lot of Tim Burton films, the only one I can say I paid any attention to the music of is A Nightmare Before Christmas, and this sure as heck doesn’t sound like that. All it’s really got going for it is the minor key. And unfortunately, that doesn’t suit Applejack one bit. She sounds flat as hell the entire time, which wouldn’t be so bad if she weren’t singing, y’know, half the song.
- Now let’s talk about those lyrics. It’s no secret that I consider Merriwether Williams to be far and away the worst writer on the show, especially now that Polsky has redeemed himself this season, and this proves that she’s just as incompetent at writing song lyrics as she is writing the characters. Look at some of this dreck: “They rest for a minute/Maybe three/Then they’re eating every apple in your apple tree.” God, it’s like she has no idea what ‘meter’ is. Note the awkwardness of how that short second line is shoved in there. And who says “a minute or three” other than no one ever?
- “They don’t care about nada/Not zilch, no, nothin’/’Cept bringin’ about an orchard’s destruction.” Okay, well, those don’t rhyme in the least, not to mention thank you, Applejack, for saying “nothing” three times in a row just to make sure we understand what you mean. And let’s not forget the horrid emphasis on the first syllable of “dee-struction”, that just makes everything so much better.
- “Now wait just a minute/There’s another side to this/And if I did not defend them, then I would be remiss.” No Fluttershy, there really isn’t, you really don’t have to, and holy shit, have you ever seen a more convoluted and stretched attempt to make a rhyme with “this”? Just look at the meter, or should I say lack thereof. I could literally write a better song in my sleep.
- Let’s not forget that Fluttershy’s defense of the bats is “they have offspring”, which is about the weak-nutsest thing I have ever heard. I mean, so fucking what? Applejack has a family that also needs the apples, that’s kind of the whole point of the episode. Every goddamn animal on this planet has a family so long as they’re not sterile. Who cares? Literally no one. And at that point, the entire episode breaks down for me, because I’m wholly on Applejack’s side and don’t give two shits about the argument against her. Damn this thing for making me hate my favorite pony. (This is likely part of the reason why I’ve switched to Team Rarity.)
- “No/They don’t/And that is just a fact.” Oh. My. God. There’s an entire beat rest in that first line. How do you make a line out of one syllable and a rest? By being completely incompetent, that’s how.
- Fluttershy’s other argument, about the bats helping trees grow stronger faster, is nice if they don’t also decimate a crop to do so. I mean, sure, maybe seeds spread by them will grow faster. But that’s going to take time, and AJ’s gonna be out of a harvest meanwhile.
- Oh yes, and shame on everyone else for ganging up on Fluttershy. Even if she’s pretty much wrong in this case (and this episode’s insistence on both her and AJ being equally right is part of the reason it’s so infuriating), they know damn well that terrorizing her is only going to send her into a conniption. And before you go, “Well, what happens in song montages doesn’t necessarily”, no, stop, season four has made it clear that it does actually happen, more often than not. If that argument held any water before, it doesn’t now. Five of the mane six turning on the sixth is bad enough, and when it’s Fluttershy, well, they should honestly know better.
- “I second that, they’ve got to go/These bats have got to hit the road.” No, I’m not done with the lyrics. Sorry, Rainbow Dash, ‘go’ and ‘road’ do not rhyme, you repeated “have got to” back to back, and you’re basically saying the same thing twice.
- Lastly, I hate this song because it fills me with unreasonable amounts of nerd-rage. I hate nerd-raging, it’s undignified. I feel no better than that BUCK Polsky heckler right now. Except I am better, because if Williams ever gets a panel, I will not go to it.}
+ Fruit-Bat Round-Up. {Instantly a better song than what immediately preceded it.}
+ Young Granny Smith.
+ Rainbow Dash freaking out about cider.
+ Spike taking credit for helping when he literally appeared out of nowhere the scene previous.
+ Flutterbat is cute. {Not to mention horrendously unnecessary. The people who are excited about her forget that we already had her in the fandom. It’s not like fan artists weren’t batponying all the things after Luna Eclipsed. Her creation is horribly contrived. I mean, it’s magic, you don’t have to explain it, but it still doesn’t make any fucking sense how a mind-control spell, even one that backfires through another mind-control spell, could end up causing a transformation. All you can get from that is “Magic works however the writers need it to”. Either way, the second half of the episode stops being about fruit bats and starts being about her, and never the twain shall meet. What a godawful idea.}
+ Pinkie’s prehensile mane. It had to happen at some point! (Thoughts on her bringing back more than just cupcakes from Maretropolis?)
+ Pinkie’s tunnelling gag. {It’s about the only joke in this whole mess that works.}
+ At least it’s not more than 22 minutes long. {And if that sounds like damning with faint praise, congratulations! You caught the obvious! This may actually be the worst episode out of the entire show. I mean, I hate Mysterious Mare-Do-Well because it breaks its own moral; maybe it’s because I haven’t watched it in a long while, but seeing Bats! again hurts like nothing else. The very thought of watching it causes me pain. So have a bunch more criticisms I prepared, all at once:
- Why did we need vampire fruit bats? Why couldn’t this have just used the regular fruit bats from before instead of designing yet another creature that’s barely different and will likely never be seen or heard from again?
- Why can’t Fluttershy talk to them? That’s kind of her entire raison d’être. To rob her of it is a wholly contrived reason to add conflict.
- Turning Applejack and Fluttershy against one another. Fluttershy should know how important Applejack’s apples are. I mean, that goes without saying. And it’s not like she hasn’t berated animals for bad behavior before, or told them off when they were doing things to bother her friends.
- Solve problems with mind control! Wipe out the instincts of an entire species and watch them starve to death!
- Counting on Fluttershy to do the Stare when they know darn well she can’t control it.
- Let’s not forget completely discounting Fluttershy’s knowledge of what the vampire bats do and later saying, “Fluttershy, you’re our animal expert.” She’s just a thing they use in this episode.
- The orchard search scene is one of the dullest, most drawn-out things I’ve ever seen.
- Oh, except maybe for Pinkie explaining things to Fluttershy at the end. Talk about running a joke into the ground. Worst use of Pinkie since Equestria Girls.
- Goddammit Pinkie, the vampire joke isn’t funny either.
- The most ham-fisted, incompetently wrought moral ever. This is supposed to be about living in harmony with nature — I think, I guess, I honestly don’t know — and it ends up being about pretty much nothing. Maybe about how to give into peer pressure properly. No good argument is made in either direction and everyone ends up looking like an asshole by the end: AJ for being stubborn, Fluttershy for being stupid, and everyone else for tagging along. Thanks a fucking lot, Merriwether Williams. I hope you don’t come back for season 5.
- AND WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THAT FUCKING ZINGER?}
Rarity Takes Manehattan
+ Getting to see Manehattan in the flesh and not just a flashback was great.
+ Did anyone else notice the Cats style poster?
+ Rainbow Dash lampshading Rarity’s impending song is the best joke of the entire series.
+ First Rarity song of the season! I love those.
+ Yeah, Grumpy Cat guy is great.
+ That secretary. I mean, forget Coco Pommel, seriously.
+ Suri Polomare. Great antagonist, real smarmy, love the way she talks.
+ Rarity having an excellent cry.
+ That Rarity could make couture out of hotel draperies and actually impress the hoi polloi of the fashion world. I mean, “Hotel Chic”? She didn’t even make an effort to hide it!
+ Rarity having an excellent freak-out. Even if it’s a bit hard to watch her lambaste her friends that way, that scene is more than made up for by the end. It’s very obvious that turning her own virtue against her has put her up against the wall mentally.
+ Congratuponylations.
+ The one thing that makes a good song better is a good reprise!
+ There was no way to know at the time what all the rainbow stuff meant, and no way to recapture the mystery of figuring it out, but it’s still neat what they did with all the keys.
+ Sass-mistress Applejack.
+ Lampshading aside, the idea of pony musicals is just great. Especially since this one’s all Sound of Music-looking. And involves a hinny.
+ Okay, yes, Coco’s pretty cute, she’s just not waifu material as far as I’m concerned. :B
+ The way the conflicts build on each other and finally everything works out is just awesome. It’s half the reason I like this episode.
+ And the other half is that it’s about Rarity doing fashion stuff, and there’s really nothing better. This is up there with Sweet and Elite as far as I’m concerned. {Only problem with it is a bit of a lull between the song and getting to the action.}
Pinky Apple Pie
+ I don’t care if it was fixed later, the episode aired with a misspelled title, and I shall remain faithful to it forevermore. :V Why, to do otherwise would be to kill Derpy! And you don’t want to kill Derpy, do you?
+ That first exchange between Twilight and Pinkie is fantastic.
+ Pinkie cheats at Jenga.
+ Applejack’s face, I can’t. “What did I do? What have I gotten myself into? What’s she gonna break? Oh, Celestia, help me!”
+ After having spent way too much time on this: If Pinkie is really Applejack’s fourth cousin, twice removed, then that means that one of them is the great-great-great grandchild and the other is the great-great-great-great-great grandchild of their common ancestor. I’m not sure how that works out with both of them being around the same age. Granted, she’s also got the same relation to Apple Bloom, so maybe that makes a little more sense? This video is incredibly helpful but only gets you so far, even with the accompanying family chart.
+ The whole minor dysfunctions thing in this episode is great. Wanting your family to make a good impression on anyone is something highly relatable. “Has anyone seen my travellin’ bonnet?” “Isn’t that it on your head?” “...No.”
+ First really memorable song of the season. Generosity is great, don’t get me wrong, but I can never remember more than two words of it. And Hearts as Strong as Horses is every bit as catchy, but I don’t like it as much. :B
+ Big Mac actually singing. You can hear him in the chorus!
+ Something about the whole sequence for this song reminds me of old musical cartoons.
+ Why is that squirrel stuck to a tree won’t somepony help the poor thing
+ Pinkie’s photographs are pretty much universally hilarious. {Even if she broke my OTP.}
+ That fucking eagle.
+ The Scariest Cave in Equestria. That they even have a designation for that is fantastic. That it’s full of what appear to be gargoyles is amazing.
+ That fucking duck.
+ That fucking eagle. Who came up with it? It’s the best joke ever!
+ It’s interesting seeing Granny apologize for stuff.
+ Big Mac never gets to talk. :D
+ Goldie Delicious being a crazy cat lady. Also an agent of Ahuizotl, because leopard.
+ And a reprise!
+ I think this is another one I liked more on extra viewings. It’s definitely about the journey more than the destination, though. {You know from the outset, Pinkie can’t possibly be related to Applejack; that would change the show too much, by changing the mane cast dynamic. But if there isn’t any mystery, then there’s no impetus for the journey. So an “I don’t know” ending is the only possible outcome. My only real criticism about this episode.}
Rainbow Falls
+ This episode has one of the best titles.
+ Bulk Biceps getting his official name, as well as actual lines. :D I like his name, and watching him fly never ceases to be entertaining.
+ Cheerleader Pinkie Pie (and eventually Twilight).
+ It’s hilarious how Rainbow gets stuck with a couple of losers for her team. Her logic is sound, though, even without the bravado filter.
+ I love how they just up and introduce a new place without any fanfare.
+ Griffons! :D Great designs on all three.
+ Rainbow Dash actually getting recognition.
+ Nice to see a Wonderbolt other than Soarin or Spitfire getting lines. {It’s sad, that between this and Wonderbolt Academy, they seem to be severe jerks. Or at least Spitfire and Fleetfoot are. I mean, “As good as any Wonderbolt” and they still haven’t recruited her? I blame Fleetfoot, she’s obviously a bad influence. :B}
+ The old trainer pony is has a great model.
+ Oh my god the Ponyville flower-crown uniforms.
+ Twilight not giving Rainbow Dash an easy out. That was some tough love right there, I’m proud of her. Also, Twilight seeing through Rainbow’s lame excuse for slacking off and not taking any of her shit but letting her figure it out herself anyway.
+ Oh yes. And let us not forget: the triumphant return of Derpy. After the derpless season three, it was nice to see her back. Even if she’ll never speak again, just having her around is enough.
+ OH YES AND DERPY SCREAMS
+ I got a little choked up at the end there, not gonna lie. <.< It’s great that they did a “Wonderbolts vs. friends” loyalty challenge for Rainbow Dash finally. And the answer always seems obvious to us, but it never is for her. This is another really solid episode. {May we never speak of apple brown betties again.}
Three’s a Crowd
+ Much as I don’t like her, the idea of Cadence getting some quality time with Twilight is at least a worthwhile story to tell. That they also share an adoration for Star Swirl the Bearded made me hate her just a tiny bit less.
+ Foreshadowing for the Breezie episode.
+ Fluttershy’s little travelling hat is adorable.
+ “Spoiler alert: It’s thiiiis ooone!”
+ Dat Crystal Train.
+ Flash Sentry, because you know you wanted him.
+ Discord’s entrance and general antics are amazing and hilarious. All the shit happening in the background as he sneezes is hysterical. {Granted, the scene goes on way too long, considering it’s not the focus of the episode.}
+ Everyone looking at Rarity for the fainting couch.
+ Applejack: Princess of Eyebrows.
+ When Discord puts on the backless hospital gown, turns around and bends over, all the ponies react with disgust.
+ “I was born on a Tuesday!” {Too bad this was the start of Pinkie being used horrendously all season.}
+ Ricola pony. {Best part of the song sequence. I can’t say I’m terribly fond of the song.}
+ Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reference. Also Risky Business.
+ Size reveal for the flower was funny.
+ The punchline is “the Crystal Empire is boring”. {Too bad Cadence is too. I mean, did she have to spoil Discord’s plans by being nice? What is this episode even about? First Twilight and Cadence spending time together, then everyone having something to do, then not-Twilight-or-Fluttershy trying to stop Discord from ruining Twilight’s time, then a thinly-veiled vehicle for John DeLancie to not-sing a crappy Discord song, then a quest to find a thing, then Discord’s ulterior friendship motives. This episode is so dumb, I can’t stand it.}
Pinkie Pride
+ Weird Al as a pony. If not for the fact that everything else in this episode is amazing and worthy of comment, this would be the only bullet point for this episode, because it’s really all you need to know.
+ Also his cutie mark is a grilled cheese sandwich slash accordion.
+ Oh yeah, let’s not forget getting to see Appleloosa again.
+ Cheese Sandwich basically being a Pinkier version of Pinkie Pie.
+ His rubber chicken being named Boneless.
+ The whole Man With No Name shtick.
+ Starting right off with a Pinkie song. General musicalness of the whole episode.
+ Diamond Tiara singing and being grudgingly thankful towards Pinkie.
+ The poster seller. She’s so cute!
+ That thing where Rainbow Dash is hovering in front of her banner. Freaked me right out.
+ Pinkie being super serious about parties.
+ Rainbow Dash joining the list of ponies that have actual birthdays.
+ Weird Al singing pony songs. :D
+ Cheese Sandwich in lederhosen, with accordion.
+ Lots of Derpy. (Chocolate fountain!)
+ Pinkie being adorably sad without flat mane. (Fanfic authors TAKE NOTE!) {The only downside to this episode is that her friends kind of forget about her and generally fail at friendship.}
+ Pinkie failing at various jobs. Plus the return of the construction ponies. (They still haven’t finished that building!)
+ Dat Maud foreshadowing. (Remember the firestorm?)
+ Pinkie cheering herself back up because she’s the best.
+ The Goof-Off. Being a party pony is serious business and that’s part of what makes this episode so great.
+ “This cheese has stood alone a long time, Pinkie Pie.”
+ Setting the losing penalty as “they don’t” is just adorable.
+ Cheese’s squeaky elephant slippers.
+ Matilda.
+ The fucking tongue mouse.
+ An actual Weird Al-style polka medley in the middle of the episode starring Weird Al as Weird Al. That actually features one of the songs from the show. I can die happy now.
+ The live-action sequences. There is no way you can prepare yourself for them.
+ Young Pinkie throwing a party. And so many young side characters!
+ Use of the official map.
+ Make a Wish, another great pop song from Daniel Ingram.
+ Boneless 2.
+ And how about that polka ending music!
+ I still prefer Party of One for what it did in the greater context of cartoons, but this is truly Pinkie’s greatest episode for the internal conflict she has to deal with. {Aside from the lack of friendship, my only other complaint is that having Cheese suddenly reveal he wanted to be like Pinkie all along was kind of a “wait, what?” moment. Hardly ruins the episode or anything.}
Simple Ways
+ The Mayor! I still love her, and she never shows up enough.
+ Sass-mistress Dinky. Also Vinyl Scratch. Also Derpy. Also Ace.
+ Rarity’s dress is pretty darn good.
+ It comes out of literally nowhere, but Rarity having a crush on a celebrity and trying to impress him is funny and makes for a good story. Her reactions to him never cease to be amazing.
+ Also she has a lock of his mane.
+ Hipster pony.
+ “You can really feel the authenticity.” Hipster pony being gaga for farm life is hilarious.
+ Second applewipe of the season. (Trenderhoof falling for Applejack isn’t as funny, but her general disdain for him keeps it from being stale.)
+ An excellent Rarity cry session/freakout.
+ Yeah, Spike gets a good shot in.
+ Rarity’s initial farm getup.
+ Applejack rhymes with clarity.
+ Rarity actually bucks an apple. Just one, but that is a success.
+ Country Rarity. I mean, Applejewel looks good, yes, but Rarity is way more hilarious. {Even if she’s kind of cringeworthy. That’s not what “droopy drawers” means, Rarity.}
+ “AH LOVE BEIN’ COVERED IN MUD!” {For all that their little tiff is amusing, this episode really doesn’t do anything for me. It’s a centerpiece for a comedic transformation, nothing more, and Trenderhoof is a really boring character.}
Filli Vanilli
+ Fluttershy song right off the bat. :) Been forever since she had her own song. Also, she gets to be a fairy fucking princess again, which is the best thing.
+ Wait, that was a jackalope.
+ Head-bap. {Why did Pinkie have to act like a complete idiot in this episode?}
+ The Ponytones, specifically Torch Song. What a standout character design! {I still find it hard to believe Rarity has time to spend singing in an ensemble. Or Big Mac, for that matter. Or that Rarity would wear a sweater that color.}
+ Find the Music in You is a great song, and Big Mac gets center stage on a song finally. :D {Too bad they sing it so many times I got sick of hearing it. This was a wasted opportunity for having lots of songs in an episode!}
+ Pinkie winning the turkey call competition.
+ Zecora. :D {I really think that bringing back Flutterguy was a poor decision. It wasn’t the kind of thing we needed again. It doesn’t help that the episode feels based around that single idea.}
+ Zipporwhill and her dad are just kind of… what? Where did they come from? Who are they supposed to be? It’s kind of awesome having them there, and she’s adorable, but what?
+ Gummy vs. the turkey.
+ Dat Cheerilee faint.
+ Man, I had this episode all wrong. Rarity’s initial reaction is “You have talent, you shouldn’t waste it”. That’s relatable, and while she’s disappointed at Fluttershy’s “no”, she relents and doesn’t push her to confront her stage fright (thought at the end, it seems like she’s trying to push her back onto the stage). She actually understands, but she also understands how much singing means to Fluttershy, so when an opportunity arises that can give Fluttershy the ability to perform without having to face the crowds, she suggests it. The rest of the conflict is Fluttershy’s problem, as she pushes the Ponytones to perform more and more, never confronting her stage fright until the very end. So it’s not about peer pressure at all. {That bit is mostly just Pinkie Pie being the absolute worst. It also isn’t about conquering stage fright, but avoiding it. But even after sorting things out, I still hate this episode.}
+ The two songs sound even better together. Go figure! And Fluttershy’s adorable in those ugly sweaters.
Twilight Time
+ CMCs getting trained by Twilight! Apple Bloom doing potions! Sweetie Belle learning magic! (WTF is Scoot doin lol) It’s just nice seeing someone who isn’t AJ, Rarity or Rainbow Dash interacting with them for once.
+ Twilight’s attempt at a “learning is its own reward” moral.
+ Pipsqueak exists and is friends with the CMCs. And gets lines!
+ Diamond Tiara abusing her staff and ignoring her friend. Basically, being perfect.
+ Sweetie Belle’s head is hollow.
+ A look into Twilight’s reputation around town. Plus the CMCs finally getting something to lord over their oppressors, and a hilarious look at the elementary school pecking order.
+ Sweetie Belle making everything worse.
+ “If I don’t smile in a picture, I look sad” is about the funniest thing Scootaloo has ever said or done.
+ Hordes of slavering, ravenous zombie children!
+ Poor Spike and his nachos.
+ Sweetie Belle actually doing magic. (Polsky got heckled for this episode? What the fuck, bronies?)
It Ain’t Easy Being Breezies
+ Most a propos episode title ever. (Seriously, something so fragile can only exist by virtue of pony intervention. WTF do they even do? Their insignificance is what makes this so funny, given how much trouble they cause Fluttershy.)
+ Dat inversion of the opening of Sonic Rainboom.
+ Mariachi band, what.
+ Rarity passing blame to Twilight.
+ Breezies are basically Swedish pony Smurfs. (Smurfs, of course, being Belgian.)
+ Action!Fluttershy! {Why did it have to be Spike again who screwed things up?}
+ Seabreeze is such a little dick, and yet he has one of the best arcs of a side-character ever.
+ Flutterbee.
+ Fluttershy’s never had this kind of challenge before, and it was great to see her going through it.
+ Rainbow Dash’s transformation fetish. {Though seriously, that whole sequence is just dumb. I think the problem is the Breezies and their limitations were created to serve the narrative, not as an extension of the world.}
Somepony to Watch Over Me
+ Great Aunt Pineapple.
+ Apple Bloom trying to grow up and Applejack as helicopter mom. Seriously, she’s slightly cringey in this episode, but she’s hilarious.
+ Did Macintosh yell “Eeyuuuup!” instead of “Goodbye”?
+ The helmet thing!
+ “Why, that sounds delightful!”
+ Scootabow.
+ The song fakeout. Best. Joke. Ever.
+ “How does she sleep?” “Like she does everything: with sass!”
+ “Scootaloo?” “Uh, um… No.” Seriously, the dialogue in this episode.
+ Flame Geyser Swamp.
+ CHIMERA, something I wanted in the show since day one. Also impressed that they toyed with the concept a bit. I also like that it’s a metaphor for the entire episode.
+ The way Applejack beats the chimera just leaves me speechless.
+ Cajun ponies what. Also, Peanuts dance.
Maud Pie
+ Serial friend tossing.
+ Rarity, what’s with all the big-ass hats?
+ Maud’s literalness and lack of imagination are her best traits. {It’s too bad the rest of them aren’t anything to write home about. The problem with this episode is it’s like writing a story about a character who’s bored: it’s boring. Even though she’s meant to be comedically dull as a counterpoint to Pinkie, Maud is still a dull character. The long, awkward pauses don’t help anything either. I definitely prefer fandom Maud. Not to mention I really don’t see why they couldn’t have used one of Pinkie’s original sisters instead of making a new one.}
+ Boulder.
+ Owloysius on Tank’s propeller.
+ Poor Twilight trying her darnedest to friendship everything.
+ The triumphant return of Hummingway, aka Best Animal.
+ I don’t like the actual poems, but the jokes surrounding them are probably the highlight of the episode. {Which isn’t saying much.}
+ Pinkie drinking the cider is the most amazing face in a season full of crazy faces.
+ Maud’s ridiculous earth pony strength.
+ The “your friends won’t necessarily be friends with your friends” lesson is a really important one for people in this fandom, and I’m glad they did it in the show. {It doesn’t quite work given the end. Also I wish it was on an episode I liked more.}
+ Partial mane deflation authors take note.
+ Critter time for Fluttershy.
+ Yeah, the pickelhaube really works for Maud.
+ Rainbow Dash’s necklace.
For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils
+ Sweetie Belle episode. Just, everything about her, always.
+ Scootaloo’s ridiculous hat.
+ “It’s my fifth birthday party all over again!” The first time I heard this line, I thought it was really funny. And then you find out what actually happened, and I was pretty well wowed at how that was set up.
+ It’s all red!
+ Poor Leo.
+ Maniacal laughing Rarity cloud.
+ Princess Luna! :D Having her connect with Sweetie over sister issues is so perfect.
+ Young Sweetie’s definition of “all beautiful”. Fandom writers could learn a thing or two about children’s viewpoints.
+ Luna traumatizing children for fun and profit. The whole It’s a Sweetie Belle Life dream sequence was amazing. (Little Miss Rarity is canon. Children of the Night is most definitely not.)
+ The dolphin thing is great.
+ And Sweetie Belle’s greatest lesson is that she sucks. :D All is well.
Leap of Faith
+ Granny Smith episode with actual character development, and even bonding with Apple Bloom! {This time around, instead of “old people are crazy”, she’s teaching us that juicing will make you win at sports. :V)
+ Young Granny! (I may have a small obsession.)
+ The return of Donny. (One of the Big Lebowski ponies. Poor guy.)
+ The return of the Flim Flam Brothers! {It’s too bad the song pales in comparison to their first one. Hardly a bad song, just not as amazing in comparison.}
+ Silver Shill. I honestly wondered if he wasn’t a plant the first time I saw that initial sequence, and I ended up liking him quite a lot by the end.
+ Yet again, a great character conundrum episode. I’m glad AJ gets good ones nowadays.
+ Jinx. (I note she’s actually got legs, unlike in fanon depictions.)
+ Applejack’s reputation having weight around Ponyville. It’s a far cry from usual fan lamentations over no one knowing who the mane six after all they’ve done.
+ Lyra. :D
+ For some reason, Applejack just yelling “Land’s sakes!” is really funny.
+ Goddamn if this isn’t just a fantastic episode.
Testing Testing 1, 2, 3
+ We start the season with Rainbow Dash teaching Twilight how to fly; now we get Twilight teaching Rainbow how to study.
+ Best horse girlfriends episode.
+ Twilight gets all freaked out about tests.
+ Sass mistress Rainbow Dash. Also being the worst student ever.
+ But seriously, this is one of Twilight’s best episodes.
+ Tons of Equestrian history, including Firefly becoming canon to G4.
+ The whole thing with Spike and the drum. WHAT. It makes no sense whatsoever, but it’s hysterical!
+ General Blazing Donut Glaze. I need to write a story about him.
+ Twilight being better Wonderbolts material than Rainbow Dash. (No, but seriously, it’s nice to see Rainbow making steady progress up the ranks still.)
+ Fluttershy’s animal play is adorable as hell.
+ I appreciate that they went all out with the 90’s MTV rap video homage. {Too bad it’s one of the most cringe-worthy moments of the season.} Actually, no, I like it now. o.O What happened?
+ Rainbow’s summation of the rap song.
+ All the costumes are fantastic. Great job with referencing various eras in fashion.
+ Applejack failing to help because apples. (“And no apples!” is just one of the best lines ever.)
+ So I guess Cherry Berry is the local non-pegasus aviator or something.
+ The “everyone learns differently” moral is great. If only we could use this episode to reform the American education system.
+ Celestishy and Lunarity.
+ The “EUP!” “Eeyup!” thing.
+ Holy shit the voice of the pony dressed up as Admiral Fairy Flight. ._.
+ This is another episode I appreciate more the third time around. I credit this “focus on positive things” review style. I will have to continue this in the future. {Honestly, the only issue with this episode is that the third act drags thanks to the continual scenes of just Rainbow and Twilight flying. The rest is really great.}
Trade Ya
+ Rainbow Falls being the Babs Seed of season 4.
+ Twilight having actual royal duties. And fans.
+ Rainbow Nerd.
+ BEAR CALL. Hilarious thing to exist, also a good Chekov’s gun.
+ Rarity being into vintage stuff. Likely an attempt to ingratiate herself to Trenderhoof. :V+ Scott Sonneborn ships FlutterDash, Rarijack and TwiPie. Two outta three ain’t bad. V:
+ Yes, the Bioshock reference. I actually know who they are now even.
+ The fuckin’ standee the comic trader has. I don’t even know what it is, but I want it!
+ >yfw Rainbow Dash has the Olden Pony’s rusty horseshoe.
+ The Orthros. Talk about scraping the bottom of the mythological monster barrel, though!
+ It is just like Rarity to want a second of something she already has.
+ Horse girlfriends shopping fight! :D
+ The monster tamer totally has one of the things from the Scariest Cave in Equestria.
+ The Discord lamps! You have to wonder how that happened.
+ Stellar Eclipse. I like his design (“I’m an OC” name aside), I like that he’s disabled, and I like the general story about how he got into this episode. I want to see more stuff like that!
+ The antique chicken salespony.
+ Pinkie terrorizing children. {Only funny because a child was terrorized. This is another one that has some Pinkie issues.}
+ Continual background transitions between scenes that carry on the story if you know where to watch. I was super-impressed by the backgrounding in this episode.
+ Apparently the slave trade is totally legal in Equestria! :V {“Don’t trade away your friends” is a really weird moral, though. I honestly have no idea what the point of this one was.}
+ Seriously though, they’re all banging.
Inspiration Manifestation
+ Rarity’s parents’ cutie marks! (Things like this are ever so important.)
+ The puppeteer has a fantastic design. And his puppets are creepy as fuck.
+ Rarity. Just, the whole thing, everything she does, Tabitha St. Germain put in a phenomenal job for this episode.
+ Return to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters! {Kinda forgot about it. I realize now that the lack of focus on it despite setting it up as a new place to go means it’s the new “repository for ancient macguffins” plot device generator.}
+ Continuity with Owloysius’s bowtie.
+ Spike blithely walking back down the stairs is hilarious. {He really should know better, though. His role in this episode was pretty crap.}
+ Evil Rarity attempting to conquer Ponyville, and then Equestria, with fabulosity.
+ Suspowloycious.
+ When Rarity starts personifying the book. :D
+ Spike’s fucking Mega Man armor.
+ Blossomforth and Nurse Coldheart cameos.
+ Eat the book. Best plan.
Equestria Games
+ Bulkshy destroyed my OTP. D:
+ Spike’s reputation in the Crystal Empire is an amazing thing to do. And Spike basking in the glow is perfectly in character. {Spike thinking he has mind fire powers, however, is just dumb. Although mind reading being “just around the corner” was funny.}
+ All those delegates!
+ Twilight still having princess jitters.
+ “Mister the dragon!”
+ I love how Twilight still flies awkward as hell.
+ Rainbow Dash acting casual.
+ The griffin team took third! :D
+ Okay, so the Cloudsdale anthem scene is probably the cringiest moment in the entire series, but it is so freaking hilarious. It’s the only cringe-humor that has ever worked. Especially since Cathy Weseluck ad libbed the whole thing.
+ The fact that all you can hear afterward is a baby crying. Fucking beautiful.
+ Ice archery is the neatest thing ever. You can see a lot of world-building in the way that sport might have developed from actual war archery.
+ Spike swallowing the feather.
+ The “you need to forgive yourself” angle is actually set up pretty well. {I still hate how contrived that finale is, though. And I think, like a lot of fans, after two seasons’ worth of setup, I had been expecting a bit more out of this episode. For what it is, at least, it’s okay, but only okay.}
Twilight’s Kingdom
+ Rarity defending Spike. I may not ship it, but that was at least a good jab at Rainbow Dash.
+ Twilight feeling like being a princess is meaningless because it is. Also, Twilight having to sit in the kids’ corner because not a real princess :V.
+ Dat Flash Sentry.
+ LUNA SINGING. FULL PRINCESS ENSEMBLE. {Too bad this song is down around “Behold the Princess Twilight Sparkle” in terms of being awful.}
+ Though to be honest, Twilight wondering “what’s next?” is a really good personal conflict and a great way to finish up her princess arc.
+ MOTHERFUCKIN’ TIREK. I love everything about him. I don’t even care if he heralds a string of G1 villains (and nothing else) showing up. He’s the most intimidating villain ever, the biggest threat ever, and he was goddamn amazing.
+ Scorpan being Tirek’s brother was an interesting choice. It’s too bad he’s not actually in the episode, but that leaves things open for the future.
+ Discord Poppins. :D Princess Discord. Just, everything. Once again, he was great in this, and his entire character arc was a pleasant surprise. I particularly enjoy him being all “HEY TWILIGHT, THE ANSWER IS HERE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT IT” and her being all thick about it. {The flashbacks were a little untoward.}
+ The interplay between Tirek and Discord is great, suggestive of a lot of history.
+ That Terminator reference.
+ Tirek’s power-stealing proves the existence of pegasus and earth pony magic.
+ Say what you will about Celestia’s plan, it’s still pretty cool. Also, Twilight gets wavy alicorn hair for a second.
+ Adventures in the raising the sun and moon. :D
+ Tirek casting the princesses into Tartarus. Like, hot damn, wow.
+ The scene where Tirek betrays Discord. I mean, holy shit. Number one, he’s got Discord’s goddamn power. Number two, it’s heartbreaking as fuck watching Discord come to terms with what he’s done. Like, sweet freak crap, it’s just amazing.
+ >inb4 #savetree. Sweet jeebus, and I thought removing the Elements was a bold move. The amount of grief this has caused the fandom means it was the right thing to do. You need to tear a hero down before they can show what they’re made of, and that really hit hard.
+ Twilight vs. Tirek. Holy shit, this is a show for little girls. And you know what? It may be somewhat off tone compared to, oh, most of the past four seasons — I certainly wouldn’t ask for more than one of these fights a season, maybe even every other season — but goddamn if I didn’t say the same thing about Tirek in G1. Yes, it was a different time, but who cares, this is completely fucking amazing. Watching Twilight Sparkle get thrown into a mountain and survive? I’m running out of expletives to interject with. It’s flat-out the best sequence ever in the show’s history. I don’t care if it’s on-tone, girls gotta kick ass too. (Plus, y’know, she doesn’t win by beating the snot out of him, so it’s hardly a bad thing.)
+ Also, y’know, it suggests that the four princesses have power equal to every living pony plus Discord.
+ “Oh, but you are, Fluttershy.” Seriously, when did Discord become the best character in the show?
+ Rainbow Power was probably the biggest non-secret in the show’s history, but who cares, it’s awesome. {Except for you, Rainbow Dash. You rolled low.}
+ Earth pony magic is restored via hoofy-kicks. :D
+ This is just one of those really emotional, triumphant endings. (I so wish Tirek had shouted “Not again!”)
+ That castle is pretty cool looking. Plus, I dig the round table with six (and a half) thrones.
+ Fluttershy being all, “Down, bitch, you don’t get no fuckin’ throne.” At least, that’s what I heard.
+ Another awesome pop song finish!
+ That rainbow ending for the various key-givers. (I was especially glad to see what Silver Shill was doing.)
+ SUCH DISLESTIA
+ This is not only far and away the best season finale (way to go, McCarthy! You get an “improved” badge like Polsky!), it’s either my second favorite or my all-time favorite, period. Just such a rush of emotion, awesome character designs, full-season plot arc resolution, and a fantastic action sequence, there’s no way I can’t like it. Of course, I’d have to rewatch the whole show to figure it out for sure...
Well, whether it was the positivity thing or just getting to see everything back to back (it's easier to rank episodes when it hasn't been months since you saw them), I like season 4 a lot more overall than I did initially. Yes, its low points feel like season 3 redux, but it really expands on the world and what the show is capable of, not to mention delivering (and how!) on its season-long multi-episode arc. Of course, to rank it properly with the other seasons, I would have to watch them again, but I feel like it's at least as good as season 2, if not slightly better overall. (Certainly, they share nadirs.) I'm still a season 1 purist at heart, but who knows, it could change. I'm certainly excited for season 5, given that S4 was all but a giant reset button on the show paradigm. To the future!
Episode ranking: (Color-coded for tiers. You can figure out what's what.)
Twilight’s Kingdom
Pinkie Pride
For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils
Leap of Faith
Rainbow Falls
Pinky Apple Pie
Rarity Takes Manehattan
Flight to the Finish
Daring Don’t
Testing Testing 1, 2, 3
Somepony to Watch Over Me
Twilight Time
Power Ponies
Castle Mane-ia
Equestria Games
Trade Ya
It Ain’t Easy Being Breezies
Simple Ways
Maud Pie
Inspiration Manifestation
Princess Twilight
Three’s a Crowd
Filli Vanilli
Bats!
Song ranking:
The Goof-Off
The Super-Duper Party Pony
Apples to the Core
Make a Wish
Let the Rainbow Remind You
Music in the Treetops
Generosity
Find the Music in You
Pinkie’s Lament
The Rappin’ Hist’ry of the Wonderbolts
Flim Flim Miracle Curative Tonic
Hearts Strong as Horses
Pinkie the Party Planner
You’ll Play Your Part
Cheese Confesses
Glass of Water
Bats
And now, to spend the next few days applying for jobs, like I’m a person who wants to become a productive member of society or something. :V
Good read, and good luck on the job hunt!
A rather fair and objective review of the season. It was interesting reading your perspective, as usual.
Good luck on the job front!
For the record, yes. The Castle Mane-ia zinger was outed by the Hasbro crew that that was Tirek roaming around. He just didn't parse that that was Twi and all that back then until Discord told him in the finale.
You're dead to me.
Wuuugh. Bats, you are the most frustrating episode.
...It did? I more saw the episode taking Fluttershy's side almost entirely. Yeah, there's vague concern for AJ's orchard, but overall the episode seemed bent on framing all of concerns as paranoid and overzealous while Fluttershy was totally right about everything always.
I'M AN INSPIRATION!
I'm going to look forward to reading all of this tomorrow. However, I'm saddened and confused by your placement of Filli Vanilli. Yes, Pinkie is awful in it, but everything else is so great! And Torch Song! She's so amazing that she makes up for Pinkie!
Not loving Filli Vanilli is a cry for help, Present!
I gotta say, I wasn't sure what season 4 was going to bring. Coming out, I like things way more than I disliked things. I was pleasantly surprised at how much mileage the show runners got out of the characters after two and a half seasons worth of growth. I was also happy how they managed Twilight's princess angle.
Season 5 just around the corner! Can the show continue on its wild ride?
bats has dubbed it the Box of Secrets and Lies, and thus shall it be!
All hail box!
All hail box!
All hail box!
See, the annoying thing to me is that even with that, Twilight didn't get a single "real" centric episode all season! (Two-parters don't count. They're not anything like a normal episode.) It was very frustrating to me as a Twilight fan to see her get so shafted, and at the same time accused of taking over the show!
Did you miss the "sowing the seeds of discord" pun?
To be fair, that was probably a storyboarder who did that.
Now this is Polsky being awesome. His random dialogue is great. "Ya know she's not a tree, right?" "She's not a tree, Dashie!" "I'd like to be a tree."
It's so much more than that! I went on a brief rant after I first watched this episode how amazing and heartwarming that scene is to me. I can't remember what I said at the time though. This is Part 3 of a running gag with Scootaloo and Granny Smith and their improving relationship with the other. Part 1 was in The Show Stoppers; Part 2 was in Sleepless in Ponyville.
You do all that complaining about the lyrics of "Bats" and give "My friends gave to me in ways so kind / And I gave them nothing but a hard time" a free pass?
It seemed pretty clear to me that Goldie is (implied to be) related to Pinkie. Besides the name, look at how Goldie cheated at Jenga in the exact same way that Pinkie did earlier in the episode.
That's because it was. Amy Keating Rogers said this episode was pitched as "The Return of Flutterguy".
A while back I timed how much of the episode consisted of scenes of Twilight and Rainbow flying with a cloudy backdrop. If I recall correctly, it was a little over a third of the episode total. Unlike you, that's part of why I love this episode so much!
It's the Black Book! It's turning Rarity into Corrupted Generosity! (Yay Fallout: Equestria!)
It doesn't help that the visuals are nothing more than the princesses sitting on a balcony for three minutes. Most boring song visuals ever. Who okayed this?
Debatable. The Return of Harmony, Part 1? (I kid, I kid.)
Considering the not-insignificant amount of time it took to read this list and make brief comments on a few points you made, I'm scared to hear how long it took to write this post.
2439456
Whoa, shit, seriously? I missed that one. o.O Hot damn! Why the fuck did he wait until the end of the season to start stirring shit?
2439457
I hate episodes that make me hate Fluttershy. :| I also hate the repetitive use of the song. Granted, this whole season made Fluttershy stop being my top pony (that spot is taken by Rarity now), but there you go.
2439489
Fluttershy ends up getting her way in the end. But the fact is, the bats are quite obviously destroying large portions of Applejack's orchard. She's got legitimate concerns, and everyone but Fluttershy starts out on her side.
2439675
It's entirely possible Polsky suggested it. Visual humor is his forte, and what makes even his bad episodes worth watching.
Oh my god.
Yes I fucking do. >:V
Damn, you're way better at this than I am. o.O
Oh sweet fuck, Fallout: Equestria is canon. >.<
Also, it took me a few hours spread over about four days. :B Pausing an episode to comment on it like that moves its 20 minute length (minus intro and outro) up to anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
2439720
2439675
Assuming notes being taken while watching the episodes (9 hour or so) plus post editing I'd say probably 10 to 11 hours.
I already did.
And one day, I'll get around to writing the prequel where I kill Dinky's father.
Yeah, these two episodes did a lot to push Spitfire into "worst pony" for me.
Her name is Cadance, and you should love her.
New theory: Pinkie Pie has actually been absent for most of this season. The pony we've been seeing is a rogue Mirror Pool clone. That's why her antics have been turned up to obnoxious levels in most episodes.
I was always fond of FlutterMac up until this came about. Is there just something about putting Fluttershy with big guys?
...that might be adding an item to my one-shot ideas folder...
Okay, I have two headcanons here. One I will definitely stand by, and one that's a "maybe".
The one I'm sticking with no matter what: Discord wasn't dangerous or powerful because of his ability to project raw magic. It was his magic's ability to cause virtually any form of transformation. Tirek just blasts things. He's using it wrong.
The "maybe" one is that Tirek can't use the stolen power fully. So even though he's absorbed nearly all the magic in the land, he doesn't have access to it's full power.
And for that list at the end...
Maud Pie is actually one of my favorite episodes. I liked Maud, but it was more about finally getting a well-written Pinkie.
I found Castle Mane-ia to be pretty consistently funny, and still enjoy it.
Daring Don't was awful and you can't make me admit it ever happened.
I mostly agree with you in general, excpet I liked Castle-mane-ia, Maude, and Princess Twilight way more and didn't like Rarity Lames Manehatten and Leap of Dumb much.
The only thing awful here is YOU.
Also "Somepony to Watch Over Me" isn't at the bottom so I don't know how much I can trust this list.
A few random (and not so random) comments:
Castle Mane-ia
Given how many instruments Pinkie can play (and at the same time
), I would be more surprised if she couldn't play the organ 
Pinky Apple Pie
A friend of mine is older than his uncle. Trust me, it can work.
Three's a Crowd
From my point of view, laser-guided karma boomerang aimed at Discord. And showing for the first time that he is not as invulnerable as he appears. Those, plus Discord's reference-crammed song, push the episode up quite a bit in my own list.
(And yeah, this does mean that Glass of Water is close to being my favorite song of the season.)
Pinkie Pride
Actually, Twilight notices, apparently wants to either cheer her up or bring her to the others, but Pinkie pretends being fine and dismisses Twilight. Which adds another side to Pinkie's internal conflict; she is sad, but she doesn't want her friends to notice that she is sad in order to not ruin the party.
Somepony to Watch Over Me
What, no mention of the Empire Strikes Back reference during the Chimera fight? And how the apparently outrageous things Applejack asked if Apple Bloom took with her were actually needed in the fight? It was a delayed joke, but for me it was the best joke of the episode
Equestria Games
Subjective. It's one of the few scenes in the whole season 4 that I fast forward past every time I watch the episode. But then, I tend to miss the humor in cringe-humor, and get only the cringe.
Twilight’s Kingdom
I actually dislike this episode a fair amount. I didn't really enjoy the songs, I consider the fight segment to be one of the worst fights of the season (behind the fights in Power Ponies, Daring Don't, and Princess Twilight), the only redeeming quality about the Rainbow Power design I saw was how little screen time it got, that castle is one of the ugliest building to ever appear in the show, and a few other things. While I think Discord was fantastic in this pair of episodes, even that is not enough to move this episode above dead last in my own season ranking; I also consider it the worst double episode (and the worst season finale) of the whole series.
2439823
I consider this one a near certainty. Tirek seemed to only use the magic as raw power, without actually copying the abilities of the ponies (and draconequus, and dragon) he drained.
2439747
Also according to the Hasbro boys, Tirek waited until the end of the season because he really didn't have much strength to start out.
Pinkie Apple Pie is Best Episode, you fool!!!!
Wow, this took me so long to read I had to go to bed and finish in the morning. Pretty good list, though, I probably agree with 70% of it or so.
Canon but averted, because Spike ate the book!
2439823
The show killed SpitDash for me. :(
Wrong on both counts. :V
I have actually had this thought!
And that was my OTP.
Although my OTP is still LyraBon, and that will never go away! >:V
I'm pretty sure Tirek can only use the raw magical strength to bolster his own strength. His only powers are "magic suck" and "magic blow", and while he's able to tap into Discord's magical potential (still effectively limitless), he can't actually use his powers. It's still a lot of magic. :B
2439969
No, I'm p. sure it's you. :V
2439972
Yeah, I can barely consider that downside criticism at this point. I know it was a big point of contention when the episode came out, but who cares, it's too perfect.
I actually really liked how the random item list was a Chekov's gun for chimera defeat. What Empire reference though? O.o
2440613
It used to far more toward the middle of my ranking.
2440669
I was amazed to realize that the book remained within him by the end of the episode. Think of the fic possibilities!
2440789
Snowspeeder taking down an AT-AT with the harpoon gun. When Apple Bloom runs around the Chimera fleeing the snake.
edit:
Think of what his burps can do
2440789
Slowly corrupting him from the inside outSlowly satisfying his internal greed issues, allowing him to grow up gracefullyOoo, totally wild theory, the second idea above with that caveat that Spike finding and eating the book was Celestia's plan all along, and that's why he was able to retrieve it so easily in spite of the traps.
Dang, the possibilities are endless.
2440812 His burps were a teleport end point even before he ate the book, I cannot even imagine what he might be able to do with them now.
2440835
Now, interact his new, powered up burps, from eating a book with magic that makes imagination real, with an enchanted comic like the one Spike got in Power Ponies...
Could be interesting. It's dark magic, so whatever materializes might arrive corrupted. Could be a way to write a Mane 6 versus Power Ponies story (while Celestia and Luna try to contain the damage a released Mane-Iac transported by magical fire to Canterlot is doing, and Discord is either busy trying to figure a way to revert the whole mess or eating popcorn, or perhaps both).
2440857 Sold!
2440812
Oh. Eh, that's just a standard tactic for defeating a tall thing with a long thing. :B
2440857
Shit, I am so stealing this. I have a way to make it work in a current story. :D
2440952
Sure. Not so sure about the camera angle being the standard one in a 2D animation, though
Mission accomplished
Present : Maud exists instead of using one of her other sisters because Pinkie Pie and the Rockin' Ponypalooza Party! decided to give her an older sister. Blame GM Barrow for screwing it up and making a retcon to add a fourth Pie sister necessary.
2441364
Wait, it did? And Inkie and Blinkie were said to be her younger sisters somewhere?
2442102
In chapter 4, the two already known sisters are given the names Marble Pie and Limestone Pie. I don't think the book explicitly tells whether they are younger or older than Pinkie, but it seems to imply that they are younger than Pinkie.
In chapter 5, it is told that Pinkie's older sister remained at the farm, though she is not given a name in the book.
(Incidentally, each of Pinkie's sisters have exactly one line of dialog in the whole book. A bit of a disappointment when I was trying to find how they spoke.)
2443057
Huh. :/
Y'know, I think now that I recall GM Berrow saying that she'd been told there was going to be a fourth sister when writing that book. So it's not a case of show canon following side canon, but of her having minimal advance knowledge of the show. So I can still blame the writers. :V
As co-leader of the SoCal Ponytones, I'll have you know that those green sweaters in Filli Vanilli are fucking adoracute, you little shit.
But seriously, this is an impressive retrospective. Also, BATS! is worst
ponyepisode.Pinkie Pride
Is a quote from the Maud pie episode, but in happens here too when she's singing her lament before she turns it around and the song gets hopeful.
Simple ways.
It's not really nowhere exactly. The character might come from nowhere, but really the whole thing was pretty familiar, the only difference being Trenderhoof wasn't a jerk like Blueblood, he just ignored her. The point is this is not the first time Rarity has acted stupidly over a stallion she's never met but has a huge crush on. I mean Rarity was hoping her prince would immediately propose to her and they would get married. Rarity has some serious issues regarding reason and romance.
Inspiration Manifestation
I find this line hilarious. I know what you mean, but at the same time, not only is the castle old, but the series literally started with the main six going there to get six ancient maggufins. It's more like remembering they could use the castle that way.
Oh, fuck no!