TheBrianJ Reviews: The Cutie Map Part 1 and 2 · 11:16pm Apr 4th, 2015
I think that for this season, I want to make this a weekly thing; reviewing the episodes as they air. It gives me an excuse to just write a bit, because even writing blogs like this help keep me from getting rusty between stories. And I wouldn't mind expanding this beyond episodes: good fanfics I've read, video games, movies, books, particularly interesting trilobites I was reading about, anything! Now I just need a sexy header image and certainly my career as a guy on the internet reviewing things and making shockingly large amounts of money will kick off!
SPOILER WARNING, of course. If you haven't watched the episode yet and don't want to be spoiled, please do not advance further than this Tactical Horse Derp Wall that I have erected. Thank you.
The season premieres and finales of each season of MLP have all had a fairly similar theme of a Big Bad showing up, and the Power Of Friendship between the Mane 6 destroying said Big Bad. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, The Everfree Forest, Lord Tirek. I was sorta expecting that to be the MO for this episode, too. I don't really watch MLP for complex narrative, because when it boils down to it, the show doesn't DO complex narrative, it has always stuck to fairly simple plots done extremely well.
All that said, I'm kinda stunned by how they mixed it up in this episode. The Big Bad was just a pony with ambitions. The Mane 6 almost felt like afterthoughts to the story of the townspeople (Townsponies?) getting their redemption. The Big Bad wasn't even vanquished, she just ran away into a cave presumably to grab crystals from the Yeti to give to Queen Ice-abella. The whole episode felt... kinda un-epic, compared to the rest of the finales/premieres.
And I think that's what makes it my favorite premiere yet.
It felt as down to earth as an adventure can get in the context of MLP. There wasn't as much "POWER OF FRIENDSHIP" conquering all, it was just smart thinking, planning, and even getting help from those they are saving. The big climactic scene—in which the townsfolk, with their Cutie Marks back, all bust out their special talents to stop Starlight Glimmer—decidedly lacked the Mane 6, who were all lacking behind. I love that! I love the redemption story of the townsfolk playing out, then them immediately turning around and helping the Mane 6.
Expand Balloon
I would love to see some of these characters back. They don't even have to be important, but I think revisiting them at some point in the future would be interesting.
To me, though, the star of this episode is Starlight Glimmer. Without a doubt, one of the most interesting characters MLP has come up with, maybe ever.
Continuing in the long line of characters named [Source of Light] [Type of Light]
As should be obvious from a certain story about a teacher, Cutie Marks have always kinda puzzled me. How do so many ponies end up named after their Cutie Marks? Is their destiny predetermined, or can they decide what they want to do, and their Cutie Mark, and thus talent, will follow? What if you get a Cutie Mark you don't want? It's kinda cool to see the show tackle the issue (maybe not directly, but at least bringing some questions up) with Starlight Glimmer.
She's not a super powered monster, nor is she some great destroyer that is going to wipe out all of humanity. She's just an evil pony who doesn't like the way things are, and wants to change them. I'm EXTREMELY happy that she got away in the end; it leaves it open for her to return. I really want to hear her backstory; there has to be something there that would make for an awesome story about why she's like this. Either way, wouldn't surprise me if she ended up the main villain of the finale, too. Probably something more adventurous and epic and Rainbow Powered and what not.
Fluttershy Intermission Fluttershy Intermission Fluttershy Intermission Fluttershy Intermission Fluttershy Intermission Fluttershy Intermission
The animation continues to improve and impress, it was fun seeing the characters interact after a year of almost nothing, Daniel Ingram once again proves why he's the most brilliant person working on the show (not an insult to anyone on the show... Ingram is just, in my eyes, absolutely amazing at what he does), the show got right back into the swing of things with this episode, and I'm really looking forward to where the season goes from here.
I don't give scores because I subscribe to the Yahtzee Croshaw idea of not boiling down thoughts into numbers, but I definitely loved this episode. Probably my favorite premiere of every one that's happened, and given that this was decidedly the least adventurous of them, that says a lot for the writing. I can't really say "I recommend watching it," because chances are if you are on this website, you either have already watched it or are planning on watching it.
So, yeah. Not much else to say, hope you enjoyed the review because I plan on doing a whole lot more of them! Maybe even one coming later this week (Before Saturday) of the book I just finished.
-Brian J
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It would take far, far too long to adequately explain who—or even what —I am. I'll try to keep it as simple as possible, but I make no promises.
That's not as sure of a thing as you might think, I've run into at least a few authors here who haven't watched past certain points in the show for various reasons.
Yes, all this, yes.
Also, I could watch Fluttershy forever. :D
I'd love to see you do weekly reviews. These are solid, man!