Season 5 Ep 3 Review · 9:13pm Apr 11th, 2015
The writers seem to be trying so so so hard to get us to think the castle looks aesthetically pleasing, going so far as to make Rarity mention that "fact" two episodes in a row and have her friends back her up on that. In reality it looks like a Crystal Empire Playset ripoff that spits all over the aesthetic of the town whenever it's in shot. Hopefully it will be in shot by the bare minimum.
The castle is just so gaudy. And the crystal aesthetic is so overwhelming that, even if they wanted to redecorate, they couldn't. How do you hand pictures on crystal walls? What goes with hanging strings of gemstones, you know, besides other gemstones?
And their "redecorating" amounted to making the roots of the Golden Oaks Library (forever killing the suggestion that they just use magic to repair it) into a chandelier, though having the gems contain their past memories was a nice touch. Still, what made the library so likeable was that it was cosy and had a refined cottage feel, not just the books. It had a warm, welcoming colour pallet and toned-down backgrounds rather than the cold, clashing, sparkly assault on our eyes we get whenever we see the castle inside or out.
Making each of them have a room that has their personal touch might be good, but it seems to me it's driving home the fact that Twilight no longer has a home. She has a meeting-and-workplace/clubhouse that is still big and cold and gaudy and empty. I get it that the producers (I'm assuming this castle was the producers' idea anyway) wanted to give her a castle to complete her transformation to a "proper princess" but she's still doing random, menial frigging things around town like she'd done back in season 1.
You know, I'd be less annoyed with the blatant marketing ploy that is the magical construction of the castle if it didn't look like utter, utter shit.
...
Oh, the episode itself? It's was fun enough, the jokes were good, though some were fairly obvious, and surprisingly the hidden confetti cannons joke didn't seem overplayed by the end of its last punchline. The plot was, well, it was average for the show. So utterly average and predictable but yet still woven together nicely with the bits of banter and jokes that are flying off from all corners in very good pacing. Fluttershy got pretty snarky on quite a few occasions, which is very fun to watch. Pinkie's ability to say inappropriate and horrible things at precisely the wrong/right times is now a consistent character trait. As I said before, the root chandelier and memories in the gems were nice, though they don't make a difference in the overall ugliness of the interior decorating.
Was it just me or have a couple of the singing voices changed for this season? Or did they just sound different because of the type of song?
I remember when one (or all; don't remember that well) of the CMC's voices changed (either due to actor replacement or actual change in their voice) and the fandom was in a (relatively minor) uproar. Or was that Applejack? Someone definitely sounds distinct in Seasons 1 and 2 compared to the later seasons.
I loved Spike's bluntness and his long-suffering "ugh" attitude, despite the slighty buttmonkey status he continues to hold.
Rainbow Dash's egomania and self-centredness shines through in hilarious ways and AJ's "Not vintage, just old" line had me in stitches.
Is it me or has Twilight's model changed? A lengthening in the neck or barrel?
Clearly Rarity is going under a "Tom" period.
This episode today, Castle Sweet Castle, was fantastic. Its comedic brilliance became most apparent to me when the Re-mane-ing 5 are gathered around the table and start hitting problem on the nose while remaining oblivious to it. Having the cast completely missing the point of their best friend’s preferences, along with critiquing the palace, the reminiscing of past seasons, and the service and memorial for Golden Oaks is the show staff going “Dang it Hasbro, this was stupid!”
Although like other times when it was felt like corporate was rocking the boat, this managed to pose a good issue for the characters to overcome and accept, and I’m sure the change will start to grow on me as well thanks to the great handling by the creators.
They changed Twilights modell, made her higher and overall more like Cadence and Luna
Yeah I think it has, just look at this.
i.imgur.com/cBZrZ4F.png
The problem with the castle that will likely never be addressed it that it is pointless. Normally a castle is for defense or just being a big bloody building filled with many things/people.
The
Crystal Empire Playset Eye of MordorTower of Friendship has what appears to be a maximum of 6 ponies and 1 dragon using it. There is literally no purpose to 95% of the empty space.I admit I was trolled pretty hard by the episode. I assumed that Twilight was pretty lonely living in a huge Friendship Citadel that is outside of town as opposed to the public library that was in the center of town. Imagine my surprise that the solution was hanging up some pictures instead of declaring the Friendship Cavern a public building and moving elsewhere.
I'm baffled that they feel any need to glorify the thing. Why not have Rarity cringe every time she looks at it? Why not have Twilight be lonely rattling around in the big empty space? Why not have a joke or two at it's impractical design when the subject comes up? In-universe, it's some weird crystal construct ginned up by a thousand year-old tree that lives in a cave. The world won't end if the Mane Six admit that they have to occasionally work in a gigantic eyesore.
Admitting it allows for plot and character development. The castle's empty? It'd make a great apartment building or hotel (or storage facility). There could be Shenanigans in installing an elevator (or a magical equivalent) to avoid going up and down all those stairs to the top. They might want to try painting or magicking it another color to improve the appearance. There's a lot more potential episodes if the thing's outright ugly and monstrous than if it's elegantly designed.
I think it's overly large and empty now, certainly. But it's forward-thinking to have a large castle like that. Twilight is eventually going to have more than just her five friends (who already have other places to live) staying over. She's going to need administrators to help with whatever tasks she comes up with as Princess of Friendship, servants to keep the place running smoothly, guards to... guard, that sort of thing. Over time Ponyville's going to become larger, too. I think it'll grow on both the viewers and on the characters over time.
And we already saw them doing a bunch of work redesigning interior spaces. The external appearance can evolve over time too. I'm fine with it.
This should've been a plot point. The thing is ugly and monstrous. Twilight's friends come in to attempt to make it less ugly and monstrous, but it's very nature foils their every effort, leaving them at wits' end.
Heck, I wouldn't be adverse to making the cold, alien castle an overarching theme of the season. Harmony, as expressed by the Tree of Harmony in it's foray into architecture, isn't very pleasant. It's pure and good in some mystic or mechanical sense, but not in the everyday world in which we spend our lives. Twilight could feel repelled by the castle and spend the season bouncing from one friend's house to another before finally understanding or doing whatever it is that makes it possible for her to feel right living there.
Dunno, I'm growing used to the giant crystal treehouse.
The worst thing is if you look at it most of the design is pretty good actually. the roots are the same dark blue as Twi's hair, the main castle is a darker shade of purple that's very nice with gold for the roofs. Really it's the super bright whitish crystal tree and stupid cuite mark shaped tree topper than ruin it. The way the branches sort of crawl over it are also sort of unsettiling, it reminds of virus infected buildings in, well every video game where that sort of thing happens. The inside of the castle is similar, you just get rid of the white crystals and you have a pleasant design even. In fact insisde just reducing the crystals here and there would do it. I think at least some of the show designers are trying to improve the look, but are hampered by Hasbro and/ or important crystal based plot point.
To answer your question about AJ's singing voice, it hasn't changed. It's the same as her voice actor, Ashleigh Ball. She's the lead singer in the band Hey Ocean, and she's also the speaking and singing voice of Rainbow Dash.
A fairly nice blogpost detailing your opinions on the new episode, but what does this have to do with Night's Favored Child?
Just watched it. Loved every minute. Cannot wrap my head around the people who are saying it was terrible.
Agree that the Golden Oaks Library had waaay way more warmth and character than the Princess Twilight Crystal Gem Castle Playset™
I thought the episode was great fun. It certainly caused me to laugh out loud more often than the show has in quite some time.
That being said, I agree that the castle is an eyesore -- and, what's worse, an unnecessary eyesore. This is what I find maddening: Ponyville, or its immediate environs, already had a castle -- the Castle of the Two Sisters. This castle was directly connected to the Tree of Harmony, which lay just below it, and several episodes in season 4 were devoted to exploring and restoring it. And it's far more aesthetically pleasing than the Crystal Zoning Violation.
If nothing would do but that Ponyville's Pretty Pony Princess have her own Pretty Princess Playset, why couldn't they have used the existing, superior castle?
2975359 Because the author is only ever allowed to talk about one thing, apparently? You do realize authors can post whatever they please to their blogs here, right? It's effectively a personal blog, not solely a "work" blog.
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When he posted it, it was tagged with his story. He has since removed the erroneous tagging.
I still totally would have read this post without said tagging, but I still don't like the practice.
2977055 To both you and municple's responses. One they were kind of limited in what they could do. The Tree of Harmony is a crystal tree so any castle from it has to be crystal as well. Could they have designed it better? HELL YES! Hasbro. I know you make toys but come on. you set up this universe by giving it intially to Lauren Faust. You've had four years of established setting for Ponyville. I think you could have thought ahead on that. I first I thought they might redo the interior to match Golden Oaks but with the roots you basically Lied to the fandom, saying the Golden oaks would be returning.
TO the comments here. Yeah the Royal Sisters would have been a better choice. They were hinting at it through out the season that they were gonna be doing SOMETHING with it. it seems the the forest around the old castle is safer now the they tree has the elements back so this was doable. Frankly this is what the they should have done. Golden Oaks going bye bye. Twilight moves into Royal Sisters and instead of the rainbow powers and the harmony Castle the box reveal a new set of elements. currently weaker than the originals but could gain strentgh over time.
2972988 I think it's gonna be one of the things Hasbro is never going to live down. Even with blowing up Golden Oaks, and big move for sure but they have a castle for her. Royal Sisters. But it seems both Hasbro and DHX wanted two bait and switch things. Equestria Games and Twilight's castle.