Review/Analysis: Friendship is Magic Part 2

When I started getting into Pony, I decided to try watching and analyzing the entire series. Real life got in the way, so I only got as far as episode three... but I kind of like what I did write. so I thought I'd copy those reviews and commentary over to this site.

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Friendship is Magic: Part Two

We begin right where the previous episode left off, with Nightmare Moon's villainous laugh. The comparison to her as a supervillain continues when she swats away the royal guards while quipping "Back you foals!"- and whether that's a cheesy line or one which makes sense (giving the equestrian setting) basically comes down to personal opinion. Of course, like any good supervillain, Nightmare Moon follows up her evil plans by running away, and giving the heroes the opportunity to stop her...
Though even there, the motives might be a little more complicated. The prologue from last episode, Nightmare Moons comments about her subjects remembering her, and Luna's later appearances suggest that even after a thousand years of banishment, Nightmare Moon isn't motivated by random destruction for the sake of evil.

Twilight returns to the library, and after putting Spike to bed explains the situation to the others. She relays what little she knows about Nightmare Moon (and in a call back to the Mare motif from the first half, she looks up at the moon, now without it's horse-head shaped blotch), admitting that she has no idea what the elements of harmony are. Pinkie Pie finds the information containing the elements because... of course she does. She's Pinkie Pie; her explanation of how she discovered it is even somewhat nonsensical since one would think that 'E' would be the second place Twilight would look (after 'Harmony, Elements of') and we get a moment which spoils the entire rest of the episode.

I didn't talk the theme song in my last post because it was more relevant here. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about it; from an artistic standpoint, I love it. The beginning of Twilight and Spike floating in a balloon to the familiar melody of My Little Pony is a nice nostalgic kick, as well as setting up Rainbow Dash's interruption; because once Rainbow bursts through the clouds, the song gets faster, Twilight ditches the balloon, and there is an implication that this series is not going to be like the earlier ones.
The music and visuals of the opening would actually get a bit of a revamp from the second season on though the lyrics would remain unchanged. And the lyrics are... not bad. They actually set up each of the individual characters well, with each ponies line of song telling us something about their personality, and demonstrating the differences between them. The opening also does a good job of keeping things unspoiled, particularly with regards the elements of harmony; the only ponies who mention them in the song are Fluttershy ("Sharing kindness") and Twilight ("Magic makes it all complete")- and even then there isn't really any reason to connect them with the elements, since that's a plot point not mentioned in the music.

So... the camera pan and ringing noises as Twilight rattles off the elements, mapping each one onto her friends, is kind of jarring. It's one of the bigger problems of this episode, which I'll get to below. Later episodes of the series will generally trust the audience a little better than this; but this moment, coupled with certain lines of dialogue later on, really hammer the point about the elements and the element bearers home far too much.

Fortunately, there is a much neater piece of subtle foreshadowing in the form of the Everfree Forest, which is also where we get some more of the (unfortunately minimal) worldbuilding of Equestria. The prologue described unicorn magic being used to raise the sun and the moon, and Rainbow Dash was responsible for clearing the skies of ponyville. AJ explains that the Everfree forest is considered unnatural because the things which ponies are responsible for- crafting weather, growing things, the seasons- happen on their own. It's a moment that's a little similar to Rysn's reaction to Shinovar grass, and doubles as a comedy moment for the audience; what the ponies are scared of is how things in our human world work.
A problem with the core concept of Friendship is Magic is the Romanticism of the concept, the idea of how perfect and good pony society is. The ponies fear of untamed nature actually bites back against that a little; the show isn't "Romantic" in the classical meaning of the word of closeness with nature. Yes, there are nature elements, and characters who prefer the outdoors, but it isn't a show which extols the virtues of nature and condemns industry.
The Everfree Forest will be explored (a little) in later episodes, but the ponies fear of it is important. They have to enter the forest because the ruins of the Royal Pony Sisters Castle is within; given that Celestia and Luna have already been established as solar and lunar deities, that means the castle can be considered the throne of gods; it may not map onto the story, but the gist of travelling through "hell" to reach heaven and the possibility of salvation (via the EoH) means this narrative almost echoes Dante's Divine Comedy- a comparison that might even be a little more obvious in reference to Rarity and Rainbow Dash later.

The Forest, it's Inhabitants and the Castle also serve as an example of the theme running in this episode, the difference between what something is on the surface, and what it actually is- something which is going to end up being important to resolving the Nightmare Moon situation.

As with the first part, once Twilight enters a new place, it's followed by a sequence where each character introduces and proves themselves to her; unlike the Ponyville trials though, where each introduction ended with her being hurt in some way, this time each meeting ends up enriching her.

First is AJ. The Apples effectively forced Twilight into staying with them during Applejacks introduction by guilting her into it. This time, with Twilight desperate to stay with her friends, AJ has to convince her to let go. It's one of those theater exercises they use to build trust, letting go and believing that your partner will catch you. The problem is that Twilight doesn't trust the other ponies; they forced their company on her in the Everfree, just like they did in Ponyville. Twilight closing her eyes, and trusting that AJ is telling "the honest truth" is her first step towards making friends. The way she stares at AJ while being airlifted down makes the point clear; she really didn't trust the other ponies and was taking their word on blind faith.

AJ being honest with her, basically saving her life, plays into the blocking the second trial. When Twilight prepares to charge at the manticore, we see AJ in the background behind her. Considering how everypony else manages to be alone when they take it on, the fact that Twilight is shown as part of a group is rather significant; it indicates that she's beginning to open up to the others.
The manticore trial also comments on what I said before, about the difference between how characters see things and how they really are. For everypony, the manticore is a monster who is attacking them for no reason; Fluttershy sees him as "a big kitten" and helps him. Removing a thorn from a lion's paw is another example of the show blending cultures, since such an event appears in Aesop's The Lion and the Mouse, and has religious connections to Saint Jerome. After the "violence" of the first act, with Nightmare Moons invasion and the ponies nearly being killed, Fluttershy's quote that "Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness" shows that violence isn't always the answer, as well as setting up the ending.

Then it's the reality warper, Pinkie Pie.
And I call her a reality warper because, considering this is Pinkie, it is entirely possible that the Laughter Song is an example of actual reality warping in progress.

For a start, the visuals of the possessed trees are actually kind of neat; glowing tree sap, making images appear where there aren't any, is actually a cool look. The effectiveness of it is a little undermined by the fact that the background is never fully blacked out, making the reality of the situation obvious from the start. Though, since this is Pinkie "What's a Fourth Wall?" Pie, that might be pretty intentional.; during her song, it's not outside the realm of possibility that she really is turning gaping knot holes into solid tree trunks. Pinkie Pie will prove to be capable of doing more impressive things.

"Giggle at the Ghosties" also helps bond Twilight and the others. Whenever Pinkie begins singing, the remane five are generally unimpressed, with Twilight in particular begging the others that Pinkie isn't about to start singing. The song ends with everyone taking part in banishing their fear with laughter, however, and in future episodes not only will the entire cast engage in songs (solo and together), none of them, including Twilight, will criticize Pinkie's songs in the future (well, her 'real' music at least).

As for the song itself... it's okay. A decent lesson for children, and catchy enough, but the how will provide much better examples of music in the future.

Still being led by Pinkie, the group reaches a river, one which has been thrashed and turned into a frothy, impassable mess by a sea serpent. The serpent is distraught because part of his mustache was ruined by a wisp of smoke that the viewers now associate with Nightmare Moon. To the cast, his tantrum is exasperating, but Rarity takes it personally. She comments on the serpents appearance with a critical eye (indicating she knows what she is talking about when it comes to style), and concludes that she cannot "let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!" She rips a scale from the dragons and swings it, the camera cutting away at a moment (and showing reactions) to give the impression that she sliced the serpents belly and killed him.
To reiterate; the childrens show about ponies has a moment in the pilot in which they play a lead character as a murderer.
Of course, the reveal happens that Rarity just cut off her tail, but coupled with everything else that's happened in the pilot so far, it's another moment that seeks to try and stress that this isn't the same type of show as the "classic" MLP.
The importance of this act for Rarity and Twilight is major as well. Twilight and the others clearly treat the serpents pain as an overreaction, just as Twilight treated Rarity's dressing her up in the pilot as a bother. And yet, to the serpent, the pain was real, and for Rarity it was "real" enough that she felt compelled to do something to help him. Her sacrifice may seem shallow or inconsequential to the others -Rainbow Dash points out that the mustache would grow back, making the sacrifice unnecessary- but that doesn't change the fact that Rarity made a decision which clearly upset her for the good of others. Rarity may match the stereotype of fashion-obsessed characters at this point, but this incident shows that she isn't shallow, and that an interest in dresses doesn't mean someone has to be a shallow character.

Rainbow Dash's trial begins by bookending with AJ's, by having her save Twilight from falling off a cliff. Her scene with the Shadowbolts is a pretty standard temptation moment, with her turning them down in favor of her friends (along with the fake out "You. Thank you, I mean," moment), but is interesting to consider it in terms of RD's previous characterization as well as how the character will be written in the future. Rainbow Dash has already boasted about being able to clear the sky in "Ten seconds flat", and she'll boast about her flying abilities going ahead... so it's interesting that it's the Shadowbolts who first bring up the the comment about her being "the best flier in Equestria". When Nightmare Moon fled at the beginning, Rainbow chased after her, leading to a small moment where she sadly- and uncertainly- considered the implications of it being "Night time?... Forever?", following it up by aggressively chasing Twilight and accusing her of being a spy.

We see a similar moment here; separated from her friends, Rainbow Dash suddenly has to be "reminded" of her status as the best flier, and has to take a moment to debate whether to join the Shadowbolts... and then follows it up by assuring Twilight that "I never leave my friends hanging". It's the same words that she used to describe her attitude to Ponyville. We can see here that there are almost two Rainbow Dashes, the one she presents to her friends and the one she actually is, which ends up being a source of conflict for her in later episodes.

Inside the castle, the ponies find the elements of harmony as stone orbs. When trying to activate them, Twilight and the elements are stolen by Nightmare Moon. Twilight tries to activate the elements but fails, leading to Nightmare Moon smashing them to pieces, reminding Twilight that now "The Night Will Last Forever!" It's the nadir of Twilights whole journey. When they entered the forest, she told the rest of the cast that she wanted to do things on her own, and they left her alone to try and figure out what the spark that would activate the elements was. Facing Nightmare Moon, the shards of broken elements between them, Twilight Sparkle got her wish; she's all alone. She failed.

And then she hears her friends calling out to her, and her eyes light up.

Again, the following sequence comes down in part to taste. Personally, I have to admit to disliking it; after the bells confirming who each was in the opening, and the name dropping in the challenges themselves, having Twilight narrate each pony and how they map onto each element seems like a bit of unnecessary exposition. Nightmare Moon's reaction, however, is perfect. After all, she is Princess Luna; in the past, her and Celestia both were the bearers of the elements. The look on Nightmare Moon's face and her strained tones tell the whole story, one which amounts to: "Oh shit". Her objection that Twilight doesn't have the sixth element, or the spark, is a pretty pathetic one, one that even she knows isn't true. It's the last defense of a bully, trying to hide behind technicalities to escape punishment.

I commented that Avatar was in the public conscience when these episodes first aired, and I think that's clear from the expression on Twilights face when the elements are activated; her glowing white eyes seem almost deliberately evocative of the Avatar State, a comparison made more clear when the ponies strip Nightmare Moons abilities from her.

And when you take away a bullies power and menace, you get Luna. Someone small, barely any bigger than the rest of the mane six, and too weak to do anything. Her appearance doesn't match up with what will become Luna's character model later, but it serves an important point here. Beneath her bluster, Nightmare Moon was a tragic character, one who was lonely. When Celestia arrives- descending, wings spread in a beam of light like an angel- the contrast between the two is made more extreme. Celestia is intimidating, dominant, the one in control... and rather than exert that control by having Luna imprisoned or banished, she wants to restore harmony between them and rule together.
And Luna, instead of a supervillain rejection, breaks into tears and tells her sister how much she missed her. And Celestia, not being a stoic paragon, begins to cry as well, in a moment that will inspire hundreds of fan fiction. Like Fluttershy said, sometimes everyone needs to be shown some kindness, and it is in showing kindness to Luna, by accepting her back despite what she did, which leads to Harmony being restored.

Conclusion:
I actually said a lot more about this episode than I thought I would, which might make my reaction a bit surprising. I don't like it that much.
It's not a bad episode, but I don't think it quite matches up to the quality of the first one. The pacing seems a little off, beginning with Twilight diversion to put Spike to bed. It explains why he isn't present later, but it slows down what had been a pretty fast paced episode. And while the mirroring of the challenges with the ponies introductions might work, they didn't feel like they were building up enough from one challenge to the next.

Still, as an overall pilot? It's really not bad. We're introduced to our main characters and to the premise of the show; Twilight will be studying "the magic of friendship" and sending reports to Celestia on it, setting up the structure for the rest of this season. It does what it needed to to get the series started, even if the episode has moments of characters being dumb in order to make it work, such as Twilights surprise at Nightmare Moon being Celestias sister (despite that being the whole point of the opening story), or the identity of the element bearers.

is that a bit too negative? Maybe. Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna are fascinating concepts - one which unfortunately won't be explored again until season 2. But for a children show, and especially one which people had no expectations for, this opening was surprisingly good and, yes, "epic" as a piece of fantasy.