Crusaders of the Lost Mark · 8:10pm Oct 10th, 2015
Warning: Major Spoilers ahoy. No, seriously. In fact, if you are looking at your feed right now, and haven’t seen the episode yet, stop and watch it if you don’t want it to be spoiled, because people aren’t being careful.
So, after five seasons, the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally get their cutie marks. And… well, I have to admit I’m disappointed.
Not that they finally resolved this plot arc – it has been five seasons in the making. And it isn’t even that the marks were bad, because, while not what I would have liked to see, them getting their talent in helping other ponies understand their destinies was fine (though I still yearn for the fun of the angst over one of them getting their cutie mark first and figuring out what that meant).
No, my real problem was... I just didn’t like the episode very much.
Now, that’s not to say it was poorly put together – the songs were actually pretty decent, and the overall flow of the episode wasn’t problematic.
The problem with the episode was, fundamentally, that the characters lacked character. And for a moment which is so important to these characters, it was… a pretty big letdown on that front.
The CMC had no individuality in this episode; they did the CMC hivemind thing again, which, while perhaps appropriate for their cutie marks, also is disappointing because the interplay between the CMC is a big part of what makes them fun to watch. Without that interplay, they feel kind of generic.
And this was the problem with Diamond Tiara here as well – rather than being conniving (as she was when she was the editor in chief, or when she went after Scootaloo in Flight to the Finish), she was reduced to a chariciature, and a lot of her agency was removed. Sure, she was a brat, but she was her own brat, and here, we instead blame it all on her mom – which just doesn’t feel justified. New character is introduced just to shift blame from her, but the problem is, it robs Diamond Tiara of genuine character development – instead of changing from being a jerk to being a better pony, we’re seeing her changed from a bullied child into one who stands up for herself, despite her having no trouble standing up for herself in the past.
When you’ve got a major turning point for a character, it is best to use the, well, character. There’s nothing wrong with Diamond Tiara having an awful mother, but here, it just came off as cheapening the whole thing. And Diamond Tiara wanting a statue built of herself and not giving people a good reason to vote for her right off the bat felt wrong – falling into threats and bribery felt much more in character, and was much more interesting.
Consequently, the characters (or the lack thereof) left a bad taste in my mouth for what should have been a really awesome, climactic episode. In the end, it felt very kids show, and didn’t really feel as weighty as it should have – and I think they could have done a better job of showing Diamond Tiara’s angst over her cutie mark, which would have made her realization at the end (that she can boss ponies around to make things better for everyone, not just herself) stronger.
Some of the dialogue was pretty terrible as well - Pip was, frankly, awful in this episode, and his RUNNING IN AND YELLING ABOUT HIS PROBLEMS was super awkwardly delivered and not at all organic.
But I can’t complain about the music.
Oh, and before I forget, one other thing:
I can’t believe they cheaped out so much on the animation at the end.
Seriously! What the heck, guys? Can you not reanimate that? Was it even necessary to show that? It could have worked as just showing the picture and fading to gold, and then introducing it in the next intro (which… I wonder how much is going to change).
Oh, and one other, other thing:
I appreciated the irony of the Cutie Mark Crusaders getting their cutie marks after they realized that it wasn't the most important thing in the world (something Twilight and their big sisters told them back in season 1), but I'm sad that it wasn't at all lampshaded by one of them. I really wanted a:
And one other, other, other thing:
Applejack pretty much confirmed on-screen that her parents were dead. Though it has been obvious for a while, it is interesting to see that they finally felt comfortable giving it the nod... after like, five seasons.
Definitely an episode that's made its way into my favorite episodes.
Today on "Titanium Dragon hates everything".
(I jest. You're entitled to your
wrongopinion.)EDIT: you bring up valid points. I think we are all too hyped to care at the moment.
Yeah, this was a weird episode for me. I felt that the event was immense based on the musical nature, but it just wasn't all that fantastic when you truly look at it. I think they wanted to do too many things with this episode and instead settled with a half-baked attempt at ending two character arcs in one.
Also, did anyone else find it strangely . . . disturbing for Diamond Tiara to hand out compliments? Like, not the act itself (even though that is decidedly odd on its own), but the voice actually saying them. It sounded like a foreign language almost.
3458536
Complete chance.
Silly, he doesn't hate everything. It just happens that there is something to hate about everything!
Reminds you of a certain CS Lewis quote, doesn't it?
This pretty much sums up my overall feeling for the episode. The episode felt overly contrived and frankly random instead of having at least plausible story telling.
The problem with Diamond Tiara's redemption, I think, is that it got to the point where some fans I know would never accept her redemption. She made fun of a handicapped pony, she's blackmailed and humiliated others constantly, she's shown no empathy or remorse all series long. The writers kinda wrote themselves into a corner: "how do we redeem a character that, through five seasons, has shown no redeemable qualities?"
I'm a fan of a line from The Legend of Korra: "When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change." When you have nothing left to cling to for hope, you start looking in more unusual places for it. DT lost her only friend, she lost the election, she was humiliated in front of her class, who clearly can't be pushed around anymore, and she disappointed her mother. Add in a dash of Cutie Mark Psychosis (her talent is getting others to do what she wants, and she just lost an election by a unanimous vote), and she was at her lowest point. With all her pretenses and boasts and taunts failing her, she was lost.
Now, I do think her full turn was a bit rushed; I would have trimmed the pre-election stuff and let her spend more time with the CMC before the third act at the school, or even just tweaked some of her dialogue. But I understand why she was open to reformation in this episode. She was well and truly knocked off her pedestal once and for all. And in that hopelessness, she found another way.
It's not gonna work for everyone, but, again, I think she was so bad before this episode that it reached the point some fans probably considered her irredeemable. And if it doesn't work for some fans, I understand why, she was very awful, I ripped her apart in my review of her Friends Forever comic. But the writers took a shot at trying, and they did an okay job IMHO.
In the end, I'll take the half-assed redemption story, as long as it sticks and we don't have to put up with her bullying anymore, and can have some stories where she can properly grow as a character. As long as the writers don't backtrack on her redemption, I'll accept it for that reason alone.
3458539
I actually liked that it sounded weird for her to hand them out, like it was some foreign thing.
I did like that Diamond Tiara said her cutie mark was telling other ponies what to do, which is just... so beautiful.
3458753
The thing is, all of that showed several strongly positive traits:
1) Confidence
2) Ambition
3) Leadership
4) Competence
It is worth remembering, for all her nastiness as editor, she DID greatly increase the circulation of the school paper.
The thing is that she's also selfish, bratty, and narcissistic, which are all fun flaws. She was a total jerk, but I liked that, and I think redeeming a character like that is interesting - making them recognize that it is in their own self-interest to be nice to people, and that fake niceness comes off as, well, fake, so actually being nice is important.
Oh god, now I have a terrible story idea in mind...
Oh god, the end animation. My wife cracked up as that came on. "Shit, were sjort ten seconds of animation... what can we reuse? The... intro? Sue, go with it."
I can see Luna being interested in their cutie marks, but does Celestia really have much investment in them?
3458753
Everything in this post, with the addition of this: the CMC were genuine. After years of psychological abuse, they were willing to bury the hatchet and reach out to her in her time of need. TD had said:
...but the missing aspect is that she previous had no reason to stand up to her mother. Yes, she was vile and overbearing, but she was also, in DT's mind, right. The importance of society had been beaten into her head probably for her entire life. DT had been self-aware this entire time about how shallow a tiara cutie mark was when compared to cutie marks symbolizing family, ingenuity, the smiles of others, a competative spirit, gentle kindness, and the entirety of magic. So when mommy dearest told her that social climbing and status were all that mattered, she clung to that life raft for dear life. Even Silver Spoon, her only friend, was a friendship that was more of mutual benefit than of feelings, which is why it blew up so spectacularly this episode[1].
But the CMC were genuine. They wanted her to be happy. They felt awful about her home life. They wanted to help her to turn over a new leaf. Cliche, perhaps, but in that moment she saw that this whole "friendship" nonsense that the M6 and CMC keep going on about might actually be... nice. And then when she tried to stand up for her friends, that's when Spoiled Rich turned it into an ultimatum, and that's what inspired DT to stand up against her—not for her own sake, but for the sake of those who care about her.
It was a huge heel-face turn I agree; especially after the handicap episode I was certain she had passed the moral event horizon for me. But this episode sold it for me. There can be good in even the most vitriolic of bullies[2].
[1] I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd love to see a DT/SS friendshipping episode where they evolve from bully & tag-along into a closer, healthier friendship.
[2] Keep in mind that reformation in this universe doesn't mean a lobotomy. Discord has been pranking and even betraying the ponies since his reformation. I'm hopeful that DT will become a friend but that her personality will remain largely unchanged.
derpicdn.net/img/2015/10/10/999077/large.png
The moral of the story: if you buy everyone new playground equipment, everybody will like you, no matter what you did in the past!
Also: Don't listen to your parents. Your friends know better.
I don't like how "special" the CMCs turned out to be. It's not very realistic for them to be divinely anointed to be friends forever in a 3-way relationship that will never change even as they grow up, and for their life goals to be the exact same ones they had as children.
Childhood is supposed to be bittersweet in that it's ephemeral. I expected each to find her CM (purpose in life), and for their friendship to change as a result. Not necessarily for the worse or better, but just change. The best episodes of MLP FiM reflect that sort of thematic depth.
AFAIC, this is a well-written show for kids. Meaning, as a good writer for this show, while you entertain the kiddies you introduce subtle and poignant life lessons to them. Death of pets? Check. Friends who drift away after you move? Check. Etc, etc. This show is not meant for the adult viewers, who often whine about any change whatsoever (change is the definition of childhood) and often prefer their entertainment to be as shallow as possible. They're not the ones who are interested in, or who would benefit from, realistic life lessons.
Divinely anointed BFFs? No need to figure out on your own what you're meant to do? No, that's not realistic or poignant for children.
And yes, it felt cheap for them to become a single unit, with no hint of interplay. As we've seen with the main characters, you don't need matching CMs to be BFFs.
This eps is not the correct direction to develop the CMCs, IMO.
It was a turnover. They went from trying to help themselves get a cutie mark, to trying to help others. (admittedly, they've done this a few dozen other times, but this is the point they're trying to hammer through young minds: Help others.)
3459536 I like what you said, but that comic is also the best.
I'd agree with all of this. It's very telling that nearly all of the CMC's lines were said in unison instead of individually. The whole thing feels like such a missed opportunity. The CMC were always at their best when they stopped being Cutie Mark Crusaders and started being Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Now they're just going to be the CMC forever.
You make a lot of good points, but I strongly disagree about the "cheaping out" of the animation at the end.
1) It's not laziness, it's symbolism. As others have pointed out, this is a deliberate, explicit statement: this is what the show is. It's a callout to the core theme. "Friendship is magic."
2) I don't believe it's the exact same animation. When Luna looks over Celestia's shoulder at the scroll, a split second after the cut we see her fly in and land, which (unless I've just switched realities and the Berenstain Bears are spelled with four E's) we've never seen in the intro.
3459914
On the one hand, you're right, "childhood is ephemeral" is a genuine life lesson the show isn't serving.
On the other, that's exactly the opposite point of the show. (See post directly above.) And maybe the lesson it's trying to impart is that, while childhood itself is ephemeral, the things we treasured about it don't have to be given up in order to be adults.
I'm okay with that.
3461824
No one was supposed to notice any differences! I did everything the same, really! Why are there only three E's in-
*cough*
I mean, nothing to see here folks.
3461828
Implicit in my posts on this eps (maybe not in this post here on this blog), is that I'm okay with what you said provided it's the characters themselves deciding on this, rather than it being guaranteed by their CMs.
If AB, SB, and Scoot want to remain friends through the tumultuous changes of growing up, that should be a character decision not a plot decision. It should be full of obstacles, setbacks, and uncertainties. That reflects life, that reflects childhood experience, and that gives good drama.
Giving them extra-magical CMs which make them a set takes all that away. No other characters in the show have this setup, no matter how close they are.
I have to agree with ya here
3460581
Naw, naw. They won't be the CMC hive mind forever, living together as some sort of flesh-melded amalgamation comparable to the Thing. There will be times where they'll be needed individually, and I'm sure RD would much rather carry around one filly than one filly comprised of the constiuent parts of three fillies. Like, seriously, they'll have a few more episodes in the future when you can bask in their accursed thing called individuality.
Also Sweetie is prolly gonna be as good as Rarity with magic when she gets older. Watch this equal character growth.
And what the hell did you do with your name?! :V It's something I'd expect out of horizon.
#Titty D's bonfire
What?! It sounds far more positive and lovable until you realize how big the bonfire actually is. Like, it's a bonfire from a dragon's point of view, eh? Dragons be big. It's comparable to that thing where Australia kind of sets itself on fire a bit, and the Australians are like "meh" and live with it because they're so used to it so they apathetically fight it off, despite the fire being the size of half the continent.
3459713
That first one is fairly accurate.
The second one can be too.