Crusaders of the Lost Mark - Review

I originally posted this on Equestria Daily.

Unbelievable! That's how I'm starting this review because I don't think anyone was expecting what ended up happening. After five years where the Cutie Mark Crusaders were struggling to find their special talents in life, they finally discovered them in the form of helping others earn their own marks, and helping those who already have them to better understand what they mean. Was it a coincidence that this episode aired on the fifth anniversary of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic? If it was, then it's a pretty awesome coincidence given what transpired, for we saw two different, and yet similar character arcs reach a satisfying conclusion, yet it's just the beginning, for now they start new paths for themselves which will help shape their respective futures.

Diamond Tiara is who I'll focus on first as she received a lot of character development which ended up taking center stage throughout the second and third acts of the episode. For years, we've wondered why she had been portrayed as an antagonist who loved making ponies lives miserable, and it turns out that she has been treated in a similar fashion by her own mother, Spoiled Rich, whose name is a play on money much like her husband, and Diamond's father, Filthy Rich. Being part of a wealthy family does demand certain expectations, and Diamond Tiara was forced to follow in the footsteps of her mother because that was how she was raised, yet Spoiled Rich shows the negative connotations of parenthood where raising children in a specific way will affect them as they grow up.

For Diamond Tiara, her life went spiraling out of control when her best friend Silver Spoon, finally had enough of being mistreated, and broke free from the mold which had been defining her by voting against her, leaving the former to feel insecure, and frightened over what her mother would say. Despite the CMC overhearing what had been discussed between parent and child, they took it upon themselves to make the first step by trying to understand Diamond Tiara, and help her see that there was another way. She was hesitant at first given how she kept up her façade of wanting to be mean, yet this quickly broke down when she began to understand that her life was her own, and what her mother kept on insisting wasn't the way to be. I'm glad Diamond finally confronted her mother about how she had been treating her, yet there was a moment where I thought everything was just a lie, and that Diamond was going to pull a massive prank just because of her status. Glad to see that I was wrong about that.

Now that she has finally found the right path, Diamond Tiara can finally live out her life, and for that her character arc has finally come to an end, but it's only the beginning as she can now start to make those necessary changes. Then we have the CMC who ultimately ended up being the biggest stars all because they finally figured out what their special talents were. I was actually expecting them to earn their Cutie Marks at the end of the season, but seeing them get them now makes a lot of sense given what they did for Diamond Tiara. She ended up being the catalyst that would finally see their dreams become a reality, and to think Diamond spent all those years in our time tormenting them just because they didn't have any Cutie Marks yet. I know there are people who wanted the CMC to earn their marks at individual times, but having them get them together shows just how much they've grown together since the early days of season one.

I'll also admit that I thought the part where they got their marks was nothing but a dream, and again I'm glad that I was wrong. Like Diamond Tiara, the CMC have come full circle, and this part of their character arc has come to an end, yet it's only the beginning for now they have their own mission which is sure to come into the limelight sometime in season six, or maybe even before the end of this season.

I'm actually comparing the CMC with Sunset Shimmer, and how the latter was depicted during Friendship Games. All four characters have been through a lot with what they had to go through, and despite tremendous difficulty, they were able to come full circle with themselves by doing the one thing which helped them understand themselves, and achieved a goal which had been elusive in the past. Granted, it took Sunset two years to achieve this compared with the five years for the CMC, yet Sunset didn't get as much time considering we only get one Equestria Girls movie per year. All of them now are beginning a new chapter where the possibilities are practically endless, and it will be up to the writers to determine what happens next.

As for the election at the school... it was alright for what it was as it did help bring about the plot given it was Diamond Tiara's loss which set events into motion, but I think the whole thing ended too quickly, or wasn't really showcased enough. This goes back to the whole 22 minute time constraint which has been causing the show problems at times, and the 72 minute time constraint for Equestria Girls and its sequels.

Oh, and Amy Keating Rogers has definitely left her mark, no pun intended, given how this being her second-to-last story for the show has ended up changing so many of the dynamics we've come to understand over the years, and I personally think for the better. The songs were all pretty catchy, and it was nice hearing the CMC singing in chorus especially to counter the singing of Diamond Tiara. I actually forgot that Chantal Strand is a pretty good singer given her previous works particularly in anime, and Claire Corlett is getting better when it comes to singing as Sweetie Belle.

Finally, we got to see Button Mash. Yeah, I know I'm mentioning him by himself, but it had to be said. Overall, I am giving this episode a 99% out of 100% because the election didn't have as much oomph to warrant it, yet it was necessary for what it was given how it set everything else up.