About That CMC Episode…

I’m not one to write reviews. I’m much better at communicating through the telling of stories. Still, for Crusaders of the Lost Mark I’m going to give it a shot, simply because I feel like I might have something useful to say. Real life has also worn me down to the bone lately, and that means I'm not above blasting out opinions riddled with adverbs and copyedit errors.

Spoilers ahead! Go watch Crusaders of the Lost Mark already!

Brotherhooves Social felt like a story that could’ve originated in fan fiction: fun, endearing, utterly ridiculous, and so true to the characters that it deepens our understanding and appreciation of them. Go read bookplayer's take.

Crusaders of the Lost Mark is on a different level entirely. This is the sort of episode that shows the sheer power of the showrunners: creating something that’s beyond the fandom’s ability to create. Why? Simply put:
- Would anyone take this story as seriously if one of us fans penned it?
- Would that hypothetical fan work have elicited even a fraction of the emotional response?
To quote Big Mac: Nope.
There are of course some absolutely amazing fan creations out there, many of them on this very site. My point is that the episode captured our attention and brought a deep understanding of the characters and the canon to bear in ways that we as fans just can't muster at this scale.

Millions of words have likely been written by fans regarding the CMC earning their cutie marks, and I’m sure most of them stayed true to the hints that’ve been dropped ever since Cutie Mark Chronicles. Crusaders of the Lost Mark took the CMC on a radically different path, and gave the overwhelming impression that this has been The Plan for a very, very long time. We might never know if that last bit is true, but that’s the impression that the episode itself gives, so kudos to the writer! The CMC bonded together to be something better than any of them could be on their own, and nothing could be more fitting for a show about friendship.

The obvious episode comparison to make is Magical Mystery Cure: both episodes told their stories primarily through song, and both featured a show-rocking, headcanon-destroying change. I love Magical Mystery Cure, but in some ways I think this episode was a refinement on the musical formula. This was clearly not a two-(or three)-parter crammed down into a single episode; stretching this storyline out to multiple episodes would’ve dragged in every place where this one was tight and engaging. I will admit that I don’t think the music was as catchy, but it absolutely carried the story with all the might and majesty MLP has taught us to expect.

I won’t stoop to say this episode 'did the impossible' by redeeming Diamond Tiara. That is absolutely a hard sell, especially with so little airtime to throw around. And yet this episode did it. I’ll reiterate that her canon family life felt so much like The Plan from the get-go. What really makes it work, I think, is that this wasn’t an easy and immediate transformation on any character’s part. The CMC did the amazingly mature thing of considering her feelings at the height of their triumph, and Diamond Tiara didn’t turn herself around after a single friendly chat. The characters worked for their victory, and worked hard. The CMC’s struggle was more downplayed, but that in itself fit in with the core message. There’s plenty of prior episodes to choose from if you want to see them learning on their own. This wasn’t an episode digging deep into any of the CMC’s personalities, and it didn’t try to be; this was an episode about their functioning together as a single unit greater than the sum of its ponies, and through that action lending a helping hoof to their worst enemy. Yes, Diamond Tiara became their friend, but more importantly she became a happier pony.

The ending scene was icing on the cake. By daring to end the episode that way I feel like the showrunners are pointing to this as one of the most pivotal moments in the entire show; they're saying "this is what it's all about!" This episode brought us full circle, to young ponies sending a photo to Princess Celestia (and Luna) showing the good work they've done and the friends they've made. It's almost like a mini season finale.

So what if we the fans never churn out another story about Scootaloo earning her drag-racing cutie mark? I fully expect to see the fandom’s best writers digging deeper into Diamond Tiara’s psychology, her tenuous relationship with Silver Spoon, and other related topics. The rest of us can busy ourselves throwing out 'me too' follow-ons to the CMC's new cutie marks

Crusaders of the Lost Mark is a fine example of MLP in top form. It’s a cartoon show targeted at little girls, but so universal in its appeal, so powerful in its production values, and so amazingly true in its message that the all of us couldn’t help but be pulled into the audience too.

Also: Pip running for office is the most fun I’ve ever had watching politics on TV. The surest sign that I don’t have time travel powers is that I’m seen or heard from at all during election seasons.

Comments

[horizon]

Agreed on a great many counts.

I'm amazed at how obvious the show's solution was in hindsight, when pretty much the standard headcanon was that they were one day going to have to grow up and go their separate ways with their own interests.