Analysis of Season One · 3:44am Aug 8th, 2012
Yes, I am actually attempting an analysis of the first season. Given my track record, this will probably be a shallow, misguided, pointless rant that will amount to nothing, but whatever. Enjoy. Or not.
Keep in mind that this is all my opinion. If you disagree (and I can already see you reaching for the keyboards), feel free to let me know how wrong I am. I will just be covering an overview of the season (mostly the first two episodes), a couple of the themes I noticed, strengths and weaknesses, and finally listing some episodes I loved, as well as a few I disliked. Again, all subjective opinion.
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SEASON OVERVIEW:
Season One of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic begins with Twilight Sparkle reading the story of Nightmare Moon, a fallen princess who had been banished to the moon a thousand years prior. Upon further research, she discovers a prophecy that states that "The stars will aid in her escape" and release Nightmare Moon during the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. After trying to tell her mentor, Princess Celestia, she is instead dispatched to Ponyville, along with her faithful dragon sidekick Spike, to supervise the preparations for the celebration. Oh, and to make some friends.
Despite her attempts to just rush through things and get back to studying for Nightmare Moon's return, Twilight is forced to converse and interact with five ponies. First is Applejack, a local farmer placed in charge of preparing the food. Next is Rainbow Dash, who accidentally poofed out Twilight's mane before clearing the sky in ten seconds flat. And then there's Rarity, the local fashionista who cleans up Twilight's appearance and captures Spike's heart. Next on the list was Fluttershy, a demure little Pegasus too afraid to speak to Twilight...until she saw Spike and wouldn't shut up the rest of the way to the library. And finally there was Pinkie Pie, a pony who had met Twilight just as she arrived, deduced that she was a newcomer with no friends, and thus set up a massive party to welcome her. Unfortunately, Twilight has no interest in friends...until Nightmare Moon does show up, Princess Celestia vanishes, and eternal night seems like a very real possibility.
Twilight escapes from the party, runs to the library, and finds a book detailing the Elements of Harmony, the one power capable of defeating Nightmare Moon. Together with her friends, she ventures into the Everfree Forest, the most dangerous woods in all of Equestria, to locate the ancient ruins that house the Elements. Along the way, Nightmare Moon tries to halt the party through collapsing cliffsides, manticores, effeminate sea serpents, scary trees, and finally through deception, but each time another one of Twilight's companions manages to find a way to circumvent the danger. Finally, the group finds five of the Elements, but before Twilight can use her magic to manifest the sixth, Nightmare Moon sucks her and the artifacts to another part of the ruined castle before smashing the Elements. But when Twilight hears her friends approach, she realizes that they all represent one of the Elements of Harmony, causing the destroyed objects to transform into jewelry for each. They defeat Nightmare Moon, causing her to revert to Princess Luna. Celestia reappears, revealing that the two were the same ponies from the original story, and after a thousand years apart, the sisters finally reconcile.
And so our show goes from there. Every episode explores a different facet of life in Ponyville and Equestria at large, from how ponies control the weather to the dangers that inhabit the world. The six ponies must now learn how to be friends with each other, despite (or because of) their differences, while also dealing with obstacles in their everyday lives, monster attacks, and other, assorted issues. Meanwhile, there is a lot of excitement over the Grand Galloping Gala, the biggest event in Equestria and a party all six ponies have been invited to, and a trio of fillies begin a desperate quest for their Cutie Marks.
CENTRAL THEMES:
Power of Friendship: The central thesis of the entire show is that friendship is important, and this first season goes to great lengths to show that. The Mane 6 are frequently confronted with challenges such as false friends, boisterous loudmouths, sun-blocking dragon snores, hydras, and other nasties, and must work together to overcome their issues. Furthermore, despite each pony being very different from the other, all six slowly learn to appreciate and enjoy each other's company, to the point where all six are almost always in a group. No matter what happens, whether it be your career getting destroyed or your "best night ever" turning out to be a bust, there is nothing a bunch of good friends cannot help you overcome. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with, and will gladly love and tolerate the crap out of you.
This stands in contrast to Season Two, which was about ponies as individuals dealing with internal crises, but that's another discussion.
Discovery: In the first season, Twilight Sparkle is our way of looking into Ponyville and Equestria at large. Not only is she in every episode (mostly to deliver the moral), but she is a newcomer to the town, and thus has to learn about the various customs, traditions, and local flavor by herself. Through her experiences, we also come to a greater understanding of how this universe works, how individual ponies function, and why things are done in certain ways in this world. Furthermore, because she is unfamiliar with friendship as a whole, her learning how to be a good friend - and by extent, a good person - is justifiable within the narrative. We learn to look at her world a different way, because she is learning the same lesson with us. This idea of speaking to the audience, and not at them, is one of the things that make this show work so well.
STRENGTHS:
A Reasonable Level of Maturity: This is what makes the show work as well as it does. Unlike many of the other shows aimed at a youth audience, FiM is not a simplistic, straightforward show. The characters are given multiple dimensions to work with, allowing them to work in just about any situation without being out of character. At the same time, however, the show is not immature like many "adult" shows like Family Guy and the entire lineup of [adult swim] are. Characters mostly behave like real people, with much of the show's pathos and humor coming from their interactions and playing off each other rather than relying entirely on "shock" humor. It's a style of writing that has sadly fallen out of style in recent years, with comparable shows often relying on Random Event Plots, non sequitor humor, and flat, unsympathetic characters to entertain their audience.
The show's writing deserves attention for its cleverness when dealing with the younger demographic. The morals of each episode blend perfectly with events, barring a handful of exceptions, and every lesson is presented without the slightest hint of irony. The series is openly honest in its message about the value of friends, and yet each story has multiple layers that just beg to be explored by the fans and writers. Even the villains have a surprising amount of depth to them, and considering this franchise's history, that is quite an accomplishment. Furthermore, despite the fantastical setting, the general ethos was firmly grounded in reality. The answers were rarely easy or simple, requiring the ponies to work hard to get what they wanted, and the lessons do not try to paint naive idealism over the reality of the situation. This is an honest show, teaching children real - albeit simple - lessons about life, and all without the slightest hint of irony, self-depreciation, or cynical subversion.
The Group Dynamic: Season One introduced us to the Mane 6 as a whole, and in order to best use the number of episodes they had, tried to squeeze in as many ponies as possible into each episode. All cynicism aside, however, the first season was about how the ponies related to each other. Many episodes dealt with ponies with disparate personalities getting into arguments, or dealing with bullies, or fending off a dragon, and in the end they can only get over the issue after getting help from the ponies they trust the most. Even ponies like Applejack and Rarity, two characters that sit on opposite ends of each other, can learn to get along. Even if a pony wasn't required to be there, the writers would include them into as many episodes as possible, both to show how this character would react to the situation and to make sure the kids bought the toys.
A Fully-Realized Fictional Universe: Unlike the settings of previous generations, Equestria was actually a full, detailed setting. While the setting wasn't completely fleshed out in the first season (the second added more details about customs and holidays within pony culture), it was still presented as a unique world worth exploring. Ponies controlled the weather, seasons, and even the sun and moon themselves, with only the Everfree Forest remaining unchecked. There was a mythological background, and yet it was left deliberately vague enough for the writers and fans to draw their own conclusions. The ponies actually demonstrated horse-like qualities, such as munching on flowers, making realistic sounds, and even making appropriate gestures and walking in the right way. For the first time since the original G1 cartoon specials, the ponies actually felt like ponies with human intelligence.
The Characters: When it comes down to it, what makes FiM special (for me, at least) are its characters. All of the Mane 6 (plus Spike) are three-dimensional characters, living in a believable world and dealing with realistic issues and problems, albeit filtered through the lenses of a young girl's show. Even better, we see them grow and change as the series went on, with each experience showing new insights into just what kind of pony they are. They have a lot of strengths, but they are also flawed, and it is through each other that they draw the strength to triumph and become better. When combined with the excellent voice acting, this makes entire cast a lot easier to relate to, which in turn makes their triumphs and falls even more powerful for us.
WEAKNESSES:
Inconsistencies: Yes, this happened before Season Two. This is an effect I'd like to shamelessly call "New Series-itis." In any new show, the first few episodes will always have character bits, plot devices, and world-building decisions that will be thrown out without any further comment as the show evolves, and that occurs here as well. For a very good example of this, look at "Ticket Master" or "Dragonshy." The former Flanderized the characters into one-note personalities, presented a far less flattering look at Rarity, and was probably not the best choice for an immediate follow-up to the pilot. The latter, meanwhile, presented as even worse version of Rarity, had Dash behaving like a legitimate Jerkass the entire episode, and relied heavily on everypony behaving like an idiot - especially Fluttershy. While some of the changes were the result of development, these episodes still stick out like a sore thumb when compared to the latter half of the season, and especially if you take Season Two into consideration.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders: By far the weakest thing introduced in the first season was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a secondary set of protagonists Lauren Faust had originally envisioned as being part of a spin-off series aimed at preschoolers. While Apple Bloom was introduced in the pilot, and played a pivotal role in "Bridle Gossip," the other two Crusaders - Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo - were shoved into the episode at the very last minute with no buildup, no fanfare, and almost no real consideration to how they would work in the show. Indeed, a good number of Crusader episodes feel like the writers were struggling to fit these characters into the setting at all, and while the CMC episodes were relatively spaced out in the second season, they clogged up almost a third of the last half of the first. Even worse, every episode that focused on them showed them obsessing over marks, doing stupid things, or making blatantly impossible mistakes for anyone with a functioning brain to make. The second season redeemed them a great deal, but in the first, they tended to be a liability instead of an asset.
Spotlight Stealing Characters: While the focus was shared a lot more evenly this season than the first, there were still two characters that stood out in a less-than-positive way. Twilight was the main character of the first season, appearing in every episode so she could deliver the letter of the week. The only problem was, she didn't really belong in every situation the group found themselves in, and was often shoehorned into an episode at the last minute. She didn't even have a reason to go to the Gala in "Ticket Master;" one had to be manufactured for her in order for "Best Night Ever" to work. And then you have Fluttershy, the breakout character for a lot of fans in this first season. She got no less than three episodes this season, with one including the whole group the entire time ("Dragonshy"), one pairing her with the CMC ("Stare Master"), and another where most of the cast only appears in the beginning and ending and Twilight only gets involved at the end of the second act ("A Bird in the Hoof"). Fluttershy received the lion's share of character development this season, even while her episodes basically recycled the same premise each time.
Is There Technology or Not?: One of the factors commonly brought up (especially in the last few blog posts I've made) is that Lauren Faust originally envisioned Equestria in a Medieval Status, something that ran opposite of the other MLP shows. The idea alone isn't an issue, but it was never executed well to begin with. The pilot itself broke this rule when Twilight pulled a chord to turn on an electric light bulb. A place like Sugar Cube Corner would be impossible with that level of technology, as things like cupcakes, gas ovens, refrigerators, public schoolhouses, weather machines, and even mass-produced books would not be possible without some form of technological advancement or Industrial Revolution. And that's not to mention Dave Polsky's episodes, where Twilight had a computer-like machine in her basement and a team of ponies pulled an entire train. And yet, because of comments Faust made, the original series bible (which was tossed out after four or five episodes), and other assorted little statements, fans are still baffled over at just what tech level the show was supposed to be.
And on a purely personal note, ponies pulling an entire train - including the locomotive - was stupid, stupid, stupid! The moment I saw that, I almost turned off the episode. It makes the dam from "Mare-Do-Well" look positively benign by comparison.
GREAT EPISODES:
While Season One had some hurdles to overcome getting out of the gate, it still produced some of the show's very best episodes. Just to name five (in no particular order):
1. Applebuck Season (Episode 4): As far as I'm concerned, this is the first great episode of the series. While the first three episodes had funny and moving moments, this one was the first to really put the spotlight on a character and examine them in relation to the rest of the cast. Applejack's sleep-deprived madness was enjoyable to watch without passing the line into creepy, while also showing her as the dependable, honest pony that she is. It was also the first time one of the Mane 6 was shown as having a deep personality flaw; in this case, it was Applejack's stubborn pride and refusal to accept help that led to her downfall.
2. Fall Weather Friends (Episode 13): It's the traditional race episode, complete with two of the protagonists trying to out-cheat each other. It also has a pretty blatant amount of animation screw-ups, making it feel kind of rushed. But I just love this one. Not only does it start delving into Rainbow Dash's character, but she is a perfect foil for AJ throughout the episode. Pinkie and Spike as the announcers is an amusing enough concept, but Pinkie's insane ramblings and Spike's frustrated groans help punctuate the fun of the race. And speaking of that, it's full of some good sight gags, slapstick, and enough humor to give itself a Looney Tunes-esque feel, while not suffocating us with cheap gags like "Feeling Pinkie Keen." I also liked Twilight's part here, and was REALLY glad she only won fifth place, which is a lot more believable than a non-athletic bookworm beating everypony else in a straight race. So yeah, this one gets in purely on comedy, but that's not a bad thing.
3. Suited for Success (Episode 14): When I say that the show has layers to its writing, this is one of the prime examples. On the surface, it's a pretty standard story about looking a gift horse in the mouth. It even has a fashion show, which is right up there with tea parties on the "Female Demographic Stereotypes" list. And then you get to how the story is told. Rather than focus entirely on Rarity making pretty dresses for fun, the writers give her a real-world reason for doing this: she's helping her friends while also drumming up business for her Boutique. The fashion show is specifically to attract attention to her designs, and later to impress a major fashion mogul from Canterlot. Rarity's struggle is centered around the creative process itself, as her vision is torn to shreds by her friends' contradictory requests, vague or non-existent input, unrealistic demands, and just complete malarkey, until she has created little more than a bunch of monstrosities. This is the episode that bumped Rarity off of "Worst Pony" for me, and seemed to do that for a lot of others as well.
4. Green Isn't Your Color (Episode 20): This is one of the few episodes that managed to not only use almost the whole cast (only Rainbow Dash and Applejack are absent), but also used them all perfectly. The pacing is perfectly balanced so that each pony gets their chance to shine, from Fluttershy and Rarity complaining about their situation to Pinkie making secret-keeping Serious Business. Even better, neither Rarity or Fluttershy become horrible ponies out of their jealousy or frustration, but instead remain completely in-character throughout the ordeal and try to support each other. Twilight's increased anguish over how easy this problem is to solve, but she can't do anything without Pinkie popping in, adds some much-needed levity to the story, and her finally blurting out Spike's not-secret is one of the funniest moments of the season. Even better, the moral ("Be honest with others about your feelings") is something a lot of us need to learn, so props there as well.
5. Party of One (Episode 25): It was finally Pinkie's turn to go insane, and she did so with flying colors. But putting aside her "Pinkamena" scenes, this episode works because it not only gives us some funny bits with Pinkie being Pinkie, but also delves into how dependent she is on her friends as a whole. While I generally liked Pinkie throughout the first season, this was the episode that made me love her. You actually got to see that beneath all that diabetes-coated joy is a pony that wants to keep her friends happy. And yes, the ending with her and Rainbow Dash was wonderfully creepy, awkward, and hilarious.
NOT-SO-GREAT EPISODES
And then we have the clunkers, the episodes that never took off. Let's take a look, shall we?
1. Dragonshy (Episode 7): Hoo boy, I'm gonna get a bunch of hate for this. This episode is frequently rated as one of the best of the first season, and a number of Bronies say this was the episode that got them into the fandom. To which I reply, have you watched it again lately? When I first saw it, I loved "Dragonshy," but when I watched it again during a Netflix MLP marathon, I started to see where this episode went wrong. Rainbow Dash and Rarity are portrayed as flat-out horrible ponies, with Rarity sacrificing the team's goal so she can con gems from the dragon and Rainbow Dash almost getting everypony killed because she's a friggin' moron. The entire plot is spurred by Fluttershy being too afraid to say she's afraid, which makes no sense even for her. And while her staring down the dragon is an awesome scene, it loses a lot of its luster when the same plot is rehashed for every one of her episodes from that point on. To put it frankly, this one is an example of the show trying to find itself; in this case, they were looking in the wrong spot.
2. The Show Stoppers (Episode 18): This episode fails for me on two levels. First, this is the epitome of a standard CMC episode, with the kids trying to find their Cutie Marks in preposterous ways and failing. And second, this completely ruins any of these plots for me. Why? Because now we know what their talents are. Apple Bloom is good at designing and building things, Sweetie Belle is a singer, and Scootaloo is an expert on her scooter. All they need is one of the adults to walk up to them, tell them what their talents are, and they'll be done. But no, they have to find the marks on their own, even if the only reason they're crusading in the first place is because they have no idea how Cutie Marks actually work. If this episode hadn't happened, I would have probably liked the CMC before the second season redeemed them. But because of it, I have a hard time enjoying any "We gotta find our marks!" story. The song was cool, though.
3. Over a Barrel (Episode 21): I'll admit that I actually have a soft spot for "Feeling Pinkie Keen," but this episode was just not good at all. The characters are reduced to just the barest facsimiles of their true personalities, with Pinkie getting the worst of it. The story itself is just full of stupid ideas and barely competent writing, and outside of some of the Wild West puns and the first instance of Pinkie's song, there's not even any laughs to make things go down easier. I'm not even going to tackle the racism allegation because, to be honest, I'm not sure I can properly address all the points necessary for such a loaded issue. It doesn't matter either way, really. This episode was just a mess from beginning to end.
4. The Cutie Mark Chronicles (Episode 23): Again, I loved this one the first time I saw it, but after repeat viewings I've grown an active distaste for it. While most of the episode is just okay, with only Applejack's origin really standing out as not very interesting, there is a rather crippling issue with the ending; namely, Rainbow Dash is responsible for everything that happened in the show. Everything. If she hadn't pulled off a Sonic Rainboom, none of the other ponies would have gotten their Cutie Marks when they did, which meant that they would never have met. If they hadn't met, then Nightmare Moon would have won, destroying Equestria. I'm sorry, but I just can't accept something that contrived, even from this show. Even worse is how unbearably sappy the show got during the end; only Scootaloo's mortal terror makes it tolerable. Oh, and the CMC are being idiots again, completely disregarding Rarity's advice and being rather rude to everypony that isn't Rainbow Dash. (Although the last part is mostly on Scootaloo's end.)
5. Owl's Well That Ends Well (Episode 24): I hate this episode with all my heart. The part of the meteor shower is pretty impressive, especially given the low budget the series had back in the day, but everything plummets once Owlowiscious is introduced. The rest of the episode is then dedicated to Spike behaving like a jealous ten-year-old with a new baby in the family, with nopony even stopping for a minute to consider his problems. In fact, for all the praise the episode gets for expanding on the relationship between Twilight and Spike, the Unicorn is by far the worst of the lot. She never once considers that maybe Spike needs some talking-to or an explanation of what's going on, but instead yells at him for lying (after he had been running around trying to help her all day), and then turns her back on him while the owl's riding her. I don't care how socially awkward Twilight is, she SHOULD HAVE NOTICED SOMETHING WAS WRONG. Spike is also a jackass throughout, but I'll stop here. I could fill an entire blog post with how much I hate this episode.
CONCLUSION:
For many of us, Season One was where we were introduced to the show. The Summer of 2011 was the height of the FiM craze, with countless fans flocking to the herd in droves. This was where we fell in love with a loony maiden named Luna, began building our headcanons and fanon, and started to spread the word that a team of wonderful animators, writers, directions, and producers had managed to save My Little Pony's animated future. What started as a bunch of Image Board posters passive-aggressively striking back at a terrible news article slowly blossomed into an Internet-wide community, spawning entire conventions, creating thousands of pages of drawings and fanfics, and finally culminating in one of the nicest fandoms on the net. That's the real reason why the first season is so special.
It seems, though, that a lot of fans have already fashioned nostalgia goggles, because the first season wasn't perfect. While it was still very good, it had a lot of legitimate flaws. Not all of the episodes were good. The characters and Equestria weren't completely realized for a good chunk of the season. Different writers had different ideas for how the show should be structured. Not only that, but everyone seems to place all the credit for the first season on Lauren Faust's shoulders, when in reality there were dozens upon dozens of people working on this show. For the most part, she just drew up a pitch bible, designed the characters and setting, and then allowed others to give their own input from there. This was a team effort, which is why it disheartens me to see everyone praise Faust and not any of the other hard-working people that make this show a reality.
Still, the first season was a solid start for the series. Lauren Faust wanted to make a girl's show that anyone could watch and enjoy, and she succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. These early episodes set the standard for what was to come, cemented the Hub and this show as a thing to watch, and earned Hasbro a new legion of fans ready and willing to buy their merchandise. So naturally, the second season was greenlit as soon as possible, with a bigger budget, an established fanbase, and just about everything going for it. So what happened in Season Two?
Perhaps we'll discuss that later...
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Well, thanks for suffering through this. Feel free to tell me I'm a complete idiot, because I usually am.
"I could fill an entire blog post with how much I hate this episode."
PLEASE DO
An idiot? I should think not!
I see this as an insightful article. In fact, your perspective brought some things to light for me.
One aspect of the show I paid attention to was the incorporation of technology that seems electric based into a fantastical world. A world which appears to be going through every developmental age in a short amount of time.
While it can be explained, it isn't. Replace electricity with magic and you could have an answer. But you don't. At least not a canon answer.
My only true hicup with the show was Pinkie's mentionig of hotdogs. While an easy explenation can be given, veggie-dogs for instance, the inclusion of pigs on farrms leave me with little else to derive an answer from.
Heh, sorry about such a large and random comment. I did mean it, however, when I said that this shows depth.
Ah, Dragonshy. My very favorite episode.
Wait, no! Don't stop reading!
I will fully admit that Dragonshy isn't the best episode of the season. But it's the episode that made me realize just how much potential these characters had. Dragonshy made me transition from "a guy who has watched ponies" into "a brony".
Am I the only one who actually enjoyed Over a Barrel? I mean, I agree that it could have been handled a lot better, but it's not that bad.
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I agree, please do.
These rants are actually very entertained and a bit insightful. Keep going!
276113>>276278 THESE
I love your rants. They always make me consider things that I hadn't before. I'm also glad to see someone else has as large a problem with "Owl's Well That Ends Well" as I do. It is the only episode from either season that I have only watched once. Even if they did manage to slip an alcohol joke into a kids show in it.
Do blog posts keep track of word count? It would be fun to see how high a word count you have racked up with all your rants recently.
Yes, yes it is.
I can't entirely blame the writers though, as managing an ensemble of six dynamically contrasting characters within the confines of a 22 minute show is no easy task. Still, I do wish that even if S2 couldn't manage the full ensemble, it could have at least focused more on pair spotlights rather than individual spotlights. Six characters allows fifteen possible paired combinations, and might have avoided the issue of how too many of the S2 episodes felt like the same character having to repeatedly learn minor variations on the same lesson.
For all the problems Twilight's required main character role in S1 had, at least it kept the writers focus on the idea that the stories should be about how the characters RELATE to each other and not just their own personalized dramas as individuals.
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Anyway. As to the episodes themselves, you picked a great list of winners, especially Suited for Success. I was already enjoying the show before, but it was that episode which made me realize just how much. After all one's world is never quite the same after watching a marshmallow equine sing about making pretty dresses and LOVING every minute of it. Another great episode in that vein would be Look Before You Sleep, which takes the obvious for little girls plot of a sleepover and creates something enjoyable to a far wider audience.
If I disagreed with any episode on you pros list it would be Applebuck Season, not that I thought it a bad episode, it just never left much of a lasting impression on me. As for you cons list, well, here I'll address point for point.
Dragonshy (Episode 7):You aren't wrong, but I think you might be still ragging on it overly much. As said, this was an early episode where the writers were still figuring the characters out. Likewise for fans watch the show sequential for the first time, the problems you point out are again largely non-existent because they to where still figuring out who these ponies. For all its problem this is still an episode that I would choose to induct new fans because A) it introduces and utilizes all six manes serving as a adequate baseline to meet them all, and B) centers around an adventurous quest that is atypical to a show for little girls.
The Show Stoppers (Episode 18):Again you make some good points, though none of them ever really bothered me. The comic hijinks of the initial montage where, to me at least, more amusing than pathetic. As for bomb dropping the CMC's 'real', it certainly was heavy handed, but I can appreciate the attempt at foreshadowing. Also, with the way Cutie Marks work even these obvious talents might be red herrings. For example, as great a singer as she is, Sweetie suffers from a heft amount of performance anxiety/embarrassment that prevents her from being able to enjoy the act. If she can't work past that issue than Singing might not actually be destiny, such as it were.
Over a Barrel (Episode 21): Won't hear me arguing the point, other than to say it's a darn shame because there is some really good stuff lost in that big old pile of fail.
The Cutie Mark Chronicles (Episode 23): On this I must TOTALLY disagree. I love the whole angle of the M6 sharing a special connection before they ever met. Yes the ending is rather sappy, but well I guess I'm just a sappy fellow myself.
Owl's Well That Ends Well (Episode 24): This episode is far from my personal favorite, in fact I basically agree with every issue you take with it. Still I can't actually hate the episode because all of those problems are entirely the point (most even get lampshaded to some degree or another), and without the flaws there wouldn't really have been much of an episode to begin with.
These blog posts are just as interesting - if not more so - than a fanfic.
One of my favorites was Bridle Gossip, the one where they introduced Zecora.
I suppose it didn't belong on this list because it wasn't a best or worst, but it's one of my favs.
The episode introduces Zecora, whom I think is a highly overlooked character both in the show and the fandom, she has such a dry and witty humor about her.
And the "poison joke" afflictions that affect the characters as a joke on their personalities are all pretty funny.
It also establishes that ponies can have racism too - - - so there's that
First...When will you release your next 'rant'? Cuz I'm lovin these things!
Second...I agree with your points. The first season wasn't perfect, due to the show still trying to get on all four hooves.
It's funny you should mention the Cutie Mark Chronicles. That was actually the last episode I watched before my Netflix subscription ran out, and...yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing. It's cheesy to the point of being painful, and the fact that it was self-aware didn't really help as much as it could have. And the way they made RD the cause of everything, though I'll admit that it wasn't a bad idea thematically to link the six friends together that way, was so implausible. I don't like complaining about what's plausible or not in a kids' show (cartoons are supposed to be wildly exaggerated), but when I dislike an episode as much as I did, things like that really become apparent.
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The thing about Applebuck Season is that it's a one-action plot stretched out for a full episode: Applejack won't accept help. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Applejack finally accepts help.
This may be because the episodes were originally going to be 11 minutes long and this is a short concept that was padded out. Not a bad story at all, but after the third iteration of the problem, not nearly as engaging as it might be.
Over a Barrel... yeah. Worst. Episode. Ever. I'm glad Polsky never wrote another one. I really liked the concept of Feeling Pinky Keen, but the way it was handled was abominable.
276484
I'm pretty sure the reason they started making character-focused episodes, and thus started trimming down on how many ponies appeared in each episode, was because they were running out of ideas. I know that's why they abandoned the E/I rating, since it pretty much blocked off a lot of possible episodes and placed some incredibly bizarre limitations on what they could and could not do. I'd say more, but I'm saving that for the Season Two analysis. Hoo boy, that's gonna be a minefield...
The way I've come to understand how Cutie Marks works is that, not only must the pony perform their special talent, but they must recognize their talents and realize what makes them happy. For example, Rarity may have been dragged about by her horn to a rock full of gems, but it wasn't until she sewed them into the costumes AND saw the crowd cheering them that she got her mark. Basically, the CMC all showed where their talents lie, but because they themselves haven't realized what makes them special, their Cutie Marks haven't shown yet. At least, that's how I see it.
276677
Eh, what can I say? I still love "Applebuck Season," despite how repetitive it is. And the bunny stampede was the second funniest bit of the episode. (The first shall always be the "Baked Bads.")
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"Bridle Gossip" almost made it onto the list, so consider it an honorary #6. I'm not a huge fan of Zecora, but she's still an interesting character, and I loved the Poison Joke, Apple Bloom being the voice of reason, and the over-the-top reactions from the ponies. I also liked how the effects of the Poison Joke reflected the character they cursed, something that a lot of fanfic writers tend to overlook. For example, Dash is proud of her flying ability, so the Joke relocates her wings so she can't fly straight anymore; another example is Twilight, who is cursed with a floppy, spotted horn that robs her of her magic. So yeah, a great episode.
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I hope to have an analysis of Season Two soon. I would much prefer to get the next chapter of BUB done first, though.
You...
But... 
This... 
How... 
I can't disagree with anything in this blog...
How dare you?! 
There are two things which need re-emphasis, though.
... and...
The perceived leaders always get to take the credit. Obama didn't actually write Obamacare, but he's credited for it. Einstein and Oppenheimer are credited for the atomic bomb, but thousands of people actually worked on its creation. Walt Disney gets all the credit for the movies made under his name (even posthumously), but he didn't actually draw anything after Snow White. Can you name all the members of your city council, or do you know just the mayor's name? Who is your MP (or congressman)? Now name their entire support staffs.
I think I've made my point.
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What's "E/I?"
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This is a TV rating that means "educational and informative"
The entire 1st season was given the E/I tag
This comes with a number of restrictions as to what content is required to appear, and what content cannot be allowed.
The rating was dropped starting with the 3rd episode of the 2nd season.
Dropping that rating has a number positive and negative implications as to the demographics and goals of the show, it shifts it more toward entertainment and away from educational content. While it gives the show significantly more freedom as to its content, it also strays away from the original thesis of the show.
Remember, if a show changes too much over time, you might lose what drew you to watch it in the first place.
But let's leave InsertAuthorHere alone for now
This is all talk for later I think.
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Don't worry, I'll give you plenty to yell at me about once we get to Season Two.
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The rating actually got dropped during "Return of Harmony," because quite frankly, you couldn't have a villain like Discord on a show with the E/I logo. According to an interview with Faust shortly before Season Two began, the requirements were so strict that Dash calling Twilight an "egghead" just barely made it past the censors. The strange thing is, the show is still educational; it just doesn't advertise it anymore. The moral still (in most cases) come from the events of the episode, even if they don't have a formal letter at the end. Of course, that'll be a topic for the actual analysis.
...Man, talking about Season Two's going to be a lot of fun.
THANK YOU for ranting about Dragonshy. While it's still one of my favorite episodes, Rarity and Rainbow Dash are portrayed as morons.
Element of Generosity: Steals a dragon's gems.
Element of Loyalty: Wants to leave one of her best friends behind.
I look forward to your blog posts!