Doctor Perseus Reviews: "What About Discord" and "The Zygon Inversion" *SPOILERS* · 2:43am Nov 8th, 2015
In this week's episode of MLP, Twilight emerges after three straight days of organizing books with Spike to find that all of her friends have surprisingly bonded with Discord over an event that took place while Twilight was busy. But are they really bonded with Discord? Has Discord cast a spell on them? Or is Twilight simply jealous?
This was an episode that I was definitely looking forward to. I mean, more Discord! Yay! And since his last episode this season was fantastic, I had high hopes for his second Season 5 appearance. And...it hurts me to say that I'm actually disappointed. This episode wasn't terrible but...it wasn't all that great either.
If anything, I think my favorite parts of the episode were the little moments shared between Twilight and Spike. They just have such a wonderful brother-sister relationship that it's never boring to see them playing off each other. I suppose I also enjoyed a few of the moments with Discord interacting with the rest of the Mane 6. And it was pretty nice seeing Zecora again. She's been mysteriously absent for a lot of Season 5 so every appearance by her is a plus for me. I also suppose the moral is decent: you're not going to be able to share every experience with your friends and it's okay to be a bit jealous about it every now and then. And the reference to Back to the Future was a welcome addition. 
Aside from that, the episode as a whole just rubs me the wrong way.
The biggest failing of this episode for me is just how boring a lot of it is, which is something I never expected to say about a Discord episode. The parts with Twilight trying to understand the inside jokes the others had by painstakingly recreating their weekend together dragged on for way too long and took up practically half the episode. The episode also felt mean-spirited in relation to Twilight. I think I feel about this episode the same way a lot of people feel about Feeling Pinkie Keen, an episode I still personally enjoy. Everypony just kept shoving into Twilight's face that "she just had to be there". Aside from a few moments, it just felt like all of Twilight's friends were shoving the fun they had without her in her face. It makes sense for Discord to do it (more on that in a bit) but the rest of the Mane 6? It felt like a stretch. Also, why was Twilight so upfront about giving her friends that potion? I doesn't sound like a smart idea to tell someone who you believe to be under a spell that you're going to give them something that's going to get rid of that spell. If they're under the spell, then there's no way they're going to drink the potion. If they're not under the spell, they're going to think you're an ass (which is what pretty much happened in this episode). It just feels out of character for Twilight to be so careless and upfront about doing something like that.
It's unfortunate that not even Discord was able to stop this episode from being boring. He has some nice moments with the rest of the Mane 6 but aside from that he just feels like he's "there" for the most part. Ever since the conclusion of Twilight's Kingdom I've been excited about seeing how Discord's relationship with the Mane 6 would develop. We got some nice bits of that in Make New Friends But Keep Discord but, here, it just feels like the character took a few steps back. I understand that the character is still learning about friendship and I'll always expect Discord to be kind of a troublemaker but can we get an episode already where Twilight and Discord are on full friendship terms? You know, like how they were at the end of Twilight's Kingdom?! I can understand Twilight having some misgivings about Discord for a little while, since he did betray all of Equestria to Tirek, but it just always seems like the two are constantly clashing. Of course, it doesn't help when Discord pulls stunts like this. He feels like the Discord we saw at the beginning of Season 4: messing with Twilight under the excuse of "teaching her a lesson". This didn't feel like a Discord who's been through the events of Twilight's Kingdom. Like I said, I don't imagine him ever stopping being a troublemaker but I would imagine that he'd at least be on positive, teasing terms with Twilight after everything they've been through (like that powerful moment they had in Twilight's Kingdom when Discord gave Twilight the necklace).
Overall, I'm not all that crazy about What About Discord. It has a couple fun moments but aside from that it's boring, has the characters act either OOC or without any recognition for previous development, and it just rubs me the wrong way. From what I've heard, Discord is set to have another two episodes in Season 6. Hopefully, they'll both be awesome and will be able to make up for this episode's failings.
Next week's episode is The Hooffields and McColts!
Princess Twilight and Fluttershy are called by the map to settle a dispute between two feuding families who can’t even remember why they are fighting.
What did the rest of you think of What About Discord?
In this week's episode of Doctor Who, the UK has been taken over by Zygons. Can the Doctor and Osgood stop the upcoming war, or will the Osgood Box finally be opened?
So was this able to be a satisfying conclusion to this 2-parter? Not only that, but I found this to be one the best episodes of Capaldi's tenure if not all of New Who! So, yeah, I loved this episode.
I've said it once, I've said it twice, and I'll probably say it a hundred times more. Peter Capaldi is AWESOME! His performance in this episode was simply perfect. His speech/rant at the end was one of the greatest moments this show has given us. It felt cathartic for the Doctor to yell at Kate and Bonnie about how petty their war is in comparison to what he's gone through in the past. And, without getting too political, I think a lot of world leaders could learn a bit from his speech. It was definitely fitting for us to get a lot of callbacks to The Day of the Doctor and the Time War in this episode given how many connections this 2-parter shares with the 50th Anniversary. And with Clara technically being absent for most of the previous episode, it was nice to see her play a role here. The segments of her in the dream version of her apartment very much like Donna's dream world in Forest of the Dead. I liked how this episode explored the mental link between humans and Zygons with Clara being able to subtly influence Bonnie. The face-off between Clara and Bonnie was a really intense and funny scene.
If you don't like Osgood after this 2-parter then I don't think you ever will. I can understand some of the naysayers' problems with her but, to me, she's an extremely likable and fun character. Her chemistry with the Doctor was excellent in this episode. I was also surprised to learn her first name: Petronella. I can understand why she prefers going by her surname. Another surprise was the reveal that it was Zygon Osgood who was killed by Missy and we were with human Zygon this whole time...that is until the end where Bonnie took on the role of the new Zygon Osgood. I really hope we get to see Osgood again, and I'm sure we will, because I think she's a really great recurring character (similar to that of the Paternoster Gang). Kate also got some good moments in this episode as well. At least I was right about her escaping the Zygon at the end of the previous episode and pretending to be a Zygon until the right moment. She's another character who I will always be happy to see more of.
Bonnie was a very sinister villain for this episode. Jenna Coleman must have had a blast playing this character. It was incredibly satisfying seeing the Doctor put her in her place at the end. And while her being forgiven so quickly irked me a little bit, I'm willing to forgive it because it helped prove that human Osgood survived and now we have two Osgoods again to help keep the peace. While we didn't get as many Zygons as we did in the previous episode, this episode was still incredibly tense. I liked the twist reveal that the Osgood Boxes were empty this whole time. It's no surprise that the Doctor would pull a trick like that.
Overall, I loved The Zygon Inversion. It had great performances, great suspense, and great emotion. Again, one of the best episodes of Capaldi's era thus far in my opinion.
Next week, Doctor Who delves into the realm of found footage with Sleep No More!
Uh...is Doctor Who about to give us a combination of Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the Russian Sleep Experiment?
What did the rest of you think of The Zygon Inversion?
What About Discord is the episode that showed, for me, that Discord has now become an "ordinary" character. Meaning, one whose appearance no longer automatically means something spectacular, as was the case with most of his previous episodes. A character of his position appearing in such an…inconsequential role, almost, where the fact that it's him is about all it has going for it but isn't even necessary for the story. It just shatters the illusion; "breaks the spell", if you will.
As for The Zygon Inversion, it's not on iTunes yet, so I'll comment on it later once I see it.
Sounds to me like you've just found your least favorite episode of Season 5. If it is, then how would you rank this with your other least favorite episodes of Seasons 1-4?
Also, I understand if you might've been too bored to notice, but we got another cameo from Starlight Glimmer.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/11/7/1018330__safe_rainbow+dash_pinkie+pie_fluttershy_rarity_applejack_screencap_discord_starlight+glimmer_spoiler-colon-s05e22.png
Is it me or does she seem to only pop up in episodes where Twilight is the central focus? I mean, first she hid behind a menu during the restaurant scene in Amending Fences and now she's hiding in a bush with a pair of binoculars here. If that's the case, then Starlight should be making a cameo in the next episode as well since it focuses on Twilight and Fluttershy.
Are you so sure about that? iTunes gives me a ~10-minute "Doctor Who Extra" segment with each episode (or pair of episodes, as is the pattern this season), wherein I quote Moffat, "Do I know? Do I know which—Osgood hasn't told me, either." The ending also shows both of them using inhalers, so that's no way to tell human and Zygon apart. I think that the two original Osgoods decided to stop distinguishing themselves, and after that point it no longer mattered which was which on any level, Zygon duplication being as good as it is.
And Jenna said in the DW Extra segment that she liked playing Bonnie, but as she was going up against a green screen and the memory of her performance as Clara, she was glad when she got to a scene with other actors.
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I'm no expert on the biology of Zygons but if the Osgood we had at the start was the Zygon I'm not sure Bonnie would have been able to change into her. As complete of a duplicate Zygon Osgood was, she's not the original. I don't think Zygons can copy the appearance another Zygon has unless the original is still alive. That's why I think it was human Osgood who survived.
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It's probably among the more higher ranked of my least liked episodes. Can't really think of a spot to put it. But, yeah, this is probably my least favorite Season 5 episode thus far, managing to beat out the meh Princess Spike. Hopefully, the high quality of Season 5 returns for the final four episodes. What are your thoughts on the episode, by the way?
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It's funny you brought up Princess Spike, considering that episode and What About Discord? are both written by Neal Dusedau. Isn't that one heck of a coincidence? If you're curious about his previous work, he wrote for Johnny Test and Fish Hooks.
As for me, I admit this is definitely one of the show's lower quality episodes. Not the worst, but still pretty weak. Also, because of Starlight's little cameo in the bushes, this episode cannot be ignored like The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well or Somepony to Watch Over Me since it indicates that it's gonna be a part of the season's story arc. It's the same problem as last season's Rainbow Keys arc with Rainbow Falls.
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Then again, after doing some further thinking and research, I suppose it is possible that both Osgoods are Zygons and the original Zygon Osgood was so intertwined and melded with the original memories and mind of human Zygon that Bonnie could just use that to transform. It's obviously meant to be left up to interpretation and, at the end of the day, all that matters is that "Osgood lives". She continues on either in human or Zygon and her future on this show is secure (for the moment).
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Johnny Test and Fish Hooks huh? That explains A LOT. I actually didn't realize that my two least favorite episodes of Season 5 were written by the same person. But, I'll be nice and give him a third shot if he writes a future episode. If he fails that, then it looks like I'll have a least favorite writer on my hands.
I'm in the minority who still enjoys Rainbow Falls so I don't mind re-watching it but I obviously don't feel the same about this episode. But the rest of Season 5 looks promising and if the remaining four episodes are great then this season will only have two and half duds for me (the half being the mixed bag that was Scare Master).
Though, I must say that I feel bad for Spike. He only got one episode this season and it was meh. A far cry from the one fun episode and two great episodes he got in Season 4.
I particularly enjoyed discovering a nice character trait for Capaldi's Doctor. Unlike 11 who was jovial until angered sufficiently, 12 seems to act more jovially the more angered he is. Almost like he's trying to calm himself down. Its a very interesting psychological defense trait that was very present in the second half of the episode.
I think my favorite part though was his speech, not the words exactly but with how they were delivered. Because of how he talks normally, every word sounded almost like he was chocking back a sob. Like he was barely holding back his feelings as he tried to yell some sense into them.
I guess just like he said himself, he's just an old father who wants to see his kids stop fighting.
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Oh, I see. You're going for the whole "Third time's the charm" jargon with Neal Dusedau. And if his possible third episode doesn't impress you, then to put it in baseball terms: "Strike 3, YOU'RE OUT!" If you want, I could let you know if/when he does an episode for Season 6 so that you can be prepared to judge whether or not to label him as your least favorite writer of the series.
Also, maybe the writers felt they only captured lightning in a bottle once with Spike's focus episodes last season and didn't want to risk the possibility of their luck running out on them this season?
Well, as you already know by now, I enjoyed "What About Discord?" a whole lot more than you did. It's strange that we have polar opposite opinions when it comes to this week's and last week's episodes. Isn't that ironic?
As for "The Zygon Inversion", I also thoroughly enjoyed it. It is certainly one of Twelve's best episodes, and one of the best in the series overall. I really did like Twelve's speech towards the end. It was one of the best things ever.
I also liked the moment when Osgood questions the usefulness of the Doctor's sonic sunglasses. As the personification of the ultimate Doctor Who, part of me is glad that even she recognizes the ridiculousness of it.
As much as I enjoy being right about that, I don't actually recall how that happened. When did that happen?
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Well, when I first saw the episode, I put that theory together since Bonnie was able to transform into Osgood at the end. I'm no expert on the biology of Zygons but I'm unsure if a Zygon can copy the form of a person from another transformed Zygon alone without the original being alive.
3534093 Oh. Now, I remember when I was watching it just now that I was thinking that if Zygons need their human hosts alive to access their memories and knowledge and stuff, that has to mean that the surviving Osgood has to be the human one. Plus, it wouldn't make sense at the end to have a ceasefire between Humans and Zygons policed by two Zygons.
I think Zygon Inversion had two of the best monologues from Twelve. It proves that the Doctor still did terrible things in the Great Time War and has to live with them.
I'm guessing a lot of fans, yourself included, had this reaction when Twilight told her friends about the potion.
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Pretty much.
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Also, is it me or does it feel like this is the first episode to lie to its audience? I mean, the original synopsis said that Twilight and Spike return from a trip to Canterlot, but then the episode reveals that they actually spend the entire weekend organizing the castle library. If I didn't know any better, I'd say either DHX tricked us with this set-up because they thought the idea of Twilight holding herself up in her castle to organize books for a whole weekend didn't seem interesting enough to get the audience invested in the episode or the staff was originally going to use the return trip from Canterlot angle, but then decided to change it to something that fits Twilight's character and just forgot to change the episode's summary. What do you think?
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That is pretty eyebrow-raising. Though I think the most likely answer is that someone just forgot to change the episode summary.
You know, after thinking it over, I believe this episode is more mean-spirited towards Twilight than Feeling Pinkie Keen. Why? Because in that episode, you could make an argument that she kinda deserved the torment she received with how she gave off a self-righteous attitude about her view point of the Pinkie Sense and the way she talked down to Pinkie regarding it. Yeah, the slapstick did get out of hand at points but at least there, she was asking for it.
In this episode, however, Twilight didn't really do anything wrong to warrant Discord and the other Mane 6 rubbing in her face about how much fun they had without her. All she did was spend 3 days sorting books in her library, and she clearly wasn't forcing Spike against his will to help her non-stop since a). she let him take some time off to get a claw massage, and b). she outright said that no one was making him stay with her. Okay, she did act a bit smug with how she denied being jealous and when she accused Discord of brainwashing her friends. But that could've just been a coping mechanism she used to deal with feeling left out.
You get what I'm saying?
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Yeah. I think you summed it up pretty well.
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Thanks. BTW, the analogy I used was inspired by a reviewer named Kyle Norty. Specifically, his reviews of Foster's Goes to Europe and Sheep Thrills. If you want to check out some of his videos, I'll provide a link to his channels on Youtube, Dailymotion and Vimeo down below. He also has a DeviantArt page, which I'll link to right here.
* Youtube (Kyle Norty)
* Youtube (Norty North)
* Dailymotion
* Vimeo
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I know Norty. I've watched his stuff for a couple years now. Kinda got a little burnt out on him recently 'cause he got a little too political for my taste. But he's still a good reviewer.
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Ya know, I was honestly surprised when someone commented on one of my old reviews. Kinda takes me back to when I was more active on here. I check the site out regularly but, obviously, my days of writing fanfics and blog posts are long gone.
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Oh, I didn't know that. Never mind then.
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Well, I guess you could say I was checking in on an old friend. Not to mention I wanted to share my latest revelation with someone I knew.
Oh, and there's something else I didn't think to mention that I believe makes Twilight's torture in Feeling Pinkie Keen feel more warranted than in this episode; attempting to disprove Pinkie's Pinkie Sense. I mean, no matter how you look at it, you can't deny that trying to prove one of her best friend's unique abilities isn't real is a pretty jerk move.
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Fair point. And thanks.