Overview of Season 5's Second Half · 8:05pm Nov 30th, 2015
Well, Season 5 has come and gone, and it looks like we'll have to wait about a year for the next season to air. Time to see what the second half accomplished.
First, let's take a look at the episodes and see how they stack up:
Episode 14: Canterlot Boutique (Written by Amy Keating Rogers)
Kicking off the second half of Season 5, we have Rarity taking steps to accomplish her goals, by opening a second boutique in Canterlot. We met Sassy Saddles, and were introduced to Canterlot Carousel, and by the end we were glad to see that it would not be closing down. As an antagonist, Sassy Saddles wasn't all that compelling, though this would become a reoccurring problem for many antagonists in the second half.
Episode 15: Scare Master (Written by Natasha Levinger)
Just when it looked like Fluttershy was really going places, this episode came along and reset her character growth for the sake of making her the focus. Despite the return of Flutterbat, and some impressive imagery and costumes, this certainly wasn't the kind of story that Fluttershy needed after how strongly she'd been written throughout Season 5. Not even a scary corn maze and being leaked early could help this episode.
Episode 16: Rarity Investigates (Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco, Story by Meghan McCarthy, M. A. Larson, and Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco)
For our very first RariDash episode of the show, we had Rarity defending Rainbow Dash, who was accused of a crime she did not commit. This time around, Soarin was the Wonderbolt who got the chance to shine, due to Spitfire's absence for most of the episode. We can't forget about Stormy Flare, Spitfire's mother, and the impressive interaction between our two main characters. But unfortunately, Wind Ryder's motive was incredibly petty and felt like something out of Scooby Doo. And he would hardly be the only petty antagonist tossed at us in this second half.
Episode 17: Made in Manehattan (Written by Noelle Benvenuti)
The second map episode involved Rarity and Applejack in a par for the course RariJack interaction episode, which even with the return of fan favorite character Coco Pommel, could not do much to stand out in comparison to what would air later that day on Discovery Family. This episode seemed to confirm that while Applejack works really well when she can play off of the antics of other characters, she can't really do much to hold the spotlight when she's thrust into it on her own. Perhaps, now that she has had time to work through her grief, if Noelle Benvenuti returns for Season 6, she'll do a better job. As it stands, she probably did the best she could, considering her thoughts were likely elsewhere when she wrote this episode.
Episode 18: Brotherhooves Social (Written by Dave Polsky)
A much needed return to form for Dave after how terrible how his last episode turned out, and one that at first glance did not seem to indicare much besides the obvious joke of a guy dressing in drag. Fortunately, rather than simply run with that joke all the way to the end, Dave gave us a really heartfelt story, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Big Macintosh spoke normally. To top it all off, this was our very first Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh episode, and it did not disappoint. Big Macintosh wouldn't be the only character outside the mane six or the CMC to get a good deal of development in the second half though.
Episode 19: Crusaders of The Lost Mark (Written by Amy Keating Rogers)
The pressure was really on this episode, as speculation ran high about the possibilty of seeing another side of Diamond Tiara, and the possibility of the CMC expanding. What no one could've forseen, was a mind blowing musical that not only redeemed Diamond Tiara, but also led to the CMC finally getting their cutie marks after five seasons of waiting. The introduction of Spoiled Rich, Diamond Tiara's mother, explained a lot about Diamond Tiara, even if Spoiled Rich herself was rather petty and seemed to become the new target of scorn for much of the fandom. For a five year anniversary present, this episode seemed to be everything this fandom asked for.
Episode 20: Hearthbreakers (Written by Nick Confalone)
Even if it aired a week before Halloween, our second christmas episode was one to enjoy. Building on the success of Applejack and Pinkie Pie's interactions in Season 4, this episode finally introduced us to Pinkie Pie's family, and brought Maud back for another outing. We met grouchy and growly Limestone Pie, shrinking violet Marble Pie, and Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz who spoke in "Ye Olde Elizabethian English". Perhaps the one thing we'll all remember this episode for, is the ship MarbleMac, which is still going fairly strong, even if it's currently in a bit of an unoffical ship war with CheeriMac.
Episode 21: The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows (Written by G. M. Berrow)
After years of writing tie in chapter books for the show, Berrow made the leap to writing for the show itself with this episode that revealed to us that Princess Cadence is pregnant, and Twilight is going to be an aunt. Despite the premise being a bit hard to fully comprehend, and some decisions seeming questionable, it was clear that Berrow could write for the show without any major difficulties. Whether or not the baby is Princess Skyla from the toyline has yet to be determined.
Episode 22: What About Discord? (Written by Neal Dusedau)
You know what really hurts this episode? They'd already done jealousy with Discord in the first half, and did it better. Neal Duseadu seems to just not be cut out for the show if this episode is any indication. Despite impressive visuals and references from Discord, and even some of the mane six, the story and execution were not very enjoyable. Not even the return of Zecora could save this episode, and considering what would happen a few episodes later, this episode would not help that decision look like a good one.
Episode 23: The Hooffelds and McColts (Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco)
Airing just hours after terrorist attacks on Paris, France by ISIS, this episode served as a reminder that violence and hatred will never solve anything. Moral aside, the show's second TwiShy episode gave both characters the outing they needed after their terrible focus episodes in the weeks prior. Although the chemistry between Twilight and Fluttershy was not as profound or noticeable as it was with Rarity and Applejack, or Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, there was still enough of a contrast between them to make the episode work. It even got Twilight to finally take her nose out of her books for the first time in a few weeks. Now the question is, what does the map hold for our heroines in Season 6?
Episode 24: The Mane Attraction (Written by Amy Keating Rogers)
For her swan song, Amy Keating Rogers brought on Lena Hall to guest star in a musical themed episode, and an Applejack episode that did not center on apples or family. And considering everything that had come from Amy prior, this episode allowed her to leave FiM on a high note of good quality, allowing her to shake off the ghost of "Filli Vanilli" from Season 4. Even the extreme petiness of Svengallop, Countess Coloratura's/Rara's manager was not enough to hurt this episode. And by the end, it was obvious we were all going to miss Amy's work.
Episodes 25 and 26: The Cutie Re-Mark Parts 1 and 2 (Written by Josh Haber)
Coming back to the show after writing "Friendship Games", Josh Haber brought Starlight Glimmer back with him for a "Back To The Future" time travel story. Throughout the two parter, we got to see various alternate futures where various villans from the past ruled Equestria, and each time we were treated to some impressive settings. But when we finally got to see Starlight Glimmer's motivation, the results were less than impressive to say the least. In the end, everything was back to normal. But the season ended by having Starlight become Twilight's student, providing another major change to the status quo. Time will tell if they can pull this off well.
Episode Rankings:
13. What About Discord?
12. Scare Master
11. Made In Manehattan
10. Canterlot Boutique
9. The Hooffelds and McColts
8. The One Were Pinkie Pie Knows
7. Hearthbreakers
6. Rarity Investigates
5. The Mane Attraction
4. The Cutie Re-Mark Part 1
3. The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2
2. Brotherhooves Social
1. Crusaders of The Lost Mark
Now let's see how these episodes compare to their predecessors. Remember, this is not offical.
Episode 14: Suited For Success v.s. The Last Roundup v.s. Filli Vanilli v.s. Canterlot Boutique
The winner is - Suited For Success. Although "Canterlot Boutique" was definitely an improvement over "Filli Vanilli", "Suited for Success" and "The Last Roundup" easily trump it, and "Suited for Success" is where the show knew what it wanted to do, and where it really got going.
Episode 15: Feeling Pinkie Keen v.s. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 v.s. Twilight Time v.s. Scare Master
The winner is - Twilight Time. Although it isn't completely flawless, this episode has the least amount of problems compared to the first two which are absolute trainwrecks, and the entry from Season 5 which was a dissappointment in many ways.
Episode 16: Sonic Rainboom v.s. Read It And Weep v.s. It Ain't Easy Being Breezies v.s. Rarity Investigates
The winner is - Sonic Rainboom. Even though "Rarity Investigates" gave it a good run for its money, it would take a lot to dethrone a masterpiece like "Sonic Rainboom".
Episode 17: Stare Master v.s. Hearts and Hooves Day v.s. Somepony to Watch Over Me v.s. Made in Manehattan
The winner is - Hearts and Hooves Day. Once again, although the Season 5 episode beats out the Season 4 episode, and in this case the Season 1 episode, it is easily trumped by "Hearts and Hooves Day". It may not be perfect, but it's fairly solid in most aspects.
Episode 18: The Show Stoppers v.s. A Friend In Deed v.s. Maud Pie v.s. Brotherhooves Social
The winner is - Brotherhooves Social. Even "Maud Pie" can't compete with the last couple of minutes of "Brotherhooves Social". "Maud Pie" may have been good, but "Brotherhooves Social" was outstanding. There was no way it could be anything but number 1 in this comparison.
Episode 19: A Dog and Pony Show v.s. Putting Your Hoof Down v.s. Trade Ya! v.s. Crusaders of The Lost Mark
The winner is (no contest) - Crusaders of The Lost Mark. Was there ever any doubt that a mind blower like this would lose? With everything it gave us, and everything it had to offer, nothing could even come close. Sure, some of the other participants may have been really good, but that just means this episode is all the stronger for being able to beat them with ease.
Episode 20: Green Isn't Your Color v.s. It's About Time v.s. For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils v.s. Hearthbreakers
The winner is - For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils. "Hearthbreakers" may have given it some serious competition, but "For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils" is still an impressive episode, and one of the show's best. And out of all the LunaxCMC episodes, this one remains the strongest for a lot of reasons, most noticeably the similarities between Sweetie Belle's current problem, and Luna's past.
Episode 21: Over A Barrel v.s. Dragon Quest v.s. Leap of Faith v.s. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows
The winner is - The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows. The first two were really bad, and although "Leap of Faith" was an improvement, it was still far from a strong episode. "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows" may have a premise that I can't completely wrap my head around, and may have some questionable writing decisions towards the end, but it's still an enjoyable episode, and one that easily beats out its competitors.
Episode 22: A Bird in The Hoof v.s. Hurricane Fluttershy v.s. Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3 v.s. What About Discord?
The winner is (no contest) - Hurricane Fluttershy. Just like "Sonic Rainboom" "Hurricane Fluttershy" is a masterpiece that would be difficult to top. It is perhaps the Fluttershy episode to end all Fluttershy episodes, and one that really deserves to be remembered more often when it comes to writing Fluttershy in a lead role. Nothing else come even come close.
Episode 23: Cutie Mark Chronicles v.s. Ponyville Confidential v.s. Inspiration Manifestation v.s. The Hooffelds and McColts
The winner is - Cutie Mark Chronicles. Despite some tricky challengers, "Cutie Mark Chronicles" remains really good and very strong. It is how you properly do backstories in a 22 minute timeslot, and its use of Rainbow Dash was an excellent way to get older fans excited for it, considering this was back when the Brony fandom was just starting to take off.
Episode 24: Owls Well That Ends Well v.s. MMMystery On The Friendship Express v.s. Equestria Games v.s. The Mane Attraction
The winner is (in a close contest) - The Mane Attraction. Sure "MMMystery on The Friendship Express" is a good filler episode, and "Equestria Games" treated Spike with some decency for a change, but "The Mane Attraction" was Amy Keating Rogers' swan song, and did a wonderful job of giving Applejack some attention without making her OOC. "Equestria Games" had a few cringe worthy moments, and probably could've been extended to utlizie the games for the Season 4 finale.
Episodes 25 and 26: Party of One and Best Night Ever v.s. A Canterlot Wedding Parts 1 and 2 v.s. Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 and 2 v.s. The Cutie Re-Mark Parts 1 and 2
The winner is (in a close contest) - The Cutie Re-Mark Parts 1 and 2. "Party of One" was really amazing, but "Best Night Ever" was lackluster, and "Twilight's Kingdom" beats out "A Canterlot Wedding" since its questionable moments make a bit more sense. But although "The Cutie Re-Mark" may have had a really petty Starlight and a rushed change of heart, it did not relay on new powers or new characters to save the day. And considering the toy based nature of the show, that's saying a lot.
Overall tally from both halves: Season 1 - 3 Points, Season 2 - 3 Points, Season 3 - 3 Points, Season 4 - 6 Points, Season 5 - 10 Points
Season 5 definitely wins the title of "Best Season", beating out Season 4 by a good majority. But there's still room for improvement in some areas, which will hopefully be taken into consideration in Season 6. Episodes 15, 17, and 21 are all vulernable to a strongly written episode. And the winners of Episode 23 and 24 could lose next time around if something really good pops up. Now, let's move onto the characters. Remember, any characters we were introduced to in the first half won't be included here.
Sassy Saddles: Rarity's manager at Canterlot Carousel, and antagonist for "Canterlot Boutique". As an antagonist, she wasn't that compelling, and it certainly didn't help that her design was a Fleur De Lis recolor, but by the end of "Canterlot Boutique" Sassy managed to redeem herself, and as we saw in "Rarity Investigates" she can be a good character if given the right amount of attention and screen time.
Wind Ryder: A Wonderbolt who used to hold a long distance flying record, until his efforts to frame Rainbow Dash for the disappearance of Spitfire led to that record being broken, and him being kicked out of The Wonderbolts. Some people speculate he may or may not be related to Lightning Dust, and one of the show staffers teased about the possibility of him and Lightning Dust becoming the anti Wonderbolts in Season 6. We'll have to see if that comes to pass or not.
Stormy Flare: Spitfire's mother, who Spitfire was tricked into thinking was sick. It's easy to see where Spitfire gets her looks from, and she and her mother certainly seem to be close. I can't be the only one who hopes we see more of her in the future. There's only been one story featuring her so far, which really sucks considering her potential in fanfics.
Spoiled Rich: Diamond Tiara's mother, and president of the Ponyville School Board. She seems to have inherited her daughter's reputation as a character the fandom seems to despise, and for good reason. Not only was she a snob to everyone she deemed inferior to her, but she verbally abused her own daughter in an attempt to make her follow in her footsteps. I sure hope Cheerilee did something about Spoiled Rich's behavior in the schoolyard, I don't think I'd want an abusive parent to be head of a school board.
Limestone Pie: The second oldest of the Pie siblings, Limestone is a bit on the grumpy side, due to managing the family rock farm. She seems to have an attachment for "Houlder's Boulder" a dragon's egg that may or may not be fossilized. Shockingly enough, despite the smiliarity in voice, she is not voiced by Gilda's VA, but by Maud's VA.
Marble Pie: A shrinking violet and Pinkie's baby sister by only a few seconds, Marble seems to be in the same light as Coco Pommel and Fluttershy in regards to cuteness. She shares the same VA as Limestone and Maud, and it seems the fandom is still insistent on shipping her with Big Macintosh. Time will tell whether or not that fizzles out.
Igneous Rock: A bit of a stern father, but one who clearly still loves his family, despite his unusual traditions. It's obvious he's voiced by Peter New using a variation of his Big Macintosh voice, but you have to admit it works really well. What's most interesting about him, is that his marraige to Cloudy Quartz was arranged via a Choosing Stone.
Cloudy Quartz: Though probably not quite as stern as her husband, Cloudy does follow her husband's traditions. Pinkie Pie is still on speaking terms with her, and it's possible that Cloudy may or may not enjoy occasionally attending lavish events that require her to leave the rock farm.
Ma Hooffeld: The head of the Hoofeld family, Ma Hooffeld seems to have a bit of trouble with properly hearing what's spoken to her, at least when it comes to someone she's never met before. She was the one responsible for the Trojian Cake ploy, and nearly started the feud with the McColts back up again, before Twilight and Fluttershy corrected her.
Big Daddy McColt: The head of the McColt family, what he lacks in sizes he definitely makes up for in voice. He can shout so loud that it's possible for him to topple buildings that aren't properly constructed.
Countess Coloratura a.k.a Rara: A fillyhood friend of Applejack's, who moved to Manehattan to become a popstar. Unfortunately, her impressive singing voice soon got burried beneath layers of autotune, blinding vissual effects, backup dancers, lavish set pieces, and an overbearing manager that attempted to ride the coattails of her success. Thanks to Applejack, she has ditched the viel and make up, and has gone back to her roots. What this means for her career has yet to be seen.
Svengallop: The overbearing and snobbish manager of Coloratura, who turned her into a pop diva, and then attempted to use her fame to get what he wanted. Thanks to Applejack, he was exposed for the jerk that he is, and was fired. Let's hope that he didn't find someone else to change so that he could stay on top.
Starburst: Starlight Glimmer's childhood friend, at least until the day he saved her from injury and got a cutie mark. He moved to Canterlot to attend Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and Starlight never saw him again. This incident started Starlight down a dark path that led her to despise cutie marks and individuality.
A fairly good set of characters, now let's see what's good and bad about the second half.
The good:
The Cutie Mark Crusaders have finally gotten their cutie marks after five seasons of waiting.
Diamond Tiara has been reformed, and has become a very enjoyable character as a result.
The status quo has been heavily altered with the addition of the CMC's cutie marks, and Starlight Glimmer as Twilight's student.
Derpy is once again making cameos like she used to do.
Zecora was given a chance to shine in the season finale.
Big Macintosh and Shining Armor got some much needed development.
We got our first RariDash episode, our Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh episode, and our second TwiShy episode.
Most of the emotional stories hit it right out of the park, though there were some good comedic stories here and there.
Rarity's character seems to be complete, or at least close to being complete. Same goes for Rainbow Dash, who finally got to fly with The Wonderbolts in a show.
The war with King Sombra in an alternate future was really impressive, and rather dark for the show.
The bad:
Spike seemed to get the short end of the stick in terms of development and screen time.
Applejack unfortunately only got "The Mane Attraction" to prove she could be compelling on her own, and not just when playing off of the behavior of others.
Neal Duseadu doesn't seem to have been a good fit for the show considering how "What About Discord?" turned out.
Fluttershy backpedaled from her character growth in "Scare Master" which was a massive disappointment.
Most of the new antagonists were really petty, and more often than not they were not very enjoyable to watch. Villans like Trixie and Gilda were popular because they felt more complex, and didn't feel completely evil. They just seemed to make more bad decisions than good decisions.
The ending of "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows" was anti-climatic and unfortunately, because of the decisions made in it, Princess Celestia still ranks higher than Princess Cadence in the princess rankings.
Not much was done with Twilight in the second half, despite her castle and title. More often than not, she seemed to have her nose stuck in a book. The first half was a bit more excuseable, since Twilight was not present as often in a couple of episodes and completely gone from two.
Starlight Glimmer's excuse was petty, and her redemption so far felt rushed and not very believeable. Hopefully, that will change with Season 6. She did seem to be sorry for what she did, but that'll only get you so far.
The second half probably was a bit more rocky than the first half in regards to quality towards the end, but it still did a really good job. Season 6 will have to do a lot to top everything thrown at us this season.
I'd say Fluttershy has far from regressed in Scare Master. She has come far from how she couldn't even introduce herself to a stranger, let alone partake in something that seems to have frightened her into severe paranoia. (Or taps into something established while growing up.) She works through this issue, and though she still finds she does't enjoy Nightmare Night, she no longer fears it, and may at some point in the future be about on the holiday without too much discomfort. I don't think Fluttershy before season four would even entertain the notion of partaking in the scaring, let alone going about that night like she originally intended do. It's only because Fluttershy has issues that she couldn't quite handle spend the night that way.
That's part of why I find that episode to be rather dull.
Your list for the episodes for this half of the season is pretty close to how I'd rank them, though I'd personally put Made in Manehatten at the bottom (I'd rather have a problematic episode over one that's very dull, The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows would be at 6, and The Cutie Re-Mark would be 2.
While I found that episode to be VERY entertaining on its own (heck it's my second favorite episode of the first season), I agree that it's the weakest season ender so far.
Of the Pies introduced this season, Limestone is easily my favorite. I just love how passive aggressive she is.
And that's why I dub this season the quadruple F season: "Feels, Funnies, Faces, Fanservice".
To be fair, I'd say a good chunk of people you could meet in real life are very petty. Heck, I'd say this season wins in "realistic antagonists".
Actually, I found that ending to be kind of intense. Seeing Pinkie Pie literally bursting to tell the secret was actually one of the most intense climaxes in a non-action focused episode the show has had so far.
Here's the thing: Like with DT, Starlight's redemption isn't complete yet. There's still a lot we don't know about her,
And, I actually found her reason for hating cutie marks to be one of the more sympathetic ones. Of course, I could just be soft when it comes to antagonists now that I actually like DT, but still....
I definitely agree that the entire season is easily the best one yet.
Yeah, I gotta give it to Season 5, it's the best one now.
There were only four out of 26 episodes that I really hated.
3582847 And what were they, if I may ask?
3582852 Appleloosa's Most Wanted, Princess Spike, Scare Master and What About Discord.
3582855 Those are pretty much the only episodes I don't like either, though "Castle, Sweet Castle" was disappointing because of what it focused on. The plot just doesn't make sense considering these are Twilight's friends we're talking about.
Cutie Markless was one of the most flawed episodes of the entire series. Why did all those alternate futures have to be there? It let to none of them being fleshed out and in the end just made them pointless filler.
The other episodes that people dislike at least had something that they were going for but cutie markless has nothing. It's constructed is incredibility flawed and none of the events, futures or motivations make any sense.
Crusaders of the lost mark also is very flawed and is a incredibility bad idea. It completely destroyed DT's character and removed the main source of conflict from the CMC. Not only that it expected the viewers to feel sorry for DT which is far more than they could hope to do in 1 episode and her personality just completely evaporates and now she's just a nice background pony. The CMC also have lost so much potential and they could have done so many interesting things with them if they hadn't destroyed that.