Season 2 Review

Season two! After the success of season one, will the brilliance continue? Sadly, Lauren Faust left the show during this season and was merely a consultant. Hopefully the rest of the staff, with new Head Writer Megan McCarthy, will keep the spirit of the show alive.

Return of Harmony: This is where the show really started getting well known. During the first season, this shows popularity with the adult male demographic was still becoming general knowledge, though the writers had been made aware and were altering their writing based on that. Much like the original 80’s MLP, this show is mostly light and fluffy episodes with the occasional really dark one, and despite Discord being a light themed villain, this just might be the darkest episode yet. Discord is the perfect villain for this show, representing the very disharmony our main characters try to dispel, as well as a cruel, tyrannical chaos that is the complete opposite of the innocent, harmless chaos Pinkie Pie brings. The first time I saw this episode, Discord actually scared me. Not because he’s a supernatural, god-like being, but because underneath that goofy exterior, I recognized him for the realistic sadist he actually is. Discord is a superb villain with a great set-up: Him first breaking out when we see the Crusaders fighting showcases his disharmony theme, and when the Mane Six arrive, seeing CELESTIA of all ponies so frantic is a good clue that Discord is NOT to be trifled with. No mind games, no tests, no nothing, she wants Discord TAKEN OUT. Between intimidating Celestia and casually telling the Mane Six what he knows about them is a good show of how powerful he is and does an excellent job setting him up as an actual threat. Discord is both very intimidating and very funny, giving him different personality traits so he doesn’t get stale. I would also like to point out Discord clearly learns from his mistakes, as his statue pose indicates he LET Celestia and Luna use the Elements against him, not thinking they would work, but once he gets free, the FIRST thing he does is steal the Elements to prevent them from being used against them, and then corrupts the users so they can’t even use the Elements to begin with. Despite his wild, chaotic nature, he’s a crafty, clever manipulator who knows how to hit them where it hurts, demeaning their element, and their faith in said element. Discord takes sick delight in mind-raping and emotionally torturing the ponies we’ve grown to love, proving he is funny, powerful, intelligent, and most importantly, possibly the most genuinely evil character thus far, and possibly overall. If it’s not clear that he’s evil, once Fluttershy refuses to fall for his mind games, he just straight up brainwashes her, and it’s obvious he could have done that all along, but was having more fun tricking them through emotional torture. How ANYONE could claim Discord is a harmless prankster after that is beyond me. For the record, John De Lancie was PERFECT as Discord, and completely sells every single word that comes out of Discord’s mouth. His goofiness, his craftiness, his cruelty, etc. Even if Discord hadn’t been that great a character, John De Lancie’s voice acting alone would warrant a return appearance, but the combination of great writing and superb voice acting makes Discord, in my opinion, the best villain and one of the best characters on the show.
Discord aside, this episode was very dark and emotionally intense. Some might argue TOO dark considering kids are in the intended audience, but “The Secret of NIMH” was one of my personal favorites growing up, and my roommate’s nephew loved “The Black Cauldron” when he was younger, and those are two of the darkest kid’s movies I know of. Seeing the Mane Six corrupted like that was a very bold move, and how heartbreaking it was just proves how attached we are to these ponies. Seeing the characters at their worst makes it that much more satisfying when they finally break out of it, and proves the strength of their friendship. Even the mind-warping power of a god was no match for their friendship once they remembered how much they care for each other. Yes, some might argue that seeing them suffer is a bad thing, but you know what? Friendship isn’t just about the good times, it’s about the bad times as well. If you never really experience the bad times, how can you truly appreciate the good times? Discord is the perfect villain for this show because he opposes everything the Mane Six stand for, and is the perfect antithesis to what this show is all about. A good villain provides great conflict, and Discord causes superb conflict, while enabling the wonderful moral of this episode to shine through: “Friendship isn’t always easy, but it’s worth fighting for.” Thanks to Discord breaking the Mane Six apart, we see how willing they are to fight for that friendship, and are willing to suffer in order to stay together, because they mean that much to each other. I’ve heard complaints that Discord went down too easy, I have to wonder if these people missed where Discord spent nearly two full episodes effortlessly playing the Mane Six for suckers, and considering how easily he dealt with them before, it makes sense that he’d be overconfident. Amazing episode

Lesson Zero: We just may have an episode even darker than Return of Harmony. Not that this is a bad thing, despite what a lot of people think, kids CAN handle dark stuff. The premise of the episode is a good one, as anyone who is a perfectionist or has self-esteem issues can identify with Twilight here, as feeling that you’re being held to extremely high standards can be terrifying, and anyone’s judgement can suffer when they’re stressed out. The heavy implications that Twilight has been bullied just makes her freak out even more understandable and gives her some good depth. Does Twilight’s panic go a little too far? Maybe, but between the stresses of perfectionism, the terror of low self-esteem, and the trauma of bullying make this perfectly understandable, not to mention her facing down a mind-raping chaos god in the preceding episode! I am very disturbed and disgusted that many fans seem to see this as a comedy episode, and very much enjoy “Psycho-Light”. This was NOT a comedy episode, and Twilight’s breakdown was NOT played for laughs. Seeing one of the normally most morally upright characters descending into madness was DARK, and her situation is very easy to sympathize with. Just as I’m sure Pinkie fans are offended by people playing up “Pinkamena” from Party of one, any Twilight fan should be offended by people playing up “Psycho-Light”. Spike was fantastic this episode, repeatedly focusing on Twilight’s needs, and eventually going behind her back to get Twilight the help she needs. That adorable hug at the end was well-deserved. The rest of the Mane Six made the mistake of ignoring Twilight, but that was for the sake of them learning a lesson, and they more than made up for it as they stood up to what is basically a deity, taking the blame for Twilight’s mistakes because they care that much about her, full of remorse for their own mistake, and being prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Twilight with them. Celestia was excellent as well, being incredibly stern, but also gentle and forgiving, and reminding everyone why she is basically a God Empress when she easily cancels Twilight’s spell. Something about the fanbase that annoys me is how Twilight’s behavior toward Rainbow Dash seems to have resulted in a huge outpouring of Twilight x Rainbow Dash shipping, a pairing I oppose due to Rainbow’s…shall we say abrasive behavior and excessive self-esteem, to put it diplomatically. If I have any complaint, it’s that Pinkie was the most insensitive to Twilight (Laughing in her face and calling her a crackup) and did the least to make up for it, but even that is really more a nitpick. Still, seeing Twilight go bonkers isn’t something I’d watch over and over again, so this was merely a very Good episode to me.

Luna Eclipsed: After the intensity of the previous three episodes, it’s nice to return to something a bit more light-hearted. Twilight was extremely likable, going out of her way to help Luna just because Twilight is nice. Granted, I find it odd that this episode seems to have resulted in so many people supporting Twilight x Luna, despite there being absolutely no chemistry between them, but I digress. I think Celestia gets way too much flak for this episode, even though there is absolutely no evidence that this holiday was her doing. Even if she did, one could argue she was making Nightmare Moon a Boogy-Mare of sorts to make it that much more obvious how different she is from Luna. Odds are, this thing just kind of got out of hoof, and it’s not like Celestia is aware of every single thing her subjects do, so by the time she found out, it may have been easier to continue making Nightmare Moon scary to show the difference between Nightmare Moon and Luna, and Luna HERSELF thinks Nightmare Moon should be feared and hated, and wants to separate herself from the demon queen. Luna is a pretty darn interesting character, subverting people’s expectations that she’d be shy and reserved, and a nice reversal of the red-oni blue oni archtype, given that the Sun Goddess is the calm Blue Oni, with the Night Goddess being the more passionate Red Oni. Rainbow Dash was a jerk, of course, but at least she has minimal screen time, with most of the focus going to the far more likable Twilight and Luna. The biggest problem this episode was Pinkie Pie, as her behavior was DEPLORABLE. One of my biggest pet peeves about this show is how Pinkie can cause trouble and then gets to be “right” about it. Pinkie was not making any effort to help them, and was more interested in having fun, completely oblivious to how much she’s hurting Luna. She even gets away with it just because she was technically “right”, although Twilight would have solved the episode several times over without Pinkie’s interference. That’s right, had Pinkie not gotten involved, Twilight would have fixed things, so Pinkie was NOT “in the right” all along. Pinkie’s behavior didn’t take up much screen time, but there was enough of it to drop this to the low end of Good, when it could have bordered on Amazing.

Sisterhooves Social: It really says something for the writing of this episode that you can make me thoroughly enjoy it despite the absence of my favorite character. Yes, despite Twilight being conspicuous by her absence, I still really liked this one. The conflict between Rarity and Sweetie Belle is very believable and well delivered, especially on the emotional display. There’s no real “bad guy” here, there’s just a bad situation and the characters are having difficulty dealing with it, and it’s one we can identify with, especially those who actually have siblings. Rarity’s frustration is understandable because she has a certain way of doing things and Sweetie Belle is wrecking it, and Sweetie Belle’s frustration is understandable because she just wants to bond with her big sister, and doesn’t know any better. The scene where the two sisters disown each other is heartbreaking, but in a good way! We feel bad for both of them, and the raw emotion is impossible to ignore, and it takes most of the episode to happen instead of over one dispute. It’s wonderful; it’s truly wonderful that this show doesn’t have someone who would disown their own sibling at the drop of a hat and without hesitation, right? That would never happen, right? We also get an excellent payoff with multiple scenes of them bonding, and this show is generally pretty good with reconciliation after a dispute. Applejack was likable as well, though it’s a bit odd to see Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle without Scootaloo. Not only did this episode not have Twilight, but most of the Mane Six were missing period, it’s quite rare for me to enjoy an episode like that, but this one pulls it off. I didn’t find myself blown away, so I hesitate to say Amazing, but I would put this one on the high end of Good.

The Cutie Pox: The whole Cutie Pox thing was an odd subplot, but that doesn’t prevent this from being a reasonably enjoyable episode. The Mane Six and the Crusaders were all likable, and Zecora is as always a delight. It was also satisfying seeing Apple Bloom get some payback against Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, though some might compare Apple Bloom’s behavior to Trixie and call hypocrisy on how it’s okay for Apple Bloom to do that and not Trixie. I must disagree, the only reason Trixie was “showing off” was because she talked nonstop about how she’s better than everypony else, something that Apple Bloom did NOT, so there’s really no comparison given the difference in their attitudes. Also, AB didn’t charge anyone, so there’s that too, and while she did taunt DT and SS, can you really blame them given how many times they’ve provoked her in the past? Also, she made one comment and left it at that, instead of repeatedly needling them into a confrontation like Trixie did to the Mane Six. It’s understandable that Applejack would go to Twilight first, given that Twi is the Brainiac of the group, but it’s also been pointed out that this shows Twilight’s close connection to the Apple Family. I really do like this, as I really do feel like of all Applejack’s friends, Twilight is the closest to the entire family. Fairly enjoyable, and no major complaints, so this was a reasonably Good episode in my mind.

May the Best Pet Win: Rainbow’s treatment of the animals was pretty uncomfortable to watch. The rest of the Mane Six are only slightly bothered, and none of them really try to point out how shallow it is that Rainbow only wants the “coolest” pet. As an animal lover, I really don’t approve of her dangerous methods, ESPECIALLY flying through Gastly Gorge, where they could have been killed. I do like that Twilight was the one who mentioned the need for love and tender care, pretty much displaying herself as the biggest animal lover after Fluttershy, which has been hinted at before. As badly as Rainbow behaved, she DID acknowledge and admit to her mistake, and it helps that she so badly wanted to adopt Tank instead of the actual winner, but was clever enough to find a loophole in her own words, and you can’t help but like what a Nice Guy Tank was, helping Rainbow even after all her criticizing and insults. One thing that bugs me about the fanbase is Rainbow saying Twilight couldn’t be her pet resulted in further support for a Twilight x Rainbow romance. I don’t like the idea of Twilight being a submissive romantic partner, and see her as the type to be in an equal partnership instead, AND I don’t see Twilight falling for Rainbow anyway, ESPECIALLY given her behavior in this episode. But hey! The mere idea of two characters being a couple is way more important than whether or not they’re actually RIGHT for each other! Ahem, I’m pretty forgiving when characters do wrong, as long as they admit it and express remorse, so while this episode was uncomfortable to watch, it pretty much sticks the landing, so I guess this was a Meh episode.

The Mysterious Mare Do Well: Oh boy, this one is in the running for Most Controversial Episode. I don’t hate this episode like other people do, and I feel like I’m walking on eggshells explaining why. Personally, I think what allegedly makes this episode so “bad” is grossly exaggerated. Namely the rest of the Mane Six “humiliating” Rainbow. I don’t think that was their intent, never did they go out of their way to make her look bad, in fact, notice how they only ever step in once the situation is too far gone for Rainbow to handle it herself. Not to mention they only stepped in once other ponies were in real danger. It seems to be that even with her bragging, had Dash not delayed saving the ponies, Mare Do Well wouldn’t have stepped in at all. It does annoy me that Rainbow’s fans make her out to be a complete victim this episode, all the while ignoring the fact that Dash was RISKING INNOCENT LIVES just to show off and act important. While the arrogance isn’t that far from what she’s like normally, despite being the least nice of the Mane Six, risking innocent lives was pretty bad even by her standards. In fact, compare her arrogance this episode to Trixe during “Boast Busters”, but if anything even worse. Trixie may have been an unrepentant jerk and bully, but at least she didn’t willingly endanger innocent lives. Still, unlike Trixie, Rainbow did admit fault and try to change, and she’s a more sympathetic character from the get go, so there’s that. People keep complaining that the rest of the Mane Six could have just TALKED to Dash, but I don’t think it’s that simple. Given her attitude I highly doubt she would have heard anything but “Rainbow Dash, you’re awesome!” so their “Please stop bragging!” comments would in all likelihood go in one ear and out the other. Were their methods extreme? Arguably, but it’s not like less extreme methods would have helped. People also claim the Mane Six were hypocrites, as they do plenty of bragging themselves. Looking at individual statements….no, not really. The only one who mentioned actual feats was Twilight, but her comment about requiring “quite a bit of study” sounded less like “I’m so awesome” and more like “anyone could do that with dedication and effort.” Fluttershy mentioned Mare Do Well focusing on ponies’ safety, which is an excellent point, and Applejack mentioned the need for humility. That’s…not much bragging. Honestly, they weren’t nearly as bad as people say. Also, despite their disapproval of Rainbow’s behavior, at least they still wanted to be around her and were honestly trying to help, even if they didn’t necessarily handle it the right way. I mean, surely these ponies would never abandon one of their own for a bit of bad behavior, right? Imagine if one of the Mane 6 acted badly and the others just abandoned her on the spot? How awful would that be! Annoyingly, there’s a fanfic where the rest of the Mane Six have to perform community service as penance. Even though community service is what you do for wronging the COMMUNITY, and considering they were saving lives while Dash was risking them, DASH should have been the one performing community service. Anyway, while there are issues, this episode is not nearly as horrible as people say. Good intentions but lacking execution for the non-Rainbow Mane Six, and deplorable behavior but admittance to fault for Dash, plus Mare-Do-Well herself was awesome. I personally enjoyed it, but I don’t have much evidence to say it was good, so I’ll say this was a Meh episode.

Sweet and Elite: This is one of my favorite episodes, let me just say that right off. This is another episode where the focus character is technically “wrong” but still very sympathetic. Seeing as Twilight is my favorite, you might think I’d be angry at Rarity for her behavior, but quite the contrary, I’m very sympathetic to Rarity’s position here. Everything she has ever wanted, everything she has ever worked for, everything she has molded herself for her whole life is right in front of her on a silver platter, and all she has to do is reach out and take it. I tend not to begrudge the characters for bad decisions, as no one is perfect and anyone can make mistakes, especially in a moment of weakness, like Rarity did when she chose to go to the garden party over Twilight’s birthday part. Everything that she’s been working for these past several days could have disappeared in a flash had she turned down the invitation, so it’s hard to condemn her for a moment of weakness, especially as she DOES seem to feel bad. Rarity never forgot about Twilight, anytime she wasn’t socializing with the Canterlot nobles, she was working on that dress, though the nobles were monopolizing her time. Twilight, likewise, was extremely likable here. The first thing we’ve seen her asking her mentor for and it’s for one of her friends, not to mention when she found out Rarity was essentially two-timing her, her reaction was to consider how Rarity could benefit from this! I know this show is a How-To guide on friendship, but some of the stuff Twilight pulls is beyond what you could expect even from a good friend, which is part of why I firmly believe that her Element of Magic refers not to Arcane Spellcasting, but to the Magic of Friendship. I know I’m not the only who feels that way. Admittedly, it’s a little hard to justify the Mane Six going crazy at the garden party, but they honestly didn’t mean any harm, and it’s very likely the nobles would have been much worse had the situation been reversed. I hardly to mention how likable Fancy Pants is, that’s a given, and it was a nice twist, showing us a noble who is actually noble, aside from Twilight who tends to prefer the commoner lifestyle. The only real problem I have with this episode was how conspicuous Spike was by his absence. I don’t blame Twilight for this, because there is absolutely no reason she WOULDN’T have him there, and besides, I don’t see people condemning the rest of the Mane Six. Aren’t they his friends too? One thing about this fanbase that really annoys me is how Twilight and ONLY Twilight gets blamed for stuff that the others are just as guilty of, or wasn’t even really Twilight’s fault. There is absolutely no reason for Spike not to be there, and it’s out of character for the Mane Six, so that pulls down the final score. Still, it was a really sweet episode, and, as I’d rate it a very Good episode, it ranks among the elite of this show.

Secret of My Excess: I like the beginning, what with Twilight being in full blown Adorkable mode, plus the bait and switch of making us think she’s forgotten Spike’s birthday. When Spike MENTIONS his birthday is next week, Twilight shows no surprise, indicating that she had NOT forgotten. That plus her trying to wipe off Spike’s cheek, and her overall fear this time around, really shows what a Cool Big Sis and Parental Substitute she is for Spike. Rarity was pretty good here too, although her greed, an already established character flaw, makes her want that fire ruby, her Generosity counters that and she attempts to behave herself. Only taking the gem once Spike GAVE it to her of his own free will, proving Spike’s willingness to think about others, although his crush on Rarity might have been a factor. Also, it’s revealed not only did she treasure the gem because her friend Spike gave it to her, but she was aware of his crush and was totally okay with it! Atta boy, Spike! Once the greed subplot kicks in, things go downhill. There are some fairly funny moments, and Twilight’s mother-like concern is very sweet, but overall, the subplot about a dragon’s greed causing them to grow makes no sense. There was something about this episode I didn’t like, but I couldn’t put my finger on it, but now that other people have said it, I now realize this subplot has all sorts of plot holes. Do dragons not grow unless they’re greedy? Is there a way to regulate it? Why was Spike such a barbarian when the other big dragons we saw were reasonable civil? Is age the deciding factor? Too little is explained, and contradicts previous episodes. Most of this episode WAS the plot whole of dragons growing through greed, so despite the high points, the problematic plot takes up enough time to ruin the enjoyment we otherwise might have gotten, so this basically the excessive plot holes means I’ll make no secret of the fact that this was merely a Meh episode for me.

Hearths Warming Eve: NOW we’re talking. I love the fact that we actually get some world-building here, learning about how Equestria was formed, and learning that there was in fact racism between the three pony tribes. The Mane Six were pretty solid in their roles, and the emotions and tension ran really high, with a very heartwarming conclusion. I’m annoyed by the complaints against the behavior of the Mane Six, seeing as the Mane Six were playing CHARACTERS. One person claimed this episode made Applejack hate Pinkie. I am honestly bewildered by this claim, as Pinkie and Applejack were ACTING in a PLAY. That wasn’t Applejack and Pinkie Pie, it was Smart Cookie and Chancellor Puddinghead. Yeah, Rainbow was arrogant, but what else is new? Also it can be argued she was getting into character. Spike fans will be happy that Spike got a major role, so while it would have been nice to see Celestia and Luna, plus maybe Twilight’s family, I have no major complaints. This was definitely a Good episode. Oh wait, it was written by Merriwether Williams? That makes it automatically bad right? You got to love how this fanbase will automatically condemn any episode she writes as garbage, while ignoring the fact that she wrote this episode, which as far as I know, was a Fan Favorite.

Family Appreciation Day: This was a pretty interesting episode. The running gag of the Crusaders trying to stop Granny Smith from going to the presentation got a little old, but it wasn’t that bad, and it was really nice seeing how much trouble they’ll go through to help each other. The revelation that Granny Smith helped found Ponyville was fantastic world-building, and it was really satisfying actually seeing Diamond Tiara get comeuppance for her antics for a change. Probably my favorite part was Silver Spoon getting a Pet the Dog moment when she shows respect for Granny Smith and agrees that Diamond Tiara owes her luxury life to the family she’s always making fun of. I have been siding with the Silver Spoon Redemption Brigade ever since this episode, seeing as she’s the ONLY villain in the show to get a legitimate Pet the Dog moment WITHOUT the fanbase putting leather pants on her first. Unlike, say, Trixie or Discord. Overall, a fairly Good episode, and one the whole family can appreciate.

Baby Cakes: I didn’t really care for this one. I do think the Cakes having babies is a nice way to put focus on someone other than the Mane Six, it was sweet seeing the Mane Six there, displaying their friendship not only with each other but with one another’s families, and Lauren herself says the Cakes are Parental Substitutes for Pinkie. All that being said, this was largely a comedy episode, but I didn’t really find it all that humorous, leaving most of the episode feeling like it wasn’t worth watching. I did like that Twilight was one of their first picks for babysitting. Though while Fluttershy would be my first pick to look after animals, Twilight has done more onscreen to show that she’s good with kids than Fluttershy has. Easily my least favorite thing about the episode was how Pinkie treated Twilight. Twilight was the ONLY one of Pinkie’s friends who was nice enough to be concerned that Pinkie was in over her head (and she was right, wasn’t she?). Pinkie’s response is to shove Twilight out the door and SLAM THE DOOR IN HER FACE! That was awful. I know, Pinkie was offended by what Twilight said, but Twilight was actually pretty tactful, and I am one of the most oversensitive and easily offended people you’ll ever meet, and *I* wouldn’t have been offended had that been said to me. I would have just accepted that babysitting isn’t one of my strong suits and been grateful that one of my friends cared enough about me to pull my sorry flank out of the fire. Celestia forbid that there be one thing in all of Equestria that Pinkie isn’t perfect at. Celestia forbid that Pinkie be the slightest degree less than infallible. Naturally, Pinkie succeeds, because there’s apparently some kind of law that she must never fail unless she afterwards succeeds without help. Even Twilight, the alleged “Mary Sue” of this group has ended episodes in failure, so it irks me that the writers seem to feel Pinkie must never fail no matter what. It wasn’t really a bad episode, in fact, in my personal opinion, it’s better than a Pinkie focused episode written by Amy Keating Rogers. Still, I would say this was merely a Meh episode.

The Last Roundup: I was really hyped when I heard the premise of this episode, but the result was a real letdown for me. First off, I’m not normally one to complain that a plot was “predictable” or “cliché” but even I saw the “revelation” coming from a mile away. I figured out why Applejack disappeared before the opening theme song played, which left me with nothing to look forward to, so the rest of the episode just dragged out revealing what was already pretty obvious. My least favorite thing about the episode was Twilight’s treatment of the mailpony. That felt downright mean, and COMPLETELY out of character for Twilight, and made even worse by Pinkie giving the mailpony some cake. Yes, I know Pinkie is nice, but I don’t appreciate that being shown by making my favorite character, who by the way RIVALS Pinkie for niceness, look like a jerk by comparison. All that aside, it was really nice seeing the writers acknowledge their fanbase by giving Derpy Hooves a speaking role, and using her fan given name, as opposed to the official name, Ditzy Doo. Also, the I Love Lucy reference was fairly funny, although Pinkie’s face swelling up actually made me feel nauseous. Rainbow weaponizing Pinkie’s motor mouth as an interrogation technique was pretty funny, as was Pinkie being late to yell surprise. I also liked Applejack taunting Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, forgetting that Rainbow and Fluttershy can fly, along with Twilight tilting her head as if to say: “…really?” just before the jump. Another issue is that Rainbow Dash, the so-called Element of Loyalty, just ditched Pinkie and Rarity out in the desert without a second thought! I understand her prioritizing going after Applejack, you’d think that someone famed for their loyalty would actually feel BAD about leaving her friends behind. Also, Applejack outright lied this time around. Her fib about breakfast was supposed to be partially true but misleading. It wasn’t, it was an outright lie, which Applejack has less difficulty doing than she should have. Worst of all the REST OF THE MANE SIX LEFT PINKIE AND RARITY BEHIND. Maybe in Teen Titans Go that would fly, but not in a show where the characters actually care about each other. All in all, while there were a couple funny moments, these are canceled out by the moments that bothered me, and aside from that, it just wasn’t a very interesting episode. Barely makes the cut for a Meh rating from me.

The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000: Rainbow Dash gets us off to a good start when she fetches Fluttershy to make sure Fluttershy actually gets some cider. This one was pretty interesting to watch for the most part, and once Flim and Flam show up, things get better. Their excitable, fast talking personalities made them really memorable villains, and in my opinion, they’re better villains than Trixie, because despite the similarities, they’re smart enough not to insult their customers unless they think they can actually get away with it AND unlike Trixie they can actually back up their bragging, given that their product actually worked as advertised. Their villain song is one of my favorite songs in the series, and the scene at the end where Twilight organizes the Mane Six was simply AWESOME and results in an understandable and hilarious “Oh Crap” from Flim and Flam. Sad to say, however, I must once against criticize Pinkie Pie’s “Innocently Insensitive” being played for harmless laughs when it was anything but. There’s Innocently Insensitive, and then there’s…this. Pinkie is supposedly “sympathizing” with Rainbow because she didn’t get any cider, but her talking nonstop about how good the cider was is simply insensitive beyond there being any excuse for it. Rainbow Dash’s “friends don’t murder friends” expression was very understandable. Also it was ENTIRELY Pinkie’s fault that Rainbow didn’t get any cider, because she’s the one buying about a dozen glasses like she does EVERY YEAR when she KNOWS the cider is in limited supply. Somehow, Pinkie giving Dash the last glass of cider is supposed to be really sweet, but it in no way makes up for Dash NEVER getting any, especially since that is ENTIRELY PINKIE’S FAULT. ONE glass of cider does not make up for the dozen or so Dash has been denied over the years. I would still say this is a Good episode, but one the lower end of the scale, thanks mostly to Pinkie.

Read it and Weep: I didn’t really care for this one the first time I watched it, due to being a Rainbow Dash episode, but upon reflection, aside from the really good message, Rainbow was given some pretty solid characterization, depth, and development here. On top of which, I liked that Twilight and Fluttershy were the first to visit Dash in the hospital, and did so together. I have to admit that this was a Good episode.

Hearts and Hooves Day: Being a devoted supporter of Twilight x Macintosh, I was pretty uncomfortable with the premise of Macintosh and Cheerilee. Let’s hope that doesn’t color my perception of the actual writing quality. Seeing the Crusaders doing something other than seeking their Cutie Marks gives them fresh characterization, and they were likable. Bad decisions? Sure, but with good intentions. Cheerilee was great here as well, and she doesn’t get much focus outside this episode, especially as one of her defining traits is her being good with kids. As nauseating as the lovey dovey talk was, I’ll admit it was actually pretty funny. Also, we get to see Twilight / Cutie Mark Crusader interaction, which has been heartbreakingly rare ever since “Lesson Zero” where Twilight scared those poor fillies out of their wits, albeit unintentionally. I’d been hoping for more interaction between the two parties to show that the Crusaders understand Twilight was just having a really off day, and they still like and trust her. Oh by the way, holy HORSEAPPLES Big Mac is strong. Despite my personal discomfort with the subject matter, I’m willing to label this a Good episode.

A Friend in Deed: Wow, just wow. First off, I was extremely off-put by Pinkie’s behavior the entire episode. Not only does she look like a stalker, but to me it looked less like she was trying to make friends with Cranky for HIS sake, and more because her ego wouldn’t let her accept that there is anyone at all that wouldn’t want to be her friend. I also dislike how Cranky was displayed as a jerk just because he wants to be left alone. Pinkie can be exhausting at the best of times, exasperating at the worst, so it’s not fair to make him out to be a jerk with no redeeming qualities just because he’s aggravated that Pinkie won’t leave him alone, and then have him evolve to Jerk With A Heart of Gold just because he finally accepted Pinkie’s friendship at the end, even though he was actually pretty decent prior to then. The message “Don’t interfere in other people’s privacy” was decent, but falls flat when you realize the only reason Pinkie succeeded was BECAUSE she interfered in Cranky’s privacy, not to mention she’s STILL DOING IT at the end when Cranky and Matilda call her out on it! It really irks me that the writers seem to favor Pinkie and do everything they can to make her look good. Rather than just giving her a positive portrayal and making her likable, this episode, particularly the Smile song, is like punching someone in the face yelling ‘LOVE PINKIE! YOU MUST LOVE PINKIE!” Good grief. I know Pinkie is friendly and likable, but do you have to spend THREE WHOLE MINUTES beating us over the head with that? Also, this fanbase is in the habit of accusing Twilight of being a “Mary Sue” even though she has no Mary Sue qualities, yet people are perfectly fine with Pinkie being absolutely loved by everyone in-universe, itself a common Mary Sue trait. Am I saying Pinkie is a Mary Sue? No, though I would say she’s more in danger of being one than Twilight if the writers, particularly Amy Keating Rogers, don’t tone it down a bit. I know there are fanfics where Twilight is universally loved, but at least in those fics it’s mentioned briefly and in passing and there’s a reason for it coming up, rather than completely out of nowhere like the Smile Song did. Also, if their popularity in the show were to reflect their popularity with the fans, Twilight WOULD be near universally liked, given that she received a very positive response from both genders and all age groups, whereas Pinkie is very popular among kids, but adults are more divided. If ANYONE is liked by everyone in-universe, it should be more downplayed. Although I do like Cranky Doodle, and I certainly liked Twilight’s portrayal (Honest enough to be straight with Pinkie, but Kind enough to be tactful). The vast majority of the episode actually offended me. I’m sorry folks, but in my opinion, A Friend In Deed, Is Bad indeed.

Putting Your Hoof Down: Merriwether, I try to stick up for you, but I really can’t when you write episodes like this one. The first half of the episode is just everypony being pointlessly cruel to Fluttershy, and then, once she learns to be assertive, the rest of the episode is just her being pointlessly cruel to everypony, even those who didn’t do anything wrong. When Fluttershy stood up to the pony who cut in front of her in line, EVERYONE gets out of the way, which you’d think the Element of Kindness would feel bad about, and Rarity and Pinkie are proud of her as opposed to being shocked by Out Of Character she’s being. If self-confident ponies like Rarity and Pinkie were that hurt by her nasty criticisms, I shiver to think how poor Twilight, with her obvious self-esteem issues, might have reacted. Sadly, this plot might have worked had it been handled differently. It defies believability in the beginning when pretty much everyone is horrible to Fluttershy, to the point where a fancomic “revealed” Ponyville was infested with insects whose bites instill the urge to be cruel. Maybe if Rarity and Pinkie had lampshaded this by expressing shock that Fluttershy had the bad luck to run into every one of the very few mean ponies in town in one day, this would be easier to swallow. Even Fluttershy’s nastiness might have worked had there been a Freudian Excuse behind it, like, say, everytime she gets nasty, her rant reveals the situation is something that has bothered her for years, revealing she has a lot of bottled-up frustration that she’s never revealed to be being too kind to do so. That way, Fluttershy’s behavior is justified in that she’s unleashing a lot of resentment, and now that the dam has broken, she can’t stop it, expressing remorse whenever she lashes out. There are a couple things about this episode I like: One was Iron Will. It was actually kind of an interesting change to have an Antagonist who’s not actually a villain, as Iron Will DOES seem to want to help ponies, and is simply going about it the wrong way. While he does shove Pinkie and Rarity out of the way for blocking him from the payment he was entitled to, he seems to balk at actual violence, given that he didn’t follow through on his threats to Fluttershy, accepted her reasoning, and even reconsidered his own behavior. That kind of rival/antagonist doesn’t need to be the norm despite what people say, in fact, it’s a refreshing change when it only happens occasionally. The other thing I liked was that when they realize Fluttershy is going too far, Rarity and Pinkie actually try to talk things out with her, expressing concern because this isn’t like her. Even after she reduces them to tears, they still try to work things out: Because that’s what friends do, they FORGIVE each other. I’ve heard complaints that they forgave her too readily. I’m not sure they had actually forgiven her, since it looks like they were still trying to work things out with her so that they COULD forgive her. Celestia forbid that a show based on FRIENDSHIP have friends working things out instead of just ditching a friend for behaving badly for ONCE in their life. Can you imagine if that happened? If one of these characters acted up, and the others instantly turned against her, showing no interest in helping their friend fix her mistake? That would be awful! So that’s two things this episode got right…unfortunately both are overshadowed by how awkward and uncomfortable this was without an actual “bad guy”. I’m sorry Merriwether, but I have to put my hoof down, this was a Bad episode.

It’s About Time: I…really don’t know what to say here. I know other Twilight fans actually like this episode, but the whole thing didn’t seem to have a point to it, as the moral was pretty similar to Lesson Zero, but considerably more awkward. Twilight felt pretty flanderized here, as she’s never been THIS anxious about keeping schedule before, and she already learned not to sweat the small stuff back in Lesson Zero. There were some pretty good moments, like Twilight LITERALLY traveling to Hell and back to prevent the Aponycalypse all by herself, showing just how Hardcore she is. While Fluttershy was quicker to use a compassionate method, Twilight did immediately follow suit. It wasn’t really a bad episode, just kind of pointless, and required some needless character exaggeration. Regretfully, this time around we had a Meh episode.

Dragon Quest: This episode got off to a pretty solid start, as I loved the Anti-climax with Fluttershy GENTLY opening the window, as it’s just so Fluttershy! Granted, I’m not thrilled about Fluttershy picking Rainbow specifically for an activity, implying they’re best friends, (Really, you’d think she’d prefer the company of fellow animal lover Twilight) given that this contradicts previous characterization that RARITY is Fluttershy’s bestie. Plus, this is the foundation for the Rainbow Dash x Fluttershy ship, which I oppose, as a shy, timid pony like Fluttershy would probably be happier with somepony kinder and gentler, like Twilight or Applejack, and the Element of Kindness would almost certainly be more drawn to those with a kinder personality. Still, that’s more a fandom thing, so it’s a minor point in the episode itself. Twilight and Rainbow were pretty in character, with Twilight being gentle and patient, and Rainbow being more forceful but not necessarily mean. Then we cut to the actual migration, where Rarity is at her most hilarious, missing the point of camouflage and using Opera Glasses instead of binoculars. After that, we got the scene where Rainbow teases Spike for not being like other dragons. Granted, Rainbow was a jerk here, but if Rainbow Dash being a jerk surprises you, than you haven’t been watching this show. Granted, calling Spike lame was mean even by Rainbow Dash’s standards, but notice how the others defend Spike, especially Rarity, Twilight, and Applejack, basically saying they like Spike the way he is. Who cares whether or not he acts like other dragons? He’s Spike, and that’s what matters to them. Sure, Rarity was quicker than Twilight to do so, but Rarity is more hot-tempered and Twilight is more patient and diplomatic, so it makes sense that Rarity would react quicker. Though I’ll admit Rarity could have stood to baby Spike less, especially as she KNOWS he has a crush on her. After that, Twilight shows what an awesome big sister she by being more than willing to get up in the middle of the night to help Spike figure out who he is, and even rushes to his side with a handkerchief all mother-like when he starts crying, d’awww. Then we have Rarity and even Rainbow Dash trying to stop Spike form going on his journey because they’re concerned about his safety. Rainbow, who was picking on him earlier, flat out says she doesn’t want him to get hurt! Twilight than supports Spike because she wants him to be happy with himself and lets him go. Then she reveals she’s concerned for him too and they follow him, allowing him to do what he feels he needs to do, while still looking after him. Cranky Doodle Donkey was a nice touch as well. Then Garble shows up, and this episode goes downhill faster than Calvin and Hobbes testing the theory of relativity. Garble just might be the single most clichéd, uninspired, unoriginal, uninteresting, unlikable character in the entire show. He’s every single stereotypical teenage bully in any fictional work ever, and he SERVES NO PURPOSE. This episode had amazing potential for world building and characterization and character development. We could have learned about dragons, the relationship between dragons and ponies as previous episodes imply dragons and ponies are neutral at worst, and possibly on peaceful terms. We could have learned about Twilight and Spike’s past, Spike could have realized that similar to other dragons or not, he’s Spike, and that’s what matters. There was so much this episode could have done, and instead we get a group of completely pointless characters with Spike ultimately deciding that dragons are jerks so he’ll just be a pony? Basically, he’s judging all dragons by the actions of a few, which is basically the mindset behind racism. It is to my understanding that Garble was a Take That to the anti-bronies, mocking the haters of this show behind their backs. Because that is absolutely the kind of behavior we should be advocating in the fanbase of Love and Tolerance, and mocking the anti-bronies BEHIND THEIR BACKS will totally prove them wrong in their dislike of this show. To top things off, Garble is basically RIGHT when he calls the ponies namby-pamby, because they RAN AWAY from the fight! Twilight, the arch mage who can mentally lift hundreds of tons at once and has literally been to Hell and back, Rarity, who can overwhelm her opponents with mere words and wits despite being outnumbered, and Rainbow Dash, who can fly fast enough to break the sound barrier and slam into solid rock hard enough to break it without hurting herself RUN AWAY from these punks? The dragons wanting to smash a Phoenix egg for laughs was absolutely the worse thing any character on this show has ever done and there was NO REASON FOR IT. Not even to make them evil because there was NO POINT to them being evil, just them being jerks was enough. I also didn’t like how Spike and the ponies kept the egg instead of trying to find his real parents. Then there’s the ending with a picture of Spike being taped onto a picture of Twilight’s party. Normally I don’t approve of retcons, but that was definitely an opportunity to correct Spike not being at Twilight’s party in the first place, so abiding by that was a bad move. This one got off to a great start, but went downhill very fast and ruined its potential. Some hilarious gags and Twilight being an awesome big sister save episode from complete disaster. But, to my frustration, there was enough poorly thought out content that this barely manages to slip into a Bad rating.

Hurricane Fluttershy: Incredible characterization all around. Twilight had a couple of stern moments, but was never mean, and was very caring and supportive. Rainbow Dash was in full blown Jerk with a Heart of Gold mode, with the scales actually tipping in favor of the Heart of Gold. Despite a few jerkish moments, she overall was a more caring friend then we generally see, showing how good hearted she can be when she feels up to it. Especially seeing that once breaking the record was no longer an option, she showed that she can prioritize. Fluttershy was great here too, her timidity and self-esteem issues are pretty typical of her, but once again she proves how awesome she can be when she gets the motivation she needs, which tends to be when her friends need her. No better time to be at your best when your friends need you, right? Angel Bunny was excellent as well, being extremely supportive of and helpful toward Fluttershy, so it’s no surprise this episode Rescued him from the Scrappy Heap. I don’t see this alleged lifelong friendship between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, as there’s no evidence they knew each other more than casually. This episode also featured the return of Fan Favorite Spitfire, who sadly didn’t get any characterization. My only real issue is that it feels like Fluttershy didn’t really get any real vindication after all the heartache she went through, which was really hard to watch. Still, I’m willing to call this a Good episode, despite not really being a favorite of mine.

Ponyville Confidential: I can’t talk too much about this episode, as I don’t feel too strongly about it. I feel bad for the Crusaders here, but I also understand why everyone was so angry with them, as they really did invade ponies’ privacy at best, and made up lies at worst. I feel especially bad for Twilight, as she’s been spending months building a positive reputation in Ponville after being such a social outcast in Canterlot, and then three fillies she’s been nothing but kind to flat out lie and claim she’s secretly an elitist snob who looks down on the commoners of Ponyville. Given how the average IQ of Ponyville seems to drop by about half whenever the plot calls for it, I wouldn’t be surprised if the force field was actually because Pegasis, Unicorns, and Earth Ponies alike were dropping by to yell at her for being an elitist snob. After suffering through defamation of character at the hooves of someone she’s been nothing but nice to, I can’t blame her for being angry, though given what she’s normally like, I wouldn’t be surprised if her reaction was more akin to Fluttershy. Notably in both cases, it isn’t the Nice Girl herself who sends the Crusaders away, but her Jerk with a Heart of Gold sidekick. I also notice the window Spike popped out of seems to have been Twilight’s bedroom, so I can just imagine Twilight hiding under the bed, mane all crazy like in Lesson Zero. People complain about hypocrisy when the ponies in town enjoyed seeing everyone else gossiped about, but got mad when it was them. I can’t help but notice they all STOPPED being fans of Gabby Gums period, as opposed to continuing to read the articles and still laughing at other ponies, so I think they themselves realized that. A good point was made that Rarity didn’t help the Crusaders fix things, so that definitely hurts, and really, some of the stuff in the articles wasn’t even a big deal, so it does seem like everyone was a little TOO angry. Especially Rainbow Dash who practically tried to DROWN those fillies just because they indicated she’s 99% of a tomboy instead of 100%. The content is pretty uncomfortable, and there’s not much in the way of really good stuff, though I do like the montage at the end, not to mention Diamond Tiara actually getting comeuppance for a change. Another interesting thing, is that this is Diamond Tiara’s first appearance since Silver Spoon’s Pet the Dog moment back in Family Appreciation Day, and there’s no sign of Silver Spoon herself. Could they have had a falling out? Could Silver Spoon be getting Character Development and be on the verge of a Heel-Face turn? I don’t think this is QUITE as bad as it’s made out to be, but it’s not really that great, either. Between you and me? This feels like a Meh episode.

Mmmystery on the Friendship Express: You know those episodes you know right away you’re not going to like? That’s what this was for me. The beginning annoyed me so much. I know this show is partially a comedy, and sometimes the characters mess up for laughs, but even my suspension of disbelief couldn’t take that scene. All six members of a Hyper-Competent outside the Ordinary Team of Multi-Time National Heroes had trouble carting around one cake? Twilight can lift a several ton bear and a water tower with vaguely noticeable effort, and can hold back hundreds of tons of water while repairing solid concrete, and she can’t lift one cake? RARITY probably could have lifted that cake, let alone Twilight. Macintosh can rip a house out of its foundation, but he can barely lift that cake? Applejack can kick a Strength-Testing Bell so hard it shatters, yet she can’t lift that cake herself? Yet, as heavy as it is, the cake doesn’t go crashing through the table and floor, or slow the train down at any time? Oh yeah, later on Twilight turns the cake with her HOOF. There’s no consistency here, either with the character’s abilities, or what and who can and cannot lift the cake. All this for a gag I didn’t really find particularly humorous in the first place, and this before the opening theme song. The rest of the episode was Pinkie being more over the top than I could handle. Characters like Pinkie usually straddle the line between being hysterically funny, and ungodly annoying. I’m happy to say that the vast majority of the time, Pinkie is truly a very funny and likable character, but unfortunately at times like this it goes too far. The references in her accusations were vaguely funny, but it was for the sake of Pinkie being so ridiculously over the top that it’s literally not funny. No, I mean it LITERALLY was not funny! It was embarrassing and mean. I also didn’t like Rainbow Dash being Disloyal with no hesitation, Fluttershy being Unkind without hesitation, and Rarity being Greedy with no hesitation, and showing less remorse over it than the other two. Speaking of eating the cake, absolutely NO ONE BUT TWILIGHT had any self-control over their sweet tooth. While I’m glad Twilight, my favorite, was the well-behaved one, it still doesn’t sit well with me that the other five were basically complete gluttons, with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash gobbling part of the cake without regard to hurting their friend, Pinkie gobbling the rest without consideration for anyone who didn’t get any, Gustav, Mulia, and Pony Joe devouring every bite of one another’s treats despite being BAKERS who are around treats like that every day, and in a deleted scene, Amy Keating Rogers reveals that even APPLEJACK took part of the cake. All this was just childish, and a minor apology gets everyone off scot free for their gluttony and backstabbing. Speaking of Mulia and Gustav, I really didn’t care for either of them at all, and would pick them for two of the worst characters in the show. Gustav is an obvious French Jerk stereotype, and ANOTHER Griffon who is a jerk, and Mulia…I found her voice more grating than Snips and Snails. About the only thing I liked was Twilight’s portrayal: Mature, helpful, finding evidence before jumping to conclusions, and I REALLY liked the gag that she’s Over-Prepared. She has also probably been carrying around that crime solving equipment for weeks, which is hilarious. While it was nice to see Pony Joe again, no one but Twilight was portrayed particularly well, and I found the humor more grating than funny, so it doesn’t take a detective to see that this was a Bad episode.

Canterlot Wedding: I have a LOT to say about this episode, so I’m going to do a separate post, check out “Canterlot Wedding Analysis” for my opinion on this one.

Top Five Worst
5: Dragon Quest
4: Mmmystery on the Friendship Express
3: Putting Your Hoof Down
2: A Friend in Deed
1: Canterlot Wedding

Top Five Best
5: Lesson Zero
4: Sisterhooves Social
3: Hearths Warming Eve
2: Sweet and Elite
1: Return of Harmony