The First Half of Season 6 v.s. The First Half of Seasons 1-5 (Episodes Only) · 1:00am Jun 14th, 2016
Even though we've only gotten 12 episodes instead of the usual 13, it's time to see how Season 6's first half stacks up against the first half (or the only half in Season 3's case) of every other season to see how it's doing. But before we do that, let's see how the first 12 episodes of Season 6 stack up. Remember, this is by no means official.
Episode Rankings:
12. Newbie Dash
11. Applejack's "Day" Off
10. Gift of The Maud Pie
9. Flutter Brutter
8. On Your Marks
7. The Saddle Row Review a.k.a Saddle Row & Rec
6. No Second Prances
5. The Crystalling Part 1
4. The Crystalling Part 2
3. Spice Up Your Life
2. A Hearth's Warming Tail
1. Gauntlet of Fire
Now to see how these episodes compare to the same numbered episodes from each of the past five seasons. Since the episode that was delayed is number 9 in production order, and since we can't compare it to the other ninth episodes of each season (Bridle Gossip, Sweet and Elite, Spike at Your Service, Pinkie Apple Pie, and Slice of Life), for now we'll give a point to Season 5 for "Slice of Life" and we'll see if that point gets taken away when the official ninth episode in production order airs. And with that out of the way, we can begin the comparisons.
Episodes 1 and 2: Friendship is Magic v.s. The Return of Harmony v.s. Crystal Empire v.s. Princess Twilight Sparkle v.s. The Cutie Map a.k.a Cutie Markless v.s. The Crystalling:
The winner is (in a close battle): Princess Twilight Sparkle. Some of these two parter premieres were good (Princess Twilight Sparkle, The Cutie Map, The Crystalling), some were decent (Crystal Empire, Friendship is Magic), and one was lackluster (The Return of Harmony). In the end, "Princess Twilight Sparkle" wins out since it had the most to prove, Twilicorn was a big deal and this two parter managed to prove that the writers could work with the new changes to the status quo.
Episode 3: Ticket Master v.s. Lesson Zero v.s. Too Many Pinkie Pies v.s Castle Mane-ia v.s. Castle, Sweet Castle v.s. Gift of The Maud Pie:
The winner is: Lesson Zero. This episode started the growing of the beard for the show, and it still remains every bit as memorable and enjoyable today as it was when it first came out. Episodes like these are always a welcome change, since they free the narrative from having to focus on one character or group of characters and open the doors to stories on characters that may not have gotten a lot of attention before.
Episode 4: Applebuck Season v.s. Luna Eclipsed v.s. One Bad Apple v.s. Daring Don't v.s. Bloom and Gloom v.s. On Your Marks
The winner is: On Your Marks. Sort of like a "Princess Twilight Sparkle" for the CMC, this episode freed the writers from having to focus on the CMC as a group and now opens the doors for episodes focused on them as individuals. Considering Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have so far only gotten two focus episodes (and we still know little about Scootaloo) this is a welcome change and one that the writers will hopefully capitalize on. More Sweetie Belle is good too, but it's Scootaloo who stands to gain the most from this episode's change to the status quo.
Episode 5: Griffon The Brush Off v.s. Sisterhooves Social v.s. Magic Duel v.s. Flight to The Finish v.s. Tanks for The Memories v.s. Gauntlet of Fire:
The winner is (no contest): Gauntlet of Fire. Was there ever any doubt that the greatest Spike episode to date was going to win out here? This episode may be the winner of the "Sleepless in Ponyville" award in that it's the one episode of the season everyone seems to like and for good reason. Hopefully, Jim's not pulling our leg about more awesome Spike episodes like this one being on the way.
Episode 6: Boast Busters v.s. The Cutie Pox v.s. Sleepless in Ponyville v.s. Power Ponies v.s. Appleloosa's Most Wanted v.s. No Second Prances:
The winner is: Sleepless in Ponyville. "No Second Prances" was a pretty serious challenger to overcome, but while it's still good I just can't help but feel uncomfortable during the parts that feel like they're similar to "What About Discord"? Would it have been so hard for Twilight to be willing to at least trust Starlight and not give Trixie such a hard time? Anyway, I'm getting off topic, this episode stills holds up well from a very underrated season that just had too much filler ("Apple Family Reunion", "Spike at Your Service", "Just for Sidekicks", "Games Ponies Play"). It's one of only two episodes focused on Scootaloo to date, and it's a shame we haven't gotten more because this episode helped prove Scootaloo can hold the spotlight on her own.
Episode 7: Dragonshy v.s. May The Best Pet Win v.s. Wonderbolt Academy v.s. Bats! v.s. Make New Friends, But Keep Discord v.s. Newbie Dash:
The winner is: Make New Friends, But Keep Discord. There's more to Discord than just random visual gags and pop culture references, as this episode reminds us. In fact, this episode is the first true Discord episode of the show. Sure, other episodes prior to this one had Discord play a large role, but even in "Twilight's Kingdom" he ultimately wasn't the focus. If we're going to be seeing more of Discord, we need to get episodes more like this. Episodes that treat him as an actual character and not just an excuse for the writers to toss out references and flashy visuals.
Episode 8: Look Before You Sleep v.s. The Mysterious Mare Do Well v.s. Apple Family Reunion v.s. Rarity Takes Manehattan v.s. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone v.s. A Hearth's Warming Tail
The winner is (in a close contest): Rarity Takes Manehattan. It was hard to decide whether "A Hearth's Warming Tail" should eclipse this episode, but there's just something about this one that makes me want to keep coming back to it. Even though Rarity has gotten an excessive (and rather unnecessary) amount of focus recently, this episode was her first step towards returning to the spotlight after a lengthly absence. Despite the contest jamming of "Generosity" down our throats, this episode is a solid slice of life tale and one that started Dave Polsky down the track to becoming a fan favorite writer. Dave and Rarity have had their ups and downs since then, but it will take a lot for this episode's good name to be smeared.
Episode 10: Swarm of The Century v.s. Secret of My Excess v.s. Keep Calm and Flutter On v.s. Rainbow Falls v.s. Princess Spike v.s. The Saddle Row Review a.k.a Saddle Row and Rec:
The winner is (reluctantly): Keep Calm and Flutter On. Most of the episodes here were really bad or just really weak, only "Secret of My Excess" and ""The Saddle Row Reivew" put up a real fight, and boy did they have a lot going for them. But even though both were really enjoyable, and "The Saddle Row Review" managed to be a great simple slice of life story, in the end "Keep Calm and Flutter On" is in the same boat as "A Hearth's Warming Tail" in that, while it undeniably deserved a second part, it managed to make the most of being confined to a single 22 minute episode. It also launched what remains one of the most powerful straight ships of the fandom in the form of Fluttecord, it has outlasted all the competition (Pinkiecord is practically nonexistant now, Celestiacord seems to have faded into obscurity, and Twicord doesn't seem to be getting anymore attention now than when it first became known). I still say redeeming Discord worked out for the better, but I can see why some people might think he was better as a villain.
Episode 11: Winter Wrap Up v.s. Hearth's Warming Eve v.s. Just For Sidekicks v.s. Three's A Crowd v.s. Party Pooped v.s. Applejack's "Day" Off:
The winner is: Party Pooped. Even though none of these episodes are completely solid, in the end "Party Pooped" really has the least amount of flaws and manages to be really enjoyable. Could it be better? Absolutely. But considering the competition it faced, it's amazing that it's really good and enjoyable to watch. It's an episode that you watch if you just want to have a good laugh or two, as long as you can tolerate the one noteness of the yaks.
Episode 12: Call of The Cutie v.s. Family Appreciation Day v.s. Games Ponies Play v.s. Pinkie Pride v.s. Amending Fences v.s. Flutter Brutter:
The winner is (in a close contest): Pinkie Pride. "Games Ponies Play" is the only weak link amongst a string of otherwise really good collection of episodes. "Call of The Cutie" introduced us to the CMC, "Family Appreciation Day" despite its contrived set up gave us some really nice additions to the lore and it's great that Filthy Rich is becoming more prominent again, "Flutter Brutter" had all the main characters in character but Zephyr Breeze was really annoying and the moral a bit on the preachy side. But the real challenge was between "Pinkie Pride" and "Amending Fences", and both have a ton of arguements for why they deserved to win. But Moondancer in "Amending Fences" is kind of overreacting even given the circumstances (she had to have known Twilight was Celestia's student), so "Pinkie Pride" wins out. Cheese Sandwich was made for Weird Al Yankovic and he did not disappoint, and CheesePie is still going strong even today.
Episode 13: Fall Weather Friends v.s. Baby Cakes v.s. Magical Mystery Cure v.s. Simple Ways v.s. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? v.s. Spice Up Your Life:
The winner is: Simple Ways. With the exception of "Fall Weather Friends" (which is good but not great) any one of these episodes could've been the winner. It's hard to decide amongst such wonderful episodes, but "Simple Ways" is just a laugh feast from beginning to end with a wonderful message. It's also one of the last times RariJack managed to provide an interesting dynamic, instead of just feeling like an obvious pairing nowadays.
So the point tallies are: Season 1 - 0 points. Season 2 - 1 point, Season 3 - 2 points, Season 4 - 4 points, Season 5 - 3 points, Season 6 - 2 points. So far, Season 4 has the most points, followed by Season 5, then a tie between Seasons 3 and 6, after that comes Season 2, and Season 1 sitting in last place with no points. We'll see what the second half brings, Season 5 may lose a point depending on what the ninth episode of Season 6 turns out to be. And we'll see if the second half of Season 6 brings it more points, remember that Season 5 really hit its stride in the second half.
Here are my ranks of the season so far:
10. Applejack's "Day" Off
9. Gift of the Maud PIe
8. Saddle Row Review
7. Spice Up Your Life
6. On Your Marks
5. The Crystalling (both parts)
4. Gauntlet of Fire
3. Flutter Brutter
2. Newbie Dash
1. A Hearth's Warming Tail/No Second Prances (Tie)
As for the comparisons, here are my picks:
Episodes 1 and 2: Friendship is Magic v.s. The Return of Harmony v.s. Crystal Empire v.s. Princess Twilight Sparkle v.s. The Cutie Map a.k.a Cutie Markless v.s. The Crystalling:
The Crystalling. I find the season premieres of the first three seasons to be rather weak, and Princess Twilight Sparkle is good, but still one of season 4's weaker episodes. The Cutie Map has a good balance of creepiness and comedy, but I gave the edge to The Crystalling for developing Starlight Glimmer as a character, and for the adorableness of Flurry Heart
Episode 3: Ticket Master v.s. Lesson Zero v.s. Too Many Pinkie Pies v.s Castle Mane-ia v.s. Castle, Sweet Castle v.s. Gift of The Maud Pie:
Lesson Zero. Still one of the funniest episodes of the show to this day.
Episode 4: Applebuck Season v.s. Luna Eclipsed v.s. One Bad Apple v.s. Daring Don't v.s. Bloom and Gloom v.s. On Your Marks
On Your Marks. Its one of the best episodes to focus on Apple Bloom (and one of the few really enjoyable ones), and was great at answering "what do the CMC do now"?
Episode 5: Griffon The Brush Off v.s. Sisterhooves Social v.s. Magic Duel v.s. Flight to The Finish v.s. Tanks for The Memories v.s. Gauntlet of Fire:
Tanks for the Memories. While Gauntlet of Fire is great (and while I disagree with the idea that this is Spike's only great episode, it IS his best ones), I feel the best RD episode is just slightly better, though I'll admit that part of my decision is influenced by my bias towards RD. Plus it gave one of the best songs of the entire series.
Episode 6: Boast Busters v.s. The Cutie Pox v.s. Sleepless in Ponyville v.s. Power Ponies v.s. Appleloosa's Most Wanted v.s. No Second Prances:
No Second Prances, without question. Not only is it the best episode to focus on Starlight explicitly (Hearth's Warming Tail, while important for Starlight's character, was technically not focused on her), but it brought the return of Trixie, who's always enjoyable to watch. Plus, considering the differences in how Trixie and Starlight responded to the results of their second encounters, I think Twilight's actions made perfect sense.
Episode 7: Dragonshy v.s. May The Best Pet Win v.s. Wonderbolt Academy v.s. Bats! v.s. Make New Friends, But Keep Discord v.s. Newbie Dash:
Newbie Dash. Seeing RD get to finally achieve her dream was great, and the bit with her imitating her friends is easily one of the funniest scenes in the entire series.
Episode 8: Look Before You Sleep v.s. The Mysterious Mare Do Well v.s. Apple Family Reunion v.s. Rarity Takes Manehattan v.s. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone v.s. A Hearth's Warming Tail
.A Hearth's Warming Tail. Easily one of the best adaptations of a Christmas Carol ever (and my personal favorite), and the songs are among the best of the series. Plus, seeing more of Starlight is always nice.
Episode 10: Swarm of The Century v.s. Secret of My Excess v.s. Keep Calm and Flutter On v.s. Rainbow Falls v.s. Princess Spike v.s. The Saddle Row Review a.k.a Saddle Row and Rec:
Rainbow Falls. While The Saddle Row Review is hilarious, I found the comedy of Rainbow Falls to be slightly better. Plus, I'm of the opinion that the plot of it actually makes sense (for the most part) when thought about enough, and that the few bits that don't are minor and funny enough that I don't really care.
Episode 11: Winter Wrap Up v.s. Hearth's Warming Eve v.s. Just For Sidekicks v.s. Three's A Crowd v.s. Party Pooped v.s. Applejack's "Day" Off:
Party Pooped. While I think that all of these episodes are good (heck, I'll always say that Applejack's "Day" Off is one of her better episodes), this is definitely the funniest of the group.
Episode 12: Call of The Cutie v.s. Family Appreciation Day v.s. Games Ponies Play v.s. Pinkie Pride v.s. Amending Fences v.s. Flutter Brutter:
Pinkie Pride, no question. Easily the funniest episode of the entire series. Great music. A healthy amount of feels. And Weird Al as Cheese Sandwich.
Episode 13: Fall Weather Friends v.s. Baby Cakes v.s. Magical Mystery Cure v.s. Simple Ways v.s. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? v.s. Spice Up Your Life:
Simple Ways. Again, the funniest of the group.
So, for my picks, each season's standings are:
Season 1: 0 victories
Season 2: 1 victory
Season 3: 0 victories
Season 4: 3 victories
Season 5: 2 victories
Season 6: 5 victories
Just when I thought I couldn't be more confident in calling season 6 the best so far, something comes along that just locks it in more and more.
I don't blame Twilight, Trixie was still acting boastful at the end of Magic Duel and she constantly gave Twilight evil grins and glares. Twilight had every right to be concerned. If anything, Starlight should've asked Twilight more about Trixie's history.
4021889 True, but as Starlight pointed out Twilight gave her the freedom to decide for herself to befriend. Even if Trixie ultimately WAS up to no good in a sense, that didn't mean Twilight was justified for being so possesive.
4021921 Well, what if Starlight befriended a wanted killer (Not Trixie, I'm just bringing up a random killing pony)? Would Twilight's reasons for watching them over still not be justified?
4021929 That would be different, but the worst Trixie ever did was briefly enslave a town. Compared to Starlight, who stripped ponies of their indiviuality and was willing to let Equestria become a barren wasteland if she couldn't have it her way, Trixie's actions look tame by comparison. Even Discord probably would've justified Twilight's behavior a little, because while he's not outright evil he does still tend to think rather selfishly and that has led to problems.
4021941
Sorry, but I think that's kind of what Trixie did in this episode.
4021942 It was much like Discord in "Keep Calm and Flutter On". At first she was only befriending Starlight because it gave her an advantage, something she could enjoy. But over time, she genuinely came to care about Starlight and legtimately wanted to be her friend.
4021946
Well, I'm glad you think that, but to me, the episode suffered from the 'Show, don't tell' problem. Giving that being better then Twilight is such a great feeling to Trixie, and even though it's shown she lied about being apologetic in Magic Duel, for all I know, she could be lying again.
4021952 She said it herself "Everypony always say they'll give you a second chance, but deep down they never forget." Twilight was more of the guilty party for not trusting Trixie. Sure, her acting smug at the castle wasn't helping her case, but that was pretty much the only thing to even hint that she might be lying about her intentions. If she was truly faking being sorry, I don't think she would've been crying after Starlight ran off.
4021955 But what about the tears at the end of Magic Duel?
4021961 I think those were legtimate as well, we just couldn't really invest in them because we didn't see any focus on Trixie after being freed from the amulet.
4022008 Well, to me, I couldn't really invest the same in No Second Prances.